Chapter 16
Serenity
And then they all were in a place of serenity; the
three survivors were now in the center of Baja, in the
core, where life was said to have began. Sam and the others
walked out of a cave and looked on to pure beauty;
waterfalls that were the colors of the rainbow, fish jumped
through air that was also multi-colored. Huge trees that
flourished with silver strawberries and gold apple nuggets.
Certain parts of the stream were crystal clear, where
Sam quickly took a deep refreshing drink. He then scoped up
some in his hands and passed it to his wife. Slowly Jane
sipped, and then sipped some more. The water was so
refreshing that Jane began to gain a little strength to
pull herself nearer the water's edge.
Even the grass seemed to be made of a patch of clouds;
it was so soft to walk on, and it even floated in the air
now and again, taking one of the survivors afloat in the
air. For the first time, Sam saw a smile from Samantha.
The flowers began to sing a comforting melody, and
danced as if they were in a ballroom. Rabbits were red,
white, green and pink, and hopped passed Sam and the
others. The hawk continued to walk at a brisk pace; while
Sam and the others began to gaze on the beauty that they
had never seen before. Soon moving liquid lava in the form
of dogs began to head toward the hawk and Sam. They both
ducked as the dogs ran over their heads.
"Oh, don't worry, their just water dogs," said the
hawk to Sam and the others.
Sam was surprise and caught off guard; there were so
many things that he had never seen before, like the
mountains that moved, or the huge cloud babies that played
in the skies all day making cloud balls and throwing them
at each other. They were so cute and adorable, with their
pristine white diapers and their cloud-like bodies.
Sam was even surprised by the three silver moons that
shot off fire to light the volcanoes that were thousands of
miles away. But what surprised Sam and the others were the
large golden birds that stood seven feet tall, and their
golden chicks. The huge birds laid golden eggs on a huge
white cotton basket. The birds stood on one foot; with
their blue eyes, they watched Sam and the others until they
were out of sight.
"That is amazing," said Sam as he glanced over his
shoulder, looking back at the birds.
Then Sam and the others came to a large black iron
gate. Sitting at the gate was a huge monster with horns on
both sides of his head. The monster was green and silver,
his skin was made of fish scales, it was at least ten feet
tall, and had to weight about three thousand pounds. It had
huge hands and feet that were web-like. It was adorned in a
white kilt with the Baja symbols. Covering its neck,
ankles, and wrists were huge golden bands with secret codes
that sparkled now and again.
"Jasper, come lend me your ear," said the hawk to the
huge giant.
Jasper bent down, its face was so huge it covered the
hawk. The hawk whispered something in the giant's ear, and
then they were free to pass. The giant never blinked or
turned away from his post. The huge gate opened up and
there stood a large white castle. It would be the envy of
many castles, with its manicured lawns and its polished
clear see-thru windows. There were silver ponds for the
ducks and their chicks, and flowers that replanted
themselves in different shapes and colors. There were trees
that moved around the grounds leaping about.
Small mini volcanoes shot fire balls into the air for
entertainment. There were horses that wore golden crowns
and galloped through the massive landscape. They came in
all shapes, sizes and colors. Also doing a welcome were the
mystical toads that would disappear in a cloud of smoke,
and then reappear.
There was a drawbridge with huge carved stone statues
that scanned everyone crossing the bridge. Once on the
bridge, a long white and gold gondola appeared. The hawk
told Sam and the others to climb aboard; the captain never
said anything, just kept on looking ahead in his well
maintained uniform and sailor cap. The captain rowed the
gondola through the crystal clear water; it was so clear
Sam and the others could see the bottom of the river. They
saw things that they had never seen before; huge manta rays
that were covered in blue fur. They jumped out of the water
like a dolphin and splashed back.
"Oh, you show off," said the hawk to the manta ray.
Sam just smiled at the hawk with its sarcastic humor,
but Sam loved that about the hawk. What he wanted to know
was, where were they going?
All the hawk said was, "Just wait and see."
Sam and the others focused their attention on the
water, how calm it was and how beautiful. Fish swam past
them; large sharks and octopus also swam by. Sam wanted to
reach out and touch one, but the hawk nipped at his hands.
"Oh dear, don't do that, they're savages," said the
hawk.
All Sam could do was laugh. The boat approached the
castle that Sam and the others had seen from miles away. It
glowed with Baja symbols; it was so huge and massive that
no one knew where the castle started and where it ended,
except the caretaker.
"Who is the caretaker?" asked Samantha.
"You will meet her soon," said the hawk.
Off they went out of the boat and onto the castle
grounds. Then the castle began to move further away; that's
why the castle seemed closer when Sam and the others
entered the gate. When they finally got to it, it was
further away than they thought. The hawk explained to Sam
that it was a way of protection from enemies.
"Oh! What enemies?" said Sam.
The hawk never answered and pushed Sam and the others
toward the massive doors. They were solid gold and
decorated with gems and rubies. Huge statues guarded the
door, looking on to see who entered and left. Samantha
noticed that the statues were moving, but when she showed
Sam, they stopped.
"This place is very strange," said Samantha.
"Oh! Hush, little girl, it is not strange it is
artistically weird," said the hawk and kept on walking.
All Samantha could do was smile at the hawk and follow
his every command. Once inside, Sam and the others were
greeted by five large black cats like Oscar. They looked
identical to Oscar.
Jane broke out of her daze and shouted, "Oscar!"
But the cats did not respond; all they did was circle
Sam and the others, watching their every move. Looking at
them from head to toe, sniffing and pushing them with their
noses; the hawk warned the others not to make any sudden
moves. Jane kept on whispering to Sam that they looked so
much like Oscar that they must be his family.
Then down t
he stairs came a whistle, and a tall
slender shadow appeared, dressed in a butler's uniform. He
had come down to welcome his visitors. At first, the butler
was not fully turned around, but when he made a full turn,
Jane cried out.
"Willard, Willard, it's me, Jane."
For a minute, the butler paused, and then he fell to
his knees. "Oh! Thank God you have made it," said Willard
as he looked Jane over.
Jane explained to Willard that she thought he was
dead, but Willard was very much alive, and had a lot of
explaining to do. First he invited his guests into the
massive library. There were huge globe chandeliers and
lighting fixtures, and books flew across the room from one
shelf to another. Willard explained that the magical books
liked to read each other and find out more about one
another. There had to be more than a million books that sat
in specially made maple bookshelves that spanned all the
way around the huge room.
The floor was carved out of magical stones that no one
had ever seen before. The stones displayed the entire
universe, and if one looked hard enough, they could see all
the planets and the moon moving. Sometimes it would show
the destruction of a planet; this time it showed the
destruction of Baja right before Sam's eyes.
"We need to hurry," said Sam, as he remembered that
there was plenty that they needed to get done.
To a small corner Willard pulled Jane aside and
explained that he had been living in this castle for
million of years. He was nothing more than a creation that
could outlast time, but Jane shook her head, not wanting to
believe Willard's story.
Willard explained to Jane that he was sent by his
creator to find a child with a gift so extraordinary she
would help save Baja. The gift was not Jane's green thumb,
but the little boy named Peter that she carried inside of
her. Peter was the gift to save Baja and the worlds beyond.
Willard went on to tell Jane that he was sent to watch over
her until she became a grown woman.
Willard was ordered by the elders to protect and care
for Jane, not to let anything ever happen to her, and he
took his job very seriously and took care of Jane even
better than her parent could ever do. Jane just fell into
Willard's arms, crying on his chest, sobbing and moaning
about Oscar and her mom. Willard explained that Oscar had
done his job, and so had her mother and he offered Jane
another cat like Oscar, if she wanted one.
A long time ago, Willard was the one who brought Jane
Oscar, and he was the one who planned to give Peter the
magical book with the genie Merseft. Jane was a little in
shock to know that her life was planed many years ago, that
she was the one who carried the child to save Baja. Now
that reality was sinking in, Jane had to take a break and
she walked over to a chair and fainted.
Sam, right by his wife's side, shouted at Willard.
"Why did you upset her?"
Willard explained to Sam that Jane was just exhausted
and needed to rest. Sam rubbed his wife's head gently as
she fell into a deep sleep.
"Enough of the fighting and the stroll down memory
lane, we need to see the creator," said the hawk.
Off Willard went to summon the creator. Shortly,
Willard came back, and opened up the door for the creator.
Everyone wanted to get a look at the creator; no one
noticed that, like a ghost, she flew passed them. The
creator had long blue hair, and her skin was pale with blue
polka dots all over. Her teeth were so white that they
shone; she was tall and slender, and well-maintained. Her
cherry red lips whispered words, but no sound came out.
She lived in a bubble that she could escape from once
every twelve hours. Her blue eyes glanced across the room,
and back into her bubble she went. Sam and the others
seamed to have been in a fog; it was as if the creator had
stopped time and then made it run again.
When Sam and the others laid eyes on the creator, she
was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. The
hawk immediately bowed down to the creator, and the others
quickly followed. Then the hawk explained to the creator
that they must plant the white rhino plant at the core of
Baja, which was in the center of the castle's back yard.
The hawk explained that Baja was dying and it was an
emergency that the rhino plant got planted.
The creator never said a word, just watched with her
big blue eyes and pointed at Jane lying in the chair. The
hawk quickly ran to Jane's side and lightly gave her a
shaking. Jane woke up, slowly rubbing her eyes. When she
saw what was before her, she became frightened.
"Do not fear, I am here to protect you," said the
creator.
Jane looked around amazed and saw that everything was
all right. She then stood firmly on her feet, and asked the
creator if she could help them save the rhino plant.
The hawk interrupted Jane's train of thought and burst
out saying, "My Lord, we need to plant the rhino plant in
your secret garden. If this falls into the wrong hands,
Baja will be doomed."
The creator just smiled and gently rubbed the hawk's
furry face, and off she went floating in her bubble. She
motioned to Willard to take them out to the back, and
Willard complied.
"Hurry, hurry," said Willard.
Everyone ran behind Willard. When Jane went and
checked on the rhino plant, it was almost dead, breathing
slower and slower. The plant needed nourishment and care.
"We must hurry," said Jane to the others.
As everyone ran, they all felt as if it was too late;
the plant was dying and there was no way to bring it back
to life again. Willard led his friends out to a secret
garden; it was enormous and breathtaking, the air was crisp
and fresh. Waterfalls did a parade of dances; plants grew
as tall as the eye could see, with many arrays of colors to
choose from. Wild pink frogs jumped from pod to pod, and
large ants carried food from one colony to another.
It was like stepping into an ancient jungle; wild
animals climbed from limb to limb, knocking down tree
branches and fruits; often times missing and knocking
someone on the head. Everyone was impressed, but what was
more surprising was in the middle of the land stood the
creator. She was out of her private bubble and had now
grown into a large white tree. It shone in the middle of
the forest; bright light came off of the tree.
From the moment everyone saw this, they knew that she
was the mother of nature and all things that grew. Secretly
the creator had been hiding what was really troubling her;
she was also dying, from the same thing as one of the seven
wizards. The wizards had poisoned nature and because she
was the mother of nature, she was also poisoned. She was
>
holding on to faith that someone would come and save her.
She took all the strength she had to try and save the
remaining parts of Baja. The white rhino plant was a part
of her and she was a part of it; together they would make
an amazing recovery. Jane noticed that the creator was
becoming weak and weary as she hung from the trees with
vines attached to her body; she was losing strength.
The vines took the nourishment from her and spread it
through the lands of Baja, but it was not enough, her
nourishment could only go so far. The white rhino plant
needed to be planted and kept alive. The creator just
moaned and groaned as the vines and trees of the land
sucked out all the nourishment from her body. She finally
fell to the earth, having no more nourishment to give the
trees, and the vines let go of their creator.
It was a horrible sight to see the once beautiful
creator now nothing more than skin and bones. She needed
help and she needed it right away. Jane quickly jumped into
action, turning her thumbs green she placed them on the
creator's head to give her enough energy to stand up and to
hold on. Then out of the bag she pulled the white rhino
plant and placed her green thumb on it. Gently she rubbed
the plant from head to toe, but she feared the worst; the
plant was not coming to life and Jane began to hang her
head in disappointment.
Sam walked over to his wife and whispered, "I love
you."
Jane then gave off a worried smile, but continued to
rub the plant. Her thumb began to turn greener and greener,
sending the color all the way up her arm; it was as if her
skin was changing into another color. Jane began to panic
and scratched at her skin, but it did not take the green
away. The color continued to move up Jane's arm faster and
faster. Suddenly her skin color came back to normal, as if
nothing had ever happened. Jane was in a daze and stared at
her hands; checking them over to make sure she was back to
normal.
There was no more time to waste; the hawk insisted
that Jane hurry up and save the creator. Jane quickly
crawled back over to the rhino plant on her knees, picked
up the plant ever so gently and caressed it gently. Jane
dug a shallow hole and placed the rhino plant in, covering
it up with the dirt. She pulled out a little water, and
sprinkled it over the plant.
All they could do now was wait and see. Everyone
looked on with nervousness and anxiety. Suddenly the ground
began to move, and the dirt began to fall aside. Jane ran
over to the hole and watched without blinking. Up from the
dirt arose the white rhino plant, still weak and frail.
Jane rubbed its petals very gently with her green thumb;
the more Jane rubbed the plant the more it grew.
It became stronger and stronger, bigger and bigger, it
was twice the size of the original plant, and the hawk
quickly ordered Sam and Willard to bring the weak creator
toward the plant. As they brought the creator to the plant,
things started happening; the rhino plant sent its long
tentacle-like roots to attach itself to the creator. One by
one, the plants roots attached to the creator, feeding her
with nourishment and all the nutrients she needed.
After a short while, the creator's color began to
return; she was no longer sickly-looking. Her skin was nice
and firm, not old and wrinkled; her hair began to grow back
where it had fallen out, and her lips were no longer blue
and pale but bright cherry red.
Jane and the others cried out with excitement and joy;
for once something had gone right. As the creator became
stronger, she summoned the trees, flowers, and plants to
come and feed on her, and to send nourishment through their
roots to all living things throughout the land of Baja. The
trees, plants, and flowers began to drink the nourishment
from the creator. They began to feed on her like a wild
pack of dogs on their mother's breast.
Right before Jane and the others; the tree and plants
began to flourish, they became bigger and stronger, their
colors were brighter and those that were once barren began
to grow fruit. Once the vegetation was finished feeding,
they laced themselves deep into the earth, sending rich
nutrients to all the plant life of Baja.
Jane pressed her ear to the ground, and could hear the
vegetation singing; she could feel their roots moving
through the ground, carrying the much needed nourishments.
Plants began to pop up and produce more trees and plants,
giving Baja the clean air that it so badly needed. After
feeding from their creator, the trees gathered in a circle
and whisked the creator away. No one knew where she had
gone, but Willard.
"Oh! She will be back, she has gone to rest," he said.
Jane was disappointed; she wanted to talk more with
the creator, but never had a chance.
"Good job; you were always my little girl," cried
Willard as he wiped Jane's tear from her cheek.
Willard reminded Sam and the others that they had to
hurry. Just like the creator has been healed, so would the
evil wizard. Now Jane and the others were in a panic; they
had to get back to the main land of Baja. But first, they
had to save Sam's father David from the grips of Bella and
Marcus.
This was not a problem; Willard had a special thing to
get them there. He quickly moved Sam, Jane, and Samantha
along to a secret tunnel. Once in the tunnel, Willard had
three large rabbits, fully equipped with saddles and ropes.
"There is no way we can get there with these," said
Samantha.
Willard just chuckled. "These are not your average
rabbits."
Willard whispered into the rabbits' ears, and their
ears stood pointing in the air. Then he ordered the three
to jump onto the rabbits. With no other questions to ask,
the three said their goodbyes and jumped onto the rabbits.
The hawk began to sob. "Oh! I will miss you all."
The hawk wiped the tears from his eyes. With a little
spank on the buttocks, off the rabbits went. These rabbits
were built for flight; with their long wings they began to
fly through the secret tunnel. Once in a while, everyone
would look back to make sure all three of them were one
behind the other.
Samantha began to rub her rabbit's fur coat; it was so
soft and beautiful, never in her life could she imagine
something like this could exist. The flying rabbits were so
fast that everything Jane and the others passed was just a
blur. Faster and faster the rabbits went, flying through
tunnels and secret places under the earth. Once in a while,
Sam and the others would see symbols of Baja glowing
underground or unknown species of animals that they had
never encountered in their lifetime.
This was a wild ride for the three; there were
so many
emotions going on inside each one of them, but each took
the time to enjoy what they got to see. Jane could see her
work still being played out right before her eyes as she
saw the roots passing nourishment to one another. It was
like watching a mother bird feed her young.
From that moment on, Jane knew how important her gift
was, and began to appreciate it more. Plant life was now on
its way back to Baja and to the ill wizard. Sam was
expecting the worst; now his own brother and a group of
wizards would try and take over Baja, and it was all in his
son's hands to stop this from taking place.
For the first time, Sam began to worry about Peter and
hope that he was all right. This was a really big task, and
Peter had to be ready, the faith of Baja was now in his
hands to pass onto his son. He hoped that his son was
mature enough to handle the pressure, but first Sam had to
save his father and the other members that were captured by
Bella and the remaining wizards.
As Sam and the others flew underground, going through
twist and turns, they noticed that they were finally coming
to a slow mode.
"We must be there," said Sam as the huge flying
rabbits gently bucked Sam and the others off of their backs.
They were instructed by the rabbits to climb the vine
that would take them to the surface. With no questions
asked, Sam, Jane, and Samantha began to climb the huge vine
to the surface; it was a long way up. Sam remained at the
bottom while Jane and Samantha took the lead. The three
scraped and climbed there way to the top; it was a long
climb, and everyone was tired and sweating from it.
Once everyone made it to the top, for the first time
their eyes gazed on the vast destruction the disease had
caused Baja. The vegetation was wilted and wasted away; the
trees lay lifeless in the middle of the roads, and dead
animals left nothing more than their skeletons on the
ground, scattered by the winds. Even giants and other large
species of animals had been affected.
It has been weeks since Jane and the others were on
this side of Baja. They gazed upon the destruction, but
they felt comfort knowing that the cure was on its way;
coming through the veins of the roots of trees and plants
from all over. There was no time to waste; Sam and the
others had to find David and the remaining fighters.
Jane and Samantha quickly informed Sam that there were
massive rock creatures that had chased them before, and
everyone needed to keep a lookout. Sam acknowledged what he
had heard with a nod, and off they went into the forest to
save David and the other fighters from Marcus and Bella.
Not too far into the forest, Jane felt her roots
starting to heal the lifeless trees. They were sending
valuable nutrients and the cure of the white rhino plant to
the sick and dying vegetation. Suddenly the trees began to
come alive and their color burst with brightness. Trees
that were once dead began to move and pick themselves up;
their bark was no longer brittle, but strong.
The trees grew bigger and stronger, digging their
roots into the dirt to pass on the healing powers of the
white rhino plant. Flowers began to grow right before their
eyes, popping into the air. The forest that was once dark
and gloomy became bright again.
"The powers of the rhino plant are working," said
Samantha to Jane.
All Jane could do was smile, her hard work had paid
off, and now Baja would be safe from all death. The only
thing left in their way was the seven wizards, and how to
lock them away for good. Through the forest, Jane and the
others ran with nothing more than a sword and worn out
shield and helmets, but they had no choice but to fight
with what they had.
Jane and Samantha showed Sam the way to the temple in
the forest where they saw Bella and Marcus take David. The
three quickly ran through the forest, trying very hard not
to make a lot of noise or be seen. Suddenly Jane came to
the same place were Oscar had died; nothing more was left
but a large skull of her beloved cat. Everything had
vanished away, taken by the wind or other animals. Jane
knelt beside the skull and began to sob, until she was
picked up by her husband.
"Honey, I am sorry, but we must go," said Sam.
Jane continued to cry and looked back at the spot
where she'd lost one of her best friends. It was a sad
moment; no one knew what to do or say, and that made the
rest of the way very quiet and somber. Suddenly, in the
bushes, Sam could hear something moving and growling. He
motioned to the others to keep low and quiet.
As the three squatted down behind the tall grass that
seemed to have grown overnight, in the fields were three of
the large rock dogs. Their savage behavior was clear as
they feed on a large dead bird. Their bodies were covered
with the animal's blood; their savage ways became clear as
they fought with each other over the carcass.
Suddenly one of the dogs began to sniff and picked up
a scent that was familiar; the scent of humans. Sam
motioned to Jane and Samantha that it was time to start
moving out. On their hands and knees, the three began to
crawl faster and faster; and the more they moved the more
the rock dogs began to take notice.
As they crawled, Jane made a sudden stop as she could
feel something was over her shoulder. She was right; it was
one of the massive creatures, sniffing through the grass.
Looking for the scent its nose was picking up, Jane could
feel the thinner of the large animals walking closer to
her. She could hear its panting from a mile away. She
remained still as the creature stood right over her.
Suddenly a big glob of saliva from the creature's
mouth covered Jane's entire body as it stood over her. It
still could not see her because of the tall grass. The
creature began to push the grass aside with its nose, but
still couldn't find Jane, and because of the saliva, her
scent was no longer present.
From afar, Sam and Samantha had made it to an opening
in a rock before they noticed that Jane was in trouble. Sam
began to come back for his wife, but Jane motioned him to
go back; she would be all right. Feeling uneasy, Sam
watched from the crack in the rock. Jane began to talk to
the grass to make her a pathway to safety. The grass began
to grow violently into the air; it picked Jane up and
carried her on a wave.
When the creatures saw this, they began to run after
Jane. They picked up speed and were closer and closer to
Jane, but she kept on talking to the grass through her
green thumb, and the grass protected Jane from the
creatures. With the sharp edges of the creatures, they
began to cut through the grass, but with a vengeance, the
grass came
back and fought for its master Jane. The grass
turned itself into strong ropes that tripped the creatures,
and then held onto them and tied them to the trees.
But this did not work for long. The creatures were too
massive and powerful; their finely sharpened bodies cut
through the grass like paper, and they were back to chasing
Jane. Suddenly Jane disappeared into the tall grass; the
creatures did not known where she went. Then she popped up
here and there, making the creatures irritated, and finally
they lost interest.
Just as Jane made it to the opening in the rock, one
of the creatures came out of nowhere and blocked her. Jane
trembled in fear, her eyes became saucers, and just as the
creature was about to attack, Jane was pulled into the rock
opening by her legs. Something had pulled Jane into the
rock; falling and hitting her head, she blacked out.
When she awoke, there was nothing more than darkness
surrounding her. Jane noticed that she could not move or
talk; so she began to moan, and then she heard another
moaning sound. She knew that she was not alone. Suddenly a
light shone into the cave, and when it did, it held a
creepy secret. Jane, Sam and Samantha were covered in
cobweb from head to toe. Once again they were in the web of
a spider, but as the light shone in the cave, they were not
the only ones. There were hundreds of bodies, some dead and
some alive; most were now skeletons hanging from out of the
sides of cocoons.
Sam and the others looked around vigorously, panicking
and trying to figure out what to do next. Yet, the decor of
the cave got their attention; not only was there a foul
smell and green slime everywhere, but there was something
massive moving in the dark corner. When the light from the
sun came into the cave brighter, the face of the creature
became apparent, and then fear came into the hearts of its
captives. The light gave way to the most hideous creature
ever to grace the eyes of anyone.
The creature was massive in size, overweight and
dirty; it was the size of a large man-like giant. Its head
was almost the size of its five thousand pound body; it had
a red halo that glowed above its head, its eyes were pure
black, and around its neck laid layers of thick gold
bangles and chains. There was a chain that hung from the
creature's nose to the top of its lip, and globs of snot
dripped from the creature's nose onto its stomach.
This was a nasty and unclean sight to see. The
creature's stomach was hairy and very dirty, bugs and
roaches crawled out of it; at one point the creature picked
up the bugs and began to eat them. One by one it chomped on
the same insects that fed off of it. When the creature
moved, everyone could hear the clinging of its chains, and
its shortness of breath.
When it raised its arms, the truth came to light, the
creature had two sets of arms that were like lobster claws.
It used the claws to crack the bones of the dead and to dig
in its nose. What was very odd and peculiar about this
creature was the fact that it spewed cobwebs out of its
mouth; it was a very disgusting thing to see. This creature
had not only lived here for centuries, but it seemed like
someone had kept it for a pet.
As the creature became comfortable in its spot that
was made of nothing more than a few dirty rags and hay, a
glow in the wall appeared and was followed by an opening. A
slender figure came out, graceful and unafraid. Dressed all
in black; from the cocoon, Sam and the others got a good
look at this figure. It was Bella; of course, she had kept
the creature as her pet and come to see how it was doing.
The creature crawled up to Bella like a little child
to its mother. She kissed his large face and blew into his
face; he loved this. The creature began to smile, showing
his yellow fang-like teeth. Bella checked to make sure her
pet had everything it needed, but she also let out a
secret, telling it that she wanted it to go to war in a few
days.
The creature jumped for joy as Bella told him how many
Baja citizens he could store and eat; how he could break
their bones and make stew out of their bodies. The creature
clapped and chuckled at his master's words. From above Sam
and the others knew that they had to get out of there, but
they were careful not to make any sudden moves; Bella did
not need to know they were there.
As the reunion between beauty and the beast took
place, a huge spider began to crawl up Sam's leg. He did
not want to scream, and tried to hold it in. Then the
spider began to burrow into Sam's skin. He bit his lip to
stop from screaming, but he was moving too much and the
cocoon began to shake.
It fell from the air, missing Bella by a mere inch.
The creature became upset, picked the cocoon up, and
sprayed more cobwebs from its mouth and stuck it back up to
the cave ceiling. Jane and Samantha were afraid for Sam,
thinking that Bella would order the creature to open the
cocoon, but she did not. She only paused for a minute and
then left the room out the hole she had come through.
That was a close call for Sam, but the other hard part
was trying to get out of the cocoon and then getting the
spider out of his body before it was too late. Samantha
knew that they had to move fast; she wiggled until she
managed to set her small knife free. She cut through the
layers of webbing.
Once she saw where her friends were, she had to make a
move. Out sprang Samantha from her cocoon and onto the
cocoon of Jane. Quickly, like a wild woman, Samantha cut
and ripped through the layers of webbing. Once Jane was
free, she hid in the spaces between the other bodies.
Samantha flipped through the air with her ancient
ninja skills, going to save Sam. The creature began to
move, tossing and turning from its nap. Jane motioned to
Samantha to hurry up as the creature was awakening.
Samantha quickly freed Sam and was now trying to cut the
spider from under his skin. With a quick jab of her knife,
Samantha stabbed the spider and pulled it out of Sam's skin.
The spider was now dead, letting off toxic foam. With
blood dripping from his leg, Sam quickly crawled down to
where his wife was, and then Samantha followed. They all
stayed there until it was safe to make another move. They
kept a close eye on the creature as it tossed and turned.
Finally it was safe to move and try to get out of the
cave. Samantha jumped down to the secret entrance where
Bella had come in, and tried to find a way to open the
door. There were many codes that were carved into the walls
centuries ago. With a few rubs and a push on the secret
codes, nothing happened.
But something was happening in that room; the creature
began to wake and saw that his catches
were trying to
escape. It swung its arm into the air and let out a loud
cry; then it sprayed cobwebs from its mouth all over the
place, trying to catch Samantha as she jumped and cartwheeled
through the air. There was no time to figure out
the codes, the three had to go the way they came in.
Samantha motioned to Sam and Jane to come on, and so
they did, crawling from their hiding spot as the creature
went wild, smashing and tearing up its own nest trying to
prevent his dinner from getting away. But the three dodged
and ducked the massive creature; until it became even
angrier and began to smash holes in the walls.
The cave began to crumble slowly, pieces of clumped
dirt fell, causing a major cave in. Sam, Samantha, and Jane
ran out of the cave, fearing for their lives. The monster
followed them; continuing to smash and destroyed everything
in its way. The creature began to moan and groan, as if it
was in major pain, but it was just unhappy that its meal it
had escaped.
Out of the cave Sam and the others flew, falling to
their knees as they caught their breath. But it was too
late for the creature; it got trapped by the heavy dirt
that covered it up to its neck. The creature let out a loud
cry causing the birds and other animals to fly away.
His mother heard his plea, and Bella ordered her rock
dogs to go and see what was the matter with her beloved
pet. From a distance, Sam could see the rock dogs coming;
with their massive size and shape cut-rock bodies that
glittered in the sun's rays. They were in the middle of
nowhere, there was nothing more than fields. So once again,
Sam tried to use his gift of levitation to move them into
the air.
Samantha and Jane began to worry, since Sam's powers
were not always there for him, but they both concentrated
with him, and up and away they went into the sky. Sam was
very excited; finally something had gone right for him. But
his happiness was short-lived; his powers were weakening
and the three began to plummet to the ground.
Screams filled the air as Jane and Samantha were
expecting a nasty fall. But as they fell, a huge tree
covered in white moss caught the falling three. Jane kissed
the tree on its limb and held on tight. They remained on
the tree limb until the rock dogs lost their scent.
They kept quiet as the dogs ran off back to the temple
to tell their master.
"We must move fast," said Sam.
Down the tree the three slid, one by one, falling to
the ground and taking off running. They headed toward the
old temple with the plan of saving David and the other
fighters. Once they got closer to the temple, they hid
behind a tall plant until it became dark.
From a distance, they watched as Bella and the other
wizards turned David and the others into slaves. They had
the fighters of Baja building and making weapons for the
war. They were beaten and mistreated; some of the men who
were once fit were now nothing more than skin and bones.
Bella and the other wizards were starving the fighters, yet
insisting that they work all day and night.
Sam began to cry for the fighters; they looked frail
and near death. He could not believe the woman he once
called a friend was behind this. Not only did he have to
face his brother, but he also had to face his best friend.
As night fell, the skies opened up so bright, a huge
glow of light came from the temple. There was singing and
chanting; something strange was taking place. Then the
skies lit up like fireworks again. A face appeared in the
sky; it was a ghostly image of an old mummy with skin and
bones that had been dried up for centuries. The mummy was
hooded; one could not see its face. It began to chant with
the chanters on the ground.
"What is going on?" asked Jane.
Sam explained that Bella and the other wizards had
just awakened Cilus. The mummy that was sick was now well
again. Because the white rhino plant saved Baja, it also
saved Cilus. Now that all the water and vegetation was
cured, Bella and the others made a potion to cure their
seventh wizard. He was deathly sick, and he had poisoned
Baja with his sickness.
Now that Baja was well, so was the seventh and final
wizard. It was time for all the wizards to join forces and
take over Baja. Now that the temple was in a ceremonial
phase; it was the perfect time for Sam and the others to
sneak in.
As Sam, Jane, and Samantha got closer to the temple,
they found that getting in would be much harder than they
thought. The gate was guarded by huge ape-like creatures
that stood at least ten feet tall, with long hairy white
fur, and they weighed about a thousand pounds. They carried
large swords, golden chest plates, and golden helmets to
cover their heads. They would stomp and kill anything
trying to get in or leave.
Lining the hills to the temple were large blue
bullfrogs. They floated up and down like a row of musical
notes, and slept all day. But the littlest of noises they
heard would cause them to emit an irritating humming noise.
To the citizens of Baja, these frogs were known as crying
frogs; to Bella and the other wizards they were their
security feature. So the only way in the temple was to dig
underground.
"This would have been a great time for Peter to use
his skills," said Sam.
Jane was not pleased with the idea, and gave Sam an
unpleasant look. Samantha noticed a stream that led under
the bridge to the temple. That was their best way to get
in, and they all agreed to take the chance. One by one,
they walked up to the water's edge and slowly and quietly
eased their bodies into the water, trying not to make a
sound or anything that would get them noticed.
Sam, Jane and Samantha rode the current of the stream
to the temple, holding their breath and going underwater,
they passed the huge apes guarding the entrance. For a
minute, one of the apes noticed something and headed toward
the water. It looked around but saw nothing. But underneath
the water Sam and the others were holding their breath and
trying not to run out of air.
The faces of the apes were very scary and caused Jane
to use more oxygen than normal. She could not hold her
breath any longer, as the huge ape looked on. Sam quickly
grabbed Jane by the hand and swam as fast as he could with
her, until they were clear of danger.
Out of view of the creatures, Sam pulled Jane's head
out of the water, allowing her to catch her breath. Jane
began to apologize, but Sam let her know that it was okay.
The most important thing was that they were safe and
everyone was all right. Sam waited for Samantha to catch up
with him and Jane. When Samantha arrived, they were now
inside the gates of the temple, b
ut they had to get out of
the water fast. Something was approaching at a fast speed;
big bubbles burst out of the water, letting Sam know that
whatever was coming their way was massive.
Sam ordered Jane and Samantha to get out of the water
and run as fast as they could. One by one, Sam helped the
two ladies out of the water, and as he was about to leave,
something pulled him by the legs back into the water,
causing a big splash. Because of all the chanting going on
in the temple, it fell on deaf ears. Sam was putting up a
fight, punching and kicking whatever had ahold of him. Then
the creature let Sam go and fixed his eyes on Jane and
Samantha.
"Run!" said Sam, as the creature leapt out.
What they saw paralyzed Jane and Samantha right in
their tracks. Out of the water came the largest black
alligator anyone had ever seen. With its green eyes and
sharp yellow teeth, it had huge legs and feet that gave way
to large claws. The alligator was covered in black fur, it
roared like a raging beast, and took a swipe at Samantha,
cutting her across the face.
The beast was hungry and ready to feed. The huge
alligator swung its tail around and whipped Jane to the
floor. Samantha quickly pulled out her sword and lunged at
the creature, striking it in the eye. Meanwhile Sam pulled
himself out of the water, but being badly beaten, it took a
long time for him to make it to shore.
As the creature licked its tongue at Jane, it was
ready for a feast, but Samantha was on the creature's back
stabbing and beating it with her sword. The sword did
little damage to the creature, but Samantha's poking and
stabbing made the alligator irritated and it began to buck
Samantha off of its back. Samantha held on tight and kept
on hitting away.
Jane got out of the way and ran to safety behind a
huge tree; upset and mad. Sam began to take on the creature
once it knocked Samantha off of its back. Sam began to
change; something was going on, his orange hair began to
twirl and stick up in the air. His arms and neck began to
turn orange, and with a loud roar he picked up the
alligator by its tail and threw it back into the stream.
As it landed and made a big splash, Sam and the others
took off into the yard of the temple. Sam slowed down to
catch his breath, wondering what had happened to him, what
was his body going through? How could a skinny, tall, frail
man like him pick up a thousand pound alligator with no
problem?
That was the question on everyone's mind. Sam's body
was changing, something strange was going on, but it was no
time for a family moment. Sam and the others had to save
David and the rest of the fighters.
With Sam's hair all stuck up in the air, Jane smiled
and said, "I like that look on you."
Sam could do nothing more than blush at his wife's
comment. Running through the massive temple grounds made
Jane and the others tired; so they decided to hide out for
a minute to catch their breath. Hiding behind a tall
statute of a wizard, Sam heard footsteps coming their way.
It was the foot guards for the temple, all dressed in white
with tribal masks on. No one could see their faces; they
marched through the courtyard watching and guarding the
temple.
This gave a little time for Sam to come up with a plan
to get to the prison camps that Bella had prepared. The
foot soldiers marched one by one in a harmonious line,
never out of tune, watching and looking for anything
suspicious. Suddenly Samantha accidentally stepped on a
tree branch, and it made a loud noise.
The foot soldiers stopped, and began to look through
the trees, searching and peering for an intruder. One by
one, they leapt over one another like acrobats in a circus.
Flying into the marsh area, there was no place for Sam or
the others to run, so they had to fight. Out jumped
Samantha with her sword, fight, followed by Jane and Sam.
The three were nervous and scared, but they knew that
the show must go on, and so it did. The foot soldiers began
to fight and tumble with Samantha and the others, but it
was not as easy as they had thought. Samantha was a skilled
fighter, using her ninja skills she fought with the foot
soldiers, giving them a long drawn out fight while she
instructed Sam and Jane to go and get help.
Sam did not want to leave Samantha alone, but he saw
that she was doing fine; so both Jane and Sam took off
through the temple grounds, looking for any survivors.
Meanwhile, foot soldiers were on their heels; the faster
Jane and Sam ran, the foot soldiers ran even faster.
As Samantha fought, slashing the soldiers with her
sword, Jane broke away from her husband and went in another
direction, and so did the soldiers; half followed Jane and
the other half followed Sam. This was a strategy of divide
and conquer; the foot soldiers cornered Jane in a dead end.
She had nothing to fight with, just her gift of growing.
"Ha, ha, ha, what are you going to do now, little
lady?" said one of the soldiers.
Jane quickly touched the tree that she was leaning on,
and it immediately came alive and recognized Jane as its
healer. With a loud roar, the tree picked Jane up and sat
her on a branch, and then went after the foot soldiers. One
by one, it kicked and threw them with its branches and
limbs. The foot soldiers tried to scatter like household
mice, but were caught by their garments, picked up, and
tossed through the air by the tree.
Jane kissed and rubbed the tree, thanking it for
saving her. Now it was time to save her friends. Jane told
the tree to follow the foot soldiers that were chasing her
husband. The tree snapped Jane tightly in a hole in its
trunk and began to run after the soldiers. It was a scary
sight for the foot soldiers to see a large tree running
after them; they screamed like cowards as the tree tossed
them one by one, through the air they went, crying and
screaming as they ran through the temple grounds.
Even Sam was afraid to see the tree as it came face to
face with him. Then Jane popped out of the tree trunk to
let Sam know that it was okay. Sam was relieved and glad to
hear that. Up onto the tree Sam climbed, and then Jane had
the tree make a u-turn and pick up Samantha. She was
running from a group of foot soldiers, and as she ran
toward the tree, so did the foot soldiers.
When the tree made a loud roar, it blew the soldiers
through the air. As one of the soldiers tried to summon
help, it was crushed by the roots of the tree like a hot
marshmallow on a stick. Jane ordered the tree to move
faster toward the prison camp.
Just as the tree made its way over to the camp, it was
pulled below the surface. Screams filled the air as Jane
and the others were quick
ly tossed out of the tree. On the
ground, one by one they rolled, each getting a mouth filled
with dirt. No one had any idea what was going on; then the
ground began to shake and quake. Earth began to fall into
the open hole; Jane and the others quickly moved away; out
came a large statue built from the finest stones. It stood
about twelve feet tall, and was in the form of a barbarian
man. With its shirtless body and leaves for an
undergarment, it carried a large shield and sword made out
of silver and gold. Huge gold bracelets graced its arms and
ankles; its hair was made out of the finest white silk, but
when this creature turn around, it had no face!
Masons were still carving its face. Before the alarm
went off, the creature knocked the masons off of it, and
began to crawl out of the hole. With no face, just an eye,
it was fixed on Jane and the others.
"Run!" shouted an unknown voice.
Before Jane and the others could see where the voice
was coming from, they were pulled to safety by unknown men.
The creature came out of the ground like a hungry bear,
searching and scavenging for its prey. The huge statue
began to chew on the tree that saved Jane and the others.
The tree called out for Jane, but there was nothing
she could do. Although she wanted to save it, she knew that
it was too dangerous; she and the others continued to hide
behind an old headstone in the center of the courtyard.
As the monster came closer and closer, knocking over
everything in its path, Jane and the others got a close
look at the people who'd saved them. Behold, it was a few
of their fighters who had managed to stay alive and
breakout of the camp. The fighters were also glad to see
Jane, Samantha and Sam. These men and women looked as if
they had been through a tough time; they were ill, dirty,
and some were badly wounded. But they were still willing to
fight and save Baja.
Before they could talk further, they had to destroy
the statue that was coming after them. One by one, Sam and
the others threw rocks to knock out the eye of the statue,
hoping to stop it from seeing them. They kept throwing, but
just barely missed the eye. The statue was not pleased, and
came after its attackers.
With its shield, the statue blocked the incoming rocks
and stones, then opened its mouth, and out jumped dead
corpses by the hundreds. One by one, they began to run
after Sam and the others. They were nothing more than skin
and bones with a little bit of flesh still hanging onto
their bones. Worms crawled out of their mouths and eyes.
They smelled like rotten fish, and their old musty bones
creaked as they moved. It was as if an entire graveyard had
come alive inside the mouth of the statue.
The corpses were endless; there was no way anyone
could stop this influx of evildoers, but Samantha would not
give up. She ordered everyone to fight to the death, but it
was useless. The harder Samantha fought, the more the dead
came after her; piling on top of her one by one, biting and
chewing at her bones. Samantha tried to kick them away, and
once again Sam got angry and began to turn orange.
His skin turned from its original color to orange
slowly, creeping up his entire body, and then his orange
hair began to do a twirl into the air as if it was being
blown by a fast wind. One by one, Sam went through the
crowd, punching and kicking his way to save his friend
Samantha; and one by one the creatures huddled around Sam
like a tidal wave.
Then it became silent; not a sound, as if the air had
gone deaf. Jane began to fret for her husband and friend,
but then out of the blue, like a mad man, Sam threw the
large group of corpses into the air. Sam was filled with a
massive dose of strength and power. The dead went flying
through the air like a wind blowing a leaf, but once again,
the statue let more corpses out of its mouth, and it became
too much for Sam to fight off.
Finally out of strength and breath, Sam's body fell to
the floor. The corpses began to cheer and clap for their
master; then through the air, on a flying bat, came Bella.
The bat was large and black, even its eyes were black, and
it showed no sign of fear whatsoever. The bat's chest and
head were protected by a silver helmet and silver
breastplate. On top of the bat sat Bella on a finely made
saddle with a lasso in her hands as she ordered the bat to
stop and lower her down.
Bella was nicely dressed, with her long black seethrough
dress and cape; knee high leather boots, and a
golden helmet that protected her head. Her long black hair
flowed in the wind, her cherry lips made her face look so
innocent and friendly.
As she was being lowered, through the air came another
bat with a rider, Marcus. He had on a finely crafted
leather cape and uniform, and he too wore a golden helmet.
On his chest lay a golden breastplate that glowed with red
codes. A section of his orange hair could still be seen
through the gaps of the helmet.
The silver belt that held up his pants had a skull
belt buckle that also glowed in the dark. Out of the buckle
came a whip that he used to beat his bat with. Pain and
agony made Marcus happy; anything that suffered made him
happy.
Bella and Marcus were two evil people in love. Once
Marcus landed, he and Bella kissed and showed their
affections for each other. Then Bella ordered the dead
corpses to scatter. When they heard Bella's voice, they
scattered like scared dogs, whimpering as they moved back
into the mouth of the statue.
At first Sam and the others went unnoticed by Bella
and Marcus, because they were so heavily covered by the
dead corpses. But once the corpses moved away, Marcus
noticed his brother by his orange hair. Marcus quickly ran
to his brother's side, but not before Bella pulled him
away, replying that Marcus was turning soft and should not
feel for his brother. Bella told him of how he needed to
remember that Sam was his enemy now and not his brother.
Marcus' eyes glow a bright green; he quickly moved
from the side of his brother and began kicking and spitting
on him. This was what Bella loved to see, two brothers
against one another. Jane shouted at Marcus, calling him a
traitor, and neglecting his family name. Marcus slightly
turned around and then continued to listen to Bella as she
ranted and raved of how powerful they would be once they
did away with Peter.
There was no remorse or any type of regret in either
Marcus or Bella; they had now officially abandoned and
betrayed the one man who truly believed in them. But they
couldn't care less; they were on their way to being the
proud rulers and elders of Baja.
Bella ordered her remaining foot soldiers to take Sam,
&
nbsp; Samantha, Jane and the other fighters to a holding cell,
and to put one of the rock dogs as a guard. The foot
soldiers loaded Sam and the others into a carriage and
headed them toward the camp. Out of the bars, Jane and the
others could see the deplorable condition that Bella had
David and the others living in.
Some of Sam's men were chained to the ground with
thick layers of chains; there was little water and very
little food. Many of the fighters were ill and dying; even
many more were starving to death. As Jane looked through
the corner of her eye, she saw a heap of dead bodies lying
along the way. Many of them were Sam's fighters, and many
were innocent citizens of Baja that were captured as slaves
and put in a camp to appease Bella.
Jane covered Sam's eyes as he lay on the floor of the
wagon, she did not want him to see how mistreated his men
were, how their bodies were thrown to the side like old
garbage. But Sam got himself up and saw the horrible sight.
He shouted to everyone, "We are here, we will fight
together!"
But no one wanted to hear that; there were only a few
that still had a little fight left. As the wagon came to a
complete stop, out jumped the foot soldiers, dragging and
pulling Sam and his friends out of the wagon. They then
tied Sam and the others to a large chain as if they were
wild dogs.
Sam did his best to get loose, but the chains were too
strong; they were much stronger than Sam, and made out of a
silver liquid that no one had ever seen before. The other
prisoners just stared at Sam and the others. To see their
leader captured and now a prisoner like they were was
depressing.
As the dust from the ground floated through the air,
on her bat horse came Bella from the sky, with Marcus not
far behind. Bella was happy, this was the capture of her
life; she couldn't wait to show off her catch to the other
wizards. Bella whipped Sam with her lasso, and then took
here long nails and carved a code onto Sam's chest.
Once Bella finished, the code glowed, his body shook
violently, and then Sam was knocked out. Jane called for
her husband, but he would not answer. Then Marcus came face
to face with Jane as saliva spew from his mouth, and his
spit became acid.
He bent over to Jane and whispered in her ear, "I am
number one now."
Jane moved her face away from Marcus as his breath
stunk and turned into green foam. As Jane was about to
insult Marcus, she noticed another figure moving in the
background. It was very dark, and the hooded figure stood
in just enough light so that she could only see the mouth
move.
It shouted to Bella and Marcus, "We must get the boy,
and quickly."
Then, just as quickly as it came, the hooded figured
disappeared into thin air. Jane worried about Peter and
knew that they must find a way to escape. As Bella and
Marcus left for the night, they carefully added more foot
soldiers to guard the new prisoners.
Jane looked around wildly; to see if she could find
any familiar faces. Behind one of the tents stood a skinny
man, unrecognizable to Jane, but he motioned to her to keep
quiet, and so Jane did. She watched and waited for the man
to come closer, and when he did, it was David!
Jane was filled with excitement and wanted to hug him,
but was chained to the floor. Her father-in-law David was
still alive and still had a little fight in him. All night
the foot soldiers stood watch, but just as the night was
coming into full darkness, many of them dozed off for a
little wink of sleep.
David quickly ran over to Jane, hugged and kissed her
rosy cheeks. As the foot soldiers slept, David quickly used
some type of mirror gadget to loosen the chains. They were
hooked to some type of force field, and David being a man
of inventions came up with a way to deflect the force field
from Jane's chain.
The two quickly and quietly snuck off into the bushes
as the other men kept a look out. David explained to her
that for weeks he had been trying to escape, but he'd had
no luck. Still, he had found many secret passages to the
temple, and maybe one would lead out to Baja.
Jane was more concerned with Sam and the others. David
explained that, come tomorrow morning, they would all be
free. Quietly and quickly, David freed a tired and weary
Sam. He looked upon his son with pride and comforted his
badly beaten body in his arms. Then Samantha and the others
were freed, and dummies made of grass and twigs took their
places. It would only give them enough time to make it to
the main temple. After that, everyone had to fight for
their lives. Fireballs graced the night sky; they covered
the entire area of the temple. Then a beam of light shot
down inside the temple.
"Oh, no! Cilus has risen," said David.
He explained to everyone that Cilus was the sick
wizard, and now, because of the white rhino plant, he had
risen and was now better. Jane apologized for her part in
saving the plant, but it had to be done to save Baja. No
one blamed Jane; they all knew that it was a must for the
citizens of Baja. Soon after the huge light of fireballs,
the chanting began.
Then there were shouts of, "Hoo-rah!" all through the
night.
It was no time for sleep; David and the others had to
get a move on. David tried to wake his son; the scratch on
Sam's chest was still glowing red. David hung his head and
wept; no one knew what was wrong until he explained that
Sam would not be coming back home. Bella had poisoned his
heart and mind with the scratch. She had invested his body
with evil.
"Sam will soon be fighting us," said one of the
remaining soldiers.
Jane did not want to leave her husband, but the others
pulled her away as Sam's body shook violently and out of
control.
"Move it, move it!" said David as Sam change.
With all the commotion, the rock dogs woke up and
howled at the moon. The dogs sniffed the dummies and
noticed that they could not get a scent; so the dogs barked
and barked until the foot soldiers woke up. When they
noticed that their prisoners were gone, they sent out a
search party.
Meanwhile, Jane and the others were running fast
through the woods, trying to find a safe place to hide.
They could feel evil coming over their shoulders, so they
ran faster and faster, but it did no good. The black Ryders
came on their huge horses, stomping and tearing up the
forest for David and the others. This time, the Ryders
seemed to be more powerful, their horses glided through the
air as if they were on ice skates. Then from a golden staff
they shot fire beams at Sam and the others. Not only were
the black Ryders more powerful, but the
y had developed new
weapons and skills.
Many of the fighters that were left with David got
killed or injured as the fireballs went into the air. David
could not look back; he had to get as many as he could to
safety. David and the few remaining others ran through the
woods, tripping and falling over one another; nearly
getting hit by one of the fireballs.
Suddenly David moved a secret rock that glowed and it
opened up into a large hole, swallowing David and the
others up. The fall was frightening, there were many
screams coming from the dark; no one knew what to expect,
except David. He was a very private man, so he told no one
what he had found when he was allowed to go into the forest
to relieve himself. So no one knew of this secret hole
except for David; and besides, he could trust no one. Many
of the men had turned against him, settling for the cheap
and worthless life Bella had offer them. Only a few of the
fighters were loyal and stayed to the end, and this was
what David had expected.
He had planned for this day, and that was what he
wanted to try and teach his son, about trusting and when
not to trust. David wanted his son to be a leader just like
he was, but he now felt as if he had pushed his son too
hard. As the group fell helplessly down the black hole, no
one could see or hear anything; they were falling into the
abyss.
Then they finally saw light, a glowing object from
afar. As they fell, the object of light came and caught
them like a fisherman's net. The group landed on a pillow
of soft clouds; no one had a single scratch. No one was
hurt, but many were frightened. They had no idea what they
were looking at; the object was a ball of just light that
changed into many colors.
Then it took on a human form; there was no face to put
to this entity, but there was a humble voice, so low that
everyone could hear it only in their mind. The voice was
soothing and comforting, it hummed to the weary souls, and
then it let them stand on the ground. Most of the fighters
could not stand, they were trembling too much. Their legs
buckled and shook; they could not believe what they were
seeing in front of them.
A figure made out of colors that stood as tall as most
trees; it lived many miles below the surface of Baja. As it
past most of the fighters, they shied away; many of them
lost control of their bowels, and had to be excused, but
not David. He was a peacemaker, and as he talked to the
entity, it took the form of the person that it was talking
with. At this moment, it was David. He explained to the
creature that they were being chased and needed to hide out
for a minute.
The creature never said a word out loud, but whispered
in David's head. "Why do you run, if you're an innocent
man, my friend?"
Once again, David explained to the entity of the war
that was coming to Baja, but the entity insisted that the
elders would save them. David was not too sure of that.
With a passionate plea, David asked the entity to save
them, even as the Ryders flew down into the cave!
For a minute, it looked as if the entity was not
willing to save David and the others. But at the last
minute, it changed its mind, raced up to the top and
greeted the Ryders with a scorching blow of fire. The
Ryders quickly scrambled out of the hole, knocking and
pushing each other out of the way. When one of the Ryders
took a fall off its horse, it crashed to the ground.
Everyone was curious to see what was hidden under
those black hooded robes. As his hands shook
uncontrollably, David approached the dead Ryder on the
floor. He finally got up the nerve, and pulled back the
robe to reveal an amazing surprise; all that lay beneath
was a two foot-tall miniature elf. Its skin was very black
and scaly; the only thing that was visible was its fanglike
white teeth, and a little patch of white hair.
The wizards had given the elves the ability to stretch
and make themselves tall, but the fall broke and crushed
every bone in its body. The Ryder was now nothing more than
a dead carcass to feed to the wild. David quickly threw the
hood back over the Ryder, covering up its grotesque body.
Everyone was now a little at ease to know that the Ryders
were nothing more than small elves that were given powers
by the seven wizards.
David and the others then patiently waited for the
entity to return. When it did, it let David and all know
that it had chased away their captors. The entity moved
around the cave, carrying its light with it. David quickly
ordered the rest of the fighters to get up and follow it.
They all followed the entity as it moved through the cave.
The cave was old and the light gave way to the history
of the entity, which had been there for millions of years.
The walls told the story of why the entity was formed; its
main purpose was to make night and day. That was how Baja
and the other worlds woke up to morning. Each day, the
entity flew up to the sky to produce a nice morning sun;
and at night, it left and crawled into its hole like a worm.
The history of Baja was fascinating to many, but this
was no time for history. David wanted out of there; he
explained to Jane and the others that Sam would be coming
to find them, and that he would not be the same man. Bella
had poison his blood and sent evil into his heart and body,
there was no telling what the outcome would be.
The most important thing was to get back to the main
land of Baja and find Peter; he was the key to all of this.
Jane was in no mood for talk about saving Baja; she had
just lost her husband and now she might lose her son. Jane
cursed the day she came back to Baja; she wanted to return
to the land of the living where she was free. She wanted to
return to the simple life of Baja.
Finally her emotions settle down, and she knew that
Peter was chosen by the elders before he was born, and it
was the right choice. David and the others quickly consoled
Jane; this was also hard for them. Not only had they become
slaves, they had also lost many friends in the battle, and
they had sacrificed too much to quit now.
The fighters and David continued to follow the entity
as it led them to one of the most remarkable places that
had ever been seen by the eyes of men. This place held the
key to Baja existence; the room was immaculate, everything
was made from crystal, and there were ancient armor,
helmets, bows and arrows, all made from crystal. There was
also a vessel powered by the energy of crystals. The vessel
hovered inches above the floor, and would move from side to
side in a slow manner.
David loved technology, and this was something he
found very interesting. The vessel was nothing more than an
>
oval, transparent piece of crystal that glowed with the
Baja symbols and codes. Once everyone touched the crystal
in the room, they immediately seemed to create more energy.
They all had more color in their skin; everyone looked and
felt more alive, and the wounds and cuts on their bodies
miraculously heal.
The entity curled into a ball and watched the
interaction of David and the others. Then the entity became
one, then two, then three entities, all in one. David was a
little surprised, but tried to keep calm and not show the
rest of the fighters that he was afraid. The entities
formed a circle around David and the others. Just as David
thought the entities were about to attack them, they did
not. All they wanted to do was drink and absorb the power
from the crystal, just like the others had done.
The entity explained to David that this was where it
got all its power to keep the skies lit up. David was
relieved, and gave thanks to the entity once more for
saving them. Then a loud howling noise approached. The
earth rumbled, and the crystal broke onto the floor as if
an earthquake had erupted.
"We must leave!" shouted David.
David quickly begged the entity to let him take the
crystal ship. Once he got approval from the entity, the
fighters climbed aboard. David had no idea how to run the
ship, but he had to learn fast; something was coming in the
winds for them. With a few moves and a push of a crystal,
the ship revved up.
Then silently it floated into the air. All of a
sudden, through the cave, Sam came flying down. But this
was not the Sam everyone knew, this was something else,
something Bella and Marcus had created. Sam's orange hair
was noticeable, but everything else about him had changed.
He had scary wings like a bat that spanned miles; he could
spread and retract them as he chose. His body was muscular
and solidly built.
The scratches Bella left on Sam's body were still
visible and still glowing red. His eye's looked demonic,
and his tongue was long and cut at the end like a snake.
But his white ivory horns were the scariest of all; they
were sharp at the tips, and one of the horns was covered in
blood. Jane quickly covered her face in fear as she pleaded
with Sam from the inside of the ship.
Sam was no longer in his body; whatever Bella had done
to him, Sam was now a changed man. Sam fought head to head
with the entity, but it was wining as it darkened the room.
Everyone could hear Sam breathing like a wild hog, but no
one dared to move or stir up any commotion.
When the entity turned its light back on, it and Sam
went at it again, hitting over the crystal. That was
causing almost all of the power source in Baja to stop;
chunks of crystal went flying through the air. Back and
forth they took swipes at one another, causing harm to each
other, but there was nothing the entity could do any more.
Without the power of the crystals, it was becoming weaker
and weaker. He could no longer fight with Sam, his glow was
diminishing quickly.
Sam then belted out a loud wicked laugh that echoed
through the entire cave. Then he saw that David and the
others were getting away. Sam flew up to the ship with his
powerful wings, rocking it from side to side with his
might. The fighters bounced from wall to wall as they
watched Sam attack. Jane begged her husband, but it did no
good.
Then she showed Sam the locket that he gave her to
keep forever. For the first time, Sam showed a sign of
regret and sadness. He rubbed his huge paw-like hands over
the window of the vessel. Jane cried silently, the tears
rolled down her face in pain. But then a loud woman's voice
came out of nowhere, ordering Sam to kill them all.
Once Sam heard the voice he was back to his old self.
Jane or David knew the voice coming from the darkness was
Bella, and she was accompanied by Marcus. He also ordered
his brother to kill everyone in the vessel. Sam was
struggling with his brother's request; his head ached and
blood dripped from his ears. When Bella saw that Sam was
having a hard time she dug her claw-like nails into his
skin and scratched him some more.
Suddenly Sam's attitude changed; he became more
violent and dangerous. Sam jumped on the vessel, punching
and striking it with his hands, but the crystal glass was
so tough that it did not break. In the meantime, David was
trying desperately to learn how to control the vessel. As
he was doing this, Sam hit the vessel with his massive
wings, rocking the ship once more.
Then suddenly, David got the ship started, and off
they went, up into the air and on their way out of the
cave. But Bella had a plan waiting for them at the top; she
had awoken her stone mummies to attack and jump on the
vessel to weight it down, and they did so. The minute David
got the vessel to the top; it was attacked violently by
stone mummies that weighed tons.
One by one, the stone mummies jumped on the vessel.
They were adorned in the finest carved armor and weapons.
Their faces were covered in a colorful ancient tribal mask,
and they attacked the ship with their stone weapons;
banging and slashing away at it. The vessel was holding up
very well, until Bella summoned more of her rock mummies.
They could be seen from miles and miles away, as if they
were going to war.
They roared and chanted as they ran and jumped on the
moving vessel. Everyone inside was afraid, as David lost
control of it. It swayed and shifted in many directions;
disturbing the crystal and rocks that held up the cave
foundation. David was also afraid; the look in his eyes
showed fear for the first time, as the vessel fell toward
the floor from the weight of the stone mummies. Bella and
Marcus just stood and watched with evil grins, and they
forced Sam to see what he had done to his family.
Bella whispered in Sam's ear, "Your son is next."
Those words made Sam angry and upset; he roared,
causing the cave to crumble and shake. Sam flew up to the
top and helped push the vessel safely to the top, knocking
away the stone mummies and defying Bella and Marcus. Bella
let out an evil scream as she saw Sam helping David and the
others get away. She called out all her forces to stop them.
Jane said goodbye to her loving husband one more time
as Marcus flew up and fought with Sam. He and Marcus went
head to head, fighting and tormenting each other, but Bella
was not happy. She jumped on her pet bat and flew after the
vessel. David was far away, but that did not stop Bella,
she was determined to catch up with David and the others.
She wanted that vessel destroyed; she could not afford to
let them get away.
Bella beat on her pet bat, demanding that it fly
was too fast for Bella and her common bat. She was not
happy at all, and spit and beat on her bat, blaming it for
not catching up to the vessel. The bat let out a heartwrenching
cry as Bella whipped him, one lick after another.
Finally Bella decided to turn back after she could not
catch David and the others. She quickly flew back down to
the cave where Sam and Marcus were still fighting. By now,
the cave was a total mess; most of the crystals were
broken. The walls of the cave had hole after hole, and yet
Sam and Marcus would not stop fighting.
Bella belted out a loud whistle, "Cut it out, you two
are on the same team; we must get to the meeting place in
Baja."
She got Sam and Marcus to stop fighting amongst
themselves, but Bella was still not pleased with Sam's
actions. She went up to him and gave him a hard slap across
the face. By now the poison from Bella's nails was setting
in, and not only had Sam grown more powerful, but he was
meaner and bigger now. Even his bat-like wings had muscles.
Marcus was not happy with Bella making Sam as strong
as he was; Marcus pressured Bella, telling her that she had
made a huge mistake, that his brother loved his wife and
family, and because of this love could overpower anything.
Bella paid no attention to Marcus, and brushed him off as
if nothing happened.
This made Marcus angry and upset; he jumped onto his
pet bat and rode off, leaving Bella alone to deal with Sam.
But Sam was very compliant, as if Bella had a spell over
him, and off Bella went leaving the entity to die in its
home. With its last ounce of strength, the entity stretched
out its hand to plead for help. Bella laughed and spit on
it, jumping on her pet bat and flying off.
Even though Sam was pumped with hate from Bella's evil
spell, his heart felt for the entity who had risked its
life to save his wife. Sam was having a spiritual war,
between the good and evil inside him. His head hurt, and
the room started to spin out of control. Then Sam quickly
flew out of the cave, holding his head from all the pain he
was in.
Bella was not far behind; she secretly watched Sam and
was upset that her powers were not having the permanent
effects that she wanted. Even though Sam had changed into
the creature Bella made him to be, he still had love in his
heart. Bella did not like this, and was fearful that Sam
would not stay with her and the seven wizards. So Bella had
to make a quick decision, and her decision was to kill Sam
after she used him to get next to his son.
Peter Carrot-top Page 16
