by Gabi Moore
There was a loud retort as Decemius clashed with the huge form of Queen Lilith. The other giant nearly went down in the river as her opponent collided with her. Instead, she grabbed her attacker and pushed her down to the bank. Decemius angled her body and returned the pull, which sent Lilith into the river water. A ten-foot wave rose up from the river when she struck it.
“Did you know this would happen?” Kiley asked her as the two of them watched the battle rage.
“I didn’t have a clue,” Dion told her. “I was here to rescue my parents, free the elemental grandmaster and obtain the fifth elemental power. But not in that order. Or something. The grandmaster gave me some words to use, but didn’t tell me what they were specifically for. She told me they were to activate ‘Decemius’, but I didn’t figure it out until Queen Lilith burst through the doors and I saw the ten women from the writing group standing in a circle.”
“Where is Draco?” she asked him. By now, Kiley had removed her helmet, as she wanted to see as much of this fight as she could.
“I think he was sucked into it too. Something to do with the right combination of forces creating an opponent to the abyss.”
“What kind of outcome?” Susan Mahen asked him. “And how did the queen get so big so fast?”
“Energy absorption, like I said earlier,” Dion replied. “Whatever you through at her, she absorbs it and uses the energy to gain mass.” He watched the two giants struggling in the water. “But an attack from Decemius doesn’t seem to affect her. I guess that’s the point in her activation.”
“So this was all planned from the beginning,” Loris said as she removed her helm. “Your uncle was manipulated into bringing her across the gate. He thought he could use her to control the tower. We thought we could use your uncle to fill up our depleted bank account. Now, both of us were used. The only question remaining is, ‘who used us?’”
Dion turned and saw his uncle standing by himself. He didn’t appear to be interested in the outcome of the fight between the two giants. Why should he be? No matter how it went, his uncle would end up losing everything he’d invested in this venture. The only way he could possibly escape with minimal losses would be to use the sigil he possessed and escape across the gate in the rocks.
Dion realized his uncle was starring across the muddy plains. He looked directly at the rock wall where the door opened to admit Dion to this world. Which meant only one thing; he wanted to figure out a way to get back to the world where they came from. Right now.
Dion walked up to his uncle and starred at him until he turned around. “Don’t you even think about it,” Dion warned him and walked away.
Both figures were collapsed in the river. Dion couldn’t tell who had the advantage. The river wasn’t that deep, but it was little more than a creek to the both of them. He couldn’t tell if it was swollen from the constant storm, but the water was over the banks from what he could tell. It didn’t matter how deep the water might be, it was still possible to drown in it if you went down. From what he could tell, this was the ultimate plan for both sides.
He turned and saw something, which gave him a little hope. The giants collapsed the moat in their fight just enough to create a ramp over it. They had engaged each other close enough to the crumbled drawbridge and sent down a cascade of rock and soil. Most of it was mud, but enough was down there to make the passage over the moat less of a problem.
He turned just in time to see Decemius push her opponent down into the river in a magnified wrestling move. She slammed Queen Lilith down into the water and held her there. Her opponent began thrashing around, but was held underwater by the other giant. Dion couldn’t bear to watch it and turned away. But the time he’d turned back, Decemius was standing in the river watching the form of Queen Lilith float down the river. She began to shrink in size as her body was carried away by the currents.
Decemius stopped and watched her float away. Dion stood and watched the remaining giant slowly move through the river water and emerge on the shore. She was easier to see now in the moonlight and turned her face to him. The visage was indescribable and Dion felt a chill go through him. Whatever this creature was, she had no relation to the ten women who compromised her. They had merged to create something very deadly. The only relief he felt was in the knowledge the giant had served her purpose and was no longer needed.
Decemius towered on the shore and leaned back, her matted hair sticking to the body armor she wore. The Azuroth on the other side of the moat began to pack up their pavilions. This was something they’d done many times before, Dion could tell by the level of organization they displayed. The furry creatures were soon moving in a single column away from the tower. Minutes later, the horde of Queen Lilith joined them as they swarmed over the muddy dirt bridge created by the fight between the two giants. Dion stood in place and watched them move away though the mountain pass. He speculated on the relationship between the two different forms of Azuroth, but it didn’t seem to matter any longer. Both groups were defeated and were soon gone from visual range.
Satisfied, Decemius began to break down into her component parts. Dion watched as the light around her arose from the ground, blinding him once again. He covered his eyes with his hand until the light faded. When he lifted his hand, the giant was gone.
She was replaced by the form of the ten women from the writers’ club. They seemed a little dazed, but not much different than the women who entered the tower earlier it the night. What time was it? Dion looked across the horizon to see the first rays of sunlight. According to the people in the tower, this was the first daybreak in months.
Kristen Malar, holding Draco the lion on a leash, walked up to Dion and shook his hand. “Thank you,” she told him. “We didn’t know what word would be used this time or who would give it. You provided the trigger.”
“How long has this operation been planned?” he asked her. “I don’t like to assume things, but I get the feeling you’re not really a writer’s club.”
“I can’t imagine where you would get that idea,” she laughed. “We work for the sovereign. We’re a ten-woman unit she sends out to deal with threats to the kingdom. The whole operation was planned out the moment we learned your uncle had let something into this world from the abyss. It took a long time to figure out what it was that he’d let inside the tower. You were not expected, so we contacted the elemental grandmaster when we learned you’d came through. She provided you with the control words needed to activate the unit and you saw the rest.”
“The lion? You needed a lion too?”
“Not always, but it helps to have one when needed. Today it made all the difference.”
The rest of the tower inhabitants came over to make sure the ten women were alright. They too watched the giant transformation, but they didn’t seem as aghast at what happened as Dion. He’d just watched two giants fight it out in the middle of a river. This world was much different than he expected.
“You created the storm too?” he asked her.
“No, that was a by-product of Queen Lilith,” she told him. “When she began to engorge herself on the energy around here, the storm and lightning was the first source for her. It’s the problem with these abyss creatures. They thrive on the energy of any world they enter. You can’t let them inside for very long.”
“What about my parents and uncle?” he asked her. His uncle Seth still looked at the ground and scowled.
“You all need to leave as soon as you can,” she continued. “Take the door back; it will be sealed on the other side. No one from your time circle will ever be allowed back inside this one. Too much damage took place. Those men he brought over, the guards have to leave as well.”
“And the sisters? They were involved in this too.” He turned and saw them standing with the guards and their retainers.
“They fought well when the need arose. Still, they knew it was illegal to manipulate abyss forces because of what you just saw. And they tried to conceal what took place wh
en everything went wrong. If we hadn’t been informed by someone in the tower, it might’ve been too late before the sovereign could do anything.”
Dion had the sphinxes finish the earthen bridge across the moat. It wasn’t very long before they had one assembled and everyone who needed to leave was able to cross it. Finished with his elementals, he returned them to their natural form. The last he saw of them were small black spheres rolling across the landscape. Of course, no one else could see them.
Kiley Mahen, still in armor, traveled with the small crowd who were headed back to the door in the rock walls. Bernice from the ten women unit traveled with them too. Bernice held the key that would open the gate to their home world. It turned out the one Uncle Seth held turned to dust the moment Queen Lilith was defeated.
“It could have worked,” Seth Back finally spoke up as they watched Bernice attach the sigil disc to the rock facing. “I was close. You still need cheap electricity in this place.”
“If it means cutting deals with fiends like Queen Lilith,” Bernice responded, “then no thank you very much.”
Bernice took out the sigil on the small disc and placed it on the rock wall where Dion emerged the evening before. She removed her hand from it and the disc stayed in place. Once again, it stayed attached to any surface it touched. The disc began to spin again until it was a blur. Once more, it rotated backwards and forwards until it found the right combination for the door.
They watched as the outline formed and the rock turned into the shape of a wooden door. The image coalesced and it became a solid wooden door mounted into the rock on an elaborate frame.
“I wish we could have met years ago,” Kiley said to Dion as she gave him a hug. “Thank you for ridding the tower of those things.”
“I’m sure we’ll meet again someday,” Dion said to her. “Fate has a funny way of running in cycles...” He turned and looked at Bernice. “In spite of what governments try and do.”
Dion put his hand on the doorknob. He turned it and pulled. The door swung open with ease as it was mounted to take advantage of the balance. Dion stopped when it was at the halfway point and turned to look at Bernice again.
“One question,” he said to her. He waited.
“Go ahead,” she responded.
“What are you going to do about all those Azuroth who came through? The last we saw of them was a column marching in the direction of the mountain pass.”
“I guess we’ll worry about them when the time comes,” she replied. “The sisters showed us the tower has some use as a military garrison. Perhaps the sovereign was too quick to decommission the army in favor of the dragon corps. We might have to turn it into a garrison again with the sisters in charge of the post.”
Kiley looked up with bright eyes when she heard those words. “Mother and father would’ve liked that,” she stated.
Dion pulled the door open all the way. “Everyone follow me, this is where we leave,” he ordered and stepped into the other side.
As before, there was a momentary flash of darkness and he found himself back in the huge library. He continued to move as the others needed space too. Dion stepped forward and turned around.
His parents were inside the library next, followed by his Uncle Seth. After them were the security guards who had been employed by the mall. Since no one else was coming through to the other side, he expected the door would slam shut.
But it didn’t. The door closed slowly and then locked itself with an audible click. Dion felt relived and turned back to face Adam Belial, the man who had taken him through the door to the next world where the tower was located.
“I didn’t expect anyone through here today,” he said. “It wasn’t on the schedule, what is the meaning of- oh, hello Mr. Bach!”
Adam faced his employer, Seth Bach. Dion’s uncle was not happy and pushed him aside as he thundered through the next door.
Adam watched him leave and turned back to the crowd. “Now what was that all about?” he asked.
“Mr. Bach is not having a good day,” Dion explained. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to leave with my parents.”
“Hey, what about us?” one of the security guards called out. “We’ve spent the past three months keeping those furry things away from everyone else. When do we get paid?”
“You’ll have to take that up with my uncle,” Dion explained and pulled his parents along with him. A few seconds later, he was through the next door and thundering down the stairs to the office where the twins had their office.
Anders and Blaze both stood behind their counter as Dion entered their office with his parents. He stopped for a few minutes and asked them if his uncle had just come through.
“Yes he did,” Anders, informed them. “Seemed to be in a bad mood. What happened up there?”
“I’m sure you’ll hear about it in due time,” Dion told them. “How did he leave?”
“The door on the wall,” Blaze said, as he pointed to a door where one had not existed the last time Dion had been in the office.
“It’s the same one you used when you came through,” Blaze explained. “But this one has stayed in place.”
“No it’s not,” Anders argued with his brother. “That one had red wood with a brass plate.”
“You’re wrong as usual,” Blaze snapped at him. “It was a brass frame over green wood.”
As they bickered and argued, Dion went to the door and opened it. Blackness again. There was only one way to be sure and he didn’t have time to run tests. He took his parents by the hand and pulled them together as he went through the entrance.
Seconds later, after the light returned, he found himself back in the antechamber where Edward took him before he left. This was the same place and even the little Englishman was standing there in his shirt and tie.
“My, that was quick,” he said to him. “Did you plan on going back and finishing?”
“What are you saying?” Dion asked him. “I was there all night. I’m beat. By the way, this is my mother and father.”
“Ah,” Edward responded. “Time dilation again. I should have known. Fine boy you have there.” He shook the hands of both of Dion’s parents.
Dion went back to close the door and noticed something odd when he looked on the other side. Instead of darkness, light streamed into a vacant chamber. He stepped into the chamber on the other side of the door and saw metal struts holding up an aluminum structure. The clock part of the tower was visible way up in the air. There was even a service ladder, which ran up to it.
He walked into the shaft further and looked around some more. It wasn’t the lack of any activity inside it, the tower was a shell, an artificial creation designed to have the appearance of a medieval clock tower, but it was made from cheap metal and fiberglass. He doubted it would last five years before it needed to be replaced. Of course, this mall would be around for another fifty years at least, his uncle, or whoever he sold it to, would need to replace the tower or remodel the mall. He betted on the latter option.
Dion turned and walked back through the door into the office of the mall.
Lilly almost knocked him over when she collided with him.
“Dion!” she cried out, “I missed you so much!” Lilly through her arms around him.
While his parents looked at Lilly in disbelief, Dion pulled her away and stood behind her.
“This is my fiancé, Lilly,” he told them. “Lilly, these are my parents. I went into the tower last night to rescue them. I was successful as you can see.”
“She wasn’t the only one who was worried,” another voice called from the opposite side of the office. Dion looked across and saw Sean and Emily.
“We were worried about you going inside there,” Emily told him. “I know we weren’t supposed to, but we had to be here when you entered the tower. We showed up late and found Edward standing by the door. He told us you were just left a few minutes ago.”
“Time dilation,” Edward explained again. “It happens
when you cross time circles. To us, it seems Dion was gone only a few minutes. To him, it seems he was out all night. I’m sure the boy needs sleep.”
“A little bit,” Dion said as he put one hand to his head. He would need to see a doctor later about the blow he took to it. Surely, he could make up some story how it happened. Most members of the medical profession would look at you odd if you told them about being in the middle of a fight between demoniods and sphinxes.
“I managed to find the fifth element grandmaster,” Dion announced, “so now I have the power of the aether.”
“Did you rescue her?” Lilly asked him. “Wasn’t she kidnapped by your uncle?”
“It was a little more complicated than that,” he explained. Dion looked around the room. “As a matter of fact, where is my uncle? I thought he went through the door before me.”
“He did,” Edward explained. “And I let him go. He shot past us and never said a word. I daresay he has many things on his mind right now.”
“Dion,” his father said. “Can you take us somewhere? It has been a long time.”
“We can go to your other brother’s house,” Dion told him. “I’ve stayed with them since you disappeared last year.”
“Oh,” his mother commented. “We must be in Ohio.”
Epilogue
The porch over the mountains gave a good view of Mount Olympus. This was fine to the man who wore a silk dressing gown and sipped his coffee while reading the newspaper. He’d never accustomed to the modern smart phones and personal computers. The newspaper was enough for him and he liked to read his news after it had a few hours to settle down. He also took his morning meal alone, away from the petty troubles he had to endure later in the day.
So it was a surprise when the servant came into the marbled patio and stood silently by the breakfast table. The older man, who sat there with his newspaper, slowly turned and looked at the servant. The man who was seated at the table had a long grey beard and stroked it when he saw him. This was unusual. What could be so important it required is attention right away?
