Modern Magic
Page 206
“General,” Sarah called, “is there no way we can assure you that what we speak is the truth?”
“No,” General Ogroth barked. “I have more important things to do. Go!”
* * *
He watched them march single file out of the side door of the lower dungeons.
“A woman knight,” he said to the fire that burned in his office quarters.
Saturn Four had won a series of battles in the last week, except yesterday. The idea of Earth 3012 also using Solance would explain some strange happenings he had noticed.
The soldiers of Earth 3012 had not lost the battles just by Saturn Four’s soldiers being able to read minds; they had lost because Saturn Four had more men. Brute strength had won the last series of battles, nothing more.
Saturn Four had suffered more deaths yesterday and in the last few weeks than in the history of the battles between the two planets.
General Ogroth stroked his beard as he recalled how his last son had died, just four days earlier. The solider for Earth 3012 seemed to know exactly what move Ollie was about to make and countered.
Reaching into his desk, he pulled the orange sphere from its home. He touched the sphere in the sections Orono had noted that would reach him directly.
“What is it?” Orono barked as he searched over his shoulder. “I have no more to say to you.”
“Orono, we had a misunderstanding during your last visit. Can we talk now of repairing that?”
Orono peered into the sphere. “It will cost much more than before and I have other news you could use.”
“I am willing to pay it. But I want the information now. And no more talk of souls and such.”
Orono hissed and glanced behind him again before turning back to the sphere. “Valek plans to sell Solance to Earth 4016.”
“Why do I care about Earth 4016 having Solance?”
“Because General Ogroth, Earth 4016 could plan to attack Saturn Four. I am only the messenger. Now about the price for this information…” Orono licked his lips and panted.
“Yes, name your price and we will pay it.” General Ogroth had no intentions on paying Orono. He simply needed to know the truth. Strange, that he had to come to Orono to get it, but if the three strangers were telling the truth, he needed to know for sure. “But not for that information. It is useless to me.”
Orono peeked quickly over his shoulder. “Curse you General Ogroth. You have received two sensitive pieces of information, yet you do not pay. Do not contact me again. And next we meet it will be your last.”
“Orono, no need to go away mad. Just tell me this one thing, and I will be happy to pay you three fold.”
“What!” Orono spat. “Speak quickly you toad!”
“Does Earth 3012 receive shipments of Solance?”
“Yes!” Orono shouted back. “Now about my payment.”
“Can’t talk right now, Orono. Thank you for the information.”
“I will be in touch about my price…”
“Yes, of course.”
General Ogroth terminated the transmission and slammed his fist against the table. They were being double-crossed. Just like those three strangers said. “Guards!”
Two of the night guards raced into his office. “Sir?”
“Find me the three strangers that were found in the forest this afternoon and bring them back here. Now!”
“Yes sir!”
He replaced the sphere and left his office. The king would be asleep but this information could not wait.
Chapter Nineteen
“So now what do we do?” Kalah asked as soon as they had crossed the small clearing from the castle back to the forest that housed the Elderon Circle.
“We must try Earth 3012,” Zykeiah answered as she scanned the trees for more palace guards.
“How do we get to Earth 3012? We don’t have a map for this planet,” he asked.
Sarah watched as the two Minister Knights debated what steps to take next.
“How do the soldiers from Earth 3012 and Saturn Four fight?” Sarah asked.
“That’s it!” Zykeiah smacked her back. “The war is fought just over those mountains in the Marria plateau. There must be a Circle there that leads to Earth 3012!”
Sarah followed Zykeiah’s finger to the purplish mountain range just beyond the forest. The peaks stretched towards Saturn Four’s magnificent blue sky.
“We might as well get started, it’s quite a hike.” Zykeiah readjusted her sack, took in a deep breath and started walking.
Kalah sighed noisily and muttered, “What I wouldn’t give for a danker beast right now.”
Sarah laughed as she fell in step behind Zykeiah for she knew how long Zykeiah’s stride was from their hike to Stocklah. “You can wish until the sun goes down, Kalah. Let’s go.”
He grimaced and started behind Sarah. They walked single-file through the thick trees. The crack of twigs and the howls of various animals provided the only sounds as the Minister Knights remained quiet.
Zykeiah’s pace was quick and consistent as they made their way down the forest trail. The trail had obviously been used for several years, for it was worn down to the earth and alongside the trail were discarded shoes, broken pieces of knives and swords and rotting food.
Sarah thought back to General Ogroth’s warning. If he found them still on Saturn Four and on their way to the Earth 3012, he would believe them to be spies. She shuddered to think what he would do to them. Zykeiah’s face still bore angry purple bruises where the ropes had rubbed and burned her face.
The cool breeze from the ocean sliced between the forest trees and blew the smell of salt, earth and feces through the air. Sarah could smell, amongst the other odors, the enticing aroma of baked breads and roasting meat from the castle’s kitchens. Her stomach grumbled to the lack of attention it had received, but Sarah dare not stop hiking to pull out her other half of sweet bread. Instead, she wiped the sweat from her face and focused on the task at hand, getting to the Marria plateau without detection.
Red maples and golden okas lined the edges of the trails and the dense forest extended far to the east and west as they made their way north. The thickly wooded vegetation blocked much of the sun’s rays from reaching the ground; thus, various fungi and mushrooms had sprouted in abundance as well.
“Can’t she slow down just a little?” Kalah asked.
“No.” Sarah puffed, as the incline grew steeper. “This… this is how she does it.”
They had reached the higher grounds, for the trail sloped upward and Sarah could feel her thighs burn from the brisk pace at which Zykeiah was hiking; yet she understood the need for urgency.
Zykeiah had remained silent, and Sarah wondered what she was thinking. Could she be thinking of Marion? Or was she thinking of their next move?
The day receded to dusk and they continued to hike without rest. Sarah noticed that their pace had slowed, but they had not stopped. Kalah no longer asked for rest, for he too must sense the urgency that fluttered around them.
Twilight crept slowly towards them and Saturn Four’s rings glistened and shimmered, barely visible in the sky. Sarah had never before seen such a thing and she wondered why she had not noticed them during the day. It was as if the twilight kiss made the sky blush.
The slope continued to grow steeper until it seemed as if Sarah was walking straight up to the sky.
Her legs wobbled and she could not longer stand.
“Rest!” she coughed before collapsing to the ground.
Kalah panted and fell beside her without a word. He greedily reached into his sack and removed his sack of water. Dousing himself with it, he managed to get some into his mouth before draining the sack of its contents.
Zykeiah had hiked on a few more paces before turning back to them. Puzzlement spread across her face then wrinkled in confusion. She hiked over to them and asked, “Tired?”
“Must rest.” Sarah coughed and closed her eyes.
“Why didn’t
you say so? Let’s camp for the night.”
Kalah groaned and Sarah could not believe that Zykeiah was not even breathing hard.
Zykeiah lay beside them on the trail and closed her eyes. Her snores joined the other nocturnal sounds of the forest and Sarah once again longed for her own bed back on Veloris.
* * *
The smell of death and the unmistakable aroma of burning flesh snatched Sarah from the cozy warmth of sleep. As she opened her eyes, she heard shouts and screams and immediately sat up.
“Shhhh.” Zykeiah, who was crouched on her knees, placed her finger to her lips and gestured for Sarah to come over.
Zykeiah was wide awake and Kalah was as well. He was crouched beside her. “Come.”
Sarah rolled over on to her knees and felt the hard stones and dirt of the trail grind into her knees. She winced and crawled over to the Minister Knights.
“I believe a battle has begun. We must be close,” Zykeiah whispered, as the screams grew louder then became silent as the booming crash of some unknown weapon landed.
The impact smashed close to them, for it sent dirt flying across them, spraying them. “I’d say we were pretty close.”
They remained low to the ground as the sun’s rays crept closer to the edge of the forest. The light of the new day lit the end of the forest, and Sarah noticed that some of the trees were bent in half while other trees had been demolished as a result of the blasts gone astray.
There were no sounds of animals or birds as they continued to move closer to the forest’s end. The smell of death and burning flesh grew stronger still.
“Into the bush, now!” Zykeiah ordered.
Sarah leapt into the bush and Kalah followed her. Zykeiah rolled over into the bush on the opposite side of the trail. The galloping hooves of what could only be horses, for they smelled of musk and moistened earth, raced past carrying several guards and others who could only be described as prisoners.
They had barely missed being trampled.
As the posse retreated, Sarah raised her head and scanned the area before saying to Kalah, who still had his head burrowed beneath his hands, “I think the coast is clear.”
“Zykeiah?”
“I think it’s clear again,” Zykeiah said.
Sarah and Kalah waddled out of the entangled bushes and back to the trail where Zykeiah shrugged. “I heard them coming.”
“Let’s keep to the edge of the trail so we can move out of the way if necessary.”
“Those were horses, right?” Sarah had only seen horses as a small child and her memory was foggy in regards to what they looked like, but she would never forget how they smelled.
“Yes, I believe so. Horses are from Earth 3012. They are not native to Saturn Four. It was one of the things we used to trade when the planets were still friends.”
They inched along the trail that leveled out the closer the got to the forest end.
The raging sounds of guns and agonizing screams failed to cease as they finally reached the end of the forest. The sun’s bright rays stung Sarah’s eyes as she blinked repeatedly in the light.
The forest ended at the mouth of Marria plateau, which dropped several paces down to a wide field or plain that was littered with dead bodies. And where a battle continued on.
Directly across the field lay the circle. Sarah squinted in the light, but could make out the glowing of the circle and the arrival of more soldiers from Earth 3012.
Below where the Minister Knights stood were several dead men and women, not to mention horses.
“We’ve got to cross the battlefield to get to the circle.” Sarah pointed at the illuminated circle that lay on the other side of the battlefield.
“It looks like that’s our plan.” Zykeiah placed her hands on her daggers.
Kalah pulled his sword and stretched. “Might as well be ready.”
It seemed that the soldiers of both planets were too busy to take any interest in them.
“Ready, we’re going to run across. Hopefully, no one will take notice of us.”
“Watch out for fire cannons and arrows!” Kalah called as Zykeiah started jogging.
He followed her and Sarah joined them as they ran onto the blood-soaked battlefield.
All about them the booming blasts of fire cannons caused the land to tremble. The moans, screams, and shouts of death and those dying were drowned out by the infrequent blasts. The air was saturated with the smell of death and Sarah was reminded of the soul cages.
She jumped over dead and falling bodies, sidestepped two men engaged in hand to hand combat, and tripped over the head of someone who had lost his.
“Watch out!” Kalah called as he ran alongside her.
A horse sped past them and Sarah turned to look. As she turned her attention back to the field, she ran smack into a massive soldier.
He turned to her and without hesitation lifted his sword and swung it at her. Kalah intercepted the soldier’s blade with his own.
The soldier struggled to overpower Kalah, but Kalah’s sword didn’t falter. The soldier’s sword reeled backward and snapped into pieces.
Angered, the soldier reached for Kalah.
Sarah threw a sphere at the soldier and he became entrapped in the sticky orange substance. The more he fought, the more the sphere expanded until the soldier was wrapped in a tight cocoon.
“Let’s go! It –” Zykeiah called as she was almost to the Circle.
The booming roar of the fire cannon drowned the last of her sentence, but the look of displeasure on her face meant she was not happy.
“Thanks!” Sarah shouted at Kalah. She was unsure he heard; he was a few paces ahead of her as they raced toward the circle. She would thank him later.
Several other soldiers had taken notice of their fallen comrade and chased them.
“Hurry!”
Sarah noticed that Zykeiah had reached the mouth of the Circle, and was at the moment dueling with a soldier, sword to daggers. The soldier appeared to be losing for his cheeks were sliced open and he had cuts sprawled across his chest.
“Watch out!” Sarah screamed as an arrow whisked past Kalah’s face.
“Thanks!” he responded.
Again the fire cannon’s roar announced yet another batch of balled flames as it streaked through the air. It landed to the east of Kalah and the impact sent him flying into the air.
He landed with a loud thud a few feet ahead of Sarah.
He did not get up or move.
A soldier dressed like the palace guards from earlier stepped on Kalah’s chest and lifted his sword to stab him.
Sarah’s shouts died as fear gripped her heart. She raised her hands and threw an orange sphere at the soldier.
He plunged the sword downward, but not before the splat of the sphere sent the soldier flying backward onto the ground.
Sarah’s attention was swept to the mouth of the Circle, where Zykeiah waived for her to hurry. The soldier she had been dueling with had lost with horrible consequences.
Sarah reached Kalah and lifted him to a sitting position. Blood trickled down from his mouth and he shook his head. A blackening bruise just above his temple darkened as he touched it.
“Come, me must hurry. We’re almost there.”
The real enemy had interrupted the soldiers who chased them and they were engaged in hand-to-hand combat that kept them occupied.
Kalah groggily stood and picked up his sword.
Together, Kalah and Sarah limped towards the Circle.
As they reached the blackened land, Zykeiah came to aid Sarah. Kalah relied heavily on the two of them, for he had not regained full use of his legs, and he stumbled in his speech.
“What took you so long?” Zykeiah asked as they lifted Kalah to the Circle’s entranceway that was evaluated slightly above the battlefield.
“Oh, fire cannons, soldiers and swinging swords,” Sarah remarked as she struggled to regain her breath.
She glanced down at the soldier that Zykeiah
had dueled with. Hardly more than a heap of parts, the soldier had lost his hands, his ears, nose and cheeks. She could not identify any of the other parts.
“Shall we?” Zykeiah asked as she wiped her daggers on the soldier’s cape.
“Okay.”
“Kalah?”
“I’m okay, just got this horrible ringing in my head.”
They entered the warm tickling glow of the circle and the swirling motion soon began.
Kalah’s eyes were shut tight and his lips were barely more than a thin white line as the circle continued to accelerate.
Sarah winced at the pain he must be in.
Chapter Twenty
The whirling of the circle stopped and the Minister Knights emptied out onto the dry, barren land of Earth 3012.
The smell of death had not changed, and Sarah remarked how much hotter the air had become. The intense smell of rotting flesh filled her nostrils and she coughed.
“Put your hands up!” ordered an angered, feminine voice.
Sarah opened her eyes and rubbed the spot of her back that had cushioned the brunt of her fall.
“Now!” the voice demanded.
She raised her hands and her eyes until they landed on the woman who barked the orders.
The soldier was definitely female, and her long, straight black hair flapped in the wind. She pointed a gun at Sarah and gestured for her to stand. The female soldier wore little more than a tunic, a scarf that hid most of her face and boots that had been held together with twine.
Sarah stood up, but kept her hands held high. She searched around and noticed that Kalah and Zykeiah were being herded into a pile of prisoners in the middle of the field. The female soldier snatched Sarah’s sack from her and then rammed the gun into her already sore and bruised back.
“Go. Now!” the female soldier said and she moved to the center of the field. She joined Zykeiah and Kalah in the outer edges of the group. Most of the people in the field wore Saturn Four uniforms, and some had blue capes indicating they were of higher levels in the army. There were no more than thirty prisoners, and there were fifty or so Earth 3012 soldiers.