by Dave Hazel
“None of our men are staying here,” Diaz declared loudly, but there wasn’t one man who wanted to side with William.
Nordad and his men looked at the three Elves and then back to Mykal. “Before we go on Mykal, is it something we did?”
“No, not at all. We have one person who has been a friggin pain in the ass from day one. Not one other person here is a problem except for one damn uppity know it all officer. I’m sorry,” Mykal huffed and turned to Diaz as William neared them. “But I’m not gonna friggin sugar coat it. You’ve been a royal pain in the ass from the start,” he said and glared at William directly.
“I came to humbly apologize and ask for your forgiveness,” William said barely above a whisper. Clearly he didn’t want to be on his own and had to humble himself in front of everyone or he would have to stand strong and go solo though he would be clueless and wouldn’t last very long.
“Is he friggin nuts?” Jake whispered to Boris, but Mykal heard him with his increased hearing. “Seriously, is he touched in the head?”
Mykal had to turn away so as not to laugh. He didn’t want the men to think he would laugh at William for admitting he was wrong.
“Oh my, all our torches are gone,” Altoff announced.
“Ah yes, I forgot that you humans need a light source in the dark,” Starling declared.
“Fear not, I can provide a light source,” Nordad exclaimed.
Most of the men were glad Altoff, Starling and Nordad took the focus from the current squabble. William was the one most appreciative everyone’s attention got diverted to something else.
Mykal remained quiet on his ability to see in the dark. For those who still had their flashlights he didn’t want them to use them unless it was the last resort to save on their batteries. “How long will it take to get through to the other side?”
“With a fast pace it should take three quarters of a day,” Blair answered and stepped into the cool dark tunnel first.
Nordad held up his arms, spoke in a foreign language and suddenly his staff became a rod of light illuminating everything within one hundred feet of the front of the staff and about half that to the rear. The width of the tunnel was approximately thirty-five feet. The darkness disappeared with Nordad’s staff. His staff light wasn’t bright but it gave off a soft light that allowed everything to be seen in the exposed area. The tunnel had been well crafted with solid blocks on the top, bottom and the walls. The temperature felt much cooler than outside the mountains.
“Hey Captain Diaz, I’m really sorry I snapped at you out there,” Mykal whispered to Diaz. “But sometimes William just gets on my nerves and I think it bothers me more cuz he’s supposed to be my friend and he’s a friggin captain. He knows better! But it seems like he does everything just to go against me.”
“Myk, you don’t have to apologize,” Diaz replied graciously. “I do know what you’re feeling. But I didn’t know what had happened in that particular situation. I honestly wasn’t aware of a problem.”
6.
The journey continued in complete silence for the first couple of hours. Occasionally the clinking of ammunition belts could be detected or the sound of rifles being re-adjusted for a better fit. The quiet steps of several boots on stone floor could be heard, but for the most part they walked in silence. The few that dared to speak did so in barely a whisper into the other person’s ear. Most communication had been done with hand and arm signals. Mykal waited for the mysterious unknown to jump out at them like always seen in Hollywood horror movies. Mykal knew though, if something jumped out at them it wouldn’t be a fictional creation made up in Hollywood. It would be something that could literally take their lives.
“Avoid all such doors,” Starling whispered as he walked back through the patrol. “Avoid all such doors,” he whispered and pointed to a pair of old wooden doors with iron bars trimmed for reinforcement. The doors looked like they hadn’t been touched in decades. The doors were covered in dust and cobwebs, the iron appeared to be rusted and the wood looked weakened with age.
Mykal nodded and gave two thumbs up to let Starling know none of them would attempt to open the doors. Mykal had to do a double take. He sensed a faint yellow glow around the entrances. He believed there was something magical related to the entries. Hopefully magic is what kept the underworld creatures on that side of them.
Mykal stirred with deep curiosity to know what could be behind the doors. Something inside his being called him to investigate. It wasn’t an audible voice but something called from deep within him to go through the doors. It felt like a strong temptation to commit a sin when he knew better. ‘What does Ski and those Christians say, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak?”. Why is this tugging so hard on my mind?’ He wondered and walked past the doors but kept looking back.
“What is it Myk?” Boris whispered.
“Nothing,” he lied.
“You look like you seen a ghost.”
“It’s nothing,” he lied again and rushed forward to get away from the tug of the magic tied to the doors. Mykal made his way to Nordad. “So Nordad, why were the soldiers pursuing you guys?”
“We are wandering adventurers in search of treasures and riches. The commanding officer tried to make us pay an unreasonable tax. We refused to give in to their extortion. When we refused to pay, in our attempt to flee, a few of their soldiers were killed and we lost two of our party.”
“Why did you and the Elves split up?”
“We were never really together to begin with. We joined with them just after our confrontation with the army. I had been on adventures with the three of them in the past so we had known each other for many years. They were not involved in our conflict however they understood since there was an army in pursuit of us, the army would kill them just because they are Elves. We traveled together for a day and a half. They chose to go into the forest. They knew the army would never chase anyone into the Forest of Death. We, however, were fearful of entering the Forest of Death,” Nordad answered quietly. “I have known many a man who entered that wretched place and have never been seen nor heard from again. I am grateful we joined with Starling and the others when we did. Nothing would convince me to enter that terrible place. Just so you know Mykal, the army would have killed them even if they had not committed any crimes. There is a prejudice in these parts. Their skin, their ears and their hair would have brought abuse upon them for that reason only. I would not idly sit by and allow that to happen. Mykal, please understand, though they are Elvin folk, they are good folk,” Nordad said with a sad smile unsure if Mykal and his people would share the same type of prejudice against the Elves. “I had never had to face such prejudice and discrimination.”
“I don’t know anything about that, but we don’t have anything against them,” Mykal said to the older man. “As a matter of fact, I actually like these guys. I judge a man based on his character and the content of his heart,” Mykal added. He scoffed at himself and chuckled. “Gee, I musta just sounded like a Hallmark card. Don’t worry about it. I know you don’t know what it means.”
Mykal looked at the Elves and after listening to Nordad he felt like he was talking to someone from the southern states in America who had witness the abuse of blacks at the hands of racists. He was appreciative of the fact that Nordad would defend a people not his own and try to alleviate the unjust suffering from a cruel bond master.
“I don’t know anything about Elvin people, cuz we met them just before we met you guys,” Mykal said. “And everything I’ve seen of them they definitely seem like alright guys to me. Not to get side tracked, but people from my world, those men with the dark skin, they’ve suffered the same kind of abuse many years before. These guys haven’t experienced what their ancestors went through, but they’ve had to deal with prejudice and discrimination on a level that was different. Me, personally, I don’t care about the color of a man’s skin. I care about the character that comes from a man’s heart,” he said again for emphasis. “But speaking of th
at forest,” Mykal said to change the subject. “I know what you mean. We lost ten men in that place. It really is a bad place to be lost in.”
“It is amazing that you came out with as many as you did. Your weapons, however, are mighty weapons.”
“When you said you and your men are adventurers in search of treasures, what kind of treasure do you guys go looking for?” Mykal asked out of curiosity.
“My men are in search for anything with monetary value. Gold, silver, gems and jewels. Gold and silver and the like does not satisfy me. Do not misunderstand my words, I need to live so yes I will take anything of monetary value. My heart’s desire is to search for items of value in the realm of magic,” he whispered to Mykal. “I am a magic user, though such a profession has been outlawed by the one I will not mention the name of. That foul evil overlord,” Nordad said and cocked his bushy eyebrow. “I could die for saying such things,” Nordad added and looked intently into Mykal’s eyes. “I have no fear to share that with you. You have killed hundreds of allies to that evil one. I know you will not report me. You will have a bounty on your head. Though you say your weapons are not magic in nature, they will be viewed as weapons of awesome magic power.”
“Our weapons aren’t magic,” Mykal couldn’t keep from laughing nervously. “They’re just more advanced.”
“Fear not my friend, I will not report you. I owe you my life. We all owe you our lives, though I must confess,” the older man started to chuckle at his foolishness for his pre-judgmental views of them. “When I saw your band of men I thought you were an odd looking bunch of youngsters. I assumed you were too cocky for your own good. I humbly admit I was wrong.”
“That’s fine. I would have done the same,” Mykal said to be polite. “It’s not a big deal. But hey, here is something to share with your men,” Mykal said while he reached into his left pocket. He pulled out two gold rings that he had taken from the same skeleton he took his magic ring from. “We found some skeletons a while ago and these two rings were on the ground. I wouldn’t have use for them and if there is some value in them then you and your men can say that you benefited from meeting up with us,” he laughed and placed the two gold rings into Nordad’s hand.
“I am thankful and impressed at your generosity,” Nordad said and stared at the golden rings.
“But remember, our weapons are not magic weapons,” he laughed playfully as if he was paying Nordad to remain quiet.
“I understand,” he replied in all seriousness. “The magic that I seek is not like that,” he pointed to Mykal’s rifle. “I seek pure magic.”
“Like your staff?” Mykal asked with confidence.
“How do you know my staff is magical and it is not I that created the light with my magical abilities?”
“You may find this hard to believe Nordad,” Mykal whispered and made sure no one could hear him. “But I have the ability to detect magic. I can see magic just by looking at it while everyone else is blind to it. And if I feel an object I can get an idea what it does.”
“How is this possible?” Nordad stopped in place and glared hard at him. “You continually fill me with surprise young man.”
The three Elves looked at him as well since they had been listening from a distance. Their hearing seemed to be superior as was Mykal’s. “That could only mean you were born with magic in your blood. Is there magic in your world?”
“No. But I think I do have magic in my blood because of my good friend Towbar. I know that those doors we passed back there are magical in nature,” he said and the three Elves looked at each other as if Mykal had solved a complicated puzzle.
Nordad looked more confused. “I could not see it.”
“How do you have magic in your blood if you did not have it at birth?” Leeno moved closer and spoke in a whisper.
Mykal quickly explained how Towbar had saved his life during his first trip to this world. He kept his magic items his secret. He would trust no man other than Jake and Boris.
A short time later they stopped to eat and decided they should set up a camp for the night. Guard duty was selected and the main objective was to remain quiet. The floor was cold and hard but no one had difficulty sleeping for short periods of time. Being chilled to the bone forced most to sleep only briefly. William did guard duty without any complaints.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN 12/14/1983
1. Wednesday, December 14th 1983
0446 hours, Inside a mountain, Other side of Towbar’s world
“Mykal, my friend,” Nordad shook him roughly. “Come. It is time to rise. We must continue our journey under the mountain.”
“Oh man,” Mykal bolted upright. “I’m surprised I was able to sleep at all,” he yawned and shivered when the cold of the hard floor registered. “I froze my ass off on this floor.”
“If you would have mentioned it to me I would have allowed you to wear my robe. It would have kept you warm,” the older man said and smiled then stared at him.
“I’m sure it would have,” Mykal replied and felt Nordad studying him. He rubbed his arms and hands together to help his blood to circulate. “Is everyone ready, cuz I really wanna get outta this place,” he said. Jake and Boris approached them. “I’m getting that claustrophobic feeling.” He nodded to acknowledge his friends. The penetrating gaze of the wizard made him feel uncomfortable, though not fearful. Nordad looked like he wanted to talk but said nothing.
They moved out making only minimal noises. It wasn’t difficult to remain silent for longer periods of time. The Marines and Army personnel had been trained extensively in the art of being nearly invisible in sight and sound. They remained on high alert and tried to expect the unexpected. Too many strange happenings occurred during the past week and none of them wanted to be caught off guard.
Occasionally the point man would have to wipe away cobwebs that hung from the ceiling. Everyone had gotten used to the musty dank smell, but they felt the moisture in the air of the tunnel. The tunnel walls dripped with condensation.
They tried to keep six to eight feet between each man while traveling through the inside of the mountain. As they neared the center of the mountain Mykal felt the heaviness of the rock and dirt all around him. He felt the walls were closing in on him and struggled to keep his mind focused. Mykal feared he would have a mental break down and wasn’t sure why. He didn’t want to bring it up and he couldn’t tell if anyone else struggled with the same mental pressure. He never struggled like this when he was inside the mountains at the Pass.
“Are you alright, Myk?” Jake asked. “You look like you’re gonna wig out. I can tell you’re breaths are a little labored.”
“Come here,” he whispered and waved Jake over. He felt so thankful and relieved that he had someone he could confide in. “Keep this between us, but I think I am starting to freak out,” he said in a hushed panic.
“What’s wrong?” Jake mouthed the words but remained quiet.
“I don’t know if I’m getting claustrophobic or if there is something inside this place that’s trying to get me. Yeah, I know that sounds crazy,” he replied to Jake’s puzzled look. “But I feel like I’m gonna break down and cry like a little girl. I feel depressed and I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“Just hold on,” Jake whispered into his ear. “We’ll be out of here in no time. I feel it too, but I don’t think I’m feeling it as bad as you are.”
“I know this sounds stupid, but I feel like I’m gonna start crying and I don’t understand it,” he whimpered quietly. “I really feel depressed and I don’t know why,” he repeated for emphasis. “I really don’t understand what has come over me,” he said and realized he was talking and repeating himself over and over. Mykal felt the gold band of the magic ring with his thumb and finger. He played with it nervously. ‘Is it this damn ring that’s screwing with my head? It can’t be,’ he thought and looked down at the magic ring. ‘Maybe this mountain is turning me into a friggin nut job.’
“Well let’s talk about mundane st
uff to take our minds off of this place,” Jake whispered and winked. “Like what it used to be like back at work.”
“Oh man, that seems like ages ago.” Mykal shook his head with a fond smile. “The last time we went to work was about seven months ago. It seems like forever. A lifetime ago.” The reminiscing brought happy and sad thoughts to mind.
“Whadda ya guys doing?” Boris whispered and moved behind them.
“Talking about the missile field,” Jake replied. “Do you remember the time when you dipshits tried to scare the hell outta me by putting that dead bird in the visor of the vehicle?”
“That wasn’t me,” Boris declared. “I had nothing to do with that,” he added quietly and laughed.
“Yeah, that was me and Larry,” Mykal confessed and started to laugh at the memory of pulling pranks on others.
“I could have gotten killed if I was driving down the road and had to pull the visor down. I would have shit my pants if a dead bird would have dropped in my lap while I’m speeding along down the highway,” Jake said and snickered.
“We woulda never let you leave the site,” Mykal said and started to laugh uncontrollably. “We would have told you to check the visor while you were at the gate. But damn,” he continued to laugh wildly. “We didn’t know vehicle maintenance was coming out to exchange vehicles with you.”
“Do you know if the driver ever found it while driving down the road?” Boris asked.
“Thank goodness there wasn’t a wreck and no one complained to the commander,” Jake chuckled and shook his head. “So either he found it or it dropped on his lap while he was going down the road and he just didn’t say anything or someone after him, on the base, had it happen to them.”
“That’s even funnier to think about,” Mykal chortled. “Cuz you know if it happened on the base they would have thought that driver did it, cuz he was the last one to sign off on the vehicle,” Mykal said and laughed hysterically while trying to remain quiet. “That poor guy woulda caught hell for a prank we pulled and he wouldn’t have known anything about it.”
