Shifter

by John Sharp

  ****

  “By Valerdon’s wrath, what is that?” Sarrow says over the whirl of wind buffeting us.

  “It’s a helicopter!” I yell, striding forward with my arm blocking most of the wind. The pilot is already beckoning us forward while another man is dropping rocks down the exposed stairs of Stonehenge. “We use it to fly. Try to keep your hood up it will make things easier.”

  “FLY?” Sarrow squeaks, pulling her hood over her face.

  The piloit comes forward, looking me over. “You’re the VIP?” He yells over the roar of the engine.

  “I’m Jerry Price,” I say.

  “Come along with us, sir,” the man says, pointing needlessly to the helicopter. Climbing on board, I feel Sarrow nervously squeezing my hand. A minute later we are raising high into the air with Sarrow desperately clinging to me the entire trip. It’s a wild ride with Sarrow giving alternating yelps of fear and elation. The man next to us points to the headset which I put, on drowning out the roar of the engine.

  “Sir, I’m General Edward, adjutant to the joint chief US Army station at Biggin Hill. I was given strict orders to bring you there immediately. From there you will board a B-1 Lancer directly for the Chicago war zone. There General Conway will meet you and debrief you. ”

  “Good,” I say. “The sooner the better.”

  “My orders came from the president himself. They didn’t tell me anything about her or why you’re so important,” he says, gesturing to Sarrow.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I say.

  “I’ve seen that giant monster laying waste to everything in its path and shrugging off missiles like they were flies. Try me.”

  “No, this is just the beginning. Things are never going to be the same ever again,” I say. “Oh, be sure to isolate Stonehenge. Don’t let anyone go down those stairs.”

  “Where did they come from? I’ve visited there before and never saw anything like that. Where do they go?” Edwards say.

  “They were always there and they lead to hell,” I say darkly.

  “Very funny, sir.”

  “No, it isn’t,” I say and the man’s expression falls. “Isolate it.”

  “Yeah, ok…”

  The helicopter lands an hour later on a military air strip where everything is stopped just for us. We are led directly onto a fueled and ready plane for our departure home. It’s cramped and tight, made for speed rather than comfort. Sarrow lets out a frightened gasp as the plane leaves the runway, climbing high into the sky.

  “By the Five, how high are we?” Sarrow says in amazement, staring out the window.

  “I think around 35,000 feet or so,” I say.

  “These artificial dragons are truly marvelous,” Sarrow says.

  “Excuse me,” a voice says behind us. Turning, I see a man in full brown military dress with a lot of stripes on his chest. Clean cut, he has a hair style straight off of a US army poster with a spinal curve that could put a chiropractor out of business. Wearing reflective sunglasses I can’t see his eyes, but his face is hard as if chiseled from stone.

  “Hi, what can I do for you?” I say, not really comfortable with all the ‘sir’ stuff. Should I salute?

  “I’m General Conway with the US Army, direct aid to the president of the United States,” Conway says.

  “What does that mean, brother?” Sarrow asks, looking confused.

  “He represents the leader of my home nation,” I say.

  Reddening, Sarrow stands up and bows low to the man, the hood flying off her face. “Thank you for welcoming us honorable General Conway. I am Sarrowind of Primehouse Ageroth, your aid is most welcome against the traitor Solarkar.” My shadow snickers at her.

  The man gapes at her, taking in her youth and non-human features. It’s a good thing Sarrow looks so non-threatening; otherwise the man might have gone for his side arm.

  “This is my sister, Sarrow, General Conway,” I say as Sarrow returns to her seat. “She is not from around here.”

  “I see that, sir,” he says looking at her long pointy ears, blue tinged skin and green hair. “I’m here to brief you on the situation. We will be landing outside the Warzone in nine hours. From there you will be sent directly to Commander Terrance. I’m not going to lie to you. Things are bad. Besides the huge creature laying waste to the city, there are thousands of smaller creatures pouring into the city nonstop.”

  “The barrier between Fomoria and Sheol has weakened so much that the worlds are merged in places,” Sarrow says, her expression grim. “Melephos’ creations can cross into this world from there.” General Conway stares blankly.

  “Basically General, the city is now a portal where monsters can enter our world,” I say.

  “Yeah, we know that,” Conway says. “How do we stop it?”

  “You cannot,” Sarrow says. “With enough time the worlds will drift apart, returning to their own space time. This might take days or even years. In the history of the five worlds never has such a thing happened before. So an accurate guess is impossible.”

  “I see,” the man says, clearly not getting it. I don’t bother to explain. Things must change Palentor had said. I can see now how difficult that will be.

  “There are fresh clothes in the back where you can change,” Conway offers.

  “Thanks. Is there any food on this flight?” I ask, realizing it has been some time since I last ate. “I’ll have someone come by with some MREs,” he says, standing up. As he extends his hand I stand, giving his a firm shake. “I don’t know what’s going on. But we’re counting on you.”

  With the weight of the world on my shoulders I head into the back with Sarrow. I open up several overhead compartments in the cramped space, grabbing containers full of clothes. Digging through them I have trouble finding anything to fit my scrawny frame. Finally, I select a pair of army pants and a long-sleeve, black shirt. I make a quick, makeshift scabbard for Worldkey, swinging it around my shoulder and shoving the shadow wood pendant in my pocket. Sarrow can’t find anything to fit her child-like body so she remains in her robe with her own sword still concealed beneath.

  Returning to our seats General Conway is there holding two tin foil wrapped meals. Handing one to each of us he begins describing the situation back home. It is far worse than I feared but not enough to prevent me from eating. Digging into the food I wonder if I am accidently eating the package which might have more flavor. Sarrow too looks like she’d rather confront the unspeakable again.

  “The food of Fomoria leaves a lot to be desired,” Sarrow saysy.

  “This is soldier rations only. Wait until you try ice-cream,” I say. Exhausted from the day’s trials we rest as best we can in the chair, listening to the report of the destruction of Chicago.

  We are woken fifteen minutes prior to landing and return to our seats. Sarrow does let out a small squeak as the plane hits the landing strip, but is otherwise ok. From there we board an already prepped helicopter flying to my home… or what’s left of it.

  Destruction reminiscent of an unending bombardment seems to have laid waste to the landscape. I can’t even recognize any familiar buildings as we fly overhead. Half fallen buildings lay everywhere and most of the smaller structures are crumbled like a, F5 tornado came through. Several patches are gone, replaced by parts of Melephos’ world of Sheol. In spots desert lay like bubbles in stark contrast to the man-made landscape surrounding it. I feel a sudden jerk as we soar high. Leaning out slightly, I spot a cloud of dust followed by a thick black tentacle erupting from it. It is massive, wrapping all the way around a nearby skyscraper, crumbling part of it as the rest of the body emerges from the cloud. Melephos is more terrible in person than I could have imagined. Shiny black with ten long tentacles around a central body, Melephos is akin to a nightmare ocean horror. Gazing down into that center of that terrible creature I feel fear chill my core as a single massive eye of bl
ood red opens just above a circular maw that we could fly through. I can’t be sure but I think the entire mouth cavity is lined with insect like legs that move continuously. Although I have no reason to suspect such I feel that Melephos is looking right at me. Quick as a snake a massive tentacle whips out, snatching up a derailed train and hurling a passenger compartment right at us.

  “Shit!” The pilot roars, sending us into a nose dive. The train compartment twice as big as the helicopter soars just overhead, narrowly missing us.

  “Get us out of here!” I roar into the headset. “Melephos knows I’m here!”

  More improvised projectiles, ranging from cars and buses to steel girders are launched at us in rapid succession. Holding on for dear life we rock violently back and forth as Melephos tries to swat us from the sky.

  “Who’s brilliant idea was this?” My shadow calls out unseen from the cockpit.

  “Can’t you do something?” I yell.

  “Not a damn thing!” My shadow yells and I have no choice but to trust the pilot. Another five minutes pass where I am sure I am going to be crushed to death at any second and we are finally out of range.

  Sarrow presses her small face into my shoulder. “Brother, that was truly terrifying. Melephos’ wrath towards you is without equal.”

  “Wait until I bring Belaroth here,” I say.

  We land twenty minutes later just outside a heavy military outpost. There I am greeted by a haggard looking man in full army camo with a hard glint in his deep brown eyes. Disembarking the helicopter with Sarrow, the man approaches, saluting me.

  “Sir, I’m Lieutenant Xavier. I have orders to escort you to command immediately,” the man says.

  “Lead the way,” I say, following quickly behind him. Military equipment of all kinds are being shuffled around as large trucks with missiles on them line up toward the city. Overhead the roar of fighter jets interrupts even the noise around me as they zoom past, heading further into the warzone. Distant explosions can be heard like approaching thunder. I have no illusions. Both Palentor and Sarah made it clear that this is little more than an annoyance to Melephos.

  Entering the command tent I get a quick look at a table with a sunken monitor on it. Dozens of individuals are clustered around it, pointing out various things when a white blur fills my vision.

  “Shifter!”

  I back pedal as the furry mass lands on my shoulder, licking my face vigorously.

  “Whisper!” I say pulling him off me and crushing him to my chest. My heart aches with joy as I bury my face into his fur. “God, how I’ve missed you.” Pulling him back from me with both hands I examine him critically. “Have you put on weight?”

  “It’s Sarah’s fault,” he says in his purring voice. “She keeps giving me bacon.”

  “Then refuse,” I say grinning.

  “Are you insane?” Whisper says, shocked.

  “Oh great, the rat is still alive,” my shadow says, becoming a silhouette on the far wall ignored by all the humans.

  I think Whisper is about to say something when Sarah plows into me, her white blond hair tickling my face. “Oh, thank god you’re here,” she says just before our lips meet, squishing Whisper between us. A feeling of mind numbing bliss pushes all else from my mind until we are separated by a clearing of throats. Pulling away from Sarah I am suddenly aware that we are not alone. Five individuals, all in army attire are around the central computer, looking at us with a mixture of amusement and annoyance on their faces. Sarah too has army attire on which looks awesome on her athletic frame.

  “Miss Clifford, I would like you to retain your composure, we have much to discuss. You might be a civilian advisor but I expect a level of professionalism from everyone,” one man says, looking stern. He is bald with dark, weather-worn skin and hard green eyes. Unshaven with pronounced bags under his eyes, he is in desperate need of sleep. Despite this he stands straight and alert. The man’s very posture screams discipline.

  “I’m sorry, Commander Terrance,” Sarah says blushing, looking away from them all.

  “So you’re him, huh?” Terrance says looking me over. “I can tell you I’ve had one hell of a week. First miss Clifford here shows up with a supposed god telling us all about these other worlds and some crazy named Solarkar. Then a gateway of sorts opens up and monsters pour into the streets followed by a creature that makes Godzilla look tame. I heard all about you from Clifford. How you can travel into other worlds at will. The fact that you are conversing with the ferret when no one hear anything besides squeaking is not reassuring. I don’t really have any choice but to believe all this. Not with that monster out there destroying everything.”

  “No, you don’t,” Sarrow says a bit sternly. “And you should address my brother with more respect. He has undergone trials in other worlds that you cannot comprehend. Facing the Five themselves, all to help you.”

  “Brother?” Sarah and Whisper gasp.

  “Oh, yeah,” I say sheepishly, putting Whisper on my shoulder. “This is Sarrow, my half-sister. Sarrow this is Whisper and Sarah. She is the one from my dreams. I’ll tell you everything later, right now we have a god to deal with.”

  “Commander Terrance,” Sarah says. “I assure you that whatever plan Jerry Price has devised will work. If you don’t believe all that you’ve seen I’m sure he will gladly shift you to another world for proof.” Now he looks uncertain as do the others in the room.

  “I can do it but I need to save my strength for what I have to do next,” I say.

  “And that is?” Commander Terrance says.

  “I will bring Belaroth to this world. She has offered aid to Palentor to drive back Melephos,” I say. Both Sarah and Whisper gasp but of the five men in the room none of them understands the significance of my words.

  “I don’t care about you bringing more people here, damn it!” Commander Terrance says hotly. “I want a solution to that monster out there!”

  “That is exactly what the boy is suggesting,” says a voice behind me. Turning, I see a wizened old man there in a long, white robe. He has a lengthy white beard that nearly reaches his waist with a gnarled staff in one hand. He is the perfect image of wizards from ancient stories.

  “You…” Commander Terrance says, going pale.

  “Yes, me,” the old man agrees. “Again Jerry, I wish to thank you for agreeing to undergo this trial. I’m sorry that the people here do not fully comprehend what is about to occur.”

  “Palentor?” I say. I hope this isn’t his true form. If so this will be harder than I thought.

  “Yes,” Palentor says and then adds, as if answering my unasked question, “This body is merely a puppet which I use when I converse in the human world. But worry not, I am nearby waiting for Belaroth’s arrival. Then we shall drive back the devourer.” Turning to Terrance he adds, “Commander there is one job you have left to do. Transport this boy to the center of the city so that he may bring Belaroth here. Once that is done, take no action other than continuing to evacuate civilians. Belaroth and I will handle the rest.”

  Terrance swallows then turns to one of the men at the table. “Get a dozen choppers ready and fully loaded in the next thirty minutes.”

  “Sir!” The man says, saluting then running out as fast as he can.

  “Can you really do this?” Terrance says, looking at me.

  “Yes,” I say.

  “I don’t know exactly what is going on but I’m going with you,” Sarah says.

  “Me too,” chirps Whisper, pressing his face to mine.

  “No,” I say flatly. “This is my job alone. It will be dangerous enough with only me there. I want you both to stay here and look after Sarrow.”

  “Brother, I…” Sarrow begins.

  “That includes you too,” I say sternly. “If things go bad for me, Solarkar will still be out there. I’ll need you to help Sarah and Whisper deal with him.”
Pulling Whisper off my shoulder, I place him in her arms. He looks into her purple eyes before addressing me.

  “Shifter, please take me with you,” he says.

  “Sorry,” I say, giving his head a pat. “I really want to but this is something I have to do alone.”

  “I feel the same, great warrior Whisper of the Bartendor clan,” Sarrow says, scratching behind his ears. “Brother, I understand your concern. But you are being foolish. We are all in peril now. You will need help after you bring Belaroth here. You might even die just trying to do so. Let us take care of you when the time comes.”

  “Damn right!” Sarah says, standing next to Sarrow. “There is no way in hell I’ll let you go out there alone.” I want to protest, yo keep them safe. But they are right. I might need help just getting to Belaroth and most definitely will need it after.

  “I’ll fly you there,” a man says from around the table. “I’m the best pilot the army’s ever seen.”

  “Bro, you haven’t flown in years,” Sarah says, giving him a hard look.

  Bro? Looking at him, I now see the resemblance. He has blonde hair not as light as Sarah’s but close, with darker skin from constant sun exposure. Most notably he has her cool blue eyes.

  “It’ll be fine,” Sarah’s brother says. Then he extends a hand toward me. “Captain James Clifford.”

  “Jerry Price,” I say clasping his hand.

  “You know, I thought Sarah invented you just to get me off her back about finding a nice guy to settle down with. Then I thought she went crazy telling everyone about other worlds. I actually was thinking of getting her help at Greenbroch when all this shit went down. Now, I think I need a long weekend there myself,” James says.

  “I think we all could use one after this mess is done,” I offer.

  He gives me a warm smile, “True enough. I will get a small company together. Its not safe deep inside the city. Creatures are all over the place, killing everything they see. We will buy you time for whatever it is you’re going to do.”

  “As will I,” Sarrow says, revealing her sword.

  “I will go too and show these creatures the might of the Bartendor clan!” Whisper squeaks from Sarrow’s free arm.

  “Oh goody,” my shadow says, disgusted. “Shall we all share our feelings now and hug?”

  Fifty minutes later I wish we did do a group hug. We are flying high over the city with a dozen helicopters, the hum of the blades and blare of machine gun fire filling the sky along with the hundreds of winged creatures swarming us. Melephos has been active since I saw him last, now the sky and ground are filled with horrors.

  “What the fuck is all this?” Sarah shouts into her head set. Not waiting for a reply she leans out the open door, aiming a large rifle at a flying monstrosity. It has three heads, each with a sucker face eerily similar to a sea lamprey. The size of a small horse they flutter with large, bat-like wings and long, three-clawed feet. Squeezing off several rounds she hits it full center, dropping it from the sky.

  “Melephos has called forth the creations from his world,” Sarrow says into her headset. She is quickly catching on to how things work here.

  “I thought Melephos consumed all his creations,” I say, watching Sarah sniper another.

  “He did consume many,” Sarrow agrees. “Many more still remain and these are vastly loyal to him. Melephos must be concerned about your presence, Jerry. It is possible he has become aware of Belaroth and is aware of our plan.”

  “How is that possible?” I ask.

  “Perhaps Solarkar has a spy in our midst or, more likely, he actually saw Belaroth at the disruption zone. An ancient one’s presence is a hard thing not to notice. Combine that with your arrival and they might have guessed our plan since they have already done the same thing,” Sarrow says grimly.

  “We could turn back and take a different route,” I say.

  “No, we can’t,” James’ voice says over the headset. “There are even more behind us.”

  “Could we land and shift then?” Sarah asks.

  I grimace. “No, I need all my strength for this task and I don’t think Sarrow is strong enough to shift that many humans. We would have to leave everyone to die.”

  “My brother is correct,” Sarrow says. “We have no choice but to fight our way there.”

  “Shit!” James says and from the open door I see a helicopter go down covered in the flying lampreys. The rotator blades are physically stopped by several corpses jammed into the piston. A moment later a small fireball erupts below us.

  “We’re going to land,” James calls out. “We will have to the rest on foot.”

  Crap. How much further do we have to go? Sending my sight forth I can no longer see the flock of horrors screeching around usor Melephos. Instead the landscape below me changes into the lush jungle of Whisper’s world of Elysium. There, dominating the landscape, is Belaroth as big as a mountain.

  Long ago the only dragon Zinneth had said, ‘Dragons had the wild harmony of Belaroth.’ At the time I didn’t fully understand what he meant. Looking down at Belaroth I now know. Belaroth is a gigantic, wingless dragon. Belaroth is so big that she could simply step on Zinneth and be done with it. A rich gold color, Belaroth has a long neck and tail with large spikes starting at her head and traveling the entire length of her body where it ends in a large cluster, like a primeval mace from hell.

  “Belaroth isn’t far away,” I say bringing my sight back to my world. “Land now.”

  “Good, we have to anyways,” James says as another helicopter spirals out of control.

  My stomach lurches as we plummet down. The ground is covered in creatures of all sizes and shapes. I am wondering how the hell we can land when a series of lightning bolts lance from the darkening sky above, all hitting the same position below us, and killing all.

  “Palentor is aiding us,” Sarrow says simply.

  Oh, is that all? “I’ll be sure to invite him to the victory barbecue later then,” I say.

  Landing with ease on charred and blackened earth, I quickly jump out followed by Sarrow holding Whisper. Sarah is next. She’s already swinging her gun around, looking for targets. Other helicopters land all around us as men disembark with anti-tank arsenal. Setting Whisper down I quickly bend over, shifting him back to his world. Expanding to his original size Whisper is much larger than the helicopters now. Sarrow, reaching through reality, shifts him back to Earth. Now Whisper is on earth with his full size. Sarrow did say that I could learn to control my power of changing reality given time, but right now there is none.

  “Finally, time to kick ass,” Whisper says.

  “Only for a little bit,” I correct. “You will gain imbalance and have to go home to work it off.”

  “No problem, Shifter,” Whisper says. “I think those are of much greater concern.” With a flick of his massive white head he indicates the rather large host between us and Belaroth. Creatures of all sizes and shapes are charging toward us and I feel like a five year old playing against a professional football team.

  “Shit,” I say as all those around me open fire with everything from assault rifles to hand-held missile launchers. Pulling Sarrow aside, I yell loudly, “I can shift here and meet Belaroth on her world and shift her from there.”

  “You cannot,” Sarrow says, pointing out something that makes my heart sink. In the distance I can clearly see Solarkar at Belaroth’s location, holding a sigil stone in his only hand with a dozen or so Hivetung beside him. “Solarkar is ready for us, brother. We must fight our way to him and destroy the sigil stones. Even with the power of the Worldkey it would be impossible for you to shift Belaroth against the sigils. Shifting Belaroth all by herself will be difficult enough as it is.”

  Sarah, who is close to us, sees Solarkar. “If he has sigil stones that means he can’t shift either.” Giving a grin that my shadow would be proud of she takes aim. A deafening c
rack and I ee Solarkar giving an exaggerated twirl, clutching his shoulder before going down.

  “Shit,” Sarah curses. “Only winged him.”

  “A most excellent shot, Sarah of house Clifford,” Sarrow says. “But the traitor Solarkar is the least of our concerns.” Brandishing her sword I unsheath Worldkey also as the horde of Melephos reaches us.

  It’s like someone took an alien zoo put all the creatures together in a single pot. Some have rock-like armor, others have non-bipedal bodies that trot awkwardly at us. Others slither like high speed slugs with big mouths and twitching tentacles. Gun fire erupts all around us, blowing many apart in chucks of gore. It’s drops in the bucket, there are just too many of them.

  “Hold the line here!” James roars over all the noise. Turning to me he yells, “There’s too many! We can’t get through!”

  “Cover us!” I yell back climbing atop Whisper with Sarrow and Sarah. “We can make it!”

  “You got it!” James says, looking up into Whisper face.

  “Don’t worry, I got them!” Whisper says in his purring tone.

  “Damn, you really can talk!” James yells, then faces his menand bellows into the dimming evening sky. “All right boys, lay down cover fire for the huge-ass talking ferret!”

  If the absurdity of the order bothers the men they give no sign. This entire fight is already something out of this world. With a great leap to our left Whisper is off, trying to circle behind the horde. Immediately everything changes. Sarrow is right, the creatures obey Melephos. As one they all stop charging the humans, focusing entirely on us. Whisper, dashing with the speed of a cheetah, out runs any and all get close are brought down. I hold on for dear life as Whisper suddenly turns, dashing into the horde itself. Performing a rather spectacular jump off some type of shelled creature we are past them, heading to Belaroth. A rain of explosions shatters the ground just behind us as grenades and other incendiaries are ignited between us and the horde. A wash of intense heat hits us but we press on, nearly there.

  Wielding spears and swords, the Hivetung arrange themselves protectively around three sigil stones. Leaping off Whisper all three of us do a tuck and roll, letting Whisper charges ahead. Sarah shoots at the nearest group, going for their heads and thin necks. Flashes of crimson paint the ground as two fall. Charging forth with Sarrow beside me I twirl Worldkey in a blinding arc, severing the nearest hivetung sword like it was just a dry old stick. The hivetung gapes at the ruined weapon as Sarrow cuts his leg off. Giving a cry of pain the hivetung topples sideways onto her raised sword. The last hivetung guarding the first stone cries out in dismay at his fallen comrades until Worldkey cuts through his defensively held spear and torso in a single blow. I feel almost no resistance as I shear through it without any blood staining the blade. The Five might have made this to act like a key to the worlds but it sure feels like a weapon right now. Kneeling down Sarrow touches the center of the sigil stone, deactivating it.

  I half expect Solarkar to run out here but all I see is a trail of the distinctive blue blood leading away from the fight. I am half tempted to follow but know I can’t. Solarkar isn’t important now. What is important is the hulking shape of Melephos drawing ever closer.

  Whisper plows into the far group, taking a spear in his flank but killing all three hivetung and crushing the sigil stone in the same instance. Seeing the crimson blossom on his fur I want nothing more than to rush to his side. But I know what’s at stake here. I charge the last group with Sarrow. One suddenly falls as three rounds, fired in rapid succession, turn its face into a shattered watermelon. The other two back-pedal a step only to have a hulking shadow appear behind them.

  “Boo!” My shadow says before falling on them. They are still struggling slightly as I reach the final stone, slashing it in two with Worldkey. Reaching out with my power I feel no resistance. Around this spot there are so many bubbles of reality that it reminds me of Swiss cheese. Pockets of desolation are everywhere.

  “Ok, get back, I’m bringing Belaroth here,” I say.

  Sarrow embraces me in a hug followed by Sarah. “I hope you know what you are doing,” Sarah says.

  “Endure this, brother,” Sarrow says. Then they are taking up a position nearby, Sarah shooting Melephos’ horde while Sarrow shifts a few away.

  “Don’t die, Shifter,” Whisper says, coming up to me, blood still freely leaking from his wound.

  “Protect them,” I say.

  “I will,” Whisper promises, rubbing his face to mine for a brief moment. We have been through so much together, I have to believe that this isn’t the end. Then Whisper is off, leaping high and tackling a large creature that almost gets Sarah. No time left.

  Sending my sight forth into Whisper’s world I reflesively take a step back as an eye bigger than I am looks right at me.

  It is time, a voice says in my head.

  “Belaroth?” I ask out loud.

  Yes, it is I. Quickly bring me over so I may deal with this violation, Belaroth says.

  NOOOOO! A voice screams directly into my head sending everyone and everything into convulsions. Melephos is very near now and his telepathic cry is heard by all. No longer is anyone fighting. Even the creatures have collapsed, clutching their heads. I can’t focus. It’s like a pair of cymbals are being slammed over and over across my ears. I try to focus enough to shift but it is useless. Clutching my head I hold my ears tightly, trying to think, trying to do something but I can’t. Then suddenly it’s gone and I can think clearly again. Marveling, I look up and see everyone else still writhing on the ground.

  “What the…” I begin.

  “Hurry up, idiot,” my shadow says seemingly from inside my own head. “Melephos is almost here.” It’s true. I can even feel the disturbance in reality Melephos causes, presumably by the still alive visions users fused in his flesh. Any second a thick tentacle would be turning me into paste. Reaching outward I lay a hand on Belaroth across the worlds and the other on Worldkey. Drawing strength from it and my shadow I shift.

  In my time I have shifted a great deal of things. The Bartendor clan at our battle of the hive, various humans ranging from Sarah to my uncle, and even shifting some enemies away to another world, but never have I felt such pain. Shifting Belaroth, despite Worldkey’s power and the disturbed reality, is the hardest thing I have ever done. My entire lifetime of shifting cannot compare to this one single action. I feel things break inside me as a burning sensation fills my entire being. Yet I hold on, dragging Belaroth the Balancer to the world of Fomoria.

  I can’t feel my hand at all. I can see it resting atop a single gold scale bigger than I am, yet I can’t feet it or anything at all. A tremor shudders through my entire body. Falling to one knee I plant Worldkey into the earth, holding on for dear life. Taking my hand from Belaroth’s scale takes far more effort than it should have as I struggle to lift my head to meet that huge gold rimed eye.

  You have done it, Jerry of clan Shifter. I truly did not think you able. Rest now, I shall deal with the devourer, Belaroth’s voice says warmly in my mind. The eye is suddenly gone as Belaroth raises her head far above the ground, facing Melephos. The challenging roar that echoes in the rapidly darkening sky disrupts Melephos psychic cry and acts like a shock wave, stopping Melephos dead in its tracks.

  “Jerry!” Sarah yells.

  “Brother!” Sarrow cries.

  “Shifter!” Whisper shrieks. All of them rush to me. I can hear them but can’t find the strength to respond. I see the horde of Melephos scatter behind them. They are no longer interested in the fight at all. Some run to the nearest pocket of reality, returning home, but most go deeper into the city.

  “This is bad,” a weak voice says from nearby. Looking down I see my shadow at my feet, barely a gray patch on the pavement. “I can’t move.”

  I want to say something but can’t, I just kneel there. Even as
the ground shakes as Belaroth charges Melephos, plowing into him and sending buildings crumpling from the shockwave, I can do nothing.

  “Oh my god,” Sarah’s voice says right next to me. When did she get here? I try to respond but can’t.

  “He’s hemorrhaging in the brain,” Sarrow says gripping my chin, bringing her face close to mine. “This can happen if someone shifts something too great.” From my new view point I see Belaroth’s mouth close around a black tentacle of Melephos, tearing it off. An inhuman scream fills the night, shattering windows for miles around. Reacting with the speed of an angry squid Melephos swings around, wrapping all of his remaining limbs around Belaroth. The two behemoths wrestle until a new figure appears in the sky. Angelic, it has large, pure white wings. It has the body of a man, but hundreds of times greater in size. Not nearly the size of Melephos or Belaroth but still massive, with a long beard and hair the same color as its wings. Wearing armor composed of light itself, the figure holds a staff in one hand that is bigger than a redwood tree. Descending like a meteor, the figure lands on top of Melephos, pummeling him with his staff. At each strike an explosion like thunder and a flash of light shake the land. All stand transfixed as the ancient ones do battle.

  “Hey, dying over here,” my shadow says weakly, drawing everyone’s attention back to us.

  “We need a doctor,” Sarah’s weak voice says. “He’s bleeding from the eyes and ears.” I should have been alarmed by this, but I can’t find the strength to be.

  “There is no time,” Sarrow says sadly her eyes filling with tears.

  “Hey, girly,” my shadow says, fading rapidly into nothing. “Give me your shadow for a moment.”

  “What?” Sarrow says, blinking away tears.

  “No time left,” my shadow says. “You want to save us? Then bring out your shadow and have it merge with me.”

  Sarrow looks confused but nods, closing her eyes briefly. Inky blackness leaks from her eyes, mouth and ears, draining into a puddle that quickly slithers into my dim shadow. A mixture of gray and black swirl as ancient gods fight behind us unnoticed. Gradually they separate, a dim shadow leaking back into Sarrow who slumps and a familiar dark silhouette forms before us.

  “That’s better,” my shadow says, grinning down at the now exhausted Sarrow. “You’ll be fine. Just get some rest. Now your turn, Shifter.” Leaning close to me still in Sarah’s arms my shadow floods my face. Blackness fills my vision and for an insane moment I wonder if I died. Then it draws away and I feel a pressure on my ears like someone blowing really hard on them. A moment later things come into focus and the unreal feeling I had recedes. Lifting my head from Sarah’s lap I let out a groan, clutching my head.

  “What’s going on?” I say stupidly.

  “Oh Jerry!” Sarah says crushing me to her bosom which I find more distracting than the battling gods a short distance away.

  “Shifter!” Whisper roars, covering me entirely with his soft pink tongue.

  “Ah, Whisper!” I say, my hair plastered to my face with saliva.

  “Thank the Five you are all right, brother,” Sarrow says, not rising from the ground. I try to rise to help but find I don’t have the strength.

  “What happened?” I ask. Everything after I shifted Belaroth was hazy.

  “You were dying,” Sarrow says. “Your shadow took the strength of my corruption to replenish its own. Then it entered you, stabilizing your brain.”

  “He did that?” I say, shocked.

  “Sure did, fool,” my shadow’s voice says from inside my own mind. Great, now I am hearing voices. “I’m fixing the damage in here but no more shifting for a while. Shift even a pebble and the whole thing might explode.”

  Thanks, I say silently in my own mind.

  “Can’t let you die now, can I,” my shadow says. “Besides life is just getting interesting. Speaking of which, how goes the god battle royale?”

  Supported by Sarah I turn my head with a great deal of effort to watch the fray. Black ichor from Melephos is everywhere, covering entire cars like some type of demonic snow fall. Three tentacle arms lay severed, still thrashing in the city ruins crushing cars as they lash around.

  Looks like Melephos is down three limbs and squealing like a baby, I mentally say. I feel more than hear my shadow chuckle.

  “Sarah!” James Clifford’s voice shouts as he and a dozen men race to us.

  “James, we need to get Jerry to a hospital now!” Sarah shouts in return.

  “I’m ok now,” I say weakly. “Just need to rest and no more shifting.”

  Reaching us James bends down to examine me. “Can you move?”

  “I don’t think so,” I say. “Sarrow needs help too. We should get the hell out of here in case the fight is dragged this way.”

  “You heard him, let’s move it!” James bellows to the men watching the gods fight. Each supporting me under one arm, Sarah and James lead me to the helicopters with a man behind us carrying Sarrow easily all by himself. Whisper, still huge, walks beside us, scanning for danger.

  “Sarrow, can you shift Whisper home?” I say.

  “I’m not leaving you, Shifter!” He protests.

  “I know that, my friend,” I smile. “It will just be for a short time. I can’t shift you back to this reality for awhile and you’re too big to fit in the helicopter. Go home to your people. Once my strength is back I’ll find you.”

  “You are my home,” Whisper says and I smile at him.

  “I can do it, brother,” Sarrow says, looking very childlike with her entire body held off the ground by the man in army fatigues. “My exhaustion is not from shifting but a drain of my corruption. Come to me, Whisper.”

  Looking sadly at me Whisper goes to Sarrow who gently lays a hand on his face. “We will see you again, great warrior Whisper,” Sarrow says.

  “Tell the younglings I said hi,” I call out.

  “Don’t worry, Whisper, I’ll take care of Jerry,” Sarah says, still supporting my weight. With a nod from Whisper Sarrow shifts him back to Elysium. I watch him as he bounds off into the canopy.

  “I’ll see you again soon, my friend,” I say to no one in particular.

  Loading into the helicopters we soar high in the air and I get a perfect aerial view of the fight. I smile, finally something is going my way. Melephos is a mess, his black body is covered in wounds splashing the entire area in black ichor. Several torn limbs lay barely twitching as Belaroth and Palentor tears him apart a piece at a time. Yet Melephos fights back with the ferocity of a cornered beast. Several deep gouges ruin the perfection of Belaroth’s gold scales and her blood flows freely. Red mixes with the black on the ground. Palentor has also taken several hard blows and one of his arms hangs limp at his side. The battle rages on as we fly overhead, Melephos receiving blow after blow. Then suddenly he is gone, vanishing like he had never been there.

  “What the hell is going on?” Sarah yells, watching the spot where Melephos had been.

  It is over. A voice says in my head.

  Belaroth? I reply in like.

  It is I, Belaroth telepathically sends. The devourer has retreated to his own world. There he shall remain for a long time, recovering from his losses. Your world is safe from him.

  He can’t come back? I ask mentally.

  No, we can return to our worlds at will but not leave the same. The devourer will plague you no more. Belaroth says.

  Thank you so much for saving us, I think to her. We wouldn’t have made it without you.

  Perhaps or perhaps not, Belaroth says. You have impressed me a great deal, Jerry of clan Shifter. It is I who should thank you for restoring balance to the five worlds. Now it is my time to depart as well for this is Palentor’s world and mine calls to me. Palentor awaits your return. Farewell.

  Farewell, Belaroth, I think and the voice is gone.

  “It’s over,” I say to Sarah and th
e rest. “We won.”

  “This fight is. But we’ve got thousands of other nasties still out there!” James’ voice comes over my headset and I see him radio ahead to everyone.

  We land amid a cheering group that puts a rock concert to shame. Being helped out of the chopper, I see Commander Terrance there with Palentor, both looking exceptionally pleased. The helicopter’s engines power down as Palentor strides forward to me.

  “It is done,” Palentor says smiling. “The devourer has left our world. It will take him years to recover, possibly decades from this defeat.”

  “I know,” I say. “Belaroth told me.”

  “I wish I could tell you that your trial is over, but everything changes now. This cannot be forgotten and the way between the worlds is open. Life will change. With you and your comrades here I know this world is in good hands. I leave it to you to decide your own fates. Farewell, Jerry Price.” Without waiting for a reply he simply vanishes before everyone’s eyes. One hell of an exit. But I know despite the cheer all around us that is not over. At least for me. Besides the hordes of monsters still in my home city one thing still remains…Solarkar.