by R. J. Batla
“Royn, this will need to be brought up in the council meeting. It’s worse than I suspected.”
The telestone vibrated on the table. “That’ll be Hank at the Bowl,” Royn said, keying the mic. “Seven-forty-two, come in, this is Dog Town, over.”
“Seven-forty-two, come back, Dog Town, over,” came the reply.
“I need the information on the entries to the tea party, over,” Royn said.
“Tango Yankee or November Yankee?”
“November.”
“Ten-four, catch you back two-one-niner.”
“Ten-four. Dog Town out.” Royn killed the mic and turned to Ames. “Good ol’ Hank. He’ll have the intel on the tournament lineup in two days.”
Councilman Talco nodded, but kept his thoughts to himself while drumming his fingers on his armchair.
Royn asked, “Do you think this plan has a chance, Councilman? Jayton’s still so new at all this stuff, and we’re expecting him to beat people in a one-on-one tournament? Men and women who’ve trained all their lives for this?”
Ames looked at the wall, as if he could see through it to the West Side. “I hope so. I see no other way. Actually, I see too many ways, but this is the only one that seems to make sense and give us the best chance. I’ve consulted every source I could think of, talked to almost everyone I know, and everything seems to be pointing this way.”
“What are his odds? Better yet, what are ours?”
Ames’ face fell, eyes and mouth tightening. “If I’m right, they’re one and the same. And they’re slim. Very slim. One thing is for certain: by this time next year, the entire world will be changed, shaped by how successful that young man is. Good or bad, the fate of the world rests on his shoulders.”
“Should we tell him that? I mean, he knows it’s important, but not that it is vital. He thinks there’s still a Plan B…that if he fails, the East Side is still safe.”
“Lord no. He’s got enough on his plate already. And if he knows, will that change what he’d do? Will it alter his actions? No. Best to let it be what it’ll be, and trust the Good Lord to bring us through this, if it be His will.”
Royn nodded, staring at the telestone until it rang again. “Go ahead.”
“This is Viper, Mother Hen. I’ve got more chickens than I can count here. Lots of roosters too. The foxes haven’t joined the party, but they’re expected to.”
“That’s not good news. How many?”
“At least two hundred thousand. Of each kind. And growing.”
Oh great. What else can go wrong? “Thanks, Viper.”
It was Ghost’s turn. They waited, but no one else called in. Finally, Royn said, “Ghost, your report?”
Static.
“Ghost?”
Click.
“Viper, tell your people to watch your tail – they know we’re watching.”
“Yes, sir. Viper out.”
“Mother Hen out.”
Royn held his head in his hands – that was the second Ranger lost in two weeks. And he didn’t have many to spare on the West Side. Viper said the enemy was growing in numbers, all kinds of creatures and men alike. Royn wondered what Malstrak promised to get them to join his cause. Power? Money? Or were they threatened? Some would join just for the killing and gore, but the others?
He looked down as his badge chirped again. “Go ahead.”
“Seven-four-two, this is Dog Town, over.”
“Dog Town, what you got for me?”
“It ain’t pretty, but here it is.”
Hank had gotten the information back much sooner than expected, and as he laid out more of what the tournament would look like, Royn’s frown deepened. Jay was going to have a hell of a time: the contestants this year were extremely tough.
After he finished, Royn said, “Thanks Seven-Four-Two, over and out.” Councilman Talco hadn’t said a word the whole time. “Councilman, your thoughts?”
Ames took a deep breath. “This is disturbing. The path to victory keeps getting narrower and narrower.” Taking a deep swig of water, he said, “I think we should visit the lines…see how the preparation is going. You up for it?”
Royn grinned. “Always.” He grabbed the Councilman’s hand. They disappeared in a flash of blue, appearing just outside the Wall, where thousands of men and women were frantically making preparations while, a mile or so away, lights and animalistic noises permeated the night air. The pair started walking down the different defenses, commenting here are there, giving direction and making sure everything was set up properly.
Passing a particularly old piece of machinery, the two heard a Senturian talking to one of the infantrymen, who was sitting up on some kind of rolling platform. “What in Terraunum is that?” the Senturian asked.
The infantrymen were working on what looked like an ancient artifact pulled out of a museum.
“That there?” the soldier said, running a rag over the contraption as he took a pull on his cigar. His green tank top was covered in sweat and grease. “That there is a Ma Deuce.”
“Isn’t that kind of out of date now? Most of those things on the other side can dodge old fashioned firearms,” said the Senturian.
The soldier pulled back the lever that cocked the weapon, and took another pull on his cigar. “Yeah, most of the time. I plan on not giving them the choice, though. Besides, you shoot at a wall of flesh, you’re bound to hit something.”
Royn couldn’t help but laugh as he walked by. Unfortunately, the soldier on the Ma Deuce was right: when the attack came, there would be way too many bodies. Way too many attackers. It would be a miracle if they could keep them off the Wall for a week.
After many more inspections and a lot of walking, the two neared the center of the action, which of course was a bar. The Pub, as it was simply called, was busy as always – officers, high-ranking officials, royalty and the like from the East Side mingled, talked, and drank.
“It’s always interesting watching how people learn,” Royn said, taking a swig of the fine beer Ames had procured for them with a ram’s head on the label. “Everyone is different, yet everyone is the same.”
“How so?” Ames asked. One of the perks of hanging out with Royn was that if he got him talking, Ames didn’t have to do much. Sometimes that helped – Ames had to talk quite a bit each day for his duties as a councilman, so it was nice to just listen.
“Take Anton, for example – he wants all the details. The foot placement, any hand motion, exactly where, what, why, and how. Then he’ll try the move. Never met anyone like that, save one Troup Stafford. Anton isn’t as bad as that, but he still thinks a bit too much for my tastes. But at least he does move, unlike that Dwarf.”
“Interesting,” Ames said simply, sensing Royn was but a sip away from continuing.
“Then Katy is just about speed,” Royn said, right on cue. “Fast, faster, fastest. No messing around with that girl; she’s all emotion and heart. Her and Anton could use a little dose of what the other has.”
Sip.
“Gilmer is the big picture guy. Tell him the end game and he comes through. Natural born leader, though he tends to drift when it comes to military strategy. Brilliant when it comes to maneuvering around people.”
Sip.
“Leona is so technical, it’s almost ridiculous. I don’t know how she does it, but she can master moves and techniques quicker than the others. And she doesn’t move on until it’s perfect. No wasted effort, no wasted energy, just enough.”
“And that leaves Jayton.”
Ames said, “Ah yes, our champion. How is he doing? I heard he had a bit of an issue with the Morsenube. You think he’ll turn?” Ames asked.
“No, I’m sure he’ll figure it out. He’s smart. He’s strong.”
“Yet I fear for him,” Ames said. “Fear has a way of paralyzing people. Can he overcome the power?”
“He’s above that. He’ll overcome it. Even if he’s scared, he’ll saddle up anyway,” Royn said.
“So
you think he’s ready?” Ames asked, his beer tasting better and better with each gulp.
“He’s…close enough.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, that’s about right. There’s always a little something else to give, to work on. But it’s so close that it’ll work almost all the time, so he moves on to learn something else. He’s like a sponge. Natural talent.”
“But?”
“But he doesn’t want to hurt anyone,” Royn said. “Creatures and monsters he’s OK with. He’s very good at it, actually. But a person…that he has trouble with.”
“What will that mean when he faces real live people in the tournament?”
“We’d better hope he gets over it.”
“Yet you say he’s close enough?” Ames asked, eyebrow raised.
Royn shrugged. “Good enough for government work.” He set his empty bottle down.
Ames did the same and motioned for Royn to follow him outside and walk along the preparations being made once again. They were in public, but with the work going on all around them, they might as well have been in a closed office.
“You’re sure all this is necessary? The preparations, I mean.” Royn asked.
Ames shook his mane of hair. “No, my friend, I’m never sure. I just feel it would be better to be prepared – I fear we may be underestimating our enemy, and overestimating our own defenses.”
“Yeah, but Ames, to think of Malstrak on the East side of the Breaks…with all his armies…there’s no way the people of the East Side would follow him. He stands against everything we believe in. They wouldn’t just give up, just submit. They would fight.”
Ames shook his head. “You’d be surprised at what people will and won’t do. You should know this, Royn.” Ames opened the door of a slapped-together plywood building and motioning for Royn to enter. “Well, now or never: should we move forward with the plan?”
“I guess, though I don’t think it’s necessary. But, you’re right, I suppose: better safe than sorry. What’s it going to hurt if we don’t need them?”
Ames waved his hand and they both stepped into the light, revealing a beautiful Reka wearing form-fitting armor and a new crown on her head. Ames gave a slight bow. “Queen Aurora, very nice of you to come all this way. We’ll not take up much of your time, I assure you.” She returned the bow, and the two men walked in and sat in the two unoccupied chairs. “I see you’ve been practicing, just as I asked you, my dear. Well done! I barely sent the correspondence an hour ago!”
“Thank you, Councilmen. Hello, Ranger,” she said to Royn. “My Shimmer power is working amazingly, thanks to your advice. But I don’t think you asked me to come here just to test my abilities?”
Ames smiled, “No, your highness, unfortunately we did not. We were hoping you could help us in our situation. Your Shimmer power could make Jayton Baird’s trip to the Bowl much easier, and judging by how you just –”
“I’ll stop you right there, Councilman,” Aurora said. “I can’t possibly risk it.”
“Beg your pardon?”
She drew herself up to her full height, pulling her shoulders back and lifting her chin. “I am now Queen of the Reka. I have a responsibility to my people. They look to me for leadership and guidance. I dearly love my people, Councilman. I will not risk leaving them leaderless going into a war.”
Royn said, “So you won’t even try?”
Aurora shifted on her feet. “Maybe. If there were a way we could test it without risk…”
Royn and Ames looked at each other before Royn answered, “Very little risk.”
Ames said, “Tell me, my dear, how does your Shimmer work? What do you require to teleport to a place?”
Queen Aurora said, “I either need to have been there before, or have a picture of it. It doesn’t have to be exact, but it has to be close.”
“Very good.” He handed her a picture of a room with several barrels and a painting of a naked lady standing on a seashell. “Can you try to Shimmer to the location in this picture?”
Aurora nodded and took a deep breath as she began to shift, her body first emitting small, glowing lights, then slowly becoming transparent. In her head, she could already see the room coming to life as her body began to be transported to another place.
They heard Aurora’s scream before they saw her Shimmer back into view. Her power faded with a bang and a flash of red. Aurora started to collapse.
Ames and Royn were on their feet instantly, and caught her before she hit the ground. They guided her to the floor. Ames Talco’s hands lit up with purple healing energy. In no time, she was sitting up, breathing heavy. “What happened, m’ lady?”
“Something stopped me. Two somethings. One was a skeletal dog and the other looked like an overgrown wolf with dark black fur.”
Royn gasped. “A Skeptor working with an Alpha? I’ve never heard of it.”
“Aye,” Ames said. “But these are not normal times. We just tried to send you to a secure room on the West Side, behind Malstrak’ s army. It seems he is preventing us from using anyone with the Shimmer powers to transport troops behind him. Are you all right, my dear?”
Royn pulled a chair over for her and helped her into the seat. As Aurora sat down, she finally looked like she was recovering from the attack. “Yes, Councilman. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you. Or Jayton.”
“Don’t fret, my young queen. I figured it was too much to hope for. Damn. It’s a shame – your Shimmer would have made the mission so much easier. Our champion will have to get to the tournament on foot for sure now. But again, that is not the only reason you are here. Royn and I here have another idea.” Royn coughed. “Well, I have an idea, and he thinks we might as well do it. Let me ask you – how do you feel we’ll fare in the war?”
She looked taken aback. “We’ll win, of course. Do you think differently, Councilman? If so, that’s very disturbing that our leadership –”
Ames held up a hand. “Don’t misunderstand me, your highness. I’m supremely confident in our abilities, people, and defenses. But I’m also well aware, and overly cautious, of the cunning of our enemy. If the Breaks were to fail, the East Side could be easily overrun, wouldn’t you agree?” She nodded. “That’s why I would like to set up some backup plans in case the worst comes to pass. Would you be willing to help us?”
She thought a minute. “Why me? I’m sure you have any number of Rangers at your disposal. Why not use them?”
“Secrecy, my dear. After the assassinations, I’m unsure who to trust, so the fewer who know, the better. Also, you’re one of the few people who can travel thousands of miles in a few moments, just as you did tonight. Slip into places that, let’s say, are hard to get into, unnoticed, and no one would be the wiser.”
That brought a look from Royn, but he didn’t say anything.
Aurora inclined her head at Royn. “What about him? He’s a teleporter, yes? Why involve me?”
Ames looked at Royn. “It’s simple, really. First, Shimmer makes almost no sound when used. Royn, how about you?”
“Lots of noise, depending on how far I’ve traveled.”
“Second – no matter the distance – Shimmer can transport a massive amount of people and supplies. Royn, how about you?”
“Limited by distance and amount of people, never more than two at the most.”
“But,” Queen Aurora cut in, “Royn’s teleportation is much faster than Shimmer.”
Councilman Talco nodded. “True, but speed isn’t what we’re after here. So, knowing that, what do you think?”
Aurora took a few deep breaths. “I’ll have to think on this, Councilman. Especially with what happened tonight. It will take me away from preparations for my own people. What would I need to provide?”
“Just yourself, a few choice volunteers who must know nothing about the mission to help you, and the use of your power. I’ll provide the rest.”
“OK then. I’ll give you my answer as soon as I can.”
“Th
ank you, your highness.”
She stood to leave. “You’re very welcome. Anything for the council – especially you, Councilman Talco.” She turned on her heel, and then pivoted toward Royn. “Ranger, you’re the one training Jayton Baird, yes?”
“Yes, ma’am, I am.”
The Queen nodded. “How is he doing?”
“He’s doing great. He should be ready in time.”
Aurora flushed bright red. “That’s good. Thank you, Ranger, good night,” she said, and her eyes rolled back in her head. Her body sparkled, slowly turned transparent, and then disappeared entirely with a barely audible pop.
Huh. Shimmer was an incredible Quantum power. “So you picked the pretty one to do your dirty work, huh?” he asked Ames, who started laughing.
“Yes, she’s much nicer to look at than you, I must say!” Ames laughed, then clapped Royn on the back. “Are you sure you can’t use your teleportation like hers?”
“No, it doesn’t work like that. For some reason all other teleport powers elude me,” Royn said.
Suddenly the radio blared. “Islanders to Land Lubbers, over.”
Jumping over to answer the call, Royn said, “Go ahead, Islanders.”
“The serpents are passing the Lone Isle around the south as we speak. We’re trying to delay them as much as possible, but the small outpost here in Luling can’t openly engage them or we’ll be destroyed. It’s a huge force, sir.”
“How big? Be specific, soldier.”
“Two hundred troop ships. One hundred artillery ships.”
Son. Of. A…
“Thanks, Ranger, give ‘em hell. But stay safe.”
“Yes, sir.”
Royn unkeyed the mic. “Why do I feel like that’s the last we’ll hear from the Rangers and sailors in Luling?”
Ames’ face was blank, head bowed. “Because you know as well as I do that they’ll sacrifice every last man and woman to try to stop as many of those ships as possible.” They stayed silent with their own thoughts, each sending up a prayer. After a moment, Ames said, “Let’s make another round outside; get our minds busy again. Though we’ll not forget what the soldiers of Luling are doing right now.”
