by Roy Huff
A few small, round creatures stood by Owen’s feet. One of them, a purple and yellow marmook named Grenmar, reached up and grabbed Owen’s finger with his hand. Once Grenmar had heard the words of The Keeper, he eagerly tried to pull Owen out of The Keeper’s Workshop in order to head above ground and get some tasty treats. Grenmar, who had journeyed to The City of Worms before its destruction, was also very interested in spending time with the growing legend that was Owen Sage.
The Keeper smiled and watched as the friendly marmooks, along with a few other creatures and a couple of muscle-bound miniature Ubaloo, escorted Owen out the door.
Once they left, The Keeper’s facial expression took on an air of urgency.
“We must assemble the others,” The Keeper said to Sako, the Fron leader.
“I’ll get right on it,” said Sako’s assistant, Toe.
“How bad is it?” Sako asked.
The Keeper put his hand on Sako’s shoulder and replied, “There is a great challenge that lies ahead, perhaps the greatest challenge that Everville has ever faced, but I am confident we can be victorious. We mustn’t be hasty. As you know, anything worth doing is worth doing slowly. It requires us to have patience and reflection.”
Sako thought to himself for a moment, nodding his head in agreement.
“Now Sako, join your fellow Fron in some feasting. Our deliberation will come soon enough,” The Keeper said in a lighter tone.
On the surface, above the underground catacombs of Everville, the Fron were busy preparing for the lunchtime feast. Owen breathed in the pleasant smells of the vegetation that bled into the complex aromas of various Fron dishes. He listened to the happy squeaking of Grenmar and the other marmooks that bounced along by his side as they headed towards the direction of the food.
Dozens of short, thick, hairless Fron made their way from the fields towards the Great Fron Hall. Most were carrying multiple dishes of food. The few that weren’t were carrying large wooden crates of wine and ale.
The Fron exuded an upbeat energy of carefree happiness. Owen knew underneath, though, that most Fron were more than capable of holding their own in a time of crisis.
“There you are,” Kearney said to Owen as he walked towards the Great Fron Hall with several of the Fron Owen had previously met.
“Hey, Kearney. It’s great to see you again,” Owen replied.
“Come on over here. Don’t be shy,” Kearny said, reaching around Owen’s waist and pulling him into the center of the crowd.
Owen nearly tripped, but he managed to get his balance.
“Guys, wait up,” shouted Toe, running towards them as they approached the entrance to the Great Fron Hall.
“And here we all are again,” Kearney said.
Toe proceeded to grab two sets of plates and stack them high with almost every food available before setting them down on a large center table in the middle of the hall.
It was no secret why the Fron were thick; they ate quite a lot.
“I don’t think I could survive if I ate that much,” Owen said looking at Toe.
“Well luckily for me I’m not a human,” Toe responded honestly.
“No need to insult the man,” Sako replied.
“No offense taken. I imagine it’s great living as a Fron, but I enjoy my life as a human just as well, even with all the extra work I have to do and the food I can’t eat.”
Kearney brought several bottles of wine to the table. Toe had already started digging into the food and barely lifted up his head to take a breath. He ate the food with remarkable swiftness, but once the wine arrived, he took a few seconds to fill his glass.
Toe drank a few gulps to wash down the food.
“Ah. Delicious,” Toe continued, with his mouth open and still partially full.
Owen raised his eyebrows in amazement and chuckled. He didn’t take offense, as he knew it was the custom of the Fron. He even found it a little bit charming.
Owen, however, ate slowly. His attention began to wander off as he started thinking about the upcoming meeting of The Keepers. It was difficult to take The Keepers’ advice and fully embrace the feast when he knew a great battle was likely in the near future.
“Well if you’re not going to eat it, I will,” Kearney said, reaching over Owen and grabbing some moist chunks of savory looking meat that rested on Owen’s plate.
“Cheer up, old friend,” Kearney said intently as he patted Owen on his back.
For the next half hour or so, the Fron continued to eat and drink, smile and laugh. The time had come, though, for Owen and a few others to return below for the meeting of The Keepers.
A while later, Owen and a few of the Fron returned below and gathered inside The Workshop of The Keepers. The room was filled with several different races of species from the different lands that surrounded Everville. Owen recognized many of them from the armies he fought alongside with in The City of Worms.
The Keeper, formerly known as Carwyn, stood tall in the center of The Workshop of The Keepers and began to speak.
“As most of you are aware, Owen proved pivotal in the destruction of the worms, but we have a new problem. We have recently learned that Mallory, whom you all know and used to love, was able to capture one of the juvenile worms before its destruction.
“The situation is even graver than it seems. We all know the power of the element with the worms, but when the worms gained sentience and became dragons that power was no longer contained. Now that only one dragon remains, all of the element within the universe will be channeled to the one remaining dragon, and Mallory has tamed it—at least for the time being.
“Despite the seriousness of the situation, Mallory’s arrogance will work to our advantage. Our quest will be twofold. We must first stop the element from being channeled into the dragon and find a new method to store the energy. That will be the easy part. The real challenge will be in removing the element from within the dragon that already exists. That can only be done willingly or through its destruction.
“We can discuss later how and where to channel the element. That will be our challenge, but Owen will need to find The Third Pillar of Truth. Before he can do that, he will need to find the only Keeper that knows three of The Pillars of Truth. His name is Varstock. All of the other Keepers are here with us today.”
“How come Varstock isn’t here with the rest of The Keepers?” Toe asked.
“Understanding three of The Pillars of Truth represents a significant concentration of power, more power than any other Keeper. He made the choice to sequester himself away from others and keep his location secret in the hopes of preventing self-corruption or temptation to use the power,” The Keeper responded.
Owen’s forehead wrinkled. He turned to The Keeper and asked, “Assuming I am able to find Varstock, what makes you think he would be willing to help? I mean, by requesting his help, aren’t we going to be asking him to do the very thing he set out not to do in the first place? Won’t he think helping us would lead to him using too much power?”
“Well, Owen, I didn’t say it would be easy. You will have to convince him, and before that you will need to find him, but like all Keepers he is very wise. The knowledge of an even greater evil and concentration of power should convince him that it will need to be stopped, which will require his cooperation in helping you find The Third Pillar of Truth.
“Be warned, though, Owen,” The Keeper continued, “you will not be able to find him with just the help of our friends in the surrounding lands of Everville. He has seen to that. You will have to discover some clues from creatures that have no loyalty in the border realms. I think the Mountain Dwellers in The Valley of Darkness would be a good place to start. I suggest you take Grenmar. He, like his father Dagda, will be a loyal and invaluable friend, as with most marmooks. Take one of the Ubaloo as well, but you will need to keep your contingent small as not to cause unnecessary trepidation for Varstock once you find him.”
“Take me! Take me!” shouted Felix, one of the miniature
Ubaloo.
“Wait. On second thought, never mind,” Felix said after thinking about it for a few moments longer.
“I’ll go,” said Asher, another Ubaloo who was a little more courageous.
“And you’ll go too, Felix,” The Keeper interjected. “To help to keep Owen focused on the task at hand, Grenmar will need someone to keep him occupied and out of trouble when he gets bored.” The Keeper continued.
Felix whimpered.
“Why did I have to say anything?” Felix said aloud mournfully while hitting himself on the forehead with the palm of his hand.
“I’ll send you through the portal to one of the monoliths in the land of the giants. From there, you will need to travel through the land of the giants to the underground river that leads to The Valley of Darkness.
“Use the wisdom you have gained to help guide you. Don’t be afraid to rely on the help of your friends, and above all, be patient and reflective,” The Keeper said to Owen.
“I’ll get some supplies,” said Toe.
A few moments later, Toe returned with a few small bags and a larger one for Owen.
“Asher will show you what to do with these when you need them,” Toe said to Owen.
“Thanks, Toe,” Owen replied.
The Keeper escorted the four of them to the portal by the staircase. The portal rippled like a vertical pond bound by an ancient wooden frame. It reflected back the images in front of it but was also partially transparent, allowing them to see what was on the other side. The Keeper touched the frame with his staff, each time changing the location on the other end. The Keeper stopped once the monolith appeared across the portal, and then one by one, they walked through. Felix was the last to cross. Asher had to reach through the portal from the other side in order to pull Felix through.
After they all arrived at the monolith, the portal closed behind them, and they inspected their surroundings.
CHAPTER 3
CONNECTIONS
Back at Jacob’s home, Mr. Hughes readied himself for work and was about to leave.
The butler opened the door for Mr. Hughes, who was wearing a thick, grey-woolen trench coat over an expensive black suit. Before he left, Mr. Hughes turned towards Jacob.
“Don’t worry,” he said.
“Those two will be taken care of. Rest assured, they won’t cause you any more trouble, not after the university deals with them,” Mr. Hughes continued, referring to Owen and Drusilla.
“I’ll take care of them if the university doesn’t,” Jacob retorted in a shrill tone.
Jacob squinted his grey eyes and bushy black eyebrows as he spoke. The recent lack of sunlight made his skin paler than usual. That, combined with his slim build, made him look sickly.
“Don’t do anything rash. I’ll make sure the lawyers handle it,” Mr. Hughes said as he walked out the door.
A few hours later at the campus café, Jacob had just arrived. It was quieter than usual. More than half of the seats were available, all of which normally would be taken during mid-morning on a Monday.
Jacob ordered the house special and then sat down at a table in the back corner, which was hidden from view.
“Did you get what I asked for?” whispered a young man who was already seated.
Jacob didn’t say a word. He simply pushed a large envelope across the table, which then quickly disappeared into the man’s briefcase.
Trying not to look too suspicious, both of them just sat there a few moments and sipped their coffee. After the man left, Jacob stayed a while longer until he had finished his coffee.
Just as Jacob was leaving, Anika walked through the door. Jacob had his head down and wasn’t paying attention. He bumped into her, nearly knocking her over. Anika stared at him, waiting for him to apologize, but it was too much to ask. They both turned away from each other angrily. The animosity between them was palpable.
Anika continued walking towards the counter.
“What can I get for you?” the young female barista asked, having watched the confrontation moments earlier.
“I’ll have the house special,” Anika replied.
It was the most popular drink by far in the café, thanks to the secret ingredient, which was a closely guarded formula.
Anika handed over the cash.
“That guy’s a real jerk,” the barista said to Anika.
“Sure is,” Anika responded, while waiting on the coffee.
“Here you go,” the barista said with a smile once she had finished making the drink.
“Thanks.”
Anika sat down at one of the tables and waited for Dante and Owen to arrive.
She looked around, paying close attention to the antiques and art that decorated the tables and walls. She learned earlier that bo staves were made in the back of the cafe, but there was something else magical about the place, something that drew her along with all the other patrons to the campus café.
Dante sat down next to her.
“Hey, Anika. What’s up?” he asked.
“Jacob was just here. That guy’s got some nerve. He walked right into me and almost knocked me over,” she replied.
“That doesn’t surprise me at all. Not after what he did to Cleophas. I heard he tried to kill him. That guy’s a real problem. If he didn’t have his new parents covering up after him he’d be in real trouble,” Dante responded.
“Well, at least he got his butt kicked by Drusilla and Owen. Now that the container he used to channel element is destroyed, I don’t think he’ll be able to cause us too much problems,” Anika said with a sense of satisfaction.
“I’m not sure I’d count on that. He’s an arrogant little prick with a sense of entitlement that’s not going away anytime soon,” Dante quipped back.
“Ain’t that the truth,” she replied.
A world away, Mallory waited in the cave with the dragon. The dragon had finally grown large enough and channeled enough of the element to allow them to communicate directly to each other mentally. It was what Mallory had been waiting for and what he needed to set his plan into motion.
The dragon was now tuned into Mallory’s thoughts, at least the thoughts Mallory allowed the dragon to see, and it was providing Mallory with what power it had available.
Mallory touched the cave wall, and Jacob’s image appeared.
Jacob had returned home and was alone. As Mallory made the connection, his image stood before Jacob in mid-air. Jacob could see the cave and the dragon behind him.
“Mallory! I see you’ve succeeded,” Jacob said with glee.
“Yes. It won’t be long now. Make sure you take care of your end so we can do what needs to be done,” Mallory said with a stern voice.
“Count on it!”
Jacob’s image vanished from the cave wall.
Mallory would now have to deal with the creatures that seeded the worms in the first place, and with possession of the dragon, he was in a good position to gain their trust.
The creatures, known as the Alarians, resided on the large moon that orbited the ice planet. They were not themselves dragons. They simply chose that as the initial form for their progeny in this universe.
The Alarians held a special place within the multiverse, and like the worms they seeded, their form had the capacity to hold tremendous power.
CHAPTER 4
RETURN OF THE GIANTS
In the vast wasteland surrounding The Other In Between, Borak and the other surviving giants from the battle in The City of Worms had grown weary. Their massive stature was now their enemy, having weighed them down by the force of gravity. They had gone without food and water for days and their bodies were nearing collapse.
The wasteland was especially harsh on the living. One of its properties was that it drained energy while magnifying the harshness of life to all those that occupied it. It took more strength and more energy than normal to live in that realm, but it also had the effect of prolonging death. The giants would have to continue on close to death for s
everal millennia before they would eventually give up the ghost, and should that time come, the barren wasteland would consume their bodies and The Other In Between would steal their souls.
The destruction of the worms had landed the giants in the barren wasteland, but there were border realms surrounding The Other In Between beyond the wasteland, lands which were farther from The Other In Between and less harsh. Those border realms also contained the portals that could be used to travel to the monoliths in the land of the giants, which is where they were headed.
“Borak, we have to keep moving,” one of the soldiers muttered as they crept along, but Borak was too far gone to hear him.
Borak was by far the strongest and tallest of the giants, but it was precisely his size as strength that made him the weakest at that moment. He was near death and being held up by two soldiers on each arm.
The sweat had long drained from the giants’ bodies, and there was nothing left to cool them down. Borak used every bit of strength he had to put one foot in front of the other. He took one last step and then he collapsed.
The remaining giants decided to discard all clothing and accessories except the bare essentials. They removed all their weapons and armor. They threw down their helmets and chainmail, tossing their swords aside. They took off their shirts, and ripped off most of their pants, leaving only a small remnant to keep covered. It was their last hope to get rid of as much dead weight as possible. They would need to lighten the load if they were going to carry Borak.
They waited several hours in the hopes of regaining some of their strength, but the land was brutal, and they had to move on if they were going to make it back home.
Four of the giants now carried Borak. They moved slowly, making almost no progress. The giants, about twenty in all, muddled forward for several more days. The journey was maddening. An uncomfortable heat tortured their skin, and the hot sand burned their feet. There was no vegetation of any kind and no signs of life. It was an endless desert that never changed, making the days feel more like weeks.
