by Dave Hazel
“I suppose the gods could have done what you say, though I do not understand the terms you used,” Towbar answered. “I would guess this answer by saying the gods did not want you to win our war for us, but to help us so we could win for ourselves. We were not prepared. You and your people assisted us in our preparation.”
“Okay, what about--”
“Towbar my Lord,” a voice whispered from a side passageway which stopped Mykal’s words. “Please, I must speak with you. It is extremely urgent,” he whispered from a darkened shadow.
“Then step into the light,” Towbar replied as they turned to the frightened voice.
“I am afraid my Lord.” The voice softly whimpered. “It will cost me my life and more if I am seen speaking to you. I have been warned not to speak with you, my Lord,” he whispered, and he sounded on the verge of tears. “Please my Lord, come into the darkness to listen to me,” the man begged, his voice trembled.
Mykal drew his .357 magnum and pulled his Air Force issue flashlight. “It looks like a trap,” he whispered and quickly turned on his flashlight with his other hand. He lit up the shadowy area of the corridor to see Dibb, the King’s chef and personal servant.
When the light hit Dibb’s frightened expression, he panicked and buried his face into his arms and turned against the wall. He must have thought Towbar used magic against him. With his face pressed against the cold stone wall he cried out. “I swear I will tell you everything my Lord. I swear I will tell you. Please do not harm me. There was nothing I could do my Lord,” Dibb babbled and dropped to the floor and covered his head.
“I will not hurt you. Be still Dibb,” Towbar assured him and pushed Mykal’s revolver down away from the terrified man.
“Oh, the guy who dropped the tray,” Mykal said and holstered his weapon.
“What troubles you, Dibb?” Towbar asked and he helped the older little man to his feet. “For all the years I have known you, I have never seen you a broken man.”
“I swear my Lord, I did not want to do it,” he babbled and his hands fidgeted uncontrollably. “They said if I did not do as ordered they would kill me and kill my family. They promised to torture my family before my eyes. Had they threatened to kill just myself, my Lord, I would have accepted that. They promised to give me gold. I refused their filthy lucre,” he spat with tears welled in his eyes. “My concern had been for my family. Please understand I would never take part in such an act.”
“Dibb, I do not understand what you are jabbering about,” Towbar said and firmly gripped the man’s shoulder to silence him. “Start from the beginning and explain slowly.”
“Yes my Lord,” the man calmed himself by taking a couple of deep breaths. “I had been approached by three men soon after you departed Beramus for your journey to the Pass. They asked me if I would like to earn large amounts of gold. Of course I was curious to know what they would want in return for gold. I am only a chef. Their proposition nearly knocked me over, my Lord. They wanted me to kill the King,” he gasped in horror, recalling the proposition once again. “I told them I would have no part in such a despicable plan even if they offered me all the gold in the world. They warned me if I ever breathed a word of their proposal they would kill me and all my family. I know who the three men are my Lord, they are loyal henchmen of Locod.”
“Oh my,” Towbar sighed with an expression of distress. “I knew he would be trouble one day. I never thought he would stoop to something such as this.”
“Who is it Towbar?”
“Locod is one of the King’s sons,” the giant replied and visibly his mood changed. “Locod is the King’s second son. The older son is Domal. Domal is like his father, fair and true, kind and gentle. Domal however, has no desire to become King. If forced into the position I do not think he has the strength to carry out his duties to rule the land. Locod, the younger, has the ability to rule, but he will rule with an iron fist. His heart is bent toward evil and he craves power. Rumors have since surfaced Locod has struck up an alliance with some Soso leaders. Obviously he denies such rumors.”
“My Lord, there is more I need to speak of,” Dibb offered.
“Go on.”
“The reason I did not go to the King is because Locod did not make the offer himself. Surely Locod would deny it and even if the three who approached me were punished, my family would still be at risk. I waited for your return. I know you would know how to handle the situation. Several days later, the same three approached me. This time they physically beat me up until I could hardly see from both eyes. The pain did not concern me, my Lord. I would gladly lay down my life for the King,” Dibb said as he raised his hand as if in a court of law.
“I understand. Continue,” Towbar said.
“After they pummeled me senselessly they warned that if I do not kill the King as they direct me to do then my family and myself would be tortured to death. They promised it would be a slow painful death and I would watch my entire family be brutalized one by one before any harm came to me. They laughed as they explained some of the hideous perversions they would do to my wife, children and grand-children,” he grimaced. “Four days after that encounter they approached me with a vial of liquid. The time had come to do as directed. I was to use all the liquid in preparing the King’s food that night. They said he would never awake from his sleep.”
“Are you telling me that you poisoned the King?”
“My Lord, I watered it down. I gave only a small portion to the King and I put the rest of the poison on the remainder of the king’s food that I knew he would not eat. It was a good thing that I did that because they came after the evening meal to test me. The remaining food, they made me give it to one of the King’s dogs. The dog died within the hour. The King did not die, but he became very sick as you witnessed. When the King did not die I took several more beatings but I explained it away that the King’s tolerance for the poison must be stronger than they expected. They came to me two more times with poison but I have not given it to the King as they demanded. Instead I gave him very little the second time and the third time I did not give him any at all and now he is in the condition you have seen. Locod has visited his father so he knows his father has been poisoned. Now that you are back Lord Towbar I suspect they will want me to kill the King quickly before it is known that he has been poisoned. Most think he is ill with a strange sickness. All the doctors who have examined him have never seen such symptoms.”
“Fear not Dibb,” Towbar placed a reassuring hand on the little man’s shoulder. “I will take care of Locod and his men. You and your family will no longer be in any danger. I commend you. You have done well for the grave situation you were in. We must now ensure the King gets well. Hide yourself and your family away until I find you later tonight. I will personally approach Locod and his three henchmen.”
“My Lord Towbar, I can not state for a fact that Locod had any involvement. He never spoke to me himself.”
“I will strike down the three henchmen and I will make it known to Locod that I know of his involvement. It will be his personal responsibility to ensure not a hair is harmed on the heads of you or your family. You have my assurance that no harm will come to you or your family.”
“Thank you Lord Towbar,” Dibb dropped to his knees and grabbed one of the giant’s hands and pressed his head against Towbar’s hand. “From myself and from my family, thank you.”
“Go. Go to your home and wait for my arrival,” he said and pulled the little man to his feet. “Do not speak to anyone of this. Now go.”
“Yes my Lord, thank you my Lord,” Dibb said and darted down the darkened passage way.
“The man is frightened out of his wits,” Towbar sighed. “I will deal with those criminals who wished to overthrow the King and his throne.”
“Do you want me to come along with you?”
“No. That will not be necessary, my friend. I will administer justice while you are with my old friend Nidious. He is very old and he is a very wise man.
He is much older than he looks. He looks to be as old as time itself,” Towbar said and smiled. “If anyone will be able to help you get back to your world it will be Nidious. If he raises his voice and appears to become angry, fear not. That is his nature. Nidious raises his voice to the King and Queen. He is a crotchety old man.”
“Can I tell him anything he wants to know or are there things that you want me to keep quiet about?”
“Tell him anything and everything. I trust him more than any other person alive.”
They made their way through the large complex. Mykal’s happiness grew with every step he took. He knew every step he took brought him that much closer to going home. There would be no more war. No more fighting to stay alive. These feelings of happiness and excitement were the best feelings he experienced since arriving in Towbar’s world. He felt confident the end of his stay in Towbar’s world to be near at hand.
4.
A short time later they arrived at the home of Nidious. His home had always been part of the same palace complex of the King and Queen. Nidious had been chief advisor to the King from the time the King ascended to the throne thirty-two years ago. He had also been an advisor to the previous King, Loankore II.
“Nidious keeps few friends. He prefers it that way. Many fear Nidious because of his alleged magical abilities. His temper had been known to flair at the drop of a word and his impatience legendary. Many quietly fear Nidious would hastily curse or cast a spell for any disagreement. Thus most tend to stay away from him. Rumors circulated Nidious has the ability to enter into one’s mind and control them from outside the body.”
“From everything you said, he sounds scary,” Mykal said.
Towbar pounded on the door, waited briefly and then allowed himself into the unlocked door. “I am one of three people allowed to enter uninvited,” Towbar said. “No one else would dare enter the premises of Nidious without being asked. He must be sleeping,” Towbar said when they entered the dark abode.
“If he’s sleeping, let’s go and we’ll just wait till he’s up,” Mykal said. “I don’t wanna tick him off.” The wizard’s home gave Mykal an eerie feeling. Besides feeling 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the complex, it felt creepy and scary.
Towbar chuckled at Mykal’s concern. “Sit here and I will get him.” Towbar pointed to a soft, comfortable, looking sofa.
“Maybe we should come back later,” Mykal whispered again.
Mykal didn’t know how he knew, but he knew something magical enveloped this place. Some objects seemed to have a yellow glow about them that he could feel rather than see, just like he noticed with Towbar’s sword when not in use. This had to be “one of those things” Towbar had passed on to him through Towbar’s special blood. After a few moments Mykal didn’t guess, he knew, magic filled this domicile. Something inside warned him that Nidious wasn’t to be taken lightly or to be toyed with.
He felt the same dread he experienced in first grade when he got sent to the Principal’s office for throwing spitballs. At seven years old he almost cried, since he had never been in trouble prior. He feared facing the Principal would be the end of him. He felt like that seven year old boy again.
“He will not mind if I wake him. We are closer than family, and you are my friend. That makes you a friend of Nidious,” the giant said and cracked a smile to reassure him. “When you get past the hard exterior you will find Nidious to be a wonderful man and a great person to have as a friend. He does not make friends easily. However, you are my friend. He will accept you as a friend. With my blood in you, we are closer than friends.”
“You mean we’re kinda like blood brothers?” He blurted out.
“Yes, blood brothers. Sit,” he motioned again and departed.
The room had a whisper of light from another room. Mykal sensed the room had been decorated in darker colors. Gray seemed to be the theme. When Mykal sat in the soft sofa his tired aching body seemed to be swallowed in the animal skins that covered the furniture. He felt as if he could suddenly fall into a deep sleep. The last nine days sleeping came in short and sporadic bursts. He found it hard to sleep while traveling. He worried he would doze off and not wake for forty-eight hours.
Mykal set his rifle beside him and fought to keep his eyes open but lost that battle. Though he had no damage or injuries to his physique, it felt like his body quickly repaired itself. It seemed as if every muscle had been touched, massaged and treated in a gentle caring way. Something about the sofa wrapped around him and swallowed him up in a therapeutic and relaxing manner, freeing him of all his cares. In his mind Towbar departed the room hours ago, but the giant left him for about ten minutes.
Towbar spoke and lit a couple of lanterns. “Nidious will be right out. Do you feel better after sitting?”
“I feel amazing,” Mykal replied as if his batteries had been recharged. “Talk about a power nap.”
“This is no ordinary piece of furniture. It is--” he stopped. “Mykal, this is my friend Nidious,” Towbar introduced the ancient looking man who seemed to glide into the room. “Nidious, this is my friend Mykal.” The older man tied the belt of his silk robe.
Mykal quickly jumped up and bowed before the tall thin older man. “Hi Sir. I’m very glad to meet you, Sir.”
“You do not bow before me,” the old man snarled, his voice a rough scratching sound. “I am not a King. I have no part in royalty,” he added with a loud and angry rasp. This was the tone Nidious took with everyone other than Towbar and the King.
“I’m sorry,” Mykal gasped. He wondered if all his hopes only rest in this ‘crotchety’ old man. Nidious’s appearance reminded Mykal of a character from an old martial arts movie.
Nidious had long, thin, white hair. His white eyebrows were long and thick. Strands looked like tentacles in search of a prey. Tiny daggers at the end of each finger fit the stereotype of evil magicians Mykal had seen in fantasy movies growing up. The man’s hands looked manicured and well pampered. Nidious’s face looked old and weathered; his scraggly white goatee accentuated his sunken cheeks. His piercing blue eyes projected youth and vitality.
Nidious walked Towbar to the door and they spoke in their native tongue. Mykal was surprised as he watched the old man move. His outer shell seemed to be well over a hundred years but the aged old man moved with the grace and agility of a young ballet dancer.
The pit of Mykal’s stomach knotted when the door closed. Towbar left him alone with the cantankerous old relic. From the door Nidious turned and stared at Mykal for a couple of long moments. He seemed to be sizing Mykal up or comparing him to the praise worthy information Towbar shared. Whatever the old man’s thoughts Mykal felt terribly uneasy. The vibrant blue eyes tried to pierce into Mykal’s soul making him squirm mentally.
“Sit,” Nidious finally spoke using his long fingers to point to a chair at a large thick dining table. “Go ahead boy, and sit,” he repeated. He raised his voice as if Mykal irritated him by not jumping in response to the first offer.
Mykal couldn’t shake the way the old wizard’s glare made him feel. He wished he had broken something or did something wrong so he could quickly apologize and get off to a better start. “Have I done something wrong Sir?”
“Have you?” The old man fired back as if anticipating the question and waiting for the confession to follow.
“No I haven’t, but the way you’re staring at me, I feel as if I did something wrong.”
“Why would you worry that I suspect you of wrong doing?” The grouchy old man beamed in on him. “You seem to have a strong guilty conscience over something,” the old man accused him. The old man never lifted his eyes from Mykal.
“No, I just don’t wanna rub you wrong and I feel like I’ve started off on the wrong foot. Towbar said you’d be my only hope to help us get home.”
“You’re fine, boy,” he said in a soft tone and smiled. “I seem to have that kind of effect on people,” he chuckled as if to say he still had it in him.
His humo
r and softer tone broke the tense anxiety Mykal felt. “Towbar has explained to me briefly some of the things that you and your people have done to help us in our war with the Sosos. Towbar also told me that he trusts you as a friend,” he added as if it was an oddity. “Am I to understand you are not of this world? That you are actually from another world?”
“Yes Sir, that’s right,” Mykal said and relaxed. “We don’t know how we got here, but Towbar said if there is anyone who could help us get back home, it would be you.”
“I will see what I can do. As a favor to Towbar,” he said, implying if Towbar didn’t ask Mykal would be on his own. “I can not promise anything. However, I will give it my all. Because of Towbar,” he added. “Now, I wish to know everything you can tell me of your journey to our world. Try not to leave out a single detail. The smallest detail may be of utmost importance.”
“Okay, where would you like me to start?”
“From the beginning,” the old man barked like a grouch. “Would it make sense to start in the middle?”
Mykal started from the day that he and his people left Minot Air Force Base to go to work in the missile field in North Dakota. He explained he had a strange gut feeling that morning he couldn’t make sense of. He shared how Ski approached him that morning and expressed how his God laid it on his heart to support him, which had to imply Ski had a feeling or premonition something would happen that day. Ski would say that Almighty God “told” him what he felt. Mykal brought up everything possible.
Mykal went into detail about the battles they had with the Sosos and the great numbers of Sosos they killed with so few people. Some of the things Mykal said evoked a response of surprise and incredulity from the old man. Several times Nidious stiffened to sit upright with an expressive look that seemed to say, ‘It just can’t be.’
