by Deb Sartoris
“Yes, Algamight – I’m not sure that these old legs can save us – but I will promise you I will use my last breath saving you.”
“What is that noise? Tusk, can you see outside the window?”
“Partly, it is dark but there is a lot of movement in the shadows at the gate entrance.”
Light appeared. They both heard the Witch call upon the planet and it gave forth it’s magic and lit all the torches along the main path from the castle and the front gate. Her voice came from below. “Send the troops down to the gate. There are guests arriving; we want to make sure they are welcome!”
Tusk nodded to Algamight. “I believe that the visitors that the witch has been preparing for have arrived. She will be focused on them now. We must try and break free – can you shift yet?”
Algamight breathed in and concentrated – but the pain that ripped through her body when she tried to shift into the dragon was too much for her to bear and she passed out once again on the floor. Tusk could only look at her and hope that she had not died in the attempt.
* * * * *
Chapter 38:
“Welcome to the castle of the witch Kvony and her clan. You all may enter. What brings you to our realm this night?” The witch could act the gracious host when she needed to.
“We are from a distant land on the other side of this planet.” Roberto gave a slight bow. “We have traveled for a long while to reach your great castle.”
“I see there are many in your party.”
“Yes we are many – but we need only rest for a few days. We wish to continue on with our venture.”
“You are most welcome here for a few days. I see that your woman is heavy with child. I’m sure after your long journey that you wish to rest; tomorrow I will offer a feast to you and your guests in the great hall. But for now, allow my servants to bring you to the bed chambers for the night. Take your rest and we can discuss your venture more tomorrow.”
“Yes, that would be most appreciated.”
The witch turned to her servants. “Bring them to the top floor sleep chambers – I’m sure they will be most comfortable there for the remainder of the night.”
Roberto, Sofia, Ely, Steven and Wisteria and a few of the other hunters that Mesquil had sent with them climbed the winding stairs farther and farther into the castle. The servants that the witch sent to escort them did not utter a single word. You could not see their faces; they were garbed in dark capes.
In a low voice, Roberto spoke. “Sofia – are you alright? The trip in the ship was not easy for you, I know. I could tell that you and Steven used a lot of energy navigating the ship down to the surface.”
Just then Sofia missed a step on the stairs and Roberto had to catch her before she fell.
“Hold up…wait…please.”
“Do you wish for me to carry you the rest of the way?”
“No I do not husband, it is dark in this place. Your eyes are better suited to the darkness then mine that is all. If you could take my hand lead the way, I think I will be fine.”
Roberto called to the servants, who had gone ahead a ways. “Servants…please…do not walk so fast; we cannot see the stairs well and we are tired from our journey.”
No acknowledgement came from the hooded servants – just a slower pace when they started climbing the stairs once again. Up and up they climbed. Sofia was exhausted when they finally reached a section of doors. The servants opened a few doors as if they were to enter the rooms.
Roberto whispered. “Stay together as much as possible we do not want to be far away – in case we get word from the hunter that we are needed at the other location.”
The servants left them. Roberto and Sofia took one of the rooms and Ely, Steven and Wisteria took the other. The rooms were connected with a joining door that Ely discovered and they could easily see each other.
The rooms the witch had given them were large. Old furniture was placed on various walls. The bed in the room with Roberto and Sofia was huge. It had four wooden posts each carved out of massive trees. Roberto scooped Sofia up and carried her to the bed and laid her down.
“Sofia, you must rest now. You are growing whiter and whiter.” Roberto called to the other room. “Ely come here. Can you check over Sofia – she does not look well at all.”
Sofia shook her head as she climbed onto the bed. “Leave me be, the two of you. I’m alright – just tired. I’m doing much better now that I can lay down.”
“Forgive me wife if I do not take your word for it this time. Ely bring our equipment here. I asked that a medical transceiver be placed in our equipment. Ely you know how all this stuff works – can you use it to check Sofia out?”
“Yes my friend. You go in with my family and let me check my sister out. We will not be long I promise.”
* * * * *
Chapter 39:
“Mesquil, we have landed at the location that Sofia and Steven programmed into the computer.”
“Very well – gear up. Bring all the weapons with you that you can carry. Bring the communication device that Sofia sent with us as well. I do not wish to be out of range with them when we depart the ship.”
“Computer – scan area for life forms.”
“WORKING – confirmed. Life forms are beneath the surface a few miles to the east of our location.”
“Do you detect any other life forms on the surface?”
“Yes. A mass of troops appears to be heading to our location from the west.”
“Very well – let’s get off this ship and get it hidden before the visitors arrive.”
“Mesquil, everyone is ready.”
“Good. Everyone stay close together and well hidden among the trees. We will use the cover of darkness to try and stay hidden long enough to reach the area that the computer said the life forms were located. Move out.”
Mesquil and his group used their super speed and abilities to bend the darkness to keep them under cover. Even fully loaded in battle gear you could not hear or see them unless you knew they were there.
The ship had shifted into its transparent state and the shadows of the night cast many reflections on its haul so that no one would suspect that a large ship was laying on the ground near the edge of the great lake.
“Mesquil – we have a report from the scouts that they have found the section of rock and trees that appears to be the entrance to the maze of caves the computer had located.”
“Tell them to hold up there. Let’s try and reach Roberto and Sofia before we enter. According to Sofia and Steven, our entrance down in the caves and their meeting at the castle must be timed so that we can accomplish both tasks at almost the same time. I myself do not enjoy all this waiting about. But I trust in Roberto, and he trusts his wife, so we will wait until we have the word to enter.”
After some time, Mesquil spoke up. “Send a group of scouts behind us and keep a watch for those approaching troops. We can stay well hidden at night, but it looks the days and nights are shorter on this planet. The sun is already rising over the ridge above us. Everyone take cover under the rocks and trees and stay hidden.”
“Sofia and Steven will contact us when the timing it right to enter the caves. Have the charges set and in place, ready to detonate and blow the entrance to the cave when I give the word. We may be able to stay hidden now, but once we blow up those rocks, the noise will give our location away to those troops looking for us. Set up a perimeter around the cave entrance and set traps – we need to make sure that we can get down in the cave and free the beasts before those troops reach us.”
“Very well, Mesquil, we will be ready.”
* * * * *
Chapter 40:
“Sofia, can you hear me my wife? You must wake up.” Roberto touched his wife’s face. She was so still during the night. Ely and Roberto kept a close eye on her as she slept. She did not move much during the night but as the sun began to rise she seemed to be more
and more restless.
“Sofia – listen to me you have slept for many hours. Already, the sun is past high noon on this planet. We must contact Mesquil soon.”
Ely glanced up at his son. “Steven you must sit down. You have not slept all night long. This pacing about the room is not going to help matters any at all.”
“Sorry father. But there is something wrong. I can feel it in my bones. I’m very close to her now.”
“Close to whom, son?”
“The woman in my dreams father…she is here, somewhere in the castle, I know it. She is in trouble! I can sense her fear and pain. It comes and goes as if she is awake and then asleep again. When she wakes she is in such pain that it is almost unbearable for her now. I can feel her frustration. She wishes to be set free. I do not know what that means but she is here father. I must try and find her.”
“Steven you cannot leave this room without us, and Sofia is not yet awake. You must wait until we can leave this room together. Your aunt is not doing very well at all. I have not told Roberto yet…she is in labor with her child now. Sometime during the night hours she begins her process. Roberto will sense it soon enough – I do not know if Sofia will be able to leave this room, once she goes into her full birthing ritual.”
“Ely?”
“Roberto?”
“You do know that I can hear you.”
“Oh…yes…sorry.”
“When were you going to tell me about Sofia?”
“I know, Roberto< I am truly sorry. Sofia made me promise not to say anything to you for the night. She needed her rest and she says that it is very important that you rested as well.”
“Did you give her something to make her sleep last night? I cannot seem to get to get her awake.”
“No, Roberto, I did not give her anything. It is our way during the birthing process: She will sleep for a period of time, then wake, rested. She will have some time after she is awake that she will be at full strength for a few hours.”
“After that we must find a place to help her bring the child into this time fragment. Do you remember what we did to bring Steven into this world?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“We must do the same for Sofia and your son. She will know when the time is right. Until then, we will wait.”
“Mesquil has contacted us. He is in place at the cave entrance. Everything has been made ready. Mesquil reports that they have been followed by other troops but as of yet not been found out. He expects his location to be found once they blow the cave entrance with the explosives. He has sent some of the other hunters to guard their backs while they wait for us to give him the word to enter the caves.”
“Very well, Ely.” Roberto gazed at Steven. “All is set then.”
Roberto walked back into the other room and sat down on the bed beside his beloved wife. He placed one hand on her cheek and the other on the swollen belly where his son lay waiting to be born. “Sofia…do not leave me in this place without you. I could not bear to live in this world without you and our son. Please do not leave us waiting much longer.”
Roberto must have fallen asleep because it suddenly dawned on him that the sun was lower than when he had entered Sofia’s room. He felt a hand on his cheek. “Husband so you are finally awake I see.”
“Wife…I might say the same about you. It is good to hear your voice my Sofia – you have been asleep for some time. How is our son doing?”
Sofia placed her hand along with Roberto’s on her swollen stomach. “See for yourself. What do you feel?”
“What was that? Our son is moving about like he is already free from your womb!”
“Yes he is. He is tired of being kept inside my belly. He will be with us soon.” Just then, Sofia’s stomach growled.
“Wife, it also sounds like you need to take some nourishment. Wait…do you hear that noise?”
“What is it, Roberto? You know that your hearing is better than the rest of us.”
“Someone is coming up the stairs.” Roberto raised his voice slightly. “Ely, Steven, Wisteria come into the room please. We are about to get company.”
No sooner had the others come into the room when a lone servant arrived: a tiny, frail looking creature. You could not tell if the creature was female or male. Its voice was so tiny and it was covered in a dirty cape that appeared to have never been washed.
“The witch wishes you to join her in the great hall for our evening meal. Please follow me now. She does not like to be kept waiting.”
“Sofia, can you stand on your own yet?” Roberto asked.
“Yes…I’m much better now. Do not worry for me and our son.”
The servant frowned to itself. “Follow me please, now.”
Down the winding stairs they descended. Around and around they went. Finally they reached the bottom of the stairs and the servant walked across the great room and opened up large massive carved doors. Each door was deeply engraved with creatures that none of them had ever seen. Inside the room were rows and rows of tables and chairs.
A large animal hide rug lay in the middle of the floor. Roberto had never seen such a large hide before. All the while he and the hunter lived in the jungles on his home planet never did he see such a creature so large as the that one.
Only one table was set with food and drink. The witch sat at the head of the table and stood when they entered the room.
“Welcome guests! Welcome. Come sit, eat, drink. Tell me what brings you to our castle this day.”
Roberto and Steven sat at the outer edges of the table and let Ely, Wisteria and Sofia sit in the middle. They sat across from the witch.
Steven’s fingers started drumming the table. Ely reached over to his son and whispered to him. “Calm down son – we do not wish to give anything away to this witch too soon.”
“I am trying father. The woman in my dreams…she is also awake now. She is in much pain father. Her pain is now my pain and I can feel as if a fire is burning across my skin…even as we sit here.”
Ely touched his son’s hand. “Easy son, remember why we are here. We must take our time and ensure that Mesquil is ready. Eat and drink something – you will feel much better.”
“I am the Witch Kvony. I rule here. Why have you come to my castle this past night? Did you see the flashes of light in the night sky? Is that why you are here?”
Roberto spoke in a loud demanding voice. “YES. We saw the lights and came from our land to try and locate what the lights could be. We got lost during the night and were glad to have found your castle when we did.”
“Many travelers have come to this place lost. I am not surprised that you found your way here.”
Just then the walls of the castle shook and glasses and bowls fell away from the table and walls. For a few minutes the room shook and grew ever hotter. Then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.
“What was that?” Ely spoke first.
“Do not concern yourselves with the ground shaking. It happens all the time here at my castle. It is not important.”
Under the table where Ely held his son’s hand, he felt Steven grip his fingers so tight that he thought that his hand might be broken.
Ely leaned over to Sofia and Roberto. “I do not think we can wait much longer. Steven is more connected to the woman in his dreams now. She is here. Somehow when the shaking started it affected both of them. We are running out of time my friend.”
“Very well, Ely. Roberto, it is time. Ely, open up the communication with the hunter – send him a message to wait 5 minutes then blow the cave entrance and proceed to the locate the creatures.”
* * * * *
Chapter 41:
Roberto smiled. “Witch Kvony – let us pour our wine together and drink in celebration of your castle then.”
“Yes let us drink – pour our guests their wine.” The witch waited patiently as the servants poured wine. Then she raised her glass. “To your arrival and safe journey home then!”
Everyone tipped their glasses and drink the wine…everyone except the witch, of course. She knew that her poison was laced inside the wine bottles. In a few minutes, her guests would be laying on the floor in such pain and she would have them chained and in the dungeon soon enough.
Sofia, Ely, Wisteria and Steven all drink the wine. Ely could tell something was in the wine but it did not worry him. Sofia, too, tasted the strange substance within the wine.
Sofia nudged her husband and whispered “Now, Roberto. We must appear to be all stricken ill with the wine – we do not have much time.”
All of them appeared to fall ill. Guards entered the room and surrounded the guests. The Witch stood at her table, laughing out loud. “Finally – it is good that all my hard work has paid off!”
