Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi

by Randy Blackwell

Omar said, “I tried to warn you. He’s psychotic.”

  Nekar shook his head. “It’s when people are the most truthful about the unbelievable that they’re excused as mad by others. Everything he said was true, but it’s probably best that you don’t believe him.”

  Myles had no idea what Nekar meant. He stared at Seux, collapsed in the palm of his hand, and touched him on the chest with his little finger. “I think I broke him—”

  Chara flew up and landed on Myles’ hand. “I’ll take care of him. I think he’ll be fine.” She carried Seux away.

  Nekar turned to Myles and Kasey. “The two of you must leave within the hour.”

  Omar began giving commands to the Magi. “Pack what you can carry and say goodbye to your loved ones.” He turned back to Ischus. “Well, my friend, can some of the Magi stay to fight with you in hopes of continuing the Order on Musterion too?”

  Ischus nodded. “Of course, my friend. They’ll be most valuable to us.”

  Kasey and Myles armed themselves with weapons that the Magi had infused with the glowing moss, in case they had to fight. Their goal, however, was not get distracted by other conflicts, but to find Gabriyel.

  Omar approached them as they packed. “Peel-off is working on an airborne dust form of the moss. If his hypothesis is correct, it will kill all Kalat who breathe it, but it’ll be harmless to the other races. It should help us to reduce innocent casualties in the city.”

  Myles smiled. “It looks like the Magi are really coming together, Doc. You’ve done an amazing job. I can’t wait to contribute when this war is done.”

  Omar turned to Kasey. “What about you, Kasey? Do you wish to join the Magi?”

  “No, it’s not for me. However, I’ll help train your soldiers if you’d like. I am a trained assassin, and I’ve recently been trained to fight alongside angels. I think that I could help you.”

  Omar raised an eyebrow. “But you were only gone for two months.”

  “I was gone for two years, Omar. When one leaves and re-enters Musterion, they never know when they’re returning or even where they’ll return. I traveled through Musterion for at least a month after my return before I reached the Core. I had to travel through tunnels that have been overrun by Drakoni, and I had to strike a deal with the King of the Raphakabish himself in order to cross his region and get to the Core.”

  Myles looked up. “Rapha-what?”

  Omar answered, “The giant spiders. While you were gone I learned that's what they are called. Some of them can even talk. Apparently they fled Soterion and now reside in the tunnels of Musterion. The sentient ones are more reasonable and tend to not be quite as hostile as the ones we ran into that day in the tunnels.”

  “How large is Musterion?” Myles asked.

  “I have a gadget that measures matter by bouncing a signal until it stops going through the matter. That device measured Musterion to be about as large as Jupiter.”

  Myles’ jaw dropped. “So there’s a lot more to this place than we’ve seen, huh?”

  Omar gave Myles a brief overview of the knowledge that the Magi had acquired about Musterion as well as some of what he knew about the different races. Kasey was able to fill in some blanks too since she’d resided on Musterion for quite some time. Myles appreciated the information because he felt it equipped him better for whatever they’d encounter in the tunnels. Myles and Kasey set out into the tunnels in search of Gabriyel. Omar gave them the motorcycle since they were trying to cover a lot of ground quickly and Myles could not fly. Once they entered the maze, however, the evil darkness immediately closed in on them. Kasey asked Myles to stop. She knelt and prayed. Her light flared until it was as brilliant and dazzling as before. The light seemed to beat back the darkness enough for them to see, so they jumped back on the motorcycle.

  They rounded a corner and something clipped Myles and knocked him clear off the bike. Tendrils of darkness came from the walls and grabbed Kasey. Kasey didn’t fight. She just smiled and let them begin to wrap around her.

  Myles recovered from the fall, spotted Thanatos at the edge of Kasey's light, and shot him with the gun that Omar had given him. The moss-treated bullets slammed into Thanatos and sizzled as they penetrated Moluno's flesh, but he didn’t even flinch this time. Myles glanced past Thanatos at Kasey. Now that his attention was off her, Kasey’s flaming wings appeared. The tendrils shrank away from her light.

  Thanatos stalked over to Myles and grabbed his head, lifting him up into the air. “You seem so determined to render this body that hosts me useless, so I think I’ll take yours instead.”

  Myles’ eyes began to roll back into his head. He could feel his spirit pulling loose from his body.

  Kasey’s hand took hold of the back of Thanatos' head. He dropped the unconscious Myles and shrieked, “How did you escape the tendrils?” Thanatos struggled to turn around to strike her but found that he couldn’t move. Myles awoke and strained to get up, but he had to shield his eyes against Kasey's now-blinding radiance.

  “It’s over, Thanatos," Kasey said. "In the name of Jesus, I break and cancel all invitations you have to be in Musterion. The blood of Christ now annuls any legal right of the Kingdom of Darkness to be in this world. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, I bind you and in His name I command you to get out of this realm and leave us alone.”

  Thanatos let out a blood-curdling scream. “Nooooooo!” Shadows spilled out of Molunos’ body as it collapsed to the floor. When they were gone, Kasey knelt down and put her hand on Moluno’s body.

  “What are you doing?” asked Myles.

  “I’m restoring Moluno. Please be quiet for a moment.”

  Kasey's lips moved. The wounds all over Moluno’s body closed up and vanished. Moluno opened his eyes and saw Kasey. He jumped back. “Ragal?” he cried.

  “I’m no longer Ragal. The curse of the Kalat has been lifted from me, and I’ve been made new by the Master. I’m now Kasey Phoenix.”

  But Moluno still retreated. Myles drew a knife just in case. Kasey gave Myles a sharp look. “Put that away!”

  Moluno shook his head. “This can’t be! I killed you!”

  “No, you poisoned me, to be more accurate, but I was healed by my faith. And now I forgive you, Moluno. You have no reason to fear me.”

  Moluno shook his head more insistently. “No, it’s a trick. You’re trying to deceive me.”

  “It’s not a trick, Moluno. I’ve truly vanquished Thanatos and driven him from you. He’d possessed your body and, while people thought it was you, he manipulated them to take violent action. He’s bringing war to Musterion, but it’s not too late. You can still stop it.”

  Moluno began to look at himself and placed his hands on his chest. “You’re right! I…I don’t feel his hold on me anymore. How did you defeat him? His power is unimaginable…terrifying.”

  “I serve a more powerful Master, a kinder one.”

  The joy and the gratefulness began to well up in Moluno. “What do you want from me? I owe you my life.”

  “No, you owe me nothing. But I’d ask that you stop this war that Thanatos has begun if it’s not too late.”

  “I’ll do it! I’ll return to Sarx-Ergon and do my best to end this madness.”

  Kasey helped him to his feet. As she did she added, “Oh, and Moluno, Ragal is dead.”

  “I understand. You’re Kasey now, and Ragal is dead.”

  “No, I mean your sister Ragal is dead. My name really is Kasey. I entered Musterion from Earth many years ago and when I stumbled upon Ragal and her husband, Ragal touched me and I took on her form. When they saw it happen, they tried to kill me but I killed them instead. I took their daughter and cared for her out of guilt, and I didn’t speak for those three months because I needed to learn enough to be able to pass as Ragal.

  “I’ve posed as your sister ever since then.” She reached her hands out toward Moluno. “I’ve been forgiven by the Master for the blood I’ve spilled, but I ask you now to please forgive me.”

/>   “Ragal? You killed her?

  That explains everything. Ragal was so harsh and cruel. But you -- you always drove me to be better through our cynical competition. You had far too much kindness to be a true Kalat. Thank you, Kasey, you will always be my sister.” He reached out and hugged Kasey. “So you’re from Earth?”

  “Yes, and the Council of Seven is right about the book, you know.”

  Moluno lowered his head. “Yes, I know. I figured that out after Thanatos already had a grip on me, and there was nothing I could do about it.”

  Myles interrupted. “I hate to break up this family reunion, but we’ve got to get to Gabriyel. Thanatos may be gone, but there’s still that Big Red Dragon.”

  Kasey nodded. “Moluno, I’m leaving Musterion with the Magi when we return. I’d like you to come with us.”

  Moluno nodded. “I may. But there’s something else I must do after stopping this war. If you’re still here after that, I’ll leave with you. There’s nothing left for me here. Maybe I could start a new life somewhere else.”

  There’s a lot of that going around, Myles thought.

  Myles and Kasey got back on the motorcycle and headed on through the tunnels. Moluno waved and headed towards Sarx-Ergon.

  18

  Departure

  With Thanatos gone and Moluno returning to try and stop the war, their travel through the tunnels went smoothly. Myles and Kasey were still intent on reaching Gabriyel because they knew that the Great Red Dragon was out there somewhere. Kasey especially knew that the war and the darkness and all the other evil intrusions may have been brought on by Thanatos, but they weren’t his idea. The trouble he caused was more an indicator of the fact that the Great Red Dragon was here in Musterion. With his favorite Arch-demon gone, he wouldn’t just slink away. He’d be enraged and more determined than ever to rain down destruction on everyone in Musterion. They didn’t need Gabriyel’s help any less now. They needed him more than ever.

  The one thing that Kasey didn’t understand was why the Great Red Dragon had come here. She’d learned when she was with the angels that his war was really with Soterion. He was focused on overcoming all those who belonged to the Master and gaining complete control over that world. That had always been his ambition so why did he interrupt that to come to the Maze of Musterion? She wasn’t sure what it was that he wanted, although she had a good idea. She knew that he would destroy everything that got in his way until he had it, and then he would return to Soterion. So her plan then was to make an unusual request of Gabriyel and try to seduce the Great Red Dragon to leave Musterion and return to Soterion.

  When Myles and Kasey finally reached Gabriyel’s domain, they found him perched quietly as if he was waiting for them. Myles quickly dismounted the bike, and Kasey followed after him. Gabriyel watched them as they made their way toward him. Impulsive as always, Myles was the first to reach him. “You already know why we’re here, right?” he asked boldly.

  Kasey caught up to him and grabbed his arm to stop him. “He won’t respond to you this time.”

  Myles turned toward her, looking irritated. “Why?”

  “Because you’re not of the Master but I am, and I’m here. He’ll only respond to me.” Then she turned him around until they were face to face and appealed to him to consider his condition. “Myles, you’ve seen the Master’s work and you know he’s real. Ask him to save you and guide you. Ask the Master into your heart.”

  Myles loved how she showed her concern for him and for a brief moment he thought about her request. But he shook his head and answered, “I’m not ready for that life. I’ve still got a few wild oats to sow.”

  Kasey looked disappointed but kept trying to reach him. “Myles, the time is now. Don’t wait for tomorrow. There’s no promise that tomorrow will be given to you.”

  Myles gave her a sly grin as he sarcastically reminded her, “Well, I always was a gambler.” He realized when he said it that he wasn’t ready to let go of his old life completely. He wanted to reserve the ability to turn back if this whole “new leaf” thing proved to be boring or disappointing. He’d found joy in helping others, but that didn’t change the other desires he had that he didn’t want to give up. He preferred taking a chance with his fate and bet on the idea that there’d be a tomorrow for him rather than give up his favorite vices just yet.

  He looked up at Kasey with deep affection. “I know what your Master requires, and it’s too much for me right now. I’m not ready to give myself as a sacrifice, even though I believe he sacrificed himself for me. He’s God, but I’m human, so I’ll err just a little bit more and hope for the best.” He stared into her eyes for a moment and then said, “I’d like to drop this now because it’s only making the situation worse.”

  Kasey turned away from him in disgust and said, “Fine!” Then she strode towards the dragon.

  For just a minute, Gabriyel looked at Myles, acknowledging that he was there, but then he gave Myles a disapproving look and turned away. “What?” Myles shouted at him with an obvious guilt.

  Gabriyel went back to ignoring him and turned his head to Kasey. “What is it that you wish from me, Kasey Phoenix?”

  Myles could see that he was no longer relevant so he went back to the bike and waited.

  Kasey stepped closer to Gabriyel and answered, “I seek passage for all those who are of the Order of the Magi as well as for me and Moluno. I want to take them into Soterion,” she said boldly.

  Gabriyel snorted in irritation. “The portal lies in the midst of the Great

  Red Dragon’s realm within Musterion. If they live to get there, all of them may pass,” he said dismissively. Kasey almost felt like he didn’t want to do that for her. She sensed that he couldn’t see what she was planning and how it would further the Master’s purpose.

  But Kasey didn’t give up. She shook her head and argued with him saying, “Gabriyel, it is the Master’s will that all of the Magi reach Soterion alive. You know that’s not possible if we pass through the land of the Father of Lies. Please reconsider my request.”

  Gabriyel nodded in agreement then and offered, “Very well, Kasey Phoenix. I’ll return you from here to the Tower of the Magi where you’ll gather everyone you wish to journey to Soterion. Once everyone is gathered, I’ll know and I will take you all to Soterion.” And then, without warning, he breathed purple flame on them.

  ~*~

  When the mob was finished with him, Moluno was bruised and bloodied and left for dead. He’d anticipated this result but had hoped that he could stop the war. When he arrived he saw the darkness and the madness that had spread over Sarx-Ergon, and he knew it would be impossible to stop them now. But he tried. He’d gone before the Council of Six and told them everything that had happened, including the fact that their forces couldn’t defeat the Council of Seven, but they wouldn’t listen. Thanatos had spread a dark curse on all of them, making sure they went to war, and it had worked. So they gave him over to the Kalat who heard what he had tried to do, and they treated him as a traitor.

  Dragging him into the main square, a crowd had surrounded him and each one took their chance to beat him bare fisted. Then believing he would die, they abandoned him in a pool of his own blood. He slipped in and out of consciousness for some time until he finally recovered enough to realize that the city was now completely empty. The fools hadn’t even left anyone behind to guard their homes, he thought. Every man, woman, and child was gone, and he was alone in the city. He struggled to get up and began searching to make sure the city was truly empty. As he staggered through the streets, he broke into house after house checking bedrooms and cribs realizing that they’d even taken their babies.

  This madness could only have come at the instruction of Thanatos. He loathed the memory of that wicked demon. He’d stirred the worst in every citizen and then sent them off to battle, hoping that it would destroy every last one of them. It would be a massacre and even the blood of children would spill before the day was over. His anger and
frustration rose up, and he felt that it was convenient that there was no one there. He kicked over several gas street lamps so that fire erupted on buildings and began to spread.

  When the few who would have survived the conflict eventually returned licking their wounds after the battle with the Council of Seven, they’d have no homes to come back to. They’ll be re-building for years, he thought with delight, keeping them away from the Council of Seven. Maybe this will allow peace to be restored somehow.

  After he made sure that every district was ablaze, his anger began to subside and he sat down to catch his breath. Blood trickled into his eyes and distorted his vision. His wounds were bad, and he was rapidly losing strength. His vision kept blurring on and off, making everything seem like it was rocking back and forth. But as he struggled to keep his focus, he saw the silhouette of a man approaching him. At first he wondered if someone had returned from the battle and would kill him because of the fires. But he wasn’t able to make out who it was until he was right up on top of him. That’s when he realized it was Nekar. Moluno knew from Kasey that Nekar was the messenger of the Master, and he smiled as he realized why Nekar had come.

  Moluno stumbled around as he tried to stand up, but he gained his footing and then spoke. “Nekar, I’m leaving Musterion with Ragal, I mean with Kasey, but not until I do one last thing. Please…take me to your Master.”

  Nekar smiled and replied, “I’ve waited a long time to hear you say those words. I will help you to him.” Then a portal opened before Nekar, and he reached over and helped Moluno walk through.

  ~*~

  Back in Pneuma Karpos the city had fallen into total chaos. The madness of those who came with the Council of Six had stunned everyone. This was a war that made no sense, yet they attacked like it was their last hope. Before their arrival Omar instructed the Magi to take the women and children to the secret chambers above the city so they’d be safe. That was just the first part of a many faceted strategy that went into action as the battle began.

  When mass numbers of Kalat tried to enter the city, the moss agent was released into the air and the would-be invaders choked and died on the spot. Not knowing at first what had happened, the rest of their army retreated momentarily and plotted an alternative attack. When they figured out that the initial slaughter had something to do with the moss, a second wave of all the other races attacked while the Kalat shot arrows into the city from outside the boundary. The arrows were wounding the Council of Seven fighters, but they were also wounding their own. They had no plan, and the chaos of their madness was only working against them.