There was another pool there and Willow warned her to stay away from it. She happily complied. She didn’t understand what had happened and she was dreadfully tired for some reason. She sought out the boys who were making a makeshift camp. Oddly, they had gotten Willow to use some of her webbings to make some hammock sort of things. At first, it gave them the creeps. Marcy, of course, thought it was great. It only took a couple of sleep times on the rocky ground before Tommy gave in and less time after that for Gary. The odd hammocks turned out to be very comfy.
Marcy drifted off immediately into a deep sleep. She felt almost drugged as her head grew heavy. She welcomed the warm feeling and the soft warmth of the webbing. It was like sleeping on a silk cloud, who knew spider’s web didn’t have to be sticky. It came in varieties apparently she dreamed a little. At first, she was at home in her nice warm bed. Oh, how she missed that.
There was an odd smell disturbing her. She sniffed and rubbed her nose. Probably Gary farting in his sleep again. And she giggled. But the scent grew stronger and began to disturb her. Kind of reminded her of the scent of something dead too long. “My goodness Gary,” she muttered in her sleep. “What have you been eating?”
Gary and Tommy were moving about in their sleep as well as if sharing Marcy's disturbing dream. “Get off me, you stupid moixtaaa…” Gary said in his sleep, his speech unintelligible as he slipped deeper into whatever dream was haunting him. Tommy had gone completely stiff. His arm stuck straight up in the air as if holding off something.
Marcy sat up, her eyes glazed over as she began to walk un-hesitantly to the nearest magic pool. Had anyone seen her they might have realized she was sleepwalking or worse, being controlled by some unseen puppet master.
She sat down at the side of the pool and dipped her hands in the still liquid. A little trail of light followed her fingers as she swirled them in the pool. She slowly began to chant. A strange tune from another world, perhaps the water trails became brighter as she sang quietly. Willow, who was not far away should have heard this by now, but she did not. She seemed to roll around in her webbing, but she did not awaken.
Gary however twitched several times and sat up, looking around dazedly. Then he saw Marcy. Something wasn’t right.
“Hey. Marcy!” He said in a loud whisper. “What the heck are you doin’? Willow said don’t go near that.”
Marcy did not respond, but the singing got louder slowly she stood up and stepped on the side of the pool.
“Marcy! What the heck are you doing?” Gary yelled not caring who he woke. “Get down from there!”
It was then that Willow woke up and saw what was going on. She shrieked at Marcy in her mind, but Marcy didn’t seem to notice.
“Stop!” she shouted in Marcy's mind, as she threw herself at the strange girl. As she jumped at Marcy she got a glimpse of what was in the pool. The boy Billy was running through a dark land strange dark creatures were chasing him as he reached out to grab a staff from the hands of a very old statue.
Marcy leaned over the pool and basically fell in face first. Willow landed on the edge of the pool trying to grab the girl, but unfortunately, her spidery legs were not made for catching things and she missed. She found herself precariously hanging from the edge of the pool as Marcy fell beneath her. She had no choice and she let go plummeting through the air.
Marcy had her arms spread out as she fell like a bird. That seemed to slow her a bit as Willow hurtled past and hit the ground first. Perhaps something in her spidery nature saved her as her legs acted more like shock absorbers as she hit the ground. Unfortunately for her Marcy landed exactly on top of her and slid off. Knocking the air out of Willow for a moment who curled up in a ball in pain.
Marcy not seeming to notice began walking through the strange forest of statues. “What are you doing?” she said in Marcy's mind, but there was no response. Willow dug around in her brain, but there was a resistance there like she had never felt. Either something else was resisting her or Marcy had figured out how to. Marcy had begun some strange chant. It did not make any sense to Willow. But the boy saw her as he tried to get the staff hanging in the statue’s hands.
He managed to grab the staff from the statue and all of a sudden the whole place was flooded with light as a bright orb came into view in the dark night sky but there was green in t light of a full moon. Bright stars shown all around even though it was night Willow was shocked it was like the place she had seen in Marcy's mind. She watched as Marcy bent over and picked something off the ground. It flashed crystal in the new light.
The statue, however, was no longer gray it began to move, all the statues began to move and as they seemed to be reanimated. She realized they weren't statues at all but creatures like Marcy, who had somehow turned to stone perhaps millennia ago. She ran over to Marcy and pushed the still dreaming girl up on her back and spun some web around her to hold the girl on.
“Run Billy Run!” Marcy shouted.
“To Billy!” The girl said to Willow.
Willow looked up as all the statues had reanimated and were chasing the running boy.
But worse, there were strange holes in the very fabric of the air and strange black shadows were beginning to filter in. Something was terribly wrong.
“Billy!” Marcy said again. This time Willow listened, she ran as fast as she could dodging the strange tableaux of creatures chasing Billy. Some tried to attack her and she was surprised when it turned out, what Marcy had picked up was some kind of crystal sword and she was using it on the creatures as they passed.
The girl was shouting as they went. Urging the boy on as he ran through the streets. Something from the sky came down and tried to grab the boy, but Marcy hurled her weapon and the thing dissipated like smoke. To Willows surprise the weapon landed back in the girl’s outstretched hands.
All of a sudden Marcy’s mind opened up and Willow was overwhelmed by the power there. Willow almost fell over as she was forced against her will to turn and stand against the oncoming enemy. A human tried to run past with a sword swirling in the air, but a bolt from nowhere killed him and his sword flew through the air and again landed in Marcy's outstretched hand.
“Here,” Marcy said, handing Willow the sword. “There are too many. Help me!” As she attacked a creature trying to crawl out of a rift in the sky.
Willow had never battled in her life and swung the blade wildly, but still, the two of them managed to hold off the hoard until Billy found his goal and disappeared into the fiery circle. All stood for a moment as it sunk in that he had escaped. Marcy looked up at the sky screaming at Willow.
“Jump! Jump now or we will be lost!” Willows' legs coiled up under her like springs, beyond her own will, it seemed she had no control as they catapulted into the air Marcy screaming some strange chant and then.
21 Ending or Beginning?
B
illy hung from the chains listlessly. He had no idea where he was. He had no idea where his friends were, but he had a vague memory of being tossed about in some kind of cart. The pain from Geezers wounds had subsided. He reached up and touched the small chain bag that now held what was left of his little friend. They had been tortured well into the night.
He had no idea what information the torturers were looking for. They kept talking about some great event. Other than they wanted to know why he had come at this time. How he was connected to some great sorcerer. Perhaps they meant Merlin.
But he felt he had no more tears to cry. The worst part of all was Geezers magic allowed them to stay conscious. He would have gladly passed out. He could feel the bruises on his face he was sure he had a massive black eye, but the open wounds were almost healed probably once again from Geezer’s magic.
“Hey Geezer,” he whispered. “Hey! He poked the bag, it was limp like jelly. “Hey, wake Up! We gotta’ get out of here. Come on, I can’t take any more of this.”
Just then the door opened and one of his tormentors came in
"Well, I see you are
awake," The man said, conversationally. "My, my, but things are brewing up. Aren't they. You might be happy to know that your friends are gone. There is no one to give you any help." The voice was familiar.
“Do I know you?” He said, listlessly.
"Not that it would have done you any good, they had no idea you are here," The man said ignoring the question. "So there is no impending rescue attempt planned. Sorry! The time is almost here, isn't it? We need but one more thing to occur before the final moment. Just think of it a new world order. Heheh!" He chuckled as he walked around the room for a moment.
“Yes and a new world as well. I can only imagine. But those of us who took chance by the throat, we will be the new rulers. And the rest? Heheh! Peasants all, so I suppose their lives will go on, the same poverty and torment. We need for just one more thing to occur and it will all come to fruition!” He looked at Billy expectantly.
Billy gave him an odd look out of his one functional eye. The other was swollen quite shut although it wasn’t as painful as it had been. He assumed once again, Geezers magic must still be functioning at some level. The silence continued for an uncomfortable moment.
“I have no idea what the hell you are talking about, or who you are for that matter,” He said finally.
“No, I suppose you don’t,” the man chuckled good-naturedly.
Billy wasn’t buying the nice guy act, it was obvious the man wanted something but he couldn’t think what.
“Let me instruct you,” the man said. “There is coming a time like no other in the history of the universes. Do you understand the idea of an eclipse?”
Billy gave him his best, (are you stupid? Look.)
“Yeah, it is when two planets align and block out the sun, everyone knows that”
“Truly?” the man said, in surprise.
“Of course, one planet gets in the way of the other and there is no sun for a couple of minutes.”
The man looked like he had been struck “How can you know this, you are just a boy most commoners’ think it is some kind of magic.”
Billy kept silent the whole conversation reminded him of the similar one he had had with Brother Dog which made him wonder where his friends where. Was anyone even looking for him?
“Even some of the greatest scholars believe it is a magic occurrence.” The man continued, “How can so young a boy have such information?”
He stood over Billy for a long moment.
“Then you might understand this.” He hesitated again wondering whether he should continue. Knowledge is power after all, and this boy was not what he had expected. There was something about the boy that gave him some small caution. “There will soon be an eclipse like none other in the history of the universe.”
“So you said,” Billy interjected.
“Ha! There is some life in you I see!” The man said. “Never in a million years has there been such a thing! The eclipses we see are nothing in comparison to this and somehow you play a part in all this.”
Billy shrugged, "Still don't know what the heck you're talking about. So what? Are all the planets lining up? The World is going off its axis, we all spin off into space?"
The man was surprised again.” How do you know all these things?”
"Well, I am sure this is something you don't know. There is to be a great conflagration like no other in the history of the universe, You are correct planets will align, but moreover, solar systems will align!"
“What?” Billy said, shocked by this. “How is that possible? That’s not even possible! Universes are full of stars how can they align? It isn’t possible it just isn’t.”
"Ah, so I can surprise you, after all. It is not impossible when you consider that each Solar system has a core and now for the first time in history, at least three will align and all the planets in them. Such a thing has never happened and never will again."
Billy was surprised. What cosmic forces would that entail? He wondered. He had seen so much weird stuff since he had been here.
“I am curious as to your means of arrival in this time and place,” The man said
“Why?” Billy retorted. “Some wizard guy brought me I guess. I was chased into a cave by something called a Wolver and ended up here.”
“And yet, you have survived,” The man mused.
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t my idea to be involved in all this and I have no idea what you all want from me.”
“Bear with me and perhaps we can find the answer you seek,” the man said.
"I am not seeking anything, except a way home, and back into my cozy bed!" that was an exaggeration. His bed was the bottom of the old bunk bed his, father had gotten for his two older brothers and it was in no way comfy. His blanket was so old and ripped up that last winter he had had barely found a corner of it to curl up in. Anytime he stretched out he would hear an ominous rip and another giant hole would appear in the flimsy material. Still, even that sounded comforting at this point.
“I don’t care about your conflagration, or any of this! It’s not my problem I just want to go home.”
"Hmm," the man said. "Well, if you don't do what is needed there will be no home for you to go to.”
“Look, I know this!” Billy said angrily “I am at least 2 or 300 years from my time and at least 10,000 miles from my country which come to think of it, doesn’t even exist yet. So you can’t threaten me by endangering my home if you were that great a wizard you wouldn’t need to have me all tied up in chains would you. You are no threat to my family and friends so you can forget that gambit. If you’re going to kill me then do it already I have stood up to bigger bullies than you! And I don’t care who dies in this stupid country!” he shouted. “I don’t freakin’ care.”
The man was a little shocked by his outburst. "You mistake me, young man," he replied. "I care not about this country or these people either. What you don't realize is, this particular occurrence will shake the very foundation of the universe and all the galaxies it will ripple through time and space and billions will die in all time lines. If you think about it, you came through time and space to get here and it is proof of what I say. Your family and friends will suffer as well if they ever even exist at all."
“But if what you say is true I will die as well in the future.”
“Do you not have a mother and father?”
“What do you want from me?” Billy said.
“I want your cooperation of course when the time comes you must realize it is for the greater good I can make you the most powerful creature in the universe.”
“Huh! You just had me tortured! You think I will trust you” Billy said “I am not the brightest guy in the universe, but I know this, if you need my help to get what you want, maybe I am already the most powerful being in the universe. I don’t need you, but you sure need me!” His face stung from the slap, his head was spinning when he got another one.
“You little bastard! I will kill you and all you love! No one speaks to me in this way.”
Another stinging slap.
"Master," a voice said. "Master perhaps we should retire and let the torturers take care of him. Obviously, he will not be swayed by reason. We can get the information that way. If you kill him we will get none."
Billy felt spit on his face the man’s face was so close to him “Ni bu shi dongxi!” the man said as he turned and left the room. Everyone followed him.
Billy awoke tied to the wall again. There was a big lump on the side of his head. He wondered for a moment how many hits on the head a person could take before they went mental. He looked around and it seemed he was alone, but he was not sure for how long. He was getting sick of people poking and prodding him. Mostly he was just angry. He poked the mesh bag angrily. “Wake up damn it!” he said. There was a squeak.
"Damn it, Geezer. Wake up there's no one here. I know you're alive, ‘cause if you weren't, I wouldn't understand these people! Now, Come on! If we don't get out of here they will do it to us again! Do you want that? "
There was a slight movement from the bag. Something began to come out.
"Awe man that is gross!" He said as some foul liquid oozed through the links of the chain bag to land on the dirty floor. A puddle lay there until all the bag hung limp. Then the liquid began to harden and something began to flop in the dirt. At first, it was formless goop, but slowly it began to take shape. Oddly it seemed to gather the dirt around it as well all becoming a part of the mixture. The resulting creature lay there for a moment.
Billy watched in stunned silence as his little friend reanimated itself. Geezer had resurrected himself, but not quite into the creature he knew. There were subtle differences in its appearance like he was more finished as a creature. And Billy was unsure, but it looked like Geezer was just a little bigger than he had been before the bag.
"Well, you gotta be the ugliest critter I have ever seen there little buddy. I know they hurt you bad, but we have to get out of here and quick, come on untie me."
Geezer dutifully crawled up his arm. He looked at the rough rope and chittered something.
Billy felt sick and weak. He wasn't sure if it was from lack of food, sleep or the fact they had been tortured.
“They probably know what we are doing, so we gotta find a way to get outta here,” He said. Geezer looked at the rope for a moment and slowly touched it. There was a small explosion and Geezer was tossed across the room. "Oh great!" Billy said. "Magic rope. No wonder they left me tied up I should have known." Geezer scurried about the cell like a mad squirrel finally came back with a sharp piece of rock. Moments later Billy was freed. However, the rope momentarily touched Geezer as it fell. There was a huge shower of sparks and Geezer fell to the floor one side of his body burned. He lay there for a moment whimpered, it was one of the first times he had heard him make any animal sounds.
“Are you Ok?” He asked.
The little creature sat up as the wound began to heal.
The Jewel of Nirune (The Sword of Time Book 1) Page 27
