“Don’t strain your mind, wizard scout,” said the demon. “Suffice it to say at this moment, you would do well to consider me more trustworthy than my opponent.”
“What task is it the Oracle and you want me to do?” Richard said. It was obvious he had learned all he could from the current line of questions. He was anxious for the meeting to be over. He needed to get back to the children before they woke and found him missing.
“That is more like it, wizard scout,” said the demon with a self-satisfied smile. “The task is simple enough. This planet has two gates which can be used to travel between dimensions. The primary gate had its guardian renewed when the seed you helped the elf High Priestess retrieve was planted eleven thousand years ago. The second gate has been blocked for several hundred thousand years. However, the spell blocking the second gate is nearly depleted. The four brother demons, Efrestra being one of them, have formed a partnership with the necromancer. They have taught him a spell which allows him to link with the second gate. Using this second gate, he can extract spirits from a conduit in your sister galaxy in the spiritual plane. Using the gate and the conduit, the necromancer can bring demonic spirits to this point in the magical plane. The four brothers plan to have the necromancer and his mages perform a ceremony when the twin moons rise. That will be in three weeks. If they succeed, the second gate will fully open. The four brothers will then be able to funnel their armies through this world’s sister planet in the spiritual plane. The four brothers will eventually overrun this galaxy and its sister galaxies in the spiritual and physical dimensions. Your task is to provide the gnome High Priestess with the tool she needs to close the second gate and defeat the necromancer.”
“Wait,” Richard said growing increasingly frustrated and more than a little inadequate. “First off, I believe I killed Efrestra’s dragon body last year. My understanding is he will be banished back to his home world for a thousand years. It’s only been a little over a year. And second, I assume the tool you are talking about is the children’s weapon. Even assuming I can summon it, I have no way of producing an energy source for it. Even my battle computer and the children admit as much.”
“Yes,” said the demon. “Nothing is ever easy, is it? The Oracle knows about the children’s weapon, and the Oracle also knows the location of an energy source. The task the Oracle and the High Priestess are going to ask of you is to summon the weapon and obtain the energy source. That is the same task I am asking you to do. When you do that, the gnome can close the second gate; the necromancer can be defeated; and the plans of the four brothers will be thwarted.”
Richard shook his head to clear it. “I don’t get it. I thought you were a demon like Efrestra and his brothers. I’m surprised you do not want the gate opened the same as them. Even if you don’t want it opened, why not stop them yourself? Surely you have the Power. Why choose me to do your dirty work?”
“Yet again, you show your ignorance of the game,” said the demon. “My opponent and I cannot take direct action to influence the game. We must use the game pieces. If I took direct action, my opponent would do the same. Chaos would soon ensue. That would not benefit either side. As to the four brothers, they are some of my best instruments, but they have exceeded their authority. They need to be shown their proper place in the hierarchy. You are going to help me teach them a lesson by retrieving the energy source. As to Efrestra being banished for a thousand years, he already has been my dear wizard scout. You helped the elf High Priestess retrieve the seed in a time bubble, remember? Once the two of you completed your mission, she then returned to this world at the same moment she left it. That was just over eleven thousand years ago from this point in time.”
The demon paused and looked at Richard. “I can see you are having trouble assimilating this information. Let me make it even more confusing for you,” he said. “The elf High Priestess you helped lived eleven thousand years ago on this world. She no longer physically exists here anymore. To top it off, ‘the One’ has teleported you back in time on this world. Its time does not even match the current time on your world. You see, dear wizard scout, you come from a time that is eighty-nine thousand years in the future from where we are today.”
“Enough,” Richard said raising his hands in a stopping motion. “None of this mumbo jumbo helps me any. I get it. I’m supposed to summon the children’s weapon and fetch the energy source so the gate can be closed. Then I suppose the armies of the four brothers will never again threaten this world or mine. Everyone lives happily ever after. I’ve got it.”
“Oh, wizard scout,” said the demon, “you do not get it. I need the armies of the four brothers to use one of the gates on this planet in order to bring their armies through. I need the brothers to conquer this galaxy and its sister galaxies in the physical and spiritual dimensions. But, I need them to do it at the right time in order to advance the game. This is the wrong time. You are going to help me thwart their plans and force them to wait until I give the order.”
“I need to think this over,” Richard said. “I’m not sure I can trust you.”
“There is nothing to trust,” the demon laughed. “That is the beauty of my plan. If you do not stop the brothers and their puppet necromancer now, the three galaxies will be overrun eighty-nine thousand years ahead of schedule. But if you succeed, many generations of your precious mortals will be spared the terror which will eventually come to pass.”
“Well,” Richard said growing increasingly irritated at the smug demon. “I think I’m going to have to skip your generous offer. I believe I’ll see what the Oracle and the gnome High Priestess have to say before I make a decision.”
The demon gave an evil grin. “Unfortunately, the choice is no longer yours. I am going to do you a favor, although I doubt you will think so at first. I am going to send you to this planet’s sister in the spiritual dimension. There you will meet a group of spirit creatures. You need to make them your friends and allies. You will need them not only for this task, but for many tasks in the future. Once every one hundred thousand years, these spirits give birth to their young. Several mothers are giving birth to their young even as we speak. You are going to go to the den of one of these mothers and bond with her brood.”
“Like heck I will,” Richard said.
“I am not finished,” said the demon with a note of irritation creeping into his voice. “With the spirits’ help, you will find an appropriate energy source. You will recognize it when the time comes. Once you have accomplished your task, you will be returned here. The twin moons rise in twenty-one days on this world. You must accomplish your task before then. Don’t forget to leave yourself time to get the weapon to the gnome High Priestess before she fights the necromancer. And pray you never meet me again, wizard scout. I have enjoyed our little discussion. However, I believe I would also enjoy hearing you scream as I rip you apart.”
“Now see here –” Richard began, but before he could finish, the demon gave a swipe in the air with his hand.
Richard’s battle suit and battle helmet were torn from his body. He was knocked to the ground naked and bleeding. The demon made a second swipe in the air. Pain swept across Richard’s chest as his skin was sliced open. Blood squirted into the air.
Richard made a roll for his M63 where it had fallen. The demon moved his hand again. Richard felt a white flash of pain in both legs and both arms. He heard the crack of breaking bones, his bones. Richard screamed in agony. The demon gave another swipe. Richard’s belly was ripped open. He grabbed his stomach with both hands in an attempt to keep his entrails from escaping. Richard rolled on the ground in more pain than he had ever imagined.
Richard barely sensed the demon walk over and squat next to him.
“Ah,” he said. “As I suspected, your screams are delicious. But you have work to do, so we cannot tarry. Remember what I said about good and evil, wizard scout. You think I have done you ill. But, you will come to realize I have done you a great favor.”
&nb
sp; Richard started to black out from the pain and loss of blood. Darkness filled Richard’s eyes. The pain was becoming increasingly unbearable. The demon slapped him lightly on the face with a well-manicured hand. A surge of energy ran through Richard bringing him back to consciousness and reducing the white-hot pain a little.
“Hmmm,” said the demon. “Speech takes so long to convey even simple matters. How do you mortals make do with such a limited method for passing information? I have a much better way.”
Through half-closed eyes, Richard saw the demon reach out towards him with his right hand. The demon touched his index finger to Richard’s brow. A flood of images issued forth and threatened to overwhelm Richard’s mind. He saw a giant statue of a scaled cat with fist-sized, glowing blue stones for eyes. The image changed. Richard saw an arm-length, glowing tube being inserted into one half of a burned out staff. The staff was suddenly made whole with a glowing blue stone on one end. He saw the High Priestess Remozorz fighting for her life against a wraith-like being three times her height. She held a darkened staff topped with a glowing blue stone.
“You mortals always need a little hope to motivate you,” said the demon. “Here’s a vision to give you hope.”
The scene in Richard’s mind changed. He saw himself standing in a room crowded with people. Most of them had pointed ears. A tall, silver-haired female with eyes of molten silver and carrying a white staff stood before his other self. She was an elf, and she was beautiful beyond compare. The elf reminded Richard of the High Priestess Shandria who he had helped on his last mission, but it was not her. This elf was taller and a little younger. The elf wore a white gown of gossamer that sparkled like a sea of rainbows whenever she moved. Her gown clung to her every curve. The gown was almost transparent, but not quite. Richard looked into the elf’s eyes and was drawn in. Her eyes seemed to have all the answers, but he did not know the questions. Very gracefully, the elf removed her slippers and dropped her staff. She fell to her knees and knelt before him with arms outstretched and crossed at the wrists. With head bowed, she said words he strained to hear, but could not. Then the image switched. He was in the same room, but instead of the elf, it was he who now knelt with arms outstretched. The beautiful elf stood before him, smiling. Richard felt warm and at peace, as if he had come home.
Richard was jerked back to the present. His pain came back in a wave of agony.
“You have twenty-one days,” said the demon. “Don’t fail me, wizard scout. I would not be pleased.”
Richard felt a tingling sensation throughout his entire body. The world around him began to shift in and out of focus. Then everything went black.
Chapter 19 – The Mother
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In spite of his pain, Richard felt a hard, rocky floor beneath him. He also felt a wave of heat wash over him. The air had a foul, acrid smell to it. Warm, soft bodies jostled him from all sides. Richard groaned in pain as one of his broken legs was kicked. He forced his eyes open. Everything was blurry. Dark, furry bodies rubbed against him. He felt small, rough tongues licking at his wounds. His eyes cleared a little. With a start, Richard realized he was surrounded by canine-shaped bodies about the length of his forearm. Their eyes were closed as they sniffed around pressing their snouts against him and licking the blood off his body as well as the floor. Richard tried to squirm away, but there was nowhere to go. He was surrounded. He tried kicking a canine that was licking his leg. The canine yelped, but Richard thought it was more from surprise than pain. He was losing blood fast. He had no strength.
Grrrr!
Richard looked to his right. Standing in the middle of the pups, for that’s what the smaller canines were, was a large, wolf-looking creature with bared teeth. It was very large. If Richard had been standing, the wolf’s head would have come to his shoulder. The wolf had fire-red eyes. Saliva was dripping from its open mouth. Richard thought the open jaws looked wide enough to swallow his whole head in a single bite.
Richard’s vision began blurring again. Unconsciousness was just a few seconds away. He had a momentary thought that his Power reserve was nearly full. He could hit the beast with pure Power, but then what? He was going to be dead anyway in a minute or less. The demon had sent him to his doom. Richard let his Power stay in his reserve. He looked the wolf straight in the eyes and waited for death. He was a marine. He would not flinch.
The adult wolf stepped closer and sniffed at Richard’s belly wound. The wolf’s long tongue ran across the wound as well as the back of Richard’s hands as he continued trying to hold his entrails in place. A numbing feeling replaced the hot pain in his belly. The caress of the wolf’s tongue was almost a relief. Richard waited for the wolf to chomp down with its massive jaws and rip him to shreds. Instead, the wolf alternatively licked his wounds and used its snout to move the young pups away from him. Just before Richard blacked out, he noticed the drooping teats under the wolf’s belly. His last conscious thought was that this she-wolf must be the mother the demon spoke about, and the mass of fur around him were her newborn brood.
I hope I give every one of them stomachaches, Richard thought as the sweet darkness of unconsciousness overtook him.
Chapter 20 – Abandoned
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Dren woke up to the sound of the gnomes breaking camp. She looked out the insect netting on the front of the tent. It was still dark, but she could see silhouettes moving around in the glow of a couple of small campfires. Dren smelled boiling gruel. It had not smelled very appetizing the previous night. It smelled even less appetizing this morning.
“Brachia,” Dren said. “Get a move on. The gnomes are preparing to leave. We have to pack up our gear.”
“No,” said Brachia. “Just let me sleep a little longer. Rick will wake us when it’s time.”
“You need to get moving now, Brachia,” said Dren. “The gnomes are already packing up. Rick didn’t wake us. Maybe he’s talking to Rem or Sam.”
When Brachia didn’t move, Dren reached over, unhooked his sleeping bag, and rolled him out.”
“Hey,” her brother said. “It’s cold.”
“Then start moving,” Dren said. “It will warm you up.”
After quickly packing her own gear, Dren unfastened the tent opening and stepped outside. A faint hint of light was just starting to appear over the horizon. The ground was very muddy. It stuck to her boots as she walked around looking for the wizard scout. She did not see him. Spotting Remozorz and Samanestra talking to the elf commander, Dren began walking in their direction.
“He’s not here,” Kreathin said a little heatedly. “He’s left the camp. I followed his tracks down a ravine. I tell you, he purposely snuck past the guards. I told you he could not be trusted.”
“I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation,” said Samanestra. “I spent most of the day with him yesterday. I got a good feel for him. I do not believe he would intentionally desert the children. I’m sure he had a good reason for leaving and that he will return.”
“Who has left?” Dren said. She had a bad feeling. “Where’s Rick?”
The two gnomes and the elf looked at Dren. The elf looked like he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue. Remozorz spoke instead.
“The wizard scout is not in the camp,” said Remozorz. “He left sometime last night. Commander Kreathin thinks he purposely snuck past our guards. Do you by any chance know why he left and where he went?”
The bad feeling Dren had been feeling began to overwhelm her. She’d come to depend on the wizard scout over the last few days. He was their only anchor to their world back home.
Rick wouldn’t leave us, she thought as she grasped at straws. He wouldn’t be that cruel.
“Do you?” said the elf. “Did he desert you as well as us?”
“No,” Dren said. “I don’t know where he is. But I know he wouldn’t leave us. He said he would be right outside guarding our tent. He wouldn’t leave us all alo
ne.”
But where is he? Dren thought. She was not as confident as her words implied. The memory that he had left them in the burning house came unbidden to her mind. Surely he would not leave us again.
“Well, he’s not here,” said the elf. “You’ve obviously put your faith in the wrong person, as have others I might add.”
“That’s enough, Kreathin,” said Remozorz. “Please see that everyone is ready to go as soon as the first rays of sunlight appear on the horizon.”
“At you command,” said Kreathin with a bow. “As you well know, our time is short. We cannot tarry.”
“I am well aware of the fact, my old friend,” said Remozorz.
The elf commander bowed again and left to supervise the breaking of the gnome’s camp. When he was gone, Remozorz turned to Dren.
“I’m sorry,” said Remozorz. “Our time is indeed short. We cannot wait for the wizard scout’s return.”
“But we can’t leave without him,” Dren said. “If he is really gone, I know he will return. We have to wait for him. We can’t leave him. He’s the only way we can get back home. I know he wouldn’t abandon us; not again.”
Remozorz gave Dren a questioning look, but she did not say anything.
“I can stay here with the children for a few hours in case the wizard scout returns,” said Samanestra. “We can catch up with you at the Temple of the Oracle.”
Dren thought Remozorz looked torn.
Finally, Remozorz said, “Very well, my friend. But do not tarry past noon. You need to be safely at the temple before nightfall. I fear more than just orcs may even now be roaming these lands. Even your magic may not prove sufficient to protect the children if enough forces are arrayed against you. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” said Samanestra.
Facing Dren, Samanestra said, “Get your brother up and pack your tent. This camp is too exposed. We will move to some rocks on that hill to the west. We can observe the camp while remaining hidden. Do you have food?”
Wizard Cadet (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 2) Page 27
