“Those are the eight Crosioian fighters Tia mentioned,” said Nickelo.
One of the life forms blinked out, then another.
“Uh, correction on that,” said Nickelo. “Make that six Crosioian fighters. Tia took two out. I told you she was bloodthirsty.”
With the loss of their companions, Richard sensed three of the enemy fighters turning to the left as they sought to engage Tia. She’d been able to surprise them by attacking from their flank, but they were surprised no longer. The enemy fighters began firing at Tia’s dragon-fighter.
Although outnumbered three to one, Richard sensed Tia evading most of her opponents’ fire. What few missiles and plasma beams got to their intended target must have been absorbed by the dragon-fighter’s shield because Tia’s life form continued to register on Richard’s passive scan.
“It’s a good thing Charlie and Daniel worked with Comstar and the gnomes to integrate technology with the magic on Tia’s dragon-fighter,” said Nickelo. “Otherwise she’d probably have been blown out of the sky by now.”
Richard automatically defended Liz’s sister. “She’s too good of a pilot for that. She’d have figured out how to dodge them somehow.”
“Well, you better hope Matthew’s just as good because we’ve got incoming.”
A review of the slew of information his battle computer was sending into their shared space confirmed a dozen missiles and torpedoes were inbound from the three fighters not engaged by Tia. Richard had no doubt the fighters would be adding rounds from their plasma cannons as soon as they were within range.
Richard began giving orders again. “Nick, send Margery the coordinates for the intercept. Have her assist Matthew in getting us to the right spot at the right time. Please make it quick or we’re dead.”
“Compliance.”
Almost immediately, Matthew’s zipper made a hard bank directly into the path of one of the incoming destroyers. The starships were still out of sight, but Richard sensed the destroyers bearing down on them fast. The missiles from the fighters were a hundred thousand meters ahead of the destroyer. He prayed Matthew could make his getaway without getting hit.
“Nick, take control of my Power. I’m not fast enough.”
Nickelo gave a wild laugh. “Compliance. I guess you’re finally admitting you need me.”
“Occasionally,” Richard said, mentally smiling in spite of himself. The adrenaline rushing through his body was making him lightheaded. He had to force himself to concentrate on the mission at hand. He knew timing was going to be everything.
Just before the incoming missiles and torpedoes made contact with the Zip fighter, Richard felt Nickelo use his Power to shift the dwarves, Bright Wing, and himself into the void. At the same time, he sensed Margery activate the zipper’s hyper-drive. The zipper shot forward out of the path of the enemies’ fire and was lost to sight. Since he was now in the void, Richard sensed more than saw the enemy missiles and torpedoes speed past them. One of the missiles passed so close Richard thought he could’ve reached out and touched it if he hadn’t been in the void. Thankfully, he was.
“Shifting into the void is a natural ability for your dragon,” Nickelo explained. “The information in my databanks indicates she’ll be able to shift into other dimensions when she gets older.”
“If she gets older,” Richard said. “She might not live through this battle. None of us may.”
“True,” agreed Nickelo. “By the way, you’ve got four seconds before the lead destroyer reaches our position. Get ready.”
Richard thought the command to send a text message to the heads-up displays of the dwarves in his security team.
‘Silent weapons only,’ he wrote. ‘Make for engine room.’
Richard saw a dark shape looming before him. Then, with a speed too fast for any human to replicate, the Power surrounding the dwarves and him dropped and they were immediately shifted out of the void.
Chapter 8 – Ceril
_________________________
When Dren got to the end of the hallway, she saw Brachia in a corner of the living room with his knife held out before him. He was in one of the defensive stances their uncle had taught them with the blade up. Jeena stood between Brachia and a silver-haired male. The male elf was red-faced. He had a longsword attached to his waist belt, but fortunately, it was still in its sheath. When Dren entered the room, the male elf turned and glared at her. She took in a sharp breath. The male’s eyes were molten silver, and they were filled with obvious hate.
“Another one,” said the male. “How dare you defile our home with their presence? Have you no shame?”
“Shame?” said Jeena through gritted teeth. “You talk to me of shame? You come into my home and insult my guests, and you accuse me of shame?”
“I want them out of this house now,” said the male getting even redder in the face. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. “If you don’t get them out now, then I’ll get them out for you.”
Dren felt a drop of sweat drip down her brow. She gripped her knife even tighter and edged along the wall until she stood beside her brother.
The high priestess slammed the butt of her staff down on the floor. The house shook. A pile of scrolls tumbled off a chair. The blue gem at the top of the elf’s staff blazed but wasn’t nearly as bright as the anger in Jeena’s molten silver eyes. Dren wasn’t sure whether she was more frightened of the male or of the high priestess.
“If you so much as touch one of these children, I swear it’ll be the last thing you ever do, Ceril. This is my home. You got the farm. I got the house. I’m the master of this place now, not you, brother.”
Dren took notice of the resemblance between the two elves. The male was the older of the two, but between the silver hair and molten silver eyes, there was no mistaking a common heritage.
“They killed our parents, Jeena,” said Ceril. “Or have you forgotten?”
“I’ve forgotten nothing, brother. Dren and Brachia are children. They had nothing to do with our parents’ deaths.”
The anger in the male elf’s eyes didn’t diminish, though Dren noticed him glancing nervously in the direction of the blue gem at the top of his sister’s staff.
“Human children grow up to be human adults,” said Ceril. “You’re a child and a fool if you think differently.”
“I’m a Lord of the Council of Light as well as the high priestess of the Lady of the Tree,” said Jeena. “And this is my home.”
Ceril laughed. It was a vicious laugh. “Unearned titles. You’re too young and inexperienced to be either of those, and you know it.”
Dren thought she saw Jeena wince at the words of her brother. However, the high priestess didn’t back down or avert her eyes.
“Nevertheless, you’ll leave my home now peacefully, or I’ll force you out. Either way, you’re going to leave. Now go, and don’t come back until you’re ready to behave like an adult.”
The blue gem at the top of the staff glowed even brighter until Dren had to raise a hand to shield her eyes.
Ceril glared at Brachia and Dren. “High priestess or not, when I come back, these pieces of human scum had best be gone. I’ll not have the memory of our parents sullied by their presence.”
Dren noticed Jeena’s knuckles turning white where her hand grasped the staff. She half expected the silver-haired high priestess to release a blast of energy and send the male elf flying out the door. However, no blast was forthcoming.
Ceril stared at his sister for a few more seconds before turning on his heels and walking out the front door. It slammed shut with a loud bang behind him.
Dren barely breathed as she waited to see what would happen next. For once, her brother remained quiet as well. Finally, she noticed the knuckles of Jeena’s hand turn a more normal color as the blue gem at the top of the elf’s staff slowly returned to its original brightness. She saw the elf close her eyes and watched her lips move slightly as if mouthing words, but heard nothing.
The high priestess opened her eyes and turned to Brachia and her. “Are you all right, Brachia? Did my brother harm you?”
Brachia shook his head. “No, Jeehana. He just caught me by surprise. He ran in the door before I knew it. Once he saw me, he just started yelling. I wasn’t doing anything. Honest.”
“I know,” said Jeena. “I apologize for my brother’s actions. He’s really a good elf at heart. It’s just that he doesn’t like…err—”
“Humans?” Dren said.
Jeena nodded her head.
Dren thought the high priestess looked embarrassed. “From my readings in the Oracle’s library, I was prepared for some animosity between elves and humans,” Dren said. “I guess I didn’t realize the extent.”
Jeena bent down and began picking up some of the scrolls that had fallen on the floor. Brachia moved forward and started helping her. After replacing her knife in its sheath, Dren did the same.
Once the task was completed, Dren looked at the elf expectantly.
The high priestess nodded her head. “You’re correct, Dren. In the time of my ancestor, High Priestess Shandristiathoraxen, humans came to our lands from across the ocean. They were few at first, and those few were made welcome. Then some cataclysm occurred in their lands, and a great exodus of human refugees arrived on our shores. Those refugees were made welcome as well. My people gave them lands to call their own. However, humans are a prolific race. Soon, they pushed beyond the boundaries of the lands we gave them. Conflicts invariably happened. Elves are a peaceful race at heart, but we’ve been forced to push back on several occasions.”
Dren nodded her head. “I read as much. My uncle is from a place that was once called the United States, on a planet called Earth. His ancestors arrived from across the ocean. They pushed the inhabitants out. I can understand your brother’s animosity to a point, but there must be more to it.”
“There is,” said Jeena. “For one thing, humans, especially human males, are unable to control their emotions. I don’t think it was that way at first, but it has been for thousands of years. Their unfettered emotions of lust and hate overwhelm emotion-sensitive female elves. I think humans have grown less able to control their emotions over the years, or perhaps we females have grown less able to protect ourselves from their thoughts. Whatever the reason, female elves try to avoid contact with human adults. Some females would rather die than be touched by a human male.”
“You don’t avoid us, do you?” asked Brachia.
For the first time since the arrival of Jeena’s brother, Dren saw the elf smile.
“No, Brachia. I don’t. The emotions of children are less intrusive than those of adult males. In truth, I think there’s more to it in the case of you two. Your emotions are more controlled. I can sense them, but barely. If what you say is true about being from another dimension, I suppose that has something to do with it.”
Dren suspected she’d be stepping on a sensitive subject but was determined to get to the bottom of the male elf’s hatred. “Why did your brother accuse us of killing your parents?”
“I’m not sure we should talk about this now,” said Jeena. “Not in front of your brother.”
Brachia bristled. “I may look ten years old and even act like it at times, but I’ve got my father’s memories and knowledge. This affects us both. We have a right to know.”
“No, we don’t,” Dren said seeing a look in the elf’s eyes that tore at her heart. “Some things are too personal to share with others.”
Dren expected her brother to protest. While their father’s knowledge had been transferred into Brachia’s brain, his emotions and maturity level were still those of a ten-year-old boy. However, this time, her brother’s response surprised her.
Brachia spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. “We lost our parents too, Jeehana.” He pointed at the high priestess’s staff. “They were murdered saving the device we placed inside your staff. The gnome high priestess, Rem, used the device to defeat a necromancer by closing a gate to the spiritual dimension. Your world was saved because our parents were willing to die to—” sniff, “protect—” sniff.
Dren moved to her brother’s side and put her arm around him. He buried his face in her shoulder. She heard no cries, but Brachia didn’t look up for several seconds.
“I’m sorry,” said Jeena. “Sometimes I forget others have hurts just as deep as mine.”
The elf knelt in front of Brachia and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“My parents were also murdered. I was young at the time, so my memories are blurred. Ceril was older, and he has told me the tale often enough. My mother was a priestess of the Lady of the Tree, and my father was a lord of the Council of Light. They were traveling through the lands of the humans on their way to see the Oracle. I don’t know why. Our younger sister was with them. Ceril and I were supposed to be as well, but we were detained at the last minute and couldn’t go. My parents and sister never arrived at the Oracle’s. A search party sent out by the Council of Light found the bodies of our parents. They’d been tortured, and my mother had been…err….”
Dren noticed the elf look at Brachia and then back at her. Dren nodded her head sympathetically. “It’s all right, Jeehana. We understand. You don’t need to explain.”
Jeena nodded her head gratefully. Her voice became a whisper. “The body of my sister was never found. The search party found the booted tracks of a large group of humans around the camp. They found other evidence of humans as well. That’s why Ceril hates your race so much.”
“And you don’t?” Dren asked.
Jeena closed her eyes for a few seconds before answering. “I suppose I do, deep down. I can’t help it.”
Brachia looked up. His eyes were red and his face was streaked with tears.
The elf gave him an apologetic smile. “I don’t hate you, Brachia; nor you, Dren. You’ll always be my friends.”
“Well,” Dren said. “If it helps any, we’re from another dimension. We may look like the people you identify as humans, but we’re from another planet, so there’s no relation.”
The three of them stood there for a minute, each lost in their own thoughts and hurts. Finally, the high priestess broke the silence.
“We should be going. It’s a long walk to the Oracle’s. We’ll stop at the palace. I’ll need to get both of you gear for our trek. It gets cold this time of year. You’ll need heavy clothing and bedrolls.”
The elf’s comments drew Dren out of her dark thoughts. She smiled.
“Oh, we won’t be walking, Jeehana.”
“We won’t?” asked Jeena. “Then how?”
Dren pointed at the high priestess’s staff. “Do you remember how you used your staff to teleport back to the Oracle’s during your last mission?” When the elf nodded, Dren continued. “When we repaired your staff last time, Brachia attuned it to the teleport platform we installed at the Oracle’s. You can use the staff to teleport us all back to our lab at the Oracle’s.”
Brachia brushed away the last remains of his tears and smiled. “Now, won’t that be a lot better than walking?”
“Yes,” Jeena said returning Brachia’s smile. “I do believe it will.”
Chapter 9 – The Destroyer
___________________
The dwarves and Richard materialized in a dimly-lit hallway. Unfortunately, the hallway wasn’t empty. Several bat-winged Crosioians and a few human mercenaries were walking down the corridor. Time seemed to freeze as the Crosioians, dwarves, and humans looked at each other for one eternity of a moment.
One of the Crosioians raised a hand blaster and pointed it at Storis. Before the bat creature could fire, a flash of silver appeared behind the Crosioian. Richard caught a blur of teeth and claws. The next thing he saw was a head hitting the metal deck of the floor. The head was quickly followed by a bat body minus one head.
Everything began happening at once.
The dwarves charged forward with their battle-axes and hammers swinging. Ri
chard spun to his rear and struck out with his phase rod, catching a human mercenary on the side of the head. The phase energy’s microscopic explosions decimated the mercenary’s brain. The merc fell to the floor dead. A Crosioian ran for a button on the side of the wall.
“It’s an alarm,” said Nickelo. “Don’t let her get to it.”
Reaching out with his mind, Richard found the nerves in the Crosioian’s spinal column located at the base of her skull. He wrapped them with Power and gave a twist. The bat creature fell to the floor. The claws of her hand fell short of their mark. No alarm sounded.
With the hallway to his rear clear, Richard spun around to assist his security team. He needn’t have bothered. Even before completing his spin, the last of the yellow and orange dots on his heads-up display disappeared. The Crosioians and their human minions were all dead.
Felspar turned to Richard with a wild look in his eyes. “Where to next, wizard scout?”
Richard had no idea. “Nick. Give me a schematic of the entire ship. We need to get to the engine room.”
“Unable to comply. I’m having difficult hacking into the ship’s computer network. It’s got the same three-way security of logic, emotion, and magic we encountered during the attack at the Academy.”
“Can’t we just hack our way into this ship’s computer like we did that destroyer from the magical dimension last year?”
A massive amount of data began scrolling across the battle helmet’s heads-up display.
“Negative, Rick. As you can see, that’s not possible. Besides, the Crosioians’ master computer is possessed by the demon, Zenthra. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself by trying to brute force your way into any of its computers. You need something more subtle than that.”
“If the demon’s in charge of the Crosioians’ master computer, then it’s bound to already know I’m here,” Richard pointed out.
“Uh…,” Nickelo said, sounding unsure of himself. “I calculate a sixty-four percent probability Zenthra has spread himself too thin. Contrary to what he may try to make others believe, the demon’s not all knowing or all seeing. From what I can determine, Zenthra’s forbidden from killing you by that master demon you met on Portalis. If Zenthra doesn’t think you pose a direct threat to his immediate plans, he may choose to let the Crosioians handle you on their own. However, if he detects you snooping around his computers, he may decide to take direct action.”
Wizard Rebellion (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 5) Page 10
