"But of course you do," he replied. "I've been waiting for you!"
"You knew we were coming?" asked Koda.
"I wasn't so sure about the others, but I knew you and Mike would be here," said Madias. "Some of my people have the ability to foretell events. We can predict certain time lines very closely. Your arrival has been seen, and we have hoped that you would appear soon!" he looked at all of us closely. Then he said, "Your arrival changes everything!" He focused on me, and said, "You may very well decide the fate of the Milky Way Galaxy! Perhaps even hundreds of other Galaxies!"
I was glad I was sitting down!
Taking a second to think, I quietly said, "You can't be serious! There's no way one person could affect events over so vast an area!"
"An entity already does! If one evil can destroy everything, why can't a separate single entity stop it?" asked Madias. “One in a billion life forms is born different than the life around it. Sometimes that is a good thing, sometimes it's bad! A great evil has been loose in the Universe, and we are planning to bring it to its knees! Will you help us, Mike Rutger?"
I nodded yes. It seemed like an automatic response. Then Madias looked directly at Koda. He softly said, "You are an unknown force of nature! I hadn't seen you in the timeline till you met Mike. Now you have come to the center of the lane. I don't understand how you shine so brightly, but I suspect it's because you’ve teamed with Mike. You’ve changed your fate, by simply not killing each other. I'm amazed you're both still alive!"
"So now what?" asked Koda. "Do you just give us the address, and we go hit the guy?"
"Not quite," noted Madias. "The menace isn't even in this galaxy. We will raise a vast legion, hunt the beast down, and render it impotent!"
"Why not just kill it?" asked Harold.
"It replenishes itself instantaneously second by second on a molecular level,” replied Madias. "It can't be destroyed in a conventional sense." He glanced over at me, and quietly said, "If what I'm told is correct, you're capable of the same trick! If that is true, than we may finally have a way to bring this nightmare to an end!"
"So! What's the plan?" asked Koda.
Madias seemed to pause, and consider his next words. Then he slowly said, "We plan to ship it to another dimension! We're going to imprison it there, and leave it locked away for the rest of eternity.
"I'd hate to be the guards in that prison," observed Shooter in a dry voice.
"Mike would be the guard in charge," noted Madias. He paused for a moment, looking around at all of us. "It would be a permanent position! As in, for the rest of eternity!"
"Whoa!" erupted from Shooter's mouth. "I vote against that plan!"
Glancing at Tim, I mouthed the word, "Shut up!" then focused back on Madias, saying, "Let me get this straight! You're going to put me in a position where I can bring a stop to evil throughout the Universe! All I have to do is spend eternity keeping it there!"
"That's vastly simplified, but basically, yes," Madias agreed.
The room became extremely silent for at least ten seconds. Then Kathy snapped out, "You're not seriously considering this?"
"His mind was made up before he got here," observed Madias quietly. "He just hasn't realized it yet!" I could see already this guy was going to be annoying as hell.
"What kind of timeline are we working on here?" I asked. "How long do I have to prepare?"
"I see a crossing of the timelines in less than five years," responded Madias. We will stop the Darkness by then, or all life as we know it, will be doomed!"
"No pressure here," mumbled Shooter under his breath.
Suddenly, Koda said, "Send me instead!"
I stood up, and said, "This battle is mine! I have things to prepare! If you'll excuse me, I have things to do!"
Even as Madias nodded agreement, the entire group jumped up, and started to talk at once. There were lots of objections, but both Madias and I knew the matter was settled. I would battle the beast, and bring an end to the evil Madness that controls the people of Earth. Finally! A task that would have made Nancy proud of me! If Hetrus was a slave to the Darkness, then it was with the Darkness I would find absolution for my past crimes.
There would be no doubt! No question of the target being innocent! If there was any hope I could stop all the evil things that happened on Earth, I had to try!
Madias and I had both remained silent since my last remark. I focused my thoughts on Kathy's home on Earth, and folded space. In the blink of an eye, I was standing outside her home, and the rest of the team landed right behind me. It sounded like every one of them were still talking.
Kathy was the most direct of the group. She stepped right up to me, looked up, and asked, "If it was me, and I told you I was going, would you let me?"
I smiled down at her, and said, "Let it go Kathy! Madias is right! It's a done deal!"
Lisa had been silent through all of this. She quietly stepped away, and went inside. I didn't see her face, but I knew she was crying. This was going to be one of those times when doing the right thing was going to be hurtful to others, and I regretted that.
Each person there was irritated with me, and since I could see their thoughts, I got a good feel for how ticked off they were.
In the end, Tim was the only person left still willing to talk to me. "You know, I'd take this from you if I could?" he pointedly asked. "Any one of us would stand by you anywhere!"
"It's not that kind of fight," I replied quietly. "I know you would cover my bets! But it appears I'm the only one qualified to take down the damned thing!"
"We always fought as a team," he reminded me. "We're stronger that way!"
I put my hand on his shoulder, and told him, "Not this time old friend!"
We were both stressing heavily. From behind us, I heard Dona say, "So you just had to go visit Madias!" I turned, and she was standing right there. She had a large grin on her face, and said, "I'd have gone with you if you'd told me you were going!"
"It was kind of a spontaneous thing," I responded. "He was really kind of nice about it."
"Especially the part when he told us he wanted you to battle evil through eternity," noted Tim. "I liked that part!" I gave him the look, but he seemed undeterred. "You know, some of us aren't too pleased with the way this is working out!" he remarked. He stepped a little closer to Dona, and loudly said, "This isn't right, and you know it!"
Dona's face darkened for a second, and she softly said, "If I could stop the Madness today, I’d do anything! Do you understand me? I’d do anything, to make that happened!" She showed no fear of Tim. I could sense the anger and frustration radiating from her.
"I'm a cop," she told him. "I deal with the Madness constantly. People kill each other over nothing, and the whole time I know the Darkness is behind it. Do you realize how many lives I've seen ruined by this? It's not casual for me! I'd do anything, including laying down my life, to stop it! Don't you ever act like I take this lightly!" she broke off, unable to continue.
After a second or two, Tim abruptly said, "I'm sorry Dona! I'm new to all this!" Then he just stood there. It was obvious we were all too stressed to continue the conversation.
"I've got a bottle of whiskey inside!" I said. "And I hate to drink alone!" Tim grunted and smiled.
Dona openly laughed, and said, "I'm still on duty! But if you'll wait an hour, I'll come back and do a shot with you!"
"If you take much more than an hour, bring your own bottle!" chided Tim. "I'm feeling kinda thirsty!"
"I'll be back in an hour, with a bottle!" she said. "Just make sure you're not already passed out!"
Three hours, and four bottles of whiskey later, the entire group was staggering off to get some sleep. I watched them all wander off, and sat there thinking about the day’s events. I had just had one drink, and nursed it through the entire binge. Now I was cold sober, and left sitting alone to dwell on the world in which I live.
From a large oversized chair at the back of the room, I heard Koda
say, "I'm kinda scared Mike! I've never really been scared before!"
The corner of the room was rather dark, and I could just make out her shape sitting in the chair. "Why aren't you crashed with the rest of them?" I asked.
"I'm too young to drink," she replied. "What's your excuse?"
"I'm too old to drink," I rejoined, "Too old! Too smart! And too much to do!"
She sat looking at me for several seconds. I could sense that she was scanning my mind. After a bit, she said, "I'm serious Mike! I'm scared! You're about the only person I trust right now! The thought that you're going away is like the end of the world to me!"
"It's going to be okay," I said gently. "These people will be here for you, Koda! They're your friends now! They'll watch out for you! You're not alone!"
"Because of you!" she said quietly.
"Go get some rest." I told her. "You heard Madias. Nothing’s going to happen for a long time. He was talking five years down the road. That's a lifetime for some."
She stood up, and started to leave, stopping just long enough at the door to say, "You're practically an immortal now Mike! Five years won't be long at all!" Then she stepped into the dark hallway, and was gone.
As I wandered off to bed myself, I wondered how such a young kid got to be so smart.
Chapter 16
Dragons
For the next several days, things seemed to slip into a basic pattern. In the mornings, we would eat breakfast, and have some personal time. In the afternoons, we would attend lectures given by the Chosen regarding our abilities as new people within the Chosen. Weapons training was accelerated, and our health continued to improve. To the point, where it appeared the transformation was complete for all of us except Bugs. He was a week behind, but catching up quickly.
As time passes, it's becoming more and more obvious that I'm not like the others in the Chosen. They tire, and more and more, I don't. I heal instantaneously, and they can't.
There's something else I haven't discussed yet. It appears I have unlimited jump capabilities. I tested myself going through granite, and found the normal limits didn't apply to me. It looks as if I can walk through a mountain if needed. I can't imagine why I’d need to do that, but the way my life has been going, you just never know.
The more I'm around the people of the Chosen, the more profound the differences between them, and the normal Earthers, become. There are no lies. No deception. Instead, a new feeling of self-worth seems to permeate the group.
The downside is, most of the people within the Chosen want to leave the Earth. There is a place they simply call, "Ewon's Great City!" that they all seem to aspire to. That is a losing philosophy, as there is strength in numbers. Leaving a small number of Chosen on Earth, is simply not the answer.
So many players. So much to learn. They show us images while we're linked. Images of distant worlds, and battles beyond my abilities to describe. Guardians, Magi, Critz, the Chosen. That barely scratches the surface.
Then there's Koda. How do I begin to describe what's happening to the girl? I guess I should say woman. Her powers are growing by leaps and bounds. She pulls information from everyone around her, with total disregard to their wishes. In my opinion, she needs to refocus her mind. After Hetrus's death, I had calmed my mind, and tried to let all that go. Koda had made no such correction. In fact, she seemed to be growing more bloodthirsty with each passing day.
It was probably four days after our meeting with Madias, that he came looking for me. We had set up a training area for working with the swords at the back of the house Harold and Shooter were staying at. The Guardians had been training us one on one, and our people were doing pretty well.
My turn had come up, and a woman called Sandra was supposed to be my instructor. We had touched swords, and started to move around looking for a weakness. Then two more armed men entered the ring. Sandra stepped out of the ring, saying, "Defend yourself!"
A long time ago, I'd been good with a blade. It's a skill you need to practice on a regular basis, or you lose it. I wondered how sharp I was at this point.
The lead man rushed me, while his partner worked my flank. We went back and forth for almost a minute. Then I stepped inside the lead man's guard, locking the wrist and elbow on his sword arm, while bringing my head forcefully back into his face. Blood pouring from his nose, he released his blade.
Now I had two!
A swing kick to his chin dropped him, and I turned on his helper. He was waiting for me, with four more men. I could already see I was going to hate this test.
A crowd began to form around us. Masked Guardians were appearing as the men worked to flank me. I would handle the center three, but the two on the sides kept me on edge. It was hard to confront them on such a wide front. The fight was becoming frenzied.
The original backup man made a bad error. I suppose he was tiring. I knocked him down with the guard of the blade in my left hand. Turning hard to the right, I backhanded the man closest to me with my right hand, and stepping in closer, shoved him away so hard he fell to the ground, panting.
Four more men stepped in.
"Hey!" I yelled at the instructor.
"Deal with it!" she yelled back. The men advanced on me.
Defense was over. Time to go on the attack!
Swords raised in a classic attack pattern, I charged the lead four attackers. The man second from the left was my target. I hit him so hard, his blade was smashed to the ground instantly. Turning hard right again, I hit the man directly to the right of the man I had just disarmed. Blocking him with my right hand, I pulled his blade away with the sword in my left hand, and threw it past the crowd.
The circle of spectators around us grew wider as the crowd gave us room, and Sandra, along with four more men, stepped into the ring.
At this point, I was getting a little irritated.
Sandra tried to bully me around, forcing me to expose my flank to most of the other attackers. It should have worked, but my body seemed to kick into high speed, and I started rolling over her friends. To me, it appeared they slowed. In just a few moves, I had disarmed half her remaining fighters.
From the crowd, I heard Dona yell out for us to break! I spun around hard left, and there stood Dona and Madias. The old man had an odd smile on his face. He pointed at me, and said, "I wish to speak to you! Please follow me!"
Just like that, he disappeared. I hesitated for a moment, and Dona said, "You heard him! I’d follow him!"
I focused on Madias, and folded space. I found myself in a place I never could have imagined. Sulfur fumes filled the air, and I thought at once of the old stories of what Hell would look like.
Glancing at Madias, I asked, "Where are we?"
"This place is called Drevins Spraug," he replied. As he spoke, I could see what looked like a distant bird. It seemed to spin, and head toward us, seemingly moving at great speed. I looked closely at Madias and asked, "What kind of place is Drevins Spraug?"
"Well," he observed. "Drevins Spraug roughly translates to Dragon's World in some ancient Magi languages!"
No doubt about it! There was a big damned dragon headed straight for us. I suppose I looked like the village idiot as I stood there with my mouth hanging open. The thing was huge, over a hundred feet long. Madias and I were standing on a plateau above the lava beds. At the last minute, the gigantic creature pulled up, and with a final settling of her wings, came to rest right in front of us.
In a woman's voice, the monster said, "It is good to see Madias!" I just stood there gaping
Madias glanced at me, smiling, and said, "I brought this Guardian to meet Bitsy! He's new to the Chosen, and has never seen a dragon before! His name is Mike Rutger!"
Bitsy's head swung around slightly as she focused on me. Her eyes were huge. Each was the size of a full sized dresser mirror. In a delicate, feminine voice, she said, "I’m delighted to meet you, Mike Rutger!"
Dumbfounded, I said, "I'm pleased to meet you, Bitsy!"
Her eyes
blinked twice, and she turned slightly, seeming to focus on Madias again. In a voice that sounded tiny, coming from such a gargantuan creature, she quietly asked, "He's the one, isn't he Madias?"
"Yes!" responded Madias. "I believe he is!"
She looked at me again, and her head tilted slowly to the right, as though she was listening for something. Then she quietly said, "Yes Madias! You may be right! He has the fire of the warrior we seek! Kaltar and the Council will be pleased!"
It began to sink in that I was being looked at like a side of beef. Slightly irritated, I said, "I'm getting pretty fed up with all your damned testing!"
"Do you have any idea how far we are from Earth?" asked Madias. I stopped, and gave it some thought. After a moment, Madias said, "We've got to know what you can deal with. No normal Guardian could have followed me to this world, nor could a Guardian simply roll over a dozen skilled attackers."
"Fine," I said. "Give me something real to achieve! Let's get past these games, and do something worthwhile!"
"Oh! I like him," Bitsy breathed. "He even talks like a warrior!"
I'm standing on a planet far from Earth, talking to a Dragon. If you had told me I would be here a year ago, I’d have laughed outright. As it was, I said, "I'm serious! Send me into combat!"
"You're not ready yet," said Madias. "But soon, very soon, we will grant your wish!"
"He would be a worthy dragon rider," observed Bitsy.
I felt an adrenaline rush surge through my body, and the dragon actually smiled at me. Its mouth could have swallowed a small bus, but as I stood there, I began to realize how truly beautiful the creature was. Soft white in color, she seemed out of place in such a harsh place. Obviously scanning my mind, she said, "This world is of my choosing! When the time comes, the dragons of Drevins Spraug shall be there for you!"
I had no idea what she was talking about. Stepping closer to me, Madias put his hand on my elbow, and told me, "It's time we returned to Earth! The others will start to worry!"
The Koda Files Boxed Set - Books 1 & 2 Page 14
