Bridgeworlds: Deep Flux

by Randy Blackwell

  After he was done he collapsed. Orasmus and Jasper helped him up. They looked at him questioningly. Jasper spoke, “So, what next?” Myles looked at them and the expressions on their faces. He always knew when he had won a crowd with a performance and these guys were thoroughly impressed. They recognized the power he had and looked to him for guidance.

  Myles took the pipe out of his coat pocket, stuffed it with some Trundleberry tobacco and puffed for a few minutes before he spoke. The leaf of the Trundleberry always soothed the mind. He needed that with the stench of burned flesh still in air and the fresh memory of the carnage caused by the Great Red Dragon burned into his mind. The thought of the dragon inspired anger and determination in Myles. Haylale, the deceiver… is he truly dead? I must know.

  He turned his attention back to the waiting men. “You two take that armor and sell it on the black market in Philos. With the profit have a manor built with a storehouse. Occupy the manor, sell armor from time to time to get by, and wait for my return. If I return and you have not done these things, I will be angry and you will find the extent of my power.” A little much but it should drive the point home. Don’t mess with me.

  Jasper cleared his throat. “And where are you off to?”

  Myles chuckled, “To see a man about a dragon.”

  They stood there dumbfounded as he walked away toward the barren waste lands of Drakonge. As Myles walked he found a place where a rift seemed to have been in the earth. As he looked around at the markings in the ash on the ground he saw that this was where the Great Red Dragon had stood when he had been slain. Most interesting were the markings of what seemed to be a man climbing out of the rift. There were handprints at the edge, and then the scuffing in the ash of someone dragging himself over the ground. The dragon had been defeated, but returned as Haylale. The scuff marks lead to footprints that were human-looking showing that he had pulled himself up. The footprints lead straight toward Mt.

  Drakonge. Wounded but not dead. This evil creature has crawled away to lick his wounds, and I am just the one to finish it off. Myles had tested the limits of his new found power and after trying several times to teleport strait to the Mountain and only gaining half the distance to it, he decided to give his powers a rest. He set forth walking east with determination in his eyes. As he walked he watched the terrain change from ash to green grass to desert. The air became dry and stale with a smell almost like mold. Entering the land of Drakonge was exhausting in and of itself. It seemed that the climate alone drained Myles. He walked for hours through hills of sand, around vast lakes of quicksand, tar, and lava. Upon reaching the mountain range he turned invisible. This place should be crawling with Drakoni. Yet as he approached he saw no Drakoni, though he found plenty of tracks. There was an organized formation that had left toward the east. No problem, means tall dark and evil has no protection.

  Myles was determined, but his rational side had not completely left him. Haylale was, after all, known as the Adversary of man-kind. Wounded or not, Myles wasn't sure what he would be capable of, but he buried this worry deep inside him. He pressed on towards Mount Drakonge; it was ominous to say the least. When Myles reached it, the first sun was already beginning to set in the east behind the mountain, creating a golden ring around its silhouette.

  Myles approached a giant black rock jutting out of the ground towering into the sky. He made his way around a lava pit to the front entrance where an entry way had been carved into the front of the volcano. The solid black stone doors were tall enough for a Raphad to enter with arms up to the sky. Myles pushed on the doors, which were warm to the touch, but they wouldn't budge.

  I don’t think a door will ever stop me on this world, Myles grinned. He imagined that he was incorporeal and then attempted to step through the door. As Myles anticipated, it worked. He looked around and saw that he was in a long corridor leading to a large room. It was in complete disorder. It looked as though there had been a fight, with several Drakoni bodies littered across the floor of black stone. Myles entered the room which was decorated with ornate chairs and tables made of bone and gold. The bones seemed to be from all the races of Soterion. Six flags were hung, one on each wall along with lit torches that cast eerie shadows. Each flag belonged to one of the other kingdoms, but they had all been defaced. Tar had been splattered across their fronts, and a dragon in flight, wings spread from one burned edge to the other, painted in their centers in what looked to be dried blood.

  How many different kinds of Drakoni are there? Myles walked around the room trying to discover the story behind the scene. There were snake-like Drakoni with red and gold scales and wings, small frail ones, and huge ones that were so big they could likely pick up a Raphad. There were ones that looked like wolves with emerald green eyes, horns all over, and no limbs except for a tail that had a clawed hand at its end. Myles shuddered at the memory of a Drakoni like that one biting him while he was still with the Magi. There were some that looked more human-like, and others that had nothing human about them. The only common traits among them were red scales and dragon-like features.

  Near the entrance to the hallway there were several Drakoni surrounding a larger one. It had black armor with gold trim and looked as though he had been stabbed in the back with a giant sword. All the others had broken necks. Myles took a guess that this big guy was a Drakoni Overlord and that there was another Overlord who disagreed with him on what they should do. One killed the other and had those who had sided with him killed too. Sounds like a decent explanation. Eh, I'm probably completely off.

  Myles surveyed the rest of the room and spotted two open wooden doors behind a pile of bodies. He quickly crossed the room and poked his head through the door. The vast chamber was a prison with hundreds of… cells? These cells looked almost like stalls. The ones Myles looked in had hay and a feed trough with straw beds laid out on the stone. As he approached the stalls made of bars, Myles made out the figure of a dead creature on the floor of one of them. The others seemed to be empty and open. Myles approached to examine the corpse. It looked like a Minotaur; half the size of a Raphad, but that was still a massive 13 feet tall. Its body was almost human; very muscular and covered in short fur. It had the face of a bull and huge horns. It did not seem to be injured. There were shackles and chains on its wrists and ankles. What a horrible life… to live stuck in this filthy prison inside a volcano.

  Myles heard a soft scraping noise like skin sliding against stone. He turned his head to look and there was Haylale, wearing a grey robe stained with blood in the shape of a huge diagonal cut across his body. Myles had the sense of déjà vu but couldn’t place it. Rage and fear were boiling up inside of him. When Haylale saw who his visitor was he smiled and began laughing and coughing at the same time. Myles formed a sword from thin air with his mind and stalked to where Haylale was.

  “Is something funny? Or are you just going for one last laugh for the fun of it?” Myles looked down upon Haylale with complete disgust. Haylale looked up at Myles and spoke with high- pitched mockery and sarcasm, “Oh no! It’s the big bad Myles Callaghan come to finish me off! Whatever will I do?!” Haylale started to laugh and cough again as he grabbed at his chest.

  I’m ready to be done with him. With the flick of a wrist Myles brought the sword down on the center of Haylale’s head, but the sword ricocheted and sparked as if it had hit stone.

  Haylale let out a cackle then gave Myles a serious look as he began to pull himself up to look him in the eyes. Haylale’s eyes, they were so old, an ancient malevolence so evil and knowledgeable. Myles felt a shiver go through his body but he fought off the fear until Haylale spoke. “Dear Myles, you are using the wrong weapon. If you wish to kill me… well, you just can’t.”

  Myles let out a solid side kick and was glad to feel flesh instead of stone. He kicked Haylale again and again. Haylale was forced back to another wall with giant doors. This door was cracked just a bit, and Haylale quickly got up and ran through it. Myles noted no fear in his eyes jus
t determination.

  The light of shining gold momentarily blinded Myles as he ran after Haylale. There was a stream of lava running through the middle of the open area with a ceiling hundreds of feet tall. The entire area was covered in piles of gold and treasure. The dragon’s horde!

  “You have lost your power, Haylale. I plan to take full advantage of that,” called Myles as he continued the chase. Haylale stopped running and stood in front of him at a stream of lava running through the volcano. He spread his arms gesturing to all of the treasure, “Take whatever you wish. It's yours, but leave here and do not come back.”

  “You don’t get it do you?” asked Myles in an angry tone as he shook his head. “I've got a score to settle with you. If I had realized who I was working with, I would have never gotten that sword for you. Besides, I will take whatever I want when I'm done here.” He bent over to pick up a gold coin, but it was too heavy.

  Haylale laughed, “You will not leave with any of my treasure unless I want you to.” Myles shrugged and approached Haylale. He gave him one last kick straight into the river of lava. Haylale went in with a plop, sinking quickly with no further sign of him. Myles shook his head. That was too easy. The bugger is likely not dead. But he is dealt with for now.

  Gold coins fell loose under Myles’ foot. He tried to pick one up and it lifted into his hand without resistance. He looked back to the flowing lava. No sign of tall, dark, and creepy… maybe he is dead.

  It seemed the loot was anyone’s for the taking. Myles began going through the treasure but after a few minutes he heard a splash behind him. He turned around in time to see Haylale jumping out of the river of lava. His body was glowing red like metal in a foundry. His eyes were pure light, and he moved too fast for Myles to respond. Haylale wrapped his burning arms around Myles pinning his arms and searing into his flesh. He whispered into his ear, “I am not completely powerless. I have a little left and with that… I have a present for you.”

  A dark vortex began to form in front of Myles. It was like a swirling tornado of inky blackness. Ignoring the burning he held onto Haylale tightly. In desperation he spoke the words he had heard Kasey say once, a long time ago, “In the name of Jesus Christ and in the power of his blood, I banish you from Soterion!”

  Haylale’s eyes got big for a moment but there was a touch of sarcasm in them. Haylale spoke with conviction, power, and presence, “You fool. You do not belong to Him, you belong to me! You are a liar, a cheat, and a thief of which I am King!” As Haylale emphasized the last word, he gave Myles a powerful shove sending him spiraling into the darkness of the vortex and Myles knew nothing but blackness.

  2

  Finding purpose

  The Shepherd had appeared to Kasey in her dreams many times over the past hundred years, but He had never appeared to her physically until last night. He had forbidden her from marching on the field of Epher with the armies of Soterion. That night was a time for firsts because for the first time she had argued with his orders. She argued that she had trained with angels to do battle against demons and she could greatly help. But the Shepherd wouldn’t change his mind.

  She obeyed His orders, but she was dangerously close to rebellion. She would not sit at home as the armies of Soterion gathered to fight the Dark Lord’s minions. He told her she was not to fight or march with the armies, but he didn't say anything about not watching the battle. She flew high above the battle from the north and watched from afar. Her new armor glinted with the reflection of the sun. It was plate armor like she had before but it had a red tint to it and the emblem of a phoenix on it. At first she was pleased because the armies were crushing the army of Drakoni; she even felt safe enough to fly in for a better look. But, when Mount Drakonge erupted, she soon knew the Great Red Dragon had decided to join the battle.

  With an instinctual fear, Kasey made herself invisible with one of Omar’s devices. But even invisibility did not comfort her in the presence of the most powerful enemy of all of creation. She watched frozen in horror as the Dragon approached the field of Epher. She looked down on the poor people of Soterion, wanting to help, but the Shepherd's command rang in her mind.

  For a brief moment she saw Myles and her heart skipped a beat; she had not seen him in 175 years. He was one of the most formidable fighters she had ever seen and he had gained some kind of power to teleport through the ranks of the enemy. He was single handedly finishing off the Drakoni army. Her hopes of being with him again all came crashing down as she watched him get stabbed from behind and fall unmoving to the ground. Tears streamed down her face as she closed her eyes and prayed the most fervent prayer she ever had.

  “Lord of Light, I know that Your promises hold true and I know that all things work together for Your will. You have made it known to me that one day Myles Callaghan will be my husband and You have forbid me from entering the battle. Please Lord, save his life so that he has another chance to accept You.”

  As if in answer, Kasey saw the Shepherd watching the battle from a hill in the distance. The Shepherd was focused on the Dragon as it landed, making waste of the armies of Soterion with its breath of fire faster than Kasey could have imagined. A chill went through her. Why is the Shepherd not fighting? Why doesn’t He help them? She had learned long ago that it was impossible to understand the actions of the Shepherd, but this still bothered her greatly. With a single spoken word the Shepherd could stop all of this, but instead He stood by and watched without interfering.

  The monarchs of Soterion stood on another hill on the other side of the battle. They watched the carnage in horror before riding into battle themselves. Kasey looked back to the Shepherd who was now holding the Sword of the Spirit that she had given to Matthan. Will he fight for them? Will he save them? But the Shepherd was still.

  The Kings and Queens of Soterion reached the Great Red Dragon who had seemed to wait for them. The dragon stood over fifty stories high. King Erestar was about the size of one of his claws. These men and women, these leaders of Soterion, had put their lives on the line in hopes of defeating the beast. The Dragon did not breathe fire this time. It seemed he wanted this fight to be more personal. He swiped his giant claws at them, gnashing his teeth, but the monarchs of Soterion were fast and strong. They fought with great determination.

  Even Queen Ariana, who was but a finger tall, fought with courage and used her size to her advantage. She darted into the Dragon’s ear and flew back out quickly. Suddenly that half of the dragon’s face was frozen. It must be one of Omar’s liquid Nitrogen bombs, she realized. Smart. The Magi have had such a large effect on this world. …but Kasey knew they could not win this battle. The Shepherd was holding the only weapon that would prevail against the dragon.

  Still they fought on. Queen Elizabeth shot an exploding arrow into the dragon's eye which did him much damage. This actually sent the dragon staggering back. Thanks to Omar and his Magi again, she guessed. Well, and the queen’s impeccable aim. The dragon was now blinded in one eye. Kasey began to doubt her first assessment. They were indeed winning.

  King Alagaar had climbed upon the dragon’s back while it was distracted with the others. King Erestar was attacking the dragon at its feet, chopping away at an ankle with a great sword, trying to sever a foot. King Pacal of Suchikos and King Magnus of Loefel Meren had each taken a wing and were cutting holes in them. Kasey could not believe what she was seeing. They were literally hacking him into pieces. The dragon breathed out fire and jerked violently sending King Pacal and King Magus to the ground.

  King Alagaar had made his way up the beast's neck to his head. The dragon whipped its head, trying to throw King Alagaar off, but he had wedged one of his gauntleted hands between the dragon's scales. His other hand was holding a battle axe. King Alagaar skillfully began to plunge the axe into the dragon’s head. The dragon whipped its head violently breathing fire in different directions, roaring so loud that it shook the ground, but the king kept chopping away until fire burst from the top of the dragon’s head. Ki
ng Alagaar plunged the axe in deep one more time, causing an explosion of fire, and the dragon’s body fell to the ground. Did they do it, is it even possible? To kill Satan? The Monarchs let out a cheer.

  The celebration was short lived, though, as a dragon made of fire rose from the corpse. They redoubled their attacks. King Alagaar and King Pacal charged it as Queen Ariana and Queen Elizabeth shot arrows at it. The dragon made of fire lowered its head and fire erupted from its face and eyes charring the kings and queens to the bone. King Erestar and King Magus were the only ones left. King Magus attacked it with his sword but his sword went straight through the fire that made up its body. Then it crushed him with its fire paw. Kasey noticed that King Erestar was holding no weapon. The Great Red Dragon roared at him and the King simply knelt and bowed his head. For a moment Kasey lost hope. The Shepherd could defeat the dragon but there was no one left to save from it.

  She looked to the Shepherd on the hill pleadingly. Despite her invisibility, she knew He could see her. "Please," she mouthed desperately, tears running down her face. "Do something." Whether as an answer to her or as something He had already decided to do, a blinding light shot from the Shepherd to each of the monarchs bodies. When Kasey regained her vision, she noticed that the Shepherd was no longer holding the Sword of the Spirit, and began walking towards the battlefield.

  Kasey looked back over to the dragon, and the monarchs were all standing. King Erestar stood with the Sword of the Spirit ready. The dragon lowered his gigantic head with its gaze lowered upon King Erestar and looked at him with narrowed eyes. The dragon braced himself and the smell of sulfur could be smelled even from Kasey’s vantage point. And then with a loud roar that shook the earth the dragon breathed white hot fire on King Erestar that left all it touched in flames, but when the flames and smoke cleared the King stood his ground, untouched by the fire. King Erestar jumped up with the giant blue glowing sword held in both hands and sliced at the neck of the dragon. It let out a loud roar as all of the fire dissipated and the wounded body of a man fell to the ground. The dragon had finally been defeated, and the earth opened up to swallow the man.