"That's not what I came to see you for," growled the Rock. "We need his help, and yours!"
"We don't have to fight," said my Uncle. "We can just move on!"
"Can you take the Earth when you go?" asked April. "What will happen to all of those billions of people?"
"Not to mention the thousands of other inhabited planets that are in this things path," said the Rock.
"I'm aware of all that," said my Uncle. "I was here the last time, remember? You can't win! It's going to come through here, and kill everything!"
"No it isn’t!" I asserted loudly. "I'm going to stop it this time!"
The group grew deathly silent. Uncle Hammond hesitated, and quietly said, "You have no idea what you're saying boy! This thing is a killing machine. Billions around me fell as it stood before me! It seared my soul! To this day, the monster burns within me! It will finally stop when I die! I would save you from that!"
I felt bad for speaking back to my Uncle. He had always been very nice to me. I asked, "And what of my family?"
My Uncle gave me a helpless glance, and said, "I'm just telling you what I've seen. The Beast consumes all! All life! Even the mass of entire star systems! The best you can do, is flee before it!"
"I won't," I said. "I will die first!"
"As will I," said the Rock. He smiled at me, and I knew he was very pleased. Behind us, I heard Vandahar say, "Three Magi stopped the beast before. We are ready now. The Magi are legion, and we have finally grown powerful enough to defeat the beast."
Standing behind Vandahar, Talara quietly said, "Don't speak foolishly. You've seen what remains at the Far Point. If Carr Hammond speaks, I will listen! I suggest you all do the same!"
For a second, silence prevailed again. Then April said, "Is anybody hungry for some lunch?"
My Uncle's face lit up, and he said, "Has anyone ever told you that you are a very beautiful, young Earther?"
As April stood blushing, I said, "Uncle Hammond has very good taste! His home is wondrous! I always loved it!"
"I see you've made some improvements," Uncle Hammond noted. He smiled widely, and said, "I approve!"
We entered the house, and sat down in the front room to talk. Vandahar and April stood for a few minutes producing various foods items from Earth. Foods such as apples, pears, plums, and bananas appeared on a large table, and we all ate our fill. I would have taken a nap, but there was too much to do. No time to rest.
As we finished eating, Tersa, and another Magi stepped in. I realized the other Magi was armed, and she too was a woman.
They both started to report to the Rock. Then Tersa realized Uncle Hammond was standing next to the table covered in food. She stopped, and bowed deeply to my Uncle. I could tell that they spoke within the link, but I didn't catch what was said. Looking at me, she said, "I'm here because we need your help Kaltar! Something is happening within the deadzone!" I saw an image within the link of a world being destroyed. It seemed fine. Then it seemed to shiver, and with a huge pulse, slowly erupt, and explode.
The Rock quietly said, "What in the name of all the Gods could cause such a thing?" The question wasn't really directed at anyone. After a second, I said, "I'll go with you at once!"
"We shall all go at once!" said the Rock.
"I won't," corrected my Uncle Hammond. “I shall remain here with April."
Unable to link, April abruptly asked, "What the hell are you people talking about?"
Tersa rolled her eyes, and said, "I'm leaving." She folded space, and was gone.
I stepped close to April, and pulled her to me. She wrapped her arms around me, and said, "This is the part where you leave, and I have to wait, and just hope, you return!" I nodded yes, and she sighed deeply. For a moment, she held me even tighter. Then she looked up and kissed me. There were tears on her face, but her voice didn't shake as she quietly said, "Go get em, Kaltar!" We broke body contact, and I folded space.
I had locked on Tersa as she folded space. I followed her to a large green world halfway across the galaxy. As I stepped up behind Tersa, she reached up her hand at the sky, and said, "Scan through that quadrant of space! Look for the energy spikes!"
As I prepared, more Magi from Remaca appeared. Tersa turned to the other woman, and said, "Urla! Take Vandahar and Talara and scout the area! I want to know before the attack begins!" The three Magi started to spread out. They were pinging back and forth as they scanned the area.
I reached out in the scan, and in seconds I could see the mark of another powerful scan that had recently passed through the area. The power behind is was phenomenal, and as I followed its trail, I saw the world it was focusing on. The world fluxed slightly. I had seen this before. I knew how this would end if the scan wasn't stopped. Without thinking, I reached down to the planet's core for energy, and snapped off the alien scan out in deep space.
Within seconds, I could tell that the distant planet was stabilizing. Tersa abruptly stepped into my field if vision, and I heard her say, "Snap out of it Kaltar! They always show up when we interfere! They'll be here soon!" The Rock stepped up, and quietly spoke to Tersa.
Then the Vortex appeared!
It was a ball of light for a moment, and then the thing shifted, growing larger. In seconds, the vortex was as big as a house. The long arm of some creature came through. The beast was huge. I had seen images of sea beasts on Earth with tentacles like this. These were as big as a tall man standing, and reached far into the field searching for something.
I had a bad feeling it was looking for us.
Tersa wasn't waiting to see. She raised her right arm, and a bolt of energy shot from her hand brighter than the greatest star. The tentacle exploded, and large pieces of it fell about the opening of the vortex. The creature bellowed, and two more arms shot through the vortex. The first arm started to withdraw, and I saw Urla and Vandahar coating it in flames as it withdrew. The beast bellowed again, and the vortex opened even wider. Four more arms came through.
Beside me, the Rock yelled out, "It is a Kraken! We must withdraw!"
Already linked to the planets core. I pulled hard at the tectonic plates I knew must lay all around us. A vast opening began to form in the ground before the vortex. The beast's legs laid upon that ground, and it began to slide down into the chasm. The creature was truly huge, but the hole was even larger. Bellowing and roaring, it slipped through the vortex, and fell toward the depths of the planet's core.
Seconds ticked by, as the vortex collapsed. The gaping hole in the ground crashed, smashed, and slowly closed itself off. There was a slight amount of smoke that escaped from a small vent in the distance. Otherwise, you would never guess what had just happened here.
Tersa stepped up close to me, and asked, "Are you alright Kaltar?" Her voice was steeped in concern. The Rock stepped over, scanning me. He looked at me and said, "You're at about thirty percent! Do you wish to continue?"
"Yes!" I replied, "I see no point in postponing this! As April says, let's give em hell!"
"I don't believe April would approve of you continuing!" said Tersa. She scanned me, looked at the Rock, and said, "He should withdraw. If he goes down, we may have to carry him out under fire!"
"As I recall, it was Kaltar that carried you out last time," the Rock said. Tersa was silent, but I could tell in the link she was stressing. I was aware it bothered her that I had helped her. She was independent to a fault. I was worried for her.
"I'm sure I have much to learn from Tersa," I said, "I'm the student here! I can see you each have lessons for me to learn!"
"Does he always talk like this?" asked the girl named Urla, smiling. "I see what you mean. He's kinda cute!" I was uncertain, but I suspect they were having fun at my expense.
Tersa gave her a very nasty look, and said, "We leave in three minutes. Make one last sweep of the area! Then report back here!" Urla nodded, folded space, and was gone. The Rock seemed slightly amused, and said, "Tersa is correct. We shall withdraw for now. Each time you exercise your pow
ers, they grow stronger. You need to learn to rest and replenish your energy levels, and not overextend yourself.
I still felt we should continue, but submitted to the Rocks wishes. We waited till we were all together, and then folded space, returning to Remaca. The Rock stepped up to me, and said, "I must leave for a short while, I'll return soon!" He, and all the other Magi, folded space and vanished, leaving only Tersa to stay with me.
As we walked toward the house, Tersa stopped me for a moment, saying, "Kaltar! Is it possible you don't realize what kind of powers you're exhibiting?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
She thought for a moment, and then said, "Your energy levels are spiking far above ours. You're pulling energy right from the cores of these planets. The other Magi can't do that!"
For the first time, I began to understand. I had taken for granted this was the norm. I now realized why the Rock wanted to break off the attack. I said, "I didn't understand Tersa! I didn't mean to put the rest of you on the spot. I just wish to follow this to its logical conclusion, so April and I can be together in peace."
Tersa's mind seemed to be far away. Her eyes focused on the sky. She quietly said, "All I've ever known is war! The sound of battle, and the smell and taste of blood! I hope you find your quiet place with April. It has always eluded me!" She stood a few seconds more. Then our eyes met, and she said, "Let's go find the others!"
We almost made it across the courtyard when I saw Bitsy raise her head. She saw Tersa, and I heard the now huge beast growl as she stood up. She started moving toward us, and I heard April yell out, "Where do you think you're going, Bitsy?" The dragon stopped, and laid down. April leaned out the window, saw us, and shouted, "We're out back in the kitchen!"
Tersa and I walked through the house to the kitchen. There we found April sitting at the table talking to Uncle Hammond. They both smiled as we walked in, and April said, "Bitsy told us you both had arrived." We joined them at the table, and I could tell that Uncle Hammond started scanning me at once.
After a moment, he said, "You shouldn't allow your energy levels to drop below forty percent. Always try to hold one last good punch back!" His voice mellowed, and he quietly said, "I'm a fine one to talk! Don't listen to me! I'll get you killed!"
Tersa said, "You really are a fine one to talk, and I will continue to listen to you!" I could see her thoughts were far away. I was tempted to scan her, but decided against it. I was pretty sure it would just make her angry.
April got up, and as she walked past, she kissed me on the back of the head. I could sense in the link that she was lonely. Being here with just a few companions was probably pretty boring after being on Earth with all it's billions of people. I thought of all the places to go and see back on Earth, and then said, "Perhaps we should take a day off, and go to Earth tomorrow. It might do us all some good to get out, and get some fresh air."
"You just go ahead and have fun," said Uncle Hammond. "I'll be right here with the dragons when you get back."
"I'd like to go if I may," Tersa said. "I've never actually been to Earth."
I said that would be fine, and we all went off to get some rest. April stopped at the door to my room, and kissed me quietly without saying a word. Then she went off to bed. I shut the door, and fell asleep as soon as I laid down. I was exhausted.
Chapter 16
The Burning Car
The next day, we all met in the courtyard in front of the house, and prepared for our day of vacation on Earth. At one point, the male dragon we had named Al came up, and nudged Tersa from behind. She just half turned, and said, "Move it along buddy!" It sounded a little rough, but I noticed that as Al moved past her, she ran her hand down his back in a tender fashion, as she might a dog or horse. I thought it looked odd for a person reputed to be so coarse.
Seconds later, I took April in my arms, and we returned to Earth.
I went to my home on Earth, and it appeared neat and well kept. I suspected Cindy or Carl had been keeping an eye on the place. April said, "I'll be right back!" and she stepped out into the hall.
Tersa stepped over to the window, and looked out. She stood there for a minute, and then said, "It looks like a pleasant place." After a moment she said, "What is that?"
"It is a car," I replied. "They can't teleport, and need to get around the surface of this world."
"Wouldn't it be easier to live where everything you need is, instead of running around the surface like insects?" she asked. “Those machines will foul the planet, and kill them all given time!"
"I'm aware of that," I replied. "They have the Madness. They don't understand what is happening. The Rock has great hope they may yet be freed from the Madness. I don't know what to think of it all."
"And April has the Madness," Tersa said in a quiet, matter of fact voice. I just looked at her, and nodded without saying a word.
Right then April and Cindy came in talking back and forth. April looked at us, and said, "Carl is out of town till tomorrow, but Cindy said she would like to go with us."
We walked out the front door of the building we live in, and walked toward the place April called a park. I've always found the area to be stimulating. The day was a little cool, but as we walked along, it seemed to warm up. We had actually entered the park, and started to walk along a vast open area between trees, when I heard a man call out. It was Sam Underwood. He seemed very happy to see us, and headed straight over to talk to us.
As he stepped up, Sam shook hands with me, and said, "I'm sure glad to meet up with you. I was starting to worry I might not see you again!"
I was happy to see him, and we stood and talked for some time. As we did, I noticed that April, Cindy, and Tersa, all seemed to be standing, talking quietly. Suddenly they all laughed together as I would expect friends to. I was glad to see it.
There was a loud, prolonged, screeching noise. It ended suddenly with a sharp, loud bang. I short distance away, a car was damaged, and sat smoking in the roadway. As we started to walk closer, people began to run frantically around the vehicles. There was another whoosh, and flames erupted from the back of the vehicle. In the back window of the car, two small children could be seen.
Tersa was the first to break into a run. The rest of us were right behind her. Just as we left the park, there was another bang as a tire blew out, and Tersa reached the car. At the last second, Tersa raised her hand, and the glass in the car’s back window blew outward. Sliding to a stop next to the car, she reached past the flames, grabbed the first child, and literally slung her at me. Turning, she reached deeper into the car, snatched up the boy, and drug him out to safety.
She handed the boy to April, and turned back to the car. It was almost engulfed now. The driver, a young woman, woke up, and started to scream. Tersa turned so her back was facing the door, and slapped her hand on the glass. The window exploded, but didn't fall out. Tapping it a second time, the glass started to fall out in sections. I could see blood, and tell Tersa had injured her hand.
Reaching into the burning car, the Magi pulled hard on the door. It didn't give. She pulled again. This time, the door came right off its hinges. In one fluid motion, Tersa snatched the woman from the car, and started dragging her clear.
Other people in the crowd began helping. Off to the side, April said, "Kaltar! This boy needs help!"
I turned to find the boy not breathing. Just as I started to look at him the car exploded, rising several feet in the air, and then settling back down with a loud, metallic crash. Flames were spread around, but luckily, nobody else was hurt.
Trying to focus on the boy, I could see he was in shock. The impact had highly traumatized his upper body, and he was in a lot of pain. I took his pain, and felt it wash over me like a wave. It was hard to breath for a moment, and then it past. On the ground, the little boy’s eyes opened.
Behind me, I heard Tersa yell out, "Kaltar! This woman needs help!"
The woman had stopped breathing, and her eyes were open. She was gagging
. I could see she was in pain. Her heart was out of rhythm, and several of her ribs were crushed. Just as I went to help her, Tersa squeezed my shoulder with her hand so hard I winced. Looking up, I could see in her face she was worried. I had to be aware of my limits.
My sides ached as I took the pain from her ribs. They burned, and taking a breath was labored. As I settled her heart, blackness enveloped me, and from far away, I heard Tersa say, "I warned you!" Then I blacked out.
I woke up laying on my bed on Earth. It was so soft, and as I started to take a breath, it was with an odd mix of pain and pleasure that I laid there. April came into my field of vision, and she looked a little mad at me. She quietly said, "Tersa says you should know better than to do this stuff. If you can avoid this behavior in the future, I'd appreciate it." Then she leaned down, and very gently kissed me for a moment. As she leaned up, she said, "You're making me a nervous wreck!"
I really was in a lot of pain, but I couldn't resist saying, "I liked the part where you kissed me best!"
She stopped where she was, and slowly leaned back down, and kissed me again. Then she hovered just over me, and said, "That's two kisses, one per rescue! That's your quota for the day!" Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she said, "I love you!"
The door to April's home came open, and Cindy came in. Sam and Tersa were with her, and as April stood up and turned to speak to them, I heard Sam say, "They're all going to be fine. The medics can't figure out what happened. I'd say he saved two more folks right off the street. The guy hands out miracles like its popcorn."
"And you see what it does to him!" said Cindy. "He needs to be protected from himself! We need to do something!"
"No problem," said Sam, "Next time, you can pick who to save, the child or the Mother!"
I sat up, and said, "It is my burden to bear. You can help me, or get out of my way. Just please don't interfere."
"You can tell it to the Rock when you see him," said Tersa. "You unnerve me just watching you. It's like a running series of slow motion disasters, all tagged together one after another. I keep waiting for something in the room to explode."
The Books of Kaltar Farsara Boxed Set - Books 1 through 3 (The Kingdom Kaltar Farsara Built) Page 13
