Box Set #2: Zynn-Zaz'Zia: [The 4 book 2nd Adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood]

by Robert Iannone

  Flapping his giant wings, he made it to the Sea and with a sigh of relief, released the contraption.

  As it touched the top of the waves, a strong gust of wind hit it . . . and the poorly designed device exploded. Bl’udd was knocked unconscious and fell into the water.

  The shockwave from the explosion reached the serpents a few seconds later.

  *****

  Zazzi’s Cavern

  The Circle of Life descended and a spark shot out. Zazzi shrieked . . . not from the shock but from the news. “K’SSSS,” he screamed.

  His fiancé had been talking to Zephyr and looked up. “What’s wrong?”

  “My serpents. There was an explosion. We must hurry.”

  “Can we help?” offered the clan leader.

  “No,” said the stunned Zazzi.

  “Yes,” said K’ssss. “We may need all the assistance we can get. Take a few dozen of your strongest men and most adept nurses. Meet us just west of the Nauti village. And hurry.”

  “K’ssss, please.”

  “Let’s go, my love.” As they swam off, she called her sisters. She was able to reach Sylvia and tell her what happened.

  Chapter 10 – The Sands of Time

  The Time Castle

  The eight girls followed gray-hair Reven towards the Time Castle. They weren’t quite ready to go in but they needed to get away from the Hour Bridge so Mobius wouldn’t see them. As importantly, there was a decision to be made that required a serious discussion.

  “Let us stop here,” suggested Megg.

  Just before Aeri’elle had reached the Bridge, Sylvia had received K’ssss’ message. When she and the dragon crossed over, the girl had hurriedly told the others what had happened.

  “Good grief,” moaned Soo.

  “What is it?” asked Bl’azzz.

  “I just remembered. That contraption that Mobius stuck us in . . . Tink’rrr said it was supposed to generate power but it wasn’t designed right. When the wind kicks up, it’s going to explode.”

  “Didn’t you warn the Nauti?” asked a horrified BreeZee.

  “We were so busy trying to escape, we never thought about it.”

  The Princess turned to Sylvia. “Did K’ssss say the Nauti Village had been destroyed?” Without thinking, she crossed her fingers behind her back . . . something she had seen her volleyball teammates do on Earth.

  “No. The explosion occurred in the Endless Sea.”

  “Then no one was injured. I’m so relieved,” exclaimed the Wind’dancer.

  “Megg . . . it occurred in close proximity to the serpents nesting place. That’s where Zazzi and K’ssss are headed. They even have some Wind’dancers helping.”

  “Do you think I should go?” asked Bree.

  “No. I’ll go,” volunteered Soo. “It’s my fault.”

  “It most certainly is not. Remember, the Nauti were – are – under the control of Mobius. It is doubtful they would have listened,” said the Princess. “But, I am sure K’ssss will welcome your assistance.”

  “I’ll take her, if that’s alright,” asked Bl’azzz.

  “Yes, of course. Just avoid our ugly friend.”

  “Megg, I should probably go also. If there are a lot of injured serpents, they’ll need me and Bl’azzz to carry them to safety.”

  “Do what needs to be done.” Turning to the other two, she said, “Please give your communications crystals to Spirit and BreeZee.” The girls did as they were asked. “Very well. Go help K’ssss and be safe.”

  “Megg, we'll come back just as soon as we can. Until then, you guys watch yourselves.”

  “Do not worry about us.” However, there were now only six sisters and one of them was a captive. Worrying was probably a good thing to do.

  *****

  “So what’s the plan?” Sylvia asked Megg.

  “Well, we know that Spirit needs to be with Egg to save her from being trapped in time,” and she looked at the Thought Weaver who nodded. “That leaves four of us. One team must get into position to destroy the Forever Glass. Reven, where exactly is this device?”

  “Times Square.”

  Sylvia giggled since that was the name of the very famous place in New York where the ball came down on New Year’s Eve. “Sorry,” she apologized when everyone looked at her.

  “And the location of the Square?”

  “In the tallest tower. The very top room is . . . well, it’s square. Sitting in the middle is the Forever Glass. But, it’s protected by time traps.”

  “Such as?”

  “Can’t tell you. There are about a hundred different traps and you never know which one you’ll bump into at any given time. Sorry.”

  “Not your fault. Anyway, a second team needs to rescue Egg.” Again turning to Reven, she asked, “And where is the Chamber of Now?”

  “On the third level, in the Spire of the Clockwork Continuum. It’s the tenth door you come to.”

  “Thank you. Is there an easy way to get our friend out?”

  “Sure. Give her a minute.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Give her a minute.”

  “What does that mean exactly?”

  “It means exactly what it sounds like,” and she gave the girl an expression that was easily translated into ‘duh’.

  Not wanting to upset their host, Megg continued. “That leaves two more issues. First, we need a distraction. Reven, I believe you are the best . . . person . . . to do that.”

  “Not a problem. But one of you will have to come with me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that’s what the distraction’s going to be.”

  Made sense. No one liked the idea, but it made sense.

  “Finally, where is the best place to trap Mobius?”

  “That’s the nasty guy, I’m guessing.”

  “Correct.”

  “How far back in time do you want to trap him?”

  Megg hadn’t given that any thought. Turning to Spirit, she asked, “Any suggestions?”

  “Forty-seven years, eight months, six days, three hours and twenty-seven minutes.”

  “What, no seconds?” teased BreeZee.

  “Fifty-two seconds would be ideal but not critical.”

  “May I ask how you came up with such an exact date?”

  “It’s the day he fell in love.”

  “MOBIUS?” Sylvia covered her mouth when she realized she had just screamed the man’s name.

  “We must be quiet,” admonished the Princess. She looked at Spirit and asked, “Why would we wish to reward this evil man with an endless repeat of such a wonderful event?”

  “It was also the day that his love told him she didn’t share his feelings. He was devastated.”

  “Ah. How poetic.” Turning to Reven, she asked, “How do we trap this man in such an endless time loop?”

  “Easy-peasy. Stick him in the Time Twister, turn a few dials then press the big red button.”

  “Where may we find this Twister?”

  “The Hall of Twists and Turns . . . it’s in the basement.”

  “Spirit and Sylvia, you will rescue Egg.” The girls nodded. “Sassi, you and Bree will find the Forever Glass. When either Egg or I tell you, destroy it. Understood?” Again, the girls nodded.

  “Reven, I shall be your distraction.”

  “That’ll work.”

  “Unless there is anything else to discuss . . .” she looked at each girl in turn, “then let us finish this task. Reven, please take us into the castle.”

  “Can’t use the front door so will head for the one in back. Oh, and no talking.”

  *****

  Mobius had heard his name but could not find the source. It was a female voice . . . so the annoying little sisters were definitely here. That pleased him to no end.

  He continued to the Time Castle and stopped a few hundred feet in front of the massive doors. His objective was to somehow take control of the creature . . . Reven . . . and all the power that she posses
sed. Finding an appropriate way to have his revenge on the Sisterhood was his other goal. However, he had no real plan other than to ‘wing-it’.

  But Mobius never lacked for confidence.

  As he contemplated how he would enter the castle, a swirl of sparkly lights appeared . . . slowly coalescing into the figure of a young woman.

  “Who are you?” it asked in a very quiet voice.

  The big ugly man took a moment to stare at the apparition. He probed her with his mind and was pleased, and surprised, to find that he could exert some control over this thing. To be honest, it would only be a modest amount of gentle nudging . . . but it should serve him well enough.

  “My name is Mobius. And you must be Reven.”

  “Did Zynnia send you?”

  Oops. He wasn’t prepared for that question. Oh well, time for his first lie. “Of course.”

  “Do you wish to travel in time?”

  Very, very interesting. The legends and the silly serpent were right. “I do. But before that occurs, Zynnia would like you to explain the workings of your Time Castle to me.”

  “Why?”

  “She was too busy to do it herself. Zynnia felt you would be an excellent teacher. Was she wrong?”

  “Zynnia is never wrong.”

  “Of course not. Please be so kind as to invite me in so we can get started.”

  *****

  They slipped inside through an old wooden door that obviously hadn’t been used in untold number of years. The hinges were rust encrusted and it took a mighty effort by Megg and Spirit to push it open. It groaned, screeched and squealed so noisily that they were sure the awful sounds could be heard all the way back on Aerianna.

  Once inside, they tiptoed to a small balcony that overlooked a great hall. “Over yonder is the staircase that leads to Time Square,” whispered Reven. The girls looked where she pointed.

  “Sassi, BreeZee . . . good luck,” said the Princess.

  “And to you,” answered Sassi. They slipped away as quietly as mice.

  “And up there is the Chamber of Now,” and she pointed toward the ceiling.

  “How do we get up?” asked Sylvia.

  “That staircase.” and the Time Construct pointed again.

  Sylvia looked at Spirit who nodded. “Okay, here we go. Good luck, Meggy.”

  The Princess grinned and said, “Smell you later.”

  “What?”

  “I heard a teammate on Earth use that expression. Since Egg is in deep doo-doo, I thought it was appropriate.”

  “Wow, you are too much,” but Sylvia gave her a quick hug anyway.

  “I didn’t understand any of that,” said Spirit as they moved off.

  “Remind me to explain it to you when this is over.”

  Megg waited ten minutes to give the others a chance to reach their objectives. “Well then, Reven, I believe it is show time.”

  “What time?”

  “Show . . .,” but she didn’t finish. Down below, in the great hall came Reven of the Here and Now. Just behind her was Mobius. Egg’s plan had worked so far. “That is the gentleman we need to trap.”

  Old Reven stared at him with interest. “Kind of ugly, isn’t he?”

  “Inside and out. Be that as it may, it is time to bring a bit of chaos and confusion to these hallowed halls.”

  “Anybody ever tell you that you talk gibberish?”

  “On occasion. Let us go.” and they stood up. Per their agreed upon plan, the Princess yelled, “You will unhand me this instant.”

  Both Mobius and his Reven looked up startled.

  “Why is there another of you?” he asked.

  “Don’t be insulting.” To Old Reven, she called “What are you doing here. It is forbidden.”

  “Look what I found,” and Meggy stepped forward.

  “Bring her down.”

  *****

  “Oh my.”

  “You okay?” asked BreeZee.

  “I am now, but I won’t be for long. Look,” and she pointed up . . .

  “Wow . . . that’s a lot of stairs.”

  “Yeah, it is. Okay, let’s go.”

  “Um . . . Sassi?”

  “Yes?”

  “There’s more than enough breeze in here for me to sail up there.”

  “Really? Then, go. I’ll catch up as soon as I can.”

  “No, silly. I can take you with me. I only meant – should we? Reven, one of them anyway, might see us.”

  Just then, they heard Megg scream ‘unhand me’. “That’s not going to be a problem. I think our Princess will keep them all nicely occupied. So, how do we do this?”

  “Take my hand,” and she did. “Okay, relax. Here we go,” and with her wings fully extended, the very slight breeze started to lift them gently skyward.

  “Next to flying with Egg, this certainly is enjoyable.”

  “I guess. To me it’s the same thing as walking . . . just something that comes naturally.”

  “Well, I think it is wonderful.” A few seconds of silence passed then the green-skinned girl asked, “I’m late to this little adventure. How are we going to destroy the Forever Glass?”

  “With sound.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t ask me to explain. All I know is that we have a . . . um . . . what’s it called . . . oh, a tuning fork. When you twang it, it vibrates.”

  “And?”

  “Sassi, supposedly when it vibrates, it sends out a sound that will make the Forever Glass vibrate. After a minute or two, it will shatter.”

  “Why?”

  Bree smiled. “Because.”

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “It’s the only one I’ve got. So . . . tell me about your daughter.”

  *****

  Spirit and Sylvia had an easier time of it. The Spire of the Clockwork Continuum was almost as tall as the tower leading to Times Square . . . but they only had to climb three floors.

  They reached their destination quickly and found the tenth door. It was marked with a big X. Sylvia tried to open it with no luck. “Okay, now what?”

  “Why are you asking me?”

  “Cause you’re the one that can see the future.”

  “Only a few times in any given day. I must wait until Egg makes her faithful decision so that I can try and save her. If I use my ability now, then she will most certainly be lost in time.”

  “Sorry, I knew that.”

  “What were Reven’s exact words, do you remember?”

  “Sure. She said ‘give her a minute’.”

  “Egg is stuck in her ‘now’ – the instant she was put in this room. So . . . “

  Sylvia finished the thought. “So if we give her a minute, then she’ll no longer be in her ‘now’. I’m guessing her time out would be over.”

  “That’s very good reasoning. I actually had no idea how to finish my sentence.”

  “Really?”

  “Truly.”

  “Okay then,” said Egg’s Feminion, feeling more Feminion-like. “How do we give her that minute?”

  Spirit stared at Sylvia then did a very un-Thought-Weaver like thing – she stuck out her tongue which caused the other girl to giggle.

  “Let’s look around. There’s got to be something here we could use.”

  *****

  Old Reven escorted the Princess to the room below and to where the Here and Now Reven waited . . .

  As she always did, she asked the newcomer “Did Zynnia send you?”

  “Yes, she did.”

  “Let me handle this,” interrupted Mobius as he used his mental influence of the Time Construct. “Zynnia did not send her. She is one of a band of seven troublemakers from my world.”

  He tried to enter the Princess’s mind but of course, he couldn’t. “What is your name? I don’t remember you.”

  “I am called M’egg-Alynnia.” The girl stared at her mother’s archenemy with fascination . . . and a touch of fear. The history books, and Egg’s diary, did not do this m
an justice. His evil nature simply oozed out of him, causing her skin to crawl with revulsion. This moment in time would be forever etched in her mind.

  “You must be a new member of Egg’s little social club. Eliminating you won’t be as satisfying since you’re not one of the original seven. But, I will get over my disappointment. Reven, would you be so kind as to send this child back in time . . . a million years would do nicely.” He wanted to see how it was done so he wouldn’t need Reven’s help when he wished to do it to others.

  At a nod from the Here and Now Reven, the same two ghostly versions of herself materialized out of nowhere and grabbed the girl. “Do as he asks,” she commanded.

  Chapter 11 – The End of Time

  “WAIT,” cried Old Reven.

  “What is it? Why are you still here?” asked her nasty younger self.

  “I’m going. But, could I ask a favor?”

  “No.”

  “Please.”

  “Oh, alright. What is it?”

  “Let me send the girl back in time. I have nothing to do all day, every day. It would make me feel useful once more.”

  “Only if you promise to leave right after. I never want to see your horrid face again. Do I have your word?”

  “Absolutely. I promise you’ll never have to gaze on this gray head again.”

  “Fine. Release her,” and the Princess was let go.

  Mobius, being the ridiculously smart guy that he was, had figured out why there were multiple Revens. “I will accompany her. I don’ trust that she can do this without supervision.”

  “Agreed. Take care of this,” and she floated away at the evil one’s mental suggestion.

  With a big smile on his very ugly face, Mobius turned to the Princess and said, “My dear, your time is up.”

  “The history books of Aerianna tell us that Mobius had one fatal flaw – he was overly arrogant. Apparently a few years on a spaceship did not cause you to rethink such a foolish attitude.”

  “Your little sister was lucky. It won’t happen again. Now move.”

  “As you wish.”

  They walked to the far corner of the great room. Almost hidden from sight, inside a dark alcove, was a door that led to the basement stairs. Realizing that Egg and the others probably could not find their way without help, Megg took off her scarf and, in a pretend fit of anger, balled it up and threw it on the floor.