by Roy Huff
“Oh, I thought you knew. Anika and Owen are hosting a party for Dante to celebrate his recovery. I saw the event posted online. It’s going to be at the main conference hall. I’ve already talked to a couple of people that said they were going. From what I’m hearing, it sounds like it’s going to be kinda big. Are you okay and everything? I know you’re still dealing with your dad and all, but do you think you might wanna come?”
Zee sighed. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll probably go. Let me think about it.”
Drusilla had good reason to be concerned. Jacob had not forgotten and was indeed planning something. Odious, to his misfortune, was discovering just exactly what that something was.
“Listen up, Odious. I’m sure you know who my new parents are. If you don’t tell me what I want to know, we will destroy you, everything you value, and everything you love. We will take away your job, your home, and anything that gives you the slightest amount of pleasure. More than that, we will make sure you never work anywhere near this place again, ever! Now tell me what I want to know or your life as you know it is over.”
“You little snot-nosed kid. You think because you have a new set of rich parents that I’m just going to do whatever you tell me. If you do, you have a hard dose of reality coming. I’m not going to let you, or anyone else for that matter, threaten me. If you want the location of that container, you’ll have to come pry it out of my brain by force because I’m not telling you or anyone else unless you have a court order.”
“Listen here, you fat old man. I’m giving you one last chance to tell me where that container is or I’m going to beat it out of you.”
“I’ve had enough of this and enough of you, Jacob.”
Odious turned away from Jacob and headed towards the door.
Jacob hurried to a nearby closet and pulled out another bo staff, one that he had made just after Owen had destroyed his other one. Odious had opened the door, but before he was able to walk through, Jacob used his bo to slam the door shut.
“Now you—”
Before Odious had a chance to finish, Jacob interrupted.
“No. You’re going to hear me, really hear me, baldy,” Jacob said as he wedged the bo underneath Odious’ chin.
“I’ll suffocate you right here and now if you don’t tell me what I want to know. Now tell me the location of that container!”
Odious had grabbed the bo on both sides in an attempt to keep it from bearing down any further on his throat. Jacob continued to apply pressure with all his strength. Odious’ face started to turn purple, and then he relented.
“Okay, okay. Just get that thing off my throat, I can’t breathe.”
Jacob relaxed the pressure a little bit, and then said, “Just as soon as you tell me what I want to know.”
“All right. All right. I dropped off the container with a few other boxes at Zee’s father’s estate. That’s all I know. What Zee’s done with it now is anybody’s guess.”
Jacob backed away from Odious, who then opened the front door and rushed to his car. Jacob didn’t bother to go after him. After Odious pulled out of the driveway, Jacob said to himself, “I guess it’s time to go visit Zee.”
Less than a minute after he had left, Odious called Zee.
“Can I speak with Zee, please?”
“Speaking.”
“Zee. This is Odious. Listen carefully. I was just called over to Jacob’s place. After I arrived, he threatened and attacked me. I did my best not to tell him, but I had no choice. He knows you have the container from your father. I think he’s going to try to get it from you. I’m really sorry about this, Zee.”
“Thanks for letting me know, Odious. I’ll take care of it.”
“Who was that, Zee?” Drusilla asked.
“That was Odious. Jacob knows about the container with the liquid. He’ll probably be coming for it,” Zee replied.
“You know what? I have an idea. I’m going to call Owen.”
“What do you have in mind, Drusilla?”
“We should let Owen hold on to it for a while. He can give it to Cleophas, who can hide it someplace. I don’t know if Jacob can sense its location. With how he figured out where it was in the first place, my guess is not. Just in case, though, I think Cleophas might know a way to keep it hidden from Jacob’s mind as well.”
“That sounds like a good idea, Drusilla. Maybe we should let Cleophas store some of the other objects too, until we figure out what to do with Jacob.”
“Yeah. You’re probably right. I’ll give Owen a call right now.
CHAPTER 18:
FAMILIAR SETTINGS
“How are you, Owen? Come on in.”
“I’m good. It’s nice to see you again, Cleophas. I was getting a little concerned,” Owen said as he walked into the main entrance of the Echo Club.
“Well, Owen, there’s been a lot going on and we have a lot of things to discuss,” Cleophas replied as they opened the double doors of the second inner room of the club and walked in.
It had only been a few weeks since Owen had seen the inner room of the Echo Club, but it felt like much longer. He looked around at the tall bookcases and the objects and statues that rested atop various ornate tables. He felt as if he had more of a connection, more of an understanding of the objects and the meanings behind them.
Owen handed Cleophas the container of Professor Samil’s that Zee had given him. Cleophas pushed one of the books on the bookshelf to reveal a hidden compartment, one of many in the room. He set the container down and returned the books back to their usual position.
Owen had of course attempted to see with the container after Zee had handed it over, but the container must have been protected somehow, or so Owen thought, and he had no intention of tasting the liquid.
Owen walked over and picked up the handkerchief that Cleophas had used to help train him prior to the Fron battle. He held in his hand and let his memories take him back, just like before.
He could see Professor Samil’s thoughts traveling back and forth between Everville and Earth, but there was something else. There was purpose to what Professor Samil had done, and in spite of what he knew and what Zee had told him, that purpose didn’t seem completely evil. Owen could sense it, but he still wasn’t quite to the point where he understood everything. Still, this was something Owen was sure that Zee would be happy to hear, and something Owen needed to explore further.
He sat the handkerchief back down and said, “Whoa. I just saw something else! Something about Professor Samil.”
“Yes, Owen,” said Cleophas. “Indeed, it was Professor Samil who attempted to stop an earlier breach. He ultimately failed. He attempted to have The First Pillar help, but he was unsuccessful. There were people that assisted him twenty years ago. He told far more people than should have known, and they ultimately paid the price. My love, Dala, was one of them.
“Professor Samil’s arrogance is why The First Pillar was unwilling to help. He had made far more mistakes in his attempt than you, foolish mistakes. He was injured severely in his visit to The Valley of Darkness. His friends and those who knew about the attempt gave him far too much of their energy. As a result, they lost twenty years of their lives in a state of unconsciousness. My love Dala lost her life completely.”
“Well, I did see before that it was Professor Samil, but I saw something else this time. What I saw when I was helping the Fron in their battle, and how Zee explained he saw regarding Professor Samil’s intentions and collusion with Them, wasn’t the complete picture. I’m not sure what it means or what the whole story is, but I think we should look in to it,” Owen said with conviction.
“Owen, I’ve been doing more research, and based on what both of you have told me and what I have found, the makeshift collector and the beetles used to transfer the element had a far more insidious purpose. There may be a connection, but you are right. We should find out what Professor Samil’s full intentions were and what the other purpose of the makeshift collector was. Perhap
s it’s something you can only find out by finding The Second Pillar of Truth. For that, you will need to visit The Keeper, because there is no more direction that I can give.
“There is something else that I need to tell you. It’s about why The Keeper has called upon you to stop the breach. First of all, the whole multiverse is connected through time and space. Everville is connected to Earth and all other realms, as well. I’m sure by now you have discovered that the symbols you have seen and the symbols on the bo staves are unique to each owner. Each owner has a connection and knowledge either through themselves or their parents.
“The number of people with that connection on Earth is very small, less than a hundred. Of those people, The Keeper has sensed that you are the only person that might possess enough of the wisdom and character to understand all of the seven pillars, and that’s still a big if. All others have failed, and The Keeper has been looking since the beginning of the breach. There is no one in Everville who is able to understand all the Pillars of Truth. The most any Keeper has ever known is three. It’s up to you, Owen, not because you are special, but because you are the only one left that hasn’t been so corrupted as to be blinded to the truth.”
“Wow. I didn’t realize the situation was that bad. Am I really the only one that hasn’t been completely corrupted? What about Anika and Dante? They’ve been my friends forever and they have a lot of character, and I’m certainly not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.”
“Your friends do possess a lot of character, and that’s why you are attracted to them. But each of them has some flaw that precludes them from seeing the truth of all the pillars. Together, though, they have enough character to support you in your quest. It’s up to you to recognize their flaws and not be corrupted by them, and not just in them, but everyone else, as well. It’s true that you are not perfect, Owen, but you have an understanding of what perfect should be, and at the moment, that is all we need.”
CHAPTER 19:
SPIES
Felix, Faine, and Asher had just arrived at General Varrick’s location. Felix looked up at the Fwaylan bone cage that held Calvin and Mallory and said, “Calvin and Mallory! Calvin and Mallory!”
“Yeah, what do you want, you tiny midget?” Calvin spat.
“We came to rescue you. We think we can help you, and maybe you can help us, too,” replied Faine.
“Why should we trust you?” Mallory said with unease.
“Why shouldn’t you trust us? You were once a Fron. You know that the Ubaloo are a trustworthy race. Can I ask you? Where has helping Oldrik gotten you? You have a chance to redeem yourself and get on the right side of things, just as Elmer did. Don’t you think it would be a good idea to take it?” Asher asked.
“Elmer was a traitor,” Calvin shot back.
“A traitor to whom? To The Keeper or to Oldrik, and wasn’t Oldrik a traitor himself?” Faine retorted.
“Elmer was a traitor to both. Oldrik was a traitor just to one. That makes Elmer worse,” Calvin said.
“Let me ask you this. Do you want to stay in this cage until you die? You don’t think the giants will let you out, do you? Do you want to wait for Them to win the war, and what if Them lose, or what if the war never ends? That’s what The Keeper believes. This is a war that will never end, and the only way anyone is taking over the land of the giants is if Them win the war. Your only way out of this cage is to help us,” Asher said earnestly.
“Okay. I’m in,” Calvin said. “I don’t mind being a traitor. This cage sucks, and I’m hungry.”
“Do you switch allegiances so easily?” Mallory asked with contempt.
“Come on, Mallory. Oldrik almost killed me. He smacked you around, too. General Varrick has been nicer to us than Oldrik ever was, and we were his enemies. What good did Oldrik ever do for us? I think they’re right. We chose the wrong side of things. We shouldn’t let our pride keep us tied to the wrong side,” Calvin said.
“Yeah. The wrong side. The wrong side,” repeated Felix.
“Well, I guess you’re right, Calvin. We don’t really have much choice now, do we?” Mallory said.
“You always have a choice,” Asher said. “It’s just up to you which choice you make,” he continued.
“What is it exactly that you want us to do?” Mallory asked.
“We need you to travel with us to The City of Worms and spy on the army of Them.”
“Oh. Is that all?” Mallory said.
“Listen, you have pledged your allegiance to Oldrik. You will be able to find out what Them are planning and the location of the army. Then you tell us the location and the plans, and we can communicate that back to The Keeper so we can defeat the army of Them,” Faine said.
“That seems like a lot of risk, and what happens if we get found out? What happens if you lose?” Mallory questioned.
“What happens if you do nothing? You stay in this cage,” replied Asher.
“He does have a point,” Calvin said.
“Well, I guess we’ve done dumber things, and I am starting to miss my old home anyway,” Mallory said.
“I’m glad you’ve come to your senses. Now let’s do this thing,” Faine said.
Asher signaled to General Varrick, who opened the cage and released Calvin and Mallory.
“Borak will carry you to the tunnel beneath the monolith, and I’ll inform The Keeper,” the general said.
Borak lifted Calvin and Mallory and placed them each on one of his shoulders. Felix, Faine, and Asher climbed up on the heads of the other three, Felix on the head of Calvin, Faine on the head of Mallory, and Asher on the head of Borak. Felix and Faine held Calvin and Mallory’s slimy ears to steady themselves while Asher kept a tight grip on Borak’s hair.
“Hold on tight,” Borak said.
Borak bolted through the underground catacombs. The acceleration almost made all three Ubaloo fall off. Being triple the size of the other giants, Borak often had to duck his head as they entered new passageways. After a while, the entrance to the encampment grew large enough that ducking was no longer necessary. Once inside the larger encampments, Borak was able to leap through most of the way.
The encampments grew larger and more complex as they got closer to the monolith, which was nearly a hundred miles away. After about a third of the way, they reached the final catacomb. It had to have been at least seventy miles across and perhaps twice as long.
“I think we made the right decision,” Calvin said with a gulp as they entered the final encampment.
“The right decision. The right decision,” repeated Felix.
The Ubaloo looked about in amazement, as did Calvin and Mallory. If there was any doubt about their chances of victory, it was laid to rest when the magnitude of the giant’s feat was in full view. They now saw what Elmer had seen before his ascent up to the brutal desert above. The giants had created a massive new underground realm that was larger than anything any of them had ever seen below the surface: terrain that resembled mountain chains, plants and vegetation that were striking in color and similar to those aboveground, cities strewn across the vast landscape.
Off in the distance, Calvin and Mallory could see two gigantic monoliths. Underneath each monolith were eight tunnels, each with monstrums on both sides that had been used to help hollow out the tunnels. One monolith was for the eight realms surrounding Everville, and the second was for the lands surrounding The Other In Between. Above each tunnel was the symbol of each realm. Each symbol was carved deep into the side of the monolith and covered a diameter of a thousand feet. In the center of the first monolith was the symbol for Everville, and The Other In Between on the second.
The monoliths were each several miles high and about ten miles across. They were covered in green vegetation interspersed with brown and black areas of impenetrable rock. Each tunnel could easily fit 150 giants across and 3,000 columns of giants deep, which was about half of General Varrick’s army.
Massive encampments stood a few miles before the en
trance of each tunnel, but Borak headed for the largest encampment of them all, situated before what was clearly the tunnel which led to The City of Worms. Now clear of any restrictions, Borak began leaping into the air as high as possible.
The fiber that composed the giant’s muscles was the most resilient of all the known species, able to withstand tremendous impact and allowing them to achieve remarkable heights and speeds. Borak reached higher than a thousand feet in the air with each jump and traversed more than fifty miles in mere minutes. They were now nearing the base of the encampment leading to the tunnel.
“Borak, it’s good to see you. I see you’re carrying a few friends,” Chester, one of General Varrick’s soldiers said, standing by the tunnel entrance.
“Likewise, Chester. These friends will scout the position of the armies of Them. Escort them to the portal, they have the essence for their transport, as well as for ours.”
“Yes, Borak,” Chester replied.
Chester escorted them ahead of the army. Calvin and Mallory could now see the tremendous size of the monstrums. Several giants sat at the base of each contraption, one on each side of the tunnel. Large earthen stoves generated tremendous heat they could feel as they passed the entrance of the tunnel.
The giants were roasting several large animals in manual rotisseries. The heat was substantial, but the smell made it worth the discomfort. The juices glistened as each drop rolled down the golden brown skin of the animals attached to each skewer. The aromas reminded Calvin and Mallory of the many different types of meats usually present at the frequent Fron celebrations.
Chester looked at Calvin and Mallory’s drooling mouths, seeing the Ubaloo salivating as well, and grabbed one of the skewers. He ripped off a few pieces of meat and handed large chunks to each of them. The pieces of roasted flesh were larger than the actual size of the Ubaloo, but that didn’t seem to bother them. The Ubaloo used their muscular arms to hold the oversized meat while they sank their teeth into the succulent, tender flesh.
