by Dan Knight
~~~~~~
The warlock was under the couch. Keep him there!
Jack levitated over the fallen chairs and scattered debris. He dodged the warlock’s bolts and the legs of overturned tables. He landed on the couch and pinned the warlock to the floor. Straddling the couch, he once again gazed into the sickly visage of Evan Labe. He aimed his fist at the warlock.
“Give up, or so help me, I’ll blast you!”
“Who is your master?” Nimrod yelled with the air of one used to power. “Answer me, and I may yet allow you to serve me!”
“Who are you? Why are you luring dwarves into your little death cult? How are you brainwashing them?”
“So many questions and so many answers you have given me.”
“Are you Evan Labe?”
The warlock smiled. He flicked his hand the way one flicks at an annoying gnat.
The couch catapulted across the room throwing Jack backwards head over heels. He crashed into an end table. Ouch! I’ve got to think of a better spell for shields.
Jack levitated. A bolt flew past him, and the end table exploded. Magic! He thrust out a fist, and fired a lightning bolt. The bolt struck an appetizer tray and ricocheted.
A desk struck him and he slammed into a wall. He landed behind the bed and the table dropped on top of him. He cast the table off, and it crashed into a wall. He rolled away and crouched. He fired a bolt at the warlock and renewed his shields. He took cover behind the headboard and fired three more lightning bolts in rapid succession.
The flashes blinded the warlock. Thunderclaps made it difficult to follow his prey. “Keep moving!” Nimrod shouted, “I love playing whack a mage!”
Is he immune to my lightning bolts? Jack fired at the warlock.
The warlock returned a volley at Jack. His gaze flitted over the turntable, the carpet, and the fireplace searching for his staff. “I’ll hit you yet, Clay!” He fired another round.
“Where is Evan Labe?” Jack yelled.
The warlock whirled on Jack. His robe revealed swim trunks and knock knees. Nimrod loosed a bolt, and the headboard exploded.
Jack rolled over the bed.
“Evan Labe rots in hell!” The warlock thrust his fist at Jack and fired a kinetic bolt.
The blow struck Jack in the breast. He was tossed backwards and lost his breathe. Fighting for air, he summoned magic and inhaled. His chest burned as air flowed back into his lungs. Fear and anger accelerated his pulse. He renewed his shield and deflected the warlock’s next thrust.
The warlock pounded the air with his fists. Bolts pummeled Jack.
The warlock struck again, and his bolts went wild. The blasts smashed the windows and drummed the walls.
Jack fired again and leapt into the flash. He steadied himself and fired again.
The warlock withered under Jack’s bolts. His cloak spat electric sparks as the threads snapped. The bolts singed and frayed the sash. The cloak fell open, and a bolt struck the warlock in the belly.
“You are outmatched!” The warlock snatched at his robe and screamed, “You cannot defeat me!” He waved at his turntable and levitated the trays, tools, knives, forks, and shattered glass. He flicked his wrist, and launched the sharps and flatware at Jack.
Jack ducked under a Mediterranean coffee table. Junk flew over his head. The breeze made his neck prickle. Junk crashed into a window. Knives shot holes in the window. Trays bounced off and rolled away. A bottle of wine struck the window and it burst. Glass shards showered Jack. He flinched and covered his face, but the glass bounced off his shield.
Looking up, he peeked over the top. He searched for the warlock. A barstool propped up his hiding place, but the warlock was nowhere to be seen. The suite was ransacked. Windows were shattered. The recliner had toppled off the turntable. Furniture was overturned, and the bar was smashed. The billiard table was a ruin.
“Dimrod!” Jack tried to provoke the warlock. “Dimrod!”
“Shotgun!” Feathers fluttered over the bean bag. “Shotgun? Are you all right?”
Shotgun emerged from behind the billiard table and pointed out a window. The dwarf seemed composed, but his face was ashen. “He flew away, boss.”
“Flew? How?”
“He didn’t use a jetpack, if that’s what you’re asking.” Shotgun waved his arms. “Hate to break this to you boss, but he levitated the way you do. Magic, it has to be magic.”
“All right, Nimrod is magical. So he can use telekinetic magic to fly. If Evan’s a mutant, why become a monster? I’ve never met Evan, but I can’t believe he’s a serial killer auditioning for the role of global despot.”
“Boss, why ask about Evan Labe? When we catch up to the Black Dwarf, let him have it.”
Jack looked pained. “He mesmerized the dwarves. He tried to mesmerize us. I don’t know why we were immune to his gaze, but I am sure that’s how he turned the dwarves into zombies. Maybe Evan’s possessed. I can’t kill Nimrod if Evan’s still inside! If Evan’s possessed by magic or technology, can we exorcise Nimrod and save Evan?”
“Face it boss, that thing’s not Evan Labe. I don’t know anything about demons, and I don’t know why Nimrod resembles Evan. I can’t explain it, but that thing not Evan Labe. I never met Evan, but I’m a black dwarf. I’m even a criminal black dwarf. I’m as bad as they get, and all I wanted was my genealogy. Evan was a mild mannered geek. He was a nice kid with a lonely heart and an interest in computers. He’s not a sociopathic warlock with awesome magical powers! I don’t know what Nimrod is, but I do know that thing we fought is not Evan Labe. He’s a monster.”
Shotgun’s right. Jack sighed. “I want to save Evan if I can.”
“I’m sorry about Evan, but I know what happened. He went to New Gem. Just like the girls, he hoped the chop shop would make him irresistible and give him a new life. They slipped him a mickey the way they did me, and he blacked out. They didn’t mesmerize him, and they didn’t kill him. They turned him into that thing!” Shotgun grimaced. “I know you don’t believe in it, but I’m sure Evan’s on the other side.”
“The other side of what, Shotgun?” sighed Jack. “The afterlife?” he shook his head. “Is there an afterlife? And if there is, is Evan in heaven or hell? Nimrod said he’s rotting in hell.”
“Don’t believe what Nimrod says,” Shotgun looked around nervously. “Nimrod’s a murderer. He’s probably a liar too. I don’t know anything about an afterlife, but I can’t believe this is all there is. What jerk would do this people? I can’t believe Evan is just gone. And I don’t think he’d go to hell for making a mistake.”
“Good reasoning, Shotgun. You’re a good man among you’re other talents. I would remind you though that I’ve never shot anyone before with the intent to murder them.”
“Nimrod’s not under a spell, boss. What he used on Evan isn’t the same. It can’t be. Nimrod has magic like yours. His dwarves aren’t volunteers and this is no cult. They fight without motivation or inspiration. He’s turned them into zombies somehow. Whatever he used on them, it’s some kind of magic. Get that through your head, Jack.”
Pounding interrupted them. “We’re going to have company soon.”Shotgun glanced at the Chinese doors. “What about the blondes?” Shotgun hooked a thumb at the doors. “We have to rescue all of those dwarves. What if this Nimrod guy makes it to the airport? What if he mesmerizes all of the dwarves we’ve stunned? He’ll attack Nodlon and start a war with Mars. Think of the dwarves. Think of Nodlon. Think of Mars. Murder is taking a life for no reason. Taking Nimrod’s life will save many others. I wish you’d get over it before he kill’s again.”
“Black dwarves, Shotgun, you’re a genius.”
“Yeah, I know.” Shotgun sighed, “But what did I say?”
“The staff!” said Jack. “Nimrod summoned whirlwinds with it. He’s formidable without his staff, but he didn’t muster a whirlwind after he lost it. If we can find the staff, maybe I can use it. It might be the advantage we need
.”
“I tossed it off the tower, boss.” Shotgun’s shoulders drooped. “You tried to throw it out the window, so I threw it over the rail.”
“Let’s go after it. We can’t let him find it.”
“If he finds it, I don’t think it will work too well.” Shotgun held out the stone, “I took the stone out of it, just in case.”
“Good thinking, you’ve just earned your bonus for the week.”
“Oh, thanks.” Shotgun brightened. “What if he has a spare though?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Jack navigated through the debris. He checked the patio. Not seeing the warlock, he stepped out and peered over the rail.
“Sorry boss, I threw the staff pretty hard. It’s probably in the lagoon.”
The lake glittered in the setting moon. The boardwalk circled the base of the tower, and continued along the beach to the north. A deck overlooked the lake.
“Shotgun, we’re in luck. Look!”
“What? I don’t see anything.”
“See! A thin line on the deck?”
“No.”
“We’re about to find out what it is.” He cast a tether on the line. It leapt off the deck and flew into the air. After a second, he caught it.
“Nimrod’s staff!” The head of the staff was shattered. The arms of the Valkyries were smashed, and the rod itself was bent slightly just below the head.
“Look there, we can reset the stone and see if it works.” He held out a hand. “Let me have the stone, and I’ll repair it.”
Shotgun tossed him the stone, and he slipped it into the Valkyries’ arms. “Don’t look.” He cast a lightning bolt and smelted the arms. He cast an ice bolt and chilled the arms. He alternated magic until the lovely warriors enfolded the stone. “Hardly worse for the wear, Shotgun. Now to try it.”
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“For what I have in mind right now, it doesn’t need to work.”
Jack walked back to the patio door, “Stay here in case this doesn’t work.”
Taking advantage of the suite’s high ceiling, he levitated over the debris field and landed near the shattered bed.
Jack twirled the staff, and the rod glowed. “It’s working all right! It’s a manna booster, Shotgun, I can feel the energy.” He blasted the bed. It flipped off the door, flew across the suite, and smashed a window with a satisfying crash. He marveled at the ease with which it flew. “It’s an amplifier, Shotgun! I don’t know how it works, but the energy level is incredible!”“Maybe this is the break we hoped for?” Hope buoyed the dwarf’s spirits, and he bounced on his toes. “If Nimrod doesn’t have a spare staff, we can stop him now!”
“We’ll try, Shotgun!” He faced the Chinese Zodiac. “Starting now!” He thrust the staff at the doors and flung them open.
Orpheus
Blondes mingled in the hall. Their weapons were slung over their shoulders. Many held their heads in their hands, a few cried, and others wept and moaned. Blondie treated the wounded, and Delilah tried to comfort them.
All of them started when Jack threw open the doors. Many flinched, and several yelped. One nervous blonde buried her head between her knees. They stared at him. None raised a weapon, and they all looked to him for direction.
Jack held up the staff, and cast an illusion of a Chinese dragon. The dragon sailed down the hall and all the blondes looked up. One gasped, “It’s the Dragon Lord!”
“Master Nimrod has lost his mind and turned traitor,” Jack pitched a whopper. “Now I am in charge.
“Blondie, Delilah, come here.” Unquestioningly obedient, the two blondes stopped working. They hopped over their compatriots and jogged up to him, and saluted.
“We haven’t got time for formalities. Set all weapons to stun, and lead all the blondes to the airport, and keep them safe. The invasion is off, and we must stop Nimrod from mesmerizing any dwarves and starting a war. Any dwarves who serve Nimrod are accomplices to the spies and must be stunned. Do you understand?”
Compliantly the dwarves nodded. Under Nimrod’s spell, they lack the will to resist my commands! They readily accepted new orders.
“Nimrod fled up the side of the tower. Where is he going? I thought we were on the top?”
“Captain,” said Blondie. “Above us is the laboratory, and above that is the roof deck. That’s where Master Nimrod docks his ornithopter.”
“A lab? What’s a lab doing above a penthouse?” Jack raised an eyebrow.
“It’s a restaurant, sir, or it was. It’s a lab now. After we restored power to the castle, we converted it into the lab.”
“Why would he go there?”
“I don’t know, sir.” Blondie withdrew, and she trembled. “The lab is Master Nimrod’s inner sanctum. I’ve never seen the inside.”
Suspicious, Jack probed the pretty little dwarf. “Why haven’t you been in there? What’s he up to?”
Blondie shook her head. Her pony tail bounced. “Sergeants go in sometimes, but only officers come out.” She looked at him puzzled. “Now that you mention it, sir, the dwarves who come out are always different.”
“Different?” Jack glanced at Shotgun. “Blondie, does any officer remember you after going into the lab?”
“No, sir,” she shook her head. “They’re officers and they don’t speak to us.”
“Now I understand,” Jack nodded. “I think I do anyway. Is there any way we can get up there?”
“The lab has its own lift.” Blondie frowned, “You can only get up there from the lobby.”
“Is there any way in from the roof deck?”
“I don’t know, but I think so.”
“Got it,” Jack swung the staff. “Thank you girls. Now get all of the dwarves out of here. If any resist, stun them. They may be confused, but take them with you. They’ve been mesmerized by the spies. Whatever happens, don’t let Nimrod look anyone in the eye. Don’t fail me. Got that?”
“Yes sir,” they said in unison.
He dismissed them and turned away.
“Sir,” said Blondie.
Jack looked over his shoulder.
An expression of concern drew itself on Blondie. She gave him the googly eyes. He had seen it before many times on love struck groupies.
“Blondie, we haven’t got time for this,” said Jack. “Get out of here now!”
“Watch out, sir! They say there’s a monster up there. I’ve heard it steals your soul.”
“All right, Sergeant! Now, go!” What now? Is there a monster? Should I believe her?
“Do be careful!” She dropped her gaze and turned away.
“I will Blondie, now go!” Without another word, he ran through the Chinese doors, flew over the debris, and rejoined Shotgun on the patio.
“Blondie and Delilah are taking the dwarves to the airport.”
“Good, they can handle it.” Shotgun stuck his index finger up to the sky. “If we can handle Nimrod, they may have a chance. We can’t let him escape! What are we going to do?”
“Fly,” Jack gripped the damaged staff. “Hang on. He’s got an ornithopter on the roof if he hasn’t taken it.” Jack levitated the dwarf and up they flew. “Don’t look down!”
They soared off the penthouse patio and over the boardwalk several floors below. “Too late, boss,” Shotgun felt sick. “Don’t run out of magic, I’m too young to die.”
Above the penthouse, windows interrupted the tower’s gothic architecture. Heavy curtains covered the windows.
They passed the windows and the tower opened onto a deck. Rough cut beams supported a roof that soared up to a crow’s nest topped with a flag. Tables and chairs were shoved aside to clear a landing space. An ornithopter perched on the lip of the deck.
“Nimrod’s ornithopter!” said Jack. “We’re in luck, he hasn’t got away yet.”
“Oh, lucky, a psychotic warlock gets another chance to kill us.” Shotgun rolled his eyes.
>
Jack landed near the ornithopter. The aircraft was a creamy white with silver and black stripes. She had the sleek lines of a bird of prey. He studied the cleverly folding wings and feathered ailerons. The Black Dwarf’s logo was stenciled on the wings.
“She’s a Fedayeen model, I think.” The retractable boarding ladder was extended. He looked at the plate on the bottom rung. It read, “Frank Flight Sales and Service.” He handed Shotgun the staff, “Hold this and keep an eye out.” He climbed up the ladder to look in the cockpit.
“That’s why I’m here.”
The convertible was open. The roof was stowed in the boot behind the back seat.
“She’s a beauty,” Jack whistled. The little hot rod was the latest in aeronautical engineering. A quick glance told him she afforded all the amenities desired by a connoisseur of personal aircraft. The dash sported a concealed wet-bar for the well-to-do playboy, and the back seats provided individual vids for the kids.
“How can this guy afford an ornithopter?” Shotgun huffed, “Aren’t they a wee bit rare?”
“Simply stole her, I’d say.” He admired the instrument panel, communications, and power controls. Thinking back to his instrument flight training, he recognized most of the navigation instruments. The joystick and the pedals, though, were all but unrecognizable.
“Almost all pilots take an anti-gravity rating,” he said. “Anyone can fly machines equipped with levitators. A small core of purists and hobbyists prefer real aircraft. A few even believe levitrons emitted by gravity waves from the levitator cores cause cancer, psychotic transition,” he paused and grinned at Shotgun. “And falling home values.”
Jack smiled and shook his head. Why do people believe such nonsense? He lacked any obsession with non-existent waves, or any interest in obsolete technologies. He had not bothered to learn how to fly any of the many niche market aircraft. Nonetheless, he admired brilliant engineering and fine craftsmanship when he saw it.
“Very funny Jack, but Nimrod’s coming back and he won’t be very happy.”
Jack did a fireman’s slide, and dropped to the deck. “She’s a beauty, but I can’t fly her. Fortunately, we can fly magically.”
“Can you sabotage her?”
Jack looked back at the ornithopter and felt a tinge of regret. “No, I didn’t think it was necessary.” You know it is! “It’s like destroying a stain glass window.”
“Jack, think of Nodlon, and blast this baby off the deck.”
Heaving a sigh, Jack stepped away from the ornithopter. The flying machine was tethered to the deck, and she faced a newly cut gap in the railing. I’ll blast the anchors and let her roll off the deck. He found an anchor, but it was a simple buckle clipped to a recessed bolt.
“Unbuckle the anchors, and I’ll push her off.”
He released the anchors on his side, and Shotgun released the anchors on the other side.
Silently, he apologized to the spirit of Saint Louis and summoned his magic. He twirled the warlock’s staff, and blasted the ornithopter with a whirlwind. The magical wind lifted the ornithopter.
Designed for flight, she almost flipped over, but she slammed into the deck’s roof first. A few rafters snapped and dropped to the deck. Her front wheels missed the edge, and she slid off the deck. Her nosed dipped, and her tail flipped off the deck. She tipped over and her tail slapped the roof. The impact gouged a bite out of a beam, and she fell.
They ran to the edge and watched. She clipped the tower and flipped over. Her tail smashed into the tower’s lower roof and she stopped. She poised on the roof as if considering whether to perch on the roof or allow gravity to do its will. Slowly, she bowed towards the freakish statue of the Black Dwarf, and her nose hit the roof. She slid off the roof, flipped upside down, and dropped out of sight.
She left behind a gaping hole in the roof.
“Good enough?” Jack rubbed his hands together.
“Sure, boss. Never destroy tomorrow, what you can destroy today.”
“Ha, yes. Nothing like creating an old chestnut to set the mood before facing one’s doom.”
“What’s our next move?”
“Into the belly of the beast!”
He made for a wrought iron railing in the middle of the deck. He used the staff to part a path. He gave it a thrust and blew the wicker and tables out of the way.
The rails led to a staircase. Rustic beams and brick reflected the faux gothic theme.
They tried to descend quietly, but their footfalls echoed against the brickwork. The stair took them to a hall. The hall divided the floor into a lounge and a restaurant. The lounge faced the courtyard, and the Black Dwarf’s statue. An image of a red dragon floated inside his crystal ball. A pair of lifts faced an unmanned podium flanked by archways leading into the restaurant. Ogres in shining armor guarded the arches from alcoves. Above the arches, a sign read, “The Black Wharf.”
Plank doors with dragon handles and iron straps blocked the arches.
Jack motioned to an alcove, and Shotgun took shelter with an ogre holding a pike. The dwarf unslung his lightning gun and checked its power settings.
He faced a door and concentrated. He thought of a set of spells which might be effective weapons. Mortal combat! That’s not what magic’s for! Yes, it is today! I’ve got whirlwinds, levitation, ice balls, and lightning bolts. I can use my kinetic cannon to avoid killing anyone. He patted the pistol in his breeches. You can stun them if it’s got any power left.
Try a whirlwind! Jack thrust the staff at the arches and blasted the doors. The iron cooping cracked and the whirlwind sundered the doors. The hinges burst. The planking collided with devastating effect. The shock split cooping and the planks rattled on the rivets. The whirlwind peeled planks off the cooping and propelled them into the lab. Planks struck machines and dwarves alike.
Jack levitated through the doors, and quickly assessed the battlefield. A mad scientist’s dream sprawled across what once was an elegant restaurant. Tools, chemicals, lab benches, robots, and racks of electronic gear jammed the one-time dining room. Magnetos, transformers, and dynamos sparked and hissed.
In the center of the lab, a monstrous contraption of otherworldly design stood upon a stage. It towered over everything in the lab. Electronic eyes covered its head, and antennae sprouted from its crown. Super, just what I need! A goliath class robot! An iron man from the days of yore! Cables and tubes ran from the giant to racks of machines and smaller robots. The robots encircled the giant robot and formed a high-tech Stonehenge. Columns of wire and cables ran up its core and ended in arms and wings festooned with clamps and probes.
The mechanical monster loomed over a pair of operating tables. What kind of gruesome experiments are going on here?
Stunned dwarves sprawled in an open circle about the robot. The rest ran for cover. They’re all captains and sergeants!
Dwarves broke cover and fired their blasters. Lightning bounced off his shield and struck the machines. Robots squealed as the voltage fried their mechanical brains.
He aimed for the racks and fired a whirlwind again. Racks fell into each other, and instruments flew willy-nilly.
Stricken dwarves hit the floor. Others dove for cover.
A gangly dwarf snatched up a pair of lighting blasters. He tossed these to a burly dwarf, and the fat one jumped behind a tesla generator.
Jack twirled the staff and fired a lightning bolt at the generator. Sparks flew. He twirled it again, and cast a telekinetic blast. He ripped the machine off its pad, and dashed it against a wall.
Cables snapped. Flames and sparks exploded from the racks. Smoke filled the demonic lab with an acrid stench. A magneto whined and showered the dwarves with sparks. Dwarves scrambled for safety behind the robots.
A few fled out the archways.
In the hall, Shotgun’s weapon crackled as quickly as the dwarves ran from the lab. Stunned sergeants fell. The captains took to the stairs and fled for their lives.
A red dwarf caught his foot in a cable and struggled to escape. Jack cut it with a snap. The dwarf staggered out of the lab, and Shotgun stunned him.
Jack advanced to find more targets. He entered the ring of robots. Several brandished tools and tried to bludgeon him. He twirled the staff, and a whirlwind whipped around the room and blasted robots apart. The giant stood silently above the operating tables unmoved and unfazed by the melee. He checked the giant, but it appeared to be off.
He examined the operating tables. They were bolted to platforms suspended from hoists. The hoists were mounted on the ceiling vault. The tables had a roll bar to strike the kick plates on trap doors in the ceiling. Each hoist was ready to lift its table through its trap door.
The burly dwarf leapt over an operating table. He leveled the two lightning blasters at Jack and blazed away. Bolts ricocheted off Jack’s shield, striking dwarves, robots, and machines alike. Electric thunder ripped the air. Flames shot from the electrocuted machines. Greasy smoke billowed into the vault. The acrid stench of ozone and burnt plastic filled the theatre. Robots squealed and their animatronics jerked as the bolts struck.
Shotgun returned fire from the archway. He aimed at the source of the bolts and fired into the smoke.
Jack twirled the staff and thrust it at the burly dwarf. The fat dwarf blew into a roll bar and back flipped. He dropped his blasters and slammed into the goliath with a death defying crash. The robot sparked and spat the dwarf back onto the roll bar. He bounced off the bar like a jelly mold and his legs went under the bar. He landed flat on the operating table. The table knelt on its springs and launched the burly fellow into the air. He back flipped again and landed face down onto the floor.
“Ouch! Bet that hurt!” Jack spotted a live robot in the smoke.
It tried to whack him with something like a dentist’s drill. He threw a whirlwind at it. Mounting bolts popped and the robot toppled over. It slammed into another robot which let out a high pitched whine. The machines fell into a cabinet. Glass smashed. Acids poured over the robots sent up a fume. The cabinet toppled into an instrument shelf and tools rolled off. Drills, scales, and screwdrivers cascaded over the dwarves cowering behind the cabinet.
Dwarves screamed in terror, and not a few broke into a rant of curses. Around the lab, cries went up as they called to Nimrod. Alarmed robots clicked and buzzed for attention.
Jack spun the staff and launched a whirlwind. It struck at a bench loaded with arcane experiments. Gurgling pots, boiling up troubles flew into the air. The whirlwind tossed instruments and chemicals into the machines. Bubbling liquids spewed over dwarves and machines.
Fallen robots beeped and whirred. Calculators hissed and sizzled. Computers hummed and tried to complete their assigned tasks.
More dwarves darted for the exits only to be stunned by Shotgun. Dwarves yelled, and fired their weapons in wild fear. Bolts struck friend and foe alike. Those that found their mark, bounced off Jack’s shields and shattered upon the smoldering ruins.
The trap doors flew open and a wind extracted the smoke. The rush of fresh air enflamed the smoldering machines and flames burst from the fallen robots.
Startled, Jack gripped the staff and prepared for a counter attack.
The smoke cleared and a figure stood on an operating table.
Nimrod’s here!
As cool as a cucumber, Nimrod casually flipped his new cloak over his shoulder. Silver fire glowed from his cloak. He put his hands on his hips and rested an immaculate boot on the goliath in the center of the lab. He struck a cocky pose and peered down his nose at Jack.
Nimrod looks like he stepped out of a make-up trailer! Nimrod’s appearance bewildered Jack. Where did he go? A day spa?!
From his perch, Nimrod commanded the lab. Dwarves called to him for aid. Fires burned and warning lights flashed, but he ignored these distractions.
“Back again?” Nimrod sneered. He gestured at the suddenly quiescent lab and smirked. “What death wish drives you to this madness?”
“It’s over Nimrod,” yelled Jack. You sound a bit nervous old fellow. Confidence! Overwhelm him with confidence!
“Is it?” Nimrod lifted his nose.
“I’ve got your staff and I know how to use it!”
“Do you, Phaedra’s son?” He gave Jack a coy leer. “Do you really? You don’t sound too confident.”
“I think I’ve got the hang of it.”
“I’ll give you one more chance, Jack Clay!” Nimrod smirked again. “Join me and together we can rule the Solar System.” On top of the table he loomed over Jack. “And if not, I’ll have to send you to hell.”
“Never! I’ll never join a snake like you! You’re a baby killer!”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you!” He winked at Jack. “You’re brother already has.”
“What?” Jack blinked. “I haven’t got a brother.”
“Oh, but you have.”
“You said, ‘brother.’ What brother?”
“Oh, too late now Jack,” Nimrod laughed. “You should know by now I’m just a tease.”
“Murderer! Liar!”
“Now, Jack, patience,” Nimrod waved at the goliath. The machine tilted at a dizzying angle but it was still standing. “Here’s someone I’d like you to meet. An iron man from the early wars. We found him here and I took a fondness to him. We’ve patched him up, but he’s not ready yet. Still, I’d like to show you what he can do.” Nimrod spread his arms and beamed.
“Orpheus!”
The goliath sparked into life. A lever flipped upwards and stopped with a clack. An inner fire illuminated the machine’s tubular trunk. Pulses ran up and down the inner column. A psychedelic iridescence illuminated the lab. The robot groaned and its lights flickered.
Dwarves bolted for the doors.
Jack heard the sound of stun bolts popping. Good man, Shotgun!
Nimrod put a hand to his forehead, “I’m surrounded by idiots.” He gestured at the robot. “Now, Jack, you will pay for wrecking my playroom!”
Atop Orpheus, an accordion of mirrored lenses mounted in metallic rings on its back twisted around to focus on Jack. The lenses flared and the rings telescoped into a barrel. The goliath twisted and the barrel bore down on Jack.
A light flashed through the smoke. A steam pipe burst with an angry hiss. Deep within the bowels of the resort’s electronic brains, the fire suppression system suddenly recalled its function.
Sprinklers popped from concealed compartments. The heads unleashed a torrent from the rafters, and in moments water covered the lab.
Water drowned the fires, sparks, chemicals, and combatants. Flares and steam exploded as chemicals and water reacted violently.
The cold roused the burly dwarf. He snatched up a blaster and rounded the operating table. Oblivious to physics, he leveled the lightning blaster at Jack.
“No!” yelled Nimrod.
The burly dwarf fired into the rain. The bolt exploded in a ball of steam. The blast backfired and threw the stricken dwarf into the rising water. His splash covered the warlock. Already soaked from head to toe, the splash merely added insult to injury.
Nimrod threw out his arms melodramatically and rolled his eyes. “It’s hard to find good help these days.”
Jack gripped the staff and redoubled his shield. He splashed in the pool on the floor seeking clear air. He jumped into the air, and levitated into the vault. Water rained from his shield.
“Orpheus, destroy the elf!”
Jack jumped, but the robot tracked him with an uncanny precision. He jerked to evade a blow. The goliath fired. Bricks and mortar exploded from the ceiling. The shrapnel pelted his shield and he fought to remain air borne. Shields! Keep up the shields! He leapt again. Water covered his shield in a sheet. Which way am I going?
The goliath tracked him and fired. A beam of pure energy shot from the rings and struck his shield. Water exploded into steam. The blast threw him against the ceiling.
Stunned, Jack lost his concentration and his shield dropped. He fell onto a robot. Frozen in electronic death, the robot’s arms cradled the mage in a mechanical bough.
Energy burst from the goliath. Lightning surged through the water. It electrocuted everything in its path.
Unlucky dwarves lying in the water shivered in an electric dance. The blow stunned those dwarves who cowered in the recesses. They dropped into the water.
The surge hit the giant robot, and the goliath squealed, “Oh no, not again!” Its appendages extended straight out and it shook spastically. The core brightened, and then its tube flashed. The accordion collapsed and the mirrors shattered in quick succession.
“What a jerk!” Orpheus wheezed, “What a jerk!” The iron man let out a death rattle.
The lab quaked. The sprinklers shut down and the downpour stopped.
The force shook the operating tables on the stage. The warlock wobbled. He flailed the air and tried to maintain his balance.
Unconscious, Jack rolled off his perch and into a puddle. The cold shocked him back to consciousness. Stars filled his eyes. He shook his head to clear the fog. Firewater soaked him to the skin. He cast his shields, and pushed off the floor. He bounced on his shield, and surfed across the wet floor. He propelled himself back to the lab’s stage where the warlock stood.
A ramp ran up the side of the stage to allow a gurney to roll up to the operating table.
The warlock fired a blast and the water behind Jack exploded.
He surfed up the ramp and struck the table bearing the warlock. The table wobbled wildly.
The unexpected jolt knocked Nimrod off the table and he fell into the shallow pool of firewater. Nimrod stood up in the ankle deep pool and glared at Jack.
“Thy end is near, Jack.”
Water swished as Nimrod plowed through the pool. He pulled back his hood and patted his cloak. He muttered something, and rolled up his sleeves. He approached his foe and reached for his staff. “I think that’s mine.”
“Not so fast,” Jack propelled himself away. He slid off the stage and bowled Nimrod over.
The blow knocked the warlock back. Nimrod landed on his butt in the firewater.
Jack levitated to his feet, and summoned a telekinetic blast. He twisted the staff for good measure.
The blow flattened Nimrod. Firewater splashed in all directions.
Jack twirled the staff, and fired ice bolts at the warlock. A volley of ice bolts immobilized the warlock in a block of ice.
“Why?”
“Why what, Jack?”
This time he advanced on the warlock. “Why this?” Jack broke off. Shaking with anger, words failed him. He stuttered speechless for a second. “Why are you murdering dwarves? Why are you fomenting a war with Mars? Why did you kill the mole boys?”
“Oh, all the excitement?” said Nimrod casually. “Our plans are divulged only on a need to know basis. Minions of the Dragon Lord need to know, and those who are not one of us have to die.” Nimrod smirked, “You’re not one of us.” He held out his palms, “You can see my position.”
“Why murder dwarf maidens? Why murder children?”
The warlock lifted an eyebrow. Thawing slush slid off his hairdo and hit the water with a plop. “I’m afraid you wouldn’t understand.” He lectured the benighted magician in a pedantic tone. “You have no god save your petty passions. You can’t understand the attraction of absolute power.”
Frustrated, Jack struggled to understand the incomprehensible. “Power? Over children? Over biots? What kind of power is that? You’re a bully!”
“Ah, how I enjoy your emotional distress,” Nimrod chuckled. “So you think your magic comes from the genetic technology running through your veins.” His eyes narrowed and he smirked, “Souls fuel our magic. It’s a concept quite beyond your grasp.” More slush dropped.
Alert to a trick, Jack fire a few more ice bolts and locked the warlock in the ice.
What does he mean? Bet he won’t give me a coherent answer, but I won’t know unless I try! “What’s a soul?”
“Clueless Captain Jack,” Nimrod winked. “You’ve missed your chance, and now you will never find out.” The warlock twitched his nose, and his eyes flickered.
The ice detonated. Ice blasted the room. The ice prison shattered. It left only a crater.
The force blew Jack back, and his feet sailed out from under him. His shield parted the water and broke his fall. Stars filled his eyes, and he blinked.
The warlock leapt with supernatural power. He flew up to the operating table. He grabbed a switch hanging from the hoist, and pressed the up button. Gears ground, and the table lifted off. Water drained from the table as it emerged from the pool.
Jack tried not to pass out. Inside, his primal instincts flared, and his pulse raced. He blinked and his vision returned. He pushed himself out of the water and recovered. He gripped the staff and renewed his shields. His quarry was missing. The warlock was nowhere to be seen.
He twisted the staff, and launched himself into the air. He surveyed the lab and saw Shotgun pointing up. “He’s getting away!”
The warlock’s table cleared the rafters, and the roll bar struck its trap door.
Shotgun brought up his lightning gun and blasted the hoist. The hoist froze, and the platform stopped. “Kill him, Jack!”
Nimrod gestured at Shotgun. A telekinetic blow tossed the dwarf away from the door. Shotgun flew out of sight.
“No!” Jack twirled the staff and fired a whirlwind at the warlock.
Nimrod looked down upon him with disdain. He held up his palm, and deflected the wind with ease.
The blast reversed direction and slammed Jack into a wall.
Again, his concentration wavered. He felt a sickening drop in the pit of his stomach. Levitate! He recovered and redoubled his shields.
“Jack!” Nimrod shouted. “You’re out of fashion.”
Hearing his name, Jack checked himself. His illusion was gone. Once again, he was dressed in his shredded tunic, breeches and boots. Without his cape and vest, he looked every bit a pauper having a bad day.
The warlock leapt out the trap door. On the roof, he fired a nuclear jet at Jack. Then he waved a friendly wave and darted off.
The jet ricocheted off his shield. A wall exploded and bricks dropped on him and bounced off his shield. Bricks and stones buried him. The wall collapsed and drove him to the floor.
Coughing, he spat out the dust. The weight of the debris pinned him to the floor. Frantic, he twisted the staff and cast a telekinetic blast. The force blew the debris off.
Jack emerged from the crater and looked up. The warlock was gone.
Dwarves littered the lab’s floor. Some rested in the water, and others were draped over the robots and the machines. In the center of the lab, Orpheus was dark. No one struggled for life.
He levitated over the lab to the archway.
“Shotgun?” He looked for the dwarf, “Shotgun?” In the lounge, his butler’s boots hung from the back of a divan. “Shotgun!”
Jack ran to the fallen dwarf. Without his illusion, Shotgun’s tuxedo was as torn as a hobo’s jacket. His head lolled over the seat cushions. His arms were splayed out but he still clutched his lightning gun.
Jack shoved aside a coffee table, and knelt over the dwarf. He searched the dwarf’s face for signs of life. He laid a hand on the dwarf’s chest and held his head, “Come on, Shotgun, no dying on the job.”
“If you ask that guy one more question, Jack, I will kill you myself!”
“Shotgun!” Jack gave the dwarf a hug. “Man, am I glad you’re still with me!”
“Little room here, Jack, I’m trying to breathe.” The dwarf opened one eye, and blew a breath. “How many times will he try killing you before you let him have it?”
Jack forced a wry grin. “All right, all right, the next time we see him, I will let him have everything I can think of.”
The towe
r shuddered and groaned.
“Earthquake?” Shotgun’s eyes widened.
An angry voice rumbled through the tower. “Jack Clay!” Shouts reverberated over the courtyard and beat the windows in the lounge. “Where’s my ride?”
The vault in the lab collapsed. The blow jettisoned debris from the lab. Trash billowed through the arches. It flew into the hall and fluttered over the lounge.
The lounge trembled. Jack crouched and shielded Shotgun.
“Time to go,” Jack helped Shotgun to his feet. “Can you walk?”
“Yes sir.”
The tower shook again.
They staggered on the shaking floor.
“My head is spinning!”
“I don’t think it’s you, Shotgun!” The floor bucked and threw them to their knees. “Too late, the tower’s going down! We’ve got to get out of here now!”
Jack searched for a way out. The Black Dwarf statue mocked him through the windows overlooking the courtyard. Anger welled in his craw. He twirled the staff and cast a whirlwind. The glass burst.
They staggered to the windowsill and looked down. They were several stories above the courtyard. The statue of the Black Dwarf stood between the tower and the keep. Below them was a hole in the roof where the ornithopter had smashed into it.
“Let’s fly,” he grabbed the dwarf and jumped.
Shotgun put a hand to his mouth.
“Hang on! No barf bags on this flight.” They sailed out the window, and away from the tower. The tower emitted an unnatural noise, and Jack accelerated.
“Up there,” Shotgun yelled and pointed into the sun.
The warlock flew east into the morning. His cloak fluttered as he soared through the air without any visible means of support.
“He’s levitating!” Jack cried in unbelief.
“Bring him down,” yelled his dwarf. “If he reaches the airport, he’ll mesmerize the dwarves or kill them!”
He summoned all his strength. They zipped away from the tower and chased the escaping warlock.
They closed on the warlock. Pay attention, Jack! He concentrated on their shields and levitation. You lost your concentration during the battle. Nimrod nearly killed Shotgun! He nearly killed you!
Shotgun raised his lightning gun and fired a volley. The sun blinded him, and his shots flew wild. The bolts sailed harmlessly into the sky.
Nimrod whirled on them. “If none will rid me of these troublemakers, then I shall rid myself of them.”
The warlock attacked with the sun at his back. He fired a bolt. Lightning flashed and a thunderclap exploded in the courtyard. The blast slapped his enemies.
Stunned, Jack’s heart skipped a beat. Pay attention! He hovered. Fly! He searched the sky for the warlock.
Nimrod circled his prey.
Jack led his target, twirled the staff, and fired ice bolts.
The warlock evaded Jack’s bolts and whipped around to attack again.
Lightning! Reflect it back at him! Jack strengthened their shields and cast a mirror of water.
The warlock thrust out his fist and fired a bolt. The flash snapped. The thunderclap struck and the bolt struck the mirror.
The mirror shattered. The blast knocked them back, and Jack blinked.
Shock flitted across Nimrod’s face, and he hovered. “Clever Jack, but what will you do when you run out of tricks?” He hurtled at Jack with both fists outthrust.
Jack thrust the staff at his oncoming enemy. He fired a volley of lightning blasts.
Shotgun raised his gun and fired. A few bolts struck the warlock and bounced off.
A tornado burst from the warlock’s angry fists. The wind engulfed them and spun them around. Spinning in the whirlwind, they were trapped.
They tumbled in the eye of the storm. Jack struggled to orient himself and get a shot at the warlock. He cast ice balls, fire bolts, and lightning bolts into the eye of the storm. His spells had no effect. The tornado spun them around, and they bounced off the inner wall of wind.
“Devil’s Tower!” shouted Shotgun. “We’re going to hit it!”
Caught in the tornado, the warlock drove them into the tower. Nimrod’s magic offered them no escape.
“There’s the hole made by the ornithopter!” Shotgun called out. “He’s pushing us into it!”
They slammed into the hole. Nimrod dropped them and the tornado vanished.
Jack hit a broken roof section spread-eagled. Stunned, he fought to focus. He renewed their shields. I can’t see him! Don’t fall! He levitated Shotgun. Work darn it! Do something right for once!
Jack looked up. He was splayed on a damaged section. The roof sloped steeply, and it wobbled up and down. The sun shone down from the dome of the sky.
Nimrod circled overhead. Then the warlock sailed east and disappeared into the morning glare.
“Runaway, Nimrod!” Dizziness and nausea welled up inside him, and Jack struggled not to be sick. “We’ll catch you! We’re not finished with you yet!”
Lying on the steep roof, he looked for Shotgun. The dwarf lay on the precipice of another section. Fear for his friend’s life gripped him, and he focused on their shields. He tried to levitate the dwarf, but the effort only made his stomach turn. Magic! I need manna!
A jet of fire struck the tower. The blow shattered the top of the tower. Shockwaves shook the tower, and the structure groaned. The tower moaned, and the sound floated out of the hole as if a dying beast called for help.
“Shotgun!”
A fireball shot from the lab and enveloped the roof. Smoke billowed from the former restaurant. The explosion sundered the gothic façade. The blast sent debris into the morning sky.
“We’ve got to go, buddy! Can’t stay here!”
Stones dropped from the sky and began pelting the roof. He threw up his hands instinctively to protect himself. The roof tiles shifted under him and the roof split with a crack.
Their unstable ledge shook and Shotgun teetered on the edge. He reached for the dwarf and slipped. And they slid off.
Flight of the Black Dwarf
Nimrod drove the tornado into the tower. The elf and his dwarf struck the hole and disappeared. Gone! I’ve done it! Jack Clay and his meddling dwarf are gone! He cut the whirlwind and sped to the hole to see the results.
His ornithopter sat in a heap on the courtyard floor. Dagnabbit! No appreciation for craftsmanship, Jack! Nothing for it, the ornithopter’s destruction had forced him to levitate on magic alone. And without my staff, I may run out of manna at any time. If the Black Dwarf was meant to fly, I’d have chosen a bird to possess instead of a dwarf!
Goodbye, Jack Clay, and good riddance! He sighed. That was too close! He was difficult to handle, and now I need a new staff. If he knew our secrets, he might have beaten me.
He circled over the hole. No sign of them! Where are they? He cursed his luck.
In a fit of rage, he put his fists together and fired a plasma ray. Plasma ripped the sky. Plasma struck Devil’s Tower. His lab burst into a fireball. Windows shuddered. Flames erupted. Black smoke roiled over the roof. A mushroom cloud swallowed the crow’s nest. The tower trembled. He struck again. The ray blasted the walls apart. Stones fell from the tower walls. Unsupported, the burning tower dropped, and crushed his lair. The walls burst asunder, and the tower collapsed.
Thunder rolled over the courtyard. Amazons and soldiers ran for their lives in the courtyard below. They ducked under the patio furniture. Dwarves swarmed around his statue like ants. Die! Fools! He fired lightning at them. I decide if you live or die! He slaughtered them as they dove for cover.
One blonde dragged fallen dwarves to cover while another tended the wounded.
See how they run! See how they help each other? He chortled, “How noble? Here, let me help!” He blasted a few more dwarves before tiring of the sport.
Time to go! He turned east. We’ll have to scrub the attack on Nodlon, but the delay won’t trouble us.
The next step of my plan falls into place.
He sailed for the airport. He passed over the keep. He left the castle behind and turned at the water slides. He flew over the golf course and the airport came in sight.
All seemed in order: Transports stood ready at the terminals, and a few dwarves milled about servicing those craft. Momentarily forgotten, his black airship sat in its hanger at the opposite end of the field. He enjoyed the airship, but it was time to step up to a higher class of machine.
Ashur’s Revenge dwarfed his airship. He admired her wicked design. She was his personal spacecraft, and she waited alone on the tarmac. She was a merchantman, but she bristled with weapons. A dual-barreled blaster was mounted under her nose. Missile tubes lined her keel. Plasma cannon sprouted from her wings, and she sported a number of less obvious machines of war. Shield nodes ran her length. Stealth mesh made her invisible to radar, and an electromagnetic pulse projector was buried in her cargo bay. She also sported a solid manna generator and an artificial gravity projector. She could make Mars in six weeks, and Pluto in as many months.
An observation deck on her aft served to host dignitaries and negotiate deals. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer! He grinned. Once she sailed to the out-worlds where weapons represented the long armament of the law. Now, she serves the man who will rule the Solar System!
He landed at Ashur’s Revenge, stretched his legs, and shook out the tension. Levitation was a useful spell, but he preferred solid ground. Better yet he preferred a horse.
The levitators glowed in preparation for flight. These new machines destroy more efficiently, but they sanitize killing. He savored the memory of his victims dying. Give me a horse and a sword! I want to smell the fear! I want to see the terror in their eyes as my enemies die!
Two dwarves guarded a ramp to the passenger deck. The dwarves saluted. “Did you have a good trip, sir?” said one.
“No you idiot! Clay destroyed my ornithopter and took my staff. I had to levitate on pure magic. It’s like gambling. I might have fallen out of the sky!”
The hatch opened, and he strode between the dwarves and mounted the ramp.
The dwarves made an about face. They raised their weapons.
For a split second, he hesitated. Why aren’t they following me? He spun on the dwarves.
They shot Nimrod. A volley of lightning bolts ripped the air. Thunder rolled over the tarmac.
Sparks showered from the silver threads. Flames sprang up from his cloak.
“Are you out of your minds?” He snapped his fingers and doused the fire.
The dwarves pelted him with bolts.
He deflected the deadly charges. Bolts ricocheted off the tarmac.
Nimrod thrust out a fist and shot a dwarf with a bolt. The force flung the young man on his back. The other abandoned the effort and ran.
He fired a bolt. The dwarf rolled and flames exploded from the tarmac. The dwarf swerved towards a baggage tram.
Nimrod struck the tram. The machine’s batteries popped, and an acid cloud spewed from the hood.
The dwarf changed direction and sprinted for his life.
Nimrod fired again and hit the dwarf in the back.
The dwarf flew into the air. His blaster hit the tarmac and skittered away. The dwarf bounced on the pavement and collapsed spread-eagled.
What’s happened to my zombies? They’re mesmerized! Mesmerization doesn’t wear off!
Sennacherib and a few of his lieutenants stood in the hatch. They stared open mouthed and slack-jawed. Tremble my lackeys! I should fry you where you stand!
All of his lieutenants saluted. Sennacherib bowed, “My lord.” He glanced at Nimrod’s singed cloak. “What happened, sir?”
“Are you blind?! Idiot! My own guard attacked me from behind!” He strode up the remaining stairs and into the craft. He glanced up and down the cabin. “Can anyone tell me what’s going on here?”
“Revolt, sir,” Sennacherib glanced at the fallen dwarves on the tarmac. “Someone’s reprogrammed the dwarves. We’ve got a mutiny on our hands. They’re clever. They feign loyalty. And we can’t read their minds until they fall asleep.”
“Mutiny of the black dwarves,” said Nimrod. “How poetic? What else can go wrong? I’m surrounded by incompetents!”
“My lord, we’ve tried to get a handle on it all morning.” A bead of sweat rolled down the pilot’s brow.
“Get us in the air, Senna. Destroy the airport and the transports. Leave the dwarves here. We can’t trust any of this lot. By the time they discover where they are, it will be too late.”
“Aye, my lord,” the pilot bowed. He heaved a sigh of relief and retreated to the cockpit.
The warlock relaxed in his recliner.
The terminals shrank in his window as they lifted off.
Sennacherib circled the airport. Destruction rained from the spacecraft’s arsenal. Black dwarves scurried to and fro seeking cover from the hail of death.
Fire bombs dropped on the hangers. Sennacherib blasted the flyers and the airships. A volley of missiles incinerated the transports. Plasma cannon set the terminals ablaze. A firestorm rose from the airport.
“My lord,” said a blonde Amazon. “May I get you a drink?”
“Merlot,” he said. “Are you feeling all right, Barb?”
“Why yes, sir! Why do you ask, my lord?”
He gazed into her eyes and sensed his spell. “Nothing, Barb. Get my drink.”
Barb smiled and twisted salaciously. She shook her skirt and tapped her boots. The pretty thing winked at him. She turned and sashayed to his bar. The blonde deftly juggled a bottle and a goblet. Soon she returned with a generous portion of a rare vintage.
Nimrod swirled the goblet and tested the bouquet. Time to move my headquarters, anyway. He consoled himself. Jack’s meddling is a minor setback. It’s an inconvenience and nothing more. The wheels are in motion. Mars will declare war with or without an attack. If war comes before we destroy Nodlon, it makes no difference.
The spacecraft circled over the airport again. They avoided the thick, greasy smoke rising from the ruins. A thunderstorm rose on the sky dome as the fire system responded to the blaze. Nimrod relished the firestorm.
Sennacherib appeared on his intercom. “Sir is the damage satisfactory?”
“Good enough, Senna, get us out of here.”
Sennacherib turned the ship west, and they sailed over the castle.
Nimrod caught one last glimpse of Devil’s Tower. So long, Cretaceous Clay. You’ve met your doom, and now you lie in your tomb.
They flew over Lake Bali. Dolphins played in the atolls, and sharks hunted on the reefs. Rainbow fish danced over white shoals.
“Bah humbug,” Nimrod said. He stood and handed his goblet to his Amazon. “Fill her up, Barb.”
Barb took the goblet, “Yes sir.” She went to the bar, and fussed with the bottles.
He watched the blonde open another bottle. Satisfied, he turned to his observation deck. Time to enjoy the fireworks. The castle smoldered, and the airport burned. Manna tanks exploded with satisfying concussions. Fireballs rolled up from the tanks and licked the dome. The ghost in the machine projected a thunderstorm over the airport. Lightning cracked on the sky dome. Rain erupted from the sprinklers. The fire extinguishers worked to douse the fires and the ruins smoked. The mess pleased him.
My little lair was comfy while it lasted, but the hour grows late. He glowered. Next, Jack we shall unleash the power of the Yellow Stone. And there will be nothing you can do about it while your corpse rots under Devil’s Tower. He chuckled. I can’t wait to see you in Gehenna at the mercy of my trolls.
The soft clomp of high heels disturbed him. “My lord,” said Barb.
He turned. His Amazons held their blasters at the ready. “Barb, Ella, what are you doing?”
They fired, and the window blew out.
Wind whipped the deck with hurricane force. It threw him into the
air, and he cast a tether to hang onto the spaceship.
The blondes trained their blasters on him. Plasma ripped his cloak apart.
He held up his hand and cast a shield. The blondes fired again. He swirled his palm and deflected their plasma jets.
The plasma narrowly missed the blondes, and they dodged their own fire. Barb signaled Ella, and she fired at the deck. Ella switched settings and began cutting up the deck. Plate peeled from the deck. Wire lashed at the warlock and the debris shielded the Amazons.
Clever! Pieces of the spacecraft pelted Nimrod. Are they no longer mesmerized? He threw a fist and fired a plasma bolt. A plate flew at him and intercepted his shot. He ducked and the metal missed him. It sailed into the air.
The blondes fired a volley of plasma bolts.
He deflected the bolts and fired again.
A bolt hit Barb, and she dropped her blaster.
The blaster sailed at Nimrod, and he ducked.
She slammed into the deck. The wind picked her up, and threw her at the warlock.
He flinched and dodged the blonde’s broken body.
Her safety line went taut and her harness caught her. She stopped short of flying off the deck.
Ella charged. Her blaster blazed. Plasma struck the warlock’s shields and ricocheted in all directions.
Furious he deflected the bolts. Sparks shot from the walls. Plates melted. He leapt out of the nuclear fire. He cast a line and seized her blaster. Magic snatched the weapon out of her hands.
He caught her eye. She was unafraid. No fear? No anger? No disgust? Heeding her expression no mind, he fired a plasma jet with his fist. “Die traitor!”
The jet struck her breast. She folded. Blood sprayed over him. Her body hit the deck and she slid to the edge. Her safety harness caught her and she stopped next to Barb.
He steadied himself with magic and marched back to the deck hatch.
Senna shouted at the hatch door. He punched the key box and pried on the hatch lock. The hatch groaned and slid open.
His lieutenants fell back and bowed.
He shot through the hatch and glared at his remaining lieutenants. “There will be hell to pay for this!”
“My lord, the hatch was locked from the other side,” said Senna.
“Are there any more zombies aboard the ship?”
“No, my lord,” his pilot looked down and shook his head. “Forgive us, my lord, we can’t recognize the zombies who are loyal from the ones who have turned.”
“Yes, for that reason, I shall not punish you as severely as you deserve.” Nimrod spoke a word from the old tongue, and his servants fell to their knees and clutched their bellies. They rolled on the floor in agony before he released them. “Let that be a lesson for your incompetence. I’d let you have a full measure, but it would greatly inconvenience me. I shall not be so forgiving next time.”
“Thank you, my lord,” one cried. They all took up a chorus of flattery.
“Senna!”
“Yes my lord.” The pilot dared not look up, and he kept his gaze on the floor.
“The observation deck has been compromised,” he hissed slowly. “Kick in the deck gravity. Raise the shields, and try not to screw up!”
“Aye, my lord,” the pilot jogged to the cockpit.
“Go to the emergency manna shaft and hover. We will seal the access behind us.” Nimrod shouted, “Got that? Or do I need to draw you a picture?”
“Aye, my lord,” called Senna.
“Good! Don’t forget to breathe in and breathe out while you’re at it!”
His lieutenants glanced at each other. “What are you idiots waiting for? Skelter get me a drink. Helter start dinner. The rest of you find something to do before I find out I don’t need you!”
He looked out the hatch. The observation deck was a shambles.
In the distance, the Devil’s Tower smoldered. A dark cloud hovered over the Black Wharf and the airport. The rainstorm had doused the fires.
They passed over an atoll, a reef, and then left Lake Bali behind. They flew over a peninsula lined with white beaches. Piers ran from empty boardwalks lined with palm trees. They soared over cottages, pavilions, and water slides.
Then Ashur’s Revenge plunged into his access tunnel. The great earthquake had sealed the Holloway and closed the main entrance. No one had suspected the Ninth Ring survived, and the Ring was lost.
But the Dragon Lord had not forgotten the Ring. His spies were everywhere. Serpents and snakes, wolves and weasels, cats and rats, and even birds answered to him. What they knew, the Dragon knew. And his spies knew where the Ninth Ring was. They had waited for the stars to align and finally their time had come.
Our time! My time! I made the jump between the worlds. I found this place and I made it my lair.
He had driven an access tunnel from the emergency manna dump shaft to the Ninth Ring. Now, Ashur’s Revenge tore through his tunnel at a ridiculous speed.
Fools! Frightened of their own technology, it never occurred to them to look under Rickover Station. They could have reached the Ninth Ring and cleared the Holloway decades ago. They had no idea how close they were.
The ship slowed to a halt. They hovered in the manna dump shaft. The shaft ran at an angle nearly straight up back to Blueberry Lake.
If the Ninth Ring was the perfect place to stage an invasion of Nodlon, the shaft was the perfect highway through which to attack. “Life is what happens,” he sighed, “while evil plans.” I will return to this place!
“Is this satisfactory, my lord?” asked Senna.
“Hold here, captain.”
“Yes, my lord.”
He opened the hatch and stepped back onto the observation deck. He summoned magic and cut the blondes’ tethers with a flick of his hand. He levitated their remains and flung them into his access tunnel.
The girls flew into the tunnel and fell to the dirt.
“To Gehenna with you traitors!” he cursed. “How dare you betray me?”
He cast a plasma jet and a few rocks fell. Dagnabbit! Without his staff, he lacked the magic to drop the shaft’s roof in one fell blow. He set to work. He gouged out the ceiling and slowly filled the shaft with rock. He broke into a sweat, and his arms wearied with the exertion. Finally, the last of the roof fell and the shaft closed.
“Senna,” he croaked.
“What are your orders, my lord?”
“Go,” he huffed and puffed. “Leave Nodlon, take us to Yellow Stone. We have a nation to crush, and a world to conquer.”
“Yes my lord, as you command.”
Bouncy Balls
Jack tumbled off the roof and a truss whacked him in the back. He flipped head over heels.
“Help!” cried Shotgun. “Jack, I’m falling!”
Jack levitated him, “Got you!”
“Get us out of here, boss.”
“We’ll surf out.” He cast an ice board.
“Hang on!” He pushed Shotgun to the front of the board. He balanced the magical surfboard and looked for an escape. The broken roof had gone clean through the floor to the mall below.
Jack dove into the hole. “Get down!” He crouched and shot the barrel. They blew into the mall. He cross-stepped back and forced the board into the bottom turn. He pinned Shotgun to the board with magic and levitated the nose. Jack rolled the board and sailed over the balcony. Can’t do that on a wave!
“Whoa!” Shotgun flattened on the board and yelled. “Watch out!”
He glimpsed the lobby. The golf cart and the dwarves were gone. Good! Blondie got them out! That’s a relief!
The board lifted off over the balcony rails. He let the board take the pressure of the lift, and he pushed for more speed. They ripped down the mall. Thunder echoed. He pressed the ice board for more speed.
“Keep your head down!”
He carved the air around the chandeliers, and the chandeliers rocked in their wake.
Ahead the mall divided
into an intersection. Safety! “That’s the way out!” Go Jack!
“We’re gonna make it!” He was stoked. Come on baby! We can make it!
“Great!” Shotgun shouted, “I wish I shared your confidence!”
“What, no faith?” He glanced back.
A wall of dust chased them. He twisted Nimrod’s staff and willed the manna into the board. He punched it and the board burst forward.
The shockwave hit them. The board jiggled. It launched them into the dust cloud. He levitated the board and let the wobble roll out.
Stones and rocks pelted his back. We’ll be buried alive!
The cloud plunged them into a grey twilight. The Black Wharf’s blue emergency lights came on and the cloud glowed.
Jack flew by memory. He carved the dust cloud and wove to avoid the chandeliers. One struck his shield and rocked the board. Don’t strike the ceiling!
A rail flashed out of the dust. Up! He levitated to find air to clear the rail. Go up! The board slammed into the rail. The rail clanged, and glass shattered. The board flipped and they were airborne.
They slid off the board as fast as pancakes off a hot griddle. Shotgun went head over heels, and Jack flew over the rail.
His foot struck the rail and he bowled over. He hit Shotgun and their shields bounced.
“Ouch,” shouted Shotgun.
His board whacked him. Thank the stars for shields! He levitated, but he lost all sense of direction.
He flew through the intersection and hit the rail on the other side. Glass shattered and broke his concentration. He fell. Shields!
He landed on a pile of soft balls. He bounced on the balls. He swam in the balls and searched for a floor. Stop! You’re not getting anywhere! He rolled onto his back and floated on the balls.
“Shotgun! Shotgun, where are you?!”
The tower rumbled, and the rumble became a roar. The shockwave roared overhead. A concrete wall snapped in the lobby and the blocks burst. The walls around him exploded. Rocks, stones, studs and nails showered him. Dust billowed around him, and the cloud thickened. Rocks struck his shield and bounced off.
The thunder faded to a rumble and quiet gradually settled over the bouncy balls. Where’s Shotgun? As the dust settled, a few more small stones dropped on him.
