The Blighted Fortress
Page 1
The Blighted Fortress
The Allies of Theo, Book 2
David E Dresner
For Nancy, my wife, muse,
and constructive reader
of my tales.
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1: Dessert First, Then a Story
Chapter 2: M’s Story Begins
Chapter 3: Life on the Nile
Chapter 4: Life Changes
Chapter 5: Life as an Orphan
Chapter 6: Early Life Alone
Chapter 7: Fire Creatures Attack
Chapter 8: Escape
Chapter 9: Island Sanctuary
Chapter 10: An Uninvited Guest
Chapter 11: M’s Education Begins
Chapter 12: What’s in a Name?
Chapter 13: Training Begins
Chapter 14: Books and Scrolls Rule
Chapter 15: M’s Alert: A Challenge Is Coming
Chapter 16: Not Your Average Field Trip
Chapter 17: Threats Everywhere
Chapter 18: What’s in a Name?
Chapter 19: Time Marches Backward
Chapter 20: A Brave Old World
Chapter 21: The Time Eagles Have Landed
Chapter 22: Above the Fray
Chapter 23: A Tree with a View
Chapter 24: Life in a Field
Chapter 25: Soldiers Arrive
Chapter 26: It’s a Dog’s World
Chapter 27: Meet the Neighbors
Chapter 28: Earning Dinner
Chapter 29: Trees and Pigs Offer Different Challenges
Chapter 30: Transylvanian Trees Meet Paul Bunyan
Chapter 31: Should Be Bacon
Chapter 32: Stunned Again
Chapter 33: Polar Bear Bathing
Chapter 34: Recovery
Chapter 35: Dinner Guests
Chapter 36: A Peace Offering
Chapter 37: Bedtime Reflections
Chapter 38: A Cold Wakeup Call
Chapter 39: Best Laid Plans of Mice, Men, and Dukes
Chapter 40: Leaving Dodge
Chapter 41: River or Road?
Chapter 42: Off the Beaten Path
Chapter 43: Cave People
Chapter 44: Run from the Hounds
Chapter 45: Up Another Tree
Chapter 46: Mutual Support
Chapter 47: The Hound Master’s Tale
Chapter 48: The Snipe Hunt Starts
Chapter 49: Where’s Our Path?
Chapter 50: Nighttime Resting Retreats
Chapter 51: New Day, Old Woods
Chapter 52: Bear Days
Chapter 53: Some Days the Bear…
Chapter 54: Deep Thoughts
Chapter 55: Meeting the Locals
Chapter 56: Berries for Barter
Chapter 57: Dinner Tales
Chapter 58: The Castle Road
Chapter 59: Down and Out
Chapter 60: A Hidden Place
Chapter 61: Into the Fortress
Chapter 62: Inside the Walls
Chapter 63: A Shooting Gallery
Chapter 64: Stables and Haylofts
Chapter 65: Ground Zero
Chapter 66: Stored Weapons
Chapter 67: Into the Fortress Heart
Chapter 68: Fitting In
Chapter 69: If You Can’t Stand the Heat
Chapter 70: How Did You Find Us?
Chapter 71: We Met the Hun
Chapter 72: Shovel and Push
Chapter 73: The Mage
Chapter 74: The Jinn Reflects
Chapter 75: Jinn Meets Mage
Chapter 76: Mage and Duke Meet Attila the Hun
Chapter 77: Mage Sends a Message
Chapter 78: Attila Responds
Chapter 79: Into the Lion’s Den
Chapter 80: A Strange Parley
Chapter 81: The Jinn Looks Back
Chapter 82: The Jinn Is Studied
Chapter 83: The Jinn Assesses His Workers
Chapter 84: Observing the Creature from Above
Chapter 85: Cleanup Time
Chapter 86: Olaff’s Sanctuary
Chapter 87: A New Ally
Chapter 88: Camped by the Throne
Chapter 89: Olaff Meets the Mage
Chapter 90: First, Study Your Enemy
Chapter 91: A Plan Emerges
Chapter 92: Setting Up the Plan
Chapter 93: Hidden Passages
Chapter 94: Building the Model
Chapter 95: Preparing for War
Chapter 96: A Day of Reckoning
Chapter 97: Hail the Conquering Heroes
Epilogue: Attila Reflects while Rome Quivers
About the Author
Copyright
Prologue
Unknown to the people of Chicago, a very special sanctuary exists in the center of their great city. Unseen and unapproachable, this sanctuary is home to two very ancient beings.
The older is Theo, a god-being who existed before the Big Bang. On Earth Theo chooses to appear as a large, exotic, black cat similar to the Egyptian god Bast. Joining Theo is M, an ancient Egyptian appearing as a young man. M was born before the first pyramid appeared.
Over countless eons Theo has been forced to flee and hide from searching fire creatures. The creatures are demigods born out of the star dust elements following the Big Bang. The fire creatures have pursued Theo to gain his knowledge that predates our universe. Once acquired, the creatures believe they will evolve into gods and rule the universe.
For millenniums Theo and M have searched the world for potential allies to join them in fighting the fire creatures. So far only M’s mind has proven capable of accepting the physical and mental restructuring necessary to become an ally of Theo.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century their search was rewarded. They found not just one potential ally, but two. Once discovered, teenagers Glenda and Traveler were brought to the Chicago sanctuary where they learned about Theo, his cosmic pursuers, and their threat to our universe. Once offered, both accepted the challenges to become allies of Theo.
For Traveler and Glenda their Chicago sanctuary became a shared home, but is so much more. The sanctuary is where their individual training and development as future allies takes place.
Sentient books work with them to gradually increase their mental and physical capabilities. These books demand total focus and effort. As hard-pressed students they complain, they compete, they struggle, they persevere, they learn, and they develop.
Chapter 1
Dessert First, Then a Story
Traveler leaned far back in his chair and took a deep breath. He was stuffed. As full as he was, he still had energy left to pull a stealth prank. Stealth was an early skill vested by the books as a form of invisibility. As long as Traveler remained motionless, he was part of the background. To practice his stealth skill he needed to remain absolutely motionless or risk appearing as a fluttering hologram.
Traveler enjoyed practicing his stealth by pranking Glenda, his study buddy. Her startled reactions always amused him and annoyed her, they never got old. One favorite prank was to suddenly appear out of nowhere sitting in his chair and stunning either Glenda or M, or best case both. He wisely avoided pranking Theo.
Sitting and waiting for his victims he realized that his back-leaning chair was a giveaway. He quickly sat forward putting all four legs on the ground. Now he appeared as just an empty table chair waiting for a body to sit down.
Leaning forward now put pressure on his full stomach, his stealth composure was compromised. An involuntary burp of epic proportions rocked the room. Seismic meters shot off their Richter Scales everywhere in Chicago. No way
could stealth mask that eruption.
Embarrassed, he instantly looked around to see if the noise had spoiled his stealth trick. A resting Theo was the only audience and was looking at him with what seemed to be a judging grimace. Cats, even tiger-sized god-cats, don’t have facial expressions, Traveler assured himself.
Moments later Glenda came striding toward him. She stared at his empty chair, “Did you hear the explosion?” she asked with smirk. “I thought they were dynamiting for the subway system.” Traveler sadly recognized her “Caught ya, big boy” look. His attempt at stealth humor was foiled and he reappeared in his chair.
“Very witty, princess, I guess a guy has no privacy. The gentleman in me wants to say ‘Excuse me’, but that would just fall on deaf ears.”
“Well, my hearing was just fine until a minute ago. You weren’t planning on pulling an eighth-grade prank, were you? So sad your tummy has a mind of its own and calls out. Speaking of tummies, where’s M with our dessert? You didn’t scare him off, I hope.”
Traveler was scrambling to fire back a snappy retort when M appeared carrying a large covered silver casserole dish. “Prepare for the dinner’s coup de grâce. I would have been out sooner but I heard a cannon and thought we were under attack.” Glenda gave M a high-five grin, while Traveler only managed a weak smile.
First being caught, then being the target of their jokes, stifled his dessert desire. He found himself saying, “Okay, guilty as charged, I was just using the waiting time to practice a skill. You two go ahead, I’m really full and think I’ll pass on the dessert.”
Glenda and M exchanged looks, they both knew better. Virginia, Traveler’s mom, had often wondered whether he had a trash compactor inside his stomach. His dad, the doctor, would smile and nod, “He’s a medical miracle.”
“Well, I certainly don’t want you to force yourself to eat if you’re full and can’t enjoy it,” said M. “I’ll just give you a small, tasting-size portion. Glenda, I’ll give you the usual ‘growing young lady’ portion, besides, your coltish figure can easily handle it.”
“Pile it on, M. I’ll take Traveler’s portion since he’s too full. I’ve got plenty of room left, I always pace myself for dessert and it smells delicious.”
M ladled out a generous portion first to Glenda then to himself. He gave a petite portion to Traveler. “This is my own version of bread pudding, but it’s so much more, it has my special added ingredients. I highly recommend lots of the cream sauce, drown the pudding if you will!”
Glenda immediately dug into her bowl. A look of happiness passed over her face. Looking at Traveler she exclaimed, “This is nobody’s mother’s bread pudding. It’s beyond great! It’s dense yet light even with the cream sauce. I’ll have seconds as soon as I finish this up.”
Traveler knew he was still having fun poked at him, but his ego was refusing to acknowledge the humor. He put a small amount of the cream sauce on his pudding, then took a polite-sized bite. Glenda and M were surreptitiously watching him. They saw the look of delight with his first bite. Neither said anything while Traveler finished the bowl in a second spoonful. “Yes, that is very acceptable M,” he acknowledged.
With a now empty bowl Glenda leaned back in her chair, took a deep breath and said, “M, my stomach is a tad smaller than my eyes. I’m not sure I can eat another serving. Traveler, help me out, we don’t want M’s specialty to go to waste.”
Traveler knew Glenda had just thrown him a lay-up pass and he popped out of his funk. Grinning he said, “OK M, I’ve got no dessert pride, please load me up. Besides my noisemaker stomach will be quiet once I pack it down.”
M removed the casserole lid and thick, sweet steam rolled off the pudding. He ladled out three more generous portions. Then he added an extra scoop for Traveler. “A little make up scoop, Traveler. Now let’s all enjoy round two.”
Dessert time is serious time and it passed without conversation or unwanted air bursts. Finally, they all came up for air at the same time. “M, I have an after-dinner request,” said Glenda. “Traveler and I want to hear your own story. All we know is that you became an orphan a very long time ago. Please tell us about your childhood and how you met Theo. Did Theo start your training when you were young like us?”
Chapter 2
M’s Story Begins
M leaned back in his chair. He put his hands together behind his head and his eyes took on a distant look. His face then brightened, he smiled to confirm he would enjoy answering Glenda’s question.
He had ducked the same question many times, but now felt the two were ready for his personal story. Their escape from the fire creature ambush had affirmed they were ready to join him as part of Theo’s team.
“Thanks for asking, Glenda. It’s been a long time since I talked to anybody about myself. Being human, more or less, I have the normal urge to respond to people who want to hear my personal tale. Modesty aside, mine is a rather grand tale.
“Being grand, it’s a lengthy tale; remember I’ve been around for a very long time. Perhaps a short time compared to Theo but over-the-top long for anybody else. Like all stories, it has a beginning and, fortunately for me, there is no end in sight.”
As M was starting his tale, Theo left the fireplace and padded across the room to sit beside M. The tiger-sized cat never failed to move with dignity and purpose. M instinctively put his hand on Theo’s head and began a soft head rub and gentle pulling on the long, pointed ears. A restful purring vibration filled the room. Traveler and Glenda knew something special was coming.
“As both of you now know, for each of us our personal development road began with meeting Theo. He is the constant in each of our universes, our true North Star. By the way, in my case I was much younger than either of you when I met him.
“But before jumping into how I met Theo, I’ll start with my own early childhood. My childhood road had many twists in it before it eventually led me to Theo.
“To understand my early life you need to appreciate the world I was born into. This was a world created by the Nile River. Human civilization began on the banks of the mother Nile. Some academics argue that it began on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, but I prefer to believe the Nile is mother to all civilization.
“Mine was a time when small semi-permanent villages first began to appear. People were shifting from being hunter-gatherers to early farmers. Farming brought stability to the food supply and that permitted people to stay in one place. It also permitted civilization to arise.
“You have both seen the long mural in the Chicago Museum titled, ‘Life on the Early Nile’. It’s a realistic picture that came from my own memory. I painted it for the museum a long time ago and am quite proud of the images and mood it projects.”
Glenda’s face lit up, “Wow, M, you were the artist? You are a man of many talents. Yes, the picture is terrific. Looking at it I can feel the heat of the air. The sly cruising crocodiles gave me shivers.” Traveler’s head was nodding in agreement. M accepted their compliments with an artist’s modest smile and continued his story.
“Egypt at this time was divided into two separate kingdoms. One kingdom was centered on the Upper Nile that flows out of Africa into Egypt while the Lower Nile empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
“While the two kingdoms had separate rulers, the people themselves appeared as cousins. It was natural that they would eventually come together into a single kingdom. The two kingdoms were unified around 3,100 BC by a ruler named ‘Narmer’, also called ‘Menes’.
“Menes is generally recognized as the first pharaoh of a united Egypt. Egypt was now a land empire that ruled the Middle East for thousands of years.
“Menes made his capital on the Lower Nile where the mother of rivers flowed into the Mediterranean Sea. His capital city was called Memphis and this capital name has never been forgotten. We have cities right here in the US, such as Memphis, Tennessee, named after that early Egyptian capital.
“Just as Memphis, Egypt was built be
side mother Nile, so too was Memphis, Tennessee built beside the mighty Mississippi. Both rivers are major arteries for civilizations, ancient and modern.
“I was born prior to the unification of the two kingdoms. My best guess is that it was around 3,200 BC to 3,300 BC. Of course, there were no birthday calendars back then.”
Both Glenda and Traveler immediately did the math in their heads. They simultaneously said, “That would make you over 5000 years old.”
Glenda added, “Really, M, are you pulling our leg? You look to be in your early to mid-twenties. I know you are very old, but 5000 years old? Really?”
M puffed up a bit with her compliment, “Well, in my case, looks are definitely deceiving. It’s an advantage of living in Theo’s world. Our sanctuary is one that shields us from unwelcome intruders but also offers protection against time destroying our bodies. To the sanctuary’s architect I must say, ‘Thank you, Theo’.” Saying that, M gave Theo several extra firm head rubs and ear tugs. The god-cat’s vibrations went up a notch.
Chapter 3
Life on the Nile
“My childhood years were very pleasant, really idyllic. I was born to loving, caring parents. Adding to my joy of daily life were great playmates. We lived outside and were active all day. While the temperature was hot during the day, we were adjusted to it. There was no air conditioning, of course, but cooling breezes helped. Sensibly, all villagers napped in their houses during the hottest part of the day.
“Like today, our parents wanted their children outside. Constant exercise was not only fun but prepared us for the demands of adulthood. As children we had the run of open spaces when not assisting in working chores.
“Every day offered us adventures exploring the banks of the Nile and the surrounding hills. We were young explorers and came to know the secret paths and hidden caves. We also learned how to trap the game that was plentiful. We beamed with pride as we returned home with a rabbit, game bird, or fresh eggs from a discovered nest and received our parents’ praise.