The Blighted Fortress

by David E Dresner

  “Pretty bad, Morpheus threw me under the bus last night. Never slept more than an hour at a time. I’d wake up and have to start all over again and I never, ever have a problem sleeping. It may sound weird but I think my book was restless. Lack of sleep bothers me more than this hayseed outfit. By the way you look perfect for a hoedown in the Appalachians.”

  “Same here on sleep and the outfits,” said Glenda. “I think our books know what’s coming. They get their vicarious kicks based on our experiences. They probably expect us to bring them something new and exciting. It’s the exciting part that worries me.”

  “Good insight, Glenda. Our books are like nosy neighbors that want to know everything.” Pausing Traveler put a serious tone in his voice and said, “But new and exciting was not the message I was getting, it felt more like concern. I think my book was worried for me, and that’s a bothersome feeling.”

  Glenda had two fast reactions to Traveler’s comments. The first was instinctive, she liked being called Glenda. Her second response was thoughtful, “That’s strange Traveler, I had the same feeling that my book was worried. I guess we’ll know shortly what’s going on.”

  The aroma coming off the muffins blended with the smoked bacon and took their minds off worried books and their outfits. They arrived at the table just as M was pulling out his own chair. A basket of browned muffins with crusty tops, a large floral painted bowl of sliced fruits, and a rasher of bacon declared a breakfast feast was waiting.

  Theo had left the fire to join them. He was sitting on his haunches looking down at the offerings. His size varied to reflect his mood or his interest in a particular activity. Today he was a very large tiger, possible matching a saber-tooth, not elephant size but well beyond scary big.

  His enhanced size told both Glenda and Traveler that something big was in the air. Looking at Theo, then M and Glenda, Traveler quipped, “To quote Sherlock, I think the game is afoot.”

  Glenda nodded toward Theo and added, “I think his majesty would like a little something, perhaps a buttered muffin? Is it OK to offer him one, M?”

  “Of course, just don’t limit him to one. He likes to think he has no limits and I’m inclined to agree with him,” M said with a chuckle.

  Glenda held out a heavily buttered muffin and a long tiger tongue took it into a cavernous mouth. “Seconds?” she asked. The tongue extended and a second muffin disappeared. Apparently satisfied, Theo shifted his body a bit to indicate both “thanks” and also “that’s enough.”

  Following Theo’s lead, each of them covered their plates with assorted fruit, bacon, and muffins. Traveler cut a wedge of butter and placed it inside the halved muffin. He paused just long enough for the yellow goodness to melt and then took an alligator-sized bite. A second and then a third bite and his hand was empty. An empty hand at the dining table is a hand looking for mischief.

  Traveler’s hand made a lightning strike at a choice piece of melon on Glenda’s plate. “Your plate looked off-balance. I’m helping you organize your food groups. You can’t put fruits that close to bacon.”

  “Pot calling kettle black. You sound like that dirty kid Pig-Pen from Charlie Brown complaining about plate clutter. I’ve seen your room and it looks like a war zone. I’m surprised you can find the door to get out.” While Traveler was preparing his witty response, Glenda did a cobra strike on his bacon saying, “That adds space to your over piled plate.”

  M knew today was a critical day for the two young students. His own sleep had been unsettled. He had immersed himself in the kitchen early to balance his mood. His mood continued to improve as he found himself enjoying the breakfast jousting. “Hope I made enough for both of you, there seems to be a run on the food bank today.”

  Saying that, M felt Theo press against him. He offered a muffin containing thick bacon slices to the open maw beside him and watched it disappear. I’ve never seen him like this. It’s like he is trying to bond with the two over breakfast. Could he know it’s possibly a last shared meal?

  “Yes, I could eat a bit more. My plate has been under attack by food vultures,” was the immediate response from Traveler. Glenda nodded in agreement while protecting her own plate with encircling arms.

  M rose and came back with a second basket of muffins and another rasher of crisp bacon. With refilled plates they declared a truce on poaching and settled in.

  Traveler finally leaned back and gave a low groan, “I’m embarrassed to admit that my reach this morning has exceeded my stomach’s grasp. I’m at least two muffins over my legal capacity. Glenda smiled while thinking, I’m one over, but who’s counting?

  M was now also finished, “So how was your sleep last night? I see you are both up early and look ready to go.”

  Traveler looked at M and said, “I bet you know the books gave us a wake-up kick to get going early this morning, right?” M smiled and nodded.

  Glenda added, “I think the operative word right now is ‘going’. Based on our caveman attire, the question is ‘Go where?’”

  Chapter 17

  Threats Everywhere

  “Direct as usual, Glenda, you have cut to the chase. ‘Go where?’ is indeed the pertinent question. You two have a most unusual trip in your immediate future. Your attire is a clue that it’s an adventure trip and there are serious challenges involved.”

  “No surprise there,” said Traveler. “I bet these challenges are all, shall I say it, potential killers.”

  “Yes, you are admittedly going on a hazardous trip, but you are the hunters. As you recall there was one fire beast that escaped from the museum. You need to track it down and neutralize it.”

  Noticing both of their stunned looks, M continued.

  “Let’s start with the rather obvious question of how to neutralize the creature. Sadly neither Theo nor I have that answer. Nonetheless, we believe you will find the answer when you need to. Don’t fear the challenge, accept it and attack it.

  “The answer to the second question regarding the ‘where’ of the journey is more, how shall I say, interesting.”

  “Forgive me for interrupting, M, but when you use the word ‘interesting’ a big shiver goes down my spine. Am I right to worry? Were my books worrying last night and keeping me awake?”

  M gave her a reassuring smile back, “Glenda, ‘worry’ is such an underappreciated word. If we did not worry and by extension fear, we would still be living in caves. Worry is a big part of what ultimately makes good things happen. For example, you worried over an upcoming math test so you worked a lot of problems and then you received a good result. Worry leads to effort leading to good results.

  “Now permit me to answer the ‘where’ question. You will be going to a remote part of the Carpathian Mountains. The creature is there and needs to be neutralized.”

  Interrupting M, a nervous Traveler declared, “Yeah we know, neutralized. Why not leave well enough alone and let it stay in some mountain cave and rot?”

  M responded with a sympathetic look and a soft tone of voice, “Of course you have raised a valid question. Sadly, these fire creatures never ‘rot away’. Once with us they stay until they decide to leave or are neutralized. When joined by other creatures their power increases exponentially, so we need to neutralize this one while it is isolated.”

  Accepting M’s explanation Traveler continued, “If I recall my sixth-grade geography and my vampire stories, the Carpathian Mountains are in central and eastern Europe and border a large region called Transylvania. The Carpathians were mentioned a number of times in the second Ghostbusters movie.”

  Traveler felt himself relaxing as he was now rolling with his history recall, “The famous Count Dracula lived there in an ancient castle. It’s called Bran castle and is a Romanian tourist destination today.

  “Dracula was based on a real person whose proper name was Vlad Tepes. His father was Vlad Dracul, which means dragon. Vlad Tepes was, and still is, a hero in the region since he fought numerous invading Turkish armies. He impaled tho
usands of the sultan’s soldiers and allegedly drank their blood.

  “These stories led to his becoming known as Vlad the Impaler. The Dracul family name morphed into Dracula and he became the source for the blood-drinking vampire of legend.”

  Seeing the concerned looks passing across Glenda’s face Traveler gave a nervous laugh adding, “Do you think we could recruit the immortal bloodsucker to neutralize the fire beast?”

  Glenda was not bothered about vampires, she knew fact from fiction. She simply waited patiently until Traveler had finished with his vampire lore and his gallows humor then she said, “M, exactly what mischief can the creature do in a remote mountain forest? Keeping it isolated seems to me like a solid plan to neutralize it if not kill it.”

  “Nodding at her rhetorical question M answered, “That would be a sound plan, Glenda, however Theo believes the fire creature intends to gain control over the people of this remote region. Once it controls the people it will use them to build a portal to bring in the full host.

  “If it succeeds then the host will locate Theo and absorb him thus gaining his knowledge. With Theo’s knowledge the host will become a threat to our entire universe.”

  Frowning again, Glenda continued, “A threat to the universe? You’ve got to be kidding. Why use Traveler and me? The Carpathian Mountains are part of Hungary and Romania. Those two countries should be able to destroy any portal or the creature itself.

  “This is modern Europe we’re talking about with satellite surveillance, drones, airborne troops, and nuclear weapons if need be. The creature will need to stay hidden to survive. No chance it starts building the portal and making itself a target for modern firepower.”

  “Well, the rub is that it’s not Europe as you know it.”

  Traveler joined Glenda in immediately pushing back, “Not Europe? When did Europe suddenly disappear?”

  M understood their justified challenge, there was a lot they had yet to absorb. “The geographic region we frequently call Europe, with countries on a map called Hungary, Romania, Germany, Italy, or France did not yet exist in the time period you two are going. Your trip will be to the mid-fifth century, let say around AD 440 to 450.”

  Glenda and Traveler sat with stunned expressions. “No way,” was all Traveler could finally say.

  “That’s science fiction stuff,” added Glenda. “Time traveling DeLorean cars are Hollywood make believe.”

  M listened patiently then replied, “Actually, there is a way and the fire creature has already used it. Theo will send you there using physics that’s far beyond our current science.”

  “You are boggling my mind, M, but assuming we can actually get there, why this particular time and place?” asked Glenda.

  “Our beast has cleverly chosen a time and place when great social upheaval is occurring. The region had become the eastern boundary of the Roman empire around AD 220. Once Rome had conquered the region it changed the name from Darcia to Romania with Romania being the Latin word meaning ‘of Roman origin’. Of course, that name is still with us today for the country we call Romania.

  “Over the next several hundred years the conquered region enjoyed what is referred to by historians as ‘Pax Romana’ meaning the ‘peace of Rome’. Business flourished and people felt safe in their homes at night. However, when you are going to the region, Rome is a rapidly collapsing empire. Pax Romana is in the distant past. Rome itself was already sacked in 410 by Alaric, a Germanic leader of the fierce Visigoths. The final fall of Rome is coming shortly by 476.

  “Think of this time and place as the Wild West with the cowboys in charge. These cowboys are a mix of indigenous regional warlords and Asiatic invaders from the east called ‘the Hun’. The Hun, under their leader Attila, are intent on conquering all of Europe.

  “A little knowledge about Attila will help you fit in with the local people. Trust me everyone knows about him, so must you.

  “Attila was a brilliant military leader the equal of Caesar and Hannibal. His foes called him ‘The Scourge of God’, and that pretty much described him. He was a scorched earth, take no prisoners, invader. Transylvania is merely a region he needed to pass through to enter greater Europe.”

  Listening to M’s description of Attila, Traveler shook his head, “I guess having the nickname Scourge of God pretty much says it all.”

  Glenda nodded, “OK, I get the Attila threat business, but I’m confused. Rome is obviously still around today, and while it has a lot of crumbling columns and scarred statues, this Attila never destroyed it. If he was such a big threat, what happened?”

  “There is much we don’t know about history. We do know that Attila led his army to the gates of Rome but then retreated. We have no idea why. The ‘why’ is one of history’s great mysteries.”

  “Why don’t you and Theo join us? Theo could easily defeat a single fire creature and put an end to this portal business. Why send us to the Wild West as a pair of lone rangers? Why not bring the serious cavalry?”

  “That question, Glenda, strikes to the very heart of this mission. Yes, Theo could easily defeat this single creature, however a far greater confrontation is coming. The two of you must grow much stronger to become the allies that Theo will need for that confrontation.

  “The two of you have reached a point in your development where your enhanced skills, developed by the books alone, are not enough. You need adversarial experiences with serious consequences to continue your growth.”

  Seeing the many disturbed emotions running across their faces, M leaned back and projected a comforting attitude. “Have confidence that both Theo and I fully believe in you. You will meet the challenges as you have successfully met others. Remember, you escaped the fire creature ambush in our alley.”

  Traveler loved history and he had listened carefully to every word. Looking at M he asked, “I get that these Huns are bad news for the locals, but do we really need to worry about them? Why not stay focused on the fire creature and do our best against him. He’s the only true threat to us, right?”

  Glenda sent Traveler a sad smile as she answered for M, “Traveler, I think what M is really saying is that it’s testing time for us. Despite M’s optimistic spin, I believe the unspoken challenge for us is one of survival against lots of threats. The big question is, do we measure up as future allies?” Looking at M she asked, “Are there more threats you can identify to help us survive?”

  Again, she cuts to the chase. “Of course Glenda, let me share more about day to day threats in fifth-century Transylvania. These threats come from the indigenous people and the wild beasts. Of course, disease is the greatest threat for the general population but you two having modern vaccinations are fine against that.

  “The indigenous people are dangerous due to their superstitions and their survival habits. They survive in part by never trusting strangers. Their knee-jerk reaction to strangers is to assume bad intentions and ask questions later. This is truly a dog-eat-dog world and few people survive past age thirty.”

  Trying to add some levity M grinned, “But wait there’s more! Beyond the fire creature and human dangers there are serious animal threats. In this time period much of Europe is covered by dense first-growth forests and you will need to navigate through these forests.

  “The forests are home to stalking carnivores including wolves, huge wild boars, stalking cats the size of Theo, and enormous bears. These predators have no fear of man. Man is just another weak, slow-moving meal to them.

  “Attacks can and will come unexpectedly from many different adversaries. Be cautious and plan ahead, but keep yours plans flexible. Remember what the Scottish poet Robert Burns so aptly said, ‘The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray’. Plan yes, but be prepared to change a plan on a moment’s notice.”

  “I’ve got a big question M, but it’s not about our mission,” said Glenda. “I don’t fully understand the creature’s focus on Theo.”

  “The fire creatures have experienced the unpredictable nat
ure of our universe since their inception. They seek to understand why the universe sometimes behaves like a predictable clock and other times like a roll of the dice. They believe that Theo has the answers to understanding and controlling these unpredictable forces.

  “They further believe that by absorbing Theo and gaining his knowledge, they can alter the universe. In a sense they will convert the universe into a very large laboratory for their experimentation.”

  Glenda and Traveler were shaking their heads in disgust as they visualized the universe being altered at the whim of the creatures. Traveler opined, “To use a fitting phrase from modern psychology, they’re psychopaths. They’re evil and they’re nuts.”

  Chuckling M said, “Well, I agree their objectives do seem evil from our point of view, however; be careful about judging them too harshly. You may consider their motivations as being not terrible dissimilar to our own.”

  “How is that?” asked a skeptical Traveler.

  “Scientists in many countries are currently conducting experiments to alter life. They actively study microcondial DNA and use tools such as CRISPR-Cas9 to modify our own body’s DNA structure at the cellular level.

  “At the furthest edge of cellular research, scientists are pursuing the resurrection of extinct animals by inserting their DNA into a living animal. We may see a return of a woolly mammoth born to an elephant. While there is a great deal of philosophical controversy about this resurrection goal, nonetheless the experiments will continue. Future warfare may well be waged based on superior DNA changes.

  “So, humans, much like the fire creatures, have an insatiable quest for knowledge. The price we pay to gain that knowledge is often ignored.”

  Traveler repeated, “There’s a big difference. Humans are trying to improve life while the creatures destroy it without regard to consequences. Case closed.”

  M nodded while thinking, That’s a simplistic distinction, Traveler, but this is not the time for a philosophical discussion.