Winds of War

by Dennis Morrow

  “Call on us,” Oar said. “We may be able to help.”

  As the first Alliance disappeared from the Visualizer, the new Alliance got up and headed to the clocks.

  Chapter 1

  What’s the Right Time?

  “Can we take a break first?” Steve asked. “I need to use the bathroom, for one thing, and our fathers aren’t going anywhere.”

  “I agree,” Matt said. “We’ve already had a big day. When we go after our fathers, who knows what we’ll get into. I say we slow down a little and rest up, do some planning. We need to be on top of our game.”

  “I agree too,” Jeremy said as he sat down at the kitchen table.

  “Okay, I agree too,” Jesse said. “But we get our fathers first, before anything else. Agreed?”

  “Yes,” all three boys said at the same time.

  Jesse watched Steve running his fingers through his black curly hair as he headed up the circular stairs. His hair has grown at least three inches, she thought. Mine has grown too. She looked at the split ends. I need to get to a salon. The pink streaks are growing out. She pulled her blond hair back into a ponytail and looked at Jeremy. “You’ve lost weight since we started out.”

  “Yeah, about fifteen pounds,” Jeremy said. His face lit up with a smile.

  You have to love a guy who smiles with his whole face, Jesse thought. Those crystal-like blue eyes seem to pop out at you from the dark skin and Afro haircut.

  Matt’s dimples popped out. “I’d say you lost weight too, Jesse, but you didn’t have any extra weight on you. The gymnastics training took it all off before the treks started.”

  ~~~

  Matt sat at the kitchen table with Jeremy and Steve. His sandy brown hair was always a little out of place, but with the additional growth, it was getting out of control. He didn’t seem to mind. “No, no, no, no,” he said. “We should have at least an outline of a plan before we go get our dads.”

  “Just like on our four treks into the past, we don’t know what to plan until we get out of here,” Steve said emphatically. “We never know.”

  “I hate to admit it, but Steve’s right,” Jeremy said. “All we can do is get our dads and see if they have any ideas.”

  “Okay, I almost agree,” Matt said reluctantly. “We’ve been in here four days, and other than stuffing ourselves with cookies and pizza, we haven’t accomplished a thing. We need to get our dads back into the Safe Haven before we make any other plans.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say we haven’t accomplished anything,” Jesse said as she came down the stairs. “We rested up. We figured out how to cook the frozen pizza, after burning the first one. And we finally figured out that we can’t plan a battle without more information. Our dads should be able to help us with that. I know we can count on them.”

  “Okay,” Jeremy said. “We need to figure out the right time to go get our fathers.”

  “Easy,” Steve said. “We go back to the point just after we left the new base camp, or NBC. We pick up our dads and we’re back. Present time will still be stopped, so we’ll have all the time we need to make plans.”

  “Not so fast,” Jesse said. “We were gone for an hour or two when we saw the colored streaks across the sky.”

  “So?” Steve asked.

  “I suspect that was our fathers sending the Symbols back in time,” Jesse said. “We can’t go get them before they send the Symbols.”

  “How did you remember that?” Jeremy asked. “Was that before we saw the fog?”

  “Yes, we started seeing the fog right after we saw the pillar of light and the streaks across the sky,” Jesse answered. “We left camp around nine, and the Symbols went out sometime between ten and eleven. We should head back around noon on that Saturday to be safe.”

  “Maybe we should go a little later, say one,” Jeremy said.

  “No,” Steve said. “Noon should be okay.”

  “I think we need to be sure we don’t get there too early,” Jeremy insisted. “One would be safe.”

  ~~~

  Jesse and Jeremy were in the bedroom emptying their knapsacks onto their beds.

  “I’m trying to remember what they said when we left the camp that morning,” Jeremy said.

  “What part?” Jesse asked.

  “I don’t know,” Jeremy said. “Only generally. I can’t remember much about that morning. It’s all a blur. Can you?”

  “Well, first Brian handed Steve the cube and said, ‘Now, son, this cube is not to be opened until you are instructed to do so . . . understood? Understood?’ Then Ed handed Matt a small leather pouch and said, ‘Here. Don’t open this pouch until you get instructions on how to use its contents.’ Then my dad pulled the map out of the leather folder and said, ‘This will be your most challenging trek so far. John will give you the rules, but you need to know a few things about the map. First, you can’t lose it. As you can see, it has been around a long time. Losing it . . . well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be good. Second, follow every instruction on the map and on the scroll that John gives you. You must trust every instruction. You cannot vary from the orders, no matter how illogical they might seem. Understood? Understood?’

  “Then your dad gave you the wooden container with the scroll inside. He took the scroll out and read it. It said, ‘Go south-southeast about three miles to a ravine. Go west-southwest about one-half mile to the Praying Monk. Check the scroll and map there before proceeding. Danger level will be mild.’ Then he continued, ‘Now . . . this scroll contains the instructions that go with the map. Together they will give you direction. Apart they are useless. Understood?’

  “Then John gave us the basic rules of our trek. He said, ‘Here are the rules for this trek. First, when I finish, you each can ask one question. This rule is different from before. Second, before opening the map or the scroll again, you must do as the scroll said. Then, and only then, can you study the map and scroll again. That’s where the trek actually begins. Third, you can’t return until all requirements of the trek have been completed. You will know when that has happened. Fourth, from now on, you are a team—more than a team. You are one. You must be united in everything you do. If you’re not united, you will fail. If you are united, you will become a great Alliance, a new Alliance for good against evil. This team spirit, this unity, must penetrate through to your very souls. Fifth and last, like all of the treks you’ve been on, you are required to be back at the NBC no later than six thirty tomorrow night so we can have dinner and celebrate the success of this, your last trek.’”

  “Was that word for word?” Matt asked. He and Steve had been listening from the stairway.

  “I don’t know,” Jesse said, looking confused. “It’s how I remember it.”

  “Come on, let’s go get our fathers,” Steve said as he headed back down the circular stairs.

  Matt followed him. “We need to decide which father goes first,” he said when he reached the bottom.

  “Why?” Jeremy asked. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “You’re right, Matt,” Steve agreed. “Even if it doesn’t matter, we should have a plan just in case.”

  Steve went to the Visualizer with a piece of paper and a pencil. He tore the paper into four squares and put a name on each: Brian, his dad; Marcus, Jesse’s dad; Ed, Matt’s dad; and John, Jeremy’s dad. He folded up the pieces and tossed them onto the table. “Matt, you pick.”

  Matt picked up the papers one by one. “Marcus, Ed, John,” he read. “That leaves Brian last.”

  ~~~

  Matt, Jeremy, Steve, and Jesse removed their Symbols from around their necks. The Symbols continued to glow as they slipped them into the four slots above the two clocks. The first clock, displaying Earth time, had stopped. The second clock, clicking away the seconds and minutes, displayed Alliance time, the elapsed time since they had entered the Safe Haven the first time.

  The glow from the Symbols inside the slots began to pulse, first very bright, then completely off. A grinding hum cou
ld be heard coming from the clocks. The lights and hum continued for about thirty seconds, then a drawer opened, revealing the time-travel clock.

  Matt pulled out his logbook and a slip of paper. “I’ve looked at the logbook, and here’s the date and time we need to put into the clock. It’s Saturday, September fifth, at one p.m.”

  Jeremy dialed in the date and time, then placed his right hand on the black stone and said out loud, “Take us to the NBC.”

  The Safe Haven began to vibrate, and a low-pitched hum could be heard. It vibrated enough to get the WindElys to bounce up and down. The shimmering lights from the WindElys danced all around the Safe Haven.

  The vibration and humming stopped, and the four Symbols popped partway out of the slots. The Alliance put them around their necks.

  Steve was standing over the hatch. “Let’s go.” He opened the hatch.

  Chapter 2

  Easy Peasy

  This seems too easy, Jesse thought as she watched Steve, Matt, and Jeremy descend through the hatch in the floor. Nothing is easy on these treks, and now we’re doing something never done before in the history of the Alliance. Something tells me this won’t be as easy as Steve keeps saying.

  As before, their clothing changed, and now they were dressed in the same clothes they were in before they left the base camp back in September. The tree had set itself down behind one of the motor homes at the base camp. The Alliance ran around to the other side of the motor home to find their fathers. All four were standing on the edge of the lake looking out at the oncoming black cloud. It had totally engulfed the distant mountain and had extended across the lake and into the forest a mile or two up the shore from where they were standing.

  “Dad!” Jesse yelled. “Dad!”

  The four fathers turned in surprise to see their four kids.

  “What are you doing back in camp so soon?” Marcus asked as his daughter leaped into his arms.

  Matt ran up to his dad. “We don’t have time to explain,” he said with urgency in his voice. “We need to take you with us in the Safe Haven.”

  “What? No!” Brian exclaimed.

  “We have to, Dad,” Steve insisted. “We have to hurry.”

  Jeremy motioned for the fathers to follow him. “We’ll take Marcus first.”

  They all ran around to the Safe Haven, and the Alliance went up through the hatch, followed by Marcus. The hatch closed behind them, and the remaining three fathers watched as the Safe Haven disappeared.

  ~~~

  “There’s a delay in the system,” Jeremy said.

  “What do you mean, a delay?” Matt asked.

  “When we returned, the time-travel clock read 1:14,” Jeremy said. “It took fourteen minutes for us to get back into the Safe Haven.”

  “So set the clock to 1:15,” Steve said.

  “It won’t let me,” Jeremy said, clearly frustrated. “The closest I can get is 2:14. It delays us by one hour.”

  “Well, put it in and let’s get back there,” Matt said.

  Jeremy set the clock and destination, and the four exited the Safe Haven.

  “Dad, you’re next,” Matt said with urgency.

  Ed followed the four back into the Safe Haven. “Why are you doing this?” he asked as he came through the hatch. “You’re using your . . .”

  “We know, we know,” Matt said as he waved his hand to stop his father from talking. “We know what we’re doing, and we don’t have time to explain right now.”

  “The clock reads 2:19,” Jeremy said as he set the clock for 3:19 and pronounced the destination.

  The four got to the ground.

  “John, you’re next,” Matt said.

  As the Alliance was about to go back up the ladder to the Safe Haven, Jesse yelled, “Look!” She was pointing up the shoreline in the direction of the old base camp, or OBC.

  The black clouds continued to roll in over the distant mountain and across the crystal clear, sky-blue lake. Only several hundred yards away was an approaching army of Humongers and Weborians.

  “Dad, we’ll be right back,” Steve said. “Don’t do anything crazy.” He went through the hatch and closed it. “We’re in trouble.”

  ~~~

  Torron’s army camp bustled with activity. Tents were being assembled, soldiers and equipment were being organized. A steady stream of large, manlike Humongers, six-legged spiderlike Weborians, and the snakelike Horrintines were coming out of the cloud, landing on the beach. Dragons and firebirds were landing on the far side of the encampment.

  Torron’s armor was silver with black trim. Her face was old and drawn, her leathery skin gray and pockmarked. Long, fiery-red hair perfectly set off her emerald-green eyes. She held a sword in one hand and a small shield in the other. “I told you to bring all four fathers here,” Torron insisted. “You only have one: Brian. Where are the others?”

  Brian stood on a platform against a thick wooden wall, arms outstretched, hands strapped to the wall, and ankles spread apart and strapped to the wall as well. His entire body weight was being held up by the straps around his wrist. He was unconscious, and his head hung low. Blood streaked off his beaten body onto his pants and down onto the platform. A Humonger stood beside him with an executioner’s ax resting on his shoulder.

  “There was only one father in the camp when we got there,” the general nervously informed the queen. “He refuses to tell us where the others are.”

  “I want a heavy guard posted all around this area. If there is any sign of someone trying to rescue him, kill him. No hesitation. Kill him instantly.” Torron’s eyes drilled into the general’s. “Do you understand my order?”

  “Yes, Your Highness, I understand your order,” the general said as he rushed off to implement her wishes.

  Torron walked up the three steps to the platform and approached Brian. She motioned to her high priest to come up. “Make him drink the potion,” she said as she grabbed Brian by the hair and lifted his head. She held his head back while the high priest poured the liquid into his mouth.

  Brian gagged at first, but then swallowed the liquid. Torron continued to hold up his head as his eyes began to open.

  “Brian, where is the rest of the Alliance?” the queen asked.

  Brian said nothing as a slight smile crept across his lips.

  She asked several more times and then stepped down off the platform. A determined looked crossed her face, and she drew her wand from her belt and pointed it at him. A stream of electrical arcs emanated from the tip of the wand and hit Brian in the chest.

  Brian clenched his jaw, and sweat formed all over his body. He resisted an outcry but couldn’t contain a low but painful grunting sound.

  Torron hit him again, this time with an even more focused and more intense stream of electric arcs.

  Brian screamed in pain, and then passed out again.

  “Put a search party together and find the four mothers,” Torron said to her general. “Bring them to me. We’ll use the mothers against the new Alliance instead of the fathers.” She walked away toward her tent.

  ~~~

  “The clock is reset to 4:24,” Jeremy announced. “Take us to the NBC.”

  This time they were careful about opening the hatch.

  “What do you see?” Jesse asked Steve.

  “There’s no noise and I can’t see anyone there, but I smell smoke,” Steve answered as he started down through the hatch.

  Once on the ground, the Alliance looked around. The base camp had been destroyed. The RVs were in flames. The stench of burning tires had replaced the sweet smell of the pine forest.

  Steve was frantic. “We have to find my dad before they kill him.”

  Jesse grabbed Steve’s hand, and they both disappeared. “Go find your dad,” she said. She let his hand go and reappeared. “You go and find him, see what the situation is, and either bring him back or come back and we’ll make a plan to save him.”

  As Steve flew away, the leaves on the ground and the smoke in the
air swirled in his wake.

  In a few minutes, Steve was back. He grabbed Jesse’s hand, and she made him reappear. “They’re torturing him to find out where the other fathers are,” he said frantically. “There are thousands of Torron’s troops already in the camp and more pouring in. I need your help to get him free.”

  “Where are they?” Matt asked.

  “Only four or five hundred yards up the shoreline,” Steve said. “Let’s go.”

  “First, hold my hands,” Jesse said.

  They all held each other’s hands and disappeared.

  ~~~

  Standing in front of the platform that held Brian, the general addressed five captains. “Remember the training we’ve been practicing? This is what that training was all about. We cannot make a mistake. If there is any disturbance, any attempt to free the prisoner, the queen wants him executed. If you fail, you will be sent to Skornes-Tarude. You will not die, but rather you will live in darkness, alive, for the rest of time. Don’t make a mistake. It’s my head too. If there’s any attempt to save him, it means the new Alliance is here.”

  ~~~

  The Alliance crept quietly into the Torron camp. Even though the soldiers around them couldn’t see them, they could see faint images of each other. It took a few minutes, but soon they were standing behind some bushes to the right of the platform.

  “I heard the queen give orders to kill Dad if any attempt to rescue him was made,” Steve whispered to the others. “We’ll have to move quickly and at the same time.”

  Matt pointed to archers stationed around the front of the platform. “There are archers at the ready, all with arrows in their bows pointing at Brian.”

  “The Humonger next to your dad has an executioner’s ax resting on his shoulder with both hands on the handle,” Jeremy pointed out. “He’s also ready to act.”

  “Okay, here’s the plan,” Steve said quietly as the four huddled behind the bushes. “I’ll fly at high speed and grab the ax from the Humonger and take him out. At the same time, Jeremy, you start hitting the far end of the camp with lightning and hail to distract the attention from the platform. Also at the same time, Matt, you guide all the arrows away from Dad and render any other weapons nearby useless by turning all of them to water. Jesse, you head straight to the platform and attend to Dad’s wounds. Once I’ve taken care of the Humonger, I’ll break all of the restraints holding Dad and we’ll leave. Jeremy, while I’m getting Dad loose, you create a safe passageway back to camp with lightning, fire, and ice. Any questions?”