“Cut your finger, Matt,” Jeremy said as he grabbed the wand from Jesse and unscrewed the cap off the handle.
Matt dripped three drops of blood into the handle. Jeremy screwed the top back on and handed it to Matt.
“I’m renaming this the Wand of Matthew,” Matt said and smiled as he held the wand up in the air.
“Go get her,” Jeremy and Jesse said at the same time.
Matt turned to the battle between Steve and Torron. Torron was only a few feet away from Steve. His hand shook, and sweat ran down his face. He was about to go down on his knees when Matt hit Torron with a second beam.
Torron appeared surprised at the power coming from the wand that Matt was holding. Jeremy shot a beam from the Wand of Cetrekap, and Jesse joined in with the Dagger of Valdar. The beams began to drive Torron back. When she reached Firestar, she mounted the dragon and flew back to the castle.
~~~
“Can it be fixed?” Jesse said to Matt.
“No, I don’t think so,” Matt said. “It’s got a hole in the center.” He held up the shield and looked through the hole.
“How do we drive Torron back into Horgon if we don’t have the shield?” Steve asked. “I think we’re at the end. That shield was great, separating good and evil. How do we do that without the shield?”
“Matt, can you repair the shield?” Jeremy asked. “You can change the shape of things and change the materials of things. Try to repair it.”
Matt went to Schmidt. “Can you have one of your guys cut me two pieces of sheet metal the exact shape of the hole in this shield, one to go into the shield and the other to go in the A on the front? I need them now.”
Schmidt took the shield and came back in a few minutes with the shield and the two pieces of sheet metal.
Matt turned the shield over and placed the sheet metal into the hole in the shield. I’m not sure this will work, he thought. I’ve never done this before. He had changed materials before, but never tried to copy a material. Oh well, here goes nothing. He closed his eyes and concentrated.
The paint on the sheet metal burned off, and the sheet metal fixed itself to the shield. The rough edges around the hole smoothed over, and the back of the shield looked like new. Matt turned the shield over and applied the sheet metal to the front. The same thing happened. The shield looked like new.
~~~
“We have our protective shields in place, Your Majesty,” General Tyd said. “We wait for your command.”
“They believe we’re weakened. We’ll wait until full darkness. They’ll believe we won’t attack until morning. We’ll surprise them. Prepare to attack on my command. With our shields up, we’re invincible.” The queen smiled at Smalik and motioned for him to follow her to her private quarters. She closed the door. “I fear Drake is plotting against me. Have you heard any rumors of this?”
“No, Your Highness,” Smalik said. “Had I heard anything like this, I would have told you right away. What would you have me do?”
“Find out if there is any truth to this,” Torron said. “I have a feeling he’s working with Hagred and Margot. They’re here somewhere. I can feel their presence.” She waved for Smalik to leave.
~~~
“Okay, fine,” Matt said. “We have a shield that looks like the Shield of Innocence, but it’s not. When Steve holds it up and we try to super-energize the shield, nothing happens.”
“I get that,” Jeremy said. “We’re missing something.”
“You think?” Steve asked with a smile. “We’re missing the magic.”
“That’s it,” Jesse said. “We’re missing the magic.”
“Okay, all-knowing one, what stroke of genius did you have this time?” Steve smiled and nudged her arm.
“Who created the nine Symbols of Power?” Jesse asked.
After a moment of silence, Jeremy said, “Cetrekap. The Grand Wizard Cetrekap created all nine Symbols of Power.”
“Why isn’t the Wand of Cetrekap one of the nine Symbols?” Jesse asked.
“That’s it . . . that’s it. He used the Wand of Cetrekap to energize the nine Symbols of Power.” Jeremy sounded proud of himself for figuring it out. Then he humbled himself. “You already figured that out.”
“Yes, all we have to do is use the Wand of Cetrekap to reenergize the shield,” Jesse said.
“Easier said than done,” Matt said. “We have no idea what incantation is needed to energize the shield. We can’t point the wand and hope for the best.”
“Well, we had better think of something fast,” Steve said. “She knows we’ve been weakened. I’m surprised she isn’t already attacking.”
“How do we get the words to say?” Matt asked.
“They should be in here,” Jesse said as she searched her knapsack. “Yeah, here it is.” She pulled out a small book and held it up. “The Book of Knowledge. We found it on our second trek in the Underworld. Cetrekap’s book of incantations. It should be in here.” She started thumbing through the pages.
Matt smiled. “You are a genius. I forgot all about that book.”
Twenty minutes passed. Steve started making sounds of impatience.
“Leave her alone, Steve,” Matt said. “She’ll find it if it’s in there.”
“I got it,” Jesse said. “It’s complicated, though.”
“I would think it would be,” Jeremy said.
“It’s a two-phase chant,” Jesse explained. “The first is for the normal shield operation, and the second is for the super-energized operation. This was the last Symbol of Power created. He used the Dagger of Valdar, the Wand of Wongate, the Wand of Cetrekap, the Bracelet of Witstal, and the Seven Stones of Honor to create the magic placed on the Shield of Innocence.”
They leaned the shield against the tree. Matt placed the Seven Stones of Honor in their correct order on the ground in front of the shield: red in the middle and blue at the top, closest to the shield. Then came green, brown, purple, yellow, and last, orange. He placed them tightly together.
Jesse took the Bracelet of Witstal off her wrist and stretched it out large enough to place it around the seven stones. Steve pointed the Wand of Wongate, Matt the Wand of Cetrekap, and Jesse the Dagger of Valdar at the seven stones.
Jesse looked at the book and then turned to the stones. “Become the Shield of Innocence, protecting the righteous from the evil.”
Lightning and fire erupted from the three wands and hit the stones. In turn, a light green cloud emanated from the circle of stones and rested upon the shield. The lightning and fire stopped as the light green cloud was absorbed into the shield.
The three pointed the wands at the shield again, and Jesse said, “Create the super-energy Shield of Innocence that will sift the good from evil and will become the tool to drive the evil forces back behind the Gates of Horgon.”
Columns of green smoke flowed from the three wands, going directly to the shield and becoming absorbed by it. After two minutes, the flow stopped.
Steve picked up the shield and immediately dropped it. “It’s hot!” he exclaimed.
“Let it cool off,” Matt said as he put the stones back in his knapsack. “Steve, while it’s cooling off, you go take a look at what the queen’s army is doing. We’ll test the shield when you return.”
Chapter 52
Wicked Witch of the West
“We’re moving all our assets into the parade ground,” General Tyd said. “The only Oar-7s available were those coming back from Earth. Only a few got through to Gandoral before the portals were closed by the green shield the Alliance held up. This afternoon, we were taken by surprise. Most of the soldiers in the field only had hand weapons. They’re all being supplied with automatic weapons. By morning, we’ll be ready for a full attack against the Alliance.”
“I want them ready in an hour,” Torron said as she looked out over the darkened battlefield. “The Shield of Innocence has been destroyed. They’ll think we’ll wait until morning to attack. We attack in an hour. Get the arm
y ready now. Even so, they will be a formidable force. We have to surprise them. They won’t stand a chance with Drake and me together against them.”
~~~
“I don’t want to talk to you,” Drake said. “You must leave before the queen knows you’re here.”
“We made a deal,” Hagred said. “You wanted the queen to die on Earth. We helped the Alliance to defeat the queen.”
“She didn’t die,” Drake said. “Our deal is off. Get out!” He raised his hand, and a force field pushed both Hagred and Margot to the wall. “If I see you again, I’ll send you to Skornes-Tarude.”
“We had a deal,” Margot said. “You allowed the doctors to bring your mother back from the dead. You’re the one that failed. We can still rule together. Our combined power can defeat the queen.”
“You’ve no idea how much power the queen has,” Drake said. “If she knew about this plan you talked me into, she wouldn’t hesitate to send all of us to Skornes-Tarude.”
“You’re safe,” Hagred said. “You’re her son.”
“No, you’re wrong. Because I’m her son, she expects more from me. I’d be the first to go if she found out.”
~~~
Torron was livid. Her eyes had turned to black, and her hands were shaking as she stared at the crystal ball, the size of a basketball. The scene she was watching was the discussion between Drake, Hagred, and Margot.
She screamed and swiped her hand across the table, knocking the crystal ball off its stand. It went crashing to the floor, bouncing until it hit the wall. It spun for a few seconds until it came to a stop, then wiggled and flew back to the table, landing on its stand.
~~~
“Are we ready?” Matt asked Caroline.
“Yes, the Freedom Fighters have regrouped,” Caroline said, “and all of them have been instructed to stay behind the Shield of Innocence. Are you sure you don’t want to wait until morning?”
“No, the longer we wait the better Torron will be prepared,” Jeremy said. “She’ll think we would rather wait until the light of day. She’s wrong. Okay, let’s get this show started.” He held up the shield with the front facing the castle.
Matt held the Wand of Cetrekap, Steve held the Wand of Wongate, and Jesse held the Dagger of Valdar. All three wands shot lasers and electric arcs dancing on the surface of the shield. The light show lasted a minute or so. Then the lasers and arcs stopped. The shield turned from silver with a gold A to black with a gold A in the center.
Jeremy handed the shield to Steve. Steve held the shield in his left hand and the Ax of Norrid in his right. His large sword was across his back and his machete was tucked under his belt. Jeremy had the Wand of Wongate and a dagger. Matt had the Wand of Cetrekap in his right hand, a sword in his left, and his bow across his back. Jesse held the Dagger of Valdar in her left hand.
The Alliance looked at the Gandorians to their right and left. Jeremy laid down his weapons and created a dozen giant fireballs. Matt positioned them high in the sky above the entire distance from where they were all the way to the Gates of Horgon. Jeremy picked up his weapons, and they began the slow march forward.
The pale green force shield stretched from east to west as far as could be seen. Again, the evil characters from behind the shield were picked up and thrown in front of the shield.
Jesse looked back over her shoulder. The blackened earth of the parade ground was changing, turning into a field of tall green grass with wild flowers sprinkled throughout. The forest that had been burned out only hours ago was being replaced by full-grown trees and underbrush.
The Gandorians and Freedom Fighters began to cheer as they walked through the grass.
“It’s a little early to be celebrating,” Jack said to Caroline.
“The very idea of a life without tyranny is worth cheering,” Caroline said.
~~~
Drake, Hagred, and Margot were on their knees in front of Torron.
She was in her favorite persona, looking evil and menacing. Her black eyes stared out from skin resembling withered leather, wrinkled and dried. Her stringy white hair hung down to her waist. She wore her fighting armor, silver with black trim.
“You dare to scheme against me. You dare to disobey me. You dare to plan my demise. Drake, I’m so disappointed. You will be tortured before I send you to Skornes-Tarude. Hagred and Margot?” She smiled and shook her head. “The two of you should have known better. I really thought you were smarter than this. You’re so stupid.”
She pointed her staff at the pair, but before she sent them to Skornes-Tarude, Smalik burst into the room. “The Alliance is attacking!”
“Skornes-Tarude!” Torron said, and Hagred and Margot vanished. Their clothes lay on the floor with small wisps of smoke curling up out of them. “You stay here,” Torron commanded Drake. “Don’t move!”
She rushed to her balcony to see the entire area from the tree line in the north to the Gates of Horgon to the south. The pale green protective shield extending from east to west and high into the sky advanced toward the Gates of Horgon. She could see occasional Horkins, Nectorians, and others being rejected from behind the shield. The Torron army was pressing forward. They would be meeting in the middle of the field within minutes.
Torron went back to Drake, who was still on his knees. “You are lucky,” she began. “The enemy of my enemy is truly my friend today. The Alliance is on the move. As distasteful as this is, we must join forces to defeat the Alliance. If we don’t stop them now, we’ll find ourselves behind the Gates of Horgon trying to explain to Zolog how we got there. That cannot happen.” The queen put out her hand. “Join me. We’ll figure out how to rule together once the Alliance is defeated.”
“I will agree,” Drake said. “But I want that statement written in your blood.”
“You’re my son. You don’t trust your mother?”
“No, Mother, I don’t,” Drake said. “If you want me to help you, I want it in blood.”
She turned away. “Very well.” She smiled at the obstinance of her son and motioned for Smalik to bring her pen and paper. She cut a deep wound in the palm of her hand and dripped a fair amount of blood into a small jar. She handed the knife to Drake, and he added his blood to the jar. Smalik dipped a pen into the jar and wrote the agreement. Both signed.
~~~
Dragons and firebirds began to attack the shield, but the fiery saliva simply bounced off the shield and onto the ground. Firestar was among the attacking dragons and witnessed the shield’s effect of the fiery saliva. As the shield passed over the burning saliva, it turned to water and sank into the green grass.
As soon as the Torron army came in contact with the shield, the pale blue shield protecting them disappeared. Their weapons couldn’t penetrate the pale green shield. Bullets simply hit the shield and fell harmlessly to the ground. However, the Gandorians and Freedom Fighters could shoot through the shield from the back side. The bodies of the dead Torron soldiers simply disappeared as the shield crossed over them. It didn’t take long for the Torron army to figure out they were doomed. They began to retreat.
“We’ve got them on the run now,” Steve said. “All we have to do is walk to the Gates of Horgon and lock them in.”
“I’m not so sure of that,” Jeremy said.
“Why?” Steve asked. “Look at ’em run.”
“We still have to face Torron,” Jeremy said. “A few hours ago, she burned a hole in the shield. She could do it again.”
The Torron army was retreating, their line about two hundred yards in front of the shield.
“Who is that?” Jesse asked.
The army had stopped and had opened up a passageway through the crowded field. Two individuals stepped out into the open.
“Jack, take the shield,” Steve said as he handed the Shield of Innocence to him. “Stay behind us and keep moving forward.”
The Alliance stepped out in front of the shield and walked toward Torron and Drake.
“Matt, you and I will ta
ke Torron,” Jesse said.
“Jeremy, you and I will take on Drake,” Steve said.
Lasers, lightning, and fire exploded across the battlefield as the two sides walked toward each other. They spread out, with thirty yards or so between them.
Jeremy was using the Wand of Cetrekap, and Steve was using the Wand of Wongate, pushing hard against Drake. However, Drake was a formidable opponent. Steve and Jeremy stood shoulder to shoulder as the three clashed. To the surprise of both Steve and Jeremy, Drake began to push forward and walk toward them. The destructive powers of the three wands were crashing into each other. They were now only twenty yards apart.
Steve looked at Jeremy. “Now! Push!”
Their combined extra push began to close the gap between them. They got so close, the tips of the three wands touched together and a great explosion took place. Steve grabbed Jeremy, and because of his great strength, stood his ground while Drake was tossed backward twenty yards, landing on his back. It surprised Drake so much he dropped his wand. He scrambled to pick it up, but Steve’s speed got the wand before Drake could retrieve it.
At the same time, Jesse and Matt were battling Torron. Matt had the Wand of Matthew, and Jesse had the Dagger of Valdar. Together they were in a fierce battle with Torron. Electric arcs, laser beams, and fire crashed into each other as the three wizards walked toward each other. Then Jesse’s eyes began to change color, turning bright orange. Torron’s eyes turned black.
Jesse held the dagger in her left hand and held up her right hand as if to signal to stop. The beam from the Wand of Torron shifted from meeting the beam from the dagger to hitting Jesse’s hand.
Two things happened simultaneously. First, Jesse’s persona changed. Her skin began turning to gray wrinkled leather, and her hair turned gray and grew long and scraggly. She looked a hundred years old. The expression on her face was determined and evil-looking. Second, the beams from both Jesse and Matt hit Torron in the chest. The hit took the queen off guard, and she stumbled backward, dropping the wand. Steve swooped in and grabbed the wand before Torron could recover.
Both Matt and Jesse continued their attack on Torron.
Winds of War Page 30