The Redmadafa

by Gary Foshee

  guards.

  Galamus flew over and plunged his sword into the lumpy

  brute that had broken off the spear lodged in its shoulder and

  was rising back to its feet. He pulled his sword from its bel y, and with one stroke, severed all five heads. He surveyed the battlefield and then pointed up the mountain.

  “Secure the Holy Mount and take possession of the fiery

  stones. They must all be driven out and cast to earth. None

  can stay.”

  Frost, standing in the middle of one of the trenches, held

  out her hands and blasted a wall of ice. The frosty indigo crystals snaked through the trench entombing hundreds of dark figures.

  She flew out of the trench, looked at Galamus and asked, “What

  about Legion?”

  Legion stood in the middle of the yards battling several

  Southern guards with a bright red sword. She started toward him, however Galamus, with fleeting shadows glittering against his

  pupils, stuck out his arm and held her back. “I’ll take care of him.”

  Galamus zigzagged through the battles raging around him

  and cautiously made his way to Legion. Now just a few yards

  from him, he shouted, “Legion!”

  Legion whirled around and threw a scorpion-tipped spear

  at him.

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  Galamus cart-wheeled backwards, blocking it with his sword.

  “How quick you are to betray your maker, Legion. Only a

  fool would make his alliance with a dreamer. Now you will suffer the wrath of His Majesty.”

  “You are the fool Galamus,” spit Legion, drawing his sword

  from his side. “Mageddon is on his way to destroy the woman and

  her child. When he does, we will possess the power to overthrow

  His Majesty. Join us now before it’s too late. Perhaps Mageddon

  will show you mercy.”

  “Overthrow His Majesty; and then what? Mageddon will

  never posses the full power of the fiery stones and he will never share power with you.”

  He stepped closer.

  “Join you? I don’t think so,” remarked Galamus. “Mageddon

  will pay with his life for this and so will all who follow him…

  including you.” He jumped in the air and kicked Legion back

  into the Holy Mount leaving a large indention in the footings.

  Legion picked himself up and shook off his wings. He scrapped

  his sword across the ground then ran up the wal , flipping

  backwards as he attacked Galamus. The clash of swords sent

  silver sparks blazing high into the air. Galamus blocked his feeble attack, and with his left hand, hit Legion with a force-field that launched him up and over the Holy Mount tumbling end-over-end through the air. Legion crash-landed next to the fiery

  stones and rolled across the courtyard up against an enormous

  statue of an Almighty Eagle.

  Legion crawled over and stood up on the fiery stones. He

  raised his hands in front of him and shouted, “I, Legion, keeper of the Holy Mount, call upon the power of the fiery stones. Give me your power that I may defeat those who have come to destroy

  thy sacred command.”

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  The stones trembled causing Legion to stumble. The rumbles

  thundered throughout the battlefield, momentarily paralyzing

  everyone while power surged from the stones and raced up his

  legs, igniting his hands in bright-red flames.

  Galamus cleared the East wall and landed at the opposite end

  of the stones and instantly became engulfed with an atomic blast of fire. Struggling to keep his footing, he raised his hands and blocked the fire, only to be met with a power far greater than his own.

  “You cannot defeat me. Surrender your forces now or I will

  destroy you.”

  Galamus strained to hold Legion back, his hands glowing

  brighter as he slid backwards. “I’m not afraid of death and I

  would never save myself at the expense of my brothers.”

  Legion’s eyes seered with scorn. “Then you will die…fool!

  And to think, you could have shared power with us and ruled the

  universe. What a waste.”

  Several angels landed beside Galamus and rushed inside the

  flame to help hold it back. Several others landed all around Legion and raised their swords to cut him down. Greatly out-numbered

  and alone, he sprayed the courtyard with fire and lowered his

  hands.

  “This is not over, Galamus. You will bow before Mageddon

  and call him master. You will succumb.” He pointed at all the others and bent down to the ground as if picking something up,

  “You all will bow.” He broke from the fight and took to the air.

  With casualties mounting and against Mageddon’s orders, Legion

  sounded the retreat. They were defeated. Not only had they lost

  the battle, they had lost their stations of authority. Rightful

  passage to the Holy Mount and the fiery stones would forever

  be blocked. The universe glowed red as battles dwindled and

  stars were hurled across the universe by Legion and his army,

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  protesting their retreat. Massive boulders of broken stars and

  meteors peppered the planets and moon, leaving large craters

  scattered across their surface.

  MABGONIAN SYSTEM

  The solar system stood on edge. Bolts of energy stretched from

  star to star. Above her head was a crown imbedded with the

  twelve stars of Andorra. She stood in an expanse above the

  moon; her body clothed with the sun. About to give birth, she

  cried out in pain as a great and wondrous sign appeared; globular clusters exploded with a spectacular display of colors resulting in a majestic rainbow across the universe.

  Mageddon, hiding in the orbs of Mabgonian, had seen

  enough. It was time! With his army in place, he spread his

  wings, lowered his head and shouted a thunderous blood-cur-

  dling shriek initiating the attack. His colorful wings ruffled in the wind and were highlighted by small pockets of air, white-capping underneath, as he descended through a black hole concealing

  his approach. He had one goal; to devour the child and kill his

  mother.

  Aware of his presence, the stars from her crown blinded him

  with an immense mother-of-pearl light. As the woman made her

  escape, she raced through the galaxy and navigated through a

  massive star cluster camouflaging her with millions of lights. She weaved through a dust field then back out into open space, and

  paused. Up ahead, hiding behind ranks of black shields stacked

  together, a battalion of Mageddon’s army blended into the dark-

  ness waiting to ambush.

  Sensing their presence and looking for an escape, her eyes

  roamed the galaxy. Beneath her a wormhole opened. Scared, and

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  uncertain what to do, she dropped headlong into its median as

  the army broke rank and followed close behind spinning into the

  funnel after her. Deep inside the blackness, she felt them nip-

  ping and slashing at her feet, but one by one, they ripped into

  the mainstream of its gravitational pull and, to their surprise, emerged in different constel ations.

  She spiraled out of the hole and shot wide-around the two

  moons of Cadiamorsus—Mageddon emerged from the hole just

  as it closed and followed her. She twisted through an
asteroid field and then out into space, but with every second, he drew closer.

  With the child tucked under her wing, she sang to the comets for help. Reporting from across the galaxy, they attacked from every direction launching at him.

  Mageddon, full of surprises himself, felt their vibrations

  locking onto him and he transformed into an enormous sev-

  en-headed red dragon. Each head had ten horns and seven

  crowns, from which fire erupted, turning the comets into ash.

  His voice, majestic yet deadly, sent shock waves disintegrating

  the rest, crushing them into tiny pieces. The small fragments ricocheted off his body and floated away becoming trapped in the

  rings of several nearby planets.

  The woman turned and sped toward earth. As she approached

  its upper atmosphere, she sang to the clouds for protection. The sky turned red and the barometric pressure in the air dropped,

  creating a large vortex in the sky. Lightning flashed against

  Mageddon’s body. Hundreds of tornadoes raged all around,

  twisting and flipping him over and over. Rain and hail slammed

  against him trying to slow him down, but he was too powerful

  and his armor of thick scales—impenetrable.

  He folded his wings to pick up speed causing fire to spark

  off his body. Preparing his final approach, in unison, all seven 64

  THE REDMADAFA

  heads screamed a venomous shriek, paralyzing her mid-air. With

  victory now in reach, he stretched out his claws to clutch-kill

  the child, but was struck by Miaphas emerged from the clouds

  directly above him. Mageddon pummeled round and round in

  an unrecoverable spiral-of-death. Struggling to pull out, his tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky, raining giant firebal s on the earth, torching the ancient old-growth forests of Guma.

  Mageddon struck the earth with such an enormous force that

  he cracked its crust, shifting it off its orbital rotation. A plume of dust mushroomed into the atmosphere, covering the earth in

  darkness, killing, burying, and suffocating millions.

  Mageddon listlessly picked himself up off the ground. Shell-

  shocked eyes scanned the sky and valley for any sign of her.

  Exhausted from the relentless pursuit, the woman landed on the

  back of Behemoth—the chief of all His Majesty had made. With

  bronze bones, limbs of iron, and a tail like a cedar tree, he was ready to sacrifice his body to protect both her and the child. The woman’s frail, tattered body was draped over Behemoth’s neck as

  she rested in the rhythm of his gallop, fondly soothing her beating heart. As they ran through the forest, she sang to the trees to conceal her. Hearing her voice, Miaphas emerged from the

  clouds and landed on a mountain plateau high above the forest.

  He spread his hands far apart and then slapped them together,

  pulsating a gust of wind through the trees awakening them from

  their ancient slumber.

  Leaves soared into the sky.

  Branches snapped.

  Cracks and rumbles echoed throughout the forest.

  The trees sprang to life. They spread their burly branches

  high into the air, confusing Mageddon with an array of colors.

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  Others formed in ranks and marched against him, while others

  flanked him.

  Mageddon tried to pursue her, but he was wounded and his

  left wing broken. In one last desperate attempt to achieve victory, he turned toward her, inhaled deeply, and spewed a torrent of

  water into the air. The water raged across the valley and through the forest, uprooting the trees, breaking their ranks and washing them away. The torrent picked up other trees and rocks, and

  showered them down all around her. Although the waters raged,

  Behemoth could not be stopped. His colossal body stormed

  through the forest unscathed by the terror chasing them.

  With the small amount of energy that remained, she sang

  out, this time to the earth.

  The earth trembled and quaked.

  Boulders smashed into the creek.

  A canyon opened into the horizon and cut the water off, wres-

  tling it down its colossal wal s. The water, furious at the canyon, surged and scratched into its sides, scaring it with deep ravines.

  The canyon sucked the water down then channeled it away.

  Mageddon watched the canyon open and race toward him.

  Unable to fly, he rolled out of its path. Devastated that his plan had failed, he pondered his next move. Legion circled the earth

  and landed beside Mageddon, falling face-down.

  “Forgive me Mageddon, I have failed you, we have all failed

  you. Galamus and the others ambushed us and kept us from

  carrying out your plans. He knows about us; His Majesty sus-

  pects you. He has taken your place of authority and given it to

  Miaphas.”

  “Miaphas; Coward! Next time we shall meet face-to-face.”

  Mageddon walked to the edge of the canyon and looked

  down, his eyes following layer upon layer of finely cut lines. The 66

  THE REDMADAFA

  lines, many of different colors, ran horizontal y to form a new

  river, approximately a mile below.

  “Get up, we have work to do.”

  Legion rose and discreetly observed Mageddon’s wounds.

  “But, they have blocked the way; we have lost our places too. All is lost.”

  “Fool!” shouted Mageddon in a bestial rage. “All is not lost.

  No,” he said staring out across the war torn and ravished land-

  scape, “This may work to our advantage yet.”

  “How?” asked Legion, trying to hide his skepticism.

  “I will destroy her offspring and turn his people against him.

  When he returns, I will have amassed a force as numerous as the

  sand of the sea. I will have my revenge.”

  “What about the woman and her child?” he asked, his voice

  trailing off feebly.

  Mageddon’s eyes glowed red. “Once I’ve healed,” he moved

  his broken wing slightly and grabbed Legion by the throat lifting him off the ground, “I’ll find them and crush them myself.”

  He threw Legion off into the canyon.

  “Victory will be mine!”

  THE BALAMARA DESERT

  Miaphas took the woman to the Balamara desert and placed her

  in a cave high above the desert plateau. The cave was hidden deep in the maze of an area called “The Land of a Thousand Canyons.”

  Inside the cave was a tropical paradise. Rotating just below the ceiling was a star cluster that provided light to the fertile plants growing below. Fiddlehead ferns, rainbow chards, and longed-nose pokeberries grew amongst the floor. Fluted pumpkins,

  drumhead cabbage, and big-eared sugar beets grew along the

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  wal s. A fresh-water spring overflowed into a sparkling steel-blue lake. Its shoreline was speckled with fruit trees and edible red, blue, yellow, purple, and green polka dotted toadstools; the toadstools tasted sweet, like a dessert—especial y their white spots.

  Miaphas took the child in his arms and covered him in

  bobo balm.

  “What will become of my child?” she asked, still traumatized

  by the separation. A small white tear fell from her left eye and rolled down her cheek, chapped from the wind.

  Miaphas cradled the child in his arms and smiled. Without

  looking up, he responded, “Your child will be safe. We will take care of him and hide him from the great d
ragon until it is time.”

  “But what about me? The dragon will not sleep until he

  finds me.”

  “Guards have been placed throughout the land to protect

  you. Stay here until I return. When the time is right and the earth is ready, His Majesty will return on the wings of justice. He will destroy the dragon and all who follow him.”

  Miaphas exited the cave and laid the child, which was

  wrapped in a swaddling of coney fur, next to a rock. He looked

  around and then knelt down and scooped up a handful of dirt.

  He raised his hands to his mouth and whispered before inhal-

  ing the dusty granules. With the dirt dancing around inside his

  mouth, he breathed over the cave opening. Dirt tendrils wisped

  out of his mouth and crystallized, forming a secret door concealing the entrance to the cave.

  * * * * * * *

  Many years passed. The earth lie in waste, its landscape forever

  changed from Mageddon’s devastating impact. Tall mountain

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  ranges and deep ravines rose up and splintered out around

  the earth. A dust cloud blocked the sun for hundreds of years

  allowing great ice formations to lay siege upon earth’s surface.

  Millions died, and Mageddon and his followers enslaved those

  that did survive. But not all; there was a remnant, a chosen people that had been protected. Mageddon dispatched his servants

  to kil , steal and destroy all that remained. The war against earth had begun.

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  C H A P T E R 4

  Bone Valley

  The Val ey of the Shadow of Death.

  “Mogi, crawl through the weeds and get in front of him.

  When you see me climb up the ledge, stand up and let

  him see you. Then I will jump,” whispered Rammer, crouching in

  the weeds next to a large overhanging cliff face. Mogi nodded his head and low-crawled through the weeds smiling and laughing,

  thinking about what was going to happen. Rammer climbed the

  rocky ledge and shuffled across. Scurrying across the ledge, his foot slipped on moldy bird droppings, freeing a few small pebbles, tumbling them down upon the ground and into the water

  below.

  The large croaker popped its head up and looked around.

  Rammer froze and became one with the cliff, remarkably blend-

  ing in with his surroundings. Large sweat beads dripped down