Blackstone

by C E Johnson

  “Do you notice any change in your magical abilities?” Iscar changed the topic of their conversation. “I’m beginning to feel more powerful.”

  “Only minimal changes,” Ullr answered. The shades turned silent.

  “Back to the control room?” The driver, a green magician, stared back at Iscar through the rear-view mirror.

  “Yes, I want to track the progress of the tankers.” They were headed toward Iscar’s primary lair in Al-Hofuf, in eastern Saudi Arabia, an eight-hour drive. The last SUV in his convoy was loaded with containers of gasoline, so they wouldn’t need to stop at a gas station.

  Just before arrival, Ullr’s phone began to ring. “Talk,” he said succinctly. Ullr nodded several times while listening. Once he finished the call, he put away his phone and turned to face Iscar. “We have four enemy military groups approaching the region of our lair. Hostiles with weapons. Likely scouting for our nest.” His silver eyes bored into Iscar. “I’m sure Tebah’s leader is looking for retribution.”

  “They couldn’t have timed this worse if they tried.” Iscar tried to choke down a scream of frustration. I shouldn’t have been so obvious with our return to the airport. I wonder if they were watching me. His face grew hard and he spoke to Ullr in an icy tone. “The time has come for confrontation. I want these invaders killed, but we can’t let their handlers discover our lair for several more days. We need to make sure our last tanker is put in place before we fully reveal our hand.”

  “The other tanker that just departed needs at least one more day to be in place.” Wuldur’s lips were taut. “Once its payloads are deployed, I don’t think we’ll have anyone knocking on our door.” He dialed a number on his phone. “I’ll contact our battle-groups.” Wuldur stared out the window while talking in a slow and even voice to his captain. “We have four squads of enemy soldiers approaching the lair. I want our battle-groups deployed in four separate contingents attacking after sundown with vampires, shades, and goblins in each group. Make sure a wyvern also accompanies each squad for reconnaissance.”

  Iscar spoke again, his voice laced with growing fury. “Kill every last one of them and hide all the evidence. Destroy all their electronics. I don’t want any of their tracking devices left active.”

  “Things are about to get interesting,” Ullr murmured as the vehicles entered a secure area. They passed scattered sentries in the dunes in well-camouflaged bunkers, all manned by half-deads.

  The half-deads can stay out here much longer than humans, Iscar thought to himself. They can survive where the rest of us would surely perish.

  They are strong, Tengu whispered.

  A curious thought suddenly formed in Iscar’s mind. “If I were to die in our next battle, whose commands would you follow?”

  Ullr answered without hesitation, “We would follow Maaca, but while you live, you’re our master, and we’ll follow you to our death.”

  Iscar laughed coldly, “We better win every battle that we fight or Maaca is going to be a powerful queen.” The convoy headed toward the largest sand dune in the area and tall metal doors opened outwards upon their approach to admit the vehicles to an enormous hidden underground shelter. After traveling for some time, Iscar could see scores of half-deads traveling in the labyrinth of tunnels, many of whom nodded or saluted him. A road demarcated by mage-lights guided their descent into a massive parking garage.

  “I hear the gnomes at work.” Wuldur closed his eyes and pointed toward one ear.

  Iscar concentrated until he could hear the labor of his workers striving to follow his every order. He studied their current level with its soaring ceilings and massive columns of a concrete type material the gnomes had somehow fashioned from the sand. Iscar’s driver parked in front of a building that was formed into the very walls. They were at the main headquarters. Iscar and Tengu were the first out. Three half-dead vampires stepped out of the building, followed by Brytam. She was dressed in an off the shoulder top and slacks, appearing beautiful in her revealing clothing, but acting all business. “We’re tracking the tankers. The others are in position. The final tanker will be ready to deploy its payload soon.”

  “Thank you Brytam. You’re a breath of fresh air in this pit.” Iscar could smell a floral scent on her.

  She looked into his eyes and gave him a quick kiss. “Come, my king, you look faint. You must be famished.”

  “I’ll review our forces.” Ullr bowed and departed with Wuldur and the three vampires.

  Brytam led Iscar into the building toward a rejuvenation station. His head was throbbing, and he was exhausted, but her mere presence gave him renewed strength. They entered a sumptuous room with thick carpets and wood paneling with large video monitors embedded in the walls, projecting a scene of tall trees rustling in the wind. Tengu flew to a corner of the room. Now that they were alone, Iscar pulled Brytam to him. Her black hair flowed over her bare brown shoulders and he felt breathless in her presence. As they kissed again, his heart raced. He abruptly broke off, grinning like a young boy. “Your touch thrills me even more than usual. The magestones are really doing something wondrous … or perhaps you’re wearing a new perfume.” He brushed a loose strand of hair back behind her ear and trailed his fingers over the curve of her hip. Just as he was about to lean into another kiss, four green magicians rushed into the room.

  “Are you ready, sir?” the lead healer asked. Iscar set his jaw and cursed inwardly as they scurried past the wall-sized flat-screen monitors.

  “I guess I am.” Iscar separated himself from Brytam and reclined in a leather lounge-type chair. The healers opened cases and removed round, flat greenstones.

  The director of the rejuvenation began to speak to Iscar as he worked. “We’ve found exactly where to place our greenstones on Earth to maximize your magus restoration. Placing the stones over major arteries seems to potentiate our spells. I’m placing one by your left ventricle, one by your aortic arch, and one by your lower abdominal aorta just above the bifurcation to your iliac arteries.”

  “Do I need to expose any skin on Iscar for you?” Brytam laughed at the discomfort of the head green magician as she gave Iscar a coy wink.

  “Ignore her, my knowledgeable doctor,” Iscar smiled. “Juice me up to my optimal level. I want to be fully aware and in peak mental form while I change this planet forever.”

  Brytam giggled and Iscar was pleased that she appeared so relaxed. She began to discuss their strategy. “Our latest load of Acacean magestones should have the capacity to stimulate Phase Two of our plan. We’ll put them in safe-houses and strongholds across the world.” Brytam continued hesitantly. “Did your father fully realize what the stones would do?”

  “My father believed that certain stone combinations might have different effects on Earth, but everything was theoretical.” He was feeling more and more exhilarated with Brytam’s nearness as the healers gave him more energy. He closed his eyes to block her out, attempting to focus only on the delectable flow of magus.

  Brytam went to a computer in a niche in a corner of the room. She sat on a stool and alternated typing and staring at the screen. “We’ve been reviewing hospital inpatient and emergency room reports, and we’re definitely seeing a spike in admissions with diagnoses related to psychological delusions. They don’t know what to do with the many magicians that are forming.”

  Iscar chuckled before responding. “Well, those delusions will swiftly change into facts once they begin to see more manifestations of the magical power their patients are truly exhibiting. They’re blessed, not cursed.” He held out his hand toward Brytam; he wanted her next to him. He felt flushed and his heart began to flutter with the magic flowing within him. “Everything’s moving so fast,” he murmured. Brytam picked up her stool and went to sit next to him. Iscar kissed her hand. “I want to launch the missiles tomorrow, with the secondary launch soon after. Will we be prepared?”

  “Your masterpiece is ready to be revealed,” Brytam spoke in a sultry voice while stroking his ha
nd.

  Iscar abruptly gasped in pleasure as the magicians’ healing spells restored his magus at a higher rate than ever before on Earth. “Intense!” He closed his eyes and let the sensation cascade over his body. The healing and energy pulsated from the origin of his great arterial vessels and flowed into his brain and limbs. “From weak to strong,” he said softly while absorbing the delicious energy. “Brytam, can we view the attacks from here? I’d love to see Wuldur’s work.”

  Brytam pulled an electronic device from her pocket and typed in several words. There was a sound of running feet in the corridors adjacent to the rejuvenation room, and within minutes a team of goblins wheeled in a control monitor. A gold magician walked in and hooked up a wireless system to the monitor. He nodded to Iscar and passed a controller to Brytam. “I love technology,” she gushed as she activated the system, splitting the near screen into four overhead scenes. Meanwhile, the monitor-windows around the room also shifted into a surround view of one of the four screens.

  “How?” Iscar gazed around him, truly impressed.

  Brytam pointed to the large monitor. “One of our own satellites is imaging the four areas of impending conflict and each section of the control screen represents one of the four battlefields.”

  “But the rest of the room?” Iscar pointed around him. He felt as if he had been thrown into the battle and there was nothing separating him from the enemy.

  “I placed cameras on our troops and have the feeds separated by their orientation. I can select any one of the four battlefields and project them on all of the screens around us.”

  “The pictures are so clear … isn’t it dark out?” Iscar asked.

  “We just launched our most advanced imaging with filters viewing the region with heat sensing technology and advanced night vision.” Brytam pushed several buttons on her controller and the screens showed initially heat signatures and then daytime equivalent views. “The software incorporates images of the area when the sun was out and fuses the images with an overlay. Our viewing image will appear to be during the daytime. We have better equipment than the United States military is utilizing.”

  “Sad that this will be obsolete soon,” Iscar said in a hushed voice as he watched in fascination. Each team was led by a half-dead vampire who had nearly perfect night vision. Each vampire carried long swords in scabbards on their backs. “I’m surprised they still like primitive weapons.”

  Brytam gestured toward the vampires. “They prefer weapons similar to those used on Acacia and they still favor hand to hand combat.”

  “I wonder if they’ll bite their victims on the neck.” Iscar felt nearly giddy. The healing magic was acting like a mood-enhancing drug on his body. “I haven’t seen them in action like this.” He gestured toward the monitors.

  Brytam magnified the image of one of the lead vampires. “I’ve talked with the vampires about their technique. They attempt to complete their kill by sucking life blood from the jugular veins in the necks because it gives them the greatest magus-level.”

  Iscar nodded. “Everything they kill gives them some inner power and even the life-blood in non-magician Madai have components of light-energy. Any energy eases their half-dead internal discomfort and transforms them into something more sentient, more powerful. They’re escaping the memory of Ater with each kill, becoming more alive.” He took the greenstones off his body and handed them to the lead magician. The green magicians filed out of the room.

  Brytam arose from the stool and sat side-by-side with Iscar on the leather chair. She spoke quietly, “With death, we release our inner self that earthlings define as our soul. Each half-dead has its own absorption capabilities. Deaths in battle release greater amounts of the vital force for some reason and different species give out different levels of life-force. For instance, elves are reportedly incredibly satisfying.”

  “Fascinating.” Iscar had competing desires. His heart was hammering again with Brytam’s close proximity, and he wanted to kiss her, but the monitors were showing a new scene that was drawing him in. “Look at their approach.” The battle scene miraculously won out over his desire.

  The goblin teams followed their vampire leaders in single file. Brytam gestured toward a side screen. “The vision of a goblin is more limited at night than a vampire and they’re using a combination of smell and sight.” The goblins were armed with wood and steel crossbows and they carried short swords. “Watch for the wyverns.” Without warning, one of the winged creatures flew over a group of invaders, looking like a small dragon. “The wyvern is scouting out the terrain and evaluating the enemy formations.”

  “Are we sending any satellite information to our vampires?” Iscar couldn’t believe the quality of the scene. “These images are incredible. They have to be better than the data from our wyverns.”

  “No, the wyverns are better. Just think of your link with Tengu. These images are nothing compared to the link of information from a flying creature in the midst of a battle and a wyvern can send many details to another half-dead.” Her eyes were wide as she stared at the wyverns. “They have hollow, sharp teeth that can inject venom into their victims to drop the blood pressure of their prey so low they go into shock. The wyverns are too small to detect well on radar and they give off a low heat signature making them almost invisible at night.”

  “I can tell you wish you were bonded to a wyvern,” Iscar chuckled. “I hope we find your bondsmate soon and that it will be a winged creature. I will talk to Drogor about your bondsmate the next time I go to Ater.” Brytam beamed at Iscar, her full lips parted slightly in excitement with all he was doing for her. The wyvern flew silently over the enemy troops. “I bet a group of wyverns could eliminate all our enemies at night in an open setting without any help at all … too bad we have so few of them,” Iscar said, impressed by their grace. He watched a wyvern continue its evaluation.

  Without warning, the half-deads paused as one. “The wyverns are now in communication.” Brytam’s shoulder touched Iscar’s arm. He could feel her shaking with excitement as she pointed out further details. “The vampires are discussing plans with the goblins.”

  Iscar began to stroke Brytam’s arm, feeling the goosebumps that were forming. “Which Earth nations are represented in the hostile teams?” His fingers drifted down to her hand, and they interlaced their fingers together.

  “Teams one and two are personnel from the United States and NATO. Team three is Russian. Team four is Chinese,” Brytam answered. “All nations on Earth are bonding together to try and counter you, but they’re too late.”

  “This is almost unheard of on Earth, these one-time foes attacking as one. They must be scared.” Iscar allowed himself a small smile. He dimmed the mage-lights on the walls to the flickering glow of a small candle, letting them fully immerse in the conflict on the screens. He drew Brytam’s intoxicating scent into his heart as he watched.

  “They discovered the nuclear component to our plans,” Brytam snorted with disgust. “I hold the Blacksky organization responsible for that. Once they knew nuclear weapons were involved, they formed a coalition with the goal to shut us down. Luckily, they’re starting small, only sending their investigational groups first. We’ll eliminate their scout teams before they realize our ultimate plans.” Brytam squeezed Iscar’s hand. “By then, it will be too late.” She paused for a moment before continuing in a hesitant voice, “I would hope that if we’re successful tonight and tomorrow, you would consider letting us go back to Acacia together for a time.”

  Iscar tried to act surprised. “I thought you liked this planet.”

  “I’m worried that something might damage our portal in the upcoming battles and I don’t want the two of us trapped here if a portal goes down.” She looked like a child as she spoke, helpless and full of concern.

  Iscar gazed into her soft brown eyes and he felt almost lost in the small flecks of white floating gracefully through her irises. “Can you imagine the revolt if our portal went down? All the half-d
eads and magicians would panic with a similar fear of being trapped here forever.” He gave her a small kiss while again inhaling the scent of her perfume that he could finally identify, an Acacean spice flower. Regretfully he spoke to her gently, “I must continue to search for Emily Dalton’s portal to have a backup pathway. I will send you back when you want. Just say the word.”

  “I’ll stay with you until you go with me.” Brytam gave a brave little nod, and they turned back as one to watch the events unfold. The goblins were fanning out, stealthily advancing closer to the camps before letting loose a volley of bolts from their crossbows. Chaos erupted as quarrels ripped through flesh and the sand began to drink up the first drops of spilled blood. Hostile soldiers were fumbling for their gear and great spotlights were coming on momentarily, only to be shot out by another round of crossbow bolts. Flashes of gunfire began to erupt and Iscar watched with pleasure as his vampires and shades now advanced into the fray. The vampires drew their great longswords into gloved hands and clenched the hilts, slashing any prey foolish enough to come in their vicinity. The shades dealt out death with their iron hands, expressionless faces cloaked in darkness. Iscar could imagine the impact of their strikes and weapons as the half-deads shattered anything in their path. Overhand, back step, slash and advance. There was no stopping his warriors. He found his attention drawn to the vampire kills, fascinated when they allowed themselves a moment to savor their victory while drawing the last drop of life-blood from a foe. Crossbows were set aside for short swords, and the goblins advanced in a covert style to help the vampires and shades as an impressive fighting force. The wyverns were attacking anyone that attempted to escape the area. The victims of the half-deads were in horror, appearing in shock of the terrifying creatures with super-powers that were haunting them.