by T J Trapp
“Unfortunately yes. The torture campaign in Freedom City has been very effective. Many of our people are now cooperating with the elf mothers. The elves are finding anyone who does not fully cooperate, and are making an example of them. The Theland riders who are now supporting the elves all have family members being held hostage in the city. If they try to desert or don’t do everything the elves want, their kin are brutally and publicly tortured. It has negated our advantages of local knowledge and speed.”
Queen Therin sighed. “Go, then. Take your riders and go into the woods. Leave me four guards. That would not look unusual for a large residence in the forest. I will stay here with my grandchildren.”
“I can do that. I only have two people with rings with our force here, so two of your guards will not have rings.” He looked at the queen. “It would be better if you left the children here with the guards and came with me. You will be safer.”
“I will not leave my grandchildren. I will stay with them and hope the elves do not stop here. Two little children and an old lady should not be a target for the elves. Go and assemble our riders. Once the grandchildren are safe, we will devise a way to sting this elf mother. The elves need to learn that it is not good to come unbidden into my territory.”
The guardsman left. Queen Therin returned to the children, still in the courtyard with the amah. “Children, let’s return to your chambers and build something with your blocks. Your mother used to like to do that – let’s see if you can build a little fort like she used to.”
They went into the playroom and the amah spilled the blocks out onto the floor; Leon busily began building walls and towers and Ari happily knocked them over. The queen looked at her two grandchildren, enjoying the sight of busy little hands building and rearranging. If only this moment could last, she thought.
Too soon, she sensed trouble. “Grandchildren, I sense that we are about to have visitors. We do not have time to finish building your fort. You must go with the amah now and obey everything that she tells you to do. We can continue playing after the visitors leave.”
✽✽✽
Leon peeked out of the attic window tucked under the high gable roof of the forest residence. He had found this hiding spot early on, and Grandmother did not know about it. Grandmother told me to stay with the amah, but I am hidden, so it will be okay. No one could see him from below. Besides, he wanted to see what an elf looked like.
The visitors must be elves, he thought, even though Grandmother didn’t say that.
Two carts entered the courtyard as well as three men on sweaty little drunglets. The three men dismounted. Four other men in rough clothes, wearing shiny bands around their necks, spilled out of an open cart and brought out steps and a brightly colored umbrella. A woman in long flowing robes stepped out of the covered cart and used the steps to reach the ground. One of the men made sure the umbrella protected her from the sunlight that dappled through the trees. She led the way into the courtyard.
Those can’t be elves, Leon thought to himself. They look like us. Except for their clothes.
The woman looked around the front of the woodland house and snarled. “This pig sty can’t really be the best they could do. Find one of the locals and punish him for not finding me a better place!” The woman looked up at Leon’s hiding place and stared at the little window under the gable.
She can’t see me.
Queen Therin walked out the front entry of the house, followed by four guards in battle attire. Leon watched the guards stay discretely in the background. Grandmother is wearing a sword. I have never seen her with a sword before.
“Greetings,” the Queen said. We do not get many travelers on this road. You are welcome to use our water trough for your animals. However, I am not able to offer you refreshments.”
The woman looked at the Queen and sneered, “The pig offers to not share its slop with me. Sharing pig slop! What a revolting thought! No pig-woman, I do not want your slop. I want a place to stay for the night. I have selected your hovel, so get out of the way.”
The mother turned away from the queen and looked around at the residence and the surroundings. She mused to one of her clutchmen, “This really is a revolting place. All those trees surrounding the house! Ugly! But it is damp and windy out here, and I tire of staying in a tent any longer.”
“And what would you intend to do with those of us who live here?” Queen Therin demanded.
The mother turned back towards the Queen. “Insolent pig at that. You should not speak without permission.”
Therin remained silent, not asking permission.
The mother continued, “To answer your disrespectful question: those savage guards might make good drones. They look strong and well-muscled. I sense there is a baby here. If the baby is plump enough, I will have my drones prepare her for dinner tonight. I have not had anything fresh to eat since I started on this campaign. Any others here, including you, old sow, will be useful as drone food.”
The mother laughed at the horrified look on the Queen’s face. “You think that I would waste precious cart space bringing food for drones? I feed them off of the land! And your dreadful woods are short of bounders or other fresh meat.”
Up in the attic, Leon felt a little presence slip beside him. Ariana wriggled next to Leon in his perch overlooking the front of the house, and peeked out the window. “Bad lady,” she whispered to Leon.
Although the mother was still standing in front of the house, under her umbrella, Queen Therin sensed the lines starting to twist. She sensed the amah and the cook collapsing. She sensed two of her guards collapsing – the two without rings. She sensed both children upstairs.
Ah! Both of them appear to be unaffected by the twisting, she thought. Leon is wearing his ring, even though I have told him not to, and Ari is with him.
Then with an oppressive certainty, the queen sensed her world start to spin. She twisted back, managing to momentarily stop the lines from spinning. The mother clearly was surprised at the unexpected resistance, and started to twist harder. After a slight delay, however, the elf woman regained control and the queen felt the world again spin around her, accelerating slightly. The queen grasped the lines and twisted as hard as she could, surely and suddenly, like Erin had practiced with her. Sweat started to bead on her face, but the lines grew still and the world stopped spinning. The two women stood staring at each other. A look of anger appeared on the elf mother’s face but the lines held steady. Slowly, almost imperceptibly the lines began to move in Queen Therin’s favor. The drones collapsed on the ground and the umbrella fell; a gust of wind swept it rolling and bumping across the entry courtyard.
The angry expression of the elf mother changed to one of sheer rage as the lines stopped moving. Both women held themselves locked in total concentration.
The three clutchmen drew swords and spears. One of the clutchmen moved to protect the mother and the other two moved towards the queen. Queen Therin’s two remaining guardsmen stepped up to protect her and engaged in a furious display of swordplay and spear work against the clutchmen. All moved with skill and fierce determination.
From above, Leon watched the fight with fascination. He had seen his mother and the Theland riders practice their battle skills many times, but had never before seen an actual swordfight.
“We have to help, Ari – we have to help Grandmother.”
Ari whimpered in fear and pain as she sensed the lines twisting.
“Ari, Mamma will want us to help.” He put his arm around the little girl, snuggling her close. “Ari, concentrate. Like we do in the bird game. We need to help Grandmother.”
“Gamma,” Ari nodded.
At first nothing happened. Then the red birds came, and the yellow-breasted thrackers, cawing and swirling in the air. Then a flock of myriad birds came, swirling around the elf mother, screeching and beating against her face with their claws and wings. One of the clutchmen tried to swat the birds away with his spear, but a bird landed on the mothe
r’s head, pulling a lock of her hair. The mother cried out as the bird grabbed her scalp and she swatted at the bird, knocking it off of her head. But the distraction of the birds caused her to lose concentration and the lines started swirling around her, spinning faster and faster. Desperately, she tried to grab them and slow the spin, but they were too fast. She dropped to her knees, surrounded by the flock of birds, pecking and beating against her head and shoulders. Her head continued to spin, and her vision started to blur and fade. Her mind was too foggy, and she let herself drop into the mist.
Queen Therin released the lines as the mother fell to the ground in a heap. The clutchman quit swatting at the birds and whirled around to attack the queen with his spear. The queen pulled her sword from its scabbard and deftly pushed the first spear thrust aside. She tried to swipe at the clutchman but he blocked her thrust.
“Ari, we need to help Grandmother again.”
“Help Gamma,” Ariana replied.
The clutchman caught the queen’s sword and parried back with his spear. Queen Therin was starting to tire, and realized she would soon fade enough that she might make a fatal mistake. The clutchman continued to jab his spear.
The clutchman was totally unprepared for the jolt that hit him from above. A large treepecker landed on his head, rammed its long hard bill against his skull, and then caught his neck. Therin only took a second to seize the advantage over the clutchman. She sprang forward and slashed a deep gash in his arm. The clutchman stopped in surprise; he wasn’t ready for the next slash that completely disabled him and collapsed in a pool of his own blood flowing freely from the fatal wound. The queen moved to join the fight between the other two clutchmen and her guards. She had no hesitation to catch the first clutchman by surprise from behind. Now three to one, the numbers were in her favor and the remaining clutchman did not last long.
Queen Therin picked up the clutchman’s spear and walked over to the mother. She kicked the fallen woman. The mother roused and looked up at the queen.
“I want you to know that this pig-woman has sealed your fate,” Queen Therin said bitterly, and she thrust the spear into the mother’s heart. Then the queen put her foot on the elf woman’s body, and loudly uttered the ancient curse of the victor: “‘Begone, my foe, lie in death’s shadow, and do not defile this world again!’”
Catching her breath, the Queen turned to her panting guards. “Wake up our others, and then take care of disposing of the bodies of these clutchmen and the mother.
“What about them?” the guard said, pointing at the slumbering drones.
“Wake them and remove their bands. We will let them live with us. I believe that they will be docile residents and we will give them a chance to feel freedom, for the first time ever.”
Queen Therin went back into the house and called up the stairs, “Children, come on down – it is all right now.”
Leon came down from the attic looking contrite. “I know we weren’t supposed to be up there and weren’t supposed to do those things without you, Grandmother, but…” Leon stopped for a few seconds as he figured out his defense. “But Daddy told me to protect you, and it was the only way that I could do it!”
“It was magnificent! Your father would be proud!”
“You aren’t mad, Grandmother?”
Queen Therin laughed with relief. “No, my Grandson, I am not mad at you! Only at the elves!” She embraced the little boy in a big hug and lifted him from the floor. “Now, we have a fort to finish, and maybe a story to tell, and perhaps some leftover pastries to eat! Let’s go back to your playroom!”
Outside the window a flock of red birds flew back into the depths of the forest.
44 – The Apartment
Daniel rapped once on the door as he entered the study.
“Hey boss!” he said. “Have you looked at the news yet? They’ve got new video of the monster in Mumbai, and now three more have shown up – in Mexico City, Jakarta, and São Paulo! “
“What?” exclaimed Alec. “What are they doing?”
Daniel flipped his cell holo to project on the big wall screen. They stared at the 3D pictures streaming into the room. The pictures switched back and forth from the four cities, then the screen split into four pieces with a feed from each of the cities. An announcer intoned in a breathless voice, “These are live shots from our sky-drone cameras at each of the four cities. You are seeing these as we see them.”
Each shot showed a multi-headed creature plodding down a street. The air around each creature was filled with large, black squawking birds. The birds would periodically roost on a monster’s back before taking off again. Behind the creature, the street was filled with people and animals following the hydra in rapt obedience. A procession of people, dogs, cats, rats, and other fugitive inhabitants were following each of the creatures.
“Let’s zoom in on the beast in Mexico City,” an announcer’s voice said.
The four pictures dissolved to a large picture of one of the beasts. The creature had stopped. The three snake heads swayed as they looked first at the camera, and then at the captive crowd. The followers continued to surge forward until they surrounded the creature on all sides; a few attempted to climb onto the creature. One of the heads snapped and bit into one person’s arm. The person twitched and squirmed, but did not try to escape. Two other heads then lashed out and grabbed the person’s legs and pulled the body towards the central mouth, and within an instant, the creature messily crunched down on the body. Blood and pieces of flesh flew from the sides of the beaked mouth, clearly shown in the high-resolution picture.
“Cut! Cut!” a voice screamed, as the camera view quickly changed to a different monster.
“I think … uh … we’ve cut away from that …” the announcer said, clearly trying to regain her composure. “Here is another of the ‘Mumbai Beasts;’ you can see the birds that seem to follow them everywhere.” The picture zoomed in on a big black bird, and then focused on the flock of birds as they flew into the crowd of followers. A bird landed on the head of a person, and the camera swung to capture the shot. Then, before the camera could change focus, the man fell to the ground and the bird caught one of his eyes in its beak and pulled it out. In one smooth motion, the bird threw back its head and swallowed the eye. Then it turned to the person, still wiggling on the ground, pecked at the other eye and pulled it out of the socket, and started to swallow the eye.
“My God!” the announcer said.
“Cut! Change cameras!” a voice yelled frantically.
The view swapped to another camera that showed an aerial view of a city scene, far away from any rampaging monster. Away from the creature, things appeared tranquil and looked mostly undisturbed.
The announcer came back on. “I am sorry, so sorry, but we are watching this live with you. If … if you have young children, small children, this … this may not be appropriate for young audiences, or those susceptible to scenes of violence.”
“That’s terrible!” exclaimed Celeste. “Will they … will they come here?”
“I don’t know,” Erin replied. I’m trying to search my elf rod for memories of these things, she shot to Alec.
“And how are things going in Mumbai, Bob?” intoned the announcer as the picture switched to a view of a man in a studio.
“Well, Riv, people here are terrified. We have just interviewed some of the citizens who got close to the beast. And I must say, consistently, they have no recollection of their actions.”
“They don’t remember running up to the ‘Mumbai Beast?’” the other announcer asked, incredulously.
“No, Riv, they do not. They just seem to mindlessly follow the creature. The people we interviewed said they snapped back to being themselves when the beast was sleeping.”
“Unbelievable.”
“The hospitals here are reporting that the people who have been closest to the ‘Mumbai Beast’ are beginning to come down with some sort of disease. It could be just a coincidence, but authorities her
e are beginning to suspect that the beast is leaving some kind of dreadful sickness where it has been.”
“Back to Mumbai – this just in. Breaking news,” a voice-over cut in, and the news channel logo filled the screen, followed by a stock photo of Mumbai. “The authorities here have started to organize mandatory evacuations to move people out ahead of the beast. We have just learned that a new task force of specialists has come on the scene. They are setting up ‘collection centers,’ as they call them, or ‘safe houses,’ where people can take shelter. It looks like they are taking aggressive steps to keep people safe. For once, the government seems to be ahead of the issue.”
“And is this task force from the Joint Forces?”
“It seems like it, but the JF has designated an outside group as the lead organization, Riv. I am not familiar with the organization, but the webnet indicates it is some kind of holistic meditation center, called ‘House of Servitude’. It seems that they have centers everywhere. It was picked because it is not associated with any religious organization – you know the animosity that calling upon a religious association could cause. With the ‘collection centers’, the displaced people can feel confident they will be taken care of.”
“That sounds like good news for these people, Bob. Anything else?”
“Well, Riv, there have been a few reports of riots and looting, and the local authorities have declared martial law. Total shut-down here. They’re getting everyone off the streets. They are controlling all dissemination of information over webnet social media, but so far we have been able to continue to report on the scene.” The announcer covered his mouth and began to cough. “Excuse me. The dust around here is terrible. To continue …”
Erin gestured to Daniel to shut the picture off.
Have you remembered anything? asked Alec silently.
Erin’s rod tingled. “Yes,” she said aloud, “the healers in Mumbai are right. The hydra-beast has a pox disease associated with it. Anyone who comes in contact with the places where the beast has been will develop fevers, wracking coughs, hideous sores, and die of uncontrollable internal bleeding and organ failure as they waste away. That scourge will continue for many turns of the seasons. The elves have deliberately infected the hydra so that the wild orb herd will not be able to return to where it was. Once the wild herd of orbs starts moving, then the elves will use the power of the governments to start funneling the herd into their collection centers. The centers will be the focus for harvesting the herd.”