Sentry Rising

by Birkenhead, Naomi

  “How many Gargamons exist today?”

  “There are seventeen we are aware of. The fate of the other females and their offspring is unknown so we expect more.”

  Thad pondered the last bit of information with great interest.

  “I know what you’re thinking. That possibility they are under the control of some savage or rebel group has kept the council on constant watch.” Delilah replied.

  “Have they searched other planets?” Thad asked.

  “Many scouting parties have been sent out. Nothing has been found,” She answered, “But that doesn’t mean they aren’t being concealed in the shadows.”

  “This is very interesting, but I believe we have a job to do,” Goliath interrupted their conversation, motioning towards the gates.

  “I take it the others have already met you?” Thad asked, ignoring Goliath.

  “Yes, Goliath introduced me to them late last night,” she answered.

  “I see,” Thad said turning to Goliath, “Leaving me out of the loop are we?” He said in a mock accusing tone.

  “Always,” Goliath replied with a wink.

  “Well it was nice to meet you Delilah, and nice to see you again Goliath,” Thad said rubbing the fur around the Gargoyle’s face. Goliath let out a loud purring noise which made Delilah laugh.

  “You are way too much for me,” She said climbing up the marble pillar. “Be seeing you around Thad,” She called out before her massive form returned to stone.

  “Well I suppose I should grace the rest of the crew with my presence. Perhaps see what they are up to at least,” Thad said with a sigh.

  “Don’t sound so excited,” Goliath said “Leath might think you really enjoyed his party planning and start doing this every year,” He said with a little snicker.

  “You heard about Leatha Stewart too eh,” Thad laughed as a grin crossed his face.

  “I think the entire universe knows,” Goliath laughed as he bounded up to his perch. “Hope you have a fun time Thad, and happy birthday.”

  Before Thad could reply Goliath was again a statue.

  By now the sun had rose high into the sky. Thad lazily made his way towards the house. The estate grounds were still eerily quiet. Inside the house was a different story. Thad could here Leath belting out the words to “You can call me Al” by Paul Simon, one of Thad’s favorite songs. The album Graceland was often played in the house and inspired many air band concerts. He especially loved the time Zyphera sang “Crazy love” to Leath, with Leath singing “Gumboots” back.

  “I don’t care if you slaughter your own songs, but do you have to ruin…..” Thad began sticking his head in the kitchen. The kitchen was empty.

  He wondered back into the hall following the sound up the stairs to the music room. He grasped the oversized door handle and yanked the heavy door open. The loud music hit him like a blast of wind, startling him a bit. He regained his composure and stepped into the dimly lit room.

  “SURPRISE!”

  Thad looked around, eyes popping out of his head. About a fifty faces were staring at him. Long tables piled high with goodies, lined the left side of the room. A make shift stage and dance floor was shoved into the far right corner. The sliding wall in the Professor’s study had been moved aside to allow addition space.

  “You’re one sneaky little bugger. I thought you said just a few people were coming and i thought it would just be dinner,” Thad called out as Leath made his way over.

  Leath gasped, pretending to be in shock. “What did you call me?” ignoring everything else Thad had said.

  “You heard me,” Thad answered, a small grin forming on his lips.

  “I thought I heard a dirty word come out of your precious little mouth,” Leath said snatching Thad up playfully.

  The two laughed.

  “Thanks Leath,” Thad whispered, “I think I really needed this.” He wrapped an arm around his friends neck.

  "Awe, it was nothing little buddy,” Leath said grinning. “By the way did you see the cake?” he asked with gleaming eyes.

  “Nope. I gather it’s impressive though,” Thad asked heading towards the food.

  There were four tables of food with one dedicated solely to the cake.

  “Holy crap Leath you made that!” Thad exclaimed in total amazement.

  “Sure did, without as much as a smidgen of help from anyone,” Leath replied proudly.

  “I am impressed,” Thad said taking in the master piece. He guessed the cake was two feet high and about three feet long, with comically sketched pictures of Leath, Zyphera, Mathias, Miss Mirdy, Thad and his Grandfather all grinning happily. "Thank you Leath,” Thad said his eyes welling up with tears, “this is the best cake ever.”

  The party turned out to be an all day affair. The last guests trickled out as the sunset blasted its brilliant colors across the sky. Thad, Leath, Zyphera and Mathias collapsed onto the overstuffed sofas in the Professor’s study completely exhausted.

  “Leath I have to hand it too you, that was one incredible party,” Zyphera said kicking off her high heeled shoes.

  “The food was pretty good too. You can cook dinner anytime you want,” Mathias said patting his over stuffed belly.

  “Yeah, this is just what we needed to help clear all our heads before we set off to find Grandpa,” Thad added.

  Everyone looked at him.

  “Thad’s right, with a clear mind we will be able to focus our attention and strategize better,” Remy said walking into the room.

  “I thought you went home?” Zyphera asked staring at the Gnome.

  “I was just making sure everyone made it home safely.”

  “Like a good neighbor, Remy is there,” Leath sang.

  “You have to stop watching so much TV. Even Goliath is talking in TV phrases and voices,” Thad said shaking his head.

  Leath‘s eyebrow shot up in surprise. “I wasn’t aware I had company,”

  “Guess you better start wearing PJ’s from now on!” Zyphera teased.

  “For your information I do wear pajama’s, just incase you walk in. I wouldn’t want you to die of a heart attack when you see this Greek god body,” Leath shot back, standing up and doing a few muscle man poses.

  Everyone laughed. Zyphera rolled her eyes even though she was smiling.

  “Can we discuss the more important matters at hand,” Thad interrupted, trying with all his nine year old might not to explode.

  “Sorry,” Leath apologized.

  “I have confirmed what we already knew. The Shadow Breathers have taken Bartholomew to Barathrum, but they have stopped for a few days on Neptus so if you leave first thing in the morning you won’t be too far behind them. It is about a two day trek to get to the realm portal from the city,” Remy filled everyone in.

  “What are we going to do once we get to Barathrum?” Leath asked “I don’t imagine we can prance up to Madron and ask him to kindly release the Professor into our custody. We should have some sort of plan to get him out,”

  “It is not like we will be given a warm welcome on Neptus either. Many of her inhabitants still cling to the Sostantivo ways,” Mathias chipped in. “But I think I know a few people who could help,” He replied with a glint in his eye, “As for rescuing the Professor I think we can discuss that along the way. We won’t know what we are up against until we are in Barathrum.”

  “Are you sure it is wise to go in blind,” Thad inquired, “It doesn’t sound very promising.”

  “Don’t worry, I am pretty sure my friends will be able to devise a successful plan,” Mathias assured him.

  “Once you reach the city you will need to find supplies. It will be easier than packing everything through the door,” Remy stated. “Just be advised that these Shadow Breathers will be expecting you to follow. A trap may be set anywhere along your journey.”

  “Thanks Remy we will be careful,” Zyphera assured him.

  “It’s settled then, we will leave tomorrow,” Thad announced with slight a
nxiety.

  “Tomorrow,” the others repeated in agreement.

  exploration of closets unknown

  “Are you ready to go?” Leath asked standing in the doorway of Thad’s room.

  “Give me a sec and I will be down,” Thad responded without looking up.

  Leath nodded his head leaving Thad to his business.

  Thad sat on his bed holding a picture of him and his Grandfather fishing in the river last summer. They’d caught five small fish and brought them back for Miss Mirdy to prepare. Thad was amazed at how fast she managed to chop the head off, slice the belly open, empty the contents into the sink and de-scale the fish. The best part was watching Leath’s face go green watching Miss Mirdy work.

  He ran his fingers over the picture hoping that in some weird way it would bring his Grandfather back. “I promise I’ll find you,” he whispered, gently placed the picture back on his night table. He hastily gathered up all his gear heading downstairs. He quickly grabbed two granola bars, some craisins and a juice box before running outside to catch up with Mathias, Leath and Zyphera.

  “Where’s Remy?” He asked between mouthfuls of granola bar.

  “He um, prefers to only know of the existence of other worlds, he doesn’t want to see them,” Zyphera answered with a little laugh.

  “Scardie cat,” Thad chuckled shoving the rest of the granola bar into his mouth. “Well, what are we waiting for, lets get a move on,” He said sprinting ahead of the others.

  “Thad, you’re going the wrong way,” Zyphera called out.

  “What?” Thad said turning around.

  “The door is this way,” Zyphera said as they proceeded back inside.

  “Then why were we meeting outside?” Thad asked completely confused.

  Mathias shrugged his shoulders, “Guess they wanted some fresh air before they left.”

  Thad followed Zyphera, Mathias and Leath inside and to the linen closet in the guest bathroom.

  “Now Helios, the planet we are about to venture on, is very primitive and they do not take kindly to strangers,” Zyphera warned the others.

  “Why are we going there then?” Leath asked.

  “Because I have a source there that can help us,” Mathias replied.

  “I thought we already knew how to find the Professor,” Leath said with a puzzled look on his face.

  “We know where he is, but you and Zekiel sealed the door that would lead us there, so we have to find an alternative route,” Zyphera explained. “Oh and it maybe morning here, but it will be closer to mid afternoon there. Everybody ready,” she asked grasping the cupboard handles and whispering the password.

  A bright light appeared from the other side shining through every little cranny the door had. One by one they slipped into the closet, stepping onto unfamiliar ground on the other side.

  “Stay close, nobody is to wander off by themselves,” Mathias instructed taking up the lead.

  The land they emerged on was a desert with sage brush bounding freely with the slightest breeze. There were no mountains to speak of, just sky as far as the eye could see. In the distance, barely visible against the intense glare of the sun was the outline of a well developed city.

  “I thought you said these people were primitive,” Leath said studying the scenery before as he shielded his eyes with his hand.

  “Oh trust me, they are,” Zyphera replied with an edge in her voice. "Here, everyone put these on," she instructed pulling what looked like driving goggles out of her bag, "they will protect our eyes from the sun and sand."

  Everyone donned the glasses and began trudging forward. After three hours of walking the city still seemed to be “Just up ahead.” Thad was growing tired. "I don’t think I can walk much longer,” He murmured with exhaustion.

  “Here climb up on my shoulders,” Mathias suggested, giving him a boost.

  “Thanks,” Thad mumbled resting his head on Mathias’.

  “No sweat little man,” Mathias replied as he jogged to catch up with the others.

  The sky had grown dark, and with the sun disappearing rapidly below the horizon, the group started to feel a chill.

  “We must make the city limit before the sun’s light fades completely,” Mathias urged, quickening his own pace. The other two followed suite. Soon the group was moving at a considerable pace.

  “Um Mathias what is that?” Thad asked, his voice taking on a panicked tone.

  Mathias turned to see what Thad was looking at. Even though the sun still dominated the sky the ground behind them was rapidly growing darker, its fingers stretching out to grab them.

  “Run,” Mathias screamed grabbing Thad off his shoulders and hugging him to his chest. Zyphera and Leath both sprinted into action as they took in the advancing shadow.

  “Hurry,” Thad screamed as thick shadows of darkness lapped at their heels.

  “Just a few more meters,” Zyphera shouted, focusing on the city.

  Suddenly Leath let out a yell. He tumbled to the ground in a cloud of dust. “I think I twisted my ankle,” he winced trying to stand up, “Go on without me, I’ll catch up,” He yelled waving the other two off.

  Mathias nodded his head. The cargo he clasps tightly to his chest was more important. A few moments later he disappeared into the glare of the city lights.

  “Get up you klutz,” Zyphera demanded, hauling Leath to his feet

  “I said leave me,” Leath repeated, struggling to walk off the pain.

  “I heard what you said. Now are you going to make me drag you, or are you going to……” Her words were literally swept from her mouth as the shadow engulfed them.

  Any warmth that was left in the air vanished along with the light. The only sound came from their rapid breathing.

  “I am man enough to admit I am a tiny bit scared,” Leath whispered.

  “Sshh” Zyphera commanded releasing her hold.

  “Excuse me, but what do you think you are doing,” Leath said feeling panicky. He was met by silence. “Hello” he said as loud as he dare. Feeling something brush his left shoulder He turned slightly to see what it was. “Zyphera that better be….” He found himself staring into the eyes of death. “Zyphera I didn’t realize you had the ability to change your eye color. Don’t get me wrong I love the blue, but this murky brown is fabulous,” he joked nervously, “And I have never seen your pupils so green,”

  Growling noises emanated from the shadows. He could feel it pulsating like a living being all around him. He hobbled backwards attempting to escape. Once again he felt a brush on his shoulder. He was about to whirl around with fist flailing, when he heard Zyphera’s voice boom in the darkness. “Appello Sidus”

  A bright light zoomed into the shadow. Shrieking filled his ears. Leath only caught a glimpse of the fleeting forms.

  “Are you alright?” Zyphera asked him.

  “Oh I am just lovely thank you for asking. I was just about to get to know these really interesting creatures with very creepy eyes when you appeared,” He said his voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Zyphera rolled her eyes and shook her head, “Come on you big wimp.” She grabbed Leath under his shoulder and helped him hobble into the city.

  “What in the heck fire were those things?” Leath asked wincing.

  “Those lovely creatures would be the Shadow Breathers,” She responded.

  “Oh,” Leath said nodding his head, “Shadow Breathers, what a marvelous name, very spooky,” He added trying to keep the mood light. It worked, out of the corner of his eye he saw a smile tug at the corner of Zyphera’s mouth.

  Thad and Mathias waited anxiously for Zyphera and Leath to appear.

  “Where are they?” Thad asked Mathias for about the twentieth time. “Do you think they’re alright?

  Mathias looked at Thad and wondered how something so small could talk so much. Before He could answer Leath and Zyphera emerged onto the bright city street.

  “Oh thank goodness you are alright. I thought I would never see you again
,” Thad said rushing to hug them. “Are you hurt? What happened? Did they attack you?” He prodded.

  “You know clumsy me. I tripped over something, just a twisted ankle. I’ll wrap it and it will be good as new,” Leath replied with a smile.

  “Glad to see you two didn’t succumb to the green eyed monsters,” Mathias said with a touch of humor in his voice.

  “Thank you for being so worried,” Leath shot back.

  “Well now that we are all back together, we must continue on. My source lives about three blocks that way,” Mathias said pointing east.