by Dave Hazel
“Damn,” Mykal sighed. He fought tears from the loss of Boris. “I should have killed that sonovabitch,” he said and slapped his thigh. The reality that Boris died made him want to sob, but he knew tears would never bring his friend back. “I shoulda killed him,” he snarled again. He wished he could have a “re-do” on William.
The tent opened again and the large body of Towbar blocked all light as he entered. “Good, you are awake my friend.”
Mykal blinked away the moisture in his eyes and turned his head as if yawning and then rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, I’m up.”
“What is wrong my friend?”
“What makes you think something’s wrong?” Mykal said and couldn’t keep from chuckling. The giant always knew when things weren’t good or something was wrong.
“I can hear it in your words.”
“To be honest Towbar, I just had a bad nightmare. It made me realize that I should have killed William when I had the chance. I wished I woulda killed that mother--”
“William? Why do you say that my friend?” Towbar asked and he seemed genuinely concerned.
“I know it was only a dream, but it seemed so real and it seemed like he was really threatening me,” he replied and forced a laugh when he realized how silly that sounded.
“I had a dream of William myself,” Towbar announced showing a concern that he rarely expressed.
“Really? What the hell does that mean?”
“William threatened me in my sleep,” Towbar said and folded his massive arms across his chest. “He appeared to be leader of the Goblins who captured him.”
“Are you kidding me? That’s how it was in my dream too. Do you think it’s possible? Could he still be alive?”
“I do not know my friend. It is an odd occurrence for me. I rarely ever dream. This seemed to be more than just a dream,” Towbar said. “To me, it felt like the thoughts were forced into my mind. I know that is possible because I can do Mind Talk as you have experienced.”
“Do you think it’s possible that he’s alive? Wouldn’t the Goblins have killed him?”
“I do not know,” Towbar said slowly. “I know not much about Goblins. However this differed from Mind Talk in that this was forced.”
“A horrible thought just hit me Towbar. What if the Goblins kept William alive and took him to Zizmon-Tarl and somehow Zizmon-Tarl got into his head to use him against us? When we were trapped William brought up the idea to tell the Goblins that we were in the mountain on a mission for Zizmon-Tarl, so maybe he said that to them to keep them from killing him. And like I was telling others yesterday, I felt the green fog was in the area four different times while we were battling the Sosos. So I really think Zizmon-Tarl is bringing more forces here.”
“Yes, I too, also felt the presence of the green fog.”
“Oh no,” Mykal gasped when forgotten thoughts jarred his thinking.
“What is it my friend?”
“I didn’t tell you this before, but when I found all this magic, there was a ring that I had to give up. When I picked it up I could tell the power of it just like all the other items. But this one ring seemed so powerful. With it you could actually leave your body and enter someone else and control their thoughts as well as read their mind. With it you could control their actions and so on. Anyway there was a little pouch with it that had what looked like several petrified beans. I discovered that I had to say a magic word before I put the ring on. Since I didn’t all those beans turned into skeletons and they came after me. I thought no problem, using my sword I destroyed them all, but all the broken pieces of skeletons formed new skeletons and now there were hundreds of them and they weren’t gonna stop until I was dead.
“To make a long story short I threw the ring away and they left me alone. That kinda power is out there. Maybe that’s what happened with William,” Mykal suggested. “Could it be William is under the control of Zizmon-Tarl? Could it be that Zizmon-Tarl brought William here,” he paused and pointed to the opening of the Pass. “William’s mind would be able to give him the ability to understand and know how we do things here. Oh no, and what if Zizmon-Tarl uses William to take him back to the real world? William is close to the President and the people I’m going to get help from. Oh shit, is it possible?”
“I am stunned. I have never heard of such magic.”
“But I think William would be more concerned about going home than staying here,” Mykal said and recalled William’s many complaints about being in Towbar’s world. “But if Zizmon-Tarl can read his thoughts, and if he has control of William’s mind and actions, William knows the nearest and dearest thing to me is my wife and two little boys,” Mykal gasped at the thought of them being taken prisoner or killed by them. “I shoulda killed that friggin piece of shit when I had the chance,” he declared and slammed his fist into his open palm. Suddenly he was overcome with a sickening worry and a devastating fear. Now there were so many possible attacks that could come against Mykal, but everything was truly unknown at this point so his worry was based only on his imagination as far as he knew.
“My friend, if it is possible that William is still alive, and if it is possible that Zizmon-Tarl has taken control of his mind, then his desire to return home may be nonexistent.”
“Towbar, I wanna do everything I can to help you win this war. I’m gonna do everything I can, but this scares me, cuz I feel like we now have an unknown enemy we have to contend with. And now I’m terrified of something happening to my family.”
“I agree, my friend.” Towbar nodded while deep in thought. “However, this may not be the reality we must contend with. Let us not become wrought with worry over something we are not sure of.”
“You’re right,” Mykal sighed. “But I swear if I ever see that rotten bastard, William, again, I’m gonna kill him. I don’t care what the situation is, where we’re at, or who he’s with. He’s dead. I know Boris deserved to die cuz of what he did back in my world, but he was my friend. He was one of the few close friends I had left and when William killed him, it really broke my heart. He shot him in the back, and then in the head. I was the one who kept Boris from killing William. I’m still so friggin ticked off about it.”
“My friend, I understand. You have my word. I will help you exact revenge on William. If William is still alive.”
“Thanks Towbar. Look, I wanna go check on Jake in a few minutes. Do you wanna come with me?”
“I will try to join you there. My generals are waiting for my presence at our morning briefing. We now call our military meetings, ‘briefings’, as do your people.”
“Good,” Mykal said with a chuckle. “My people are good at what they do. I know your generals can learn a lot from them.”
“True, my friend. This is very true. We are also implementing changes to make our soldiers to be more like your soldiers in some aspects. I came here to tell you of my plan,” Towbar said as if he just remembered his reason for being there. “I want to make you aware of what I am going to do. I have decided to take the three Elves back to their home land and make them an offer to help us in the war. I will allow them to relocate their population to this part of the world. Now is the time to make such a move. I believe it will rain today. That will keep the Sosos away for the time being. Speaking with the Elves, they explained their people would have no desire to live among us humans in the flats. Nor do they have the desire to live among the Dwarves inside the mountains. There will be no conflict. There are plenty of forested areas to the west, to the north and to the south of the Pass that will meet the needs of the Elvin peoples. My peoples do not inhabit the forest in large groups. The Elves said they would not have an issue with those who live in the forested areas south of the Pass. We would have much to offer each other.”
“Great. But back up. How do you know it’s gonna rain?”
“I can feel it and I can smell it.”
“Ah yeah,” Mykal laughed at the memory of Kurt arguing with Towbar when Towbar mentioned something simil
ar six months ago. It ended up pouring and flooding some of the plains. “What about the King and the Elves? I know that was your big concern.”
“I trust the King will see the importance of such a move. I believe I will be able to convince him to agree. If the King does not agree,” the giant paused and looked down. “I will honor my agreement with the Elves and they will be given a place to inhabit and join forces with us.”
“I like your King, Towbar, and I know you would never do anything against your King, but if you need me to do anything, and I mean anything, just let me know. I know Doninka would be hurt if something was to happen to her father. I care for Doninka dearly and would never want to do anything to hurt her, but you are more of a brother to me than I care for her. I would put your needs before hers.”
“Thank you my friend. I would never be able to raise my hand against my King, and I would never intend to betray Doninka. Their family is like my family,” Towbar said softly unable to look up from the ground. “However, I will not allow my word to be broken if I make an agreement with the Elvin people. I may need you to step in if the situation demands desperate actions to be taken.”
“Towbar, you don’t have to explain. If it comes down to it, all you have to do is tell me when and what. It’ll be taken care of. I owe you my life. I put our friendship above everything except my family.”
“I am grateful for that. I too am just as loyal to you, my friend. You are my brother. I verbally state my commitment should something unfortunate happen to me. I do not know how the talks with the Elvin people will go. I will try to return tomorrow. I will return the day after just to see where the battle is if nothing else. I am not trained in the art of negotiation. I will be blunt and short to the point. If there is no interest on the side of the Elf leaders, I will return immediately.”
“Are you going by yourself?”
“I do not feel bringing a delegation would be helpful due to the constraints of time. Starling, Leeno and Blair all assured me there would be no risk of harm so I would not need to bring a security detail with me.”
“Just be careful all the same, cuz there was a bunch of weird shit we ran into on that part of the world,” Mykal said with a sigh and shook his head. “Would you wanna take a Platoon or a couple of squads of Marines?”
“Thank you. I do not feel there would be the need.”
“What about Nordad?” Mykal asked.
“Nordad and his two companions have elected to stay. They have grown fond of my men and my men have grown fond of them.”
“Are you positive about the rain coming today?”
“Yes my friend,” Towbar answered and cracked a smile.
“Oh I believe you, but with your blood in me I’m not picking up on anything concerning the weather. We know Sosos won’t attack during bad weather, what about their allies?”
“That, I do not know. I would assume they would not attack during the foul weather. It is difficult for any army to have an advantage during the inclement weather. However, I say that and I will add I do not know anything more of the Goblins than what our brief encounters with them have revealed. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, I do. Well, try to find me as soon as you get back, but I may be gone when you return, cuz I’m gonna go back to my world either today or tomorrow. I’ll return if there is going to be a delay so I won’t keep everyone guessing.”
2.
Mykal made his way through the defensive positions to check on the men. Most were eating and all appeared to be in good spirits despite the fact they knew the day would be filled with hard fighting if the Sosos and their allies attacked. He didn’t tell anyone that Towbar said it would rain. The sky looked clear and there were no signs the weather would change. He wanted to protect Towbar’s reputation should his forecast be wrong. Not that he really doubted his friend, but he found it hard to trust in something he couldn’t see.
‘Is that why I have a hard time trusting in God the way Ski and Diaz do? Cuz I can’t see God?’ He wondered. ‘I mean, I do believe God is there, but could God be here in Towbar’s world? Setting all that aside, Ski says I have to have a personal relationship with God. But I’m not a bad person,’ he thought and realized some of the violent things he had done recently. ‘Well, I’m not worse than some others. A lot of what I’ve done was in self-defense,’ he thought defensively and looked up as if explaining and justifying his actions, should God be listening to him.
Mykal walked around camp. He struggled with odd thoughts and emotions. His nightmare stayed with him and he wondered if William could possibly still be alive? More importantly, could he really become a threat to Mykal? Or could William become a threat to his family? William would know that would hurt Mykal far more than anything else.
‘Would William take sides with the evil Zizmon-Tarl? Or could William have become a mental slave to Zizmon-Tarl and just be his puppet? Maybe Zizmon-Tarl has a ring like the one I had to give up and maybe that is how he has been able to stay alive for so long. Damn, would William reveal our secrets, point out possible weaknesses and limitations? Oh no, would he really take Zizmon-Tarl to the real world and win President Edmonds to his side?’ So many troubling thoughts pestered Mykal’s thinking. He began to be fearful beyond normal. ‘William knows my greatest weakness is my family,’ he thought and grabbed his face. He felt so helpless and so vulnerable. ‘I shoulda killed the friggin bastard when I had the chance,’ he thought again with heart felt regret.
As Mykal walked around the camp area it bothered him when he thought of his half-hearted goodbye to Towbar. He was confident they would see each other in the next couple of days. ‘But what if we don’t?’ He wondered while walking in a daze. ‘I never said goodbye to Boris, Denny, Kurt, Rich or even pimply-faced Franklin and they’re all dead. I wish I coulda said goodbye to them and let them know I appreciated their friendship.’ Suddenly he feared never seeing Towbar again.
“Why?” He asked himself aloud. ‘Is Towbar gonna die? Am I gonna die?’ He contemplated. ‘Will I become a prisoner back in my world? Will Jill and the President go back on their word and take me by surprise? Or will we be wiped out by the Sosos? Why the hell am I getting worried over this? Why are my friggin thoughts zig zagging all over the place? What the hell is the matter with me?’ He looked down at the magic ring and wondered if the enchanted, supernatural, powers involved with the ring had something to do with his emotions responding like a high energy pinball machine.
“Captain Landis,” Mykal called to a small meeting taking place. Captain Landis, Charlie Company Commander stood talking with his platoon leaders. “Can I interrupt for a moment?”
“Sure Myk,” Landis answered. “Stand by men.”
“Could you have one of your men take me back to the medical area? I wanna check on some people and then I’ll return your guy in about an hour or so.”
“No problem Myk,” Landis said and gave a big smile. Landis seemed eager to accommodate. “Are you going to join Towbar?”
“No, why is he here?” Mykal answered with great excitement. He looked around for the giant. He desperately wanted a second chance to say goodbye after all the strange thoughts that tormented his thinking a few minutes ago.
“No Sir,” Lieutenant Tufano said. “He and the three pointy eared Elves were just dropped off a few miles deeper into the Pass. I’m First Platoon Leader Sir,” Tufano said when Mykal looked at him.
The three other platoon leaders introduced themselves and all four of them shook Mykal’s hand. Mykal realized Towbar went to a location to use magic to conjure the green fog. Mykal was happy that these four platoon leaders seemed star struck by his presence, but he knew eight months ago these same four men would probably have looked down on him and wouldn’t give him the time of day due to his rank in the Air Force whereas they are four officers in the Marine Corps.
“Sir, that sergeant over there with the radio-pack on his back,” Lieutenant Grebb paused to point out the Marine. “He drove Towbar and the Elves to th
eir destination. He had been loaned by Captain Little Hawk to take them where they wanted to go. We thought it would be an all-day event, but since it wasn’t you are certainly free to use him to drive you where you need to go.”
“Oh great. I’ll just need him for a little bit,” Mykal said. “And then I’ll get him back to you.”
“Don’t worry about it Sir,” Tufano responded. “You’re top dog around here,” he said and looked to Landis. “Take him for as long as you need. He has both a vehicle and a portable radio. I’ll get him for you. Hey Morely, go get Sergeant Mathis before he drives off,” Tufano called out to a nearby Marine Lance Corporal who had just finished cleaning his rifle.
“Thanks, I appreciate that. Listen, since you four are lieutenants, can I ask you guys a question?” Mykal asked and looked to Landis to make sure he wouldn’t object.
Landis nodded his approval and the four eagerly agreed to help with his dilemma.
“Do you guys know that Green Beret Lieutenant Johnson?” He asked and waited until all four of them nodded. “What’s his problem? It’s like he’s got a gripe against me but I don’t know what I’ve done to him, and he won’t tell me.”
“He’s a dip-shit,” Grebb answered first, generating laughter from the others including Landis. “First of all Sir, you’re talking about an Army puke. I don’t care what type of fancy modifier you’re putting before his name such as Green Beret, Airborne, Ranger, Special Forces, blah, blah, blah, you’re still talking about an Army pee-yuke.”
“All Mah-Reens are an Elite fighting force,” Lieutenant Miccols replied and sounded like a Drill Instructor. Lieutenant Miccols slammed his fist into his open palm creating a loud crack. “Ooh-rah!”
“The Army has to add special titles and modifiers to their name to signify them as an elite fighting group,” Tufano snickered at his playful dig at his sister branch of the military. “Namely; Green Beret, Airborne, Rangers, Delta Force, and they can take any group they want, give them a funny colored little beret and you have an elite fighting group. They can give the chow hall personnel a little white beret with an apron and voila, or as the Army would say ‘wah lah’. Now you have an elite cooking force of pork and bean chefs,” He said and they all laughed.