“What should I do now?” Josh felt lost in this world, and his voice and face clearly showed it.
“Spend at least a few days here with us. We can teach you some basic fighting skills, and your other two friends have found abilities they have never before possessed. I can help them both understand and use it to better effect. I cannot make you and your companions great swordsmen, or the other two lads master spell casters, in only a few days, but it will help. It may mean the difference between success and failure, but only if you all are quick learners and willing to put forth your greatest efforts.”
“We are, thank you, sir,” Josh said, grateful for any help he could get in this strange world to help rescue his brother.
“Go and rest a bit. We can talk more tonight at supper,” Elderin said kindly.
Josh went and sat next to the studious Theodore, who was presently absorbed in his book.
“Hey, Tad, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Um, it’s Ted, but sure you can. What’s on your mind?”
“Oh, Ted, sorry. Yeah, I definitely have questions. I have so many questions I don’t even know where to begin,” Josh said shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. “First off, how is it we are in another world yet they speak English?”
“Actually, they are speaking what they call common. It is similar to how English is the universal language of science and business. Why it sounds like English, I can only theorize. The fact the gate Drew opened linked our world and this one suggests that people from both worlds have met before. It is also possible that this world is simply another version of our world, meaning it is the same world in another dimension, timeline, or alternate universe. Some scientists think that there are thousands of worlds, variations of ‘what if’ worlds.”
“What if worlds?”
Ted smiled as he truly enjoyed showing off his intellect and knowledge. “What if Columbus had never sailed across the ocean in 1492? What if Hitler had developed the A-bomb and used it first? What if German had been chosen as the primary language of the United States?”
“Are you serious?” Josh asked.
“Yes, imagine how different World War II may have played out if that had been the case. In one of the ‘what if’ worlds, that is exactly what happened. Americans spoke German, joined Hitler’s team, and ruled the world under the Fuehrer. In this world, English evolved just as it has in ours.”
Josh expressed his relief. “Whatever the reason, it sure makes our job a lot easier.”
“That’s for sure. I’m good at languages, but it would have been a painful progress with nothing to base it on.”
Josh looked at the old book in Ted’s hands. “So what have you found in the book so far?”
“It’s amazing! There are actually quite a few offensive and defensive spells in here, far more than ritual castings like the gate summoning Drew did. I used one of them today, and have memorized three more already.”
“Yeah, that was awesome. I’ve never seen anything like that,” Josh said, impressed with the young boys display of magic. “I saw a lot of things today I never would have thought possible.”
“And that is just one of the lowest level spells. There are some in here that are a lot more powerful. At least, I think they are,” Theodore said dubiously. “They are definitely more complicated. It’s going to take me a while to decipher them.”
“How did it feel when you burned those goblins up?”
Ted’s eyes suddenly lost some of their excitement at the mention of the deaths that they had caused.
“I don’t know. I try not to think about it. I try to tell myself they would have killed my friends and me, and that I acted in self-defense. I can still smell it. I never imagined the smell when I played the game,” Ted said, dropping his eyes and looking at his feet.
“Yeah, me neither when I played video games,” Josh confided quietly.
The party rested themselves for the remainder of the day. As night fell, the small fire was built up and a large pot of stew was suspended over the flames to heat. Later, as they were dining on rabbit stew and hard bread, a couple of the rangers sat next to Phil and his sister.
“That’s quite a bow you two have there,” a tall, dark-haired, powerfully built ranger stated. “May I have a look?”
“Sure,” Phil consented, handing over the cam-driven compound bow.
The ranger hefted the bow, a look of surprise plain on his face at the weight and quality of construction. He drew the string back to his cheek and astonishment immediately replaced surprise as the cams engaged and relieved most of the pressure against his fingers and arm.
“By the gods, this is magnificent!” the ranger exclaimed as he passed the bow to his comrade who reacted in a similar manner. “How is such a weapon made, and of what kind of material? It is constructed of no metal I know of.”
“It’s made of a carbon composite, like the arrow shafts,” Chase explained and pulled one of the arrows from the attached rack that held six of the long, deadly shafts.
The rangers examined the razor-headed arrows with equal amazement.
“May I make a drawing of this weapon? I am something of a craftsman, I and would like to see if I might duplicate it on some level,” the ranger said. He proceeded to pull out a thin, hardbound book, and Phil saw several charcoal sketches as the man flipped through the book until he came to a blank page.
“The original compounds used a pulley system here and here instead of cams. It may be easier to replicate them with the materials you have available. Also, you may have to tweak down the power a bit. Our bows have so much power in the draw that it can fracture a wooden shaft when you release it if there is any flaw in it,” Phil offered.
“I don’t think that will be too much of a problem. Our longbows have a pull of up to a hundred pounds. A well crafted arrow can handle it, I think,” the ranger replied, continuing his sketch.
The twins and the rangers continued to exchange questions as they ate their simple supper.
Elderin took a seat next to Gabe as he ate his stew from a wooden bowl. He looked at the slightly rotund boy for a moment before speaking.
“There is a strong link forged between you and your god,” the druid stated.
Gabe looked up from his wooden bowl and answered the kindly druid. “I hope so; I know every verse in the bible by heart.”
“This bible is the written tenants of your god?”
Gabe nodded in answer to the question, spooning another helping of stew into his mouth.
“What is the name of your god, young man?” Elderin asked.
“God,” Gabe answered simply.
“Yes, your god. What do you call him or her? Mine is Terrellen, the great forester.”
“That is his name,” Gabe explained.
“Thadis is your god’s name then?”
“No, not Thadis. God is his name. Just God.
The druid smiled kindly at the obviously confuses young man. “No, god is what he is, his title.”
“It is also his name. That is what we call him because when he appeared before Abraham that is what God told him to tell everyone his name was,” Gabe explained patiently.
Now Elderin was starting to lose his patience with this confusing young man. “That is just ridiculous. If you just call out to your god with the name God, then how do the gods know for whom you are asking? You might be bombarded by a multitude of divine replies. You have the attention of every god in the heavens saying, who me? Yes? Who are you and what do you want?”
“In my world we have only one god, and he knows when you are praying to him,” Gabe replied, unfazed by the Elderin’s discomfiture.
“So everyone in your world is of the same religion and prays to your one god?”
“Well, no. Different cultures and religions pray to different gods or to God but in a different way, but my God is the only true god,” Gabe said with conviction.
“So there are other gods, yours is simply the over god; the god of all,”
the druid stated, thinking he was finally beginning to understand this new faith.
Gabe swallowed another mouthful of stew before answering. “No, he’s the only one.”
“But you said other people prayed to different gods?”
“Yeah, but they’re wrong and misguided,” Gabe replied.
“That strikes me as being a bit conceited.”
“Maybe, but I think it’s only conceited if you’re wrong.”
The druid pulled his head back at the statement as if he had been slapped, but then forced himself to relax again. “Still, it seems rather obtuse not to have a proper name for your god. It is like wielding a sword of divine power, pulling it from its scabbard, and brandishing it in front of a hoard of evil foes. Its holy radiance blinding in the eyes of evil, you stride forward and shout, ‘behold the awesome power of the most holy sword…Sword!’ It just does not have the same ring of authority as, say, Excalibur, does it? Such a generic name would not seem to inspire the same kind of courage in your comrades or instill fear in your enemies.”
“It seems to be working for us so far, so I best just stick with God,” Gabe stated simply, wiping out his empty bowl with a chunk of bread.
Elderin wandered off to speak to one of the others, muttering to himself and shaking his head. After they had eaten, Josh had everyone gather around him to talk about what they would do.
“Elderin has offered to spend a few days teaching us what he and his people can to give us a better chance to rescue Drew. As much as I hate the idea of letting my brother get farther away, I have to admit that if we just run after him without a plan, we’ll probably do him no good,” Josh explained.
Chase did not like the idea of waiting. “But if we wait, we may never find him!”
“Elderin says he knows where they are likely taking him, and we would not be able to catch up with them anyhow. Two days have passed since Drew was pulled into the portal, and we would be unable to catch up with them before they reached wherever they are going. He is sure that whoever took him needs him alive, as well as needing the book Ted has, so we have time.”
“But wouldn’t we be bringing the book to the bad guy, giving him both pieces of the puzzle?” Felicia asked.
“Drew is more important than the book. Maybe we can work out a deal if we can’t steal him back. Besides, Ted needs the book in order to play his part, and we need the book when we get Drew back so he can get us home again.”
“So what do you want to do?” Chase asked.
“I think we should stay here for a couple of days. Ted needs to study that book some more, and Chuck and I definitely need some training on how to use these weapons. Speaking of which, we all need to talk about what happened today. How does everyone feel about what they had to do, about taking a life?”
They all looked at each other, but Felicia spoke first. “I just looked at it as one of my martial arts matches, fencing duels, or archery practice. I just kind of put the fact that my targets were real beings into the back of my mind. Besides, it was self-defense. They would have hurt us or killed us if we did not defend ourselves.”
“It creeped me out a lot more than I thought it would have when I stabbed those two goblins,” Chase added. “But like Felicia said, we didn’t have much of a choice. It was them or us, and I’ll choose us every time.”
“What about you, Gabe? You cracked one of those goblins pretty hard with that mace of yours. How did that make you feel?” Josh asked the softhearted boy.
“It stabbed my bible and I got really mad. Then I felt like throwing up.”
“But will you be able to defend yourself again, or defend one of us? We all are going to have to rely on each other to have any chance of success. One of us could get hurt or even die if someone hesitates to do what has to be done.” Josh stared into the eyes of every one of them. “This is not a game, people. This is real. The danger is real and your enemies are real. None of us can afford to act like children. We will all have to pull ourselves up and act like the warriors, the soldiers we are right now.”
Gabe blanched at the thought of hitting or killing another living thing. “But the bible teaches us to not kill, and turn the other cheek.”
Chase asked the pious lad, “Gabe, how many times did God tell the Israelites to attack another city, to kill and conquer them in His name? Even Jesus was a warrior when he had to be. Remember when he went on a rampage in that temple, flipping tables and cussing out the Pharisees because of their selfishness and hypocrisy?”
“Yeah, I guess so. How did you know about all that?”
“You told me about it.”
“You were actually listening to me?”
“Yeah, I may not be the perfect choir boy you are, but the words mean a lot to me, just as you mean a lot to this group. We need you, Gabe, but we need to be able to count on you. Can we do that?”
“All right, I will be God’s holy warrior in this. You can count on me,” Gabe assured them.
“Chuck, how about you? How do you feel about all of this?” Josh asked his large friend.
“Are you kidding? One of the ugly little suckers shot me the leg. I’ll squish every one of them I can,” Chuck promised without hesitation.
“All right then, everyone go and get some sleep. As soon as the sun comes up, Elderin and some of the rangers are going to be teaching us some things. We will all need to focus and learn as much as we can in a short amount of time.”
Phil and Felicia pulled out three collapsible dome tents and set them up. These also greatly intrigued Lucas, the ranger who sketched out their bows. He made several notes on their construction and went back to work on forming something out of clay near the fire.
The teens split themselves up between the three tents, rolled out their lightweight sleeping bags, and instantly fell asleep. Despite their fight and fear induced exhaustion, sleep did not come easy. The chirping of crickets, the sound of the wind rustling through the trees, even the smell of the forest and soil felt strange and alien despite its familiarity. When they did finally succumb to fatigue, dreams of the battle replayed themselves endlessly in their heads, causing a restless night’s sleep.
CHAPTER 5
The world slowly came back into focus. Bright light leaked through his partially closed eyelids as they began to flutter open. Drew’s first vision was of treetops slowly passing by overhead. It gradually dawned on him that he was being dragged through the woods.
He looked up and sure enough, two goblins were dragging a travois with him strapped on, feet up, head near the ground. The second thing Drew realized was that his head hurt like hell. He tried to bring his hand up to touch the source of the pain but found they were tied to the sides of the travois. One of the goblins marching behind him called out in a strange gibbering tongue Drew assumed was goblin speak.
Too bad Phil or Felicia isn’t here; their characters both speak goblin. He laughed as his brain registered what he was thinking. This is real, you idiot, not one of your games.
The red-skinned goblin leader looked down at him. “You think being dragged through forest by goblins be funny? Most humans be scared now. Maybe think goblins eat them.”
Drew wondered if that was an attempt at humor. If it was, something was definitely lost in translation. The goblin leader said something to the two goblins pulling the travois in their guttural tongue. Without warning, the pair dropped their burden ungraciously to the hard earth. The immobilized teen fell to the ground, and the impact sent a throbbing jolt of pain into Drew’s injured head.
The red goblin bent toward him with a sharp knife in his filthy hand. At first, Drew thought he was going to inflict further harm to him, but the goblin simply cut the cords that were binding his hands to the rails of the travois. Drew rolled off the makeshift sledge and rubbed his wrists. They had been supporting a great deal of his weight for some time and had fallen asleep. The cords had bitten deeply into his flesh and caused some ugly abrasions.
“You stand up, you walk now. We go
blins, not mules,” Red ordered.
Red is what Drew decided to call the goblin leader. As he stood up under the watchful eyes of two spear-wielding goblins, he realized the creature probably had a name.
“So what should I call you? It looks like I’ll be in your company for a while, and I can’t just keep calling you, hey you,” Drew insisted as Red bound his hands tightly behind his back.
Red hesitated, glared at the young man before him, looking for some sign of trickery. He did not know what kind of human this was. He came through the magic gate, so he might be a powerful wizard. From what he knew of humans, this one appeared to be young and was easy to capture, so he probably did not know any magic beyond that little flame he conjured in his hand. (These were highly sophisticated thoughts for a goblin, which is why he was a pack leader.) He would not show fear in front of this human child, he decided.
“My name Droog. Droog be pack leader. You are captive of Droog. You do what Droog say. Droog say you no use magic, ever. You say Droog’s name in a spell, and Droog stab you, no thump, stab,” the goblin promised, emphasizing his point with the sharp knife. “You walk now.”
Droog seemed to be in a talkative mood at the moment, so Drew decided to find out what information he could while he followed the goblins in front of him. “Why did you capture me, Droog?”
“Master tell Droog, watch this spot. Master tell Droog take prisoners of anyone come through magic gate.”
“How did you know I would be coming? Did your master know?”
“Droog watch spot for three moons. Master not say when you come.”
Maybe he did not know I was coming, Drew thought.
“Did your master tell anyone else to watch for magic gates?” Drew asked the goblin.
“Master send other pack leaders to watch other spots. Droog not know if they capture any wizards yet. Droog have prisoner, Droog get big reward. Droog important goblin now.” Droog visibly swelled with pride, puffing out his scrawny chest at his accomplishment.
“So is anyone watching the portal now, or is your job done?” Drew asked, hoping that if his friends did come to look for him that they were not falling into an ambush like the one he did.
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