by Joe Corso
“Yes, we know.”
“We?”
“Yes, me, as well as your other guides. We have been watching how you use your gifts, and how well you handle your adversity.”
Lucky looked into the man’s eyes, and he felt love and comfort radiating from them. “I think that I have been handling my gifts as well as can be expected, but as to my adversity, I have been affected by a metal called titanium, and I can’t seem to completely recover from the effects of it.”
“Yes, we know of your tribulations concerning that metal, which you call titanium, and this too will pass with time. Yet, with our help, you managed to create what you call a portal.”
“You mean you helped me create it?”
“Yes, we heard your prayer, and we decided to assist you in your endeavor to create what you call a portal. Many years from now, your people will have progressed to the point where you will travel inter-dimensionally.”
“Inter-dimensionally?”
“Yes, but that is a discussion for another time. Suffice it to say that you will succeed in your endeavor to seek out the men who tried to kidnap your wife and child.”
Lucky’s heart skipped a beat when he heard this. “How will I get to them?”
“Tomorrow morning, 9 a.m. exactly, you will leave the castle and walk towards the river that lives near the jousting field. You once slept by a tree facing that field.”
“Yes, I remember it well.”
“Then go there, and at 9:30, a portal will appear by that tree. Take it and it will bring you to the hall of the inquisition general. We are helping you because you have never taken a life carelessly or maliciously. You have instead taken these evil people to other time periods, and allowed them to live, when lesser men would have ended their lives, which is a crime against God and creation.”
Lucky’s vision was becoming cloudy; the man with the white beard began backing away until he was enclosed in mist and no longer visible.
Krystina jarred Lucky awake. “Lucky, Lucky are you all right?”
Lucky shook his head in an attempt to clear it. “Yes, I’m fine. Why?”
“You were yelling, ‘Wait, don’t leave me. I have more to ask you.’ I was afraid you might hurt yourself because you were thrashing about, so I woke you up. Are you all right, Lucky?”
“Well, I had one hellova dream. Wow. Must have been something I ate. I’m all right now. Funny thing, though, the person in my dream seemed so real. He told me to go to the jousting field on the opposite side of the river, and wait by the tree facing the field, and at 9:30, a portal would appear that would take me to the inquisition.”
Krystina put her hand to her lips. “Lucky, please don’t go.”
He caressed her face gently. “Don’t worry about me, my princess. I have nothing to fear from them. They had better fear me. If the portal is really there, then I’ll take it and I’ll come back with the priest shortly after. I have plans for this man who caused my wife so much stress.”
Krystina knew better than to argue with Lucky when his mind was made up, so she put on a brave face, and kissed him on the lips, and then she smiled coyly. “You know, Lucky, we women have our ways to keep our men from leaving us. Do you want me to show you?”
Lucky laughed. “Hold that thought for when I return.” He got dressed and walked down to the kitchen, where he found Keisling sitting on a corner of the large table, drinking a tankard of ale. “Kind of early for that, isn’t it?”
Keisling smiled that easy smile of his and said, “My friend, I am in the king’s castle, and I have never tasted such excellent ale in my life. Why would I not want to drink a tankard or two before noon?”
“I’ll tell you why, and I’ll give you a good reason why you should keep your wits about you.”
Keisling’s face twisted into a grin. “My friend, I do believe that you have an adventure in mind, and you would like me to accompany you. Am I right?”
“Yes, you are right, but this adventure is nothing like you have ever experienced before.”
Keisling adjusted his sword and put a cape over his shoulders. “Well, I’m ready whenever you are.”
Lucky decided to share a little information with Keisling. “I’m going to tell you something that very few people know. Recently, my two comrades were being held hostage and when I attempted to free them, I was captured. I knew I was being lured into a trap, but I didn’t care, I had to try to free my friends. Unfortunately, I was captured and placed in a cell lined with a material that neutralized my powers, including bracelets that were placed on my wrists, made of the same material. I subsequently had the bracelets removed, but the effects of the material used in them are still in my body and it’s still affecting me. I am returning to the court of the inquisition and I intend to punish the general inquisitor. I’d like you to accompany me on my journey. Are you willing?”
Keisling had been seated at the edge of the table and he jumped off. “When do we leave?”
Lucky looked at his iWatch. “Right now.”
The watch confused Keisling. “What is that thing on your wrist?”
Lucky looked at his watch and turned his wrist so Keisling could see it. “It’s a timepiece. It lets me know what time it is at any time of the day.”
“Can I take a look at it?”
Lucky took the watch off of his wrist and handed it to Keisling.
“This is amazing. What makes it work?”
“The movement of your wrist gives it the energy it needs to keep proper time.”
“I have never seen such a wonder.” He reluctantly handed the watch back to Lucky.
The two men approached the spot where the vision said a portal would appear at 9:30 a.m. It was now 9:25. Lucky just had to wait another five minutes, that’s all, just five minutes.
“What do we do now, Lucky?” Keisling asked, not knowing why they were waiting at this place and at this time.
“We must wait a little while, and then we’ll be leaving.”
“Why a little while? Why can’t we leave now?”
“If I had my powers completely back, we could leave now, but because I’m in a weakened state, I have to choose what I do carefully. Be patient and you will experience something very unique, something that no one else, but a very few, will have experienced.” The minutes ticked by slowly but the five minutes finally passed. As soon as the second hand reached twelve, a glorious, shimmering portal appeared. “Come. It’s time.”
Keisling looked around. “Where are we going?”
“Hold onto my arm and, whatever you do, do not let go until I tell you.” Lucky stepped forward with Keisling following, and they disappeared into the constricted space of the time portal.
“What is this? What is happening?” The usually unflappable Keisling was suddenly afraid. He was a man who wasn’t afraid of anything he could see, touch, or feel, but this was something he had never experienced, and it spooked him.
Lucky whispered, “Move in front of me and take a look out and tell me what you see.”
Keisling did as he was told and was shocked to see the inquisitor general holding court with the priests of the inquisition. “Now step back and follow me when I step out of the portal.”
“Wait a minute. I just escaped from these people, and I prefer that they didn’t see me.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll tell them that I captured you as you were about to kidnap the princess. They won’t blame you. They’ll be too frightened of me and what I’m going to do to them.”
Lucky stepped out of the portal with Keisling following close behind, much to the surprise of the members holding court and especially Father Thomas Rodriguez, the inquisitor general, who, upon seeing them appear before him from out of nowhere, fell off of his seat, such was his fright. Lucky walked over to him, showing no fear. He was dressed completely in black with a black baklava covering his head and face. “You, priest,” he said, pointing to the inquisitor general. “You dared to kidnap my wife, Princess Krystina, and my son
? It is not I nor the princess who will be punished; no - you are the one who will rue the day that you dared to kidnap the princess and her son. Now stand.”
The priest hesitated, causing Lucky to grab him by his robe and drag him over the dais he sat behind. The priest called for his guards to help him. Lucky spun around while still holding the priest and shot the sword out of one guard’s hand, then he shot an axe out of another man’s hand. Then he turned and began shooting out windows and religious statuary and anything that would make a noise or shatter dramatically. He carried twenty-one rounds in the gun with two twenty-round clips in his pockets.
When the effects of the gunfire quieted down, he looked up at the spectators sitting in the gallery and motioned his hand for them to move over to the far side. Everyone in that area did as he suggested. When the left side of the upper gallery was cleared of spectators, he took a hand grenade from his pocket, pulled the pin, and lobbed it up onto the seats, and while all of the spectators’ attention was focused on the object he had just tossed up there, he tossed a grenade to the unoccupied far side of the room. A few seconds later, the upper half of the gallery exploded, followed by a second explosion from the unoccupied area of the great room. “That is a sample of my power. I will destroy all who attempt to hurt the princess, or anyone in the royal family.
Lucky whispered to Keisling, “It’s time to go.” He tilted his head, motioning for Keisling to hold onto his arm, while at the same time, he took the general inquisitor by his arm, and the three men took a step forward and disappeared in front of both priests and spectators alike. Everyone in the room, including the men-at-arms, fell to their knees, making the sign of the cross while at the same time marveling at the magic displayed by the English king’s wizard.
When the men stepped out of the portal, Keisling whooped out a yell. “You were right. I have never experienced anything such as what I experienced today. It was most exhilarating. What do we do next?”
“Well, first I want to check on Tor, then I’m going to take this rat somewhere very uncomfortable where he will spend the rest of his life.” Lucky called for the sergeant-at-arms. When he arrived, Lucky asked him to place a guard to watch the priest and he cautioned him not to let him out of his sight. “I am not finished with him yet.”
The sergeant nodded in agreement. He knew that when Lucky was finished with this priest, he would spend the rest of his life in misery.
CHAPTER 35
12TH CENTURY ENGLAND
Tor was resting, but he was tired of being cooped up in the dark room. He wanted to sit in the garden under the sun, but the doctors had forbidden it. After listening to Tor, Lucky convinced the doctors to allow him and Keisling to carry Tor to the garden outside, where they could place him in a comfortable padded lounge chair and make him comfortable with pillows for his head, and blankets to keep him warm. Tor was strong and he would recover quickly, but for now, he needed time to allow his body to heal. Lucky had instructed the doctors to clean the wound, explaining to them what germs will do to a body if the wound wasn’t cleaned properly. The doctors scoffed at him as he explained how little invisible things he called germs could infect a body, but when they saw the look on his face, they agreed to do as he commanded. After all, he was the king’s wizard and they knew what magic he was capable of. So although they were skeptical of what he told them, they listened. The doctors in the 12th Century learned a lot about medicine and the body from the Arab doctors. They knew how to suture a wound properly, but they had no concept of germs. Even though the idea was new to them and too radical to accept or use in their practice, they would humor the wizard and do as he said with this patient.
Lucky thanked a remorseful Tor, who felt that he let Lucky and the princess down. “I’m sorry, Looky. I tried to stop man from taking princess, but I can no fight sword.” He put his head down and didn’t say anything more.
Lucky patted him on the shoulder. “You did good, Tor. You almost died trying to save the princess and baby. I will never forget what you did.”
Tor looked up and there were tears in his eyes. “I watch princess and baby. I make sure nobody come near her. I watch - I look - I made sure no one hurt her, but that man come out of from behind tree like shadow, and I no see him. He stab me with sword, but I hit him hard in face, and I happy because I make eyes black and smash nose. He scream like woman and I happy. But I cannot stop him when he take princess. I lay there on ground and want to die, because I let my friend down.”
Lucky bent down and kneeled on one knee, looking Tor directly in the eye. “Tor, look at me.”
Tor lifted his face and his eyes from under his bushy eyebrows and looked at Lucky.
“You did exactly what I asked you to do. I’m very happy with what you did. I’m not mad at you nor am I disappointed in you. Now I want you to rest and get better because I’m going to need you.”
Tor’s face scrunched up and his eyes narrowed. “You - will - need - me?”
“Of course I’ll need you. You have to protect the princess. That’s your job, so you have to get better because we’re all counting on you.”
Tor’s eyebrows lifted and his eyes shined. “I get better fast. You watch.”
“Good. Now I have to be going. I have some unfinished business to attend to. But before I leave, I brought you something.”
Tor smiled. “What you bring Tor, Looky?”
“I brought you a couple of toys to play with when you get stronger. Here; these are for you.” He handed Tor the bow set and the fishing rod.
Tor, as weak as he was, picked up the bow and kept turning it and looking at every part of it. “Tor never see bow like this before. Is it magic bow?”
“When you get strong and practice with it, you can tell me if it is a magic bow.” Lucky picked up the fishing rod and demonstrated it for Tor, who sat there looking at it spellbound.
Tor looked up from his lounge at Lucky. “What Tor do to earn this wonderful gift?”
“You almost died protecting my wife, that’s what you did to earn these gifts, so enjoy them.”
“Thank you, Looky. Tor lucky to have good friend like you. I get better fast now. You watch. I catch good fish when better.”
Keisling watched the dialogue that took place between the two men. “You really like him, don’t you?”
“Who? Tor?”
“Yes, Tor. Whom else would I be talking about?” Lucky laughed at how familiar Keisling had become, and how easily he fit into his routine.
“When I first arrived here, I needed money and Tor was the local boxing champ. I beat him in order to make the money I needed. His manager convinced me to fight a few of the local lads to make more money, which I did. When it was over, I gave Tor double what he would have made if he were to fight all of the challengers that day. From that moment on, we became friends. He’s honest and loyal, and you can’t ask any more from a man than that. Besides, a man can’t ask for a better friend than him.”
Keisling rubbed his chin, nodded, and then he grinned. “You know, Lucky, I think that I’m getting to like you. Maybe I’ll stay here for a while.”
Lucky nodded. “Come on, let’s get the inquisitor general and take him to his new home.”
Keisling stopped walking and scratched his beard. “New home?”
Lucky put his arm around him as they walked. “You’ll see what home I’m talking about in a few minutes.”
“Well, one thing is for sure. There has been no dull moments from the moment I met you. My curiosity has been aroused. Now I surely must come with you, and see it with my own eyes, for if I don’t, I will forever wonder what home you were talking about.”
The priest was being held under guard under the castle, in one of the cells in the dungeon. Lucky hesitated before descending the steps leading to the dungeon. “Wait a moment. I have to check on something first.” Lucky walked down the hall, past the king’s treasure room, and pulled the hanging tapestry aside. He stopped and let the breath out that he was holding. T
he portal was still there, shimmering its radiant light and beckoning to him.
Keisling looked at him, then at the empty space behind the tapestry, and then he looked at Lucky again and shook his head. “You are certainly a mystery to me, my friend. Can I ask what we are doing here?”
Lucky released his gaze from the portal and turned to Keisling. “This is where we will take the priest; this is where his new home lies. Now let’s go get him.”
Keisling laughed loudly. “This is to be his new home?”
The sergeant was happy to see Lucky and Keisling approach. He couldn’t wait to get rid of the inquisitor general, for whom he had no love. Lucky took the priest roughly by his arm and asked him. “Are you ready to visit your new home priest?” The inquisitor general was too shocked and frightened to speak and his eyes darted everywhere. He was used to being obeyed without question. Now he was insignificant, just another prisoner awaiting his fate.
“Hold his arm with one hand and hold my belt with your other hand. Ready?”
Keisling took a deep breath, put his head down, and then he took a deep breath. “Ready.”
Lucky stepped forward, pulling Keisling and the priest with him into the constricted area of the portal. The priest wasn’t used to it and he began to panic. “It will be over in a minute, so don’t panic. Take a deep breath and step to your left.”
The two men did as Lucky said and, after taking a few deep breaths, stepped to their left.
Lucky looked out onto an empty stadium. “Good, follow me.” The three men stepped out onto the sandy floor of the ancient Coliseum of ancient Rome.
“What is this place?” Keisling asked.
“We are in ancient Rome and this is the great Coliseum where men fight to the death. But come; we are not at our destination yet.” They rushed to a spot behind the portal, until Lucky stopped.
The priest kept making the sign of the cross, and he kept calling Lucky “the devil.”
Lucky turned to him. “I’m the devil? You have the balls to call me the devil? Am I the one who tortures people to confess to anything you want them to? Am I the one who puts people in dungeons to rot, or puts them on the rack and pulls their body apart, or encloses them in the iron maiden for their bodies to be pierced with spikes, or pulls their fingernails out, or skins them alive, or puts their feet in boiling oil until their feet are nothing but stumps? You have the nerve to call me the devil? You are fortunate, my friend. Fortunate that I don’t have my full powers back because if I did, I would take you to a place so miserable you would wish that you had never been born. So you are lucky even now, because I’m going to take you to a place where you will be part of history, a place where you can contribute something instead of destroying God’s creatures.”