TwoSpells

by Mark Morrison

  He pounded his fists uselessly on Boose’s face, blood spewing from his mouth, trying desperately to keep from being pulled underground. He kicked at the woodworm’s head with his one free foot. “Stop! Stop!”

  “Is that Boose?” Liam yelled to Sarah.

  “I think so,” she replied. “It feels like him.”

  The Cyclops rolled over and managed to crawl to the edge of the arena, dragging Boose and pulling himself up onto the first tier railing. His thick hide was shredded and he left a sickening trail of blood in his wake. He reaching up into a space exhibit and grabbed a huge rocket, rolled onto his back and delivered several blows to Boose’s head. The rocket shattered in his grip and Boose recoiled, releasing the Cyclops, but was otherwise unaffected. The Cyclops moaned loudly, searching for any means of escape.

  “Boose's in pain! I can feel it!” Sarah cried, buckling over and favoring one of her eyes. “It's his eye!”

  Liam held her close trying to comfort her.

  Boose paused, one eye swollen and badly injured. He spied the Cyclops two levels up and tore after him.

  The Cyclops tossed everything he could find in Boose’s path but nothing stopped the worm’s pursuit. The loss of blood was too much for the lumbering beast though, and he collapsed finally in a heap just before the Door-of-Doors, reaching to grasp a doorknob.

  Boose latched back onto what remained of the Cyclops’s leg and began to roll, spinning him along helplessly and smashing through dozens of towering bookcases and exhibits on the way back to the gaping hole in the arena. Sarah shouted after them, warning Boose to stop before he was hurt any further, but the Cyclops reached over and plucked her up from the ground once more in one last defiant effort. He forced her toward his mangled, bloody mouth.

  “Filthy witch!” he groaned, his thick, stinking breath pouring over her. She covered her eyes.

  There was a strange sound. A wet snap followed by a guttural groan from the beast. Beneath the Cyclops, a small figure burst up over the hulking torso toward his face.

  It was Number One with a massive warrior’s sword spinning over his head. He jammed it deep into the Cyclops’s throat, twisting it back and forth. Sarah lurched and tumbled to the ground as its outstretched hand fell. She watched in horror as the Cyclops grabbed Number One, lifting him to his face.

  “If I can’t have her, then I’ll have her hero instead!” the Cyclops spat, peppering One with bloody saliva.

  “One!” Sarah ran to One as the ground shook violently, tearing the chasm beneath the Cyclops open wider. A grotesque snapping of his bones echoed across the arena.

  “No!” the Cyclops roared as his body was pulled downward, his pelvis distorting, crushed under its own weight. Suddenly, the stone floor erupted around them with several new openings, smaller woodworms snapping a hold of the Cyclops in a feeding frenzy. He clutched One tightly and fought off the worms with his other hand.

  But it wasn’t enough. Blood spattered the arena as it sprayed from the Cyclops’s ears and nose. His innards exploded from his splitting torso. His pelvic bone finally snapped, his body gave way and in a twisted ball of flesh and muscle, he was dragged down beneath the library.

  A mysterious calm settled over the war zone, both sides in temporary respite just before a bizarre invisible force began dragging small pieces of loose debris toward the gaping pit where the Cyclops had once stood. Even larger pieces of stone and rubble began gravitating into the darkness. The edges of the cleft began to crumble and implode in on itself—rapidly expanding and drawing in the air above.

  Sarah limped from beside the opening, but lost her footing as the unseen force tugged on her tiny frame. “Something’s pulling me!”

  “Gravity!” Liam shouted, taking her by the arm.

  “Sarah, wait!” Cato yelled.

  She paused and looked back.

  “Ya’ were meant for so much more,” Cato plead. His face was twisted and desperate. “You and your brother are royalty. Ah’ prince and princess! Think of everythin’ ya’ would leave behind.”

  “Please,” he said, dropping to one knee and bracing himself against the floor. “Ya’ deserve your rightful place in me new kingdom.”

  Liam pulled harder on Sarah’s arm. “We have to go now. Leave him.”

  Sarah looked back one last time. “Not a chance!”

  “Foolish wench!” Cato growled as he fled from the gaping hole in the stone floor.

  A strange sucking sound reverberated across the arena. Liam grabbed Sarah and dragged her toward one of the stairways, dodging objects as they flew past. Jon and Grandpa leaned hard against his walking stick now as he used it to brace himself. Entire exhibits plunged over the railings and stairways, rolling into the vacuum. The horsemen had remounted and were desperately trying to calm their panicked horses as they fought the growing force, sidestepping debris and retreating to the far corners of the arena among the few surviving wildebeest. Even the sickly wisp of two-dimensionals who wandered about were pulled in, pleading for a savior.

  “Wormhole!” Seth cried, clinging to a stairwell railing.

  Panic ensued as the force strengthened and the nearest bookshelves yielded to the pull, emptying their contents by the thousands. A couple of the reptile warriors lost their grasp on the stone floor and were pulled helplessly into the void. A number of flailing Orcan guards and shark corpses slid past Sarah before flopping into the hole.

  Liam and Sarah attempted to escape using a nearby stairway, but found it suddenly filled with an avalanche of books and rubble. Liam plunged his scepter deep into the stone and both he and Sarah braced themselves behind it. His grip weakened and they began to slide toward their doom.

  Sarah felt a hand at her leg. She turned to see Jeremy Sermack clinging to her with his evil, yellow grin. She screamed but no sound came out. A massive chandelier crashed down beside them, rolled and tumbled, bouncing up and over top of them and was sucked down inside the hole. Her grip was on the edge of breaking when someone latched onto Jeremy.

  It was Jon. He’d looped his talisman around Jeremy’s neck and gripped it tightly. Jeremy's face contorted with pain as he mouthed a silent growl. With the amulet so close, his magic was useless. He turned a deep shade of purple as he choked, until he finally released his grip on Sarah’s leg, tumbling into the darkness with Jon on his back.

  Sarah reached out a hand to him. She called out his name but her voice was lost in the vacuum.

  Two more of the lizard warriors slid past her, fighting to stay out of the wormhole. In their desperation, one of them latched onto Liam, but Seth leapt to his rescue, seizing the reptile by the throat and stabbing it with his small saber. It released its grip and both tumbled haplessly into the gloom.

  A beam of light cut through the chaos as a strange machine with rake-like claws chewed into the library floor. It dug deep into the flagstone, crawling toward Sarah and Liam. She shielded her eyes from the light and saw that Cato was inside, operating the machine and cackling wickedly. Liam tried to grab his wand, but fumbled it and watched in dismay as it slipped into the void. The machine crept closer.

  Just as the bizarre machine got within striking range, a woman’s body slammed into its windshield. It was Sarah’s mother. She peered across at Liam and Sarah clinging to the scepter and then reached under her sash, drawing her wand. She waved it in a circular fashion in front of the windshield and set the glowing tip of the wand against the glass. Cato pounded his fist against the windshield, struggling to shake her free.

  The glass began to undulate slowly, rippling like a puddle of water and peeling itself from the vehicle. Sarah’s mother held tightly onto the wicked machine as the wormhole tugged at her body wildly.

  Something strange began to happen to her face. Her skin began to crack and shimmer, her disguise flaking away. She screamed in pain as it peeled loose, tearing her skin and scalp away from her skull. Her face was a jigsaw puzzle of raw flesh and exposed bone.

  She looked to Sarah and smiled weakly befo
re diving into the machine’s cabin to grapple with Cato. They wrestled for several agonizing moments, bumping and kicking levers and buttons, until finally, one of the levers released the machine’s powerful mandibles from the stone flooring. The monstrous contraption flipped backward, rolling and tumbling into the dark fissure.

  Liam’s face twisted in panic as his scepter began to bend, yielding to the unseen force of the wormhole. They slid forward, passing Grandpa, who’d propped himself up against a massive boulder.

  Sarah watched as the foundation began to crumble around them, their bleeding fingers clinging to any handhold they could find, desperately trying to avoid the certain death of the abyss. Even the shadows began to stretch and bend into the void, revealing hundreds of screaming, warped shadow beings sucked from their lairs. They clawed at the flagstone, grasping for debris with their spindly talons in a desperate attempt to stay hidden. Their twisted mouths wailed in silence as they fell prey to the darkness.

  Out of the gloom came four odd figures rolling side by side. They dove toward Sarah and Liam and sprung to their feet alongside them. The conjoined quadruplets linked themselves to the arena’s foundation and held fast, struggling to save Sarah and Liam. Suddenly, a large blue character plopped down directly in front of the quads, taking a hold of them. It was Captain Puffin and she’d anchored all four-hundred of her hefty pounds against a large crevice in the stone flooring. But the quads’ rail thin arms gave out, conceding to the strength of the immense gravitational field. The quads, Sarah and Liam began sliding violently toward the wormhole. The book of TwoSpells slid past them, pages flapping and magical mist swirling through the air. Sarah watched helplessly as it disappeared into the abyss.

  It ended as abruptly as it began. A deafening silence settled across the library arena. The air went stale and calm. The shelving stopped rocking and thousands of books fell lifelessly to the ground. The survivors rose slowly to their feet, staggering and stumbling aimlessly. It was over.

  CHAPTER 40

  SARAH LIMPED TO THE CHASM’S EDGE and looked inside. The hole had been sealed by debris and soil. She threw herself into the basin, clawing at the loose earth until her fingernails had broken. Her hands bled and trembled as she pounded the earth until she collapsed, exhausted and sobbing. She lay there for some time before staggering to her feet.

  “Where’d they go, Liam?” Sarah cried.

  “I’m not sure. Another dimension. Another world. Maybe even another time,” he replied. “But I’m sure they’re safe.”

  “Are you?” Sarah pled, falling onto his shoulder and clutching him tightly.

  Liam held her, gently patting her back. “I’m sure. I can feel it. We’ll get them back. I promise.”

  Grandpa stumbled into the ravine, scratching at the broken earth and rubble with his walking stick, his eyes wet with tears.

  “Where’ve you been?” Liam asked him.

  But Grandpa shook his head. “It was me fault. I suggested they use the one-eyed beast.”

  Sarah’s eyes went wide. “What? Why would you do that?”

  “I promise I’m cured now,” Grandpa sobbed. “I promise on me soul. The virus is gone.”

  “Cured?” Liam asked, grabbing Grandpa by the arm. “No one knows how to cure it.”

  “It be true lad. Me mind was speakin’ gibberish in me head. Cato needed ah’ way ta’ stop ya’. I figured the Cylcops would be bloody angry about the eye thing,” Grandpa replied. His face wrinkled in confusion. “So we went ta’ their world. Jon gave me the talisman ta’ wear and—and the virus was screamin’ in pain. Somethin’ about the light when I flickered. Gave me a fever somethin’ terrible.”

  “A curative wavelength?” Liam stroked his chin. “We never considered anything along those lines.”

  “Huh?” Grandpa asked. “Call it whatever ya’ please, but I know I’m cured. It bled through me pores—spilled ta’ the ground chokin’ on its own evil. It was darkness I saw. Pure darkness. A shadow grovelin’ and beggin’ to be put outta’ its misery.”

  Liam paced the area. “Pure white light. It makes sense. We have to go now!”

  Sarah chased after Liam as he raced toward the stairs. “Where are we going?”

  “TwoSpells—power—terminal,” he panted. “A white—sapphire—might—work.”

  Grandpa hobbled behind them as they made their way down the corridors beneath the library. Sarah paused, grabbing Liam by the arm. “What about all the people who are sick? Can we help them?”

  “If this works, then yes. We can help everyone,” Liam replied. “We’ll transfer the source code to white light and then send them all through a portal. That should purify them. We—”

  Suddenly, there was another small tremor. Sarah grabbed Grandpa and Liam’s hands, steadying herself.

  “Worm sign!” Liam shouted.

  Sarah winced in pain, touching her temple and eye. The floor in front of them burst open and Boose popped his head out. He had a crazy sideways smile and his tongues were hanging out, flopping from side to side. His bulbous blue and green eyes twirled excitedly, one still a bit crooked and injured. Sarah ran to him and gave him a huge hug. He belched crudely and licked her face. He smelled terrible.

  “It’s okay, Boose,” Sarah cried, holding her nose. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  Grandpa tapped her on the shoulder. “Come on. Grandma will be worried sick.”

  Sarah pulled on Boose. “Where’d you take them boy? Tell me where you took them.”

  Boose just lapped at her face.

  “Can he tell you?” Liam asked.

  “Not in words,” Sarah answered. “Maybe he’ll take us.”

  “Bring him with you. We need to go. Now,” Liam interrupted her as he drew the door open and led them inside.

  When they entered Liam’s quarters, they found Grandma waiting anxiously. Sarah ran to her side and hugged her tightly. Grandpa hobbled over and joined. Liam stayed back a few feet, whispering into his headset.

  “Mom, Jon, Seth and Number One are gone,” Sarah blurted out between sobs, collapsing in Grandma’s arms.

  Liam looked up anxiously from his headset. “Not forever. They’re out there somewhere and I have a team already working on a rescue.”

  Grandma looked into Grandpa’s sodden eyes. “Ya’ look ah’ might brighter.”

  “I feel ah’ might brighter too,” Grandpa said, squeezing her hand.

  Sarah looked up. “We have to call Percy.”

  “I’ll do it,” Grandma said, her voice cracking. “It be best if I did it.”

  “Promise me you’ll find them,” Sarah told Liam.

  “I promise,” he said, crossing his heart.

  Sarah could hear Grandma on the phone with Percy and tried to listen more closely. She was trying to explain as much as she could without delving into too much detail with him. Before Sarah could hear Percy’s response, there was a loud knock on the door. Liam answered and two numbered Golems entered. They whispered softly and the three of them started out the door with Grandpa at their side.

  Liam spun around before leaving. “Please stay put for now. We’ll be right back.”

  Grandma sighed and led Sarah down the hallway toward the bedding quarters to get some rest. As she rounded a corner, she heard a tiny voice calling her name.

  Sarah spun around but no one was there.

  “Are ya’ okay, lass?” Grandma asked.

  “I’m—” Sarah started, but stopped as she heard the voice again. Pain shot to her temples. “I’m fine.”

  I’m here to help you.

  “Did you hear that, Grandma?” Sarah asked.

  “Hear what?”

  I’m here.

  As Sarah passed a hallway mirror she stopped short. A shadowy grin swept across her face in the glass. She reached up and touched her lips, checking to see if she was really making that horrid face. Her reflection laughed maniacally and she spun back against the hallway wall. Sarah felt her eye twitch and a dark, twisted arm clawed free
of the mirror—slowly reaching out for her.

  A hand brushed her shoulder. “Sarah?”

  She leapt into the air and spun around. It was just her grandmother.

  How silly. She was being ridiculous. She just needed to lie down for a little while. Every part of her body ached—most of all her head.

  Grandma took her by the arm. “Come, child. A wee kip will do ya’.”

  Sarah strained a smile. “Okay. You’re right.”

  The two of them paused in front of the mirror. Sarah slowly looked up and saw that she looked perfectly normal. She sighed with relief and started back down the hall.

  EPILOGUE

  A FEW MONTHS LATER, Liam and Sarah were wandering through the catacombs of TwoSpells on a routine inspection of the power station. A Buttress talisman had been inserted into the power terminal to focus a beam of pure white light into the enchantment. So far, it had worked. All residents had passed through the curative light and the virus had been exterminated.

  Even Bohktar had made a full recovery, waking up from his deep slumber to name Liam and Seth as permanent Guardians of TwoSpells, even with Seth still missing. He was currently leading a search through time and space for the victims of the wormhole catastrophe.

  “What the—” Liam spat, charging toward the entry doors of the cooling station. “It looks like the coolant system is ruptured.”

  Sarah stepped aside as he slowly opened one of the swinging doors and peered into the room. Red lights were flashing a warning but the alarm bells were strangely silent.

  “Where’s the security?” Sarah asked. “This place looks abandoned.”

  Contaminated water was pouring from a crack in the side of a large industrial tank. It ran along the floor and under the entry doors, running downhill into the deeper depths of the foundation.

  “Something’s wrong,” Liam said, following the flow down the hallway. Sarah was right behind him.