“Good question, but if they leave, they’ll be back.”
“You can hurt a Titan?”
“Maybe,” I said without much promise in my tone.
I fished in my jacket pocket and came out with five of the ball bearings I keep for my sling. Focusing, I activated my levitation tat and the five quarter sized steel balls floated above my palm. I pushed at them and they began to soar above us, spreading out in a circle as they did. I raised my left hand in the Cub Scout salute and focused on the tattoo that formed there. Mystical energies flowed from the two ley lines to impact the bearings. In seconds, they glowed, in a minute they would be super-heated plasma. Next, I triggered my wind tat to drive the glowing balls higher. I wanted them in the air as long as possible for my next trick.
“Beast, take us down slowly and move us to the west. Keep a constant distance from the Titans so that their shots take time to reach us.”
He complied without comment.
“Why west?” Tess asked.
“The sun is in the east.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” she said.
“I don’t get it,” Cris said.
“You haven’t seen me use meteors. Trust me, you’ll enjoy this.”
“I still don’t–”
“Just sit back and enjoy the moment,” I said. I reached down and gave her right thigh a soft squeeze.
“Okay,” Cris said as she squeezed tighter against me.
One minute later, we were back below a thousand feet and descending at a good clip. I dropped the Cub Scout salute and changed the direction of my wind. Now the meteors were beginning to drop.
We continued to descend and move westward. The Titans threw at least a dozen more boulders at us, but Beast and Maia dodged them with ease.
Another thirty seconds passed before I noticed the sky in the east getting brighter, my meteors were on target and currently as bright as the morning sun.
“Okay, Beast, let’s start toward them. I want to be within a quarter mile when the fireworks start.”
“Couldn’t we just wait here?” he growled. “Those boulders will get tough to dodge if we get too close.”
“I think they’re going to have something else on their minds in a few more seconds,” I said.
We flew east. One more boulder flew past us, uncomfortably close, before the Titans noticed that they had too many shadows.
They faced east and activated a shield that shimmered with reflected light.
My meteors reached them simultaneously. Well, within a second of each other. Controlling five was more than I’d ever tried before.
The explosions were breath taking. Energy crackled against their shield and it held through three of the ground shaking impacts, but the fourth destroyed their shield and the fifth landed between them in a cataclysmic explosion that vaporized ground snow, threw an enormous quantity of earth into the sky, and knocked trees down for a hundred feet in every direction. The shock waves reached us seconds later. Even though we were shielded, our forward progress became rearward as we flew back the way we’d come.
“Oh, my God,” I heard Cris whisper when I could hear again.
“I forgot to ask you if you like fireworks. Impressed?” I asked.
“Merciful goddess, Rafe. I had no idea you could do something like that.”
“It’s one of my showier tricks, but it’s a real crowd pleaser,” I said with a grin.
“Bragging again, Boss?” Tess called.
“Hey, it’s not bragging if it’s true,” I rejoined.
“Shouldn’t you wait and see if you killed them before you start boasting?” Beast growled.
“Yeah, not that I needed you to remind me,” I said.
“That’s not been my experience,” Beast said.
I rolled my eyes. “Just take us in close so we can do a damage assessment,” I ordered.
Actually, I was in good humor for a change. We’d found that Rowle hadn’t been the one trying to kill us and we had probably taken out two of the beings that were. With a respite from being attacked I could finish restoring my tats, re-spell my leathers, and get Tess some more training before whoever was next to look us up. The day was improving.
We reached the impact point, a massive crater surrounded by downed trees. The ground and trees were covered with a thick pink substance and a mist of pink was floating down from the cloud of vaporized particles that was beginning to cool.
“Is this what I think it is?” Cris asked.
“Yeah, I think it is. Vaporized Cyclopes. Don’t worry; our shields will keep it off of us.”
“Did you get them both?” Tess asked.
“Beats me. I hope so, but if one survived I’m sure he’ll think twice before coming after us again.”
“That seemed awfully easy,” Cris said.
“Easy?” I asked. “Did you see the size of those rocks they were throwing? Any one of them could have killed us if we’d been caught unaware without our shields being up.”
“Yeah, I saw, but these were Titans. They’re supposed to be as powerful as the ancient gods. It seems like a mortal man shouldn’t be able to take two of them out that easily.”
I clutched at my chest and pretended to swoon. “Mortal man, I’ve never claimed to be a mortal man. I’m a Wanderer. We stride the Earth and right wrongs, correct injustice, and prevent evil doers from wreaking havoc on our planet. Let the Titans and gods be warned. Earth is ours, not theirs.”
“Oh, please,” Tess said with a laugh. “You aren’t trying to make Cris think you’re an idiot are you?”
“Watch it, Apprentice,” I said and shot her another image of her bent over my knee. “I’m in a good mood today and I won’t have it spoiled.”
Tess laughed and Cris joined her. Tess stopped suddenly and pointed. “Ah, Boss. Look there,” Tess said.
I followed her finger’s aim and saw a shield just wink out next to a portal. I got a glimpse of long dark wavy hair and a feminine shape before the portal closed. There’d been someone else here. Someone who’s shield had withstood my meteor’s impact. I frowned, my jovial mood destroyed.
“Damn, that’s going to be trouble,” I said. “But not something I’m going to look into today.”
“So what are we going to do about Alex and Rowle?” Tess asked.
“Well, since Rowle swears he’s given up his quest for starting Ragnarök and Cris confirms he hasn’t been the one responsible for these other attacks on us, I guess I can give the old man a chance to train Alex. Besides, if there is another player out there with the power to challenge not only us, but Rowle as well, we may just need the old man as an ally in the future. We’ll check with them in a few months and see if Alex wants to continue with him or train with you.”
“Are you sure you aren’t just making the more convenient and easy decision?” Tess asked. “I know you must have been thinking how the dynamic would be with both your son and me as your apprentices.”
“Nonsense,” I started before I remembered we were still meshed.
Tess caught my guilty emotions and put a smug smile on her face.
I dropped the mesh before my embarrassment showed through.
“Beast, let’s go home,” I said and opened a portal back to Colorado Springs.
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Bamberg was born in small town Alabama, to a great pair of middle-class working parents. After high school, he enlisted in the USAF. He earned a degree in engineering from Texas Tech and went on to work for Boeing and the Missile Defense Agency.
He sold his first novel, Emerald Eyes, to Books in Motion in 1994. Since then he’s published ten novels. His novels range from modern action/adventure, to horror, to urban fantasy, and finally science fiction. He’s had numerous short stories published, including one in the award-winning anthology Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction.
He discovered reading at the Hale County Library in Greensboro, Alabama, when he was ten and rapidly devoured all of
the science fiction books the small library had to offer.
His hobbies, when not writing, have been fencing, shooting, fishing, RPGs, computer games, and reading. He’s an avid fan of SpaceX and their long-term goal of occupying Mars.
Other WORKS
by
Richard A. Bamberg
The Phoenix Egg
Strega
Emerald Eyes (with Joy Bamberg)
The Nazi Legacy (with Joy Bamberg)
Doors Without End
The Hunters: Monster Hunting 101
Ancient Enemy
Wanderers 1: Ragnarök
Wanderers 2: Apprentice
Wanderers 3: Garden of the Gods
Wanderers 4: A Tough Act to Follow (The Wanderers) Page 32