"But it is not moving away from us as it has in the past," fretted the king.
"No, it's not," agreed Tanya. "It is collecting on the green platform."
As they watched the Darkness pour into the mountain, the sky above continued to crackle with tremendous shows of lightning.
"I don't like the looks of this," King Arik said nervously as he watched the Darkness gather on the green platform. "That looks disturbingly like the feet of the demon statues we saw alongside the black door."
Tanya stared at the clawed feet that had appeared in the center of the green platform. "Only much, much larger," she gulped. "It is Alutar congealing out of the Darkness."
"What do we do?" the king asked worryingly. "We cannot flee the mountain without some type of help, and we cannot just stand here and wait for Alutar to be complete. Can you change into a bird and flee?"
"I could," nodded Tanya, "but I will not."
"Why not?" asked the king. "At least one of us would be free. Flee while you can."
"No," Tanya said defiantly as she watched Alutar's legs begin to appear. "I will never abandon you. Besides, I would not want to fly through such tainted air. I am not sure what the Darkness would do to me in such a concentrated form. Maybe the Sword of Heavens can destroy Alutar?"
The king nodded and inhaled deeply as he gazed at the growing demon. He tried to figure out the safest way to approach the Great Demon without getting in the way of the still-gathering Darkness.
"What should I do?" asked the king. "Should I try to hack off its legs before it completes itself?"
"I don't know," admitted Tanya. "I wish the gods were still here to advise us. If you chop off one leg, will it fall on us? Will it awaken early? I just don't know, Arik."
"Can its sharp claws strike out at us before it is completed?" questioned the king. "There are too many questions and no answers. I am going to try to chop off one claw to see what happens."
"Let me surround you with shields first," suggested Tanya.
The king nodded while Tanya cast several spells.
* * *
Far to the north, the mage ship whirled around the great whirlpool known as the Ocean's Sewer. Balamor turned and gazed southward as a gigantic bolt of lightning soared into the sky. Even from such a great distance, the lightning flashed brilliantly. Almost instantaneously, the whole sky filled with lightning. Bolts flashed upward and downward, but the most spectacular of all were the massive rings of lightning that dotted the sky. Huge circles of lightning flashed inward and outward all over the sky.
"What is going on?" shouted Kroto. "I have never seen lightning like this."
"I do not think the world has ever experienced what is going on right now," Podil replied as the sky crackled all around the ship. "The energy present in the air is massive, beyond anything I could ever imagine."
"Beyond anything anyone could ever imagine," nodded Galdan. "Whatever is happening, it marks a milestone in the history of this world."
"The Darkness is fleeing from above us," noted Doryelgar. "I can no longer gather it."
"Same here," agreed Mustar. "It is as if it has discovered what we are about. We should haul the Mage onboard and flee this forsaken place."
Suddenly, a huge bolt of lightning struck the center mast of the mage ship. The crack resounded loudly as the wood split the mast into thousands of tiny splinters.
"The Mage!" shouted Balamor as he pointed in horror.
As the mast shattered, the hoisting spar that was attached to it separated from the ship. The hoisting spar and the Mage tumbled into the massive whirlpool and disappeared from sight.
"We must save him," yelled Galdan.
"There is no way to save him," Kroto responded. "It is time we thought about saving ourselves. Without the mast, we are following him into the Ocean's Sewer."
Podil turned and looked at Balamor who was fighting the wheel of the vessel. The gaunt human nodded distractedly at Podil as he fought to control the ship.
"I can no longer control it," he shouted. "Only the boulders off the starboard rail are keeping us from going down, and they won't save us for long. All of you should abandon the ship. I will hold it afloat as long as I can."
"But the Mage…," protested Doryelgar.
"Is gone," finished Mustar. "Not even our skills can pull him out of the Ocean's Sewer. He is probably already splattered about the core of the planet."
Suddenly, a great swelling of water rose in the whirlpool. It rose first in the center, like a giant fountain, and then swelled to form a dome over what used to be the whirlpool. The ship rocked hard to starboard as the large boulders threatened to capsize it. Balamor acted swiftly in magically releasing the winches on the forward and aft hoisting spars, and the boulders dropped into the sea. The ship pitched wildly as the swelling dome of water carried it towards the Ring of Fire.
"This ship may kill us yet," remarked Podil, "but I am hesitant to transform and fly into this sky. Can you keep us afloat, Balamor?"
"I am trying my best," Balamor sighed with frustration. "The water is sending us towards the islands. We may crash upon the rocks. Hold onto something solid."
"And what might that be," snarled Kroto. "This whole ship is like a piece of kindling in the runoff of a major storm. There is nothing solid to grasp. When we sink, please remember that I cannot swim."
The words were barely out of the dwarf's mouth when the ship slammed into one of the islands with a sickening crunch. A large rock along the coast of the island ripped a large gash in the starboard side. The water poured into the ship.
"Everybody off," shouted Balamor. "This ship is going down quickly. Make for the island, and we will wait out this storm. Podil, help me get Kroto safely to the island."
Chapter 28
Lattimer's Mission
Everyone on the Song of Alcea turned and gaped as the Mountain of Death blew its top. A tremendous streak of lightning roared skyward, setting the sky alive with brilliant flashes and glowing halos. Tons of rocks were thrown high into the sky.
"It's erupting!" shouted one of the crew. "We need to clear out."
"That is no volcanic eruption," Jenneva replied worriedly. "That is the work of the Sword of Heavens."
"Then the king has succeeded," Sheri said excitedly. "He has found the Amethyst of the Gods."
"He has," nodded Alex, "but his success is not complete until he and Tanya return here safely. All of that rock must come down somewhere."
"And here is not a good place to be," added Admiral Hill. "Raise the anchor," he shouted to his crew. "Make ready to set sail. Be quick about it, lads. We have no time to spare."
"No," shouted Jenneva. "This ship is not moving until Tanya and the king return. We will not abandon them, not even for a short while."
"We must have maneuverability," protested the admiral. "If we just sit here, we will be bombarded with rocks from the Mountain of Death. I am not suggesting that we abandon anyone. I just want to be able to move about."
"Order your men to stand fast, Admiral," demanded Alex. "Jenneva, can you shield the ship from the debris?"
"With Fredrik's help I can," Jenneva nodded determinedly.
"Do so," ordered Alex. "Fredrik, do whatever needs to be done. Protect this ship until the debris falls away."
The six brothers of the crew stood awaiting orders from the captain. Admiral Hill gazed up at the exploding Mountain of Death with fear and concern for the ship and its passengers. Finally, he nodded to his crew.
"Stand fast," he shouted as he watched the sky flash with thousands of lightning bolts. "We will ride out the storm at anchor. There will be no safe quarter in this storm in any event."
Jenneva and Fredrik hastily erected shields over the entire ship, which began to rock erratically from swiftly changing currents as the sky exploded in a fury of flashing lights.
"The Darkness!" shouted Tedi as he pointed at the peak of the mountain. "It is not rolling away as it has in the past. It is being sucked into the Mountain of Death. Loo
k!"
"The coalescing of Alutar," Prince Garong declared grimly. "Perhaps that theory has merit after all."
"You had better pray to whatever gods you believe in that it has no merit," Prince Darok said worriedly. "Even Garala's power has limits. Nobody can stand against the Great Demon."
"Well the king will not stand alone before Alutar," swore Alex as he mentally called for Kaz.
The black unicorn dutifully responded to Alex's call. Prince Midge watched curiously as Kaz approached Alex. He darted through the heavy winds and landed between Kaz's ears.
"For the Bringer!" shouted the fairy prince with his tiny voice as he raised his little sword over his head.
The other Knights of Alcea nodded enthusiastically and began to gather around Alex.
"Stop!" shouted Jenneva. "Nobody is leaving this ship yet, and that especially means you, Husband. Look at the sky. To travel through that right now will not help King Arik. It will only result in the loss of people he needs desperately to battle the Dark One. Stay your weapons and your enthusiasm until the sky clears. It will not last for long. Already the Darkness thins to practically nothing."
Jenneva flinched under the strain of large rocks cascading onto her shield. Fredrik also was visibly shaken by the continual bombardment. Alex looked up at the steady stream of Darkness flowing into the Mountain of Death and nodded slowly. His hands curled tightly into fists as he fought the urge to rush to the aid of the king and his daughter.
"I will wait," he said hesitantly, "but not much longer. I will not allow the Ancient Prophecy to be aborted so close to victory."
"None of us will allow that," declared Bantam as she hovered in the air near Prince Midge. "I think a fairy has the best chance of all of getting into the mountain without harm, though. Perhaps it would be best if we knew what was going on inside? We could be better prepared to defend against it."
"An excellent idea," Prince Midge nodded enthusiastically. "Fairies are quick and agile. We can dodge any falling boulders that come our way."
"You will wait with the rest of us, Prince Midge," Alex shook his head. "Even if you could dodge the boulders, you cannot out-fly lightning. Jenneva is correct about a short delay. The Darkness is almost gone now."
Bantam spread her wings wide and let the wind carry her off unnoticed. The directive not to go into the Mountain of Death was after all aimed at the fairy prince and not herself. While everyone was watching the spectacular lightning show in the sky, Bantam dropped over the side of the ship and beat her wings furiously. She skimmed over the ocean waves, soaring higher only when she was far away from the ship.
The tiny fairy flew in a skittish manner as if the falling debris had intelligence and was aiming at her. It was not a conscious decision, but one ingrained as a defensive measure. The lightning continued to flash brilliantly in the sky, and the fairy's wings tingled with the power in the air.
Bantam soared up the side of the imposing mountain, her eyes focused on the dark black cloud funneling into the new opening at its peak. As she neared the rim, Bantam noticed that the lightning was now only around the peak of the mountain. The rest of the sky was clear. She hesitated as she watched the Darkness pour into the mountain and then she darted over the lip.
The fairy carefully avoided contact with the black stream and moved steadily away from it as she descended into the chamber of the gods. Her heart fluttered as she saw Tanya and the king safe inside. King Arik had the Sword of Heavens raised and was about to strike what looked like the bottom half of a very huge demon.
"Bantam!" called Tanya as she saw the fairy approach. "Am I glad to see you."
King Arik halted his swing and looked up as the fairy landed on Tanya's shoulder.
"Not as glad as I am to see you," grinned the little blue fairy. "And the Bringer, of course," she added.
"Is everyone out there safe?" asked King Arik. "Do they know what is going on?"
"All are safe," answered Bantam. "There is great worry about Alutar coalescing inside this mountain, but I can see that will not happen."
"What do you mean?" asked Tanya. "We were just about to attack it, but it appears to be stone, like a statue."
"The Darkness is just about finished," reported the fairy. "Surely, there is not enough of it left to complete the statue."
Tanya looked up and saw the stream of Darkness petering out. She nodded with relief and then lowered her eyes to examine the demon stone. The stature of the demon was massive, especially compared with the demons that King Arik had killed, but only the bottom half of it existed.
"No doubt the Mage had a hand in this," Tanya murmured. "This was probably his plan all along."
"How so?" questioned the king.
"Alutar planned to use the Ancient Prophecy to return to power," Tanya explained. "Master Khatama must have discovered the plot somehow and found a way to foil it. Whatever he did, the other half of Alutar is somewhere else. We must find him and ask him about it."
"That can wait," King Arik decided as he looked up and saw clear sky. "Bantam, go and get Chaco and Frea for us. It is time for us to leave this mountain. Sarac will know that we have restored the Sword of Heavens. We must make plans to attack him as soon as possible."
Before Bantam could leave, four unicorns flew into the Mountain of Death. Alex and Jenneva rode on two of them. They dismounted and hugged Tanya and the king. For a long time, nobody spoke.
"I do not like waiting to find out if you are alive," Alex finally sighed with relief. "Next time we are coming with you,"
"I don't think so," giggled Tanya. "The next time will be our honeymoon."
"You are getting married?" Jenneva asked excitedly.
"That is the only reason that she would be going on a honeymoon," Alex remarked in a serious voice as he slapped King Arik on the back and winked at Tanya.
Bantam leaped for joy and shot up towards the opening in the mountain. She almost collided with Prince Midge who had been hovering above the demon stone.
"You heard?" Bantam asked enthusiastically.
"Of course I heard," the fairy prince replied stoically.
"Hmmph," grumbled Bantam. "At least King Arik knows what a leader must do to invigorate his people. There will be much joy throughout Alcea when the word spreads. Nothing pleases the people more than a royal wedding. Imagine their joy when they find out that their leader is going to wed."
"They are humans," Prince Midge reminded Bantam. "They mate for life. That makes a marriage very special for them."
"Perhaps the humans understand true love better than fairies do," grinned Bantam. "They both appear to be very happy about it."
Prince Midge gazed down at the humans and unicorns below him. His eyes focused on the massive demon stone, and he shook his head.
"They do not require our help," the fairy prince declared. "We should return to the ship and let the others know that all are safe."
"And happy," added Bantam as she darted upward.
Alex detected the movement above him and looked up. He waved to the two fairies as they departed. The voices of Arik and Tanya droned in the back of his mind as he examined the demon stone. A shiver ran through his body as he imagined what the full stature of Alutar would be.
"That is when we discovered that Master Khatama is really Razil," Tanya explained.
"Actually, Tanya figured it out first," interjected the king as he held Tanya's hand.
"It sounds like you two worked together rather well," commented Jenneva. "I am glad that you were able to lean upon one another."
"They always have been," commented Alex as he rejoined the conversation. "They just never fully realized it before. What are we to do with this demon stone?"
"We must ask Master Khatama about that," suggested Tanya.
"It can wait until after we have taken care of Sarac," declared the king. "I do not wish to delay our attack on Mount Kalas. We can relate what has happened here while we travel towards the Dark One's castle."
"A sound app
roach," nodded Alex. "I would like to suggest Lavinda as a place to meet up with the troops from Tagaret. It is close to Mount Kalas and yet safe from Sarac's roving patrols."
"Agreed," the king replied quickly. "It is about time that you took us to your homeland. I remember trying to get you to stop there when we were searching for the Sapphire of the Fairies. You refused to stop."
"The timing was not right," shrugged Alex. "You knew me then as Garth Shado. Stopping in Lavinda would have alerted you to the truth."
"That seems so long ago," sighed Tanya. "Do you think the people of Lavinda will remember you?"
"They will remember him," smiled Jenneva. "Let's get out of this mountain and be on our way. We have a long voyage ahead of us."
The four humans mounted their unicorns and flew out of the Mountain of Death. The sky above the island was a cloudless blue that stretched from horizon to horizon. The unicorns glided lazily away from the mountain and landed softly on the deck of the Song of Alcea. Admiral Hill wasted no time in ordering the crew to make ready to sail. While Prince Midge remained aboard ship, the other fairies were sent to prepare for the invasion of Mount Kalas. Newt was sent to Dalek to secure horses and provisions for the ride to Lavinda. Button's task was to inform Lavinda of the king's arrival, while Shrimp was given the job of spying on Mount Kalas. Bantam was relegated to Tagaret to order the Rangers and others to proceed to Lavinda.
While the Song of Alcea sailed to Dalek, King Arik and Tanya shared their experiences with the rest of the Knights of Alcea. Everyone was curious about the gods and the demon stone. About an hour into the voyage, Alex separated himself from the group. Jenneva watched him leave with a worried expression on her face. She saw him unstrap his bow as he headed for the stern. She quickly stepped away from the group and hurried after him.
"What is bothering you?" she asked as she caught up to Alex.
"Have you ever heard of a dove and a seagull flying together as a pair?" Alex asked as he nodded upward. "Especially this far from land?"
Jenneva squinted as she looked up at the distant birds. A frown fell over her face, but she cautiously placed a hand on Alex's arm.
Amethyst of the Gods Page 34