“Come on Jennifer,” he said, “come back to us.”
“Where am I?” she asked, gazing about at the unfamiliar room.
“Seven thousand miles from your home, I fear,” said the young man. “You are in York, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Your parents brought you here yesterday. But we’ll get you home very soon. The drells will never hurt you again.”
Jennifer seemed confused at first then she relaxed. “Debbie’s story was true. Oh thank God it was true.”
“It certainly was,” confirmed Ron, removing her headset. “You’ll feel a little sting. It is the thing that will keep the drells from trying to take you again.”
Ron looked to his aunt. “We got them all out.”
“That will have to be it for a while,” cautioned Wilson. “We need to allow the coil to cool.”
“But we need to get Connie out of there,” objected Ron, even as Jennifer was wheeled away.
“We will,” promised Wilson, “but not right now. The coil temperature came up eleven degrees on that last procedure. The coils were too warm when we started and consequently the resistance was too high. FENS won’t bring anyone back if its coil is burned out.”
Ron looked over at Connie, who lay on a gurney only ten feet away. She was turning gray and her vital signs were becoming unstable.
“The drells are going to fight us for her,” warned Wilson. “You can be sure of that. These four were easy. We stole them while they weren’t looking. It will be different next time. I want every advantage.” Wilson hesitated. “Get Connie on FENS. When the coil cools to optimum temperature I want us to be ready.
At that very moment Detective Hicks and Special Agent Davis stepped into the FENS lab.
“I hope we’re not interrupting anything,” said Hicks.
“You aren’t,” confirmed Wilson. “In fact you’ve arrived at an excellent time. We might need your assistance soon.”
“Certainly,” said Davis, “how can we help?”
“As qualified witnesses of what is about to happen first of all,” said Wilson. “Secondly, I might need help, authorization that only a special agent with the FBI might be able to provide.”
That comment seemed to pique Special Agent Davis’s curiosity. “Can you be more specific?” he asked.
“I can indeed,” confirmed Wilson. “It will take about fifteen minutes for us to reach the optimum temperature for the coil. I’ll fill you in as we go.”
Connie watched as the battle raged on before her. She was in so much pain and it was becoming ever harder to breathe. The makeshift army of the wulvers and humans was now completely mobilized. Yet they were making little headway against the forces of Malfacian. Right now things didn’t look good for the rebellion.
“Connie,” said a voice seemingly out of nowhere.
“I’m here,” gasped Connie, who recognized the voice of Sybil.
“I know it’s difficult for you but you’ll need to wait just a few minutes longer. We’ve recovered the children from that bull. They’re all here safe and sound. Now we’re going to bring you home.”
“Better hurry,” whispered Connie.
Connie struggled to remain conscious. She just had to. Then at the far side of the arena she saw the beast emerge from the tunnel. It was large and furry, at least eight feet in height, and it moved along mostly on two legs. It moved sort of like a gorilla but the shape was all wrong. She couldn’t see it clearly from here but she offered up a prayer for Marci and Gwen.
Then it started. The glow around her increased in brightness even as her pain faded. Her surroundings brightened. She opened her eyes. For a moment she was gazing into the face of Ron. How glad she was to see him. But he quickly faded to be replaced by the pain and the arena again.
“You will not escape me!” cried Dre Kon in a thundering voice. “We’re not finished with you yet. Your accomplices on Earth will never get you back. They are but children to us.”
Then the arena faded again and she was back in the FENS lab.
“They’re fighting us,” said Wilson. “They’re trying to pull her back. Dwayne, increase the current, the lines will take it.”
“Yeah, but will the coil?” asked Dwayne.
“It has to,” countered Wilson.
“Ron,” whispered Connie. “I’m in both places at once. The images are overlapping. Oh God, this is a nightmare.”
The lights in the FENS lab dimmed even as the whine of the instrument increased in pitch, higher than Connie had ever heard it. She could only imagine the power surging through that coil.
“We’re at 28 Teslas,” said Dwayne. “God almighty, I can’t believe it.”
“We’re pulling every bit of current in the line,” said Dwayne. “There is nothing else available.”
“Not enough,” whispered Connie. “Not enough.”
“We need more,” called Ron.
“Now would be the time,” said Wilson to someone beyond Connie’s field of view.
“On my authorization we need every available watt you can come up with diverted to us. Brown out the city if you have to but we need it now.”
A few seconds passed and the whine of the FENS increased still more. The lights within the room faded and brightened.
“Twenty-nine Teslas, thirty!” gasped Dwayne. “My God, no one has ever formed a magnetic field remotely this strong. If that field coil fails, we’ll all be gone in a blast that will take out this entire facility.”
“The coil will hold,” said Wilson.
The arena faded from Connie’s sight. Only a trace of it remained. She was mostly home, mostly. Claudia held the syringe in hand, ready for the cue from Ron.
“Join with me, my brothers and sisters!” screamed Dre Kon. “We cannot allow them to win. This wench is ours!”
The image of the lab began to fade once more.
“We’re losing her,” said Ron.
“Like hell we are,” said Wilson, increasing the power still more. “Thirty-two Teslas,” announced Dwayne. “Thirty-two point five. John this unit wasn’t built to contain this much power. The current is clean off the scale. I can only guess what it is.”
Again the lab came into sharp view for Connie. Only this time the background of the other reality, of the arena was gone.
Connie was glowing now. Where her skin met the air was no longer a well-defined place but a transition zone. She was like a blur in an otherwise sharply focused world. She almost looked unreal.
None seemed as amazed as Special Agent Davis. He stared at the phenomenon before him in wide eyed wonder. “Oh my God,” he gasped, making the sign of the cross. “How can such a thing be?”
“Welcome to the new reality,” said Sybil.
“That’s everything we’ve got,” said Wilson. “We’ve got her, I’m sure of it.” He motioned to Ron.
“Now,” said Ron.
Claudia injected Connie. Her flesh felt so strange, almost unreal. She could see the point of the needle even though it was a quarter inch below Connie’s skin.
“You’ve got to back the power down,” warned Dwayne.
“Not yet,” replied Wilson.
The area around the injection site returned to normal. The normal appearance of her body returned around the vein, followed it to her heart, then to her lungs, then out to her entire body.
“Doctor,” said Dwayne.
Wilson slowly pulled back on the power. Within a minute Connie’s body had returned to normal, even as her body in the other realm vanished into a mist of light.
“I think we need to go for Gwen next,” suggested Sybil.
“I agree,” said Wilson. “But it will be at least ten minutes before the coil cools down enough to try it. We nearly broke FENS back doing what we just did. I don’t think we’re up to another round like that just yet.”
“And until then?” objected Sybil.
“Until then it will have to be Marci who defends her,” said Wilson. “I know that’s not the answer you wanted to hear but th
ere are limits to what we can do here.”
Sybil said no more. She turned and departed.
“I didn’t mean to offend her,” said Wilson.
“I don’t think you did,” said Ron. “Perhaps she just needs time.”
Wilson shook his head. “No matter how we cut the cake I don’t think we will have enough time. We’d hoped to bring all of those kids home. I’m afraid we’ll be lucky to save a small fraction of them.”
“Without you none of them would have been saved,” noted Hicks. “That makes you a hero in my book.”
“Agreed,” said Special Agent Davis. “This one will be one for the history books. The problem is that that book is likely to be classified top secret by the U.S. government.”
That comment brought a round of much needed laughter from those present. Yet they all realized that Wilson might very well be right in his analysis. Many of the kids they sought to rescue were already here at the institute but how many would live to make it to the FENS couch remained to be seen.
Dre Kon took no notice of the tremor that briefly caused a ripple in the crimson liquid within his goblet. He didn’t notice it, but others did.
The high priestess of the drells, Lita Ka approached Dre Kon. “My lord, the Koth has been violated. The guardian is no more. The crystal is in jeopardy.”
Dre Kon turned about, an incredulous look upon his face. “No, that’s impossible.”
Lita Ka said nothing, at least not in words. Yet her expression said all that needed to be conveyed.
“Can you stop them?” asked Dre Kon.
“If I depart right now,” replied Lita Ka.
“You have my leave,” said Dre Kon.
The high priestess, three of her coven sisters, and their drell guards departed from Dre Kon’s royal box, leaving the monarch indeed troubled. He turned to Malfacian.
“And what of you?” asked Dre Kon.
“My lord, everything is under control here,” assured Malfacian. “These are my best men. They will crush this rebellion.”
“I expect nothing less,” replied Dre Kon. “And when you do I expect you to spare no one. Put them all to the sword from the youngest to the oldest. Wipe them all from existence.”
Malfacian seemed confused. “I beg your pardon.”
“You heard me,” said Dre Kon. “My plans have change. There is no chance of returning these errant slaves to the fold. We will kill them all, the wulvers and the humans. This arena will run with their blood. Then we will start afresh.”
“Start afresh with who?” asked Malfacian.
Dre Kon seemed annoyed as he rose to his feet. “You can find us suitable slaves can you not?”
“Well yes,” confirmed Malfacian, “but these humans from Earth have certain special attributes. Even the wulvers share some of their qualities. I seriously doubt that I can find you suitable replacements for either.”
“Do not play a game of deception with me Fedor,” said Dre Kon. “Think not that I am unaware of your secret dealings. You will provide me with what I wish or be all the sorrier for your lack of insight and cooperation.”
A moment of silence passed between them.
“Do I make myself understood?” said Dre Kon.
“Perfectly,” said Malfacian, practically biting his tongue. “I will do as you command.”
“Yes, I thought you would,” said Dre Kon, returning to his seat. “Now deal with this rabble. In fact, I think your place is not here but down there directing your troops.”
“Of course,” replied Malfacian, bowing before his lord and departing.
Dre Kon turned to his spiritual advisor and current consort Ner Kaa. “This Malfacian is a minor player in this game, worthy of being little more than an errand boy. Yet he is crafty and devious. He needs to be watched.”
Ner Kaa nodded. “He serves a purpose, my lord. He might be very useful to us. It is best not to hurt his pride too much. He may serve us better if he envisions himself to be important.”
“Well said,” noted Dre Kon, as he watched the oarken close in on Gwen. “You see. He has picked up her scent. This shall be indeed amusing.” He turned to the bull. “The bull no longer snorts.”
“Perhaps the children have already expired,” said Ner Kaa.
“What a pity,” said Dre Kon. “I’d expected more. Still, it doesn’t matter. There are plenty of others to feed to the bull.”
On the floor of the arena, Marci did her best to keep herself between the beast and Gwen. This beast she faced was a true freak of nature. It stood on thick muscular legs with two cloven hooves and counterbalanced itself with its short but heavy tail. Its front legs were short and bore long sharp claws. It almost reminded her of a T Rex. But its face was nothing like a T Rex. The beast had the snout, ears, and coarse hair of a pig, yet in many other ways had nearly human qualities. Those squinting orange eyes were yet another contradiction to a slouchy form replete with them.
If it truly sought to have its way with Gwen, as Dre Kon claimed, she was doomed. This thing was wholly incompatible with her.
Marci racked her brain for a plan. This thing was fast. Even without this shackle about her ankle she would have been doing well to keep pace with it. As it was she would have to wage a fighting retreat, try to keep the beast’s attention upon her.
Now the beast towered over Marci. It took a swipe at her with its claw but it was a clean miss. Marci took the opportunity to plow into the beast with all of her strength. She drove the dagger into the beast’s chest. It penetrated scarcely half an inch.
Marci was thrown back ten feet by a blow from the beast. She was dazed for but a second. She rose to her feet to realize that the beast was but five feet from the altar.
She lunged forward. Sliding between the beast’s legs and driving her dagger into its tail. She quickly wrapped her chain about its tail and pulled with all of her might. It was carried off balance and fell to one side. She pulled again but to no effect. This thing must have weighed 600 pounds at least. It turned on her. With her chain wrapped around its tail she had nowhere to run.
The long metal spear shot past her and through the beast’s throat. The ponderous leviathan swung about and collapsed.
Marci looked up to see Lukor seventy feet away in the stands, Debbie at his side. That had been a throw for the record books.
“Very good, Debbie,” said the voice that Debbie heard deep within her, a voice that she recognized as that of Sybil.
“I think Gwen and Marci could use our help,” said Lukor to eight of his best warriors. “Go down there and release them.”
The warriors dropped quickly over the wall and into the arena. They headed toward Gwen and Marci, yet they were being delayed by an ever growing number of Malfacian’s guards.
Marci untangled her chain from the beast and grabbed the heavy spear. It seemed a better weapon than the dagger. Already two of Malfacian’s soldiers were heading in her direction and she suspected that their intentions were not to release her. She prepared to defend herself and Gwen. It looked unlikely that reinforcements would reach them in time.
The two guards tried to outflank Marci. In her current condition it seemed unlikely that she would be able to fight both of them simultaneously. She carefully weighed her options. She felt the spear in her hands. It was quite a bit heavier than any she had handled before, yet it seemed well balanced.
The two opponents were approaching her on opposite sides. She turned toward the one on her left, took a step toward him.
“David, Sampson, Gideon,” she said. “God, you gave victory to so many underdogs. Give this marine one last victory. Not for me but for Gwen.”
Marci turned and with all of her strength hurled the spear at her adversary on the right, aiming for the place where she felt that his armor was the weakest. The spear plowed through the warrior’s helmet and into his right eye. Then it proceeded to go through his entire head. He fell lifelessly backward.
She lunged forward to grab the sword he had dropped bu
t was tripped as the other guard stepped forcefully upon her chain. She reached out in an attempt to grasp the sword but it was just beyond her reach. She rolled over just as the warrior lunged at her with his sword. She rolled back and the sword plunged into the dirt. She used his own weight and momentum against him, throwing him over her even as she went for the sword. She got it.
She turned to find him on his feet again, his sword at the ready. He barked out some curse that she didn’t comprehend. He was fast alright, fast and agile. She figured she had gotten lucky just then. He had simply underestimated her. She doubted that would happen again.
They squared off against each other, circling, looking for a weakness. Marci remembered his trick with the chain. She wouldn’t allow him to gain such an advantage again.
“Bet you’ve never fought against a woman, have you?” she said in the loudest voice possible. “No, of course you haven’t.”
The warrior just glared at her. It was clear that he didn’t understand a word she’d said. Yet she did see something else in his eyes; fear.
A moment later their swords clashed. It happened again and again. He tried every quick kill trick in the book. Apparently he still hoped that she was an amateur with a sword. He was quickly learning otherwise.
“Ever hear of an Amazon?” asked Marci. “Well you’re looking at one.”
“Amazon,” said the warrior, as if he understood. “Du test de ner Amazon.”
Strangely, Marci almost understood that. Given a little bit of time she might decipher the language of this barbarian. “Go ahead, doubt me if you wish.” She thrust forward, hard and fast. His armor was good but not good enough, she pierced him to the heart. She withdrew her sword even as he stumbled backwards and then fell to the ground. “Two for two.”
Marci rushed to Gwen even as two of the wulvers broke through to finally reach them.
“Don’t look like ya needed our help,” said the larger of the two.
“We could use a sword like hers in the guard,” noted the other, who was already working to set Gwen free.
The Realm of the Drells Page 38