On the fifth day of his confinement in the cave with the dolgars, Richard was passing the time playing with the pups. He summoned a ball to aggravate two of the pups. They enthusiastically tried to tear the ball out of his hand. Their bites made Richard grateful he was wearing his battle suit. Although the pups were only playing, their teeth were very sharp. Actually, they were no longer pups. In only five days, they had turned into quarter-sized versions of their parents. Even Whitey, the gentlest of the pups, had occasionally drawn blood from Richard when the play got particularly rough.
Just as one of the pups jerked the ball out of Richard’s hand, a loud cough reverberated throughout the chamber. It was accompanied by a stern emotion that demanded attention. Richard recognized the source at once. It was Sheba’s way of saying, “Pay attention. Watch me.”
All of the pups immediately gave their attention to their mother. The ball dropped out of the pup’s mouth and rolled across the floor. Sheba, who was sitting next to one of the walls, waited patiently for the ball to stop. When it did, Sheba coughed again and sent out an emotion that meant “come”. The pups gathered close around her.
Once they were still, Sheba gave Richard a look as if to say, “Well? We’re waiting.”
Richard walked over and sat down with the pups. He had to elbow several of them out of the way to make room. The pups snarled and growled, but they did not snap at him. They had learned early on that his black armor was much too tough for their teeth.
Once all was quiet again, Sheba said, “Look” by giving another cough. With all eyes trained on her, she raised her right paw and scratched at the cave wall. Her hard nails made a high-pitched scratching sound as they ran across the rough stone. The noise sent a chill down Richard’s back. She scrapped a second time and then a third. On the third scrape, Richard sensed Power surround Sheba’s paw. The Power did some kind of shimmer. Sheba’s paw disappeared into the stone.
Richard sat up straighter and became instantly alert. He’d seen the adult dolgars walk through the walls and floor of the cave on numerous occasions, but he’d never been able to catch how they did it. This time, Sheba seemed to be deliberately taking things slow and easy. She pulled her paw back out of the stone. The Power around her paw disappeared.
Battle computer, Richard said.
Online, came his battle computer’s reply.
Do an analysis of the adult female’s action, Richard said in command speak. Can you track the flow of Power? Where’s the link to her Power reserve? I don’t sense it.
Analysis complete, said the battle computer’s even voice. The adult female does not appear to have an external Power reserve. There is a forty-seven percent probability she is self-generating Power as she needs it. Analysis results indicate she does not have a link to a Power reserve. She is her own Power source. Analysis also concludes the adult female is attempting to train her pups in the art of dimensional shifting.
Richard continued watching Sheba as she demonstrated the technique two more times. He watched with his eyes as well as his active and passive scans. After Sheba finished her third demonstration, Richard shook his head in bewilderment.
Can you tell how she is doing it, battle computer? Richard said. Whatever it is, it’s too subtle for me to sense.
Negative, wizard scout, said the battle computer.
Richard had a flash of longing for Nickelo. He had no doubt Nickelo could have done a much better analysis than his replacement battle computer. Getting information from this battle computer was a frustrating and sometimes hopeless endeavor. Although this battle computer had access to the tele-network, it hadn’t proved as helpful as Richard had hoped. The only really useful thing to come out of access to the tele-network so far had been the video and data feeds from the tele-bots.
After a year with Nickelo, Richard had gotten used to his battle computer volunteering information. It had taken some doing, but Richard had even gotten Nickelo into the habit of using terms like ‘guess’, ‘maybe’, and ‘possibly’. With the current battle computer, Richard was forced to phrase questions exactly. He’d often wondered why the other cadets at the Academy had complained how difficult it was to get information from their battle computers. Richard did not have to wonder anymore. He now knew for a fact Nickelo was an exception.
I swear I will never bad-mouth Nickelo again, Richard thought. I even miss his strange sense of humor.
Sheba sent the emotion she used for Jumper. The black-furred pup walked up hesitantly and looked at his mother. Richard sensed a complex exchange of emotions between the two accompanied by several coughs and growls. The only word he made out was one Sheba used when she wanted something done. The pup stared at the wall for several seconds before lifting his paw and scratching at the stone. Other than leaving a couple of claw marks on the wall, nothing happened.
Sheba gave Jumper a lick on the nose as if to say, “nice try.” Then she called the next pup forward. One by one, Sheba had each pup attempt to replicate her dimensional shift. None did. Richard was not surprised. The pups didn’t even use any Power. They just hopefully scratched at the wall.
After all the wolf pups had been called and failed, Sheba sent out the emotion she used for Richard. He hadn’t been sure how much the dolgar would allow him to participate. Apparently, she was prepared to treat him the same as her pups as far as training was concerned.
Richard moved to the wall and knelt down. He stared at the spot where the other pups had trained and failed. He removed a glove and touched the wall. It was rough and warm.
Any suggestions, Richard asked his battle computer.
Specify desired suggestions, said the battle computer in a dull, even voice.
Never mind, Richard said. I’m sorry I asked.
Richard wrapped his hand in Power. He felt an emotion of approval from Sheba. Richard made the Power shimmer. He looked at Sheba. She did not seem impressed. Richard looked back at the wall and pressed hard as he ran his fingers down the stone. A few brittle pieces of rock broke off, but that was all. Neither his hand nor his fingers penetrated the wall. Richard glanced at Sheba. She looked back for a moment before turning away and lying down in her usual spot. She sent out the emotion which meant food. The pups dived for their mother as they shoved each other out of the way in an attempt to be first in line.
“What? No lick?” Richard said jokingly.
Sheba gave a snort and sent a complex emotion. Richard wasn’t sure what it meant. He had a feeling he was better off not knowing.
* * *
For the next two days, Sheba reenacted the same training several times a day. Although Richard tried to follow her flow of Power, he had trouble grasping the nuances of interaction between Sheba’s Power and her paw. He was not the only one. None of the pups succeeded in emulating their mother. However, by the second day, one by one, the pups began generating Power and wrapping it around their paws. It didn’t help them succeed in completing a dimensional shift, but Sheba did not seem concerned. If anything, the adult dolgar seemed pleased with the progress of her students.
On the second day of training, the seventh of Richard’s confinement with the dolgars, Fuzz Ball of all the pups, succeeded in making his paw disappear inside the stone wall. He was as surprised as his siblings. He quickly jerked his paw out with a frightened yelp. Sheba gave him several extra licks to show her approval.
By the end of the day, all twelve of the pups succeeded in emulating their brother’s success. Sheba spent another day working one on one with Richard trying to get him to complete a dimensional shift. He failed every time. Although he copied all he could observe of Sheba’s Power manipulation, it never worked. He knew he was obviously missing a key part, but he did not know what it was.
Battle computer, Richard said. Can you translate Sheba’s speech for me? I think she’s trying to tell me what I’m doing wrong, but darn if I can understand what she’s saying.
Negative, wizard scout, said his battle computer. The dolgar’s language consists pr
imarily of emotions mixed with a few noises. I’m a computer. I do not comprehend emotions.
Thanks for nothing, Richard said.
You are welcome, wizard scout.
After his day of solo training, Sheba appeared to give up hope on Richard. She moved on to the next phase of her training with the pups. Instead of wrapping just her paw in Power, she wrapped her whole body with it. The Power shimmered, and Sheba walked into the wall and disappeared.
Richard traced the dolgar’s progress with his passive scan. He had her frequency, so it was not all that difficult. She seemed to move downward and then back towards the center of the cave. All twelve pups stared expectantly at the point in the wall where their mother had disappeared. Richard, on the other hand, turned and faced towards the cave’s center. He sensed Sheba moving upwards. Within a count of four, Richard observed Sheba emerging from the floor in a crouched position as if sneaking up on something. When she saw Richard looking at her, he could swear he saw an expression of disappointment on her face. She straightened up to her normal position and quietly crept up behind her pups. Sheba looked over at Richard and opened her mouth in what he took to be a conspiratorial grin.
Sheba turned back towards her pups and let out a series of barks as she made a mock rush at her offspring. The results were pandemonium. The young dolgars cried out in fright and took off running in all directions. They couldn’t run far in the small cave, and several of the pups hit a wall and bounced off. Tika and Jumper ran into Richard knocking him to the floor in a mass of armored and furred limbs.
One pup, Fuzz Ball, did the unexpected. He ran straight into a wall and kept on running. Richard did not see it since he was rolling around on the floor with Tika and Jumper, but he sensed it. He felt Fuzz Ball wrap his body in Power and plunge through the wall and deep into the stone beyond.
As Richard untangled himself and stood up, he followed Fuzz Ball’s progress with his mind. The pup ran about twenty meters into the stone before stopping. He seemed confused. Although the pup was holding his dimensional shift, Richard sensed it starting to weaken. The pup was still a good five meters below the surface. Richard did not know for sure what would happen if the young dolgar’s dimensional shift collapsed while he was still in the stone, but he feared the worst.
Just when Richard thought the pup was lost, he sensed a lifeform come charging up from below the cave. It headed in Fuzz Ball’s direction. A glance at the lifeform’s frequency on his heads-up display confirmed Sheeta had come to rescue his pup. Richard wasn’t sure what communication transpired between Sheeta and his son, but before long, they were both headed upward. Richard sensed them emerging out of the ground and onto the surface of the world. Richard had a feeling it was none too soon. The Power surrounding the pup shimmered erratically and dropped just as the last part of the pup emerged from the ground.
As Richard continued to monitor Sheeta and Fuzz Ball, he noticed several other lifeforms on the surface head in their direction. Once the newcomers reached the two, Richard felt a wave of congratulatory emotions. It was almost as if the other dolgars were shouting their approval of the pup’s success.
Inside the den, things were calming down of sorts. Once Sheba barked a couple of commands to quiet the remaining pups, she shifted and joined her mate and son on the surface. Even from a distance of forty meters, Richard could feel their pride in their son’s accomplishment.
“There’ll be no living with him now,” Richard said to the remaining pups.
The eleven dolgars looked at Richard. He sensed a complex series of emotions pass between them. Without warning, the eleven pups simultaneously jumped on him in mock ambush.
“Kids,” Richard thought as he fell to the floor.
Chapter 25 – The Children’s Task
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Dren sat next to Samanestra as the old mage used magic to slowly drill out another thin layer of wood from one of the pieces of the dark staff.
“Try it now,” said Samanestra as he handed the half of the staff to Dren. “I hesitate to take out too much at one time. This staff is irreplaceable, you know.”
“So you’ve told us a hundred times,” Dren said. “But if we are to put the gate device in the staff, it has to be hallowed out to give it space.”
“I know,” said Samanestra. “But it almost seems sacrilegious. This staff has been passed down all the way from High Priestess Shandristiathoraxen. She was the very first High Priestess. The High Priestess Shandristiathoraxen and your wizard scout battled a great demon. They retrieved a special seed that grew into the Tree of Light which even now guards the dimensional gate in Silver Town.”
“Well,” Dren said as she inserted the dowel rod into the hallowed space in the staff. “If this staff is so important, then why did Rem agree to let us work on it?”
“Remozorz says the Lady of the Tree agreed that you should be allowed to modify the staff,” said Samanestra. “Remozorz also says the staff is useless as it is now. Most of its power was destroyed when it was broken in half during her fight with the necromancer. By the way, it looks like the rod is fitting nicely now in the staff.”
“Yes,” Dren agreed. “I believe it is. What do you think, Brachia?”
The dowel rod had been constructed to the exact measurements of their parents’ gate device. Dren wasn’t sure when they would get the gate device or even if they would get it. However, she was determined that her brother and her would do all within their power to have the High Priestess’ staff ready when and if the time came.
Brachia took the staff from Dren and slid the rod in and out of the hallow space several times.
“Yes,” said Brachia. “I think this will do fine. Now we just have to prepare the top of the staff for the energy source.” Picking up a piece of white clay in the shape of a gem, Brachia said, “How accurate do you think this model of the energy source is, Sam?”
“Well,” said Samanestra, “the Oracle made it, so I’d say it’s as accurate as anything we can get until we have the real thing in our hands.”
“Then I guess we can start working on the connection for the energy source,” said Brachia. “We can only do so much though until Rick can summon the electronics we need. Dren, when do you think Rick will be back?”
“I don’t know, Brachia,” Dren said. “He has been gone over a week. I’m not even sure he will be back.”
“Now don’t start on that again,” said Samanestra. “I’m sure he’s doing all he can to get back to you two. I’m a pretty good judge of character, and I have faith in our wizard scout.”
“Well,” Dren said, “if he doesn’t get back before long, it will be too late. The twin moons will rise in only two weeks.”
“Actually,” said Samanestra, “we only have another thirteen days. I’ll admit he’s cutting it close. Commander Kreathin is departing tomorrow to meetup with the elves’ army. They will be hard pressed to consolidate all their forces on the Highlamar Plains in time. He will link up with the High Priestess and I next week.”
“What are Rem and you going to do?” Dren said. “You’re not going to leave us here, are you?”
“I’m afraid we must,” said Samanestra. “You need to finish working on the staff. When the wizard scout arrives, you need to be here to meet him. Besides, where Remozorz and I are going is no place for the two of you. Remozorz intends to make another attempt to sneak into the necromancer’s camp and destroy whatever he is using to connect with the secondary gate. It’s no place for two children.”
“We’re not children,” said Brachia. After a pause, he said, “Well, okay, maybe we are, but we’re not typical children. Dren has her Deloris blaster, and I still have the controls for our drone. Also, we still have the night-vision goggles Rick gave us. We could perform reconnaissance for you. Omar says he could help also.”
The old gnome smiled. “That’s very nice of you, Brachia. I’m sure you would be a big help. But, Remozorz and I and the rest of our party need to leave i
n a few days. You need to stay here and make sure the staff is ready when the wizard scout arrives. We each have our jobs to do. You can understand that, can’t you?”
“I guess,” said Brachia. “But, couldn’t some of the Oracle’s people do the finishing work on the staff? We will have the big stuff done by the time Rem and you leave. The Oracle’s people could give the staff to Rick.”
“Sorry,” said Samanestra. “The Oracle has ordered everyone to leave except the two of you and him. He says that’s the way it must be. The guards will be joining the elves’ army. The remaining servants will be heading to the cities in the south. Even the people outside the temple have already left. You need to stay here to help Rick.”
“Alright,” said Brachia. “But, I’ll sure be glad when I get grownup so people will stop thinking I’m a child. I think grownups have all the fun.”
Chapter 26 – Success
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Over the next five days, first one and then another of the pups successfully shifted and walked out of the cavern into the world above. Finally, only Richard remained in the cave.
While Sheeta no longer returned to the cave, Richard often sensed the big dolgar moving in the stone around the cavern. At first, Richard wondered why. Finally, he had his battle computer plot a long-term analysis of lifeforms in a five hundred meter radius. After a careful review of the plots, Richard realized Sheeta had been blocking other lifeforms from approaching the lair of his young.
He’s been on continuous guard duty, Richard said to his battle computer. Why?
Initial analysis indicates a seventy-five percent probability the male dolgar is guarding you, said the battle computer.
That’s ridiculous, Richard said. He hates me. I doubt he’s willing to fight for me. Your algorithms must be off.
Doubtful, said the battle computer, but you are the wizard scout. I will modify my algorithms to produce whatever solution you desire. Please tell me what solution you require so I can change my variables.
Wizard Cadet (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 2) Page 30