by Patrick Hatt
“Do you really think he is dead?” Trinny asked.
“I have my doubts, but it won’t matter when this fate runs its course. All will be as it should, sadly.” God smiled at Dina, finding that she looked so much like her mother. “And what brought on this little sweetheart?”
“Jealous?” Trinny placed her head against his and eyed Dina. “After you left I stuck out like a sore thumb. I needed a partner to fit in so they wouldn’t find out who I was. I got one and nine months later Dina was born.”
“So you didn’t love, Dad?”
“I did, Honey. But it was another kind of love. It’s hard to explain.”
The trio stopped talking as they spotted Trudesile wandering up to them. She eyed her mother, completely ignoring God.
“I know you are…”
“Not talking to you.” Trudesile knew she was acting like a brat, but she did not care.
“Your father only did what he thought was right,” Trinny stated.
“Mom, this may last months. Adam may still be out there, so shouldn’t we put you back together?” Trudesile hated deceiving her mother, but she wanted the information they needed.
“No. There is no need to plague your mother with Eve’s memories when we only have so little time.”
“I was talking to my mother.”
“Honey, if Adam wanted us dead, he would be here by now. He only wants the Scroll of Fate and now that Ra has taken it to the other side, he will never get his hands on it.”
“But he might still come. We need to be prepared. We need you at full power.”
“We couldn’t even if we wanted to right now. We need the Cup of Kings. It is the only way your father and I know how to put beings back together.”
“Thanks, Mom. I guess we’ll have to do everything ourselves.” Trudesile stepped backwards between a few beings and then hurried back to the throne room. She nodded to Davy Jones and then slunk in, quietly closing the door behind her.
“Did you get it?” Max asked.
“Yeah and you aren’t going to believe it. We need that Cup again. It is what can put them together and I’m sure it was what she was trying to tell us we needed to break Adam apart.”
“None of them seemed to know how they got back. My Gem of Avalon is either broken or they really have no idea,” Lester stated.
“No one is looking for you, chaps. And the distraction is ready.”
“The only thing Dregg and I could come up with, hypothetically as far as Dregg knew of course, was that since the fourth clue lies with you, it must have something to do with where you have been. Earth would be our best guess.”
“Makes sense. We were hidden there because of no imagination. The Cup of Kings is there, or at least was, and the pieces have all been in hard to reach places,” Max stated.
“The other possibility is the Observer Realm, but then there isn’t much there. Earth is far vaster a realm.”
“Looks like we have a destination,” Trudesile said.
“Let your kids free, rabbit.” Lester smirked.
Bazooka strolled out the back of the throne room and up to the castle wall. He stared down at his kids while the others went out into the courtyard. Max nodded to Davy Jones and he followed along behind them. They each took different routes through the beings in the courtyard, heading for the Pedestal of Realms. Max then waved to Bazooka and he nodded to his grinning kids.
“I’m going to create a giant toy dinosaur.” Graeme lit his Camelot Candle and thought hard, using his imagination to bring forth thousands of small toys dinosaurs.
“I just want clothes.” Megan did the same and brought forth thousands of clothing items, filling the sky above.
The group rushed to the Pedestal of Realms while Lempilightess and Pemestra ran to the kids and the other beings took cover from falling dinosaur figures. The pair blew the candles out and everyone took notice of the group while they stood stunned by the Pedestal of Realms.
“Max, we have to go,” Lester whispered.
“We can’t. Earth’s not here. It’s gone.”
“How can that be?” Trudesile asked.
“You land lubbers always get me in a tight spot.” Davy Jones stretched himself out and created a shield around them, not liking the look that God and Trinny gave the group.
“He still has the pieces. How?” God began pushing through the crowd toward them.
“Max, choose one,” Brozen stated.
“Lester, create a portal beneath us to Earth.”
Lester tried to do so but failed every time. He then spotted Oberon and Titania and shrugged, creating one to Avalon.
“By me pot of gold, everything is broken.” Lester created the portal but now they all stood above it, unable to fall through it.
“You are not going anywhere with those pieces. You will doom us all.”
“Dad, you already did that when you created them. Now we are going to fix your mess.” Trudesile glared at her father, ready to use her power against him if she had to.
“God, calm down. They are…”
“They are defying us and leading us all to our doom.” God and some of the first beings marched toward them.
“No way you touch my, Maxy!” Dina jumped in front of them.
“I’m with Max’s girlfriend,” Mimi stated.
“We pledge our sword to him as well.” King Arthur stepped before God with Lempilightess, Pemestra, and Bandaid.
“Haven’t the foggiest how he’ll do it, but he’ll do it. Now back down. We started them on this journey. Let them finish it.” Merlin nodded to Max and then waved his hand over the portal, attempting to break God’s hold over it.
“No one touches my son,” Evienne stated.
“The leprechaun is a minor nuisance, but he shall not be harmed.” Oberon joined the others with Titania by his side.
“Try to harm Davy and Dregg stomp you.” Dregg grinned at Davy as he pretended to revert to primitive form.
“God, Honey, we need to cool down. Let them go.”
“No. We can’t. They’ll destroy us all. They’ll send the first beings back into slavery. They must be stopped.” God flew into the air and all of the first beings feared his words. They turned into some of the biggest and meanest beings that any of them had ever seen, each ready to fight alongside God.
“Can’t we ever just have a normal day here?” Lester mumbled, watching as his portal disappeared.
“Daddy!” Megan cried out as a first being neared her.
“Everyone, get the kids clear,” Max instructed.
Davy Jones dropped his shield and created a slide out of himself, extending it up to the wall. Bazooka slid down it and grabbed his kids, hustling them into the throne room. The others scrambled through the chaos and saved the rest of the children while another battle raged.
“Stop this madness,” Trinny demanded.
“Not until those pieces are sent to the other side.” God shot bolts of lightning down at Merlin and the others.
“He’s playing for keeps.” Merlin grabbed Evienne and moved her aside.
“Come on, kiddo.” Max picked up his sister and scurried her to safety.
Shimmer flew through the air, burning any first being that rose up near her with their new form. Oberon and Titania forced many over the castle wall while King Arthur clashed with a few near him.
“The War of the Realms has begun,” God whispered to himself, trying not to laugh.
“What is this?” Max tried to ascertain any sense of reason for the attack.
“Chap, I think he pulled a fast one as well.” Bazooka thought about a connection he had severed long ago and cringed as he sensed Adam.
Max could tell from his disgust that Bazooka felt him and then he let his Sevestie lineage do the same.
“Dad! It’s Adam.” Max tried to warn everyone but failed to raise his voice above the battle.
“I’ll handle this. Give me a lift, pirate.” Bazooka jumped on Davy and he flung Bazooka into the air.
“You can’t stop me.” Adam fried Bazooka with a lightning bolt and laughed as he died. “How?”
“I’ve gotten better at it than you over the years, chap.” Bazooka instantly appeared back and wrapped himself around Adam, choking him.
“I guess I should have watched how you did it a few more times while I toyed with you.”
“Toy with this.” Bazooka let lighting flow from his entire body, jolting Adam and causing him to morph through many forms before reverting to his own.
“It can’t be,” Trinny stated.
“Oh, but it is, my love. You were kissing me the entire time and enjoyed it. I told you that you loved me.”
“Stop! It isn’t God.” Max grabbed Merlin and pointed to the sky.
One by one everyone began to look up. Davy Jones stretched himself and caught Bazooka after Adam flung him to the ground while the first beings realized they had been duped.
“I knew Dad would never do that,” Trudesile muttered.
“Where is my husband?”
“Which one?” Adam grinned.
“Where is God?”
“Why don’t you ask Mr. Blizzard? He made this all possible.” Adam snapped his fingers and collars appeared around all of the first being’s necks. “Destroy this place.”
“Adam. Don’t.”
“I’ll tell you what, admit you love me and I’ll spare one of your daughters. You can even choose which.”
“Don’t you touch Dina or…”
“Dina gets spared. You said her name first, so you must love her the most. Besides, an offspring of God isn’t someone I really want around.” Adam smirked at Trinny and then stared at Trudesile. He shot a lightning bolt at her, barely missing as she turned into a rhino and rammed through the first beings surrounding her.
“Darn. I missed.” Adam threw another, missing again.
“You want this. You want all of this.”
“I told you I had plenty of time to know what worked and what didn’t. This is the way to us restoring our love. Now watch.” Adam forced Trinny’s rainbow hair to come out and grabbed onto it once again, holding her in place above the battle.
“Max, you have to go. Get the fourth piece and stop this from ever happening,” Evienne stated.
“Arthur!” Merlin grabbed him and picked King Arthur back up to his feet.
“Old friend, I fear we are outnumbered once again.”
“That never stopped us before.”
“And it’s not going to stop you now.” Max concentrated and brought forth an army of giants outside the castle wall. They stomped through the land and into the castle, busting their way through and attacking the first beings.
“Go now, Max. Go before…” Evienne fell lifeless before Max after a lightning bolt hit her.
“Mom!”
“Max, we have to go.” Trudesile yanked at his arm while Max stood over his dead mother. “Snap out of it. We can save her.”
“Lester! Portal to Atlantis,” Max shouted.
“By me pot of gold, are you nuts?”
“Do it, Lester,” Trudesile stated, trusting in Max.
Max and Trudesile ran to Brozen and grabbed him, shoving him through the portal along with them as Lester jumped in behind.
“I’m coming…”
“Not this time.” Adam waved his hand and closed the portal, preventing Dina from going through. He then smirked at Trinny. “I told you I’d save one daughter. This is a path your other won’t come back from.”
“Any ideas, dearies?” Bandaid asked.
“Fry the collars on these, chaps.”
“Oberon, my love, if this is it, I’m glad we are together.” Titania kissed him and then her eyes turned pitch black as two first beings approached them.
“I’m sorry, old friend.” King Arthur rubbed Merlin’s back as he slouched over Evienne.
“Not as sorry as they are going to be.” Merlin threw his hands in the air and crystal rain poured from the sky. It broke as it hit their comrades but stabbed any of their foes it hit.
The battle continued to rage on while Adam watched from above, not caring about the outcome, only that he had shoved Max and the others one step closer to the fourth piece of the Scroll of Fate.
Chapter 13
Technical Issues
Lester scurried to his feet after landing on the unconscious bodies of the Sons of Dreadvent. Max and Trudesile jumped to him, knocking him back down, while Brozen stared out across Atlantis. His curiosity rose as the first storm he had ever seen in Atlantis raged on around him.
“Brozen. Move!” Max tried to get to him before the lightning strike hit Brozen.
“Thanks for making this so sturdy.” Brozen stopped focusing on his predicament and rubbed the lightning burn off his outer casing.
“By me pot of gold, we were better off on Avalon. Why’d we come here?”
“Lester, there is a battle on Avalon, remember?” Trudesile replied.
“Right. This fate stuff is so confusing.”
“We have to find whatever Yenny created to get to other realms. If it is mechanical, it may still have a connection to Earth’s realm.”
“How? This place is massive, and this storm is nuts.” Lester checked to see if the Sons of Dreadvent were dead. He found they each had a faint pulse and contemplated pushing them in the water. “Nah. They’ll get theirs.”
“What?” Brozen questioned.
“Nothing.” Lester grinned.
Trudesile flung her wet hair to the side and took in the view of the massive buildings that the Atlantians had rebuilt. She eyed one off in the distance where the storm looked harsher.
“Are we going to have to go underwater again?” Lester asked.
“No. But you will all drown.”
The group turned to find an army of Atlantians behind them. Their hate filled glares letting them know that they all remembered what they and Dregg had done.
“Why couldn’t they all go to Avalon?” Lester mumbled.
The group jumped back as lightning strikes hit near their feet.
“This is crazy. What did you do to our home?” Brozen asked.
“This hasn’t been your home for a long time, traitor.”
“You brought this. It started after those beings arrived. You’ll meet the same fate.”
Lightning struck two of the Atlantians and the others scattered.
Lester and Max both made some holy water devices appear and began heaving them at the Atlantians. Trudesile turned into an electric eel and fried them. She then used herself as a magnet for the lightning and protected the others.
“We have to get to that building with the storm above it.”
“You shall not destroy our portal generator.”
“Thanks. Now we know it is there for sure.” Lester tossed a holy water device at the one who spoke and laughed as he evaporated.
“Lester, don’t get cocky. Look!” Max pointed to the Atlantians as they reformed before them.
“By me pot of gold, I forgot. They don’t stick any longer.” Lester threw the ones he had remaining and then opened a portal to the building off in the distance. “Let’s go.”
The group followed him through and he shut it before any of the Atlantians could follow. They stood before the oversized doors and searched for a handle.
“Here we go again with bad guys and no door handles,” Lester mumbled.
“I think they encoded it to only Atlantians.” Brozen examined a hole at the foot of the doors. He then shed his outer casing and filled the hole with his water form. The doors opened, and he popped out, causing them to close.
“Someone has to stay there,” Lester said.
“Not a chance.” Max spotted the Atlantians rushing through the storm toward them. “Fill it, Brozen. Trudesile, can you get the doors?”
Trudesile turned into a giant ape as Brozen filled the hole again. The doors opened, and she wedged herself between them. She used every ounce of strength she had to keep them
open while Brozen and Lester scurried inside.
“Max, hurry. I don’t know how much longer I can hold them. They are too heavy.”
“Hold on.” Max used his imagination to cause cement to fill the hole and then harden. He then darted inside and yanked Trudesile in behind him. “That should hold them off for a little while.”
“Max!” Trudesile yanked him aside as electricity sizzled through the room they had entered.
“It’s on the fritz. Whatever it is,” Lester stated.
“Thanks,” Max whispered.
“Always.”
The pair looked to one another for a few seconds before Max’s mind filled with thoughts of Dina and his dead mother. His sole focus then moved to the circular device.
“What is it, Brozen?” Max asked.
“I need to get closer.”
Lester created an encasing around Brozen again. He inched up to the machine and began examining it while the Atlantians pounded at the door.
“Teach them to make door handles from now on.” Lester snickered.
“Duck,” Max yelled.
The three dropped to the floor as electricity flew around the top half of the room after Brozen touched the device.
“Hurry it up. We don’t have fancy suits to protect us. We need to breathe.” Lester eyed Trudesile as she grabbed him. “Oh no. Not that again.”
Trudesile grabbed Max and turned all three of them into electric eels. She laughed as Lester squirmed around on the floor.
“It would seem they are using the energy of Atlantis to create gateways to the other realms. Kind of like when Pemestra and Lempilightess first used Camelot Candles to find you two on Earth. But since they are taking from the whole place, it only requires a little energy. Things aren’t one and done like the Camelot Candles when used for that.”
“Can you make it work?” Trudesile asked.
“Given time. But we don’t have that.”
Lester concentrated the best he could and then made a portal appear beneath him. Seconds later another appeared in the center of the room and he returned wrapped around King Yenny.
“What is the meaning of this? You! I’d know you anywhere. And the traitor as well. This is my…” King Yenny turned into a puddle after the electricity of the room zapped him.