As we did, April's meds began to wear down, and our minds began to link. To be there, linked to her mind, and share my love for her, was the most beautiful, perfect thing I have ever experienced. When I finally fell asleep hours later, I was holding my beloved April, secure that she would be safe. I would make sure she was safe, and then do battle with the evil that she feared. I will find a way to defeat the Darkness, and insure April's future.
She is my beloved, and I'll always protect her.
Chapter 19
New Allies
The next day, I attended a meeting called by the Rock. A Magi named Zalkin was there as well. He had been in contact with several groups that were now ready to join the Guardians in fighting the Darkness. It soon became obvious the Rock wished me to speak to the leaders of one of these groups.
"I'm supposed to join the Guardian Fleet," I reminded my master. "They are expecting me tomorrow."
"This won't take long," Rock replied. "This is an important pivot in the timeline. I don't know how, but you effect this event directly. It is important that you attend this meeting. We shall only be gone for a few hours. You may then return, and spend tonight here at home, before we join the Guardian fleet."
"Where are we going for this meeting?" I asked.
"A Critz world, called Mestapherso," Rock replied. "Our scouts and emissaries have arranged an alliance with the Critz worlds. They are ready to swear allegiance to Satu-Ra and the Guardians. Their leader is a Critz named Havu. He has asked to speak to you directly, and won't tell us why."
Tersa had stepped into the room as we talked, and I could tell she didn't approve of me going. "Critz worlds are warrens!" She growled loudly. "It will be a mess if this is a trap."
"Our envoys say it's safe," Rock said. "The Critz are ready to defect all together if allowed a chance. You and I will escort the first waves of them to join the fleet. It will be a major blow to the Darkness."
"I want to take a dozen Magi warriors as escort, just in case," Tersa demanded, leaving little room for debate in her voice. Despite that, Rock said, "We shall go alone. This is too delicate for a large armed party to wander into."
"It isn't safe!" Tersa snapped at him.
I could see trouble coming, and stepped in. "You will be my escort." I said to Tersa. "I believe one Magi warrior will suffice." I'm not sure who I flustered more. Tersa, or the Rock.
"You’re as bad as Madias," Rock lectured me for a second. Then his resolve faltered, and he sternly agreed, "Very well! Take one more person if you wish, but no more."
Tersa still wanted more people, but knew she was fighting a losing battle. "I need five minutes!" she yelled as she ran through the house. She returned three minutes later, with Zalkin trying to keep up as she issued orders. Her last comment was, "If we're not back in six hours, send every warrior in the place after Kaltar!"
"That won't be needed." Rock admonished her loudly. "We are going to finalize a treaty with two hundred billion Critz. If we mess it up, and trigger a war, we deserve to die."
"I don't see it that way!" Tersa replied just as loudly.
"I believe it's time to leave!" I reminded them before they could start up again.
The Rock snorted loudly, as though to get the last word, and told us, "Very well! Follow me." Then, he folded space, with Tersa and I right on his heels. We arrived at Mestapherso, and I was instantly overwhelmed. The entire planet was literally a hive. We were standing at the edge of a vertical shaft ten miles across, that looked like it ran clear through the planet. There were millions of Critz visible, moving around as they worked.
The visual impact was tremendous, but their minds in the link were collective. I finally had to shut them out. There was very little feeling of self among them. It would be easy to be mentally carried away by this kind of collective mind. Our envoy, Zalkin, had lived here for weeks, arranging the treaty. I quickly gained respect for his ability to concentrate on his work as we stood there. This would require focus to stay out of trouble.
A large group of Critz warriors were rapidly marching toward us. They marched twenty abreast, and the column stretched off into the distance for miles. Tersa was extremely edgy as we stood there, and I had to crack a joke, quietly saying, "I'll fight half, and you take care of the rest."
She smiled at me, and I felt the tension slip away. "If you get me killed, I'll never speak to you again!" she sarcastically quipped back at me under her breath. The ground was shaking as they marched up to use, and suddenly stopped, without a spoken command being given. It was a dramatic change, and the silence was profound, as every Critz in visual range watched to see what was happening.
A Critz military commander had been sent to escort us. We were soon on our way deeper into the hive, with ten thousand Critz as an escort. For at least twenty minutes, we walked through layers of the hive. Then it became evident we were in a different part of the nest than we had been. The alleys between structures narrowed, and our escort dropped down to about two hundred Critz.
The whole place had been rather sterile looking up till now, reminding me of grey concrete. This area was different. It looked like a tropical paradise. Grass and trees appeared, and the masses of Critz disappeared. There was a huge change in the appearance of Mestapherso. The three of us were led through the perimeter of this oasis for several minutes.
A waterfall appeared as we walked through a break in the foliage. The water cascaded down from half a mile up, and it was a column three hundred feet across. The roar was pretty impressive as the water foamed past in front of us. The entire area reminded me of a colossal park back on Earth.
We were led through another layer of foliage. It was a very natural use of plants to create areas of privacy. The effect was dramatic. I could barely hear the waterfall, I knew was just a hundred yards away. Our escort stopped, with one exception. He led us into the heart of the hive.
The largest Critz I've ever seen stood at one end of the clearing we were in. I could see why he was in charge. Aside from being physically strong as an ox, I could tell his mind was very powerful. Most Critz were almost constantly under hive control. This Critz was the hive control. His mind was able to deal with the hive, and what we called reality.
His eyes focused on us, and he pinged, "You are the Magi I am to meet." We nodded, and his eyes now turned to me. He stepped several paces closer, and pinged, "You are the Magi they call Kaltar Farsara?" The Critz just made clicking noises aloud, but I could understand him well enough in the link.
"I am Kaltar Farsara," I replied, both aloud, and in the link. The Critz actually smiled at me. It showed a lot of teeth, but I got the feeling it wasn't intend to menace us. I could see in the link, that we were here for a reason.
"I am known as Havu," the giant Critz pinged. "I am the ruler of all Teserasa Critz. I rule over sixty worlds, and control over thirty percent of all Critz in the know galaxy." I could tell that the Rock was aware how many Critz Havu was talking about.
"Our emissary, Zalkin, advised me of your requests, and of your generous offer," Rock pinged back. "May I ask why you contacted us with the offer?"
"Because of him!" pinged Havu, as he pointed at me.
The Rock glanced at me, and asked, "You contacted us because of Kaltar?"
Havu addressed me directly, pinging, "We follow the word of Amadas. It was his wish that we work with the Guardians to defeat the Darkness. I wish to finish what he began." The Critz leader pointed at me, and pinged, "Word has reached us about this young Magi. It is my belief, that if I arrive with a Magi escort, the Guardians are less likely to attack us."
"So we're just going to open the door for you?" Rock asked cautiously.
"Don't do it, Kaltar," Tersa growled at me. "We have no reason to thrust him."
"Yet I do!" I replied. I was scanning Havu, and he was allowing me to see his intentions. Their greatest leader, was a Critz named Amadas. As I scanned Havu, I realized Havu was a descendant of Amadas. The Critz standing before us was fulfilling a blo
od oath.
The problem was, Guardians tended to kill Critz on sight. I could see why Havu wouldn't want to show up unannounced around a Guardian fleet.
"I have been informed that Kaltar is now a leader of the Magi Council." Havu pinged. "It is our wish that Kaltar be our compass, that we always know the direction to turn."
"He wants you to be a Critz leader," Rock whispered at me. Havu turned his head to the left, as if trying to understand what Rock was saying.
"I can't do that!" I blurted out loudly. "I wouldn't have a clue what to do."
The Rock grabbed my arm tightly, and pinged, "Actually Kaltar, it is a great honor. You must accept, and join the Critz. I insist!"
There was no doubt that the Rock was up to something. I didn't have a clue what he was doing, but decided to play along. "Very well! I will accept this honor." I pinged back.
Havu seemed extremely pleased, and Tersa looked pretty upset. I didn't understand why she was so tense. Then Havu pinged, "So! You accept the test!"
"Yes!" I pinged back. "I accept the test."
"There is no time for the test!" The Rock pinged loudly. "We must return within a few hours!"
"There will be time!" Havu said. "And he has already accepted the trial."
Tersa stepped up next to me, and quietly explained, "He's talking trial by combat Kaltar! You don't want to do this."
"He must do this!" Havu pinged. For the first time, I suspected he might understand English, even if he couldn't speak it.
The Rock's voice had changed slightly as he said, "I'm sorry Kaltar! I didn't see this in the timeline." He hesitated, and said, "Kaltar is still just a boy. It is only fair that I fight in the arena. I am better suited to this test."
"No!" Havu pinged sternly, "Kaltar is the leader of the Magi. He must meet the leader of the Teserasa Critz in combat. It is our way, and has been so since the beginning of time. Leadership requires a strong hand."
There was going to be no getting out of this. It began to sink in, that Havu and I were about to fight. I had no desire to fight this brute, and I was wishing there was another way to work this out.
Both the Rock and Tersa were on edge. Two Critz entered the room with a set of matching swords. Havu and I each received one of the weapons. Havu stepped forward, bowed toward me, and pinged, "If your friends interfere in any way, all your lives are forfeit!" Then he raised the blade over his head, and attacked me.
That didn't work. I folded space, sidestepping his attack totally. The creature growled, and spun on me. He was dangerous, yet I was pretty sure I could stop him any time I wished. I reached into his mind, and tried to calm him. I was shocked when I couldn't link with him. He was strong enough to totally block me.
Three times he attacked, and I barely managed to stay out of reach. I saw little to be gained by killing Havu. That wasn't why I was here. On his forth lunge, he hit me. It was a backhanded punch, using his sword's handle, but it made me see stars. In a controlled voice, he pinged, "You are strong, but refuse to fight. Why?" It was his turn, and he scanned me with a brush so heavy it hurt.
The situation was rapidly getting out of hand. I was supposed to conclude a deal with a friendly power. Instead, I was in trouble. A feeling of irritation went through me. For the first time, Havu folded space, and slammed me into a wall. There was a crumpling noise, and a section of the wall showed my imprint where I hit.
It occurred to me that I wouldn't die alone. They would kill the Rock and Tersa. That concept forced me to react violently. I pulled up power from my surroundings, and for the first time, fully brought up my shield. I glanced up at Havu, and noticed an odd look in his eyes. With a guttural scream, he slashed at me with his sword.
I just stood, and let him hit me. It was a brutal shock, even though the shield. The blade made a strange metallic noise, and cracked, snapping off the last three inches of the blade.
I amped up the power, seized the bones in his spine using my mind, and lifted him up off the ground several feet. For a split second, I considered just snapping his spine, and killing him. It angered me that I couldn't find a better way. I have had enough of killing, and yet it seemed to be the only answer.
Havu was struggling violently as he pinged some really nasty comments at me. Then he reached out in the link, and almost knocked me out. It was a huge blast of energy forced down the link. I staggered, but didn't go down. The Rock was poised to step in, and I waved him off. I could see him struggling with himself to obey.
The entire scene had become so berserk. I was so fed up with the violence, and killing. This creature wasn't human, yet we weren't so different from one another. A final wave of anger passed through me, and I abruptly released the Critz leader, and he fell to the floor.
Unbelievably fast, Havu was crouched, ready to spring. I stood waiting for him, and pinged, "I'm here to battle the beast called Darkness! I doubt you can kill me, but if all you want is mindless death and pain, I can take the time to practice dying, with you!"
There was an instant change in the Critz leader. He relaxed as though in relief. Then slowly recoiled, giving us space. It was obvious his threat level had dropped to nothing, as he pinged, "I submit to the Magi leader, Kaltar Farsara! I say he is now the Regent of the Teserasa Critz, and that all who obey me, must now obey his commands."
I had been scanning both Havu and the Rock, trying to grasp what was going on here. Without hesitation, I pinged, "I decline the position of Regent of the Teserasa Critz." I thought the Rock would come unglued. He cringed as I quickly pinged, "I will instead, accept the position of Advisor to the true Regent! You!"
Havu stood frozen in place. Then he started making an odd clicking noise. I quickly realized it was his species version of a laugh. As he became louder, it actually seemed to turn into a semi human snorting noise. After a minute, he gained his self-control again, and pinged, "You are a great leader, as I have been told! We have received reports of Guardians helping our people. An Empath from Earth recently helped hundreds of my people survive a battle. I can see we must stand by you to be free of hate."
Now I was shaken. I was so happy, knowing I wouldn't be forced to kill the Critz leader. I suppose it was evident in the link, and I could tell that everyone standing close was aware of my relief. The Rock stepped close, put his hand on my arm, and pinged, "Kaltar is the greatest of the Magi! He is the light we follow! If we follow his lead, we can bring the light to the Darkness, and destroy it!"
The Critz Regent nodded his head, and replied, pinging, "You are my light from this day! Show us the way, and we shall follow!"
We bowed to each other, and the issue appeared resolved. For the next two hours we linked, and made arrangements to form an alliance. The Magi, backed by billions of Critz warriors, swore to join the Guardians and the Chosen. We would fight to the death, to bring an end to the Madness.
Finally, it was time to leave. It was agreed that we would return soon, and escort the Critz fleet to join the Guardians. We were escorted back to the surface of the hive, and folded space for home.
Everything has changed! There is a feeling in the link I have never felt before. An end to the Madness is coming, and even I can see it. The only question now, is how bloody the battle for freedom will be.
Chapter 20
Twins
We arrived back home, and I just stood there trying to adjust to all that had happened. Standing there safe, it was hard to believe we had faced so much, and now, we were safe again. The Rock had remained silent till now. His excitement boiled over, and he bellowed, "That was well done Kaltar! How did you know what to do?"
"I saw most of it in your mind," I replied. "Some of the information came from Havu, but mostly..." my voice failed for a moment, and then I finished, quietly saying, "Mostly, I followed my heart."
There was a feeling of satisfaction coming from the Rock as he whispered, "Now you are the great leader the Magi need! Now you understand that might does not make right!"
In a hushed voice, Tersa sa
id, "I think Kaltar always understood. It's the rest of us that need to learn."
In the distance, I heard an elephant trumpet. There was a pleasant wind blowing through the trees, and it was a wonderful feeling, just being alive.
"There is much to do," noted the Rock. "We shall meet here in four hours. Then leave to escort the Critz fleet, and join the Guardians. The time for talk has ended. The time for action is now here." He looked directly at me, and said, "I'll return in two hours. I have things to do myself. Say your final farewells! We shall not soon return!" Then he folded space, and was gone.
Tersa looked at me, and said, "I have less to do. I'll be back in an hour." Then she folded space, vanishing in a blink.
I stood in front of my home, and took a moment to appreciate my world. It is a far simpler place than most. No vast cities, or powerful armies. Just a few people trying to enjoy life.
I abruptly felt April's mind in the link. She was asleep upstairs, in her room. I could sense she had taken a nap, worn out by stress. I hated to wake her up, but I really had very little choice. I went in the darkened room, and sat down on the bed next to her. She was so beautiful lying there, that it broke my heart to think of leaving.
I gently touched her arm, and her eyes slowly opened. She stretched like a cat for a moment, and then curled up next to me as I sat there. In a sleepy voice, she said, "I fell asleep. I guess I was more worn out than I thought." There was a feeling of warmth in the link, and I just wanted to curl up next to her.
"I must leave in a few hours," I informed her. "I'm going to be gone for a while."
"And I can't go with you?" she asked.
"I don't believe your combat skills are up to it yet," I honestly replied. "I suspect the war is about to take a brutal turn. I don't want to risk losing you. I need to know you're as safe as I can arrange for you to be."
The Books of Kaltar Farsara Boxed Set - Books 1 through 3 (The Kingdom Kaltar Farsara Built) Page 29