The Books of Kaltar Farsara Boxed Set - Books 1 through 3 (The Kingdom Kaltar Farsara Built)

by Ivan Bridgewater

  The next change I became aware of was with the twins April was carrying. They were growing at a normal rate, but were much larger now. It wouldn't be long, and they would become aware. I was especially delighted I would be home for that day.

  I had been home for almost three hours when I heard the large landing craft start its decent down to Remaca. There was a sonic boom, and April asked, "What was that?"

  Up to this point, I had been busy spending time with April. It had slipped my mind to really describe to her what I had brought home with me. I found myself saying, "I brought you home a surprise!"

  We walked out of the house, and you could clearly see the huge landing craft coming down. The ship's eight tremendous engines, were each bigger than my house. They roared loudly as the giant craft came down. It sounded like each engine was straining, and the ship was as bright as a star as it began to slow to a stop.

  Down past the river, I could see the transport ship preparing to settle down on the open plain. The vessel was a hundred times the size on my house, and seemed huge here on the ground. When I previously saw the ship getting loaded, it was one of four landing craft meant to go down to the planet, and deliver bulk cargo. The larger ship the landing craft sat in was over twenty miles long, and wasn't designed to go down to the surface. It dwarfed the monstrous ship touching down before us.

  Snuggly asleep in the ship's cargo bay. Tiny was secured to a series of suspender platforms. The landing craft remained suspended about twenty feet off the ground, using the anti-grav system to remain in place. The main engines shut off, and the silence seemed a dramatic change after the bone rattling noise of just a moment before.

  A ramp played out almost at once, and a large hatch slid open at the base of the ship. A single Guardian floated the ape, lying flat on its back, out the door using a series of weight suspenders. He parked the beast in the middle of the dirt road. I had to sign the electronic receipt showing I accepted the animal, and the man asked, "Do you want me to wake it up, or do you want to?"

  "You can do it." I replied. I wasn't even sure how to release the animal.

  The Guardian paused, and said, "About the dogs. Are you sure you want me to set them free? The things are huge!"

  "It will be fine," I assured him. "You may release them." The man looked a little skeptical, and keyed some data into the handheld control device he was operating. Tiny settle to the ground, and seemed to relax. For about two seconds there was silence, and then the ape roared.

  Tiny was on his back, staring up at the sky. I don't believe he was even awake yet, but the effect was dramatic. April screamed so loudly, she drowned out the gigantic ape. That brought Al down on us like a fighter aircraft. He performed a really graceful landing, placing himself between April, and Tiny. He had always been so passive around us.

  As if Al needed help. Two more dragons now seemed to appear right out of the air. The smaller of the two bellowed, and they circled April as she stood next to me.

  I heard a wolf's howl, and knew I was in trouble. The thump of their running feet was extremely loud as they started down the ramp of the ship, and was silenced as soon as they hit the soft dirt of Remaca. The pack came running out at full speed, and slid to a stop as soon as they saw the dragons. The lead dog, called Wolf, gave a low guttural growl, and Al hissed like a gigantic cat.

  April abruptly stepped past me, and loudly pinged, "Knock it off!" Every animal present laid down at once. I had almost no control over the dogs, but my beloved had every animal there obeying her commands without hesitation. She walked over to Wolf as he laid down before her, looked back at me, and said, "You have some explaining to do!"

  Right at that moment, Tiny began to snore. It was a loud rumble, but it was obvious the creature was asleep. "These animals had been mistreated." I explained. "They needed love and attention. I felt they belonged here."

  April looked from me, to wolf, and then back at me. "What will they eat?" she asked.

  "They eat what the Earthers call dog food," I replied. "I already made sure they would eat something we could provide."

  "That thing eats dog food?" April asked, pointing at Tiny.

  "No!" I responded quickly. "He eats green algae or grass. Even trees and bushes from what I can tell."

  Al snorted loudly, and mumbled, "Monsters!" under his breath. I glance over at him, and when I looked back, April was absent mindedly scratching Wolf's left ear. It was obvious the massive creature was loving the attention. His eyes were closed, and he was groaning slightly.

  A large crowd of students from the school set up to train Magi warriors, was beginning to gather. The animals were ignoring the students, but I suspected that would soon change as the crowd grew larger. I saw Selena talking to some of the students, and waved her over to me.

  "Perhaps you should keep the students back," I warned Selena as she stepped up close to me. "I suppose the animals might even be dangerous. At the very least, warn the students the creatures are here, so they don't grow too alarmed"

  "I wouldn't worry about it," Selena observed as she watched April gently talking to Wolf. The whole pack of dogs were listening to her intently, and then the pack stood up, and took off together. April was smiling as she walked over to us.

  "I sent them down to the river to play," April informed us as she approached me. "I told them they could swim, and they seemed pretty excited."

  "They have suffered much," I remarked. "I would be pleased to see them happy and contented."

  April stood next to me, and we hugged, her head buried in my chest. She looked up, smiling, and said, "We'll find space for them."

  Selena had turned, and spoken to several of the students. They each folded space, and disappeared. The ship was unloaded, and the large hatch slid closed. The ramp slowly folded up into the ship, as the large craft just hung there, suspended on its anti-gravity cushion. There was a slight high pitched noise, and the transport started to slowly rise. In a few minutes, the ship would reach a mile up, and the main engines would be engaged.

  Tersa appeared just as the ship really started to lift up off the ground. Like most Magi, she had little use for machines. I noticed she was watching the aircraft as it prepared to reach for the stars. Realizing I was watching her, she smiled, and said, "It's a mechanical wonder!"

  With a very loud groan, Tiny slowly sat up, and looked around. Selena loudly exclaimed, "Wow!"

  "That's the perfect word for it!" April agreed.

  "I call him Tiny," I explained.

  "We need to work on your sense of humor," April noted. She released her hold on me, and stepped away from me as she looked up at the gigantic animal. Tiny looked down at her, and I could sense that the two of them were communicating in the link. Several seconds went by, and then the ape stood up, and began to lumber down toward the river. "The poor creature needs a bath," April explained as we watched Tiny walk away.

  "It will flatten the first person it sits on," Tersa observed.

  "The students will be fine," Selena stated quietly, almost to herself. "They can see the thing approaching from a mile away."

  "Perhaps we should walk down to the river, and check on them," I offered.

  "That sounds like a brilliant concept," Tersa agreed, just a little sarcastically. We started to meander down towards the river as we talked. For just a moment, there was a loud roar overhead as the main engines came to life on the transport ship, and boosted it on into space. In seconds, it was out of sight.

  It took about ten minutes to get down to the riverbank. By then the show had started.

  The river is perhaps a hundred yards across, and thirty feet deep at the most. It moves slowly, and is crystal clear. Tiny was sitting in the middle of the river, and splashing the dogs on the river's bank. A large group of students were watching, and laughing. It was obvious the animals were playing, and I was delighted to see them having fun.

  Al had remained with us, but the other two dragons were resting on a hillside across the river, watching the sho
w occurring in front of them. As we approached the river, I asked April the names of the dragons I had never met.

  "I can't pronounce their real names." April replied. "I call them Bonnie and Clyde."

  For just a moment, I wondered why. Then I recalled who the people were in Earth's history. I glanced at April, and remarked, "You talk about my sense of humor!"

  Al was padding along behind us, and quietly said, "They are third generation Juveniles. They have much to learn."

  "The voice of old age and wisdom," I noted, half joking. Al turned his head to one side, but didn't reply.

  Tiny abruptly laid down flat, and disappeared underwater. The river instantly jumped its banks, and started to flood around the huge creature. The dog pack backed up the bank, away from the rising water. Then the ape sat back up, and a deluge flooded off of him, cascading down on everyone as he shook. Even we caught some of the spray, and we were standing some distance off.

  For just a moment, the giant ape smiled, and I realized it was probably the first time the creature had known joy or love in a long time. I suspect everyone around me could see my thoughts in the link. April put her hand in mine, and quietly said, "You did the right thing, bringing the animals here."

  The dogs saw us, and started towards us as we stood watching. Al responded better this time, and allowed them to walk up on us. As the pack stood looking down on us, April raised her hand, and then slowly lowered it towards the ground. The entire pack dropped to the ground as her hand came down. It was obvious she was controlling them.

  Even laying down, the dogs were huge. A large auto on Earth would be the same size. A few seconds passed, and April asked, "When were the animals last fed?"

  "They are due," I answered, thinking back. "I had supplies left up at the house."

  "I’d consider it a priority," Tersa suggested. She glanced around, and quietly said, "Huge hungry wolves make me nervous."

  "I need to go talk to the students," Selena noted as she walked away. The rest of us turned, starting back toward the house. The dogs moved along behind us, and Al walked along behind the dogs. Tiny remained at the river, and seemed to be a very happy animal as he frolicked in the fresh water.

  We took the dogs up to the house, and proceeded to get them fed, and arrange a place for them to stay. Once that was done, we cut the dogs lose to let them play. The last I saw of them, they were headed for the mountains we can see from my house.

  "I shall send Vermiscumas after them," Al noted. I could sense as he pinged the instructions to one of the two dragons down by the river.

  "He means Bonnie," April informed me. I finally understood the name change. The smaller dragon launched herself into the air, and swept past us overhead. I could tell Al had instructed her to follow the wolves, and keep an eye on them.

  Selena came walking up as we stood there talking. She quickly informed me she had assigned a dozen students to take care of Tiny. She said it would be a good experience for them. I suspected the students would have questioned that outlook, but I didn't argue.

  My first day home was drawing to a close. It had been a long trip home, and I was tired. I fell asleep that night holding my beloved April in my arms. I believe I was as happy as any Magi can get.

  Chapter 2

  Prisoner

  I woke up at sunrise, to the sound of April getting sick in the bathroom. Being around a pregnant woman was new to me, and I found it a little frightening. My teacher, the Rock, had warned me that this was normal, but I found it very distressing. April shrugged it off, but I was concerned for her.

  I had been told that empaths were discouraged from interfering with a pregnancy, unless the problems were life threatening. The only other guideline, was pregnant women were discouraged from teleportation. It appeared folding space was a strain on the woman, and she might miscarriage.

  I could soon see that April and Selena Zanthros had become good friends. Selena was making it a point to check on April at least every few hours, if not more often. I took great comfort that someone on Remaca was keeping an eye on April and the unborn twins.

  For the first few days after my return, I just spent time with April, and adjusted to her schedule. Remaca had become a very busy place. Between the animals, and the students, there was always something going on.

  April was my primary focus, and I suppose I blocked out almost anything else. Selena and the students were keeping track of the newest animals on the planet, and everyone seemed to be doing great.

  I was home for almost a week before we hit a real problem.

  A close friend of April's. A woman named Cindy, seemed to have disappeared. Cindy had recently joined a group on Earth known as the Chosen. Once a week, Cindy was brought to Remaca to spend the day with April. When Selena went to pick Cindy up on Earth, she found both Cindy, and her brother, Carl, missing.

  Selena returned to Remaca, and reported that Cindy was nowhere to be found. April was concerned, and came to me.

  "I can't go and check on them," April noted. "Would you go and find them?"

  Of course, I would do anything for my beloved, and quickly prepared to go to Earth to find April's friends. I got dressed, and went down to the kitchen to tell April I was leaving. My friends, Tersa, Vandahar, and Urla were sitting at the dinner table, drinking coffee.

  "Are you ready?" Tersa asked as I walked in. I could quickly see I was going to have an escort.

  "I'm ready," I replied. "Do you have any idea where they are?"

  "Selena said the front doors to both their homes were unlocked." Vandahar observed. "There were no obvious signs of foul play, but Selena said something felt wrong. She chose to sound the alarm instead of investigate."

  "Should I call in more Magi?" Tersa asked.

  "Do you feel we need them?" I questioned, looking around the room full of Magi.

  "Perhaps we should just go look around before we call in the warriors," Vandahar suggested. "We will look foolish if we divert resources back to Earth for nothing."

  "I trust Selena's instincts here," Tersa commented, deep in thought. "We should use extreme caution till we figure out what's happening."

  "The four of us will go, and scout the area," I decided aloud. "If we need help, we can call in the troops later." April had been listening to us talk. I could tell she was upset, and decided we should leave as soon as possible. Turning to her, I hugged her, and quietly said, "We'll be right back!" Everyone stood and prepared to leave.

  "You better be, or I'm sending every Magi I know to find you!" April noted. I suspected she was only half kidding. Without another word, we all folded space, and left for Earth.

  Our arrival on Earth was peaceful enough. The door to Cindy's apartment was closed, but unlocked. We walked in, and called out, hoping Cindy had returned. When she didn't answer, we went through the place looking to make sure she wasn't injured, and unable to call out. I scanned the place, and saw no sign of her.

  We left Cindy's, and went downstairs to Carl's apartment. It was open just like Cindy's, and we checked the entire place out, finding nothing. As we stood talking, there was a loud knock at Carl's front door, and I opened it to find Dona Carter. She seemed startled to find me standing there, and blurted out, "Kaltar! When did you get back?"

  "I returned several days ago," I responded. "Where are Carl and Cindy?"

  "That's a good question," Dona replied. "My people found them missing yesterday."

  "I thought this place was being guarded," I questioned. "What happened to the people watching the place?"

  "We had to pull them off," Dona answered rather sheepishly. "We have been shorthanded ever since the Guardian Fleet left Earth."

  "Have you tried tracking them?" Tersa asked.

  "Of course we have!" Dona responded. I could sense her frustration in the link.

  "Has there been any sign of them?" I asked.

  Tersa was standing in the middle of the room. She closed her eyes, and quietly said, "Carl was taken from here by force! I can feel the wa
ves of anger he left behind in the timeline.” Standing in one spot with her eyes tightly shut, Tersa slowly turned in a tight counterclockwise circle. Her hands were held out in front of her, as if she was searching for something.

  She stopped abruptly, and asked, "Do you smell it?" Her head tilted up, and she said, "I smell smoke! It's a sickly sweet smell!"

  We all stopped now, and after a moment, Dona said, "I can smell it too!" She paused for a moment, and then said, "It smells like a Turkish blend cigarette." I could see the confusion registering on Dona's face.

  "Carl and Cindy don't smoke," Tersa stated quietly. "I would have seen them. And there are no ashtrays in either apartment. I’d remember them!"

  There was a bright flash, and the front door to Carl's apartment was gone. I was on the floor, looking up, and the room was full of smoke. Heavily armed warriors were flooding into the room, and I watched as one of them struggled with Dona for her gun. A second warrior struck the back of her head, and she folded. Urla was on the floor, and looked dead. Vandahar and Tersa were still standing, and the battle raged all around them.

  At least a dozen warriors were struggling with the two remaining Magi. I quickly realized Vandahar was a true Magi Warrior. They have a distinctive fighting stance, and watching Tersa and him together was like watching a dance. If there had been room to really fight, the attacking enemy would have never stood a chance. As it was, I could quickly see that the two Magi would be overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers.

  I pulled up all the energy I had left, and slammed the attacking enemy with it. It knocked half of them to the ground, and for a moment, Tersa was free. She prepared to attack, and I pinged her, "Go for help!" In that split second our eyes met, and I saw the indecision in her thoughts. The room around me started to blacken, and my last memories were a foot striking me in the stomach over and over as I laid on my side. Then I slept.