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

by Ivan Bridgewater

  Forcing more energy into my scans, I realized the great ape we called Tiny had picked up a fifty foot tree, and was sweeping the constructs aside as they approached the house. The tree would briefly appear in the house lights as he brought it down, and the wind would whip past, as if he was swinging a simple stick.

  Pulling more energy from Remaca's core. I intensified my scans all around us. Working down the mountain road to the North, was the creature Satu-Ra had named Wolf, and the pack that followed him. They were ripping the constructs to pieces as fast as they landed. Tiny was calmly stepping on constructs, and sweeping them aside as they tried to run past him. The few who survived, were running into Tersa.

  None of the constructs were surviving that encounter.

  I jumped slightly as Selena Zanthros appeared next to me. Another dozen of the students from the school appeared, and fanned out around the house. They were each dressed for battle. I could sense as several of them folded space to pursue some the lone constructs moving around in the shadows.

  "Is April alright?" Selena asked. I could hear the anger in her voice.

  "She's fine," I replied. "Just shook up a little. She's inside the house."

  Glancing around, Selena seemed to come to a decision. I could sense her pulling up energy for several seconds. Then she reached overhead with both arms, and launched a fireball into the sky. It rose up farther and farther, and seemed to grow larger. The shadows of the night withdrew, and we could see as if it was noon.

  All around us laid smashed and torn constructs. Not one of them were standing. Many were burned beyond recognition. I counted over a hundred smashed forms laying around us. Two of the students appeared before Selena, and saluted in a clipped military fashion. I could sense the report in the link. Not only were the constructs on the planet destroyed, but their three support ships in space had been vaporized by energy wave attacks.

  For the first time, I realized the Magi had become a military power. Within minutes, the area was swarming with Magi, dressed in military uniforms. The area was locked down tightly, and I prepared to go inside.

  Tersa stepped out of the smoke and moving Magi warriors. She walked up to Selena and I, briskly saying, "The area is secure!" There was blood running from a deep gash on her left hip.

  "You're injured," I informed her. "You need medical attention."

  "I'll be fine!" she replied. Almost instantly, her hip went out, and she went down. Her head came down on the edge of the front porch with a sickening thump, and she seemed to roll out across the lawn, face down. For the first time, a large puncture would could be seen on her left shoulder blade. The back of her clothing was soaked in her blood.

  "I told you I'd be fine." Tersa mumbled incoherently.

  Bending down onto one knee, I knelt over her as she laid there. I reached out my hand, and started to heal the open wound on her back. Several seconds passed, and Tersa's breath began to steady as the bleeding began to slow. I became aware a crowd of students in uniform was standing around us, watching as I worked on Tersa's injuries.

  The bleeding stopped from the injuries to her back, and as she laid face down in the dirt, she mumbled, "Leave me alone, I don't want your help!"

  "Shut up!" Selena instructed her. "You're in no condition to be giving orders."

  Pointing at several Magi standing close by, I said, "Gently pick her up, and bring her inside!"

  Ten minutes later, Tersa was in a bed upstairs, sound asleep. She was our only casualty, and for the first time in recent memory, the Magi had fought back directly against the forces of Darkness. The enemy had suffered a major setback, and we were all alive to tell the tale.

  It was a good night for us!

  Over the next few hours, a flood of Doctors, and various, assorted, visitors filed through my home. April and the twins were fine. I was assured Tersa would soon recover. The enemy had been smashed, so I felt that April was reasonably safe here. It was now obvious there would be no such thing as a truly safe place, for as long as the war continued.

  It was almost dawn when things finally settled down. Selena and I were talking to students on the front porch, when April stepped out the front door, and said, "You should come in the house, and eat some breakfast."

  "I need to check on the students at the school," Selena told us. "I'll be back in an hour to talk to you." Then she folded space, and was gone.

  Going inside, I found that April had fixed us pancakes. They are my favorite food at this time, and April knew I would enjoy them. Placing six of them on my plate, I smothered them in real Maple syrup from Earth, and sat down at the kitchen table to eat.

  April sat down across from me with two pancakes, and quietly began to nibble at her food. I had finished my breakfast before she finished her first pancake. I sat watching her for a few seconds as she ate, and then said, "You're awful quiet."

  "I'm awful scared!" she corrected me. "I saw those things from the window." She paused for several seconds, and then quietly said, "I don't want to think about what might have happened if you hadn't been here."

  "It wouldn't have made any difference," I stated flatly. "I didn't do a thing."

  "You made me feel safer," April noted. "That helps more than you realize."

  There was a tap at the door, and Selena stepped in. Stepping over to the table, she looked down at April's remaining pancake with obvious interest. After a few seconds, April asked, "Would you care for some?" Two minutes later, she was fixing more pancakes.

  "I don't get it," Selena remarked. "They usually attack in overwhelming numbers. Just a few hundred constructs is more of a probe than a full blown attack."

  "What were all the sirens about?" April asked as she stood flipping pancakes.

  "It was the auto defense systems the Guardians installed," Selena replied. "They started sounding as soon as the enemy ships entered orbit."

  "Kaltar was already up and moving when the sirens started," April observed. "So were the dragons. Just how good are these alarm systems?"

  "I'm not all that impressed." Selena remarked. She focused on me, and asked, "Why did you wake up?"

  "It was the twins," I answered. "They woke me up. They were scared to death, and I got up to look around."

  Setting a plate of pancakes down in front of Selena, April asked, "You mean our twins woke you up?" She thought for a moment, and then rephrased the question, asking, "Our twins woke you up, and I slept through it?"

  "I was afraid!" A tiny voice pinged in the link. Everyone at the table went silent. Selena stopped eating in mid bite, and laid her fork down.

  "Did anyone else just hear a small voice in the link?" Selena asked in a whisper.

  "I distinctly heard it," I observed quietly. Selena and I were both staring at April.

  "Stop looking at me that way," April chided us. "I feel like a set of wings just popped out of my back or something."

  "I'm sorry," I quickly replied. "I wasn't expecting to talk to the twins today." Selena started to laugh, but caught herself.

  "We were afraid!" The tiny voice said. "We saw the monsters! They scare us! Make them stay away!"

  Total silence descended over the table. Ten seconds passed, and April quietly said, "Okay! I'm freaking out now!"

  'I've heard of this before," Selena noted, almost to herself. "The children of Satu-Ra were aware while still in the womb. I think we need to contact Madias, or the Rock."

  "Please do so," I requested. "Find one of them, and ask what we should do." Selena nodded, stood up, and folded space, disappearing.

  Sounding slightly confused, April said, "She didn't finish her pancakes." She stood, starting to clean up the plate. A second or two passed, and she abruptly said, "I feel a little dizzy." In apparent slow motion, she slumped down into a chair. It looked to me as if she was passing out, as she laid her head down on the table in front of her.

  "Are you alright?" I asked, just starting to become concerned.

  "I feel a little woozy." April replied softly. She giggled slig
htly for no apparent reason, and then quietly said, "Make it go away!"

  Then, she passed out. I instantly went from concerned, to border line hysterical, in one second flat.

  "April! Wake up!" I requested loudly as I stood up, and walked around behind her. "April! Can you hear me?" I demanded more urgently as I started to shake her arm slightly.

  "I hear ya," she mumbled into her arm. "I'm really tired."

  "You're really passing out!" I informed her. Picking up her limp form in my arms, I carried her upstairs, and laid her on my bed. She looked slightly jaundiced, and I scanned her looking for poisons. I couldn't find anything wrong. The minutes turned into an hour. April seemed to have dropped into a heavy sleep, and I left her to rest.

  Then Selena came in the bedroom door. Satu-Ra's daughter, Jasmin, was with her. They came in, and I could sense Jasmin as she scanned April with some very intense waves of energy. After about thirty seconds, Jasmin asked, "How long has this been going on?"

  "It just started today," I replied. "She caved in about an hour ago."

  Jasmin turned back to April, and leaned down close over her. Placing her right hand over April's stomach, she began to speak aloud, softly. I watched as Jasmin continued quietly talking for several minutes. Then she stopped, and stood up.

  Stepping over to where Selena and I stood watching, she whispered, "It's the twins that are messing April up. Their fear is overtaxing her nervous system. I’ve spoken to them, and calmed their minds. I believe April will wake up feeling better, shortly."

  "So it's not a poison?" I asked anxiously.

  "Not at all!" Jasmin reassured me. "More of an overload. The twins want to run away, and April's legs aren't moving. I reassured them, giving them a basic understanding of what was happening, and they calmed right down." She paused, apparently thinking to herself. Then absent mindedly said, "Your children are very sweet. I look forward to meeting them later."

  Motioning for Selena and Jasmin to follow me. I led them down to the kitchen, so we could talk without disturbing April. We all took seats around the table. I started out by addressing Jasmin, saying, "I want to thank you for all your help!"

  She smiled slightly, and said, "My father has taken a special interest in you and your friends. He will be greatly distressed when he finds out about the enemy incursion on Remaca."

  "It wasn't much of an attack," I remarked. "It was over ten minutes after it started."

  The room was silent for several seconds, and then Jasmin said, "I can see everything that happened this morning, in your mind. Battling two hundred constructs is hardly a walk in the park. The Magi are becoming very adept at dealing with the forces sent by the Darkness."

  "Tell that to my parents," I observed quietly. "Almost every person they ever knew, was slaughtered."

  "All of us have suffered loss," Jasmin noted quietly. "Many Guardians have died to fight this great evil."

  "I'm just a bit nervous now," I responded. "I didn't expect them here. I didn't think Remaca was worth attacking." My last sentence spilled out slowly. It was just sinking in. They had come here to kill us.

  "We're placing ships in this area to prevent future attacks," Jasmin informed me. "We'll be keeping a battle cruiser in this vicinity from now on. If they come back here again, we'll have more than sirens waiting for them."

  "I want to start posting guards at night," Selena requested. "We need them here, and at the school."

  "We will bring in a bright light satellite," Jasmin said. She was deep in thought, and then said, "It can remain in orbit overhead, and we can switch it on when you need it. One of them throws off twice as much light as any normal moon would."

  "The alarm goes off, and the lights come on," Selena concluded. Jasmin nodded silently.

  "Do you have any suggestions about how to deal with the twins?" I asked.

  Jasmin smiled warmly. After a few seconds, she said, "I would suggest dealing with them gently. They’ll be very special."

  "You feel April will be alright now?" Selena questioned aloud.

  "I believe so," she assured us. "The twins fell back asleep as I talked to them. They should be fine as long as there are no more attacks."

  For the next hour, we talked about what was happening with the twins. Jasmin had many things in common with our twins, and I could see that for her, the experience had been a positive thing. Her memories were obvious in the link. She made no effort to mask them. I could see that her memories of the womb included her own share of uncertainties.

  "Your children are receiving sensory information from April directly, and from the rest of you through scans," Jasmin noted at one point in our conversation. "They have no way of controlling what happens, and that can be frightening, in and of itself."

  "Can I do anything to help them?" I asked. Jasmin just shook her head no.

  "You can try to calm, and reassure them," Jasmin replied. "But there isn't much else you can do."

  I caught the sound of the door to the kitchen opening, and turned to find Tersa limping into the room. She looked exhausted as she stepped over to the table and sat down. Looking around the table as she sat down, Tersa nodded at Jasmin to acknowledge her presence. Having sat down, she asked, "Is it fair to assume we're all secure?"

  "There was an incident with the twins after you fell asleep," I replied. "Selena found Jasmin, and brought her here to help us."

  "I was looking for Madias or the Rock," Selena observed. "When I asked Jasmin of their location, she realized what was happening, and insisted on coming here right away."

  "I have a certain insight into the twin's outlook," Jasmin said quietly. "I can still remember being aware of life all around me I really couldn't see. Being born is frightening enough for any baby, without being aware of the outside world while in the womb."

  I could sense Tersa scanning us to see what had happened while she slept. After a moment she seemed a little bewildered, and asked, "The twins can communicate while still in the womb?"

  "Actually," Jasmin said. "Telepathy works better while the subject is still in the womb. The ability to focus is far greater without all the external stimuli that people are exposed to daily."

  Closing her eyes tightly as she yawned, I could tell that Tersa was still trying to wake up. She blinked twice as she finished the yawn, and asked. "Is everything alright back at the fleet?"

  "The fleet is geared up, and just beginning full offensive operation outside the Milky Way Galaxy." Jasmin informed her. "Considering the fact that we're attacking at over a hundred different locations, I'd say we're doing very well. By the time you return, we'll should be well under way." She paused for a moment, and then asked, "How much longer does April have before the babies are due?"

  "She's in her last trimester," I replied. "She has about eight weeks left. Ten weeks at the most."

  "Then we will plan to see you in three months," Jasmin observed as she stood up. "I need to get back to Signey Octurus. In future, come get me at once if you have problems with the twins. I suspect I can be more helpful than Madias, or even the Rock." I smiled, and nodded, in response. Then she folded space, and was gone.

  "That's what I call an intense young woman," Selena noted. "When I told her April was sick, she insisted on me bringing her here."

  We sat talking a while longer, and the next thing I knew it was three hours later. I had barely had any sleep the night before, and decided to try and get some rest. I went up to my room, where April was sleeping, and quietly laid down behind her in the bed.

  She moaned slightly, and then softly asked, "Are you alright?"

  "I could ask the same of you," I replied. "You shook us up."

  April was still for a long moment. Then she said, "I'm fine." There was another short pause, and she finally added, "I don't really remember getting here."

  "That's because I carried you here after you passed out," I informed her.

  She was quiet for a few seconds more. Then she asked, "Are the babies alright?"

  "The b
abies are fine." I answered. I fed images and information into the link so April would understand what happened while she slept.

  "I'm frightened, Kaltar!" April noted quietly. "Please don't let anything happen to our babies."

  "It's going to be fine," I assured her. "Several doctors checked on you, and said everything was alright. Even Satu-Ra's Daughter, Jasmin, was here to check on you. She says you'll be just fine."

  We laid there, and I held her as we both fell asleep. My final waking thought that evening, was just how much April and the twins meant to me.

  Chapter 5

  About Carl

  Over the next few weeks, things seemed to calm down, and little happened worth writing about. The twins were quiet, and I got in the habit of linking with them for a few minutes every morning. I did it in the hope of reassuring them, and they seemed to enjoy the contact.

  I also became involved at the Magi training school. I began instructing some of the students on focus, and the ability to work as an Empath. I would meet the students for an hour every afternoon, and help them use their empathic powers in a more controlled fashion.

  I had finished the class, and was walking home, when I first saw Carl and Cindy. They were standing in my front yard talking to April as I walked up. It was delightful to see them, and we talked for almost an hour before we went in and sat down at the kitchen table. April and Cindy were talking nonstop, and as I sat there, Carl quietly leaned over, and said, "You need to come see me privately when you get time. We need to talk."

  I simply nodded to acknowledge the comment. Cindy and April showed no sign of hearing Carl, and for the rest of the day, we just had a pleasant visit with old friends from Earth. We spent the last hour of the day outside with Al and the other dragons. By the time the day was over, we were all worn out.

  Tersa and Selena had brought Cindy and Carl to Remaca to visit. The two Earthers didn't have the jump range to come here directly without help. I offered to take Selena's place, and help transport the Earthers, home. Selena was grateful, saying she had things to do at the school.