Land of Nod, The Prophet (Land of Nod Trilogy Book 2)

by Gary Hoover

  Jeff realized that he was getting distracted and getting off of his carefully crafted plan of running like a madman. He turned his attention back to the felears who were scattering. He focused on one who was standing his ground and headed straight for him with Baldwin following. When he was within a few feet, the felear stopped firing and raised his arm to protect himself from Jeff’s bat which Jeff swung with furious intensity. The bat impacted the felear, but Jeff could barely feel any resistance as the felear’s body folded over the bat. Jeff continued swinging through, and the felear’s limp body flew twenty-feet off the end of the bat. Jeff cringed at the sickening feeling that had passed through his arms as the felear’s body yielded, but he didn’t let it distract him or slow him down. The other felears, who had already been scattering and running for cover, seemed to be staring in awe at the strength of Jeff’s bat rather than firing or fighting back.

  Jeff continued in the direction of his jump-scoot. As they rounded a corner, he could see the jump-scoot on its side where he had left it. It was surrounded by four felears, who seemed to be looking at it with some curiosity. One looked up and began to draw his gun.

  “Shoot!” Jeff instructed Baldwin.

  Baldwin complied and fired a shot that sailed over that felears head. The other felears were alerted by the shot, and scrambled to draw their own guns. Shots whizzed past Jeff and Baldwin. Jeff began swinging his bat again and found himself wondering if he was doing anything. A shot grazed Baldwin’s leg and elicited a yelp from him. Jeff realized the shots were coming from both directions. The felears they had passed previously were regrouping and approaching from their rear.

  The ones who had been surrounding the jump-scoot began to scatter as Jeff and Baldwin got closer, but shots were flying from all directions. “Try to knock down some of the ones behind us,” Jeff told Baldwin and pointed as they approached the now abandoned jump-scoot.

  When they reached it, Jeff tilted it upright and looked it over quickly. It was dirty and scratched, but he couldn’t see any clear damage as he threw a leg over it. Jeff gestured for Baldwin to hop on the back as he secured his bat to his belt. Jeff pushed the Start/Stop button as Baldwin scrambled aboard. The jump-scoot made a sickening grinding sound as a shot zipped past Jeff’s ear.

  “Keep shooting!” Jeff shouted. “Try to hold them off!”

  He pushed the button again and cringed as the motor again made the unpleasant sound. Jeff felt blood rushing to his face in a panicked flush. He hit the button again and the motor groaned then settled into a slightly strained, but otherwise normal whirring sound.

  Jeff smiled and pushed the Hover/Land button and...

  Nothing!

  Jeff’s initial relief went right back to panic as he looked toward the approaching felears. One stood to take aim and was hit by a solid shot to the chest from Baldwin.

  “Nice!” Jeff said but didn’t dwell on the momentary victory.

  He stabbed at the Hover/Land repeatedly with his index finger, but couldn’t hear or feel any evidence that anything was happening.

  Baldwin continued to methodically pick off any felears that fired at them. Jeff was impressed by how cool and accurate Baldwin was, but he knew their luck wouldn’t hold out long. A shot glanced off his knee, and he cringed at the sudden, intense pain. In desperation, he stopped stabbing at the button and pushed the accelerator pedal forward while twisting the yoke upward. The jump-scoot began to grind forward on the dirt surface as the nose tilted up. A feeling of relief washed over Jeff as they lifted off and began gaining speed.

  He was going close to one hundred miles per hour as he cleared the wall.

  Chapter 52:

  Artimus handed a glass to Codi and took a seat next to her on the couch.

  He took a long drink, looked at Codi and opened his mouth to speak.

  Nothing came out.

  Codi looked at him expectantly as he lifted the glass again and then looked at her again. Her eyes met his and then he quickly cast his glance down. He swirled his ice and studied it intently.

  “I uh... ” He continued to study his glass as he spoke. “I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

  After making that pronouncement, he looked her in the eye but cringed when he saw the uncertainty etched on her face.

  Artimus treasured the fact that Codi always knew what was going on, and her expression was making his task even more difficult than he would have anticipated.

  “I’ve asked you to look into what Duanan has been doing... ”

  Codi seemed to suddenly relax as she exhaled. Her body relaxed, and she smiled slightly. “Yes?”

  “But there’s something that I really want... really need to explain, and I haven’t explained the way I should.”

  Codi’s expression now indicated intrigue as she leaned closer and listened intently.

  “You remember when we... Jeff and the others were able to stop the pheerion attack?”

  “Of course.”

  “And they were able to remove a ‘key’?”

  Codi nodded, hanging on every word.

  “I never really told anybody what that key was. It was a locket. A locket with Jeff Browning’s photo; a locket that belonged to Jeff’s father.”

  He paused and looked at her. Her eyes were wide, and she held a hand over her gaping mouth.

  Good, she gets it.

  “That locket was what allowed the pheerions to be nearly invincible.”

  “And there’s another locket,” Codi said as she began to fully understand.

  Artimus nodded.

  Codi continued. “The locket that Wylie took from Jeff. That locket may hold immeasurable power... ”

  She turned away from Artimus, lost in thought and then added: “We need to get that locket.”

  Chapter 53:

  “I’m sorry.”

  Artimus knelt by the plaque of Nafeesa’s tribute tree.

  “I haven’t been getting here as often as I’ve meant... as often as I should.” He shifted his weight back and sat in the grass.

  “I’ve just been so... ” He shook his head.

  “I miss the kids. I wonder if that’s part of it. I miss you.” Artimus felt himself choking up and paused a moment.

  “I hope you don’t mind... Codi... she at least provides some comfort. She knows about the locket now. That was a relief, when I was able to tell her about that. I don’t have to bear all the weight myself now. Well, I guess Jeff has a lot on him too, but I don’t have any doubts he can handle it. I doubt myself more.”

  He sat for several minutes just silently listening to the sounds of the evening insects.

  “Am I being irrational? I’m starting to feel like I’m just being paranoid... imagining plots.”

  He smiled. “I found out about the birthday gift you ordered for me.” He smiled. “I love you SO much. I’m not trying to replace you with Codi, but she does help me.”

  He stood back up and brushed the back of his pants. “I think she thinks I’m crazy, but she’s too nice to put it so bluntly.

  “At least I don’t feel alone anymore, but I’m almost afraid; afraid to lean too much on her. If something ever happened... ”

  He leaned down and rested his hand gently on the plaque.

  Chapter 54:

  “Can you tell me more about The Prophet?” Jeff asked Dave.

  The two of them sat at the table watching their progress on the map as Nahima drove.

  Dave shrugged. “Just your typical delusional freak if you ask me. Like all people who claim to have mystical powers.” Dave waved his hands, wiggled his fingers, and rolled his eyes dismissively. “No offense,” he said with a smirk.

  Jeff’s face tensed angrily for a moment but then relaxed. “Why does she live out in the middle of nowhere?”

  “From what I remember, she lived in Caesurmia a loooong time ago – before I was born. She got herself something of a following with her goofy predictions and prophecies. You know, people who wanted to believe in magic a
nd mysticism were all over that plooch. When she was riding high, she made a prediction that the world would end on a particular date.

  “Her followers were absolutely convinced it was going to happen. They quit their jobs and prepared for the end. But of course… ” Dave spread his arms. “That never happened.”

  Dave turned his head down but kept his eyes focused on Jeff. “As you might imagine, that left some... unhappy people.”

  Jeff could feel his heart sinking. He had everything riding on The Prophet at this point. He hoped that her cryptic prophecies and the drawing she had sketched that resembled his father hinted that she had some special insight. Jeff was risking not only his life, but the lives of his friends to track her down, and if she was nothing but a crazy old woman... Where do I go from here?

  “So she was run out of town. Many wanted charges drawn up against her, some said they’d go after her and kill her. Of course, anyone dumb enough to have fallen for her line in the first place wouldn’t have survived a day in the wilderness.

  “As the years passed, word started to trickle in that she had actually found The Elder – the guy who supposedly lived forever, had magical powers, and taught us all the basics we needed to survive,” Dave said, rolling his eyes. “Various stories began to be told regarding The Prophet and The Elder. The Prophet, supposedly, published her list of fourteen prophecies, and she also was said to have drawn a sketch of The Elder.”

  The two of them sat silently for a few moments. Jeff could feel a sense of panic washing over him as he thought about this. Have I put too much faith in all of this? It just sounds crazy now. Why did I– “Artimus believes in her,” Jeff said.

  Dave looked over his shoulder, first at Baldwin, who was asleep on his bunk, then at Nahima, who was busy driving. “You know I love Artimus,” he said as he leaned toward Jeff and spoke in a quiet voice, “but I’ve never understood why he believed any of that plooch.” He sat back in his chair and shook his head.

  “You said you met The Prophet once.”

  Dave nodded. “I got hired by a couple believers to go on an expedition to find her. She wasn’t all that hard to find, but very few people brave the wilderness to go to meet her.

  “Anyway, we found her, she shouted at us, told us to go away, and that was about it. The believers didn’t want to anger their great ‘Prophet’, so I took them back home.”

  Jeff sat silently and stared at the map for a while.

  Why am I doing this? Am I crazy?

  Chapter 55:

  Artimus stepped forward and gestured toward his companion. “This is Don. He’s my new assistant and we can trust him.”

  Blackbuck nodded and gestured toward his own assistant – a short, but powerfully built young woman with a pretty face that was spoiled by a humorless scowl. “This is Major Abbell. I trust her with my life.”

  Despite their assurances of trust, Blackbuck and Artimus both walked away to put some good distance between themselves and the other two before discussing anything more.

  “It looks good on you,” Blackbuck said, nodding at Artimus’ gun-belt as they walked.

  Artimus looked down. He was resting both hands on it, and he had been wearing it so much recently that it was beginning to feel more and more comfortable.

  ‘Yeah... well... uh, Codi always complains. Says it’s not civilized, but I don’t know. I just feel more comfortable.”

  Artimus’ face dropped. Mentioning Codi reminded him that he had been trying unsuccessfully to contact her all day. It wasn’t like her to not be available, and she was supposed to have come with him.

  “Why didn’t she come?” Blackbuck asked as if on cue.

  “She... I don’t know. I don’t know.” Artimus looked off at the trees in the distance.

  “Hey,” Blackbuck said as he rested a hand on Artimus’ shoulder. “Maybe it’s for the best that she’s not here. I have a feeling that she doesn’t have the stomach to do what I think you and I both realize needs to be done. You know how women are.”

  Artimus shot Blackbuck a severe look. “Codi wouldn’t shy away from anything if she thought it was the right thing to do. If she questions something, I’d be a fool not to consider her opinion.” He paused for a moment and looked Blackbuck in the eye. “What you and I think should happen may just be the easy route–”

  Blackbuck held up his hands in a gesture of submission. Artimus doubted that his opinion had been swayed in any way, but he suspected Blackbuck wasn’t in the mood to fight about something on which they both generally agreed.

  “Look, we’ve got a lot going on and I’m very busy at the moment,” Blackbuck said. “I probably shouldn’t even be here. I should be working on our defenses, but I’m afraid we may not have a chance without some help from you and Caesurmia. Duanan is a fool, and his inaction may be dooming all of us. I think you understand that.”

  Blackbuck opened a bag he was holding, reached in, and pulled out a small electronic device. “Here, when you’re ready.” He looked at Artimus as if he expected a protest, but when he didn’t get one, he continued. “When you’re ready... ” Again, he looked pointedly at Artimus. “Just punch in the code, and I’ll know it’s time. I’ll get some troops and equipment together so we can support you. It will likely take a little while, so don’t get impatient if we’re not there immediately. But you’ll know we’re putting it together.”

  “How many troops?”

  “Enough. I’m thinking about twenty.”

  Artimus shook his head. “I don’t know if that will be enough. Duanan has been building up his security.”

  Blackbuck rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. No offense, but your people aren’t exactly... equipped... yet. Besides, you’ve got people on your side. I’m sure you can muster some support.” He spoke those last words almost as a challenge.

  Artimus nodded.

  “Anyway, when it’s time, we can work out the details with you giving us a read from the ground,” Blackbuck said.

  Chapter 56:

  “There’s something in the air. Something’s not right,” Nahima said as she guided Princess Trina up a narrow winding path through the foothills that surrounded a towering mountain range.

  The map told them they were very close to their final destination.

  Jeff nodded. He had never really been able to ‘tune in’ the insightful feelings that often popped into his mind when he needed them most. But as they approached the home of The Prophet, he felt like his brain was being bombarded by static; a strange, fuzzy feeling that was neither positive nor negative that seemed to be drowning out everything else.

  It had Jeff nervous, on edge, and unsure what to expect.

  As they turned a bend, they saw a small, roughly constructed log cabin. There were neatly tended gardens and some animal pens. Jeff found it odd that there was a dramatic lack of any protective barrier against the forest creatures.

  Wow! So this is it.

  “Let’s stop here,” he said as he rested a hand gently on Nahima’s arm. “I don’t want to spook her.”

  Nahima nodded and brought the vehicle to a stop.

  “Looks like we’re here,” Jeff said over his shoulder and loudly enough for the others to hear. He climbed out of his seat and prepared to disembark as Nahima finished her shutdown procedures.

  Jeff pulled his gun-belt from the hook near his cot but hesitated as he looked at it. “I’m thinking we probably shouldn’t bring guns.” He pulled the gun from the holster, tossed it on his bunk, then strapped the belt with his baseball bat around his waist.

  “I don’t go nowhere without my gun,” Dave said brusquely as he strapped his own belt around his waist.

  Jeff nodded. He had expected such a response, but he saw that none of the others were strapping on their belts.

  Jeff approached the door and paused, exhaling loudly. He looked around, saw that the others all seemed ready, and then hit the button to open the door. Jeff squinted as the bright daylight streamed through the opening. He stepped ou
t and looked toward the cabin. He walked ten feet from the vehicle and stopped there. The others huddled around him.

  “Well, what now?” Dave asked expectantly.

  “Let’s just wait here a minute,” he said. He could see some movement around the corner of the cabin.

  After a few minutes, an old hunched woman rounded a corner and looked directly at the group. She didn’t seem surprised and walked slowly toward them. She was holding two chicken-like animals, one in each hand. They were hanging by their feet and they flapped and squawked a bit as she walked.

  She stepped carefully to avoid going too fast down the steep rolling grade from her cabin and stopped when she was a short distance from the group. Her appearance was just as Jeff had seen in his dreams. She was an old woman with an unkempt appearance wearing a shapeless, stained dress.

  Nahima opened her mouth to speak, but the old woman raised a hand in a silencing gesture. The flapping, squawking bird helped her emphasize her point.

  Benji was in the position farthest left to the woman and she eyed him up and down before moving her eyes to Rasp, then Baldwin, Nahima, Jeff, and finally Dave.

  After giving Dave a good look, her eyes went back to Jeff, and she stepped toward him.

  “Hold these,” she said sharply as she held the birds out toward Jeff.

  Jeff reached out tentatively and took a bird in each hand. They flapped violently as he took possession, but then quickly calmed down.

  Now what? Jeff thought but didn’t speak. He looked deep into the old woman’s eyes. They seemed to be drawing him in. Her skin was leathery, cracked and wrinkled but her eyes seemed bright and young with a twinkle.

  She moved a little closer to Jeff, and he thought she was about to speak. Instead, she punched him – harder than Jeff would have imagined possible – in the gut.

  Jeff doubled over and dropped the birds which flailed violently in the dirt.