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

by Gary Hoover

  “Well, we’ve got the lift-car,” Dave said with a shrug.

  “Let’s unload it... NOW!” Jeff said.

  Dave rolled his eyes at first, but when he saw Jeff’s expression, he quickly moved into Princess Trina and began fiddling with the lift-car which was suspended from straps that were attached to the ceiling of the vehicle. Dave pushed a few buttons on the lift-car, and it gently rose a few inches, taking the stress off the straps. Dave started unbuckling the straps. When Jeff saw what he was doing, he went toward the front of the lift-car to work on those ones. Jeff had to stand on a metal case to reach his straps, while Dave stood flat-footed.

  Jeff worked his way toward Dave and then watched as Dave worked on the last buckle; but that one didn’t come unfastened as the others had. Dave looked at it and muttered under his breath but still couldn’t get it. He dropped his hands in frustration and stared at it.

  Jeff slid the case and tried it himself. After a couple of attempts, he took a firm hold of the strap and yanked. He hadn’t stopped to think what might happen, but he wouldn’t have anticipated what did happen even if he had stopped to consider.

  One of the two metal anchors that attached the strong reinforced strap to the ceiling of the vehicle broke apart, fell, and ended up dangling from Jeff’s hand at the end of his length of strap. Jeff dropped the strap and watched it swing down.

  Dave stood open-mouthed, but Jeff ignored him as he pushed past him and hopped out of Princess Trina. He pulled a small set of binoculars from a pouch on his gun-belt and scanned the horizon. Nothing... yet.

  “Let’s go, let’s go. I think we can make it,” Jeff said urgently as Dave guided the lift-car out of the vehicle.

  “Absolutely, Your Highness,” Dave said with a mocking tone as he directed the lift-car to a resting position a couple feet off the ground. Jeff felt a great relief as he climbed on the lift-car with the others. He scanned the horizon again and thought he could now see what looked like some vehicles headed their way. “Keep low, and I think we can sneak away. Let’s put Princess Trina between us and them,” Jeff instructed.

  “Certainly, my master,” Dave groaned as he guided the lift-car around Princess Trina.

  “Wait!” Jeff’s heart lurched as he remembered the notebooks on his cot. He jumped off the lift-car. “Don’t wait for me. I’ll just go on foot.” What am I saying?

  Jeff ran for all he was worth. He felt he was almost flying as he rounded the back of the vehicle, entered, and tried to get his eyes adjusted enough to find his bag. There! he thought as he found it, grabbed it, and headed back out. He was sure he could clearly see some vehicles approaching now, but he hoped that the vehicle was shielded enough by the surrounding trees that it would be harder for them to see him.

  He made his way as quickly as possible back to the front of the vehicle and was relieved to see they hadn’t taken advantage of his suggestion that they continue without him.

  “Sorry,” Jeff said as he climbed aboard. “Let’s go.”

  Dave pulled a lever on the control panel in the rear of the lift-car, and they eased into the forest.

  This may be the first time I’ve been relieved to enter the forest with little protection.

  Chapter 71:

  The lift-car drifted almost silently through the forest. Jeff and Nahima watched for followers with guns drawn. They stood on opposite sides of Dave and were looking backwards as Dave looked forward and steered the lift-car using the control panel at the rear of the vehicle.

  Jeff alternated between looking through his binoculars and then dropping them to see if he could spot anything with his unaided eyes. He was beginning to feel comfortable that no one was following them.

  The forest actually has a sort of peaceful... beauty... from this vantage point, Jeff thought as they quietly flew about thirty feet above the forest floor. He watched a ten-foot long centipede appear from behind one tree, wind around another, and then disappear into a hole. Even that is pretty cool when it can’t reach you. With that thought, he looked up to see if there was anything able to pounce from an overhead branch.

  “Let’s just see if we can find a way past the barrier at a different spot,” Nahima said.

  Jeff nodded.

  “Let’s loop around... put some distance between us and... whoever that is coming after us.” Dave made a motion with his head toward the direction from which they had come. “We can go over the barrier with the lift-car.”

  Dave glanced at Jeff, who was cringing at the thought of flying over the high barrier in the open lift-car.

  “Heh, heh, heh.”

  “There’s something,” Jeff said to Nahima, “in your parents room… under a drawer... some notes or something. I think they might be important. Let’s see if we can get to them.”

  Nahima looked at Jeff, confused, but she nodded slowly. “Sure, if you think there’s something to it.”

  Jeff leaned over the low chain-railing and examined the forest floor. Much of the surrounding area was dry and arid, but under the cover of the tall trees, there was some lush greenery.

  Jeff’s heart leapt as he saw one of the huge six-legged snakes gliding smoothly across the forest floor. He tapped Nahima’s arm and pointed. She nodded acknowledgement, and Jeff mused that it was possible it could be the same one he had encountered when he first arrived.

  They breached the tree-line and entered a large clearing. Jeff thought he saw something in the clearing, and he shielded his eyes from the sun. Before he could focus, the lift-car lurched to a near stop from a speed that had been higher than Jeff realized. He lost his footing and tumbled onto the lift-car floor then rolled and skidded across the metal surface. His leg went off the side, and before he could regain control, he felt his torso following. He grasped desperately for one of the posts that held the chain-railing and managed to snag one. That left him dangling and holding for all he was worth at forty feet above the rocky ground.

  Nahima rushed to him and grabbed his arm. She tugged, but the angle was awkward. She couldn’t do much more than wrench his arm uncomfortably.

  “Hang on!” she said desperately and looked over her shoulder for assistance.

  Jeff could see the ground below his kicking feet. He was gripping the post tightly but wasn’t sure how long he could hold. He looked up at Nahima’s concerned face then back at the ground. His view changed as his body tilted from vertical to horizontal. He felt himself being lifted by his belt, and while he tried to maintain his precious grip on the post, he lost it as he was lifted up and over the railing. He ended up on his belly in the lift-car, clutching desperately at the smooth floor. He turned and saw Benji peering directly into his face. Benji rumbled and Jeff interpreted it as an expression of relief.

  Jeff patted Benji’s arm. “Thanks!” he said, then pushed himself up and rose shakily.

  Once they had confirmed he was okay, the group focused their attention on the clearing. Jeff lifted his binoculars as Dave worked to reverse the lift-car and back it into the trees again.

  Through the binoculars, Jeff could see two large vehicles and several men in military uniforms standing around them. He could see them pointing in the direction of the lift-car. One of the soldiers lifted a very large gun and pointed it in their direction.

  “Uh oh... ”

  A large, translucent blue ball emerged from the gun and headed directly for them. It seemed to be moving in slow motion, but it progressed steadily toward them.

  “Plooch!” Dave said and frantically worked the controls to lower the lift-car. Jeff felt like he was hanging in mid-air for a moment, as the car fell so fast that gravity couldn’t keep up with it. But they couldn’t drop below the blue energy-ball, because it grew as it approached. It appeared it would envelop them momentarily.

  Jeff threw his arms across his face as it impacted.

  Chapter 72:

  Jeff opened his eyes then quickly closed them to shut out the bright sunlight that was shining directly on his face.

  He turned
his head to the side and then carefully opened them again. He could see dry dirt and patchy weeds, and he felt hard ground and rocks under his back. There was a soldier a few feet away pointing a three-foot long assault weapon at the ground. The soldier took notice of Jeff’s stirring and watched him without speaking.

  Jeff felt nauseous.

  He pushed himself up to a sitting position and held his hand tentatively over his stomach, then raised it to his mouth.

  “Oh no. You’re not going to yelch, are you?” The soldier rolled his eyes and turned away. “I’m not going to stand here and watch this.” He shook his head and walked away.

  Tight security.

  Jeff looked around and saw that he was near the two military vehicles. Soldiers were collected in small groups – some sitting, some standing, some looking bored, and others seemingly engaged in tense conversations.

  Jeff saw Dave, Baldwin and Nahima fifty feet away talking to someone who looked familiar.

  General Blackbuck!

  None of them appeared to be in good moods. In fact, Nahima seemed very distressed.

  Is she crying? Jeff wondered. A sudden intense feeling of despair washed over him. Something’s wrong. Really wrong.

  Dave looked over in Jeff’s direction, saw he was conscious, and then started toward him.

  When Dave was within a few feet, he dropped into a crouch. “Hey, how are you?”

  His voice was soft, gentle, almost paternal. It was so out of character that Jeff was becoming profoundly disconcerted.

  “I’m okay. What’s going on?”

  Dave pulled a weed from the ground and fidgeted with it. He looked at Jeff briefly then down at the weed. “Artimus… ” His voice was wavering and he paused for a few moments as he stared at the ground. “Artimus is… uh… Artimus is dead.” He threw the weed at the ground.

  What?!

  As soon as the words were spoken, Jeff knew them to be true. He had felt a gloom gnawing at the back of his mind that he hadn’t understood until that moment.

  He looked over as Baldwin reached out and awkwardly hugged his sister.

  Now what?

  Chapter 73:

  Jeff, Baldwin, Benji and Rasp stood in uncomfortable silence as Dave and Nahima made minor repairs on the lift-car. Jeff felt like he should say something to Baldwin.

  What can I even say?

  Instead of saying anything he just watched his feet as they shuffled in the dirt.

  Let’s just get moving.

  They had learned from Blackbuck that, shortly after Artimus’ death, people had taken to the streets. Duanan declared martial law and used his military to attempt to quell the uprising.

  Blackbuck brought his troops to help overthrow Duanan but held back when reports from inside indicated that Duanan’s forces, while not insurmountable, were larger and better equipped than Blackbuck had anticipated. More troops were on the way and Blackbuck expected to launch his offensive shortly after they arrived.

  Meanwhile, Jeff and the others intended to head to Nahima and Baldwin’s home to investigate the notes that Jeff had seen in his dreams, check for any other clues, and arm themselves with heavier weapons before rejoining Blackbuck.

  “I think we’re set,” Dave announced.

  Everyone climbed aboard the lift-car, and as they were doing so, two more flying military vehicles – Blackbuck’s reinforcements – crested a ridge and eased in to a hovering formation. The remaining troops, who had been milling around the other vehicles, began boarding and preparing for lift off.

  Dave positioned himself at the controls in the rear of the lift-car and raised the vehicle gently off the ground. “I’m going to fly a good distance down that way,” he said pointing, “and go over at a spot well away from Blackbuck so we don’t draw anybody’s attention to them.

  As they flew, Jeff eyed the tall energy screen nervously. It was a few hundred feet tall, and he felt nervous about climbing to that height in the completely open lift-car. He reached for, and tightly gripped, one of the sturdy posts that ringed the lift-car.

  I guess I should be more worried about what’s on the other side of the barrier rather than the simple climb over it. I’m not sure if that makes it any easier.

  When they had traveled several miles from Blackbuck’s troops, Dave tilted the nose of the lift-car up and began the ascent over the barrier.

  As they climbed, Jeff felt nervous and exposed, but he also took in the beauty of the surrounding landscape. Ahead of them and beyond the barrier, he could see farmland and the city in the distance. To the sides, he could see parts of the forest and more arid areas.

  He felt a bit relieved as they crested the barrier and began to descend on the other side. They floated over farmland that was mostly devoid of people, except for a scattered few who watched their craft curiously as they passed.

  Jeff caught some movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Blackbuck’s four vehicles cresting the barrier and continuing on at an extreme speed. They were very quiet except for an odd humming/whirring sound. But while there was little sound, they projected a sense of immense power as they sped toward the city.

  Jeff watched them fade into the distance with a sense of awe.

  Chapter 74:

  “Damn!” Dave banked the lift-car sharply to avoid the line of sight of the two guards who were stationed in front of Nahima and Baldwin’s house.

  He brought it down gently behind the house, and everyone climbed off. Jeff was disappointed to see that there didn’t seem to be any rear entrances. I guess if there were, we’d have to deal with guards back there too.

  “Jeff, Nahima, come with me, and we’ll take a look. The rest of you wait here quietly,” Dave said.

  The three crept around the house and peeked at the guards. They appeared generally bored and inattentive.

  Dave pointed at several items that Jeff didn’t see. “Sensors all around. If we shoot, they’ll detect it and send back-up.”

  Jeff heard several dull explosions in the distance.

  “Battle’s started,” Dave said. “That might make it a little easier for us.”

  Jeff saw the guards looking in the direction of the city and the explosions. “I’ll go around to the other side,” he said. “When you see me signal, you take the one on this side, and I’ll get the other.”

  Dave looked at him with a surprised expression, then nodded and smiled.

  Jeff made his way quickly but quietly around the house, signaling for the others to stay put as he passed.

  He peeked around the opposite corner. The guards were talking and pointing toward the city. Jeff could see smoke rising. He caught Dave’s eye, pulled his bat from his belt and signaled.

  Jeff and Dave advanced slowly from their respective, opposite corners. Both guards seemed fixated by the sounds of the distant battle.

  Jeff raised the bat and then swiftly brought it down across the head, shoulders and neck of the guard closest to him. He held back and didn’t swing with full force, wanting to knock him unconscious but not kill him. Even though he was holding back, the bat impacted with a force that elicited a cracking sound from the guard’s bones and helmet.

  The other guard turned at the sound, but Dave grabbed his head roughly and dragged a blade across his throat.

  Jeff cringed as the body of the second guard fell on the first, spraying blood from his jugular.

  Dave grabbed the bleeding guard roughly and lifted him. He tossed him aside then took a hold of the helmet of the other, pulled his head back, and slit his throat.

  Jeff cringed and stared with his mouth open.

  “Sorry kid, but this is war.”

  Chapter 75:

  “My apologies, Nahima,” Dave said as he dropped the bodies in the entrance-way. “I didn’t want to leave them outside to draw attention.”

  “Yeah, because puddles of blood are very inconspicuous,” Nahima mumbled with an annoyed tone. She pushed past him and headed for the stairs. “Show me what you’re talking
about,” she said to Jeff.

  “Under the drawer... ” Jeff said. He almost had to run to keep up with her.

  Nahima entered her parent’s bedroom and then waited for Jeff to show her the way.

  Jeff went straight to the drawer, pulled it out, removed the notes, and handed them to Nahima. She stood looking at them for a few moments then sat down on the bed and began to read.

  Jeff walked out to the landing and looked over the railing. Dave, Baldwin and Rasp were working on cleaning up the guard’s bodies. Benji looked very uncomfortable and was just trying to stand still and not break anything.

  Jeff considered going to help with the clean-up, but then, after watching Dave slip in a puddle of blood, hit his head on a table, and curse loudly, he convinced himself they had it under control.

  He went back into the bedroom and took a seat. Nahima was completely engrossed in the notes to the point that Jeff wondered if she even knew he was there. Her expression went through moments of shock, anger and sadness as she flipped through the notes and picked out key points.

  After several minutes, Nahima looked up at Jeff.

  “The bastard sold us out.”

  Chapter 76:

  “From the information our mother was collecting,” Nahima explained to the group, “it seems that Duanan started working with Pheerion Rex a few years ago. He was in his pocket, and everything Duanan has been doing has probably been designed to hand us over to him when the time came.

  “Chances are he… ” She paused, and Jeff could see her lips quivering. “He had Mom killed because of what she knew. And now… ” She trailed off and didn’t finish the thought. She picked up a controller and switched on their version of a television.

  “There was an attempted invasion by a small Doclotnurian force, but their offensive was repelled, and they will soon be completely defeated,” the anchorwoman said.