by Joe Corso
“Ohhh,” the Queen said as she giggled. “Peek neek.”
“But first we’ll take a trip to see real live dinosaurs. Those big animals,” he said as he spread out his arms as far as they would go. Would you like that?”
All three nodded with excitement.
“And didn’t I promise to take you for a skywalk, in a faraway land. Dear Princess, you have witnessed with your eyes, no?” She smiled and nodded yes.
“So, if this meets your approval, please instruct the cook and assistants to prepare the ‘peek neek’,” he said with a smile.
The royals were thrilled at the thought of Lucky taking them to places that no one in their land had ever been. Quickly, the Queen sprang from her seat and rushed from the room.
The King rose and stated oh so eloquently, “Dear wizard, you grant us so many surprises. You are eternally in our favor.”
The Princess, however, did not seem as thrilled as the others. “My heart,” she said, “I dare not spoil your happiness, but I am with child and what if . . .” At that moment, Lucky pressed his fingers to her lips and said, “Shhhhh. I know of your concern but no matter our journey, I will take you to wise doctors who will surround you and prepare you for our child’s arrival. Dear Princess, I will never in peril place you.”
The following morning, as Lucky waited in the Great Room with the royals, a servant from the kitchen approached carrying a picnic basket loaded with pork, lamb, bread and other food stuffs. The Queen took the basket and thanked the woman.
“Our first stop will be to see real, living dinosaurs, so we’ll be traveling to prehistoric earth. We will be safe as long as we remain inside the portal and while inside, you will be able to see everything, without having to leave the protection of the portal. But as you view these giants up close, have no fear. You will be safe by remaining with me in the portal. At no time should you dare to step out of it. Do you understand? When we visit other places, we will be able to exit the portal, because there will be no danger at these destinations.”
They nodded in the affirmative.
First stop was the T-Rex. He was indeed up close and it was frightening to watch. As they studied the giant animal, he began to bob his head up and down the length of the portal as if he sensed something or smelled the group. Suddenly, he lunged at the spot where the portal lived. He snapped his large teeth, attempting to take a bite out of whatever he sensed was there but his jaws clamped together, finding nothing but empty space.
Lucky moved quickly to create a new portal – this time to the Grand Canyon Skywalk. It was early morning. Wanting to protect the skywalk, Lucky asked the Queen to put down the food basket and asked everyone to remove their shoes. As if the dinosaur wasn’t scary enough, walking on a horseshoe–shaped glass surface, a mile above the ground, was unnerving to say the least. Lucky assured them that they were perfectly safe, that it was impossible for any of them to fall. But should that happen, using his wizard’s talents, he would catch them. The King audibly gave a sigh of relief as his feet touched solid ground again. Krystina, on the other hand, who had been on the skywalk before, had no fear.
“Your Majesty,” Lucky said, “when you looked down, you were actually looking at where an ocean once lived. The water has vanished but look at the beauty it left behind.”
The King nodded. “It is a wondrous thing to look upon – one I shall never forget.”
Lucky smiled at all three of them and asked, “Are you ready to peek neek?” And off they went inside the portal that landed them right onto the white sandy banks of a deserted island near Tahiti. There were palm trees in abundance. Birds of various colors flittered here and there; some were perched on trees busily chattering.
Krystina tugged at the King’s sleeve and said, “Come, I must give vision to something wonderful.” King Robert was like a kid. He eagerly followed Krystina to the water’s edge.
“Remove your foot coverings and roll up your pants,” Krystina instructed. “You must see this.”
She grabbed the King’s hand and the two of them walked into the water up to their knees. The Princess realized that to see what she wanted the King to see, they were going to have to get wet, so she bent her knees so the water would come up to her shoulders.
“Robert, do as I do. When we come out of the water, you will dry fast under the warm sun.” The King did as she asked.
“Now, place your countenance into the water and open your vision, like this.” And she demonstrated what she wanted him to do. The King did as she requested. Underneath the water, were schools of beautiful, brilliantly colored fish, swimming all around him.
“Is it not wondrous?” she said excitedly.
“It is truly,” he replied slowly, still a bit awestruck by what he had seen. “I have never seen fish such as these – colors unlike any other. Our kingdom has never witnessed such things. Oh how I wish we could take them as we journey home and populate them in our ponds and lakes.”
Lucky, hearing those words said, “I can do that for you. Some fish will survive in your pond but others will not. These you have seen here thrive in water that is salty. Your pond does not have salt. It requires certain fish that can live there, not fish that require salt. I shall have to leave you for a moment, but don’t worry, I shall return.”
Lucky knew of a pet store in Queens. Purposely, he picked a time when it would be closed. Inside the store, he circled around to the fish section and grabbed some plastic fish bags. He grabbed a few fish nets and other necessary items, reached into his pocket and withdrew a few bills, the ones Quiang Shan was kind enough not to take from him. He waved the money at the security camera and in plain view, set it onto the counter with a note listing the items he took. He left far more money than the total of the items. He smiled at the thought of the look on the security person’s face as he studied the footage from the previous night. It would drive him or her and everyone else half mad, trying to determine how an honest thief broke into the store, without a key, waved to security and left money for all to see. In moments, Lucky was back on the island carrying his recently purchased/stolen items.
“We’ll get your fish later this afternoon before we leave,” Lucky said, “but for now, let’s enjoy the sun, the palm trees, and the coconuts, which we will open up after we’ve had our lunch.”
It was a wonderful time. The Queen danced around the waves lapping on the shore and kicked the sand watching the wind each time take it away. She played a little game – sort of a ‘beat the wave’ game, where she dared the tide to reach her and just as it did, she ran away, screaming with joy, like a little girl. At long last, the afternoon sun began its slow arc down toward the horizon putting the most beautiful sunset on display. As it disappeared from sight, Lucky said, “It’s time we started back.”
Chapter Twenty
The priest waited patiently outside of Lucky’s window, waiting for him to return. Only this time he wasn’t alone. Three other priests from the inquisition were waiting with him to witness the devil’s work. They weren’t disappointed. The priests were visibly shaken, and trembled with fright, as the royals and Lucky simply materialized right before them. It appeared as though they had stepped out of some invisible doorway. Clearly this was wicked, whatever it was.
“Do you see the magic he practices?” the priest asked the others. “He has the King and the Queen bewitched. And he has seduced the Princess. Look, she is with child. We must secure her and kill this devil child she carries.”
“But what of the wizard?”
“It appears as though he has had tribulations and his health is a bit weak. Dare we attempt to capture him?”
The leader of the group spoke. “There’s no need to capture him.”
The third priest spoke. “But how will we take him when he can disappear and reappear at will?”
“Foolishness,” the leader said. “We take the Princess and once we have her, he will come to us willingly.”
One of the priests noticed the plastic bags in
Lucky’s hands, the ones with the different colored fish in them, and pointed to them squealing almost hysterically. “Look, look he carries fishes like I have never witnessed and they are alive. No man can carry fishes that live out of the water in a bubble. He is indeed a great wizard.”
“No,” yelled the leader, “he is evil, not great. There is a difference. Once we possess him, he will confess his transgressions. They all do.” As he spoke, he realized that he was unintentionally formulating a plan. “The Princess is the key,” he continued. “No man can stand against a wizard like this. But like Sampson who lost his great strength because of a woman’s betrayal, this wizard will forfeit his life because of a woman.” The leader was almost euphoric. It was as though God had spoken to him directly and had embedded this plan right into his consciousness himself. The Jesuit priest smiled.
“They will all burn at the stake,” another priest said, “because of their sorcery.”
“Excuse me, sir,” one priest said. “We are Spaniards passing through England. No inquisition lies in these regions. Therefore, in what manner can we proceed?”
The leader thought for a moment. “No matter the land, we are empowered by the church to take hold of any or all of whom practice witchcraft.”
The next day, the four priests requested an audience before the King and as they were priests, the King readily agreed to see them. Lucky arose early and was heading toward the Throne Room when he noticed the four priests standing before the King. He hesitated before entering. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand quiver, his body’s signal, its way of alerting him of danger. “Never fight your instinct,” he kept mouthing to himself over and over. “Never fight your instinct; it leads to trouble.” He slid behind a tapestry and listened.
“Your Highness,” the leader began, “we stand before you representing the church on a grave matter that surrounds the Princess and this man known as your wizard.”
The leader was careful not to mention the King or Queen. He knew his limitations. The King would simply hang them all were he to be so careless as to accuse the King or his Queen of heresy or witchcraft.
“Your Highness, it is my sad duty to inform you that we must take the Princess and your wizard to stand trial before the inquisition.”
The King jumped up from his throne, “What? You dare come here and accuse the Princess of heresy?”
“No, Your Highness, we are not accusing her of heresy. We are accusing her of witchcraft, consorting with the devil. She will come with us,” the Jesuit priest announced emphatically.
“She will remain here and that is final,” the King growled. “Now leave before I place you into the darkness of the castle. Never, ever show your countenance in my kingdom again. Leave, all of you. Depart England, never to return.” The King’s eyes were filled with fury.
“As you wish, Your Majesty,” and the priest turned and exited the room, followed by several of his peers.
The four priests hurried past the tapestry, past Lucky, never noticing him. Lucky watched as they walked briskly to the gates where they were met outside and escorted by the Sergeant-at-Arms into the keep. Lucky slipped into a portal. As the priests made their way down the path, Lucky stepped out from the forest and appeared in front of them, in the middle of the dirt road, his hands on his hips, his face sporting a sly smile. The priests recognized him instantly. They began to tremble.
“You!” Lucky said pointing at the leader. “Come here.” The leader did not move.
“I said come here!” Lucky yelled.
The leader took a few tremulous steps toward Lucky, but not wanting to get too close stopped a few feet in front of him. Lucky studied the man for a few moments, adding to the man’s nervousness.
“Are you a man of reason?” Lucky asked.
The question startled the leader. “Yes, I would like to think so. Why ask this question?”
“Because if you are reasonable man and shall agree to listen to reason, then I, too, shall be reasonable. If you decide against, we have a problem.”
“We are reasonable men,” the priest exclaimed. “Now, can we be on our way then?”
“Hear me carefully,” Lucky said. “Understand me. The Princess is to be my wife. I love her and will protect her with all of my powers, with all my great wizard powers. She shall remain unharmed. Her child will remain unharmed. Do we understand?”
“Yes. Yes, of course,” the men echoed one by one.
Lucky scratched his beard and said, “Then why do I not believe you? You do not speak truth. The wizard knows this. You three do not move from this spot. I will show your leader an example of what will happen to all of you dare you think of harming my Princess.”
Lucky grabbed the man and together, they took a step to the left and disappeared in front of the other priests – vanished. The priests gasped as they each made the sign of the cross. Lucky and the head priest emerged inside Vlad the Impaler’s dungeon. It reeked of feces and urine and filth. The priest immediately sank to his knees in prayer begging God to intervene. Lucky reached over and whispered into his ear.
“Look around. Here there is no hope, no mercy – just mortal misery until life ends. This shall be your life should you attempt to cause harm to any of my beloved. That includes the King, the Queen, the Princess and any of their staff or friends. Do my words penetrate your ears?”
“Yes,” the priest answered, his hands still clasped together. “Now please remove me from this place,” he begged.
Lucky didn’t care much for lies, but it was time for a lie. He hated lies, as a matter of fact, but in affairs of life and death, honor and truth justifiably are dismissed. He looked the priest in the eye and said, “If anything happens to me while I reside in your time, there are many others who will come for you. If an arrow misfires and lands in my back or if an
axe finds its way into my chest or a knife severs my lifeline, or a sword cuts my flesh, or even if I fall and strike my head, this is where you will spend the rest of your life. My wizard brothers will see to it.”
No sooner had he finished his sentence than the priest and Lucky were back again, standing amongst the other priests. The priests had witnessed their leader vanish before their eyes and then reappear almost instantly. They fell to their knees, bowed their heads and prayed. When they looked back up, Lucky was no longer there. They turned to their superior for answers.
“This man is indeed the devil,” their leader said nervously.
“Do you hasten to capture the Princess?” one of the priests asked.
“We depart now,” he answered, “and I command that you never speak of this again. Silence will prevail from here, eternally. Should this vow be broken, horrendous destiny awaits. I have witnessed it with my eyes. Please profess that sacred vow in the presence of your brothers.”
The three nodded in unison but one, Brother Leon, raised his hand.
“Yes, Brother Leon, what is it you might ask?”
“You vanished. Where did his evil power take you?”
“This, too, you shall vow never to be revealed to anyone. Place your hands over your hearts and take this vow.”
The three priests placed their hands over their hearts, stated their names, and repeated the vow for the others to hear. Punishment, the priest told them, for breaking the vow was as brutal as anything Lucky could ever offer. It included cutting out their tongues, chaining them in isolation for eternity and burning them at the stake. The leader told each man of what he had seen. He described the filth, the smell, the groans of sickness, both in the brain and in the body.
“Worse than the dungeon of the inquisition?” one asked.
“Much worse. And this wizard warned me that should harm be brought to the royals, especially the Princess, he will journey to me and personally escort me to this unspeakable place where I will serve the remainder of life.”
Brother Antonio said, “We could enlist the militia of the inquisition. Let them terminate the wizard.”
“Dear
Antonio, has the brain been hit? That must never happen! There are more wizards like him. This evil is too great for us.”
Brother Antonio spoke again. “But how do you know there are more wizards like him?”
“Because it serves to answer. If one person can possess such power, then surely others can as well. He must have apprentices and they in turn have apprentices. No, we must leave this wizard and his friends alone.”
Brother Leon chimed in. “What you say is sound. No wizard or magician wants his knowledge to die. It is passed along. It is affirmed then. The wizard is one of many. Only . . . where are the others?”
Chapter Twenty-One
12th Century England
The months passed quickly. The Princess would soon bring forth her child. Lucky’s body had almost completely healed; the timing was good. Lucky’s thoughts now lay on the child about to be born, his child, and the questions he had, wondering what kind of man he or she would become. Oh, to have a son. It would be the ultimate of all God’s gifts, but to have a daughter, her face like Krystina’s, would melt his heart. Would this child inherit his father’s ability to travel in time? Could his daughter assume the magical powers of him? What would be inherited? The ‘before’ Lucky or the ‘after-the-accident’ Lucky? Lucky had mixed feelings about the possible answers. Could he or she handle being different from everyone else? How about those men who never seemed to believe or understand that Lucky was no threat to them? At least, the excitement over his soon-to-be-baby allowed Lucky to remove Shan from his thoughts for a while. Lucky would have his revenge, but it could wait . . . until after the birth of his son . . . or daughter.
“Lucky,” the Princess said as she entered his room, “I have a sign for the baby. Water flows from me.”
Lucky’s face froze for a moment. He rose from his chair in the corner of his bedroom and immediately tried to get Krystina to sit down. He touched her. He asked her what he could do. At that moment, the King’s doctor and the Queen’s midwives entered, each taking a position.