by Sam Ferguson
We ran up a set of stairs I hadn’t seen before and out through a steel door that was several inches thick and took a hefty tug to pull open.
There, in the cemetery, was another portal. My heart caught in my throat. It was widening slowly, with blue and silver lightning crackling and popping as bolts shot across the black void. Had Katya not turned back and grabbed my arm again, I would have stood there staring like an idiot for a long time before realizing that she was moving us to a grassy knoll near the back of the cemetery.
She dropped into a squat and unfolded the rifle. She clicked a few things into place and then loaded massive bullets into a large magazine. She then stuffed the magazine up into the bottom of the rifle and yanked the bolt back.
“Take this,” Katya said as she handed me something that looked like a scope.
“What do I do?” I asked.
“Put your gun away, it’s only if they get close to us. You are the spotter. Keep your eyes on the target.”
I didn’t bother asking which target. At that moment, a large drakkul stepped through. Two swords hung from belts tied around his red robes. This one wore a mask like the first one I had seen, but did not have a tail like the one in the picture.
“Where is the guardian of this world?” the drakkul asked in raspy, but otherwise perfect English.
“Here, you stinking goat-sucker,” someone yelled back.
I put the monocular up to my right eye. There was a thin layer of fog rolling above the grass and snaking between the headstones where the drakkul stood. Beyond that, I saw a group walking toward the portal. Flint, Hank, and Dan were there, armed to the teeth. Flint was holding an M4, while Dan had a Bushmaster ACR held at the low ready. Hank, on the other hand, had some sort of lever-action rifle I couldn’t identify.
“The guardian is coming, he asks that you wait a moment,” Hank said.
“I don’t like waiting,” the drakkul said.
Hank worked the lever on his rifle and smiled confidently. “I’m sure a minute or two won’t be worth the hassle of breaking the Shadow Concordance.”
“What’s the Shadow Concordance?” I whispered.
“Shut up,” Katya hissed. “Keep eyes on the drakkul. If any other forms step through the portal, you tell me and I will shoot them.”
Feeling like an idiot, I closed my mouth and concentrated on the portal. After two minutes, three other men joined Hank and the others. I hadn’t seen them before. They had weapons as well, but nothing modern.
It was like something straight out of the Viking era. Three men, all about the same height, broad shouldered and heavily armed, approached the portal. One of them led the three. In his left hand he held a massive, round shield with a studded buckler in the middle. In his right hand he wielded a large axe. As he walked I caught glimpses of a gladius hanging at his side. Over his right shoulder I saw the narrow tips of two javelins, while a thick and sturdy spear poked out over his left shoulder. He wore chainmail under several thick furs. The two marching in lockstep behind him were equally as menacing. One had leather armor augmented with the kind of metal plates one would expect to find on a roman soldier. He had a large sword and shield, with several knives along his belt. The third wore thick hides, with iron plates attached by sturdy chains that rattled as he walked. Instead of a shield, he carried only a massive, two-handed axe in his hands.
The three walked up to the drakkul and regarded him silently for a moment.
“I am the gatekeeper,” the man in the front said. “I am Rolf, son of Einar, the last of the great chiefs of the north.” He motioned toward the others. “These are my cousins, Arne and Bjorn. They have fought at my side in every battle, and we stand in command of this world.”
In command of this world? Strange concept of global rule if they were hiding out underground like the rest of us.
“I am Hek’tar Bar’Sule,” the drakkul said with a slight nod of his head. “I have come to collect on a bounty. Your world is harboring a criminal, and I have come for recompense.”
“Our world has many criminals,” Rolf said stoically. “Of whom do you speak?”
“A man,” Hek’tar said. “A man who murdered my brother.”
Rolf shook his head. “We control the portals,” he said. “No human from this planet has gone to yours, so unless your brother was trespassing on our world, we have nothing further to discuss.”
Hek’tar roared and his hand went down to his sword, but stopped short of pulling it. “You would dishonor me by hiding the criminal!”
“So be dishonored,” Rolf said. “Your brother dishonored himself by coming here without invitation or permission.” Rolf set his large shield down and let it lean against his left hip. He then held out his hand. The large man with the massive axe dug under his armor and pulled a piece of paper. Rolf flipped it open. “There was an incident involving a drakkul in a city known to us as Dallas. Is this the drakkul you speak of?”
“Yes!” Hek’tar spat.
My heart skipped a beat. The drakkul was here for me. I had been the one to kill his brother.
“Easy, Mills,” Katya whispered to me. “Try not to think about Dallas.”
How could I not? This drakkul was the other’s brother. He came here asking for me, and now a trio of strange men who looked like they should be battling it out at some sort of ren-fair were all that stood between me and another encounter. Sweat formed on my brow. I saw the image of the drakkul I had stabbed. I felt the pain of the lightning on my skin once again. My hand trembled and the monocular shook too much for me to watch. I pulled it down and tried to take a steadying breath.
“There! Him! I demand his blood!”
“Mills, I told you not to think about it!” Katya said as she sat up. “Now they know where you are.”
I felt my stomach churn as the drakkul pointed right at me. “How?”
“They can sense memories,” Katya said. “Go on, we have already lost the element of surprise.”
“Go?” I asked.
“Come HERE HUMAN!” Hek’tar shouted.
Rolf pointed his sword at Hek’tar. A dozen drakkul hissed from the other side of the portal.
“Your brother trespassed on our world,” Rolf said. “If you want to take this human, you will have to fight me for the right to take him.”
“Go on,” Katya said. “You’ll only make it worse by hiding here.”
Bjorn, who appeared ever more massive the closer he got, began walking toward me and waving for me to meet him. I slowly got up to my feet and walked toward him. Were they going to send me off to die? I did have the glock with me. Perhaps I could just run for it and shoot any drakkul who came after me? I wasn’t sure what to do. I couldn’t say why, but my feet numbly continued forward. Bjorn patted me on the shoulder, which felt more like a bear with a steel paw slapping me downward than anything a comrade might do. Then he gently pushed me forward.
“This human murdered my brother!” Hek’tar accused.
“Your brother attacked and murdered an unarmed man,” Rolf said flatly. “This man acted in defense. The criminal here is your brother.”
I glanced to Hank. His normally confident smile was gone, replaced by a worried frown.
That was not a good sign.
“How do you answer?” Rolf asked me.
I stared back at the large man and arched a brow. How was I supposed to answer? I looked to the drakkul warrior. His features were not human, but the narrowed glare and the curled lips were more than enough to display the creature’s hate.
“Your brother murdered my father. He came with one of those harbinger wolves, and they attacked us. We didn’t have any weapons.”
“Liar!” Hek’tar shouted. “My brother would not attack unprovoked. You had weapons! How else could you murder my brother?”
I wasn’t sure if it was the fact that the threat was now in my face, or perhaps the false accusation that I was a liar that set me off, but my fear was suddenly replaced by hot anger. “I don’t lie,”
I snarled. “Your brother attacked two innocent people, and I killed him with his own sword after he attacked us!”
Hek’tar stepped forward as if to strike, but Rolf’s sword stopped the large drakkul. “I have seen proof,” Rolf said. “This man speaks the truth.”
“Indeed?” Hek’tar said. “Then what of the engine his partner stole?”
My self-righteous anger faded as I recalled the words my father had said. He had mentioned something about stealing an engine, and then when the portal opened, he hadn’t acted surprised by the portal itself, but fearful about the fact he had been found. Even in death, the lousy deadbeat was only good for getting me into trouble. “I didn’t have any part of that,” I said.
“Ah! You admit that you knew!” Hek’tar said.
“Is this true?” Rolf asked as he turned to me.
My heart started to beat faster and harder than any other time in my life. “No, I mean, yes, but not the way he says. I didn’t know about it until right before they came into the alley. My dad mentioned something about one of his previous jobs, and that he had taken something, but that’s it. Then, the portals opened and the giant wolf and lizard-man came through.”
“You are the thief’s child?” Hek’tar growled.
“No, well, yes, but he hasn’t been my father for a long time. My mom raised me.”
“Mills, shut up,” Hank called out from the back. I glanced over and saw that Hank and the others had shouldered their rifles. Rolf put a hand on my chest and pushed me back. Bjorn stepped in front of me and made a point of stamping his axe in the ground.
“He didn’t know,” Rolf said.
“But he is the child,” Hek’tar said. “The sins of the father pass to the sons. I will take him, or you will give me the engine. Those are the only two solutions to our problem.”
“Do you have it?” Rolf asked.
“Have it?” I shook my head. “I don’t even know what it is. Not really. I swear. I haven’t been in contact with my dad for years. I had no part in this.”
“No matter!” Hek’tar shouted. “He is guilty by blood!”
The dozen drakkul behind him shouted and raised swords.
“According to our laws, he is innocent,” Rolf said firmly. He bent down and picked up his shield. “If you wish to contest this, then there is only one way.”
“Foolish human,” Hek’tar said as he backed away and slowly drew his sword. “I come from a long line of conquerors. I have destroyed three worlds myself. Their gatekeepers begged for mercy. I feasted myself on their screams. I will enjoy spilling your blood upon the ground, and then I will devour your body and consume your strength.”
Rolf laughed and motioned for us to get back. “You may have conquered worlds, but you have never faced a chieftain of the north before. I shall send you to Hell, and you shall be thrust down into the darkness forever.”
“This duel is in agreement with the Shadow Concordance,” Arne said. “None shall interfere until it is finished. You all know the rules. Break them, and we shall destroy you.”
A second drakkul came to the edge of the portal and drew his sword. “We agree,” he said. “No one shall break the rules. For honor. For Glory!”
The others behind him took up the chant. “For honor, for glory!”
Rolf jerked his head to the side and I heard several popping noises. Then he shrugged and rolled his shoulders. “I’ll make this fair,” he said as he kicked his large shield away. “Here I am, Hek’tar. Come and get me.”
Bjorn pulled me back just as a translucent shell of energy fell on the area in front of the portal.
Hek’tar advanced without any hesitation. The lizard thrusted his sword with one hand and blasted a bolt of lightning out from his other. Rolf somersaulted to the left, allowing the lightning to slam into the translucent shell. The electricity crackled and sparked across the barrier as wisps of smoke rose upward. Rolf lunged in and the two clashed swords. The sound was distorted through the barrier, seeming almost like a bad 80’s electronica drum. I watched as the two danced back and forth. Their swords flashed and darted in and out, but neither scored a hit on the other.
“He plays with him,” Bjorn said. “Wants to make a point for the others.”
I looked at the large man silently. Bjorn was smiling, obviously not nearly as afraid as I was of the whole situation. I glanced across to Arne and saw a similar, contented expression. I soon learned why.
Rolf let out a mighty cry. I swear he called out to Thor. Man, he really takes this Viking thing seriously. He charged in and lashed out with his axe. The heavy weapon knocked Hek’tar’s sword down toward the ground. Rolf then leapt over the weapon and drove his knee into the lizard-man’s nose. The drakkul’s head snapped back and blood shot out to splatter against the barrier just in front of me.
Bjorn and Arne raised their weapons and hooted like a couple of hockey fans.
Hek’tar stumbled back and drew his other sword, but Rolf had other plans. He threw his axe, forcing the drakkul to duck, and then he launched a javelin before the creature knew what was coming.
Screams and angry hisses came out from the portal as their champion was struck through the left shoulder. The narrow point exploded out through the back, easily tearing through Hek’tar’s scales and muscle. Hek’tar let out a cry and used both hands to send lightning toward Rolf. The large man turned and ran up the barrier, executing the most graceful backflip I had ever seen anyone do, and then he whirled around and threw his second javelin. This one went through Hek’tar’s right shoulder. The creature fell to his knees and could no longer keep his arms up.
Rolf drew his spear and stamped the butt on the ground.
Bjorn and Arne were chanting in unison, “Rolf, Rolf, Rolf!”
Rolf walked slowly toward the drakkul. He lowered the spear just inches away from the creature’s face. Through the barrier, I could see Rolf’s mouth moving, but I couldn’t hear the words he spoke. Hek’tar then glanced in my direction. He flicked a forked tongue out and then sneered at me. I got the impression that even now, with javelins sticking out of his body like some sort of scaled pin-cushion, he was threatening me. Hek’tar then looked up to Rolf and spoke, but again the barrier prevented me from hearing the words.
The spear plunged in. The front of Hek’tar’s robes pressed in, and then tore loose as the spear drove through the drakkul’s body and exploded out the back with a small spray of blood. Then, in a move so fast I barely knew what was happening, Rolf unsheathed his gladius and took Hek’tar’s head.
A column of green and red light poured upward from the neck hole and collided with the magical shell around them. The light washed over the surface and then the shell melted away. Rolf sheathed his gladius and then picked up the head in both hands and showed it to the drakkul on the other side of the portal. They all hissed and shouted at him.
“I have won. This portal will now be shut. You are not to come back again for seven weeks!” Rolf bellowed.
“Seven weeks?” I repeated softly.
Bjorn nodded. “Seven sets of seven days. It is the prescribed period of time after a challenger has been defeated.”
A bolt of silver lightning shot out from the portal and struck Hek’tar’s lifeless head, melting the flesh away in a sick, Indiana Jones kind of way. Then, the portal closed and the light was gone.
Bjorn and Arne moved to the headless corpse and knelt beside it.
“Honorable foe,” Arne said softly.
“Return to the hall of your fathers. You fought bravely,” Bjorn added. The two removed the javelins from the corpse and cleaned up the weapons in the area. Then they picked up the body and carried it away.
Rolf approached me with the severed head. I couldn’t help but stare at the empty eye sockets.
“I need to know about this engine,” Rolf said.
I shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know,” I replied. “I told you everything I know.” I pointed to Hank. “You saw the tape right? That’s it, that’s all I
know about any of this.”
“Rolf, if I may,” Hank said as he stepped forward.
Rolf held up a hand and shook his head. That was all it took to shut Hank up. I was confused. Hank didn’t seem the type to ruffle easily, but when he saw Rolf’s signal, he didn’t just stop talking, he bowed his head. What was I getting myself into now?
“You’re coming with me,” Rolf said. “The king will know what to do.”
Great. As if these three Viking wannabes wasn’t enough, now I had to go and meet “the king.”
“He’s a friend,” Hank put in.
Rolf didn’t listen. He just wrapped his fingers around my arm so tight it was like a mechanical vice. He dragged me along without hardly any effort on his part.
“I got ten bucks that says newbie doesn’t live through the meeting,” Flint said.
I heard Dan curse under his breath.
CHAPTER 5
I was taken back down through the main meeting room in the underground bunker, and toward the back where a secret door opened with a wave of Rolf’s hand. A cool breeze rushed out to meet us as the stone slid to the side and opened into a hallway lit with torches that burned blue. We hurried through the hallway and to a large door of bronze. On the face of the door was a carved image of a large portal. In front of the portal was a single man holding a sword drawn and out to the side. Something that looked like either fire or lightning was rising from his free hand.
Could Rolf summon lightning like the drakkul? I wondered.
A voice came from the door. “The darkness comes,” it said.
“But I am the light, and I will pierce its heart,” Rolf replied.