by Roy Huff
Calvin and Mallory, as well as Felix, Faine, and Asher, were so busy eating that they didn’t realize they had already arrived at the portal within the tunnel. Chester picked them up and sat them down on the ground.
“I’ll give you a few more minutes to finish eating and then I’ll send you through the portal,” Chester told them.
Asher handed Chester both of the containers holding the element and continued eating. After another minute, the Ubaloo couldn’t eat another bite and handed the leftovers to Calvin and Mallory, who tossed the remaining scraps into their mouths. They swallowed in one gulp, but it took a few seconds for them to get it all the way down their throats.
“Get ready,” Chester said.
He picked up one of the containers, which he could barely hold with his fingers due to its small size, and placed it in the receiver. The tunnel lit up in front them in spectacular fashion.
“Well, what are you waiting for? The portal won’t stay open for long,” Chester yelled.
“Here goes nothing,” Felix said as he ran through the portal. Faine and Asher followed closely behind. Calvin and Mallory hesitated and looked at each before walking forward and across to The City of Worms.
Calvin and Mallory looked back and watched as the portal vanished. The only way back now was to cross The City of Worms and reach the natural portal leading to Brackenbone, but before they did that, they would need to accomplish their mission and find the armies of Them.
CHAPTER 20:
THE PARTY.
“I hope this thing turns out well,” Anika said as she set the last tray of snacks down on the large table in the back.
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Owen replied as he scanned the assortment of food that was available and took a few samples.
Just then, two men in their early twenties walked through the door carrying amplifiers and some other equipment for the party.
“I’m the DJ. Where are we going to set up?”
“You can set up right there in the front,” Anika said as she pointed them to the front of the conference room.
That was the last thing that needed to be done, but it was still early, only 9pm, so they thought it would be a while before most of the people showed up. Dante, as well as both Owen and Dante’s roommates, Adamo and Tesla, had already arrived. They had crowded around in the back while nibbling on snacks and discussing how long they thought it would be before more people would come. The conversation alone must have lasted at least fifteen minutes, and it was like trying to watch a pot of water boil; nothing happened.
The DJ started the music. It was an electronic dance track with a lot of sub bass and syncopated drums. Dante began nodding his head and Tesla soon followed. The music was good, but at that moment Anika didn’t have much confidence in the eventual success of the party, which had started to look very seventh grade middle school-ish.
Drusilla walked in the door.
“Hey guys.”
“Drusilla, glad you could make it. Is Zee coming?” Anika asked.
“I’m not sure. He said he would think about it.”
“Oh, sorry,” Anika replied.
“This is Dante’s roommate, Tesla, and Owen’s roommate, Adamo,” she continued.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” Tesla said.
“Yeah, likewise,” Adamo added.
Just then, a few people walked in the door. The crowd was still very sparse, especially for such a large conference hall. For the time being, they waited in the back munching on the snacks until more people arrived. Five minutes passed and a couple dozen more people showed up.
Dante couldn’t help himself.
“Well, this is my party, I might as well be the first one to bust it out on the dance floor,” he said, as he walked forward to the center of the room and did his best attempt at making some respectable dance moves. They weren’t respectable by anyone’s account, but it did lighten up the mood a little.
Within a few minutes, several dozen more people showed up; it was only 9:30, but the crowd had grown to an acceptable size, and Dante was enjoying himself. A few brave people had joined him on the dance floor, and the party was in full swing.
Half an hour later, the room was packed. The DJ had increased the volume of the music, and there was no space left on the floor. It was apparent that the word had spread about the party.
“Looks like the party is a huge success,” Owen shouted in Anika’s ears.
“Yeah. I’m just so happy for Dante. He really needed this, or maybe I was the one who really needed this,” she said loudly.
“You needed what?” Owen shouted.
“I said I’m happy for Dante,” Anika said a little louder.
“Yeah, me too. Great job, Anika. Dante’s lucky to have a friend like you,” Owen responded.
“Thanks, Owen. I’m gonna walk around some. I’ll catch you later,” Anika said at the top of her voice.
“Okay. Have fun,” Owen replied.
Owen looked around the party. Everyone did appear to be having fun, Dante included. Just then, he saw Zee walk in the door, so he went over to greet him.
“Glad you could make it, Zee. I know Dante will be happy to see you. How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine. I’m gonna go over and say hello to everyone. I’ll see you in a bit,” Zee shouted as he walked away.
As Zee left, Tesla approached the door.
“Hey, Owen. Great party, but I gotta get going, homework and all. I’ll see you around sometime,” Tesla said.
“No problem, Tesla. Just glad you could show up for Dante. Thanks for coming, and good luck with your studies,” Owen shouted back.
“Thanks, Owen.”
Anika stopped Tesla before he had a chance to walk out the door.
“Going so soon?” she asked.
“Yeah, well, engineering major. You know how it goes.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay just a few minutes longer?”
“Wish I could, but I have heck of a lot of work to do, and I don’t do very well on a lack of sleep; not to mention the fact that I’m not a night person.”
“Okay then. Thanks anyway for coming,” Anika shouted back.
The party continued for the next couple of hours. Just about everyone had stepped out on the dance floor at one time or another. Dante looked as if he were having the most fun. The entire time, his face had a perpetual smile, and he must have lost at least a couple of pounds with the amount of energy he’d expended dancing.
Then Jacob walked in the door and the mood changed. Drusilla, Owen, Anika, and Zee stopped dead in their tracks. Dante was still oblivious and continued dancing as hard as ever, but that soon stopped as well. Jacob was holding two bo staves, one in each hand. At first, people thought he was wearing some kind of funky costume and holding a couple of props, but their misunderstandings were soon corrected once he used one of the bo staves to knock the power cords out of the amplifiers.
A couple of gasps could be heard in the background. The center of the room cleared. Jacob stood alone in the center once everyone had stepped back a good ten feet. Jacob threw the bo staff that he was holding with his left hand at Owen, who caught it before it fell to the ground.
“Don’t want to leave the little girl unarmed,” Jacob said.
“Is this really necessary, Jacob?” Owen asked.
“Yes it is necessary, and I’m on to your little tricks. You think you can come into my house and take what belongs to me and get away with it? You’re dead, Owen. I’ll make sure of that, either here or in the other place.”
“I’m not going to fight you, Jacob, not here. If you have a bone to pick with me, let’s set up a proper match at the Art Club. We can make an event of it.”
“Screw you, Owen. I’m going to take you on right here, right now.”
Jacob threw a few swipes of the bo towards Owen, but none of them landed. Owen continued to duck and move out the way without having to lift the
bo he was holding.
“You’re such a wimp, Owen. Why don’t you grow a pair? I know what will make you angry. Why don’t I fight your new girlfriend, Zee? His father wasn’t that good of an art teacher anyway. I’m glad he’s dead. He’s done the world and the university a favor.”
Zee stepped forward. His face had turned a deep red, like it was about to explode. Owen held him back with his arm.
“Don’t let him goad you into anything, Zee. It’s not worth it,” Owen retorted.
Drusilla stepped forward and said, “You know, Jacob, if you really want to fight a girl, why don’t you fight me?”
“No one’s going to be fighting anyone,” said one of the two large campus security officers who had just walked in the door.
Owen and Jacob both put down their bo staves, and the campus security began talking to people there to find out exactly what had happened. After a few minutes, they decided to take Jacob into custody for initiating an assault and possible death threats. They asked Owen, Drusilla, and Zee to accompany them back to the office.
They spent the next hour or so in the main security office until the police arrived and questioned them. The police took statements from everyone in the room and later followed up with a few additional witnesses including Dante and Anika, who had remained at the conference room cleaning up the mess after most everyone else had left.
About twenty minutes later at the security headquarters, one of the police officers looked at Jacob and said, “Based on what we’ve found, we’re going to take you into the station for disorderly conduct. We may file additional charges if my superiors think it’s warranted. We’re going to let everyone else go, but Owen and Drusilla, you can expect follow up calls from my commanding officer.”
The police handcuffed Jacob and walked him to the back of the squad car. A group of about twenty or so onlookers who had also attended the party watched as the police drove off with Jacob. Owen, Drusilla, and Zee decided to walk back to the party to check up on Anika and Dante. By the time they had arrived, the DJ had gone and Anika was just about to turn off the lights.
“I’m sorry about all this,” Owen said to Anika and Dante.
“I’m sorry, too,” Zee said.
“Don’t worry about it guys. The party was great! That was the best party of my life. Of course, that’s not really saying much,” Dante replied.
“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Anika said. “Now I’m going to get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”
With that, everyone decided to head back to their homes to try to put an end to a very stimulating evening.
The next morning, just before his alarm rang, Owen was pulled from his sleep into The Keeper’s Workshop. Owen opened his eyes and a yawned a couple times, still tired from the night before.
“What is it, Keeper?” Owen said, as he fought to keep his eyes open.
“We are assembling the armies of Everville and the army of giants to converge on The City of Worms. We must prevent the armies of Them from taking the element. The Second Pillar has protected the city, but something has changed. Them have been plotting and scheming and have sent the armies to lay siege to the city, we think in an attempt to steal the element from the worms. Our armies and the army of giants will flank the armies of Them from both sides once we get Them’s position.
“The great decision that we have been pondering is whether or not we will have to destroy the worms. It was decided long ago that the power would be channeled and dissipated through the worms. It was also assumed that one day the lure of power would eventually attract Them to the element within the worms that are located in the city. That is why it was just a temporary solution, but we have been unable to find a new way to dissipate that element, so now we find ourselves in this strained position,” The Keeper intoned.
“There is just one problem, though. There is no known method to kill the worms. As long as the worms hold the element, they contain more power than any known land or realm within in the entire multiverse. Even Them are unable to kill the worms, but there is another problem. Even if the worms were somehow destroyed, there would be no container for the element, and the element would float freely, ready to be seized by anyone who could create a makeshift collector.
“It is not known how the armies of Them are planning to transfer the element from the worms, since the worms still have the protection of The Second Pillar. It is hoped that our armies can fight off the armies of Them and stop whatever plan Them are scheming, but if we are unsuccessful, our only chance of finding a solution to kill the worms and dissipate the element the worms’ hold is by consulting The Second Pillar, who surrounds the city.
“I have sent the Ubaloo, as well as Oldrik’s former helpers, Calvin and Mallory, to spy on the armies of Them and bring back any information they can find on the armies’ plan and position. When they return with the intelligence, I will need to consult The Second Pillar and learn The Second Pillar of Truth. You are the only one known that possesses the potential power and virtue to accomplish that great feat.
“Your skills have also grown, and you have the ability to send yourself at will to any location within the surrounding lands of Everville. When I call upon you, I will need you to transport yourself to the portal in Brackenbone that leads to The City of Worms. You must then travel from the portal to The Second Pillar, which surrounds the city. It lies to the east about a half a day’s journey from the portal. You will travel with the armies of Everville, but they must continue on without you beyond that point. If you fail, grave consequences will meet both our realm and yours.”
“I’ll be ready, Keeper, and I’ll do what I can. Hopefully it will be enough,” Owen replied.
“It will have to be,” The Keeper said gravely.
“There is just one more thing, Owen. Others in your realm, including Jacob, have been working with Them. Cleophas may be able to find out more information on exactly who those other people are and how they are providing Them support. It may also provide you with some additional clues that we can use to help find out what Them are planning,” The Keeper continued.
“Understood. We are supposed to be meeting with Cleophas later this week. I’ll see if we can meet today at the Echo Club instead.”
“Good. You will be called upon soon, so stay alert,” The Keeper replied.
The Keeper then sent Owen back to his room. The alarm rang, and Adamo woke up.
Adamo yawned, turned to Owen, and said, “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Adamo. I think it’s going to be another long day.”
CHAPTER 21:
THE CITY OF WORMS
Felix, Faine, and Asher looked in every direction. Miles off in the distance they saw what appeared to be a massive city, connected into one humungous structure.
Asher looked at Calvin and Mallory and said, “This would be a good time for you to do your thing so we can find out what’s going on with the armies of Them.”
Calvin started contorting his face into all different expressions and shapes, as if the exercise would somehow initiate contact with Them. Mallory gave Calvin a gentle slap on the back of his slimy, bald head.
“Quit being silly, Calvin. Let’s get this thing done,” Mallory said. He then closed his eyes in an attempt to shut out the distractions around him.
Mallory was soon successful in finding a connection with Them.
“I can see the armies of Them. They are positioned halfway between the border of The Other In Between and the entrance to the city,” Mallory said with his eyes closed.
“I also—” were the last words that escaped Mallory’s lips before he was interrupted.
“Tasty looking bone and flesh. Tasty bone and flesh,” said the five-eyed creature approaching Mallory from the west.
Felix, Faine, and Asher jumped on Calvin’s shoulders while they waited for Mallory to figure out a plan.
“We are with the armies of Them,” Mallory said.
The creature looked at Mallory in bewilderment. It
had two sets of eyes with a single eye in the middle. It had four pincers for a mouth, two large horizontal pincers and a smaller vertical set. The closest approximation of the creature would be a combination of a bird and a spider.
The creature then jumped in the air and spread its massive wings, which extended several feet in each direction, and flew off in the opposite direction.
“That was close,” Faine said.
“Too close. Too close,” Felix chimed.
“We have bigger problems to worry about now,” Mallory replied.
“What do you see?” Asher asked.
“Them are planning on more than just extracting the element from the worms. Them want to control the worms and give the worms sentience.”
“Sentience. Sentience. What is sentience?” Felix asked.
“Them want to give the worms self-awareness and the ability to reason,” Mallory responded.
“Reason is good. Self-awareness is good,” replied Felix.
“I don’t think it is in this case, Felix,” Mallory said.
“What are you worried about, Mallory?” Faine said.
“Well, if Them were simply going to extract the element from the worms, there would be limitations to how much of the element Them could extract,” Mallory replied.
“So you think that Them want to use all of the element within the worms by controlling the worms after they give them sentience?” Asher said.
“Exactly. That would give Them almost unlimited power.”
“We need to let The Keeper know,” Faine said urgently.
“I think that’s probably a good idea,” Mallory replied.
“The portal to Brackenbone is a full day’s journey. We better get moving,” Asher said.
They continued walking for several hours across a barren desert, but at least the darkness from the neighboring land of The Other In Between muted the strength of the sun. During the day, the desert was in a perpetual state of twilight with just enough light to see, but not much more. The air was cool, but the smell was unpleasant. It had an acidic odor reminiscent of vomit.