Meridias

  “Who?” Elunduil asked. Joel’s mouth opened into an O as he realized Elunduil’s confusion. “Right, I forgot you probably don’t know the names of the people you fought against. Anyway Ashblade is my commanding officer. He said that when he fled to the desert he found a portal that led back to this base. That’s why The General found out about you.” Elunduil nodded slowly as the pieces came together. What a strange twist of fate that the knight who had fled from him was also the reason that he had been captured and Joel had been taken away.

  Elunduil finished off his story and briefly told Joel about Ark who had been a piece of himself that he’d accidentally separated out. Joel noticed that Elunduil seemed a bit gloomy talking about Ark and wanted to know more about what had happened but Ashblade told him that he needed to get back to learning magic. Joel asked Elunduil how he could get stronger with magic and Elunduil shrugged. “It’s like a muscle. Just keep using it and you’ll get stronger,” he replied. Joel nodded. He wondered what else he could do with his limited reserves. Joel had an idea about it and rubbed his fingers together. If his idea worked then he could maybe make something like a gas tank burst into flames even if he wasn’t close to it.

  Joel snapped his fingers and a spark appeared near the center of the table. “Ooo!” Joel said like a child who’d found a new toy. He clicked a couple more times and sparks appeared in the air at various spots. “Hey this is fun! It also doesn’t completely drain me!” Joel said excitedly. Elunduil nodded. He was sure Joel would make good use out of a technique like that. Elunduil tilted his head to the side a moment before a spark appeared next to his face. He grunted in annoyance and held up a hand. “Don’t do that,” he said and a small burst of flame appeared next to Joel’s head. He jumped back and toppled over in his chair as he tried to get away from the fire that had appeared. Elunduil laughed as Joel hit the ground. “Okay fine you win!” Joel said grumpily and pulled himself off the floor.

  As he sat back down and stared at Elunduil he felt something happen. There was something inside of his mind that recognized Elunduil and it began to pull itself out of the recess of his mind. He wasn’t sure what was happening but the he felt like there was a pop in his head that staggered him for a moment. He stared at Elunduil feeling like something had left him and was about to say something but notice that Elunduil was gazing at him with a vacant stare. “Uh, hello?” he said slowly and waved a hand in front of Elunduil.

  Elunduil found himself suddenly floating in a strange place. Sand trickled about him like waterfalls except there was one problem. The flow was reversed! Instead of falling it was rising up into the air. He saw strange sky-blue wisps floating around in the distance and wondered what they were. The light here was also strange. It was a kind of bronze color that cast a strange hue on his skin. What was this place? “Thou hast entered mine domain, child,” a deep voice said into his mind. A large blue flame-like orb appeared in front of him. If Elunduil had to guess it was over three stories tall. “I am the elemental of the land on Meridias. Thou mayest call me Desert Blue.” The elemental answered the question Elunduil had been about to ask.

  He wasn’t too sure what its purpose here was but if it was from Meridias than perhaps it was here to help him? “Hmm, thou art not as talkative as the bellowing man. I am sure thou wantest to know why I am here,” Desert Blue said. Elunduil nodded. “A disturbance hath awakened me from mine slumber. I am here to help awaken thee, and in turn thou shalt end the cycle.” Elunduil was confused. Awaken him? Did this have something to do with his dreams? What was the cycle he was supposed to end? “Thou hast wandered across Meridias many times. The world around you is a but a visage of my realm. I am also merely a shadow sent to give you the knowledge of the earth. Art thou prepared?” Elunduil looked down to his hands. He felt a sense of conviction well up inside of him and looked up to the elemental. “Yeah… if I can save my friends from their fates then I’ll do anything!”

  The elemental didn’t respond at first. Elunduil felt like it was staring at him with mild amusement. “Is that so? If thou hast seen their fates then thou knows what awaits thee at the end of despair. Wilt thou still try to save them?” Desert Blue asked. Elunduil nodded with conviction burning in his eyes. “Hoh? Something hath changed! Very well then take the knowledge of the earth!” Elunduil wasn’t sure what Desert Blue meant by something changing but before he could ask he felt a surge of knowledge flow into his mind. He half-expected there to be some sort of poem but it never came.

  He suddenly came back to his senses and saw Joel staring at him with concern. “Soo… something just happened right?” he asked. Elunduil nodded. He told Joel about what happened and that Desert Blue had given him the knowledge of earth. He also had a strange feeling that the lack of a poem was subverting some expectations but couldn’t place why he felt that way. “Oh come on why do you get everything! You can use magic without pressing the trigger and no one can sense you until you use magic!” Joel complained. Elunduil shrugged and asked Joel about Desert Blue.

  Joel regaled his tale to Elunduil about the bone dragon and how Desert Blue swooped in and blew the dragon to smithereens. Elunduil chuckled at the part where Desert blue called Joel a ‘bellowing man’ much to Joel’s annoyance. “What? I mean you do kind of bellow,” Elunduil said between chuckles. Joel grumpily waved a hand at Elunduil. “Anyway you’re probably out of juice now. I don’t know what time it is but if we wait until tomorrow you’ll probably last longer,” Elunduil said with a yawn. Joel nodded in agreement and asked Ashblade if it was fine that they stopped. Ashblade said it was fine and Joel noted that the other man seemed a bit agitated. Elunduil was escorted out of the room and with nothing better to do Joel left to go find food and to mull over ways to use his limited supply of magical energy.

  Ashblade all but stormed out of the room from which he’d been watching Elunduil and Joel. He would’ve left earlier but he’d wanted to see if there were any more mentions of his sister. Now that the session was done he had a few choice words for General Titus. As he stormed down the hall and grew closer to The General’s office he took several deep breathes to calm himself. Thinking about it, if General Titus already knew about Alicia’s involvement with Elunduil there was a good chance that he was watching her and that meant that he may have even been planning to bring her and the rest of Elundui’s friends in. If that was the case then… Ashblade paused before General Titus’ office door. He had to find out what was going to happen to Alicia.

  He knocked on the door three times. On the other side he heard The General grant him access and Ashblade opened the door. “Ah, Ashblade I anticipated you being here,” General Titus said. Ashblade’s eyes narrowed. Had The General been watching? “Why did you hide the fact that my sister was involved,” he asked getting straight to the point. General Titus clasped his hands together. “It was unnecessary at the time. Elunduil was the only one who was of worth to me.” General Titus explanation made Ashblade seethe with anger. He roughly put his hands on the desk and leaned forward “Unnecessary?! That’s my sister! There is nothing unnecessary to me when it comes to her!” His face was inches from The General who stared back at him.

  General Titus leaned back. “Very well then. I suppose I shall tell you my plan. Now that I know that the others children are likely capable of magic as well I am going to round them up and bring them here,” he said calmly. Ashblade felt a chill in his heart. Bring Alicia here? If that happened then there would be no way General Titus would let her go. Especially since Elunduil had mentioned she could use magic as well. “Is not Elunduil enough? Given his stories he’s bound to be the strongest one,” Ashblade said hoping to sway The General’s mind. He nodded at Ashblade’s point and said, “True, and given the extent of the damage he did to the warehouse I have no doubts about his ability, however…” General Titus’ eyes looked distant. “If we are to realize a future without war then we must seize control of all who possess a talent for magic.”

  Ashblade gulped. There was no co
nvincing General Titus otherwise. Not when it came to the man’s ideal future. “What exactly are you planning to do?” he asked cautiously. General Titus smiled wanly. “I’ve had men watching Scott Howard and Jeremy Elden as well as Elunduil’s friends since we brought in Joel. I will have them take everyone into custody and they will be brought here.” Ashblade felt like his world was slipping away. He had no control over this situation and he knew there would be nothing he could do to stop it on his own. “Do not worry, Ashblade. I assure you that no harm will come to your sister.” General Titus’ words did little to assuage Ashblade’s fears. He nodded unenthusiastically and took his leave.

  Ashblade walked around the base in a daze. His sister was in danger but what could he do from here? It’s not like he could escape and try to rescue her. Even if he did escape General Titus already had men poised to take her and her friends in. He could try to break her out when she got here but that would be infinitely harder. If he did break her out and she managed to escape the base she would be hounded for the rest of her life. What of Scott Howard and Jeremy Elden? They must’ve had a plan to deal with The General given they had risked exposing their whereabouts after five years. Could it be that they had managed to access information that would remove General Titus from his position?

  He didn’t doubt it. Those two were incredibly smart men. After all their work had led to the other world to begin with. Ashblade paused in his steps. What about the other world? It would be much harder for General Titus to chase his sister there. The problem still lay with actually ensuring she would get there safely. The portal machine here was under tight security and only General Titus and a select few chosen had access to it. Ashblade sighed in frustration. He was thinking himself in circles here. He decided that maybe he should get something to eat to clear his mind.

  He went to the mess hall and found Joel sitting there chowing down on some food. He saw Kali and Nadir with him as well and they appeared to be having a good time watching Joel devour cookies. Ashblade wondered where they managed to get the cookies from and grinned. They had their ways. As he went over to them he heard Nadir exclaim, “It’s like magic! How does he make the cookie vanish so quickly?!” Magic? Ashblade stopped in his steps. Elunduil and Joel could use magic. What if Elunduil were to escape? The gears in Ashblade’s head turned and he thought out a plan. It could work but it would be risky. If he could find a way to get Elunduil to the others, he alone may be able to hold off General Titus’ men. The problem was how to get him from here to his hometown. Ashblade would have to secure a vehicle of some kind for him to escape with. He looked up at Joel and had another idea involving Joel’s limited use of magic that involved gasoline and explosions.

  Ashblade walked up to the table. Nadir noticed him and crisply saluted. Ashblade nodded and returned the salute. “At ease,” he said and Nadir relaxed a bit. Joel and Kali looked up to Ashblade. “Oh hi Ash!” Joel said cheerfully.

  “It’s Ashblade!” Ashblade replied with mild irritation. He looked at the other two who were eying him curiously. He wasn’t quite sure he could trust them however his plan would be difficult to pull off and they still weren’t indoctrinated into The General’s ranks. He glanced about the room. He knew from experience that The General had key areas of the facility tapped with recording devices. The mess hall was one of those places. “Let’s take a walk you three,” he said and stepped away. Joel and the others shared a bemused look and followed Ashblade out into the hallway.

  He led them out of the building and into cool air of the desert evening. It wasn’t all too dissimilar from the desert in Meridias around this time of day. There was a training ground outside between two of the buildings that Ashblade was headed towards. While he walked he spoke his mind. “Joel, have you mentioned anything about our ‘special guest’ to the others?” he asked. Joel shook his head and said no. “Good, make sure that it stays that way.” Ashblade said. He cleared his throat to give himself time to think of a way to broach the topic of breaking Elunduil out. “I mentioned that I have a younger sister to you before Joel. What would you say if I told you that she goes to the same school as you?”

  Joel shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s cool I guess?” he replied indifferently. Ashblade stopped walking and turned to Joel, Kali, and Nadir. “Now remember you can’t talk about our special guest. The rest of this conversation didn’t happen, understand?” Joel and the others slowly nodded. “Good. Now then do you remember when I asked you to press about that one girl’s name? Just shake your head or nod.” Joel nodded. “That girl is my sister, and now The General moves to capture her as well!” Ashblade emphasized his point by pointing a finger towards the building. “I’m sure you understand what that means. The same thing that happened to you, to me, to all of us will happen to her. I will not stand idly by and let it happen.”

  Ashblade’s intense gaze conveyed his will and conviction to the others. Kali was the first to speak. “What’s the plan?” she asked. Ashblade was certain that Joel would go along and was surprised Kali jumped at the opportunity to help him as well. He looked to Nadir who solemnly nodded. He also had Joel’s full attention. It would seem Ashblade’s gamble would pay off. He looked off to the side. “Personally I would like to escape and go to her side. I’m not sure when General Titus plans to make his move but I’m sure it will be within a day or two.” He clenched his fists. “However even if I were to escape there isn’t anything I can do. You all saw what that elemental was capable of, so in my stead we send someone capable of similar feats.”

  Kali and Nadir looked surprised. Joel immediately understood who Ashblade was referring to. “Wait a minute! You mean to say there’s a…” Kali glanced around. “Person capable of something like that?!” Ashblade nodded seriously. “Who could you mea-” Kali cut herself off as she realized who Ashblade was talking about. “How do we break the tortoise’s back?” Nadir asked. Ashblade grinned evilly. He told them his plan and what they needed to prepare. The group broke off and went their separate ways. Ashblade sighed deeply and grinned fiendishly. Tomorrow would be a blast.

  Chapter 26

  The Mouse Gets Trapped

  Felras had spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around after the others had dropped him and Cerra off. Not that there was much to do besides watch TV in the living room. The safe house itself was a one story home with a small basement. There were two bedrooms on the right side of the home and the kitchen and the living room were on the left side. The staircase that led down into the basement was actually hidden in the master bedroom behind a false wall in the closet. Cerra had told Felras that the basement was connected to the barn through a secret passage and that there was actually a fallout bunker under the barn as well. Night had come quickly and with nothing else to do Felras had gone to bed.

  When he woke the next morning he smelled something good coming from the kitchen and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was wearing a pair of somewhat big pajamas that Cerra had said were there just in case Mr. Elden or Scott had to put someone into hiding. He got out of the soft bed and looked around the room. There was a window to his right and to the left was a door that led out into the hallway that connected the rest of the house. Inside the room itself there was a white cabinet positioned next to the beige wall and a lamp with a white lampshade rested atop it. There was a closet door directly in front of the bed and on the wall to the left and next to the door there was a painting of a forest with large trees that Felras assumed was of the forest in Meridias.

  He got out of bed and went into the hallway and followed the smell of bacon. He heard a faint humming up ahead and when he got to the kitchen he saw Cerra carefully turning the bacon over. Her movements were fluid and without hesitation as she moved each piece in the frying pan. Today Cerra was wearing a powder blue t-shirt and blue jeans. Felras wasn’t sure if the heat on Earth even bothered the elf. He’d never actually seen her sweat. “Good morning!” she said cheerfully. The musical tone of her voice caught Felras off guard. He wasn�
��t sure if he’d ever quite get used to it. Felras quietly shuffled into the kitchen and went to the fridge. He opened the door and pulled out a bottle of water before closing the door and shuffling to the small brown table in the living room.

  A couple of gulps later Felras felt refreshed and awake. He looked over at Cerra as she hummed and went about making breakfast. He found her captivating. Everything about her was otherworldly. From the way she spoke to her humming. Not only that but she had a beauty unlike anything he’d ever seen before. It was hard not to stare and it seemed as if she didn’t mind the attention. He wasn’t sure what to make of her. Sure he’d seen the other elves but he hadn’t been stuck in close proximity with them like this. His eyes traced over her shoulder-length chestnut hair. It was such a normal color but something about the way it looked and shined was also captivating.

  He forced himself to look away and stared at his bottled water. He hoped that the others wouldn’t be away for too much longer. Today was the day that they would be attempting to rescue the man called Scott. He also wondered what Elunduil was going through right now. How exactly had he managed to not be bothered by Cerra’s beauty? “It’s done~” Cerra said musically. Felras looked up and saw her shaking the bacon grease off the bacon and then placing it on a plate that had a paper towel over it. There was also a plate with waffles on it nearby that Cerra must’ve prepared ahead of time. “Ah, if you could grab the silverware that would be an immense help!” Cerra said and Felras almost immediately got up to help.

  He went to the cabinets on the wall next to the stove and grabbed a couple of plates. He then pulled out silverware from a drawer just below the plates and set them on the table. Cerra placed the food on the table and took a seat. Felras followed suit and sat down at his chair. “Well, help yourself!” Cerra said and Felras nodded and scooped some food onto his plate. The next few minutes were filled with the clinking of silverware as the pair ate their meal. Felras, like Elunduil, wasn’t much of a talker and Cerra seemed content to let him eat in peace. When he finished with his food he went and rinsed his plate and silverware in the sink.