by Robert York
“Run you fool! Run!”
I popped the clips on my pack shrugging out of it as I turned heading clumsily in the opposite direction away from the creatures that wanted to end my life. I didn’t need the extra weight to contend with and would try to come back later for it. I knew it was a stupid thing to do, leaving all my stuff here, but it wouldn’t do me any good if they caught and killed me.
A blur of white motion swept past my eyes barely missing the bridge of my nose. I perceived for the briefest of moments my staff sailing end over end away from me disappearing completely into a deep snowdrift. A creature I hadn’t seen grabbed my coat, lifting me off my feet then slammed me violently to the frozen ground. Pain coursed through my body, stars drunkenly danced around in my field of vision. The creature lifted me again hurling me twenty-five feet away. I bounced a few times skidding to a halt. My upper body and my waist were buried in a thick layer of freshly disturbed snow. I think a groan of pain or a whimper escaped from my lips as my ability to breathe returned. I just laid there in agony; some part of my brain began prodding an urgent thought out from the shadows.
If I didn’t move or do something now I was surely dead. A fact I knew already even before my brain started trying to tell me the obvious. I was in pain, hurting, close to blacking out and my body just didn’t want to move. I willed my shaking hands to brush the snow from my head and off my goggles. As an afterthought I removed them, discarding them. Then with a little more exertion I propped myself up on my right elbow to view the situation. The movement churned the contents in my stomach. I wanted to throw up, but I forced my stomach to calm down.
The ape creature that attacked me had gone over to check on his comrade’s injuries. That was bad, for me at least. These apparently weren’t mindless violent creatures. They had feelings and compassion for their kind. I may have killed one of them and perhaps injured two others, which meant there might be some hurtful payback coming my way soon.
“Stop thinking and move!” Were the only words the little voice in my head began shouting in a loud anxious tone. How could I argue with my conscience? I rolled over onto my knees. It was a slow process with my joints popping painfully when my weight settled on them. I could feel the ground trembling behind me. I knew that the ape creatures were coming for me. I didn’t bother to look, my heart pumped with new cowardly adrenalin. I pushed myself up into a gangly four-legged gate. Using my feet and my hands was difficult and awkward to say the least. I probably looked like a Giraffe taking its first wobbly steps. I felt a heavy tremor behind me that above all else got me moving faster. My momentum kept me from getting into a two-legged gate so I kept scrambling along on all fours like some sort of crab that was missing most of its genetic code. I got maybe another ten feet further before I felt a powerful blow strike my hip sending me airborne twisting and turning like a limp rag doll until I came to rest on my back roughly a dozen odd feet away.
Instinct took over or maybe it was a healthy dose of self-preservation, but I wasted no time. I slogged myself backward using my arms and legs not daring to turn over trying to crawl. I moved pretty well keeping a good distance away from the three sets of grasping hands, which were clawing at me for any piece of my body that they could get a hold on. I hadn’t any idea where this newfound energy originated from and I really didn’t care. I bobbed left, then right, ducking my head avoiding a fist that would have put a huge dent in my thinking abilities. I dropped to my back kicking my legs over my head, rolling away from them. They kept missing me. At one point I darted between one of the beast’s legs. A fist meant for me landed in the family jewels of the other beast. That helped put one of them out of action for a few moments at least.
This little game went on for a minute or two more until that fateful moment when I banged my head against a fallen tree buried in the snow. I got cocky knocking myself senseless. I watched through bleary-eyed pain, as two white ape creatures moved toward me, murderous hate in their eyes. The only sounds I could hear were the crunching of the snow under the weight of their massive bodies, their animalistic breathing and the beating of my heart as it tried to pound its way out of my rib cage. It was difficult to focus on anything. I felt as though I was losing consciousness. All the pain in my body that I’d somehow suppressed came flooding back in earnest. My stomach churned and I couldn’t help but lean to one side vomiting onto the snow. The creatures were about five feet or so away. One of them vindictively flicked snow into my face; the other inched closer with a huge outstretched hand. The unsettling thing about this situation was that I was at peace. I know that sounds dumb, but in a way I sort of knew what to expect. In my dream I died and I wasn’t afraid of the dark any longer. I struggled to stay awake, it was difficult, but I managed it for a few more seconds at least. I even drifted into a state of delusion because I could’ve sworn that my imagination was getting the best of me.
I heard a leonine roar, deep and deafening in volume drowning out all other sounds. The ape creatures looked startled. Had they heard the sound too or was I just imagining this as well? Then an odd thing occurred - well, it was odd to me in any case - a huge dark furry mass blurred into my field of vision rocketing over my head tackling the stunned ape creature closest to me, driving my attacker to the ground. With a huge balled fist the dark furry creature drove it down onto my attackers chest with bone breaking force. The sound of the impact made my stomach lurch once again. Blood choked from the creature’s mouth while the dark furry creature held it down. The ape creature gasped deep gurgles thrashing feebly for a few moments then went still.
The dark furry creature rose to its feet quicker than a flash of lightening. It turned vaulting, landing beside the other startled creature. In seconds it had a massive fur covered arm around the other beasts neck. The two struggled viciously jerking each other one way then the other, the second attacker trying desperately to escape. At one point the struggling ape creature sunk his massive jaws into the forearm of what I had hoped was my savior. The bite didn’t even make the latter flinch. The dark furry creature arched back in a quick jerking motion pulling the ape creature off its feet. Pivoting to its left I heard the ape’s neck snap. The dark furry creature loosened its grip on the ape and its body fell boneless to the ground.
Wisps of steam signifying its last breath escaped its mouth. I watched in stunned horror, as a third ape creature leapt onto the back of the dark furry creature pulling him into a tight bear hug sinking its large canine teeth repeatedly into the dark furry creatures neck. Thrashing and bucking in erratic circles the dark furry creature tried in vain to throw its attacker off. The ape’s arms must’ve been made of coiled steel because it didn’t budge an inch. The dark furry creature turned locking eyes on a large tree fifteen feet or so away. It turned running backwards in the direction of the tree. There was no time for the ape creature to react. Both of their massive bodies slammed into the heavy tree trunk. Snow knocked from bare branches fell in icy clumps on top of them. Knocked senseless, the ape creature’s eyes rolled back in its head and its lower jaw relaxed. Its grip however remained firmly around its foe.
The dark furry creature walked five or so feet forward then hit the tree again. It repeated this three more times until the ape slid off limply from the back of the dark furry creature. I thought I heard a deep reverberating crack pin balling off every surface around me. I didn’t know if the sound came from deep inside the tree trunk or the ape’s now lifeless body. I slipped further into unconscious as I watched the dark furry creature turn in my direction making his way with purpose over to me. It knelt in front of me peering into my dimming eyes. I was still unsure if this was a male or a female and I was in no shape to ask. Two points of fire blazed where its eyes should’ve been, the rest of its face was an unidentifiable form. It raised a huge hand blocking my field of vision, I couldn’t fight to stay awake any longer so I gave in to sleep and everything went blissfully black.
Chapter 18
Istood at the edge of a small pool rimmed by
dark oddly shaped stones. I had a strange feeling that Tim Burton designed the pool because it looked like something he might have had in one of his movies. The pool itself was filled with a gently rippling silver liquid. Quicksilver, if I wasn’t mistaken.
Light shone down upon me from a source I couldn’t see. The light reminded me of the bright orange glow you’d sometimes get in Detroit, as dawn would break in the waning days of summer. The light though brilliant was not uncomfortable. Tiny motes of dust swirled lazily through the cylinder of ethereal illumination catching my attention for the briefest of moments. I leaned over the edge of the pool to gaze into the metallic liquid. What I found there startled me.
The reflection appeared to be of me, but at the same time it wasn’t. The face looked uncannily like my own, with subtle differences however. Long and angular in shape with high cheek bones. The nose was thinner than mine. It had a hawkish quality with flared nostrils. The hair - white as snow in color - fell to below the shoulders. The ears were pointed almost like an Elf’s.
No.
Exactly like an Elf’s. The feature of this face that startled me the most was the eyes. My eyes are the color of a Topaz sky on a clear spring day, where this man’s eyes were light brown almost caramel in color they exuded a malice that terrified me. His eyes had the look of a top predator, like a Great White Shark or Komodo dragon, soulless, devoid of humanity. The animals I just mentioned stalked and killed their prey for survival, this man’s motivation however appeared to go beyond that. Though all this was an uninformed observation I could see the orgasmic love of killing lurking there in those eyes.
I shivered as I straightened. I had no idea who that man was, but I knew I didn’t want to meet him. The fact I resembled him made me wonder, who was he and why am I just now seeing his likeness. Hell, for all I knew I was dead and this was the first part of some weird entrance exam to get into Heaven or Hell depending on how my tests were graded. It’d be my luck to fail out of Heaven and have to repeat life. I hoped that whoever was in charge graded on a curve.
“The shroud of death has yet to be pulled over your eyes young Wizard,” a strong powerful voice neither male nor female, but a mixture of both said from beyond the cylinder of light.
I jerked my head in the direction of the crisp voice, thick with a cultured old world British accent. Had the voice started spewing out a torrent of vile sexually profane language I do believe anyone within earshot would have found it charming.
A blurry form stood appraising me. The form never really took on any kind of shape, instead it blurred from one out of focus image to another. Almost as though there were multiple images fighting to be seen at the same time. Somehow I knew the form I was looking at was a person. The only thing I could really make out, were colors. Lots of blues and white mixed with a little hint of gold.
“Who are you,” I asked. “And what is this place?”
The blurred form regarded me and then said.
“You are careless and dull witted as a child not yet weaned from its mother’s teat young Wizard.”
“Am not,” I shot back. The king of witty comebacks, that’s me.
“You didn’t answer my questions,” I continued.
“How observant,” the form said in an arrogant tone. “Perhaps if you chose to ask more intelligent questions I would choose to answer them.”
I sighed. I never get a straight answer and have to work for the crappy ones I always tended to get. Why do people with knowledge have to make up dumb ass ways of getting you to answer the questions they ask? I moved closer to the blurry form walking right into the cylinder of light. Which had a similar effect of walking into a sliding glass door and as it turned out it hurt just as much. The light acted as a barrier preventing me from leaving the illuminated circle as well as I presumed keeping the blurry form away from me. I probably looked a lot like a mime with my hands pressed against the invisible wall.
“Perhaps it was a mistake to bring you here,” the form said disappointed. “You are much too young and not ready for the knowledge I possess.”
“Now wait a minute,” I said agitated. “You are the one who decided to be all mysterious not me. If you want to talk, then talk. Don’t be a prick about the whole thing.”
The blurry form said nothing for almost a minute then a low throaty laugh echoed around me. It was the kind of infectious heartfelt laugh that made me want to join in, but I didn’t.
“Very well young Wizard, we will proceed in your manner of your generation… Judging by your knowledge and experience I will endeavor to keep my words and answers simplistic in scope.”
The blurry form satisfied with its insult, turned gliding slowly to the left. It was difficult keeping my eyes from crossing as he moved, sort of like dealing with a bad headache.
“Ask your questions,” said the blurry form.
I hesitated gathering my thoughts not wanting to waste my questions on dumb ones. Who knows when this person was going to decide to clam up?
“Well, let’s start with the most important question. Am I alive or is this the waiting room of the afterlife?” I asked curiously.
“You have an odd sense of what is and what is not important. However, since that is your question, yes you are yet alive and resting this very moment in a place of safety,” it replied.
“So I survived the ape attack?”
“Obviously,” the blurry form replied sarcastically.
“So this place we are in… is it a real place or is it an image created by you?”
The blurry form hesitated.
“The simplest answer young Wizard is yes,” it said pausing once again then continuing. “This place is contained within the walls of your mind.. I created it so that we might converse. You are also correct that this place though a conjured reality is quite real… If I were to pierce your flesh here the wound would appear in the same place on your body in the conscious world.”
It was my turn to be silent.
“And this pool of quicksilver?” I asked jerking my head in the direction of the pool.
The blurry form stopped abruptly saying nothing for a long moment.
“He knows not what the murky waters of the past keeps hidden from his eyes?” The blurry form said to know one in particular.
“What are you talking about?”
The blurry form gazed at me as if seeing me for the first time then it said.
“The pool is many things, a repository of knowledge, a mirror into your very being, an aid for learning magic. It can also reveal such things contained in your mind not yet realized or things forgotten long ago. Thoughts, memories and even lessons that you have learned which have yet to take hold. By your look of utter bewilderment you have many I would surmise,”
I raised my right hand giving the blurry form the finger. Either it didn’t know what the finger meant or it didn’t see the gesture because the blurry form just kept right on speaking unperturbed.
“When you find yourself in a deep dreamless slumber as you are now, or in a conscious state where your thoughts need order, you can will yourself to this place to speak to me or gaze into the pool to look upon yourself.”
“So what you’re saying is that the pool behind me is sort of like a replay button for my brain?” I asked.
The blurry form regarded me silently, possibly perplexed by my use of words. Like flipping the bird, it was probably unfamiliar with the gesture as well as what a replay button was.
“Never mind,” I said finally. “I get the idea.”
I looked around then asked.
“Why did you bring me here?”
“To show you this place and take my measure of you.” The form said seriously.
“I thought you already did that, you called me careless and dull witted if I recall correctly.”
“I am still making my determination about you, but my mind is leaning closer to village idiot,”
I threw up my hands letting out a groan of frustration stomping around the pool.
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“Jesus Christ on a Popsicle stick!” I began. “I get this kind of crap from Barnabas all the time! It’s like having an asshole Wizard in the real world and one floating around in my head.”
I trailed off as a thought occurred to me, an unsettling thought. I turned pensively back to the blurry form. I know I’ve never been accused of being stupid, - present company excluded of course - it just takes me a little while to connect the dots. I’m a bit thick headed about many subjects - women being the most obvious – however, I knew who this person was. A knowing smile shown on my face as the curtains in my mind opened. I said.
“You’re Merlin, aren’t you?”
The form remained silent for a long moment and then it flickered. A subtle pulse of energy emanated from the middle of the blurry form then all the images fighting to be seen merged together into a tall older male figure.
“Very good young Sir. Though my opinion of you is still tarnished. You have found the answer and for that I am pleased.” He said giving me a respectful incline of his head.
“So the power that I absorbed from the crystal also contained a copy of who you were in life?” I asked.
“Not a copy young Sir, all that I was or would ever become along with my power resided within that crystal.”
My hand instinctively went to the almost healed ash dagger wound on my shoulder. Merlin smiled.
“You healed the injury I got from the Ashari assassin,” I asked.
“To be more precise your body did the healing, I simply instructed your mind and body on how to accomplish the process more quickly along with minimal pain,” he said diffidently.