by C E Johnson
One of her ogre leaders lumbered forward to twist Shadoe’s arm and her horde screamed with insane glee. A gnome darted up to Shadoe. The short creature slapped Shadoe across his cheek while spitting on him. The harsh voice of a female goblin rose from the crowd and crowed, “The king of the elves is bested by a gnome.” The congregation erupted in laughter.
Yet instead of moving to strike Shadoe down and put an end to all of the horseplay, Maaca shook her head to clear it from the words that made no sense. In that moment, all the noises instantly died away. A dryad hesitantly stepped forward. Maaca knew the creature. She had talked with her before the battle. The dryad was named Adrienne. She was a half-dead created by Emily Dalton and she was tall, dainty, and graceful.
“Do you want me to deal with her?” Edvard asked. He had appeared at Maaca’s side and he was gesturing toward the dryad. The Black-blade warrior glanced from the dryad to Maaca with furrows on his brow. His hand was on the hilt of his longsword.
“No.” Maaca gently pushed his hand away from his sword. She was curious. What was the dryad thinking? “I want to see what she does.” Nothing was making sense. Moving forward as smooth as a dancer, Adrienne carried a bowl of liquid and a white cloth. She dabbed the towel into the water and cleaned Shadoe’s face. The other half-deads remained silent, also watching the dryad in stunned astonishment. Like Maaca, they didn’t stop her. Adrienne squeezed water into Shadoe’s mouth, and he swallowed. He reached a hand forward to touch the dryad’s face. Although Maaca was now some distance from the two, she strained to keep his face in focus to read his lips. Something important was happening. Her heart lurched as she studied Shadoe’s mouth intently. Even though she couldn’t understand much of what he imparted to the dryad, she could read the word danger when he spoke it urgently to the dryad. The word was plain as day. She also picked out several other words—magestone set and run. Leaning forward, the dryad kissed Shadoe on each of his cheeks before she backed away from him. Adrienne’s head suddenly whirled around. She was studying the half-deads around her with a strangely hopeful smile on her face. All at once she locked onto Maaca and her eyes went wide.
She knows something important, Maaca surmised as an uneasy feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach. What words had he spoken to her? The dryad spun in a twisting swirl, dodging through the half-deads, streaking through the outer gate of the stronghold, and eventually running away with long strides toward the woods. Shadoe sighed and once again lowered his head, but something had changed in his demeanor. Was there a hint of satisfaction on his face? Studying the departing dryad’s rapid movements, Maaca blurted to Edvard, “Something horrible is about to happen.” Bile rose in her throat as her intuition began functioning as quickly as the dryad was dashing away. Putting together the clues from his words and the dryad’s actions, she supposed Shadoe was going to enact some form of a magic with a magestone set.
“Are you certain?” Edvard asked. Appearing to absorb her prediction, a cold fury was growing in Edvard. “Do you want me to get her? Is she a part of it?” He was watching Adrienne flee, his eyes darkening. His brows moved down, knitting together to become one. “I’ll get the truth from her,” he promised.
Maaca curled her hands around the hilts of her swords before releasing her breath with a sigh. “Let her go.” Somehow she knew this was not the dryad’s time.
Edvard snorted to show his displeasure. “What are you going to do with Shadoe?” he grunted. “Isn’t it time to kill him?” Edvard raised an eyebrow to Maaca. “He’s barely conscious.”
Maaca turned her attention back to the elven mage. The warrior was enduring even more affronts, but when she could see his eyes, she saw something planned and secret lurking deep within him. Is he truly accepting his current sufferings for a future glory? Her stomach rolled into a tighter ball and she again tried to interpret what he had whispered to the dryad. Unsuccessful in figuring out all of the mystery, she delved fervently into the consciousness of the scores of elves she had killed that day. Their magus ran through her. There was no time to assimilate the sum of their thoughts, but their surface memories were instantly in her mind. Seizing upon the recollections of one of the elves she had killed who was one of Shadoe’s closest confidants, she found fragments of Shadoe’s strategy. Rapidly piecing together a fraction of what was about to occur, she realized this was all part of a scheme he had formulated. With the comprehension, a chill ran through her core.
“What are you waiting for?” Edvard growled as he started at Shadoe. “Do you want me to perform the death-stroke for you?” He was grinding his teeth together, and Maaca could tell he also didn’t enjoy watching the elf suffer needlessly.
Maaca quieted him again with a raised hand. “We can’t attack him now, or he’ll activate his plan.”
“Plan?” Edvard almost choked on a laugh. “He’s about to die.”
“Come with me,” Maaca ordered Edvard urgently while retreating further from the masses. Attempting to hide from the elf’s vision, she leaned low as she dashed through the growing crowd. “He’s waiting until more of our warriors are closer to him,” she attempted to explain to Edvard concepts that she could only grasp at.
Edvard gave her a measured look that had turned both dark and curious. “Does he have that kind of power?”
Maaca nodded. She was certain of it. Her head began to pound. “We need to flee before he unleashes his destruction.”
“Flee to where?” Edvard asked with astonishment.
“There’s magic calling to me from deep within the ground,” Maaca answered. “We must find an entrance.” Continuing to whirl away from Shadoe and the hub of activity, she barely noticed a tunnel opening just to her side where one of the magicians in her service stood. The magician had a pinched face, thin brown hair, and a silver aura. Leaning against the entrance, he was staring with obvious desire at her vampire Black-blade Graciela who stood several paces in front of him. “There!” Maaca pointed out the passage to Edvard while shifting into a higher gear and sprinting toward it.
“What’s wrong, Maaca?” Graciela asked while opening her eyes wide in obvious surprise at her queen’s rapid approach.
“There’s something amiss,” Maaca growled in answer while gesturing to her two vampire warriors to follow. Wordlessly, they fell in behind her. “Bring him with us!” Maaca pointed at the confused silver magician. Her Black-blades grabbed his cloak and pulled him along as Maaca led the way. She tried not to think too hard on her actions because she knew she would stop herself at the sheer absurdity of her situation if she fully considered what she was doing. Moving by instinct alone, she let her actions be guided by the mass of memories and knowledge seething within her mind from the dead elves.
“Where are we going?” the silver magician stammered as he stumbled forward with them moving at a jog.
“To Shadoe’s portal,” she answered with growing realization of what she was going to find. Even as she ran, she cursed Shadoe and all he stood for as she guided the silver magician and her vampires down stairway after spinning stairway. Her two Black-blades continued to follow her without question, but she could sense a growing disquiet in the magician.
“Why do we need the silver?” Graciela asked, appearing to also sense his apprehension. Graciela’s braided golden hair gleamed and shimmered as she ran.
“I need him to let us through the gateway to Earth. Half-deads can’t activate portals,” Maaca explained hurriedly. Samil had taught her all about the awesome portal structures. Without a doubt, she could feel it eagerly calling to her now. This was the source of the energy she had felt on the surface minutes ago. They ran through countless doors, each standing ajar, in the underground chamber.
“Why is nothing locked?” Edvard asked. His sword was drawn, and he held it before him.
“Perhaps Shadoe considered using the portal as his own escape route,” Maaca answered while trying to stifle the concern that was squeezing her chest. They rounded a last corner and slid headlong int
o a massive cavern where a stone structure pulsating with life stood in the center of the room. A silver glow formed in the entry void.
“It really is another portal,” the silver magician gasped. “I’ve been through the Prime.” He stepped forward and ran a hand along the tablet stone reverently. “I thought it was the only one.”
“Hurry!” Maaca roared over her pulse which was pounding in her ears. The ground began to shake, and rocks split apart, causing boulders to fall from the walls. Stripping off her armor without a second glance, she attempted to slow her heart which was beating so fast she felt like it was going to break. Next, she took off her swords that Samil had given her. They were her prize possessions. She set them reverently next to the entrance to await her return. Wrapping her black wool cloak tightly around her, she made sure there were no steel clasps. Samil had warned her about the perils of crossing with any metal. Lastly, she made sure her vampires and the silver magician were cleared of metal.
“What’s going on?” The silver magician stared open-mouthed at the rocks cracking and rending as they descended in a free fall from the ceiling. Tumbling to the side off-balance, he crouched on the ground.
“Get up!” Maaca urged, moving rapidly to his side. She grunted as she lifted the man to his feet. “Allow us through!” she ordered him. Shadoe’s about to destroy everything.”
The magician gave a hesitant nod before drawing an ‘E’ on the tablet stone. “We will go to Earth,” he promised in a low voice.
Maaca pulled Edvard and Graciela to her. Together the four jumped through the void just as two flashes of white light emerged through the tunnel behind them. One was Shadoe’s death-light and the second, a blast of energy as deadly as a laser, created by Shadoe’s magestone set. More rocks shook, and the passage collapsed shutting off the tunnel in the direction from which they had come. The light faded away on the Acacean side, and the land was left in darkness.
Once across to the Earth side, Maaca gasped in pain while falling to her knees. She felt discomfort in her chest as her lungs attempted to reconcile with the overwhelming differences between the planets. Her body felt sluggish and her breath became shallow. “Now I see why Samil hated this planet,” she whispered to Edvard while attempting to steady her bodily responses.
“I can’t get enough air,” the silver magician next to her choked. While Maaca felt discomfort, the man was much worse off. Appearing near to death, he clutched his throat with both hands. “I need a rejuvenator,” he gasped. His eyes were bulging, and his face was turning a light shade of blue.
“I can’t help you,” Maaca said sorrowfully. Although she desperately needed his skills on this planet, she was certain she wouldn’t be able to save him. He needed a dark rejuvenator, a healing magician, to give him renewed strength and health, but it was too late. Now, she could only take away his agony. “I will ease your pain.” she said while running a hand through his hair. “You will live forever within my mind.” Maaca bit into his neck and he sighed in relief as his distress dissipated. Maaca took a fragment of his magus before his spirit departed.
Edvard and Graciela leaned in to partake of the wisps of energy and the fragments of his memories. “The food of life,” Maaca whispered in a soft voice.
“The food of life,” Edvard and Graciela whispered in response as one.
Maaca pushed the silver’s lifeless body away from her. On Acacia, all sentient creatures evaporated into death-smoke, and Maaca found it strange and somewhat distasteful to see a dead human body remain. Grinding her teeth, she stared at his corpse.
“You granted him peace as he died,” Graciela murmured appreciatively. “You’ve learned kindness and empathy.”
“It’s time to explore,” Maaca said with a dismissive sigh. Perhaps Graciela was right, but she wasn’t sure if she liked what she was becoming. She forced herself up and began to trudge along a pathway. The temperature was warm, the air dry. There was a haze of dust permeating through everything, which was increasingly annoying as she walked. Her feet felt leaden, weary. There was both smooth solid stone and crushed rock beneath her bare soles, a mixture of salt and sand that caused her only minimal discomfort as her senses were dulled.
“I hope this world isn’t all tunnels and darkness,” Edvard growled while moving warily along the passageway, probing the dark with a stern glance.
“There’s something living here,” Maaca whispered. Edvard’s expression hardened as he peered ahead. She pointed just beyond their position while holding up one hand to slow their approach. There was uncertainty in the air. A man was just ahead of her, an earthling with his back to them.
“Maybe this world isn’t all bad,” Graciela murmured. Her eyes glowed with eager excitement, and she bared her canine teeth.
“Be wary. We don’t know what powers earthlings have,” Edvard said with a frown. Balling his hands into fists, he padded silently to the edge of the corridor. “Let me attack first.”
Maaca held up a palm to stop Edvard. “Don’t go on your own. We will attack as one. Samil told me they have formidable firearms on this planet. Watch for any metal objects that fit in their palms. They’re able to fire small projectiles in rapid succession like miniature crossbows.” Maaca let her hand fall to her side weakly as she thought about the weapons Samil had told her existed on this world.
“We’ll steal his knowledge of this planet,” Edvard said in a low voice sounding confident, his body becoming taut. They crept up on the guard. Maaca gave the attack signal, and they floated forward with synchronous bounding steps. As one, they soundlessly slammed into his frame in a headlong rush. The earthling didn’t stand a chance. Teeth flashing in strokes faster than the human eye could follow, they finished off his life before he knew what was happening. Their mouths all came away dripping crimson as they each began assimilated the man’s memories.
Maaca discovered he was a guard. Through him, she learned the English language and a flood of information about life on this planet. She discovered how dependent earthlings were on power and that all of the electricity on Earth had gone out earlier that day. He was the only person remaining in the mine. Backup batteries were supplying energy to a lift ahead which could take them to the surface.
“The remaining power supply won’t last much longer,” Edvard said as he wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “We need to get out of here quickly.”
“There’s a wondrous world up above,” Graciela gushed. She glanced to Maaca, eyebrows raised. “I can barely believe the scenes in his memory. I think we might find some things that we will enjoy here.”
Maaca nodded to Graciela. She attempted to paint a satisfied smile on her face, but her jaw felt tight. They jogged to the lift. The tunnels were silent. Everything was empty. Maaca led her vampires into the metal cage and they ascended over a mile to the surface. An urgent feeling was building in her undead soul. As they exited the mine, she addressed her warriors, “We need to find Iscar as soon as possible.”
CHAPTER 2
Emily
Emily walked across the cool tile to her adoptive parents and hugged them fiercely. Her heart was bursting with joy at being around her family again. She leaned into their embrace feeling even more warmed by their love than their close presence. Sighing, she realized how exhausted she was physically from crossing back to Earth and mentally from all that had occurred on her last trip. Shadoe’s death was nearly all she could think about.
He died a warrior’s death, Xena mentally whispered from her position at Emily’s side. He wiped out a massive half-dead army all by himself. Remember, sacrifice is not defeat.
I wish I could have fought side-by-side with him, Emily responded to her bondsmate. She ran a hand over Xena’s black coat. The fur on Xena’s body and shoulders shone like a dark shadow while covering muscles strong as steel. I wish he was still with us, Emily added.
He’s in our minds, Xena gently retorted. He passed portions of his knowledge on to us. Xena’s warm brown eyes were tw
inkling with love and understanding. We incorporated fragments of his wisdom, but we need to assimilate all of him soon.
I will, Emily promised, now rubbing her hand over the silky fur on Xena’s head, but I’m not ready for that task just yet. She went and collapsed onto the couch. Her legs were sore. After returning the previous night from Acacia, she and her friends had walked to their homes. Apparently, her muscles weren’t completely ready for Earth’s different gravity. Combined with so much death, the loss of her heightened senses depressed her in a way that was almost more than she could bear. She also missed her bondsmate, Ammolite, her multicolored dragon. There was a hole that formed upon their separation that wouldn’t be filled until they were back together.
“Are you feeling sick?” Jean felt Emily’s forehead with the back of her hand. Her voice was distant and distracted. She was acting motherly, but she appeared distraught over something.
“No, just tired,” Emily answered. She yawned and stretched her weary arms. This time travel is tough, Emily conveyed half-heartedly to Xena. She marveled at the time discrepancies associated with her travel. Although her trip to Acacia had lasted months, her parents didn’t even realize she had made a trip at all as less than a day had passed on Earth.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s even wise to return here, Xena said in a low tone. She studied the movements of Emily’s tired arms with eyes as wise as a dragon. We’re so much weaker on Earth. Vulnerable.
My family is my constant. They ground me, Emily tenderly explained what didn’t really need to be explained to her bondsmate.
“You need to rest today,” her mother advised while studying Emily with concern. She pulled a soft brown fleece blanket off the back of the couch and placed it over Emily. Xena immediately jumped onto the couch next to her, circled several times on the blanket until she found a comfortable spot, and lay down with a huff. “That dog,” Jean scoffed while kissing Emily lightly on her forehead. Brushing Emily’s golden highlights back from her brow, her mother whispered, “I’ve never noticed all those flecks of color in your green eyes … even orange.” Taking a step back she continued, “You’ve become such a beautiful lady.”