Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (47 page)

Everyone became quiet, even Kroger. Babysitting the giant was going to be a pain in the rear, and George knew it.

“Kroger, listen to me!” George shouted. “Sit up! Right now!”

The giant did as he was told.

“Don’t make another noise. I want you to stop whining. I’m going to fix your finger, and you’re going to stay still. If you don’t, George will be mad at Kroger. Do you understand me?”

The giant nodded as another tear fell to the ground and splashed next to George’s foot. He sighed and stuck out his hand.

As George walked toward Kroger’s finger, the giant turned his head, shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and held it as he prepared for the pain.

George snapped out a few more comments before removing the splinter. “I’ve never seen a bigger baby in my life. You would think someone was going to kill you, Kroger. I’m sick of listening to you whine. I want you to stay still.”

George reached out and grabbed the sliver. He sized up the situation and leaned in and laid his free hand on the end of the giant’s finger. To his surprise, the ogre’s skin around his hand turned gray. The grayness moved past Kroger’s knuckles and into the giant’s hand.

George moved back and watched in horror. Nothing could be done to stop it. He knew this was going to look bad to the others. He looked at Kepler.

“What’s happening?” Kepler growled, his eyes burning bright garnet-red, while he took a defensive posture. “What are you doing to him? This isn’t necessary! Stop it!”

Kroger watched as the change moved up his arm. “What happen me? Kroger no feel my arm. It sleeps, yes?” The beast-man was confused and could not understand. He continued to speak. “Kroger make sleep stop. Arm wake. Kroger wake arm. You’ll see, George.”

The ogre’s arm was heavy as he struggled to lift it into the air. The collision it made when it slammed into the ground shook the area around them, adjusting the fire and allowing it to rekindle itself.

As his forearm crumbled into rubble, Kroger now understood it was George’s fault. “Kroger arm rock, George. Why you do me this? You hurt arm more. Why? Is George not friend to Kroger? You no like Kroger no more? Kroger like George. Kroger be good. George to fix Kroger. Please, George, no make Kroger die!”

Kepler backed away from his human travel companion, but his voice remained harsh and cold. “His whining wasn’t that bad! Stop it before he meets his end!”

George had no idea what to do. He looked at the ogre. “I didn’t mean to do this, Kroger. George likes you. I’m so sorry, big guy. You’re my friend. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

The grayness was growing faster now, passing through the giant’s shoulder. Soon it would reach his heart, and there was nothing George could do to stop it. All he could do was stand there and watch.

Before the last beat could be finished, the ogre’s heart solidified, and the giant knew it was over. Kroger’s eyes filled with confusion as he looked down at George.

George could feel his own heart breaking as Kroger’s speech grew softer.

Kroger’s voice was but a whisper. “It okay, George. Kroger like George. Kroger still his friend.” That was the last thing the 50 foot tall, gentle, giant moron would say.

Kepler circled the backside of the statue. He did not know what to think. He felt George had done it intentionally, but the human’s demeanor, standing with his head lowered, said something different. The demon-cat thought,
He did apologize. It seemed sincere. Was it an act, or is he truly remorseful? Could he not stop the change? If so, how could he not understand how to control his power?

The rat asked the jaguar what to do. Kepler responded by telling Maldwin to stay put. The demon needed the moments necessary to sniff out the situation.
Why would George turn Kroger to stone? He would’ve simply left if he’d been told. The ogre could’ve been an ally.

“George, I don’t want to upset you, but this doesn’t seem to be something a human with your intelligence would do,” the demon said. “Despite his whining, Kroger could’ve been a valued member of our pride. Please, explain your logic? I would hate to think you’re this irrational. Temper or no, this seems unbecoming of a man seeking power.”

“I know. I know. I can’t explain it,” George replied. “I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t want to hurt him. I have no idea how to control the power I received from the staff. I didn’t think it worked. I need to figure out how to control it, or I’ll turn everything to stone.”

“What are you talking about?” Kepler snarled. “Are you saying you have no understanding of a power you possess? Is this what you went into the cave for?” The jaguar looked down at the sliver. “The staff is broken. Don’t you need the staff to control the magic?”

With Maldwin shouting, the demon was finding it hard to concentrate. The furry critter was scared and confused and demanded answers.

The cat turned and asked Maldwin to relax.

George reached down to steady himself on a tree that Kroger had fetched the night before. He had asked the big guy to bring him a stump to sit on, but instead, Kroger had returned with an entire tree. He had laughed when he saw it and figured that, to Kroger, it probably was small. George had called the ogre his “adorable dumbass” that night.

George noticed a bug resting where he intended to sit. He reached down and flipped the centipede-looking creature off the spot. The arthropod flew through the air, and before it hit the ground, it was rock solid.

George backed away. So did the others.

“See what I mean?” George hollered, thoroughly stumped and frustrated. “Now what? The power was supposed to work whenever I wanted it to. But it looks like no matter what I do, everything’s going to turn. I swear to you, Kep, I didn’t want to hurt Kroger. Sure, he was a moron, but he was a likable idiot. You should know by now, I’m not going to kill my allies, no matter how much they annoy me. It doesn’t make sense to kill my friends. I might have needed him.”

The rat was still asking a million questions. He was not going to stop, so it was best to talk with him. Kepler explained the situation, and as he did, the rat’s demeanor changed.

When the rodent replied, he related a story of a similar situation. The rat had come close to killing his own mother when he received his gift of visions. He could not control them at first. It took the family watching throughout the moments of many Peaks to keep his mother from jumping into one of the shafts scattered throughout the cave. Maldwin could understand how this situation could be a tragic accident. Despite his understanding, the rat said,
“Ah ilyel sey, George,”
which when translated, meant, “Tell George not to touch me.”

George waited for Kepler to translate. When finished, the human felt better. The alliance with his companions was strained, but still intact.

George looked at Kepler. “So what the hell do you think I should do? I don’t want to turn you or Maldwin into statues. If you have any ideas, I’m all ears.” He moved back to the tree and took a seat.

Kepler pondered the problem for a moment. This was new to him. His own abilities had always been under control. After a bit, he came up with a solution. “Since you emerged from the cave, I’ve seen two things turn that you’ve touched. The first was Kroger, and the second was the bug. I’ve also seen two things that didn’t turn. The staff and the tree. If I’m right, you have only transformed things that were made of flesh and blood. I think you just need to practice, and—”

George interrupted. “I can’t go around touching everything I see. I’ll kill it all and leave a trail right to us.”

Kepler laughed. “No, no, no. I have subjects you can practice on. They’re already dead, and they’re made of bone. Bone is a part of us. You should be able to find dominion over your power by using them. You won’t need to end anyone else.”

George sighed, “That sounds a hell of a lot better. Where will we do this?”

“I’ll call upon my skeleton warriors.” The demon looked at Maldwin, then back at George. “We promised the rat we would seal his cave. Without Kroger’s strength, that will be impossible. I suggest we move along the length of the pass as you practice. This approach will leave behind a trail of intimidating statues that will lead to the mouth of the cave. This should make an impression on anyone who passes this way. I think Maldwin will agree that his family will be safe after that. My skeleton warriors, combined with Kroger, should frighten most anyone and keep them at bay. Even I would hesitate if I saw a sight like that.”

George’s excitement returned. “That’s an awesome idea. Are you sure you don’t mind? What about your home and the protection the skeletons provide?”

Kepler smiled and jumped onto Kroger’s stone lap. After lowering into a comfortable position, he responded. “I can only assume ‘awesome’ means something good. I’ll still have hundreds of my warriors guarding my pass, and I can always create more as we travel. I enjoy ravaging man flesh.”

Kepler licked his paw and used it to clean the back of his ear. “There is something I’ll want in return, but we’ll discuss this later.” Kepler’s gaze focused on George as the demon’s eyes flashed bright red. “Do we have an agreement?”

“Yeah ... sure ... fine ... I’ll owe you one. It’s a deal.” George moved to shake Kepler’s paw, but thought better of it. “We’ll have to shake on it later, I think. So when will your warriors arrive?”

Kepler let out a low roar. Behind him were two large rocks that were located at the base of the cliff. The boulders were sitting in the shadows, and on top of them, two black jaguars made themselves known. They appeared out of thin air and jumped down into the light that was being cast by the fire.

Both cats looked a lot like Kepler, but one of them had white socks that covered his paws and extended a short distance past his ankles.

George had a clear view of both demons. The cats were equally as large and as physically intimidating as his feline travel companion. Kepler had his posse with him all along, and George had not known it.

With his heart rate skyrocketing, George had to force himself to remain seated. It was not a good feeling to know he was not as in control as he thought he was. But he would be damned before he would show weakness. He had been through the anxiety of awkward introductions once before with Kepler, but now he had an advantage and not just his bluff. He took a deep breath, calmed himself and waited for more information.

Despite the human’s inability to control his new power, the appearance of the cats caused Maldwin to instinctively jump up and land on the tree next to George. He looked up at the human for protection, his nose twitching wildly. The poor rat was having one heck of a Peak. His world had been turned upside down. He had been jumped on, threatened, pinned to the ground, yelled at, negotiated with, and then recruited. And if all that was not enough, he was now sitting here with three large cats. He felt like dinner. Cat and the rat was not a game he wanted to play ... especially since he believed George and Kepler were not affected by his visions.

Kepler cleared his throat. “Allow me to introduce my brothers, Keller and Koffler. The three of us are identical ... well, besides Koffler’s stupid socks. My brothers will be useful as we seek territorial dominance.”

Koffler growled and the spoke. The sound of his voice revealed his complete lack of wit. “My socks make me look ferocious!”

Keller rolled his eyes. “I bet Mom told you that before she passed. You’re an imbecile. You’re flawed, and you know it.”

Koffler hissed.

“Oh, shut up,” Kepler snarled. “I don’t have the patience to deal with your idiocy.” The demon-jaguar turned to look at George. “I’m the oldest by only moments. With the help of Keller, I have been able to create the perception that I’m everywhere within my pass. The three of us prowl with a common goal of keeping our pass under my control. My brothers will send an asordian sparrow to assemble my army. It will take 12 Peaks before they arrive.”

George took another deep breath. “How can a sparrow assemble an army?”

Keller’s eyes were intimidating as he glared at George and responded. “Kepler and I speak Asordian. This will allow us to send a sparrow with a message. The commander of my brother’s army will hear the message and comply.”

George looked at Kepler. “So you can talk to rats, birds...,” he nodded in Kroger’s direction, “big ass ogres, and humans. What other languages do you speak?”

“I speak most every language of Southern Grayham,” Kepler responded. “The goddess, Celestria, saw to that.”

A brief look of confusion appeared on George’s face. He still had no idea who this goddess was, but he did not feel it was best to admit it. He replaced his look of confusion with one of feigned understanding and then continued on with the conversation. “I’m glad you speak so many languages. That skill will serve me well, Kepler.”

Kepler’s eyes flashed a deep burgundy-red. “I’ve decided that I won’t live in service to you. I’ve chosen to think of our relationship as a partnership ... an equal partnership with a common goal. If you believe yourself to be above me, I’ll depart with my brothers.”

Kepler used one of his claws to scratch at the stone of Kroger’s lap. “It is clear to me that a relationship with you doesn’t come without peril. If we are to share in this risk, we shall be equals. No one will be above the Master of the Hunt.”

George smiled. He had an opportunity to strengthen his relationship with Kepler by simply agreeing with the jaguar. “Equals it is. I don’t need to be above you, Kep.” The manipulator looked back at Keller and Koffler. “Your brother and I can lead together. That will give us an advantage. We’ll never need to fight for control that way, right?”

After seeing the cats nod, George continued. “Kepler, looking at your brothers, I can see why you’re not concerned with keeping your pass protected. You have plenty of back-up.”

George’s nerves were still on edge. He rubbed his hands together and held them toward the flames, hoping that his actions would cover his nervousness. “So ... 12 Peaks is a long time … I mean, 12 Peaks is a lot of moments to be sitting around here doing nothing.” He rolled his eyes. “It would be so much easier if there was a word for time around this joint. You guys use the word moment as if you understand exactly what moment you’re talking about. It’s ridiculous. I mean ... who’s the dumbass that thought of a system to describe the moments of your days without thinking it was smart to create other words that referred to specific measurements of time? Even Athena looked at me like I was an idiot when I said the word time.”