Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi (19 page)

Peel-off snapped his fingers and put his hand out. Sebastian handed him a vial of a green, glowing liquid. “This is going to sting just a little.” He poured the liquid directly into the open, puss-filled wound, and turned away as a cloud rose from the liquid.

If Myles could’ve jumped out of his skin he would have. He jerked so violently that Peel-off fell off Myles’ back, only to be caught by Sebastian.

Myles glared at Peel-off.
“Sting?
Really?
Terrific bedside manner,
Doc!
What did you put in there, salt? That doesn’t just hurt on my back, it burns all over my body!”

Peel-off nodded. “That’s because the virus was already spreading through your system. Had you waited another hour, you’d be a mindless drone. We lost two Magi to this virus from our last encounter with the darkness, and we almost lost Sebastian in the first meeting. So to counter the virus I concocted this solution using Earth science, the moss, and a few other things. But you probably don’t want to know what they are.”

Myles was too busy gritting his teeth, enduring the pain sweeping across his body. It seemed to die down quickly, so he stood up again and took some deep breaths. The Magi team that Omar had dispatched to check on the woman returned.

Kleis recounted their findings. “The blood turned out to be phony and the streaks on the ground were definitely staged. There was no woman who was attacked.”

"So all I did was stick my head in a noose, not go to the rescue," Myles grumbled.

“Thank you, Kleis. Let’s get back to the Magi Tower,” Omar patted Myles on the shoulder. “Kasey, you and Ischus are invited to join us.”

Myles nodded. “That’s a good idea, Doc. Kasey seemed to know the dark spirit that attacked me in the tunnel. She has some valuable insights that we need to hear. But I agree that we should go back to the tower to have that discussion.”

~*~

Though the Council of Six and those that followed them were now considered outlaws by the majority in Musterion, they didn’t run and hide. Since the Councils had split, certain regions had always been predominantly made up of believers. Others were filled with non-believers. In the face of the reports of the evil in the tunnels, followers of the Council of Six had even more freedom in their own cities, since the followers of the Council of Seven stayed clear of the tunnels. Darkness increased, hanging over the regions of the Council of Six like smog. The inhabitants didn’t notice it because they denied the reality of spiritual things. Mysticism and superstition had no bearing on their "real" world.

The Council of Six continued to meet. Peace with the Council of Seven was no longer possible, but several members of the Council of Six wished that they could find a way back. They’d gathered several times but without their chairman they could not agree on any course of action. No one knew what had happened to Moluno, why his usual iron fist of control over the Council was missing. Each time they met, they waited, and then they drifted away.

Once again they gathered with no sign of Moluno. Asah Towb of the Daqad looked around the table at those who were present. Besides himself, the Council of Six included Pyra of the Haspen, Nabal Leb of the Akana, Avah of the Kat-ken, and Esomai of the Gauntmen . N
one of these weaklings will brave the wrath of of Moluno and take the lead.

Asah spoke up. “It seems the chairman is absent for a third time. Under our laws, we need to vote in a new chairman. Moluno must have died in the tunnels during his trip there.” Feeble nods confirmed his suspicions.

While the suggestion hung in the air, total darkness swept in and overtook the room. Chaos broke loose. The council members screamed and groped wildly. “What’s going on?” “Who’s there?”

A dim light slowly returned to the room. Moluno sat at the head of the table. His untreated wounds oozing blood paralyzed the other council members. He’d removed the dagger from his head, but he’d left the ones in his chest and shoulder. He showed his teeth. “I’d be dead, had it been up to the Council of Seven and their minions, the Order of the Magi. I was just attacked in the tunnels by Myles, Ragal, and Omar.” He stood, yanked the dagger from his chest, and showed them the subtle glow. “They have infused their weapons with tunnel moss poison, but I’ve grown too powerful for that to work.”

Asah spoke. “Moluno, we thought you were dead. It’s been so long!”

Moluno hissed. “You hoped I was dead, yes. But here I am, still much alive.”

Asah blanched. “Not so, I—”

Moluno cut him off. “Forget your pitiful excuses. I propose that we wage war against the Magi and the Council of Seven! They’ve abandoned any pretense of peace and are preparing to eliminate all those who don’t "believe". We must strike first!”

Nabal Leb timidly spoke up. “The Akana will not wage war against the Magi. We can’t! There are many of our own who’ve joined them. I’m told they truly are neutral. We’d lose too much knowledge if we defeated the Magi and eliminated them.”

Moluno held out his hand. A tendril of darkness came out from under the table, lifting Nabal Leb into the air. “Would you care to re-evaluate that answer, Nabal? As you can see, I’ve become persuasive. The Kalat are going to war whether you agree to come with us or not. But remember, when the dust settles, your lack of cooperation will be remembered and will be dealt with severely.”

Moluno waved his hand and the tendril withdrew. Nabal dropped to the floor. The council voted immediately and unanimously approved waging war on the Council of Seven and the Magi.

17

Saying Goodbye

The medicine that Peel-off had created worked wonders for Myles. All signs of the infection were gone. While Myles got some rest, Omar gave notice to all members of the Council of the Magi, the Council of Seven, and to Nekar.

"It is time to establish a plan for battle."

Chara, the female Nepsah, stood before the gathering. “I’ve just come back from a secret trip to Sarx-Ergon." The Nepsah ability to travel and remain invisible meant she would have valuable intel. “Moluno has returned from the tunnels, and he has the Council of Six preparing for war against the Magi and the Council of Seven. The smiths are working overtime now at creating weapons, and the Kalat are training for battle. They will be coming soon!”

Myles interrupted. “That’s not actually Moluno. It’s an evil spirit named Thanatos who’s possessing Moluno.”

Kasey corrected him. “It’s an Arch-demon, not just an evil spirit. Thanatos is far more powerful than any evil spirit.”

Omar waved his hand. “Let’s not get caught up in some meaningless semantics. Something powerful controls Moluno’s body, something that is also causing the darkness in the maze, and we've been told that only Kasey and Myles can defeat it. Those are the facts.” Omar, the consummate scientist, wanted to keep the discussion away from what he considered religious distractions.

Nekar spoke up. “Myles and Kasey have their facts straight. Though Myles lacks faith right now, he believes. You, Omar, are useless against what we face. You have neither faith nor belief. It’s imperative to know it’s an Arch-demon that you are battling. He’s an enemy of the Lord. And you must also realize that you need to know and serve the Lord to be able to defeat it. If you don’t know your enemy, you will never overcome the darkness.”

Myles cleared his throat. “Then what use am I? I’m not like Kasey. I don’t have any powers.”

“I’m only the messenger. For all I know the Arch-demon is supposed to kill you.” Nekar's replied.

Myles sighed. “Thanks! A lot of comfort you are.”

Everyone was quiet and sober for a few minutes. Omar walked over and put a hand on Ischus' shoulder. “What’s bothering you, my friend? You look especially troubled.”

“Omar, I’m sorry," Ischus said finally, "but you and the rest of the Magi need to leave Musterion. You must lead the Magi away from Pneuma Karpos and into the maze. I can handle a war with the Council of Six. King Thalassa is a seasoned commander and the ’Am Mayim are strong warriors. I also have much battle experience. I’m sure that we can bring the warriors of Sarx-Ergon to their knees, but Pneuma Karpos will not survive an Arch-demon. We have no way to battle such a being.”

Omar stepped back. “Are you kicking us out of your city?”

“Ischus is right,” Nekar agreed. “Thanatos will spill innocent blood and slaughter as many as he possibly can.”

Omar bowed his head. “I understand, Ischus. You have to protect your city -- women and children.”

Ischus sighed. “Yes. Thank you for understanding.”

Myles jumped up. “Listen! We have another option. Gabriyel, the great dragon that serves the Master, is our best chance. I know that he can defeat Thanatos. We need to find him and ask for his help.” Nekar and Kasey both smiled at his suggestion. “Nekar, will the instructions you gave me last time get me to Gabriyel again?”

“Yes,” replied Nekar, “but you must be careful not to stray. There are worse things residing in the Maze of Musterion than Thanatos.”

“Worse than an Arch-demon…? What could that possibly be?” Myles and Kasey asked together.

“Yes, worse than an Arch-demon," Nekar shuddered. "The Great Red Dragon himself has dominion in part of Musterion. Thanatos only serves the Great Red Dragon.”

Myles muttered to no one in particular, “Well, this just gets better and better.”

Kasey paced back and forth. “I will not lead almost a hundred people straight to their slaughter," she cried. "Thanatos will mop the floor with the Magi. I believe that if the Master says only Myles and I can face Thanatos, then he and I should go into the maze to seek Gabriyel by ourselves.”

Omar began, “You’d be surprised what the Magi could—”

Nekar interrupted him. “Thanatos can possess any being that isn’t a servant of the Master. In fact, he could be among the ranks of the Magi right now, just waiting for his opportunity. He can move from body to body, and he can even animate the dead. Omar, don’t let your pride taint your hands with the blood of your comrades. Listen to what we’re saying.”

Omar threw up his hands. “Okay, Nekar. You’ve made your point. I know you want the Magi as a whole to leave Pneuma Karpos, but I’d like to leave eight of our order with you who can fight on your behalf.”

Seux, the agitated character that Myles had confronted during the training orientation, instantly flew up between Ischus and Omar. “Oh me, me, me! I’ll stay behind. Let Myles and his wife go into the maze and the rest stay behind. Then when—.”

Kasey cut him short. “Wife? Who are you? Why would you say that? You don’t even know me? Do you see a ring on this finger?” she demanded as she shoved her hand in Seux’s face.

Seux flew backward as Kasey and Myles approached him. “Oh! I don’t know you! I promise, really! I’m no one! Get away!”

Myles closed in on Seux, reached out, and grabbed him.

Nekar stopped Omar from interfering.

Myles had suspected that Seux was hiding something when they first met.
This little squirt knows something, and Omar can't keep me from learning the truth this time.
Myles shouted, “You’re lying! It’s all over your face and in your body language. You can’t wait to get out of here, but you don’t dare leave with the Magi! You’re determined to stay here and not go into the tunnels. Why is that? Tell us everything right now or so help me I’ll squash you like a mosquito!”

Seux turned a dark shade of red and began to hyperventilate. “I came here to Pneuma Karpos three days before your return. I’m Prince Seux of Caelsis from Soterion. I don’t want to go back with you because I want to return to Soterion. But if I go with you’ll end up in the past. In my time I’m second in command of the Magi, and people don’t try to squash me like a mosquito! If I tell you anything else, I’ll ruin everything in my time. So go ahead, squash me if you want, but I’m not a bad guy! Isn’t someone going to save me from this angry man,
please?”
Seux took one last deep breath and passed out.

Omar said, “I tried to warn you. He’s psychotic.”

Nekar shook his head. “It’s when people are the most truthful about the unbelievable that they’re excused as mad by others. Everything he said was true, but it’s probably best that you don’t believe him.”

Myles had no idea what Nekar meant. He stared at Seux, collapsed in the palm of his hand, and touched him on the chest with his little finger. “I think I broke him—”

Chara flew up and landed on Myles’ hand. “I’ll take care of him. I think he’ll be fine.” She carried Seux away.

Nekar turned to Myles and Kasey. “The two of you must leave within the hour.”

Omar began giving commands to the Magi. “Pack what you can carry and say goodbye to your loved ones.” He turned back to Ischus. “Well, my friend, can some of the Magi stay to fight with you in hopes of continuing the Order on Musterion too?”

Ischus nodded. “Of course, my friend. They’ll be most valuable to us.”

Kasey and Myles armed themselves with weapons that the Magi had infused with the glowing moss, in case they had to fight. Their goal, however, was not get distracted by other conflicts, but to find Gabriyel.

Omar approached them as they packed. “Peel-off is working on an airborne dust form of the moss. If his hypothesis is correct, it will kill all Kalat who breathe it, but it’ll be harmless to the other races. It should help us to reduce innocent casualties in the city.”

Myles smiled. “It looks like the Magi are really coming together, Doc. You’ve done an amazing job. I can’t wait to contribute when this war is done.”

Omar turned to Kasey. “What about you, Kasey? Do you wish to join the Magi?”

“No, it’s not for me. However, I’ll help train your soldiers if you’d like. I am a trained assassin, and I’ve recently been trained to fight alongside angels. I think that I could help you.”

Omar raised an eyebrow. “But you were only gone for two months.”

“I was gone for two years, Omar. When one leaves and re-enters Musterion, they never know when they’re returning or even where they’ll return. I traveled through Musterion for at least a month after my return before I reached the Core. I had to travel through tunnels that have been overrun by Drakoni, and I had to strike a deal with the King of the Raphakabish himself in order to cross his region and get to the Core.”

Myles looked up. “Rapha-what?”

Omar answered, “The giant spiders. While you were gone I learned that's what they are called. Some of them can even talk. Apparently they fled Soterion and now reside in the tunnels of Musterion. The sentient ones are more reasonable and tend to not be quite as hostile as the ones we ran into that day in the tunnels.”

“How large is Musterion?” Myles asked.

“I have a gadget that measures matter by bouncing a signal until it stops going through the matter. That device measured Musterion to be about as large as Jupiter.”

Myles’ jaw dropped. “So there’s a lot more to this place than we’ve seen, huh?”

Omar gave Myles a brief overview of the knowledge that the Magi had acquired about Musterion as well as some of what he knew about the different races. Kasey was able to fill in some blanks too since she’d resided on Musterion for quite some time. Myles appreciated the information because he felt it equipped him better for whatever they’d encounter in the tunnels. Myles and Kasey set out into the tunnels in search of Gabriyel. Omar gave them the motorcycle since they were trying to cover a lot of ground quickly and Myles could not fly. Once they entered the maze, however, the evil darkness immediately closed in on them. Kasey asked Myles to stop. She knelt and prayed. Her light flared until it was as brilliant and dazzling as before. The light seemed to beat back the darkness enough for them to see, so they jumped back on the motorcycle.

They rounded a corner and something clipped Myles and knocked him clear off the bike. Tendrils of darkness came from the walls and grabbed Kasey. Kasey didn’t fight. She just smiled and let them begin to wrap around her.

Myles recovered from the fall, spotted Thanatos at the edge of Kasey's light, and shot him with the gun that Omar had given him. The moss-treated bullets slammed into Thanatos and sizzled as they penetrated Moluno's flesh, but he didn’t even flinch this time. Myles glanced past Thanatos at Kasey. Now that his attention was off her, Kasey’s flaming wings appeared. The tendrils shrank away from her light.

Thanatos stalked over to Myles and grabbed his head, lifting him up into the air. “You seem so determined to render this body that hosts me useless, so I think I’ll take yours instead.”

Myles’ eyes began to roll back into his head. He could feel his spirit pulling loose from his body.

Kasey’s hand took hold of the back of Thanatos' head. He dropped the unconscious Myles and shrieked, “How did you escape the tendrils?” Thanatos struggled to turn around to strike her but found that he couldn’t move. Myles awoke and strained to get up, but he had to shield his eyes against Kasey's now-blinding radiance.

“It’s over, Thanatos," Kasey said. "In the name of Jesus, I break and cancel all invitations you have to be in Musterion. The blood of Christ now annuls any legal right of the Kingdom of Darkness to be in this world. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, I bind you and in His name I command you to get out of this realm and leave us alone.”

Thanatos let out a blood-curdling scream. “Nooooooo!” Shadows spilled out of Molunos’ body as it collapsed to the floor. When they were gone, Kasey knelt down and put her hand on Moluno’s body.

“What are you doing?” asked Myles.

“I’m restoring Moluno. Please be quiet for a moment.”

Kasey's lips moved. The wounds all over Moluno’s body closed up and vanished. Moluno opened his eyes and saw Kasey. He jumped back. “Ragal?” he cried.

“I’m no longer Ragal. The curse of the Kalat has been lifted from me, and I’ve been made new by the Master. I’m now Kasey Phoenix.”

But Moluno still retreated. Myles drew a knife just in case. Kasey gave Myles a sharp look. “Put that away!”

Moluno shook his head. “This can’t be! I killed you!”

“No, you poisoned me, to be more accurate, but I was healed by my faith. And now I forgive you, Moluno. You have no reason to fear me.”

Moluno shook his head more insistently. “No, it’s a trick. You’re trying to deceive me.”

“It’s not a trick, Moluno. I’ve truly vanquished Thanatos and driven him from you. He’d possessed your body and, while people thought it was you, he manipulated them to take violent action. He’s bringing war to Musterion, but it’s not too late. You can still stop it.”

Moluno began to look at himself and placed his hands on his chest. “You’re right! I…I don’t feel his hold on me anymore. How did you defeat him? His power is unimaginable…terrifying.”

“I serve a more powerful Master, a kinder one.”

The joy and the gratefulness began to well up in Moluno. “What do you want from me? I owe you my life.”

“No, you owe me nothing. But I’d ask that you stop this war that Thanatos has begun if it’s not too late.”

“I’ll do it! I’ll return to Sarx-Ergon and do my best to end this madness.”

Kasey helped him to his feet. As she did she added, “Oh, and Moluno, Ragal is dead.”

“I understand. You’re Kasey now, and Ragal is dead.”

“No, I mean your sister Ragal is dead. My name really is Kasey. I entered Musterion from Earth many years ago and when I stumbled upon Ragal and her husband, Ragal touched me and I took on her form. When they saw it happen, they tried to kill me but I killed them instead. I took their daughter and cared for her out of guilt, and I didn’t speak for those three months because I needed to learn enough to be able to pass as Ragal.

“I’ve posed as your sister ever since then.” She reached her hands out toward Moluno. “I’ve been forgiven by the Master for the blood I’ve spilled, but I ask you now to please forgive me.”