Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi (21 page)

Several Magi rushed Protos and restrained him from getting closer to Ischus. “You’ll kill him!” Protos shouted. “Don’t! Stop! Let me go!” He struggled to break free, but the Magi had been trained in many techniques and they held him down so he couldn’t move.

Peel-off brought Omar his surgical kit but gave him a questioning look in light of these new events. He could see the anger in Omar’s eyes and wondered if this was the right thing to do. But Omar was thinking about how Christians claimed that there was only one way to heaven, one way to peace, and one way to salvation. He felt that they were always imposing their beliefs on others so Omar would show these people what was possible even with no God involved. He grabbed the kit out of Peel-off’s hands and stepped toward Ischus.

The tension in the room was high. With everyone’s eyes on Omar, no one had seen Myles slip into the room. Watching Omar in his belligerent mood, he knew that he needed to step in and stop him. He slipped between Ischus and Omar and gave him a challenging look, daring him to move closer. He sternly ordered, “Back off, Omar. You aren’t thinking clearly. Your judgment is clouded by pride and anger.”

Omar’s anger only increased. He thought to himself,
Who is Myles to tell me what to do?
Then he pointed his finger at Myles. “You’re a thief, a liar, and a con-artist. How dare you speak to me like that? Back away before I have you sent back to Earth where you can pay for your crimes.”

But Myles stood firm and would not take the bait to join him in his anger. Omar began to shake, he was so upset. Around the room you could hear a pin drop. Not one Magi moved. Overcome with rage, Omar reached out with his staff to strike Myles, but he was only able to strike his empty jacket. Myles disappeared without it. Omar stood over the jacket on the floor beginning to really fume when Myles tapped Omar on the back. When Omar began to turn his head, Myles struck him with the hilt of a knife and knocked him out. As he slumped to the floor Myles quietly said, “That should help you think better.”

Everyone just stood there and stared at the two of them. When Omar fell to the floor, the tension went out of the room and the relief was on everyone’s face. They all knew that Omar wasn’t his normal self, and they were glad that Myles had been able to bring the conflict to a close. Myles glanced around the room to make sure everyone was okay with his action and realized that Protos was still being held by several Magi. He motioned to them and called out, “Let him go.” They released him, and Myles gestured for him to come over to Ischus.

Protos responded to the invitation and approached Ischus. He laid his hands on him and then he prayed. To everyone’s amazement Ischus’ wounds healed over and then disappeared.

Omar had regained consciousness in time to see this happen and shook his head in shock. Then he put his hand on Myles shoulder and said, “Myles, I…I don’t know what came over me. I’m terribly sorry.”

Myles just shrugged and responded, “All is forgiven, Doc. It’s a stressful time right now.” Then he put his arm around Omar’s shoulder and filled him in on the plan to take the Magi away from there. “Kasey has rounded up all of the Magi and brought them here to the tower. Gabriyel agreed to transport us all and is coming soon to move us on to Soterion.”

Omar nodded silently, but he was still shocked at his own actions.

Ischus looked up at Protos and smiled as he thanked him for what he’d done. “I never imagined that you would be the one to save my life.

Thanks.”

Protos lowered his head, showing his humble response and shook his head to protest. “It wasn’t me Ischus. It was the Master. He told me to tell you that he wants you to go with the Magi to Soterion.”

Ischus paused as he considered that option and argued, “But…the Musterlings. Who will—”

Protos interrupted and answered the unfinished question, “The Master will see to the Musterlings. He has always watched over those who believe in Him, and He will continue to do so. But He’s given direct instructions that you’re to go with the Magi.”

“As the Lord wills, so shall it be,” responded Ischus.

Just then Kasey flew into the tower and announced, “They’re all here. Are we ready?”

From outside the tower they could hear a great commotion because Gabriyel was flying over the city. Arrows were being shot at him from outside the city, but they disintegrated before they even got close to him.

Then he called out with a booming voice, “Kasey. Are you ready?”

Kasey ran to the edge and yelled out to him, “We’re all ready!”

As Omar looked out he couldn’t believe his eyes. There was a real dragon flying out there and speaking to them as well. Omar thought about how the dragon’s name was Hebrew for Gabriel and being a servant of “the Master” would make him the angel Gabriel. At that realization Omar, for just one moment, began to doubt everything he thought he knew. He marveled at the splendor of this great dragon that was going to teleport them to another world. But then, as always before for Omar, the doubt and rationalization crept in, and the scientist took control again.

They all gazed out at the dragon and watched as he breathed fire on the tower itself. Suddenly everything, including them, became translucent. Then the tower shot up into the sky passing through the ceiling of the Core. It rose over miles and miles of tunnels until it ascended above all of Musterion. Looking at Musterion from space, it looked like a giant rubber band ball because of all the tunnels. Ahead of them they could see several other planets as they rocketed forward, and Myles, Omar, and Kasey all recognized Earth as they passed it.

Eventually they approached a planet with two large continents that they could see, though one was smaller than the other. The tower descended toward that planet and landed on an island at the southeastern tip of the smaller continent. It gently settled onto the ground and seemed to take on a foundation as it landed. When they were sure that everything was safe, they all piled out onto the island. Each breath that anyone took was like re-birth, it was so fresh. There were two suns in the sky, and the ocean around the island was a crystal clear blue. Every person was overjoyed with Soterion, and they laughed as they considered their new home.

Myles enjoyed watching everyone celebrate this new place. Perhaps this was what he longed for when he wanted to start a new life. Then he spotted Kasey walking along the beach, and it all came back to him. She looked exactly like the woman from the dream he had the first night in the tunnels. That world also had two suns and the air was as clean there as it was here. Then he remembered how Seux called her his wife. Seux was from Soterion’s future…or at least that’s what he said. Myles savored all these thoughts and smiled as he said to himself;
If I end up marrying her then I’ll count myself lucky.

Part 2

19

Soterion

The demons had never planned for this. The matter within the tunnels of Musterion was imploding, but they didn’t know why. Tyree understood that he couldn’t take the entire planet down, but he really wished he could. He would settle for this one city of the six hundred and sixty-six cities in the Realm of the Dragon to be taken down because it was enough for him to get away. He’d fooled the dragon-beasts into giving him access to his old equipment, knowing that on his dog tags there was a chip. He’d activated it, creating a matter stabilizer field around himself and a matter destabilizer field that would grow outward from the location where he’d first touched the chip. Matter destabilization was the unpredictable part of this plan and random in its outcome. So once one of the brick moss-covered walls of his prison cell had disintegrated to dust, he made a run for it into the streets.

His problem was that the Great Red Dragon saw him escape. An army of Drakoni now chased him as the dragon flew close behind. The guttural sounds and high pitched screams of the dragon creatures followed him through the tunnels of Musterion, but he evaded them somehow. Well… all except for the Great Red Dragon. They’d all passed him by as he ducked behind some debris. But the Great Red Dragon knew what he’d done and doubled back on him. Since his imprisonment, Tyree had seen the dragon take many forms but right now he was in full dragon form which only made him more terrifying. He stood over 500 feet tall and shook the air when he flew while the ground quaked whenever he landed.

The Great Red Dragon caught up with Tyree and landed right in front of him. The dragon lowered its head to where it was eye to eye with Tyree and had one of its jutting horns pressed on either side of him. It looked at him as if it was looking into his soul and then it smiled. Tyree could hear it in his mind but it didn’t speak in any audible form. “You may leave,” it said softly. “Run, but remember that this world is mine. All of its inhabitants are my servants.” Tyree wasted no time and bolted into the maze. As he ran, he heard the Dragon’s laughter in his head. It was a cruel and wicked laughter, and it faded slowly as it echoed over and over in his mind. He didn’t know where he would run but run he must. And he did.

Then Tyree woke up. He was sweating as if he’d really been running. The dream was so real it had his heart pounding. He couldn’t get that evil laughter out of his mind. But he knew he was safe, in the Tower of the Magi where he’d lived for the past two years.

He still wondered sometimes if it was all a trick. There were times when he couldn’t figure out what was truly real and what was a dream or a fantasy. He felt that it was always just a trick back on Musterion. He’d thought for a long time that everything there was just an illusion or a trap. But he finally decided that’s how things were in the Dragon’s Domain.

He’d lived a thousand lies since he arrived. The torture was always of the soul and not of the flesh. One day he would wake up back on Earth with a wife and a son only to find himself in a dream within a dream. The maze of illusion that the Drakoni sorcerers had woven about him was hard to navigate, but each time he was put under their spell he grew more resistant. They didn’t realize it, but they were slowly making him stronger, more resistant to their torture until he finally escaped.

How long had I been there?
At first he hadn’t trusted the calendar on his watch. He’d thought it was all an illusion. There was no way that he’d been in that horrible place for five hundred years. Admittedly he lost count at 354, but Omar had confirmed for him that the passage of time was different in Musterion than what they were used to. Even though he went there after Omar did, he’d landed in a different time and a different place. He may have been confused about a lot of things but knew he’d been there much longer than his natural life span. And how that was possible always bewildered him.

The Drakoni’s torture had been gruesome and horrible, and it was a wonder that Omar was able to get him back to some semblance of sanity. But he still suffered from fits of anger or paranoia once in a while. Controlled as they were now, he saw how the Magi looked at him with fear that he might snap at any moment. It was only in the past few months that he’d really regained his sanity. The peace and tranquility of the island was soothing and it brought much healing to him.

The more he was able to handle each day without any recurring episodes, the more he was able to delve into the past. Soon he might decide to trust Omar and tell him everything, but it was hard to know where to even start. A great deal had transpired in the twenty-two years on Earth after Omar entered the portal.

~*~

It had been two years since the Magi had arrived on Soterion. All of them were forbidden to leave the island unless they were given permission by Omar, Myles, or Sebastian. Omar had explained at the beginning that the Magi must be trained before interacting with anyone from Soterion. All Magi were trained by Myles and Kleis in the arts of illusion and by Omar and Sebastian in the studies of science. Though Sebastian was the leader of the Alexandros. Kasey had been given charge of their training. Everyone agreed that she was by far the best warrior in their group. Ischus and Protos took on an additional course of training and instructed the Council of the Magi in leader-ship, diplomacy, and etiquette. They each brought a distinct perspective from their past experiences.

Sebastian had given all Magi permission to explore the island until several Magi got hurt. The island seemed to be somewhat like Musterion in that some places shifted and changed without warning. In addition, the island was full of puzzles, enigmas, and other dangers. It was a perfect training ground for the Magi, but after several injuries Sebastian mandated that any Magi exploring the island must be accompanied by an Alexandros.

Then there was the cold war that everyone knew about but no one wanted to talk about. Kasey had become cold toward Myles after they arrived and despite his attempts at charming her, she remained cold toward him and refused to even talk to him. The problem, however, was that this only made Myles chase after her more. He didn’t know how to deal with a “hard to get” attitude. But no matter what he tried, Kasey would not give him the time of day.

She never explained to him that she was really upset that he had blown off her attempts to help him, in fact to save him. She wanted so much for him to give his life to the Master as she and as Protos had, but he’d refused. He chose to hold on to what she thought were stupid things and selfish pursuits, and she couldn’t understand why. She couldn’t force him, but she still resented him for his choice. Most of all she worried that he would never get another chance from the Master, and he’d end up being destroyed by his own foolishness.

Omar, Myles, and Sebastian also worked together training each other. They’d wait until the rest of the Magi were asleep and then train just at the brink of the jungle, about a mile from the tower. Tonight Myles and Sebastian were training Omar who was learning how to fight both on the ground and in the air. He’d never been athletic, so training for him was frustrating and sometimes even embarrassing. Omar wanted to be able to survive without a bodyguard if he needed to, so that was the goal for now.

After two years of training, Omar had gotten to the point where he could defend himself well on the ground against an untrained opponent and in the air he’d gotten to where sometimes he could best Sebastian. But even when he attacked Myles on the ground while he was in the air, Myles always beat him. Myles was actually faster than a Gabad. Omar had learned to anticipate Sebastian’s moves in order to compensate for his Gabad speed, but Myles’ fighting style was ever changing and adapting so it was hard to anticipate his moves or get ahead of him. It was good training for Myles too because Sebastian proved to be quite a challenge when attacking from the air.

Omar took a break while Myles and Sebastian kept at the training. Sebastian taunted Myles as they fought, “So, Kasey asked about you today.”

While Myles flinched at his comment, Sebastian whacked him on the shoulder with his wooden sword. Myles took two steps back and probed, “What did she ask?”

Sebastian laughed at him and replied, “She didn’t! I just wanted to score a hit on you.”

Myles glared at Sebastian in frustration because he knew that he had a weakness and Sebastian knew it too. He didn’t like anyone knowing his soft spot. Sebastian laughed again as he darted away from Myles’ advances and observed, “You know there are other women in the camp, right? And some of them really hate Kasey for keeping you off the market without at least taking advantage of your undying devotion to her.”

“I’m not off the market, Sebastian. I’m just not interested in anyone right now.”

“Suuuuuure,” said Sebastian with a mocking tone. “Then I’ll go let

Kasey know that you’re no longer interested in her.” With that, Myles stabbed his sword into the dirt, threw his arms up, and stalked away in anger.

Omar shook his head but chuckled a bit at the banter between them. “You shouldn’t take jabs at him like that, Sebastian. You know Kasey is a sore spot for him.”

Sebastian shrugged, “He normally takes it better than that, though it does help me to win against him. I didn’t mean to make him blow a blood vessel though. He’s been uptight lately. You’d think he’d have given up after two years.”

Omar laughed at that. “Myles give up? Are you crazy? You know, those two are so stubborn they’re almost meant for each other.”

Sebastian nodded. “Yeah, if they don’t kill each other first. What is she mad at him about in the first place?”

“I’m staying far away from that. If you want to pry, feel free. I never pretended to understand women, and I won’t start now. Would you care to play a game of Milchamah?” Milchamah was a game of strategy that Omar had invented since they arrived on Soterion. It helped one to sharpen the mind and many of the Magi loved to play it.

“Sure, I’d love a game,” Sebastian cheered. So they sat down to play. It was likely that neither one would ever get to bed that night.

~*~

Myles felt a surge of emotions as he marched towards the tower. It was as though every wound, frustration, and insult were all rising up at once. His mind raced through a thousand different things, adding in-tensity to every step he took. But of all the feelings that assaulted him at that moment, most of all he was angry. Myles gave in to its passion and indulged the rage that was growing within him. The more he entertained that anger, the more his thoughts began to coalesce, and he was ready to let it out on just the right person. She didn’t want to discuss their problem, but he knew exactly how to make her want to talk about it. And he was determined that the time to talk about it had arrived.

When Myles reached the tower, he could see Kasey training with Kleis and Protos over at the edge of their camp next to the jungle. Filled with a burning need to resolve their differences, he walked right up to her and got in her face. Kleis and Protos stopped what they were doing, but Kasey continued speaking to them trying to ignore Myles. Unfortunately he was not about to be ignored anymore.

Myles interrupted her comments and angrily insisted, “You can’t ignore me any longer. Talk to me, now.”

But she just continued speaking over Myles as though he wasn’t even there. Myles shook his head in frustration. “So you think you’re better than me. Is that it? Are you too good to talk to the likes of me? Am I not worthy of your attention?”

Seeing that Myles was angry and saying things that were inappropriate, Protos stepped in to stop him. “I think my sister wants you to leave her alone.”

Myles just laughed at him and turned his frustration on him instead. “She’s not your sister, remember? She killed your sister and kidnapped her daughter. Did you forget that? And now you’re going to pull this big brother act, really?”

Protos cocked his head as his own frustration began to rise. “And what gives you the right to come here and verbally attack her? Yes, she’s ignored you. Get over it! How long did you know each other anyway, a few days?”

Myles rolled his eyes and turned to where Kasey had been, but she was gone. He could see her silhouette disappearing into the jungle so he turned to chase after her.

“Leave her alone, Myles,” shouted Protos.

“Back off, Protos,” Myles yelled back as he ran towards where he had last seen Kasey.

Protos and Kleis didn’t chase after him. Protos knew that Kasey, being a trained assassin, couldn’t be found if she didn’t want to be. He decided it would be better to let her deal with this the way she needed to without intruding as Myles was attempting to do. But he did shake his head as he watched Myles run into the jungle after her.
What a pair these two are,
he thought to himself.

Myles ran swiftly across the field, but there wasn’t a trace of Kasey when he entered the jungle. He felt she must have left some tracks somewhere. Then he thought,
She must be flying!
But when he looked up into the trees, he could find no trace of her there either.

Having grown up on a farm, Myles wasn’t afraid of being in a wooded area. And having worked with the circus and trained exotic animals, Myles knew that the animals were generally just as afraid of humans as humans were of them. So he had no hesitation when he pursued Kasey deeper into the jungle.

Myles walked along a path that had been cut by the Magi when they’d first explored the jungle. He didn’t get far down the path before he saw some movement in the bushes. He stopped and waited, looking where he’d seen something move. From the bushes he could see the glint from the eyes of some animal hiding within shining back at him like two large emeralds.

Myles, curious as always, bent down to its level and put his hand out while he lowered his head to show he wasn’t a threat. He thought it worked because it poked its head out of the bushes.
It’s almost cute,
thought Myles. It was some form of lizard with red scales which glinted in the moonlight. It also had horns all over its face and large green eyes. It gave a look of innocent fear so Myles called to it, “Aw, come here little guy. It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”