Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi (23 page)

21

Ariana

Myles opened his eyes and realized that he was in bed in his room, a pleasant thought for him after what he’d been through. As he tried to stretch and throw off his sleepiness, however, he found that he couldn’t move or even feel his left arm. In panic, he looked down and was relieved to see it was still there.
Omar must have numbed it,
he thought.

He felt different then, like he’d been awakened from a long sleep or had just been released from a cage. It was a joy that comes from escaping the claws of death. He felt like he was on top of the world.
Not bad,
he thought,
for a guy who’d just been attacked by some dragon creature and dragged down a deep hole.

He began wondering how he’d gotten out of there and ended up in his own bed when he suddenly heard a giggle. He looked around in reaction to the sound, but no one was there. Then a female voice said, “You really should’ve stayed out of the jungle rather than go in there alone. Bad things happen there, you know.”

Before Myles had time to ask any questions, a Nepsah appeared right in front of him, flying just above his head. She had long flowing red hair, light blue eyes, and pale skin. She was dressed in flowers with petals for a dress and leaves for a blouse. She had a look of confidence and mischief about her, but she was also beautiful.

Myles gave her a skeptical look and inquired, “Who are you and why are you in my room?”

In her crystal voice she said, “My name is Ariana. At the moment I’m flying, and this seemed like a nice place to fly. It was quiet until a moment ago.” Then with an impish smile she landed on his chest, walked up to his face, and poked his nose. “By the way, I am not a Musterling as you so commonly refer to them. I found the Magi here on this island, and I would like to join your order.”

Myles shook his head in disbelief. His eyes betrayed his curiosity as he asked, “Are you saying that you’re from the mainland?”

Ariana nodded.

Myles decided this was a moment for deep thought so he reached for his pipe, managed to put some tobacco in it one-handed, and lit it with a match. He blew out smoke rings. Ariana flew up and zipped through them. Myles laughed at her antics and said, “Hey, if you came here from the mainland, how come the ’Am Mayim haven’t spotted you?”

“Now what good are secrets if you have to tell them?”

Okay, are you just cute or are you dangerous?
He’d gotten just a little more suspicious of cute things after his encounter with the lizard creature. He watched her flitter above him and wondered why she needed to keep secrets. He sat up with his left arm still dangling by his side.

Ariana giggled again watching him struggle with his numb arm and admitted, “I’ve been watching you all for about a year and a half. You see, in the past I’d visit here often to clear my mind. Then, suddenly, one day there’s this tower and all these people walking around like they own the place.”

“So after a year and a half of spying on us you decided to just walk into my bedroom and ask to join us, huh?”

“Aren’t you one of their leaders, sir? Can't you make that decision?”

“Well, yeah I am.”
Talk about a weird wake-up call.
“But it’s a co-leadership. You must be clever, by the way, I admit that, but that kind of cleverness sure doesn’t lend itself to building trust. Why didn’t you just introduce yourself from the beginning?”

She threw her hands up and zipped around his head. “I didn’t know who you were when I first found you. I didn’t know if you were safe or what your intentions were. But, I’ve decided that you’re safe now.”

“Who’s to say that you won’t reveal all our secrets to the rest of Soterion? We’re trying to be discreet so that we don’t frighten others and can find a way to build a good relationship with everyone. First impressions are everything, you know.” Myles felt that he’d given a smooth answer and charmed her a little. But he wasn’t trying to con her. He genuinely wanted to learn more about her. “How can we be sure you’re telling the truth?”

“Oh, that’s easy. I’ll stand on the 'Rock of Truth' and promise to never reveal the secrets of the Magi.”

“Rock of Truth? What’s the Rock of Truth?”

“Hah-ha! Funny you don't know about the Rock of Truth! It's right outside the tower, just a little to the east. I’m sure you’ve seen that large rock jutting out of the ground there. Well, that’s The Rock of Truth.”

Just then there was a knock on Myles’ door. Ariana winked at Myles and put her finger against her mouth.
“Shhh!”
She disappeared. Myles sighed. “Come in!”

Omar stepped in, looking around. “I thought I heard voices in here.”

Ariana appeared right in his face and let out a big, “Boo!”

Omar dropped the medical supplies he carried. Ariana collapsed on the ground, giggling and pointing at Omar while he began to gather up the supplies. As he watched her antics, Omar observed, “You’re not one of my Magi.”

Ariana clapped her hands. “Five points for you!”

“So who are you?”

Myles spoke up. “This is Ariana, and she wants to be a Magi when she grows up.”

Ariana jumped up and down in front of Omar, stretching up her arms like a toddler wanting to be picked up. “Can I? Can I? Huh, can I?”

“We’ll see,” Omar frowned. He turned to Myles. “How are you feeling, partner?”

Ariana jumped up onto Omar’s robes and hung upside down from the rope belt at his waist. Myles was trying to not be distracted by her antics. “I, uh… my arm is numb. I can’t feel a thing right now. I thought I’d lost it at first—”

Ariana let out a “Wheeee,” as she swung back and forth from Omar’s belt.

Omar continued speaking to Myles. “If you keep it up, you might really lose a limb someday.”

“Ew, that’s gross,” shouted Ariana as she climbed farther up Omar’s robe.

“Do you mind?” Omar snapped.

Ariana flashed perfect teeth. “Not at all!” She climbed up and sat on his shoulder. “So, when can I join?”

Omar sighed as he rolled his eyes. “You’re testing my patience.”

“I sure hope you pass the test! But I wouldn’t worry if I were you. You’re a smart boy!” She flew up and patted him on the head.

Peel-off suddenly came into the room to assist Omar, and Ischus followed close behind him. Peel-off suddenly dropped to one knee and bowed his head. “You’re Majesty, I’m sorry to interrupt. I wasn’t aware that you were on the island.”

Ariana giggled at the confusion on Omar and Myles' faces.

Omar noticed that she wore the same signet ring that Seux had been wearing back in Musterion.
Seux's crazed confession.
No one except Kleis was able to decipher all of what Seux had said when Myles had threatened him. Omar had asked Kleis to write it all down and give him a report on it. Omar had been particularly interested in Seux's claim that he was from a future Soterion where he was second-in-command of the Magi.

Kleis and Omar had considered back then that Seux’s ramblings might actually be true. Seux had exhibited skills that the Magi hadn’t even been taught yet, and which didn’t exist on Soterion yet either. Now here was this female Nepsah with the same signet ring, and Peel-off had just claimed she was a queen.

Omar went to one knee, remembering his lessons about royal protocol. “My apologies, your Majesty, I didn’t realize you were the Queen of Caelsis. Please tell me why you would wish to honor the Magi with your membership in the order.”

Ariana's demeanor changed. Accepting his show of humility, she descended to a place where she could talk eye to eye. “Well, dear Omar, let me explain. You see, this island is mine; it resides within my kingdom. When I first discovered your presence, I almost brought my armies to give you the proper greeting for a trespasser who’d imposed himself on me. There are protocols for acquiring a land deed from me or making any Barony request. I wasn't happy that you’d just taken control of my island and built a tower.

“In my initial anger I consulted the Elder. He is a Remmy who is the oldest creature alive on Soterion, to my knowledge, and was the first Monarch of Soterion. I also consulted Erestar Lurin, who is a neighboring leader of the Raphad. Erestar, though young and a new leader, is wise beyond his years. He suggested that I have you watched to observe your practices and find out why you’d risk your life in this way when your warriors were only eighty-five strong. Over time we learned that you had committed this act out of ignorance and not in malice. I intended to continue this observation from the inside, as a member of the Order, to learn more. That’s why I acted as I did when I revealed myself to Myles. If Peel-off hadn’t walked in and exposed me, I would have continued to disguise my true identity for quite some time.

“I even discovered that you, Omar, as well as Myles, were from a different planet all together. Your purposes seemed to be peaceful here, despite your intense training in battle skills from the Miyka called Kasey. I’ve come to enjoy watching your training and find that I would now like to be formally added to the Order of the Magi. You have many valuable things to offer. I assure you that you have no concerns about whether we will expose you before it is time. Only Erestar, the Elder, and I know of your presence, and you will find that the three of us are quite adept at keeping secrets.”

Omar bowed again to show his appreciation for her protection. Myles was surprised by the fact that he appeared to be accepting her into the Order. Omar didn’t notice his questioning gaze. Myles wondered what distracted him when Omar spoke up again. “Your Majesty, may I ask you how you’re related to Seux?”

Adriana started. “Explain your question.”

Omar smiled. “We met Seux in Musterion when he came to us and asked to join the Magi. At first, he seemed nervous and acted as though he was hiding something. Myles even accused him of lying to us because it was so obvious. When he finally opened up to us, he claimed that he was from the future of Soterion and that he was a prince of Caelsis.”

“He’s my brother and he’s dear to me. We’ve been through a lot together and, yes, he’s the second in the kingdom of Caelsis.”

“Thank you, your Majesty. He also claimed that he was a Magi in the future Soterion and was the second in command of the Magi in his time. We shouldn't reveal this to him because I don’t want to change the course of the future. But please send for him now. Since this is your land, I’d like to sit down with you and Seux and work out some kind of covenant that we can both benefit from before you join the Magi.”

“Agreed. But I must tell you that Erestar will be arriving here today. I sent a message to him telling him about you and your order, and he is interested in joining also. The Raphad rule the lands adjoining mine, and they would be a powerful ally for the Magi, though I doubt more of them will ever want to join. The Raphad tend to stick to mastering the arts of war and diplomacy for their own purposes.”

“Then I guess we should wait for Erestar’s arrival.”

Myles watched Omar charm the queen and win her cooperation.
Wow, he’s becoming a skilled con man
.

22

Like a Son

Thanatos had made this journey with hesitation, but he knew it was necessary. He now approached Mt. Drakonge and braced himself for the meeting, knowing that the master would be furious that he’d failed. He didn’t have Gabriyel’s powers of teleportation so it had taken him some time to find an alternate passage into Soterion after Kasey had banished him from Musterion. The news he brought would also be late, not allowing the master much time to make plans. He did not look forward to this meeting.

The Great Red Dragon required upon entering his lands that visitors take human form. As he stood before the volcano basking in the warmth of fresh lava flowing down its side, he tried to form some idea of what the master would say or do.

The Drakoni guards at the front gates of the citadel scowled at him. They knew the power that he had and how he had a much higher standing with the master than they did. Blind ambition consumed everyone in this wretched place. Even these guards were no exception. They knew of his failure. He could see it in their sneers. Thanatos approached one of them, backhanding it. It shied away, hissing at him. Both of them cowered and groveled before him, as they should have done from the first. He laughed and savored the sense of power.

After he’d entered the gates, he took the passage directly to the Great Red Dragon’s den. When he opened the giant doors, he beheld the greatest mountain of treasure he’d ever seen. The light from the torches in the chamber brought forth reflections from all the gold. Thanatos, however, had no use for gold. He much preferred collecting minions and having power, so he concentrated all his efforts on that. It was the custom to bring the master a gift when entering his lands, so he took a jagged obsidian sword from the sheath at his side and laid it before the sleeping Dragon. He’d given this sword the power to kill on contact anyone it cut and then re-animate the corpse, giving the one who wielded the sword total control of the new minion.

The dragon opened its eyes and examined the gift. It spoke in Thanatos’ mind. “This is a good weapon. It is a good gift and an acceptable apology for the mistake that you’ve made.”

“Sire, my own minion failed me. I’m terribly sorry.”

“That is your problem. You put too much trust in your minions, Thanatos. And because of that, the Sword of the Spirit is here on Soterion. It must never reach Suchikos. If the carpenter gets the sword, I will make sure that things don’t go well for you. For now, you will stay here on Soterion. I want you to reside in the swamps of Caelsis and remain there until I’ve acquired the sword. Take leadership of the Haspen who are there and prepare them for battle, but do nothing that would reveal my presence here.”

~*~

Kasey and Protos left the tower before Myles was brought back. They’d missed Ariana and the news of new allies. Ariana was the first of those who were on Soterion to introduce herself to the Magi. Kasey, on the other hand, had been given a mission from the Master, and she was focused on fulfilling it.

Though it was a significant distance to travel, they were able to fly to the mainland. When they finally landed on the shore, Protos considered what they needed to do so they could interact with the Malakadam, the people who dwelt in Loefel Meren. Though there were four different races here, Kasey and Protos didn’t exactly fit in due to their transformations. But blending in was paramount to their success. Protos warned Kasey, “We can’t reveal our wings here. Your wings of fire and my feathered wings would raise too many questions. The only Malakadam that have wings on Soterion are the Gabad. The Miyka like us don’t have any wings.”

“I understand,” she replied. “I’ll be careful where and when I fly.”

“So what is it that you wanted to speak to me about when we arrived, sister?”

“I need you to find a Remmy on the mainland that you think you can trust and ask him to locate Alicia. I know that she wasn’t my daughter, but I'm still concerned for her. Nekar told me that she’s here on Soterion. I just want to know where she is and that she’s safe.”

“Okay, but if Nekar is the one who brought her here, she may not be in this time.”

Kasey smiled, “All I ask is that you try.”

“Very well, my sister, I’ll try. Then this is where we part ways.”

She gave him a big hug. Her eyes filled. “I slipped a device in your bag that can make you invisible or make you look like one of the images captured on it. You can even capture more images if you need them and use them to disguise yourself. It’s one of Omar’s inventions, and it belongs to the Magi, so please return it once you’ve found her. I also have a tracking device on me so that you can find me once you’ve found her. Just follow the compass that I put in your bags, and it will lead you right to me.” She gave him one last hug then started walking north up the trail.

As she hiked along, she saw a Raphad for the first time. He appeared to be 25 feet tall and wore long robes. Even though he was so large, he had a gentle smile. Passing him felt like the inspiration of viewing a majestic mountain.

He bowed his head to her politely and said, “Good morning, m’lady.” He passed by her, heading south.

It was only when she got about a mile farther up the trail that she realized he was headed straight to the shore directly across from the island. The island was far enough away that those as tall as she was could barely see it. But he had a much higher vantage point and could probably see the island easily if he stood on the shoreline. He might even be able to see the tower. Kasey wondered what she could do.
It’s not my problem anymore,
she told herself, and pressed on.

She walked for a while until she found herself at a fork in the path. She could either head north or northeast so she knelt for a moment and prayed that the Master would guide her decision. Then she looked up and decided that she would follow the path north. Joy filled her when she found that the path led to another coastline. She ran onto the beach and walked along the shoreline all day. Kasey grew tired so she made camp on the beach and watched the two suns set one after the other. This world was so peaceful, so beautiful and amazing to her. Kasey decided that she would never go back to Earth.

~*~

Back at the tower, Omar, Myles, and Ischus walked down the stairs with Ariana flying along at their shoulders. They were anticipating the arrival of Erestar, and hoped Seux would join them as well. Heading for a conference room, they encountered Tyree coming up the stairs. He approached Omar with a sense of urgency and whispered, “I need to talk to you. I’m ready to tell you what happened and why.”

Omar told Myles to go ahead with the meeting. The others nodded their agreement and continued down the stairs as Omar and Tyree ducked into Tyree’s quarters.

Omar had been bothered for some time with Tyree’s unexpected appearance in the Core of Musterion. It had plagued Omar that this quiet and thoughtful friend could turn into a senseless, violent soldier. They’d spent the past year or so trying to bring Tyree back to sanity, and it hadn’t been easy. What bothered Omar the most was that the only times Tyree seemed to make progress were after the nights when Omar would find Kasey kneeling outside Tyree ’s door. Each time she’d been bowed over with her hand on the door praying for the Master to restore his mind to him. The idea that prayer could work really irritated Omar.

When they were alone, Tyree blurted out, “There’s war on Earth, Omar. It’s like nothing the world has ever seen before. It’s horrible, and it’s slowly destroying the entire planet. There was a draft and I was selected by the Marines. But before I went to Parris Island for training, Jack Raven came to me, offering to make sure that Misaki and the other coma patients were taken care of. She is likely one of the safest people on Earth, but still, the planet is in danger.”

“I am glad she is safe… at least remotely safe. But… I just never would have thought I’d see you with dog tags around your neck.”

“Because of my scientific knowledge, I was put on a special team that developed new weaponry.”

“Well, at least you didn’t get put on the front lines. What of my sister? Was she still ok?”

“Yes, Omar, Jack set up good caregivers and security for her and the others. But she is still in a coma. As to the military, I saw combat. But it wasn’t half as traumatic as entering Musterion.”

“What happened?”

“For the past decade on Earth, the government, the scientific community, and even Jack Raven have been looking for you. Jack found me a year after you disappeared and forced me to let him into the sealed room with the portal. No one has seen Jack since. Like you, he never returned.

“Then over a decade after you disappeared, in the midst of war, I was called out of battle and shipped back to the States where I was brought to the Pentagon. I found myself sitting in General Elder’s office. He gave me orders that were personally signed by the President of the United States. As I read the orders I saw “Location Unknown". I found that they planned to send me through the portal to retrieve you and Jack Raven. I explained your doorway theory and that there might not be a way back, but General Elder told me that it was a risk he was willing to take. So I was sent through the portal into this dimension.

“But from what Kasey has told me, there are five different domains within Musterion. There’s Gabriyel’s realm, the Master’s kingdom, Thanatos’ realm of darkness, the Great Red Dragon’s domain, and there’s the Core where everyone from Soterion comes to live. The problem for me was that I came into Musterion deep in the domain of the Great Red Dragon.”

A knock sounded on Tyree’s door. “It’s Peel-off. I have something urgent that I must tell you, Omar!”

“Hold on, Tyree. I need to see what this is about.” Omar went out the door and stood in the hall, staring down at Peel-off.

“Kasey and Protos have disappeared. I used my ability on Kasey and discovered that she’s on the southeastern coast of Caelsis. Omar, she’s on the mainland. She’s no longer here on the island.”

Omar felt a headache coming on.

“There’s also some equipment missing. It’s nothing extravagant—just two of your invisibility devices.”

“That’s okay, I told her I’d give her a few things in return for her services, and I’d already lent them to her anyway. I don’t know why she left, but let’s not panic just yet. She’s a mysterious creature, I’ll admit, but I don’t think we’re in danger.” Omar stopped for a moment to think through this news and then added, “We might check to see where she is from time to time but right now I have an important meeting to get back to. We’ll discuss this later with the Council.”

Peel-off bowed and said, “Sorry to interrupt.”

Omar returned to Tyree, who continued his story. “Omar, I came to Musterion five hundred years before you did. Because of where I arrived, I was captured by the Drakoni, the servants of the Great Red Dragon. Normally they eat those they find wandering in the maze, but they kept me alive. They never outwardly expressed why but they tortured me, asking many questions, and among those questions was always questions about the technology I had brought with me. I think that was the real reason they held me. The equipment should have been non-functional after so long but the Drakoni have some kind of magic, and I think they used that to preserve my equipment. They fed me, but I had to survive on raw meat, just as the Drakoni did. I was kept in a cell where I was allowed to move around, but I was forced to watch horrible things that I don’t even want to relive long enough to describe them to you. Now imagine this kind of life for five hundred years.

“I have a device implanted in my dog tags that we’d developed for the war. I managed to eventually convince one of the Drakoni Overlords that they needed to give me access to my things because there was a hazardous material that could destroy all of Musterion. For many years they wouldn’t believe me, but eventually one of the guards decided he could give me my things, but only in my cell. When I found the dog tags, I activated the device. It’s a matter displacer that I created with a stabilizer field that protects the user. Everything immediately collapsed, and I escaped from my cell and got past the Drakoni.

"But as I was running through the tunnels, the Great Red Dragon caught me. He said that I could go, but Musterion was his world and all its inhabitants were his servants. I didn’t know any better, so I believed him and ran. I didn’t realize until recently why he let me go, but he had looked at me as if he could see my soul. He knew that I was a battle-trained warrior and if he told me those lies, I’d shoot first and ask questions later if I ever found the Musterlings. That’s why I attacked on sight when I came to what you call the Core. There was war going on, and I thought everyone was an evil servant of the Dragon.”

Omar ran his hand through his hair and let his mind race as he considered what Tyree had told him.
Five hundred years?
He didn’t know if he would even be sane after five hundred years of that kind of life.

“I learned the language of the Drakoni,” Tyree started again. “I listened as they talked, and I know a lot of their plans for Soterion. I also know that there are other worlds besides this one. There’s a multi-dimensional galaxy with Musterion as the center gateway. I remember it all now, Omar! Listen to this. I’ll tell you things you never imagined.”

“The Great Red Dragon rules over Thanatos, who is the master of Bio Nekros, a world crawling with undead. Bio Nekros belongs to Thanatos and he rules it however he wishes. There are many other worlds, and they all connect through Musterion. These include Earth, Soterion, Musterion, Bio Nekros, Gnosis, Pneumatikos, and Astorgeon. Pneumatikos was the world that Kasey went into after she was saved and transformed.

“Oh yeah, speaking of Kasey, the Great Red Dragon’s plan was for Thanatos to have Moluno kill Kasey and Myles so that they’d never make it to Soterion. There’s a prophecy on Soterion that only those who lived in the first Kingdom of Soterion would remember. It says that a Miyka who’s not really a Miyka, with the help of an Adam from another world, will bring a weapon to Soterion across many worlds that will be the salvation of Soterion. It’s called the sword of Soterion by the Drakoni, and it has the power to defeat the Great Red Dragon.”