Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi (24 page)

“Kasey never displayed a weapon of such power.”

“But things are not always what they seem. If there’s anything I learned on Musterion, it was that.”

Omar rubbed his chin. There was a lot to consider here, but most of all he wanted to know what this weapon was. “It looks like we’ll need to find Kasey. Do you have any idea where she might be headed?”

“My guess is that she’s going to Suchikos. The Drakoni Overlords said that if she ever made it to Soterion, they hoped the Great Red Dragon would wage war on Suchikos. Suchikos is the kingdom that was founded by the twelve Jews who were the first to ever make it through the Maze of Musterion and come to Soterion. It’s now known that none can pass through Musterion to Soterion without a human with them. But with a human, it’s possible. Don’t forget, Omar, that just because you look like an Akana and have their natural abilities, it doesn’t make you an Akana. You’re still actually a human. Kasey is also human despite her current form. The Dragon knows all of this.”

“But I don’t know why Kasey would hide from us the fact that she had such a weapon.”

“You’ll have to ask her.”

“There’s one more thing that I need to know from you, Tyree. Will you join the Magi?”

Tyree shook his head. “I’m a Marine, Omar, and I have my orders. I won’t take you back to Earth against your will. But I still must find Jack Raven. It’s my belief that there’s a portal to Musterion within the walls of Suchikos. It would be something that the original twelve would’ve hidden somewhere in the kingdom. I need to find it so I can return to Musterion and look for Jack Raven.”

“You mustn’t go back there. What if you end up captured by the dragon again?”

“It doesn’t matter,” answered Tyree. “Orders are orders no matter what planet I’m on. I’ll complete my mission and then try to come back to see if you’ve changed your mind about staying here.”

“We’ve found a way to genetically mix the DNA of a dog with Roca's to make a creature we call the Kuon. They’re giant dogs that have wings but are covered with feathers. They have barbed feathers that have venom in them, and they can shoot them. They’re intelligent creatures. They are fast, and you can ride them. They’re also loyal, and once they bond to a master, they’re bound to him for life. I’ll send you with two. One is for you, and the other one is for Kasey if you ever run across her. If you don’t, you can bond with both of them.”

Tyree put his hand on Omar’s shoulder. “It’s been good seeing you again, old friend. I hope to return to you some day.”

“I hope to see you again also. Be careful out there. This is a strange dimension. Of that I’m quite sure.” In the years that Tyree had worked for Omar, they’d never really displayed affection for each other, but at that moment Omar hugged Tyree and patted him on the back. “I mean it, be careful,” he whispered.

Tyree took one of the tags off the chain around his neck and handed it to Omar. “This has the matter displacer imbedded in it. I hope you don’t ever have to use it, but it will help you in a moment of desperation.” He patted Omar on the shoulder, then picked up his bags and left.

Omar’s eyes welled up as he watched his scarred and hardened friend walk out the door. Overcome with sorrow, he sat down on the floor as tears came to his eyes. He wished that life wasn’t so hard sometimes. Tyree had been like a son to him, and it was hard to let him go. He even thought about praying at that moment that he would get to see his friend again someday. But he remembered that he was a scientist and decided to let it go.

23

Tyree

Several days passed as Kasey hiked along the beach. It was a beautiful journey and she’d resigned herself to following the shore line. Not knowing a specific place to go, Kasey just walked and communed with the Master, hoping to grow in an understanding of her mission. The past few days had been a special spiritual time for her where she could be alone, fast, and seek the will of the Master without interruption. Now here she was again where she’d set up a campfire, spread out a bed, and fallen asleep on the beach without a care in the world.

But this night wasn’t the same after all. She was woken abruptly by a stabbing pain in her leg. She sat up suddenly to see a giant blue scaled tentacle wrapped around it. She drew a moss dagger from her bags and tried to reach the sword but couldn’t. She frantically stabbed the thing with her dagger as it raised her thirty-five feet above the beach and began pulling downward when she moved out over the ocean. It happened so quickly that before Kasey realized it, she was submerged under water. She knew not to struggle because every muscle movement meant she would lose more air. She tried to remain still while the tentacle pulled her closer to a beast.

This creature was massive and was probably as large as a stadium. It had finned horns on its head like some kind of water dragon. As it opened its mouth she saw its sharp teeth protruding and a forked tongue reaching out like a serpent. It had gills, and its eyes were like those of a frog. Kasey quickly realized that she couldn’t defeat this giant so she prayed for help and before she could finish her prayer, help arrived.

She saw Tyree swimming beside her. He held out a laser rifle and severed the tentacle to free Kasey. He signaled for her to swim to the surface, fearing that she was out of breath. She had trained as an assassin to hold her breath for long periods of time, so she was fine. She did swim up a little but turned around to make sure Tyree was ok.

She watched as the monster grabbed Tyree but he didn’t even fight it. He simply held on to his remaining dog tag as it began to swallow him whole.
What?
Does he have a death wish?
That’s when Kasey’s wings ignited without her even thinking about it; and as she flapped them, she began to move downward swiftly. She was trying to think of a way to save him when suddenly she was seized and pulled up by her good leg. Something was pulling her to the surface so she turned with her knife ready and saw what had grabbed her. It was a large dog-like creature that had the markings of a Doberman with red and black fur, but it had wings also with red and black coloring and it flapped them to pull them to the surface. When it rose above the water, it carried her to the beach and dropped her there. She sat up wondering about Tyree. That’s when she saw that there were two dog-creatures, and the other one was circling the area where Tyree had been.

Kasey jumped up and yelled, “No!” as she ran back towards the water. But just as she reached the sea water, she felt the entire beach shake as if a large bomb had gone off. The Kuon that was circling the water shot straight up in the air like a rocket. Something told Kasey to get away fast so she too swiftly shot into the air with her wings ablaze. She looked down just in time to see thousands of water drops floating up towards her, giant pieces of the sea creature followed closely behind. It all suspended in the air for a brief moment until everything just fell back into the water.

Kasey flew to the ground looking for Tyree, not imagining that he could have survived that blast. The beach and the ocean were both red with blood. She was not known for getting queasy but the sight of the mess and the thought of it made her want to empty her stomach. Then as she looked out from the beach she saw Tyree walking in from the water, but he was dry.
How could he be dry?
she wondered.

Kasey was thrilled to see him alive and ran over and kissed him on the cheek. “That’s for saving me!” she said with a smile. But then she whacked him hard on the side of his head.

“And what was that for?” he demanded.

Kasey glared at him, “That’s for letting me think you were going to die! What in the world was that anyway? What did you do?”

“It’s a lot of weird science, Kasey. Let’s just say I used a weapon that tears things to pieces.” He looked around and added, “I think it worked pretty well.”

Kasey calmed herself a bit and replied, “Thanks again for saving me.

You were an answer to prayer.” Then she noticed the Kuon and asked, “What are these dog-bird-thingies?”

“They’re the Kuon. These are a special breed of Magi dogs. They’re intelligent, and thanks to Omar, one of them is yours.”

She smiled at that news and replied, “I’ll take the one that chose me by getting me out of the ocean.” It was already sitting beside her so she pet him on his head.

Tyree laughed, “That’s a good choice.”

Kasey glanced up and down the beach and raised an eyebrow as she asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

Kasey shook her head to say that wasn’t an acceptable answer and asked again, “No, really…what are you doing here? I mean, I appreciate your saving me. I really do. But I’m not the usual ditsy damsel in distress, and I’m a long way from the tower.” A sudden sober look came over her, and she poked at Tyree’s chest as she demanded, “Did Myles send you?”

Tyree laughed loudly and asked, “Why would Myles send me? I don’t even know Myles, and I’ve barely spoken to him or anyone else since I arrived. Kasey, I’m headed to Suchikos.”

“Bless you,” she jokingly said.

Tyree shook his head but smiled at her quip as he responded, “No, it’s a kingdom in Soterion where the humans reside. You know, the Adam from Earth. I’m searching for a way back into Musterion, and I have a strong belief that they have a portal there.”

“And you just happened to stumble on me as you were walking along?”

“Yes, but it’s quite fortunate though. I need to tell you a few things.” She pointed a finger at him. “So you were following me!”

“No,” he assured her. “This is the fastest way to Suchikos.”

“Oh, okay. So what did you need to tell me?”

“First of all, I know about the special weapon you have.”

Kasey almost stepped back when she heard that. “Did Ischus tell you?” “Once again, I don’t know him,” Tyree answered.

“So explain it then,” Kasey demanded, almost sounding angry.

“When I came into Musterion, I landed in the Great Red Dragon’s domain. You and the sword were a regular topic there. The guards talked about you all the time. There’s a prophecy from ages past that a Miyka that’s not a Miyka would someday bring a weapon of salvation to Soterion.”

Kasey was confused. But she was also curious, so she pressed for more, “Who was it that was talking about me in the Dragon’s Domain?”

“Oh, let’s see, the Great Red Dragon, Thanatos, and several Drakoni Overlords to name a few.”

Kasey laughed when she heard that. “Wow! I’m famous!”

Tyree shook his head and with a serious look replied, “More like infamous. From the looks of it with Auqua Drakoni attacking you, the Great Red Dragon already knows you made it here. So you’re in danger.”

“Let’s change that subject for now. Would you like to travel with me to Suchikos?”

He nodded as he began to grin. “Of course. Maybe I can protect you on the way there too.”

Kasey laughed it off, waving her hand in the air. “I had that octodragon right where I wanted him.”

Tyree shook his head, “Suuuure you did.”

“Okay, we’ll see who protects who,” Kasey challenged him. Tyree laughed and answered her, “Yes. We’ll see.”

~*~

Myles led Ischus and Ariana into the conference room as they waited for Erestar. He knew about the relationship between Omar and Tyree, so he was sure it would be a while before Omar would join them. Fortunately they didn’t have to wait long for Erestar. They could see him arrive out of their third story window.

The Council decided they had to meet outside because of Erestar Lurin’s size. This was the first Raphad that Myles had ever seen, and now he understood why the Musterlings were surprised that Omar and Myles could take down a Kalat. Reuben had told them that a Kalat had been known to take down three Raphad. Erestar was twenty-five feet tall and Myles barely came up to his kneecap even though he was six feet tall. The thought of three Raphad being overwhelmed by a Kalat gave Myles a fresh fear of them.

Erestar was wearing a long grey robe and had fair skin and blue eyes with flecks of silver in them. He was muscular in build and had shoulder length hair except for one braid that reached his waist. He had a special presence about him though. He was a gentle giant, but you could tell from the way he spoke with a distant look in his eyes that he had the experience of a battle-hardened soldier.

The entire Magi Council had been called and each member showed up one by one. Both Erestar and Queen Ariana watched as they walked out of the tower single file. At first they appreciated the orderly and disciplined way that they conducted themselves. But when Neafer left the tower and was approaching them, Queen Ariana jumped to her feet as she mouthed the words “Haspen.” Myles and Sebastian quickly moved between the two of them as Sebastian slowly approached Queen Ariana.

Ariana glared in rage as she firmly stated, “I wasn’t aware that the Magi allowed such trash to be amongst them. All agreements are off. If you keep company with Haspen, you’ll not keep company with Nepsah. I’ll give you one month to move your people off my land before I bring my army to clear this entire island.”

Then Seux appeared as if out of nowhere. He seemed calm and sane now. This was a drastic change from the last time the Magi had seen him.
How can these Nepsah get past the ’Am Mayim undetected?
Myles asked himself as he watched quietly. Seux went right to his sister and said, “I was once as she is. Do you remember? Yet I had my chance for redemption. Please, calm yourself, and we’ll find the meaning of this.”

Ariana relaxed and sat down again. Seux looked to the Magi around him and said, “You’ll have to excuse my sister. The Haspen have wreaked much havoc in Caelsis, and it bothers her that you’d keep company with a race that has such wicked tendencies.”

Seux showed no sign of recognizing any of them and took a seat. Erestar beckoned Neafer to sit with him so she climbed up Erestar’s robe all the way to his shoulder. Erestar turned his head to her and gently spoke, “Little one. Tell me, do you seek redemption from the wicked deeds that brought you to lose your wings?”

Neafer looked up and put her finger to her chin as if she was thinking. She then smiled and said, “Yeah! Yeah! That sounds great. How do I do that?”

Erestar shrugged and said, “Only you can know that.”

Queen Ariana shook her head. “I have records on every Nepsah to be stripped of its wings. I will search them to see if you’re in them. If not, then the odds are you were born a Haspen and indeed Erestar is correct, only you know.”

Neafer shook her head. “No I wasn’t born this way. I admit it. I got them taken off me for being naughty.”

Queen Ariana glared at her, and it was obvious this wasn’t a good answer. Myles sighed as he considered how to bring this diverse group together into order. He was starting to wish that Omar had come.

Trying to find a way to unite these leaders, Myles stood and opened the meeting. “I didn’t even think about that fact that we might have enemy races interested in the Magi,” he announced. Then Myles glanced at Neafer and at Queen Ariana. “So here’s my proposal. Each of you will declare your conditions for co-existing in the same order. Then we will all give serious consideration to your terms and decide how we meet your demands.”

Neafer nodded to Queen Ariana, allowing her to speak first. Queen Ariana rose to speak but was still upset at the presence of Neafer. With an obvious disgust she explained, “A Haspen is defined by its lack of wings. There is only one who’s ever sought the path of redemption and when he reached it, his wings grew back. If a Haspen has no wings, that Haspen has not sought redemption wholeheartedly. I require that Neafer leave Caelsis in search of redemption for her crimes. She may return when she has real wings and not before. Furthermore, no Haspen will ever join the Magi before their wings have grown back.” She glared at Myles and said, “You’re a stranger in these lands, and you don’t know what disgusting and vile things the Haspen are capable of doing. You don’t realize how dangerous it is that she’s even here.”

Myles understood from hard experience that in conflicts like these, the first one to speak would lose. So he was silent and waited for either Ariana or Neafer to speak.

Then it happened. Neafer spoke next but not in her giggly silly voice, not in the voice that she always spoke normally. This time she spoke in all seriousness with a mature tone acknowledging, “My Queen, I do know how horrible my race is. Please understand that my participation in the order is my effort to live a different life than before. I can agree to the conditions you’ve laid out for me, and I can also take comfort in not seeing a Haspen ever again.” She then bowed her head to Queen Ariana in respect.

Is this a con?
thought Myles.
If so, she’s really good.

But it seemed to work because Queen Ariana nodded her acceptance.

Then Myles cleared his throat, recognizing they had an agreement and it was time to move on. “Now, let’s get on to the agreement we all came here to establish. We offer to you and your kingdoms that in return for the secret knowledge that you hold of Soterion, the Magi will share with you all the secret knowledge that it holds. Is that acceptable to you?”

Erestar nodded in agreement. “We will participate in your alliance.”

Then Ariana nodded also but added a requirement stating, “Because you reside within my kingdom it will be required that all Magi become residents of Caelsis and only Caelsis.”

Erestar reacted badly to that and raised an objection saying, “Am I to leave my people to join the Magi or do you expect Nepsah and Raphad to co-exist?”

Ariana giggled at the thought of that and admitted, “Now that would make for quite a mess. You might sit down one day and destroy a Nepsah. No, I propose that monarchs and leaders of races should be excluded from the sole citizenship requirement.”