Whistlestop (10 page)

Archimedes chuckled. “The emperor is
coming for you, brave fool. I appreciate your sentiment, but you
are as dead as our babies.” The dragons followed Archimedes into a
dark corner, where they all huddled together to share warmth,
camaraderie and their memories.

Lydia Amaranths Iron-Heart appeared in
the long hallway leading to the throne room. The soldiers guarding
the door saw her appear and lowered their lances to prevent her
from entering. “Come on, boys, you can do better than that!” she
shouted while drawing her weapons. The men stood their ground as
she charged. Ten feet from tips of their lances, she jumped into
the air and flipped so her feet were over her head. In a single
swipe of her long sword, she cut all of the lances in half and then
crashed into the dumbstruck soldiers. The impact of the collision
broke open the throne room doors. She jumped to her feet, ready to
strike again, while the guards seemed unconscious. “Hello, Trehbor,
I have come for your head!”

The throne room was vast, at least two
hundred feet long, with seating for several hundred to sit in
audience with the ruler of the planet. Dozens of finely dressed
courtesans pushed and shoved each other toward the outer edges of
the room to save themselves. More guards lined each of the walls.
They began to move to protect their master. The trehbor was a big
man, at least seven feet tall and three hundred pounds. He had
long, bushy red hair and a full and long beard. He wore golden
battle armor, although no weapon was apparent. The throne was made
of hand-carved wood in the shapes of the wildlife found in the
valley. He wore a wood and leather crown topped with an impossibly
large set of antlers. They rose twenty feet over his head. To his
left, his five senior ministers headed for the exits. To his right,
five guards stood smiling at her. “Who are you and what is the
meaning of this? How dare you threaten my life?” he screamed at
her.

“
Tell me where the dragons
live or you will die!” she exclaimed.

“
The dragons? How would I
know where they live?”

Two of the guards to the right began
to move forward, and the long lines of lancers pushed their way
through the escaping courtesans and the chairs which were now
scattered about. As the two guards approached, they began to
change. By the time they stepped off the platform, they were ten
feet tall, with dark green leathery skin and their lances had
become battle axes. “Do not worry, Trehbor, we can handle her,” one
of the monsters grinned. They held their axes over their heads and
charged, screaming the entire way. When they were five feet away,
Lydia jumped thirty feet into the air while the monsters swung
their axes at the open air and then fell to the floor attempting to
turn.

She landed where she had jumped and
spun around to face the beasts. The first charged again. As it
began to swing downward with the ax, she swiped upward with her
long sword, severing the arms and head of the beast. The ax clanged
harmlessly to the ground. The beast dissolved into dust and
disappeared. The second beast was on its feet, ready to attack.
Lydia took her dagger and threw it at the beast, striking it in the
forehead and sinking up to the hilt in its head. The beast crumbled
away. But Lydia had not noticed that one of the guards from the
door had come up from behind her. He swung the shaft of his lance,
knocking her to the ground where the others shackled
her.

Lydia woke suddenly to a glass of
water thrown in her face. Guards were holding her arms tightly, and
she could feel the lance of a third poking her in the back. Her
armor and weapons had been removed. “Nice try, young lady, but you
should know you cannot so easily defeat the forces of the empire,”
the trehbor said. He slid down a bit in his chair to ease out of
the crown which was fastened to the throne and wall. He stood up
and walked over to her as she struggled with the guards. “Who are
you?” he asked while cupping her cheek in his hand. He pulled off
her helmet to let her hair loose. “You are a pretty thing
indeed.”

She wrenched her neck to extract her
head from his grasp. “I am Lydia Amaranths Iron-Heart, Knight of
Winterpast, not some wench for your pleasure.”

He laughed and the courtesans began to
laugh along. “And she has a sense of humor!” he exclaimed to the
crowd. He cupped her breasts in his hands and said, “Very nice
indeed, but a nasty temperament.”

“
Leave me alone you
bastard!” she spat.

He turned and walked over to the
platform and sat on its edge. He sighed and replied, “Perhaps if
you had not dispatched the emperor’s guard, I might have let you
live.” He glanced over to the remaining three guards who looked
quite nervous.

“
I’m glad I killed those
monsters, and how dare you allow demons like that in your presence.
My father thought of you as a friend, Trehbor.”

“
I wish life was as simple
as you see it. My dear, these are difficult times. I count myself
blessed to be alive and protected by such brave men,” he replied,
again glancing at the three guards.

“
You are going to turn me
over to the emperor, aren’t you?”

He laughed heartily. “My dear, the
emperor doesn’t know who you are or care for that matter. By law, I
must turn you over to those guards, who will decide your
punishment.” He again glanced at the three who were now grinning.
“It will not go well for you. You should not have come. A true
Knight of Winterpast would have help, and here you are, all
alone.”

“
Not quite alone, Trehbor!”
shouted a voice at the doorway, where two elves stood with their
staffs in their hands.

“
Jedidiah and Jeremiah, my
old friends, I suppose you have come to rescue this pretty thing,
is that true?” The elves nodded and began to move forward. The
courtesans and guards backed away as fast as they could. “You know
my hands are tied,” the trehbor said, again glancing at the three
guards who had already morphed into monsters and were moving toward
Lydia.

One of the monsters grabbed the
trehbor by the neck and began to drag him away. The others took
Lydia by the arms as the other guards fled for the exits. “We know,
old friend,” Jedidiah said as both elves raised their staffs and
then slammed them into the floor. The whole castle shuddered and a
cloud of dust rose from the floor. The guards were momentarily
distracted by the commotion and looked to one another for guidance.
The elves slammed their staffs into the floor again, and a bolt of
lightning emerged from Jeremiah’s staff and shot around the room.
It pierced the three guards’ heads and ended in Jedidiah’s staff.
The guards crumbled to dust, causing the trehbor and Lydia to fall
to the floor.

The trehbor climbed to his feet
laughing while the elves helped Lydia to stand. “What fun that
was!” he shouted. “It is unfortunate it will not last for long.
More guards will be sent soon, we can be sure of that.”

“
Don’t let him get away
without telling us where the dragons are,” Lydia begged. “We have
to save Jerry!”

“
Crazy woman, I told you I
do not know where the dragons live!”

“
I don’t believe you,
Trehbor.”

“
Please calm yourself,
Lydia,” Jedidiah said. “We know where the dragons are, but we are
not going to rescue Jerry.” Both she and the trehbor looked
stunned. “According to the Foreboding of Asterpast, everything
continues to move down the correct path, except for this little
commotion, but we can overcome this.”

“
I can’t believe my ears,”
she replied. “You are going to allow the Emperor to kill the Chosen
One?”

“
As long as fate takes the
course defined by God’s Will, we must let it happen. If it is
Jerry’s time to die, then so be it,” the elf noted.

“
My brother is right,”
Jeremiah agreed. “You have to know that Jeremy Davis Iron-Heart II
is my best friend. No one wants him safe more than I, but there are
greater issues now. If things begin to get out of control, we will
do everything possible to save him. Lydia, you must come with us to
Whistlestop now. Your safety is paramount.”

“
Because I am a Chosen One
too?” she queried. Both elves nodded in unison.

“
How can there be two
Chosen Ones?” the trehbor asked.

“
God works in mysterious
ways, old friend,” Jedidiah said.

“
And perhaps there is yet
another,” Jeremiah finished.

Quite appropriately, the elven city of
Marblehead sat near the base of the five hundred foot marble cliff
for which it was named. The site for the city was chosen because
the cliff was considered sacred at various points in the history of
the planet; however this was not one of those times. When the
forces of the Emperor of Axis attacked, thousands of citizens took
shelter in the Marble Temple, where they were brutally slain. A
counterattack destroyed the imperial fleet and all of the beasts
supporting them, forcing Karl August Galantine Armstrong to leave
this reality. Although he promised to return and subjugate the
elves, his troops had not been seen since their defeat. The
soldiers of Whistlestop retrieved the bodies of the dead from the
temple and sealed it as a memorial to those who died there and in
the counterattack.

The temple was built into the marble
cliff more than halfway up from the base. A single narrow stairway,
carved into the stone, was the only way to access the site. The
stairs ended at a steel door sealing the temple. Beyond that door,
a long hallway descended for half a mile until the visitor entered
the large chamber where the slaughter occurred. In happier times,
worshippers would climb the cliff on holy days and congregate in
the temple to listen to tales of the great history of the elven
kind. Afterward, the crowd would return to Marblehead full of joy
and inspiration, and then a large feast would be held.

The Marblehead Military Academy sat
adjacent to the cliff. Today, Jeremy and his grandson were heading
there, led by a young elf named Mordechai. They were to meet the
Foreboding of Asterpast to discuss what was to happen next. As they
walked through the tall gates and into the compound, they could
hear others inside the facility marching or exercising in
preparation for daily classes. They followed a paved roadway to the
building, where a large arch served as the entrance to the
structure. At the other end of the archway, they could see a few
elves practicing self-defense in the open courtyard in the center
of the building. Once they had entered the center atrium, Mordechai
said, “Lord Jeremy, I must take my leave of you now. My classes
will start soon.” He pointed to the far side of the atrium where
several people sat on a raised stage. “The Foreboding will be
waiting for you both over there.”

“
That’s odd, I don’t see
Arthur at all,” Jeremy replied. “It looks like just a few elven
officers.”

Mordechai smiled. “As I said, he will
be waiting for you by the time you arrive. Enjoy your day.” He
turned and walked toward another door into the building.

“
Come on, Jeremy; let’s go
see what this is all about.” Jeremy and his grandson moved
forward.

“
Dad, all of this is
impossible!” Lynn exclaimed. She was in a bedroom of Jeremiah’s
home arguing with her parents. “Please tell me I was born in Baton
Rouge, not on some other planet, and what’s all this bullshit about
you being some kind of soothsayer. For Christ’s sake, you’re an
insurance salesman!”

“
Please calm down dear,”
her mother said. “Lilian will be here any minute. You don’t want to
upset her.”

“
Mom, then will you tell me
where I was born?”

“
You were born in my
bedroom in your father’s home in the city of Babylon,
Asterpast.”

Lynn stood frozen for a moment, unable
to cope with the words. Then she sat on the edge of the bed and
stared out the window at the marble cliff less than a mile away.
“Why didn’t either of you tell me before?”

Arthur looked at his watch anxiously.
“You know I need to meet with Jeremy and your son very soon. I
don’t have much time.”

“
Just tell me the truth,
Dad,” Lynn begged.

There was a knock at the door. Sadie
opened it and let Lilian in the room and then said, “Art, you know
I have to go now.”

“
Where are you going,
Grandma?” Lilian asked.

She patted her granddaughter on the
head and replied, “I have to go help my sister convince our family
to help your daddy.”

“
Travel well, my darling,”
Arthur said. “And give my blessing on your father’s
house.”

Sadie smiled at him, kissed Lilian on
the cheek and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Lilian then sat next to her mother.

Arthur paced back and forth for a
moment and then said, “Okay, I will tell you both everything, but I
only have a few minutes. Please don’t interrupt or question me now
or we won’t get through this. I promise to answer any questions
later, okay?” Lynn and Lilian both nodded.

The Foreboding told them about their
real past. The planet Asterpast in the Pastoral Realm was led by
the seers, a group of humans who could see the past, present and
future and knew the events that led from one to the other. As the
most expert seer, Arthur Truth was named Foreboding, making him
leader of the planet. His job was to work with the other seers to
protect the people of Asterpast and to lead them along the path of
God’s Will. Asterpast had a long history not unlike those of other
human planets. During Arthur’s time, the planet was peaceful and a
strong trade partner with the elves and other closely related
realities.