Whistlestop (17 page)

“
Look at that, Granddad!”
the boy shouted gleefully.

Lydia glanced quickly behind herself
and asked, “Why are you two still here? Get into the woods
now!”

“
Relax, Cousin, it’s okay,”
the elder Jeremy replied.

“
What?” Lydia said as she
turned to scowl at the two men. “We could all be dead in seconds.”
She turned back to see the funnel now more than five feet tall and
spinning tightly. The spinning slowed rapidly and the blob of water
began to change into the shaped of a human. In the blink of an eye,
the water changed into Angelina Divine Promise. Lydia shook her
head in disbelief.

“
Grandma!” the boy shouted
and ran out into the water, hugging her around the
waist.

“
That was quite an
entrance, dearest,” Jeremy said.

Angelina took her grandson’s hand and
they walked over to the others. Lydia had dropped both of her
weapons and stood bewildered at the event. “It’s quite all right,
my dear,” she told Lydia. “It is a pleasure to meet you,
Cousin.”

“
What just happened? Who
are you?”

“
Lydia, this is my wife,
Angelina Divine Promise Iron-heart,” Jeremy interjected.

“
You really are an angel!”
Lydia stammered.

“
Yes, dear,” Angelina
giggled.

“
Is anything wrong, Angie?”
Jeremy asked.

“
This is so amazing,” Lydia
squeaked.

“
The pleasure is mine,
Cousin, but this is not a social call,” Angelina said as she
brushed Lydia’s cheek with her hand. Lydia trembled and blushed at
the touch. “Nothing is wrong at the moment, honey,” she said to
Jeremy. “But we have decided to take our grandchildren to the Upper
Realm to visit my father. Hopefully, their presence will help him
decide our course of action while also insuring their
safety.”

The little boy pulled on her arm and
complained, “But I am in training to be a Knight of Winterpast,
Grandma. I don’t want to go!”

“
Don’t worry, my precious,
my brothers and sisters will train you and your sister on
everything you need to learn.”

Jeremy walked over and put his hand on
his grandson’s head. “She’s right, Jeremy. Your grandmother’s
family includes the greatest warriors and seers in the entire
universe. Not to mention that I’m slowing you down here. I’m old
and my cousin has to take it easy on me. You go ahead and you’ll
see.”

“
Lydia, you stay with
Jeremy for a minute. I need to talk to my husband in private,
okay?” Angelina asked and Lydia nodded her consent. Angelina took
the elder Jeremy’s hand and led him several yards further down the
river bank until they were out of earshot.

“
I don’t like the sound of
this, Angie.”

“
Sadie and I don’t like it
any better than you, honey, but this is the only way my father will
provide any help stopping the emperor. We were lucky to get him to
accept the kids for a while.”

“
Manny is a stubborn old
coot!” Jeremy spat.

She caressed his cheek and replied,
“You know better than that, honey. His perspective is just a bit
different. With us, it has always been our wish to allow the
peoples of the Middle Realms to exercise free will and make their
choices. If we get involved in an all-out war with the Lower Realm,
most of the worlds will be destroyed and time itself might end.
Nobody wants that, right?”

“
Of course nobody does,
Angie, but Linger is openly involved now. I don’t see how we can
hope to win.”

“
It’s not about winning,
Jeremy. It never was. It is about choices. If you choose to face
the emperor or Linger, there is a strong chance you’ll be killed.
The same is true for your son and his children. If you choose to
flee, there is a strong chance you will still be killed, and even
if not, eventually you will die of old age. Do you see?”

“
Yeah, no matter what I do,
I’m dead,” Jeremy grunted.

“
That’s true, obviously,
but not the point. You will have chosen and done what you think is
right. When your body passes, your spirit will be free to choose to
live again. You live and you learn. You die and you learn even
more. Choices, choices, choices.”

“
I’m not sure you’re making
me feel any better, sweetheart,” Jeremy replied. “Are there any
other words of wisdom from my father-in-law?”

“
Actually, yes there are.
First, he wanted me to tell you he loves you, and no matter what
happens, you’ll be able to live with me in the Upper Realm any time
you choose, before or after death.”

“
Really?”

“
Really. Honey, I always
told you he liked you. When you see Jeremy and Lilian again, they
will have grown quite a bit. It may only seem like days or weeks to
you, but they will each have aged several years.” Jeremy stared
back, unblinking. “Relax. No one is stealing their time, but there
is little they can do to help as children.”

“
Kids deserve a childhood,
honey!”

“
Jeremy, I would never lie
to you. They will age at a normal rate and have time for education,
training and lots of fun. Sadie and I will be there almost all of
the time.” Jeremy sighed and dropped his head. “It’s okay, dearest.
Trust me. Now this is the important part. Lydia needs to return to
Winterpast with Jedidiah Beetleweed Mosscatcher. I’ve already
spoken with Jeremiah and he and other elves will take over your
training. The members of your family are the last Knights of
Winterpast. It is too risky and tempting to have more than one on a
planet.”

“
Lynn is here with
me.”

“
As you know, she is a
seer, not a knight. You need to protect her.”

Jeremy looked around and then said,
“You’re setting Lydia up as a target! She and one elf can’t stop
the emperor. He already has Jerry. Once he kills Lydia, I’m the
last one.”

She kissed his lips lightly. “He
doesn’t have Jerry. He is on the ogre planet and is protected by
fairies, sprites and your dear friend Montrose. There is risk
there, but he is safe for now. We have a new friend on Winterpast
who will help Lydia, though I can’t say any more than that.” She
hugged him tightly and said, “It is going to be okay,
honey.”

“
Besides, we really have no
choice.”

“
Unfortunately, that is
also true.”

The Emperor of the Universe was
frightened almost out of his mind. He had only been summoned to the
Lower Realm once before, when Linger Bartholomew Breakneck had told
him of his plan to create a single empire encompassing the entire
universe, save the Upper Realm. That meeting took place in a royal
audience chamber stuffed with thousands of the large demons
cheering for their leader. Karl felt so weak and helpless as he was
led through that massive throng, knowing any one of them could kill
him with a thought or a swipe of their battle ax. This day was
different. He was following two monsters down a long hallway that
was lined with the portraits of male and female leaders of various
planets and realms who had served Linger well. As he looked on
those faces, he knew each of them was dead and all their worldly
possessions and power had faded away as did their bodies in their
ornate tombs. The guards stopped at the end of the hall and opened
the doors to another room, motioning him to go inside.

The room was massive and finely
decorated with statues, tapestries and tall windows that looked out
into a massive cavern filled with magma cascades and dark rock
formations. Fifty large tables filled the room, each with ten
formally dressed courtesans who were looking at their newly arrived
guest. A long dais sat at the far end of the room, where twenty
ministers sat on both sides of Linger who rose when he saw Karl.
Linger began to applaud, and the rest of the group stood and
applauded as well. Karl heard the door behind him close, and then
he began to walk toward his master who was now smiling broadly. The
emperor was perplexed. He knew he had failed when the knight had
disappeared from the prison cell. Now there was a party in his
honor? It did not make sense. His mind began to imagine this was
some sort of elaborate hoax which would end with his execution. He
shook that thought out of his mind. He knew the Evil One could have
killed him anywhere and at any time. He did not need to make a game
of it. Karl also knew his lot in life was set. There was no going
back. He was completely aligned with evil, and he accepted it. He
strode up the three steps onto the dais and approached Linger who
held his arms open. Karl walked into his embrace and hugged him
back. “I’m sorry, master,” he whispered.

Linger kissed him on the cheek and
replied, “No need to apologize, my darling Karl. My children
foolishly allowed him to escape. The damned sprites were involved.”
Linger released him and turned back to his audience. “Here he is!
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Emperor of the Universe!” The
crowd broke out in thunderous applause and cheers. Karl blushed
slightly and waved at the gathering.

“
Do I need to make remarks,
master?” Karl asked in a hushed tone.

“
Please take a seat, Karl.
I will speak for us both,” Linger replied. As Karl took his seat, a
waiter placed a glass of whisky in front of him and hurried away.
Linger motioned for silence. After a moment, he began, “My beloved
family, we face a dire circumstance. Karl and I have made a mistake
which will likely cost us dearly. We had a plan to turn a Knight of
Winterpast to our side. Unfortunately, there was a detail I missed,
and I cannot in good conscious allow Karl to take any blame for
that. I did not realize that Jeremy Davis Iron-heart II was
angelseed.” The crowd gasped. “Now I am afraid the elves, sprites
and ogres will join the fight.”

“
My lord,” one of the
ministers interrupted, “What about the Upper Realm? Will they join
the fight?”

Linger smiled at him and replied, “I
sincerely doubt it. They are so enamored of free will that they
will likely let us do anything we want, supremely confident that
the innate goodness of the citizenry will ultimately lead them to
choose well.” The courtesans began to laugh. “I know! Isn’t that
the craziest thing?” He motioned for silence again. “Now that our
error has been realized, we need a new course of action, and I
humbly request your opinions on that matter.”

A courtesan in the middle of the
audience stood and said, “Master, clearly the knight must die. That
should be a high priority.”

Linger smiled and turned to the
emperor and said, “Karl, what do you think of that
suggestion?”

Karl stood and cleared his throat.
“While I believe we all would appreciate that outcome, it may not
be achievable. As our master has said, the elves, ogres and sprites
are helping Jeremy Davis Iron-heart II to stay alive. I also have
reason to believe that fairies and seers have joined their forces
as well.” The audience let out a collective groan. “I understand
your frustration with the current course of events, but please rest
assured that we are moving in other directions to improve our
position.”

One of the ministers on the dais stood
and said, “Not more nonsense about the Empty Realm, I
hope?”

“
Minister Narga, I’m
surprised at your question,” Linger noted.

“
My lord, we have been down
this road before,” Narga countered. “Yes, some of the planets in
that realm have advanced weaponry, as did we. With the advent of
magic, the benefits of those weapon systems faded into
obscurity.”

“
Not the nuclears!” Karl
exclaimed. The crowd gasped audibly.

Linger motioned for Karl to sit and
turned to the crowd. “We all understand the risks involved. The
proliferation of nuclears in our realms would most certainly bring
the unwanted attention of the Upper Realm, so at this point; I am
not suggesting such a thing. The Empty Realm is as the other realms
were a few millennia in the past. Nuclear winter on those planets
will not bring the wrath of the others. That will certainly help us
pacify that realm. At a specific point in time, the selected use of
nuclears in our realms may quickly subjugate the masses, even the
ogres, elves, sprites and any others foolish enough to stand in our
way. At that point, with the entire universe at our feet, even the
Upper Realm will be powerless to stop us. We will have won!” The
crowd burst into wild applause, with many courtesans shouting for
joy and jumping about. Linger motioned for Karl to come and stand
with him to feel the adulation of the audience.

Linger put his arm around Karl’s
shoulders and clamped his hand on the emperor’s shoulder. Streaks
of pain and fire surged through Karl’s shoulder, but he was
powerless to move. His face became twisted with agony, but the
crowd kept cheering. Moments later, Linger released his grip and
Karl reached up and rubbed his burning flesh, now home to several
dozen new tattoos. Linger leaned toward Karl and whispered, “Now
you are almost one of us, my darling. Soon all of creation will be
our toy, Karl. All of this is for you, my beloved.”

The Emperor of the Universe smiled
sheepishly, but his mind was buzzing with thoughts about his
choices. Now he was called upon to incinerate entire planets that
refused to submit to his power. He imagined himself emperor of a
universe devoid of life, with the blood stains of countless
trillions on his hands. In that moment, he saw God frowning at him,
knowing the evil in his heart. The look on the Evil One’s face made
it abundantly clear; Karl August Galantine Armstrong had chosen
poorly and now must pay the price.