Whistlestop (35 page)

A strange voice said, “It wasn’t her,
Mandrake the titan, it was me.” Evidence twisted his head toward
the foot of the bed where a man stood wearing a long black robe.
“We have been guarding you two all night. We couldn’t risk having
you use one of your weapons on us or turning into the monster
again.”

“
I’m not a monster. I’m
just a man like you.” The memory of the late night visitors
suddenly flooded his mind again. “It wasn’t a nightmare, was it?”
The robed man shook his head. “I thought you said I was free? Have
you come back to enslave us again?”

“
I think you’ve mistaken me
for my brother, Linger. My name is Asmodeus, and I’m afraid he used
you to strand us in your reality.”

“
Do you swear you are not
here to take us to hell again?” Martha asked.

“
Believe me, we would like
nothing more than to return home and allow you to live here in
peace, but I’m afraid that may not be possible.”

“
Swear!”

Asmodeus smiled and said, “Mandrake, I
swear my siblings and I have no interest in you, your home or this
damned reality.”

“
Why do you keep calling my
husband by that name? His name is Evidence Drake and I am his wife,
Martha.”

Asmodeus began to untie the ropes
holding the man down. “Apparently the name Mandrake was used to
control you in my reality. It was a kind of psychic leash. My
sister is preparing some food for us all. Why don’t we go join them
and then work together to figure out how to get my family out of
here?” He smiled slightly, turned and walked out of the bedroom,
closing the door behind him.

“
I’m not sure we can trust
them,” Evidence said softly.

“
What choice do we have?”
Martha replied. “They have our guns and there are twelve of them
and two of us.”

“
We could slip out the
window and make a run for it.”

“
I don’t think I can outrun
all of those men, Evidence.”

He climbed out of bed and said, “We
have to try. I’m not going back to that horrible place again.” He
hurried over to the window and pulled the curtains open. A teenaged
girl with long blond hair in a ponytail stood just outside the
window. She smiled at Evidence and waved. He closed the curtains
and said, “They’ve got the house surrounded. There’s a young woman
out there, but I don’t remember her from last night.”

As Martha moved toward the window, it
opened and Lilian Iron-heart climbed inside to join them. “Good
morning!” she sang.

“
I think I remember you,”
Martha said, trembling uncontrollably.

“
Please don’t be afraid. I
promise I won’t hurt either of you, but yes, we did meet before. I
am the one who helped you get back home.”

“
What do you want from us,
child?” Evidence asked.

“
Nothing, actually I am
here for the others who arrived last night. Like you, they were
stolen from their world by the same beast that enslaved you both.
Do you know how many others from this place were
enslaved?”

“
Others were taken?”
Evidence gasped.

“
I think so. When I arrived
here moments ago, I could not sense any sentient life within miles
of your farm. I assume you had neighbors or perhaps a town or city
nearby.”

“
That can’t be true!”
Martha argued. “My sister and her husband have a farmhouse not far
from here. We see each other every day!”

Lilian moved to stand between the two
and took their hands in hers. “Don’t worry; I will make sure they
are returned to their homes. Come, let’s go join the others.” She
stepped forward but the Drakes did not budge. Lilian released their
hands and turned to face them. “Everything will be okay, I promise,
but you have to trust me.” They just stared back at her. “Okay,
have it your way. I’m going into the other room. If you want to
climb out the window and run away, please do. It won’t change
anything, other than you allowing your fear to overwhelm you.” She
motioned with her arm. “Come on, let’s go.” Lilian turned, walked
over to the door and pulled it open. Then she turned and smiled,
walked out and closed the door behind her.

“
Who the heck are you and
where did you come from, young lady?” Pythius asked.

Mithra turned from the stovetop to see
Lilian near the bedroom door. She gasped and rushed forward,
picking Lilian up in her arms and hugging her tightly. “My God, did
my brother send you here too, Lilian?”

“
Who is this girl, Sister?”
Asmodeus asked.

After Mithra put her down, Lilian
said, “I am Lilian Lynette Iron-heart, daughter of the Chosen One,
and I suppose that makes each of you men one of my
granduncles.”

“
How did Linger send you
here? Was there another titan?” Mithra asked again.

“
No, your brother does not
know I am here. I came alone.”

“
You have to know that is
impossible, young lady,” Moloch interjected.

“
Just as you being here is
impossible, Uncle?” He only stared back at her.

“
Can you take us home,
Lilian?” Mithra asked.

Lilian smiled broadly and said, “Yes,
but now is not the time.”

“
You’re just going to leave
us here?” Asmodeus gasped.

The bedroom door opened and the Drakes
emerged and stood behind Lilian. She turned her head to smile at
them and took their hands again. “I know this is a difficult
situation for us all. Our own reality is spinning toward complete
annihilation. If you were there, then nothing would likely stop it,
and if that happens, this and every other reality may fail as well,
ending all existence. Here, you can make the
difference.”

“
But child, in this
reality, we are mere mortals like the two next to you. What power
do we have?”

“
Believe me; none of you
could ever be reduced to that. Your viewpoint is just limited at
this moment. You have to trust me. My great grandfathers and I have
a plan, and it is already beginning.”

“
Just tell us what to do,
Lilian,” Mithra smiled.

“
Let’s all have some
breakfast and then I will tell you of the future.”

A dense fog had formed in the Woods of
Elin during the night and was now moving across the broad plain
between the trees and the rise where Jerry Iron-Heart now sat along
with Montrose and Jeremiah. The sun would cross the horizon in
minutes and the sky was lightening quickly. Others were beginning
to stir from their tents and cooks were already preparing coffee
and breakfast for the army, which was now prepared for the attack
on the empire. The younger Jeremy approached, walking up the gentle
slope and holding two steaming mugs of fresh coffee. He was wearing
a long robe over his uniform. Jerry smiled at the young man, but
inside was torn apart. It seemed only days since he had left his
home with the Emperor of the Universe and yet somehow his son had
aged six or seven years. He wondered what had happened to the time,
and how his relationship with his own children must have suffered.
What must Lilian and Jeremy think of their father after such a long
absence? Lynn had told him that her grandfather was watching over
them, but that was his job. He dropped his head and sighed
deeply.

“
What’s wrong, Jerry?”
Montrose asked.

“
You and I have suffered so
much, Montrose. I was stolen away from my children and your son was
taken from you. I feel like I betrayed them. Now I see Jeremy and
he is like a different person, all grown up without me to be there
for him.”

“
I don’t mean to diminish
your feelings, but the situations with your children were
unavoidable,” Jeremiah interjected. “It wasn’t either of your
faults. All of this was necessary to bring us to this particular
point in time when we can stand up to the empire and restore peace
once and for all.”

“
We know that, Jeremiah,”
Montrose scoffed. “It’s just too painful to bear
sometimes.”

“
I feel like I’ve lost them
both,” Jerry agreed.

Jeremy arrived and Montrose moved
slightly so the boy could sit next to his father. Jeremy handed
Jerry one of the mugs of coffee and then sat down. “Good morning,
Dad, did you sleep okay?”

“
Yea, I guess so,” Jerry
sighed. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“
What’s wrong
Dad?”

Jeremiah stood up and said, “Montrose
and I will leave you too alone.”

“
No!” Jeremy exclaimed. “I
need to share something important with all of you.” He put his hand
on Jerry’s shoulder. “Dad, I know how you and Mom feel. Grandma and
Poppy explained it to Lilian and me over and again. Sometimes, the
greater good has to be more important than our feelings. You and I
had to become Knights of Winterpast if the universe was to survive.
If it hadn’t been for Jeremiah, we would all be dead and you never
would have known what happened or been able to see us again. The
morning after you disappeared, the demons arrived and almost killed
us. Staying in our house and growing up like normal was never an
option.” Jerry half-smiled, sighed and dropped his head. Jeremy
turned to the ogre and continued, “Montrose, my sister has seen
your son.” The ogre’s eyes bulged out and his mouth fell open. “The
Evil One has taught him to hate you, but Bartok is beginning to
realize the story was a lie.”

“
How is he?” Montrose asked
softly.

“
What? Wait a minute,”
Jerry interrupted, “how did Lilian see Bartok? Did your great
grandfather put her in danger?”

“
Montrose, he is fine,
although Linger has made him human, so he looks more like me than
you.” Jeremy chuckled and noted, “Dad, Lilian was never in any
danger.”

“
How can you know that?
Were you there too?”

“
Dad, please calm down.
There are some things you cannot be told at this time. What I can
tell you is that Lilian and Poppy went to Earth together. They
found all the cities deserted and the people herded together into
slave labor camps. But Lilian is safe now. She left Earth several
days ago and is somewhere the Evil One cannot find her.” Jeremy
stood and looked around. “We need to find a quiet place where no
one can see or hear us. Over there looks good. Come on Dad, let’s
move; it’s almost time.” He offered his hand and helped pull Jerry
to his feet. The group then walked down the hill on the opposite
side from the army and stopped on the far side of a large boulder
that pushed through the grass. Jeremy put his back against the
boulder and had Montrose stand a few feet in front of him with
Jeremiah and Jerry on either side to block any view inside their
tight circle. He pulled a soft cloth from a pocket and then opened
his robes, revealing his silver breastplate. He began to polish the
metal.

“
What is this all about?”
Jerry complained.

“
Shush, Jerry,” Jeremiah
warned. “I think I know what’s happening.”

A faint hum began to fill the air
around them and Jeremy polished more vigorously. The hum was louder
now and was beginning to sound like a low voice, barely
perceptible. Jeremy was beginning to sweat from rubbing so hard and
it became quite warm in their circle. After a few moments, a voice
said, “That’s enough, and thanks.” Jeremy pulled away the cloth as
the image of a face began to coalesce in the brilliant silver
breastplate.

“
Lilian, is that you?”
Jerry gasped.

Her face looked back at them from the
metal. She looked to be eighteen at least, and Jerry again felt
robbed of sharing the years with them. “Hi, Dad, I’ve missed you
too, but please try not to dwell on the past. I know how you feel
and you have to realize this was all meant to happen. If we would
have stayed back in California, you-know-who would have enslaved us
along with the rest of the planet.”

“
That reminds me,” Jeremy
interrupted. “Do not say his name while we are in contact with my
sister or he might learn where she is, or even overhear our plans.”
The others nodded.

“
Jeremy’s right,” she
confirmed. “Jeremiah, I’m putting you in charge of the army. There
is a fleet of imperial cruisers headed this way. They will arrive
in two hours, but an honorable battle is not what they intend. I
need you to get one hundred of the best fighters together and break
them into ten groups of ten. At least half of each group must be
able to fold the rest into and out of the fight. All of that group
need to be human size or smaller. Then the rest of the group needs
break camp and prepare to fold off this planet just as the fleet
arrives.”

“
Milady, I do not
understand,” Montrose interjected. “I want to fight! The ogres and
trolls are the best warriors in the universe. It makes no sense to
put us on the sidelines.”

“
Montrose, I understand how
you feel, however, I cannot say anything else at this time. Jeremy
knows the details, and as soon as I leave, he will tell you. I must
caution you not to share anything with the rest of the army until
ten minutes or less before the fleet arrives or all will be
lost.”

“
How are you, sweetheart?
Is everything okay?” Jerry asked.

“
We will all be together
very soon, Dad,” she smiled. “I love you very much and can’t wait
to hug you then. Bye.” The image faded and Jeremy closed his
robes.