Power of the Dark Lord, Chapter 9 Copyright 2010 by Bert McKenzie
Chapter IX
They had toiled ceaselessly through the day. The blockage of stone seemed endless, but at long last it became apparent that the wall was actually decreasing. All day the empty wagons had been loaded with rubble, and then taken to be dumped into the deep raving below the drawbridge. As the sun began to slowly dip near the western horizon the blocked way was almost open. Just a few more hours and they would once again have a path from the castle to the outer world.
"Lord, we are not going to be able to finish this task by darkness," Rood said as he and Robin lifted another load of rocks into the back of a waiting wagon.
"Perhaps not, but we will have destroyed their obstruction and can easily clear the way for the wagons with the coming of first light tomorrow." The men continued to work on as the canyon began to darken with the lengthening shadows of evening. Finally, Robin ordered the last of the wagons to dump their loads and return to the palace. The work crews began to relax and regroup as they all started back up the canyon.
Suddenly, a piercing shriek assailed their ears, and two men closes to the almost demolished barricade dropped to the ground under the weight of several trolls leaping upon them from the rocks. Robin, Rood and a number of other armed men rushed to the rescue, but were quickly pushed back by a black tide of the hairy bodies leaping from heretofore invisible openings that suddenly appeared on the canyon walls. The elves fought valiantly, slicing and maiming with their silver blades, but for every twisted little body they killed, several more rose up to take its place. Robin felt as though he were drowning in a viscous black sea of the creatures, his own body coated with their sticky blood and smelling of carnage as still more of the beasts came upon them.
Rood fought with redoubled efforts as he saw the creatures all but overpowering the king. As he hacked at another hideous face he felt a lancing pain in his calf. One of the little monsters had sunk its fangs into his flesh. He swung his sword low and severed the body from its head, but even in death the teeth bit into his leg muscles. Another creature jumped onto his back and tried to reach his jugular vein. As Rood twisted, trying to dislodge this attacker, he felt his arms being pulled and slowly sank under the combined weight of the trolls. He finally realized he was about to die. He only hoped that Robin would manage to escape.
Suddenly the canyon was flooded with intensely bright light. At first it even blinded the fairies, but in a moment their eyes adjusted. The trolls, however, began to scream in terror and to run in circles, all thought of fighting driven from their tiny minds. Unable to see in the brightness they bumped into each other and crawled around on the ground trying to find the openings to their caves, without much success.
Robin called to his men to regroup and attack while they had the advantage. "No!" a voice said in his ear. It was a directed wind whisper projected to him above the shrieks and cries of the trolls. He recognized the voice of Elnar. "I cannot hold this light spell for long! There is but time for you to escape to the palace!" Robin heeded the warning, calling a retreat. The bright light began to flicker even as the men dashed down the canyon toward the drawbridge. Robin stayed to the last, making sure his people could escape. All that he could see remaining in the rapidly dimming light, were the still scurrying trolls trying to avoid the brightness. As he looked, he saw another figure emerge from a stone door. It was not a troll, being much taller and thinner in stature. It almost looked like a man except that it was completely black, more like a living shadow of a man. It seemed to look toward Robin just as the spell ended and the darkness again fell over the rocks. Taking his last opportunity, the king turned and ran for the drawbridge.
"Raise the bridge!" Robin shouted as he ran down the last few yards of the canyon. "Now!" He could hear the squeals and grunts rapidly gaining from behind him. The chains tightened and the heavy wooden ramp began to slowly rise from its position against the cliff. Robin reached the end of the canyon and jumped out into the intervening space, his hands just catching hold of the edge of the drawbridge as it swung up. He was lifted out and up, dangling over the deep ravine as his men turned the winch to quickly raise the bridge. As Robin was hoisted out of the way a number of trolls dashed after him, leaping and grabbing at empty space, only to plunge to their rocky doom far below.
Robin pulled himself up and over the edge and as the bridge reached a forty five degree angle, he let go and slid down to safety just within the castle wall. In a moment he was standing in the outer courtyard checking his men and making sure that everyone was alright. There were a few bites and a couple of other superficial injuries, but for the most part the elves managed to escape unharmed.
Robin began to search among the men for his captain of the guard to further plan their strategy. That was when he first became worried. The more he looked, the more apparent it became that Rood was not among the group. Robin began asking for him but no one could remember seeing the guard after the bright light. One man recalled spotting the captain as he sank in a sea of hairy bodies. Panic rising in his chest, Robin ran to the stairs and took them three at a time, dashing up to the battlements. He leaned over the wall scanning the dark canyon for any sign of his friend, but all he could see were the retreating bodies of the trolls as they headed back the way they had come. Then he saw another sight, a tall figure moving in the darkness. As he watched, it approached the edge of the precipice and seemed to look back over, directly at him. He could discern two green, glowing embers staring from the face of a shadow. The black form was in the shape of a man, but it had no depth, no features at all except for the glowing eyes. Then the twin pools disappeared as if an inner fire had been extinguished. The shadow moved back, away from the ravine and soon disappeared.
In another part of the castle Rowana was having an argument with Caseldra. The wizard's daughter had arrived in Esbereth by way of her homing crystal to find almost all of the knights gone. She ran into Rowana who was in temporary command of the home guard. "But you must see!" the dark haired girl argued. "Jennifer, Scott and Alex are in grave danger. They were taken prisoner by the same humans who captured Akuta. We must bring help to them."
"I understand all too well," Rowana countered. "But our homeland is in even greater danger. The rock dwellers have laid siege to the palace by blocking the canyon. Robin and the others are working to open this even now."
"Can we not take a small group to rescue our friends?"
"Not and leave anyone to defend the palace interior," Rowana told her. "Fear not. As soon as we have the chance, you and I shall discuss this with the king." But even as she spoke the men began returning from the battle in the canyon. Many were wounded with cuts and bites, but none severely.
As Caseldra and Rowana assisted the wounded, Melcot came looking for his spouse. He and Rowana embraced. "What is it, lord?" she asked, looking up into her mate's blue eyes. "I feel your anguish. Have we lost any of our people to the trolls?"
"Only one," he replied stoically. "Rood."
The name cut like a dagger to her heart. Caseldra dropped the basin of water she was carrying and hurried to the side of her two friends. "Not Rood, my lord! He is dead?" she cried.
"He is missing," Melcot replied.
"Then he is dead," she responded. "For if the trolls take him they shall drain his blood, and then devour his flesh." Tears began to well in her eyes.
"I cannot give up hope," Rowana said. "I shall not accept his death. Perhaps he has managed to elude the beasts and is hiding out there somewhere. When daylight reappears we may find him well."
"You saw not the army of creatures. They overcame us like an ocean washing a beach. There is no place to hide. Even so, their unnatural sense of smell and dark vision would lead them to any living creature out there." Melcot slumped into a nearby chair. "We have lost both Rude and Akuta. They were the leadership of the palace guard."
"My lord." It was a young boy sent as messenger who had just arrived at the guard house. "The high king bids you come to meet with him in his chambers," the lad said. "He further requests you bring along the court wizard and Keeper of Magic, the lord Elnar."
"Tell him I come anon," Melcot replied. The lad bowed and turned to dash off toward the white tower.
"My lord, may I accompany you?" Caseldra requested. Rowana gave her a stern look. "I know much of the ways of trolls," the dark haired girl added. "As a child, I studied them in my father's books."
"Lady, this is not the time to mention the other problem," Rowana cautioned.
"What other problem?" Melcot asked quickly.
"It is of no consequence to this matter," Rowana told her mate. "Worry not. The lady Caseldra and I shall deal with it in our own manner."
"I learn slow," Akuta said in frustration.
"No, no," Sharon replied. "You learn quickly." She was astounded at how quickly this blond giant was picking up English. He started asking the names of objects in the house almost as soon as they had entered. While she found him some clothing her brother had left, she kept providing him with more and more words. She then went to the kitchen and tried to find something for them to eat. There were some canned soups and vegetables in the cabinets so she fixed what she could. Akuta soon followed her to the kitchen, dressed in blue jeans and a red flannel shirt, and again asked the English names of items. After supper the two of them sat on the little front porch and continued the lessons until she drifted off to sleep.
Sharon had awakened to the sound of birds singing outside the open window. She remembered dozing on the front porch, and that was all, but now she found herself lying in bed, completely undressed. The strange alien must have carried her in and stripped her. She suddenly felt very vulnerable with that thought. The girl rose and padded to the closet to grab a robe, then headed out to look for her guest.
Akuta was sitting cross legged on the floor of the front porch in what appeared to be a meditation pose. Sharon quietly opened the screen door and tip toed out of the house. As she did so, he turned to look at her. "Good morning," she said, trying to smile reassuringly.
"Hell Ho, Shaw-rone," he responded.
"Hello, not hell ho," she corrected him. "Do you want some breakfast?"
"Bray...break..." he stammered.
"Food?" she asked while pantomiming eating.
"No. Learn speak?"
Sharon shrugged her shoulders and sat down beside him on the hard, wooden floor. It was as if she were tutoring a lingual genius. He seemed to retain everything he learned and had only a little difficulty mimicking the English pronunciation. Sharon cast her eyes appreciatively over his body. He was about the same size as her brother Todd, but there the resemblance ended. Last night his skin had appeared as pale as to be almost albino white, but now in the morning sun he had a golden tone to his complexion. The shaggy, blond hair barely covered his ears which were one of his most fascinating and unworldly features. She had seen them in the lab, and now tried to catch a glimpse of them as the light breeze from the lake ruffled his hair.
Sharon looked into Akuta's aquamarine eyes. It was like looking into twin, blue green swimming pools. She thought again of his putting her to bed last night, his alien hands undressing her, his other worldly fingers touching her body. She expected to be repulsed, but instead she was actually excited. He was very handsome and physically attractive, and his alienness held an odd appeal to her.
Sharon Gates was an average woman, not overly beautiful nor actually plain. Her face and features were pretty enough, complimenting her firm figure. And yet, all through high school and college she was always overlooked because of her ordinary, average characteristics. She blended in and was easily lost in any group. To compensate for this Sharon worked very hard to excel academically. She was determined to be outstanding somewhere. The work paid off career-wise, and yet she was alone. Boyfriends were only temporary situations, never lasting relationships. And here she sat, trying to teach English to a man from another world while wondering what a relationship with him would be like.
"I like you very much as well." She reeled from the shock of realization. At first she thought he had said the words, and then it occurred to her that she hadn't actually heard a sound. Yet she knew he had communicated with her, and not only that, he had responded to what she was thinking. "But I do not wish to have sex with you," came the next thought. Sharon blushed a bright red and turned quickly away, breaking eye contact with the stranger. This telepathy was a dangerous art, leaving too much of the inside vulnerable.
"Sharone," Akuta said. "Sharone, please." He tried to get her attention, but she resolutely kept her face turned away. She didn't want him to see the tears that came unbidden to her eyes. She wasn't even really sure why she was crying. He must have just struck a nerve.
"Sharone, I sorry," Akuta said in a tone that cut her. The voice contained such anguish and empathy all at the same time.
"It's okay," she said, blinking back the tears.
He reached down and took her chin in his hands, lifting her face till she was forced to look at him. Again she felt the searing contact between them, the communication that came somehow through the intense eye contact. "You are very beautiful, and I have no doubt many men will find you desirable. However, I am bound to another. I am unable to give my deep love to anyone else."
"You're married?" she gasped, realizing the meaning he was imparting. "God, this is so embarrassing!"
"No!" came the strong mental word. "Love and emotion are never embarrassing. I love you in return. I love you for who you are, and I am grateful for the assistance you have rendered to me. Withdraw not nor be ashamed of your inner feelings just because I am unable to respond in the same manner. Cherish them for being the part of you that they are."
"Dr. Sorenson was right," she said as she reached up and touched Akuta's face. "You are so wise."
"I have no more wisdom than what is in your own heart. All that is necessary is that you learn to listen to it." The contact became fuzzy and unclear. At first Sharon could not understand why, but as she tried to look at the strange man sitting next to her, blurring in and out of focus, she realized that her own tears were the source of the interference. She put her head down and wept freely while Akuta held her tightly.
"I don't believe this," Alex said to himself as he paced around the tiny room in which he was confined. "In every movie or TV show I've ever seen there's always an air conditioning vent to crawl into. How can they lock me up in a room with no ventilation duct to escape through?" The grill covering the air conditioning to his cell was located in the middle of the ceiling and measured approximately one foot by eighteen inches, certainly not big enough to permit any human access to the duct work beyond.
As he mused on this quirk of fate, he heard keys in the door. Two security men opened it and indicated that he should follow them. They silently escorted him down the long, yellow corridor and then led him into another office. He was in the head security office facing one of the men who had first questioned him. "Have a seat, Mr. Madison. Your friends will be joining you shortly," the man said.
"So what's next?" Alex asked. "You planning something exotic like water boarding, or maybe something more traditional like thumb screws and the rack?"
"Mr. Madison, have you been hurt?" the security chief asked in mock concern.
"I'm being held captive against my will. What do you call that?"
"We call that protective custody. We have no idea what kind of threat to the general public these aliens may present."
"Get real," Alex retorted as he rolled his eyes. "And why haven't I been allowed to call anyone?"
"This is a matter of national security. We have had to declare Marshall law."
"On the whole city of Waterford?"
"No," came the reply. "Just on the areas involving the aliens."
"You guys are really crazy," Alex said with a laugh. "Where are these aliens you keep talking about anyway? I don't see any." The man looked down at his desk, shuffling papers around and pointedly ignoring the question. The office door opened and Scott and Jennifer were escorted in. "Hi, guys," Alex called cheerfully. "You didn't tell them about plan nine, did you? You know, the one where the space monsters take over our bodies when we fall asleep." No one in the room seemed in the least amused.
"Now that you're all here..." the security chief began only to be interrupted by the phone. He picked it up and spoke quickly and quietly. Hanging it up again he turned to the guard at the door. "I've got to see Dr. Westfall. Don't let them out of your sight." He then quickly left the room.
Only moments later a knock came from the door. The guard opened it and was hit in the face with a spray aerosol that instantly knocked him out. As he fell to the floor, a pudgy little man in a rumpled brown suit stepped over the body and firmly shut the door behind himself. "It's you," he said as he looked at the three surprised prisoners. "You're the ones who were here before when all those magnificent creatures disappeared."
"And you are?" Scott asked as the three stood.
"Emile Sorenson," the little man said as he locked the door behind himself. "I was the acting director of this institute until Frank Westfall showed up with his security forces and Gestapo tactics." The little man wrung his hands nervously. "I thought I would help you get away like I did for the alien, but there are just too many guards.
"The alien got away?" Scott asked excitedly.
"Yes, my assistant snuggled him out."
"Where is he now?" Alex asked
"Well, I don't know," Sorenson admitted. "With Sharon, I suppose."
"Sharon?" Alex repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"My assistant, Sharon Gates."
"We've got to get out of here," Scott said urgently.
"I don't see how," Sorenson replied. "And that fake call from Dr. Westfall that I staged will probably only make more trouble."
"No prob!" Alex called triumphantly. He had begun to ransack the security chief's desk in hope of finding a gun or other weapon. Instead he found something much more valuable. He reached into a drawer and lifted his hand. From it dangled a thin, silver chain holding a small pink stone.
"Rose quarts," Sorenson said disappointedly. "The alien was wearing it when they brought him in. It's of no value."
"That's what you think," Alex relied. "Let's get out of here." Scott and Jennifer huddled close to Alex.
"Dr. Sorenson, aren't you going to be in a bit of trouble here?" Jennifer asked.
"I suppose so," the little man answered.
"Then why don't you come with us."
"Come?" The scientist blinked his eyes in astonishment. "What do you mean? We can't get out of here without being caught."
Jennifer smiled back at him. "We have a way." She held out her hand. The little man blinked again, then shrugged his shoulders and took her hand. She reached out to grasp Alex's shoulder as he handed the talisman to Scott, and then took his friend's arm. Scott tapped the little stone with his fingertips, and the group faded out of the office.
Moments later the guard began to revive and sat up rubbing his head. The door knob rattled and a pounding then began. Slowly climbing to his unsteady fee, the guard unlocked and opened the door allowing Westfall and the security chief to burst into the room. They looked around at the empty office, then turned menacing glares on the befuddled guard