The Summer Vacation
Chapter 1
By Rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

The star ship silently passes through space. It weaves through the oort cloud debris surrounding a star system. The inhabitants of the space craft are seeking a suitable planet to conquer and expand their hold among the star systems in their quadrant. The star ship comes to a stop before leaving the oort cloud, peering into the star system. Using this field to help hide its activities, they begin to scan the planets of the star system within.

“Sir, we have scanned the system.”

“What is the resource inventory here?”

“It is the usual assortment that we have encountered elsewhere. There are gas giants of various essential elements for our use. The four inner planets are all solid. Three of them can’t support life. The other one shows promise. But we need a closer look for details.”

“That's good, Tek. Arrange for a scout ship to have a closer look. I see that planet has two moons circling it. Have the scout ship park on the back side of one of them and commence with the detail investigation. You know what we are looking for.”

“Yes, General. I will contact our survey crew to get ready for the mission.”

Tek pushes a square symbol on the glass console and it lights up. A video screen comes on with a picture of a fellow crewman. “Brin, this is Tek.”

“Hello, Tek. What can I do for you today?”

“We have found a planet in this system. We need a detail survey of the system and the third planet for further confirmation.”

“Will do, sir. I will get the scout ship ready with the other crew members. We should be able to leave within the next two clicks.”

“Let me know when you are ready and boarded. I'll inform the General of your expected time of departure. Tek out.”

“Brin out.” The screen goes blank.

Tek turns around in his chair and looking at the General sitting in the command chair. “Brin will be ready within two clicks. He will let us know when he is ready to depart.”

“Thanks, Tek. I'll inform our Supreme of the progress on our next conquest. Dar-re you have the com. I’ll go deliver the news to our Supreme. You better check the E/M bands; we want to know what we are up against this time. The last one was very stubborn, but eventually they were dispatched.”

“Yes, sir.”

The General gets up and walks to a pad on the floor. He disappears in a flash of light. Dar-re walks over and sits in the command chair and someone else sits in the seat that he vacated.

“All right, Tek, continue with the scans. Check E/M bands and frequency sweeps and see if we get any signals besides the regular planetary noises.”

“Yes, sir, beginning scans.” Tek begins the sweeps. When a full click has passed, Tek is finished with the scans. “Sir, all the planets and gas giants are sending the usual background noise. However, the third planet we want details on, is exhibiting a stronger signal than normal.”

“It’s stronger than normal? How strong is it?”

“Well, it has its fluctuations as expected. But it does have strong peaks that warrant some detail that I can't get from here. Let me see if I can narrow it down.” Tek makes some fine tuning adjustments on the glass panel. “Here it is. Let me put it to sound and see if it is of mech. origin.”

As the noise gets lower, a squeal comes through very loud and then lowers in volume. Soon voices started coming through. However, all of the voices are jumbled; no distinguishable conversation can be heard or separated.

“Well, that answers that question, Tek.”

“It does, sir. The planet is inhabited. The scout ship will give us the details we need. The voices can be transmitted by mech. orbs or some other form.”

“All right, Tek. Inform Brin of this development.”

“Yes, sir,” Reaching to the console, he presses the square symbol again and the vid’ screen comes on and sees Brin in the Scout Ship.

“Hello, Tek. I was just about to call you. We are almost ready to depart.”

“That's good. There is one more piece of news. We 're getting comm. talk on an E/M band. Of course, we will need the details. I'm sending you a copy of the file.”

“Thanks Tek. I'll look into it.”

Another crew mate taps his shoulder and speaks quickly with Brin, Brin smiles. “I have just been informed that we are finished and loaded with provisions.”

“I'm confirming that. I'll relay your request to command. Tek out.”

“Brin out.”

“Dar-re, the scout ship is ready to depart.” He turns around and faces him.

“I confirm that, sending the release authorization to the docking bay.” He pushes a button on the arm console of the comm-chair.

“I confirm that the authorization is sent. The scout ship is underway.”

Everyone stands at their stations at attention and all exclaim, “For the Supreme!”

~~~000~~~
~~~000~~~

“So, you see. With the simplest of spells, you can protect yourself from serious harm.”

“I see, even though you might get cut and bruised you can still walk away. Master, what if someone or a wild animal comes along and tries to end your life?”

“Do you remember the distraction for the transport spell Cadmus?”

“I do, Master. I just have to be aware where I want to go and have a clear mind. I do not want to end up behind enemy lines.”

“That's right. By having a clear mind, you can go far as you can see. You might need to use it several times until you are clear of the danger.”

While the Master and Cadmus are talking, a glass sphere on a table nearby begins to glow. It has a yellowish tint to it. Cadmus notice it.

“Uh sir, it looks like someone is trying to contact you.”

“So I see. Well that concludes today's lesson with me. Is your next lesson with the Master Chef at our Lord's castle?”

“It is, Master. He is trying to expand my knowledge of eating well in the wild today.”

“That's good to know. You never know when you might be caught unprepared. I'm sure you will cook up a wonderful dish that will be the best tasting meal you ever had.”

“I hope so, sir. Well, I need to leave now. Same time tomorrow?”

“Same time tomorrow, Cadmus, unless something changes it. I'll let you know.”

“Yes, Master Wizard.”

They quickly nod their heads up and down to each other.

Cadmus leave the Wizard's cottage and walks to his horse that is nearby. He mounts it and picks up the trail back to his hometown.

Once the wizard sees the young man has left, he turns around and walks in and closes the door. He walks over to the table and puts his right-hand palm above the glowing glass sphere. Soon an image of a man appears above the sphere.

“Greetings, Wizard Eldwin.”

“Greetings, Wizard Renard.”

“What brings this call?”

“As you know, since I am the Grand Wizard for our world, I am more connected with our Ethereal Space. It seems we have an intruder spying on our beloved world. I just confirmed it with the First Ones in my kingdom and others.”

“A spy? An intruder? Are they here yet?”

“Not yet, they’re just beyond one of our moons. We do not know
their intentions yet.”

“This is not good. Just as soon as we get peace with some of our most difficult neighbors, someone comes along and disturbs it.”

“I know what you mean, Renard. We must keep our network connected and inform our Lords, Kings and Queens of the danger that could come our way.”

“I agree. We must react quickly if we need outside help. That's if it is beyond our means of self defense.”

“Yes, Renard. I'll inform the mystic orders there and to contact their Outside Helpers as well. I am sure they will be needed.”

“I will do the same here. May the Maker give us the perseverance and wisdom to succeed and bring honor to his Creation?”

“By the Twin Moons, I agree. I'll let you know if there are any changes in the Ethereal Space.”

“If it does, all on our world will soon know about it. We just need to pray for clear minds and civility. We don't need the chaos that we experienced in our past.”

“That’s true. Well, keep the faith Renard. Inform the Sisterhood as well. They are more sensitive to the animals and others on our beloved world.”

“I will do so. Same time tomorrow?”

“No. We will do a group conference meeting to be more efficient. Set up the spheres in your King's Conference chamber so that we can all communicate together.”

“That sounds good, Eldwin. When do we want to do this?”

“Meet in two days. Gather all information about what is happening in your kingdom and then see if there is a pattern showing.”

“I will do that, Eldwin. See you in two days at second mark.”

“See you then. Be well,” Eldwin nods his head.

“Be well,” as Renard nods his head at the same time.

Then the image disappears. “I had better contact the Sisterhood and let them know what is going on. I will also need to contact the Outside Helper for our Kingdom. I hope he is reachable. It has been a year since he was here last. Of course he will be surprised when he does see me. The last time we met, was at a meeting arranged by our Maker. The Maker told us it is time to have contact and help from other worlds. Some were very skeptical and wary at first. But it soon paid off when another world had a crisis it could not handle. That world's Outside Helper had the knowledge and resource to solve the crisis. Soon all peoples on that world realized they are not alone in the universe. I hope my contact can do the same again. He helped all of Twainor the last time he was here.”

Renard goes to a special ornate stand with a glass sphere resting on it and touches the surface after reciting a short incantation. The glass sphere begins to glow with a pinkish hue and waits for a response on the other end. He did not have long to wait. Soon an image of a lady appears above the glass sphere.

“Greetings, Renard, what brings this call?”

“Greetings Trianna, I just received a call from Grand Wizard Eldwin. He sensed a disturbance in the Ethereal Space of our world and the Twin Moons. There is a presence behind one of our moons. He thinks they are spying on us and gathering information about our world. To what end or purpose we do not know at this time.”

“Thank you, Renard, for informing me. I will have our Sisterhood check with the local populace and the First Ones within our kingdom. I am sure they are sensing it already if Master Eldwin already has.”

“I agree. Eldwin wants a world conference meeting in our King's Chamber in two days. That will give us time to gather any information, whether large or small. We will compare notes then and see if there is a pattern to be noticed.”

“I will definitely check with the First Ones in our kingdom. We have been fortunate to find a way to help protect them and keep contact with our past. For that I thank the Maker for our combined efforts.”

“Yes, go do that Trianna. I will inform our King. That way he will have time to bring his own resources together and see if we can come up with a solution. I am also going to contact our Outside Helper so that he is ready as well.”

“By all means do so. We must pray that the task is not too large for us or for him.”

“Yes, I hope so too. All right, see you in two days at our King's Chamber. Be well, Trianna,” as Renard nods his head with a smile.

“Be well, Renard,” she nods her head, as well as smiling.

Her image disappears as the pink glow fades from the glass sphere surface.

“Well, that takes care of that. Now I will need to contact our Outside Helper.” Renard walks over to a cabinet by his bookshelf. He opens it and sees that it is empty. He recites a few words and faces his palms toward the empty space. He smiles as an ornate box appears with a white glow around it. He smiles and sees that the box is still sealed by the Maker's special sign. The light fades from the box. He opens the box and sees a glass sphere.

Renard, can you hear me?

I hear you, Maker.

Don't wait for a response. He won't be there yet. As soon as you give the message, end it.

Yes, Maker.

Renard recites a short incantation with his right palm above the sphere. It begins to have a white glow. Then he speaks the message to the glass sphere with another special incantation so that it will be replayed when he notices the special white glow on a device he has.

“Greetings, Richard. I hope you receive this message in time. We had just received an outside contact on our world. They are behind our Twin Moons and are spying on us. For what purpose, it is not known at this time. But it is probably for evil more than likely. Come as quickly as you can. Be prepared for a fight. I will be at my King's Castle, giving an update on the situation, if I am not here in my cottage. We are gathering all information that is available. We are having a world conference meeting in the King's Chamber in two days. Come regardless, whether we need you or not. We must be prepared. I give high praise for the Maker of the Universe and the Twin Moons, Renard, Wizard of the Mystic Order, Master Wizard of Thryson Kingdom.”
“PS - Set your visual device to the correct frequency and replay this message when you're ready to come.”

Renard ends the message. He then puts the contact crystal away in the box and hides it in the cabinet with a disappearance spell.

A year ago I was not sure how he was going to receive it. But the Maker told me that the principal law of our crystal spheres is the same principal law in their communication devices, it is just applied differently. The Maker told me to have faith where the energy beam will go to and who will be our Outside Helper.

“I remembered some of the stories that our Outside Helper told me. One is that his world does not have magic anymore, because the Maker removed it from his world when they abused it several millenniums ago. He did, however leave some magic in two people. One is a man who wears a robe and another is found at a beach somewhere. Somehow their location changes when you least expect it. But that is just a rumor, he told me. In addition, most of the First Ones from his world are long gone as well; some died off, some were killed, even some moved on and left his world and came here. He did say there are rumors that some are left, but they are well hidden in the depths of the waters and forests. Also he said the Maker has clouded their eyes and ears so that some of them can’t be found on the surface or in the water. Only at special moments are they revealed in the past or present, slowly educating the current generation through stories perceived as myths or legends. Each group of people has their own stories of who they are.”

Renard puts his satchel onto his shoulder. He exits his cottage and closes the door with a sealing spell. He then recites the transport spell and disappears in a blink of an eye. He flies to Thryson Castle to inform his King of the latest news.

~~~000~~~
~~~000~~~

“All right, crew; that’s a good job on the stealth mode and parking the scout ship behind the furthest moon. Let's start our scans and see what's so special about this planet.”

A scout ship has four team members. Each one is trained equally on various duties to make the mission a success. They're also trained to react if anything should go wrong. They have been through the most extreme conditions for survival in space and being on different worlds. This mission is no different from any other mission.

Brin looks at an enhanced 3-d image of the planet at his command station. It shows the planet, the two moons and their position. He switches through various spectrum ranges to determine the tel-comm method of the planet. What's this? There are no mech-orbs around the planet. That's odd. I am getting world-comm, but there is no mech-orb to do it. So what that means, the communication is ground based . . . let me check those ranges again . . . Brin makes some more adjustments on the console. “Tran, come here. Take a look at this. There are no mech. orbs around the planet, but I am getting world tel-comm regardless. How are they doing it, with ground transmitters?”

Tran comes over and sits next to Brin and looks at the settings, the readouts and the 3-d image. “You're right. Let's narrow that spectrum some more.” Tran adjusts the control on his panel. While this is going on, the other two crew mates are at their station gathering their assigned data.

After a few clicks, “Brin, I just finished the resource inventory. This planet and its star system are rich for our needs. It will last us for twenty solar cycles at least until we need to find another system.”

“That's great, Tark. Log it and have it ready to beam it to the Supreme.”

“Will do, sir.”

“Have you found that frequency yet Tran?”

“I'm almost there. There, look at the image now.” Soon lines of light are crisscrossing to about two dozen intersections scattered about the globe. This makes it appear as a web network. “Will you look at that? They must be tel-comm through the air.” Then suddenly twelve rays of light emanate from those intersections and shoot out into space in all directions.

“By the Supreme!! What was that?”

“I think they just sent out a tel-comm out into space to contact somebody, Brin.”

“Do you think they know we are here?”

“I don't see how. Let me adjust the frequency again. Maybe there is something else, and we haven't seen it yet.” Tran begins to adjust the frequency to a lower end past the tel-comm lines. Soon the 3-d video image of the planet starts to show wave patterns around the planet's image, the two moons and their position as well.

Then they look on the screen. They see a light beam coming from the surface to their location behind the moon.

“Quick!!! Shut down all extra power!! We've been spotted! Quickly, send all data to the Supreme. Now!!!” shouts Brin.

Soon the entire scout ship is engulfed in white light. When the light fades, the scout ship is gone and is nowhere to be found near the moons.

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 2
By Rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

A sleek hybrid car is seen driving a winding road in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. The date is May 4 of the year 2098. It's a Sunday.

I see a beautiful vistas of rolling hills and farms. I pass through several towns while making my ascent. In the distance I see the Appalachian Mountains ascend higher and higher. Along the way I see the usual repairs to the guard rails to keep people safe on the roads. Some look newer than others.

“It has been awhile since I have seen these mountain roads. It is gorgeous country up here. I better stop in at the next gas station. I will need it topped off before I get to the family cabin. It will be good to see friends up here again. They will be surprised.” I will be celebrating my 21st birthday this year.

After a few miles the road way widens out and I see a small town nestled in a valley along the road I'm driving. It has a creek flowing noisily behind the town. Part of the roadway parallels part of the creek most of the way up to a mountain pass nearby for those who want to get to the other side.

I drive my hybrid car to a stop in front of an antique gas pump. I turn off the power plant. Soon I see a man walking out from the store front to greet the driver.

“Good morning, sir. What can I do for you?”

I get out and stand next to my car. “Well, a tank full of your bio-fuel sounds great Chuck Wilkerson,” as I smile.

“How did you know my name? Wait a minute.” His jaw drops . . . ”I don't believe it. It’s Richard!” Chuck turns around and yells to the store front. “Hey, in there. Come on out. We have a friend who is long overdue here. It's Richard Moore from NC State!”

Soon there are squeals of excitement and laughter from the gas station as a mother and two children come running out. As soon as they see me, they run faster and almost knock me down in their jubilation. They are all hugging, laughing, kissing and a few tears are shed. I'm doing the same thing with them.

It takes awhile for everybody to calm down before the questions start to pour out.

“How long is your stay here now?” asks Elizabeth.

“How does a three-month summer break before I finish my senior year at NC State sound to you?”

They all raved, hooted and hollered at the news. “That sounds wonderful, we will make it the best stay for you. Your family cabin is still clean and in order. Ready to be used again.”

“Sounds great, Elizabeth.” I look down and see two kids hanging onto me. “My . . . oh my … you have really grown Marcie and Charles. You two are a lot taller since than the last time I saw you.”

“Well it's been three years since your high school graduation, Richard,” smiles back Marcie.

“That's right; that is when I . . . I …had my last family trip.” Some tears came down my face. Chuck and Elizabeth see it and they both immediately hug me.

“That's all right, Richard. You're with friends now. Let me get you filled up. Go and get unpacked and come back here. My day help will be here soon. I am sure Elizabeth and the kids would love to show you around town. Then we will all go out together and have a nice dinner this evening.”

“Sounds like a great plan, Chuck.”

Soon Chuck has me filled up and I pay the bill. I get back into the car and drive to the family cabin which is about a mile on the other side of town. Finding the turnoff from the main road with the family mailbox marking the entrance, I turn there. I drive up the winding path for about 100 yards to the family cabin. I park the car and step out to take a look at the cabin.

“This sure brings back a lot of memories. Well, I better get unloaded and turn on the power.”

I walk up the path and step onto the porch. I take out the keys and insert one of them into the door and open it. I walk in and take in a big whiff of air.

“Ah yes, home away from home. The Wilkerson’s have really taken care of this place. I will definitely keep the place and come up here at least several times a year. Well … at least once a year. At least I am not too far away and the friends my family made over the years here. It will be quiet this time around since I don't have them around anymore. I definitely miss them.”

I walk to the breaker box outside the cabin and turn it on. I see the green light comes on.

I then go back inside to the fuse panel and turn on the breaker switches to power the rest of the cabin. I walk over to the wall switches and turn the lights on and fans to air out the musty smell that is faint in the cabin.

I walk out to my car and begin to unload the suitcases and the gifts in the car. I bring them in and put them on the bed. I then walk over to a table near the living room and remove the covers to reveal a computer system and turn it on. I turn on the TV and the satellite converter box and see what stations are available from the local satellite dish mounted outside the house.

The PC uses the TV as a monitor as well; I set the TV to screen saver mode and leave the satellite box on so I can receive emails from friends. Fortunately I brought my laptop here plus the extra monitors and PCs my dad stored here.

I turn on the radio and play some music from the local station and unpack my suitcases into the dresser drawers, closets and items for the bathroom. I walk out of the room and over to the kitchen. I open up the fridge, freezer and cabinets. Well, I figure they would be empty. The Wilkersons used up the food that was left there the last time my family was here. I better turn down the freezer temp to get it started.

“Well it looks like I will have to restock it or go out and fish for my own meals; that sounds healthier to do anyway. Hah, hah . . . Well, all is set. Let's go back into town and pick up Elizabeth and the kids.”

Turning off the lights and locking the door, I then press a button on a controller and hear a double beep, thus activating the alarm system for the cabin. I have to figure out a better security system. This is too easy for anybody to break in. At least the alarm system is relayed to the local police and fire department if anything should happen. Taking out my cell phone I call the local police department to inform them that I have come back for a three-month summer stay and that the house is turned on. Dialing . . .

Ring . . . ring . . . ring . . . click . . . “This is the Mount Blanc Police Department. This is Sergeant Domasi. How can I help you?”

“Hello, Sergeant, this is Richard Moore. I’m in town for three months.”

“Richard Moore? Hey, it's good to hear from you again. Richard, please stop by when you can. We need to have a talk, all right?”

“No problem, Sergeant. I will definitely do that. Today I will be with the Wilkersons. I will be picking up Elizabeth and the kids and they will be showing me around. Then have lunch together, do some shopping for the cabin. Then I will be over at their place because they invited me out for dinner tonight.”

“That sounds great. Enjoy your stay here at Mount Blanc.”

“Thanks, Sergeant. I'll see you later.”

“I look forward to it.” Click . . . click.

I get into the car and drive back out to the main road and drive back through town. I arrive at the gas station and see Chuck out there attending to a truck. I pull up to a stop on the other side of the pumps.

“Hello, Chuck, I'm back.”

“Hold on a second, Bob.”

“Sure, can do, Chuck.”

“Elizabeth, Marcie, Charles, Richard is back!”

The kids come running out laughing.

“Slow down, you youngins'. How many times have I told you about running around here? You got away with it when Richard got here earlier.”

They stop running and start walking, with Elizabeth not too far behind.

“We're sorry, dad.”

“We'll try to remember next time.”

The children give the standard responses.

Chuck sighs and shakes his head. “Okay, go have a great day with Richard. How come you're driving this type of car? You know hover cars are being sold now.”

“I know, Chuck. But, when you're in college, you need reliable transport. The hover cars are only a few years old.”

“That's a good idea.”

I get out to walk around the car and open the passenger side doors. The kids pile into the back seat, while Elizabeth sits up front on my right-hand side. They all buckle themselves up to get ready to go.

“Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome, Elizabeth.”

“Thank you, Richard,” as both kids copy mom.

“You're welcome too, Marcie and Charles.” I walk around the car to get into the driver’s seat and strap myself in. “Here, let me push this button to bring in some cool air.” I wink at Elizabeth and the kids. Soon the hard top lifts up and folds back into the trunk space.

The kids oohed and ahhhed over that. “That is so cool, Richard,” remarks Charles.

“That's great, Richard. Well, y'all have a great day. See y'all later this afternoon.”

“Sure will, Chuck.” Turning to my guests, “Well, let's go. My cupboard is bare and I need some lunch.”

“Well let's get some lunch first and then we will do some food shopping, Richard. How's that, Charles and Marcie?”

“Yes. Let's go to the favorite, The Mill by the creek!” Shouts Marcie.

“The Mill it is. Is everyone strapped in?”

Everyone shouts, “Yes, Richard.”

“Then, let's go,” I answer back.

While driving back into town, Elizabeth and the kids try to give me an update on the happenings since I was there last. When we arrive at The Mill, I put the top back up. Everybody unbuckles and gets out. I then lock the car.

“Don't worry. I'll put it back down after lunch.”

We walk in and see a decent crowd; it was not too long a wait to be seated. The waitress brings out glasses of ice-cold mountain water for all four of us. After looking at the menu, we place our orders with the waitress, and then she leaves and places the order at the cook's station.

“Well as you know Richard, since we opened up the mountain side on Mount Blanc for skiing, we have become year round almost with the tourists.”

“That's great for your local economy, but I bet traffic is getting worse.”

“That's true. But it is better that everybody is working and putting food on the table.”

Soon the waitress arrives with their order. The kids give a quick 'Thanks' and soon we are delving into our lunches and continuing with getting caught up with the family and town news.

After paying the bill, we all get back into my car and buckle up. We travel to the local grocer to pick up food and some supplies. On the way back with the top down we enjoy the cool wind in our faces. Arriving at the cabin we unbuckle and get out of the car. The kids start running around and playing in the yard.

“Don't get too far, now. Stay close to the cabin. I'm going to help Richard now to get his food and stuff inside.”

“Okay mom,” they both yell at the same time.

Upon walking inside the cabin with the food, I see a white light flashing by my PC. “That's odd Elizabeth. There must be an email message waiting for me on the PC. The red light is for the one by the phone. Could you go ahead and put the stuff away? I need to see who left the message.”

“Sure, Richard,” she begins to put items away into the fridge and the pantry while humming a tune.

“Thanks, Elizabeth.” I walk over to the PC and turn on the TV and log in. A few minutes later after looking for the message in my email box, I see a new message, “Well it seems the message came via satellite and not from around here. The origin is a place where I went to visit this past Spring Break for a few days. There is really no message until I open the attachment.”

“Well, play it. It might be a friend who is trying to get a hold of you.”

“Sure, I'll play the message.” I click on the attachment and a video begins to play.

“Greetings, Richard. I hope you receive this message in time. It's been a year since you were here last. We had just received an outside contact on our world. They're behind our Twin Moons and are spying on us. For what purpose it is not known at this time. But it is probably for evil, more than likely. Come as quickly as you can. Be prepared for a fight. I will be at my King's Castle and giving an update on the situation if I am not here in my cottage. We are gathering all information that is available. We are having a world conference meeting in the King's Chamber in two days. Come regardless, whether we need you or not. We must be prepared. With high praise for the Maker of the Universe and the Twin Moons this is Renard, Wizard of the Mystic Order, Master Wizard of Thryson Kingdom.”
“PS - Set your visual device to the correct frequency and replay this message again when you’re ready to come.”

“It states the message is from Renard . . . Renard . . . No way, I can't believe this! For him to contact me, it must be very important!!”

“Who is Renard, Richard? It sounds like he is some sort of fantasy sci-fi fan.”

“That's a little hard to explain, Elizabeth. The problem is where he is from. He is not from around here, let alone this planet.”

“What are you talking about Richard? Another planet? Is he a mental patient?”

I chuckle, “He is most certainly not. Last Spring Break, I was sitting in my apartment taking a breather from a morning workout. I was catching up on some news on the Internet. I received a similar message just like this one. My email program popped up a memo on my screen to check my email.”

“I was very skeptical of its origin. So I took a chance and I opened the email attachment, then his image appeared on my PC monitor. I thought he had some sort of Eye-Cam program like I have on my PC, because I was viewing him as well and talking to him. What I did not realize is that the Maker must have translated his speech and mine so that we can understand each other. I asked him to explain himself.”

“He asked me if I had a tunable visual device. I told him I did. He gave me a frequency number that he wants it tuned to. The number appeared to be the same magnitude as our TV frequencies. So I calculated the channel number and turned to it. It turned out to be an unused channel if you did not have cable installed. Once I turned to the channel he appeared on the screen. It was incredible. We were actually talking to each other. We exchanged names. Renard told me that I needed to come and meet him personally. All would be explained then.”

“How did you get there?”

“I'm getting to it. Renard did ask me question. Who is the Maker?”

“I told him that the Maker is the Creator of Universe. He has given the people on the planet the opportunity to take care of it. If the people don't, then the Maker will punish that planet until they get it right or else get removed as caretakers of the planet. If they get removed, then the animals living on the planet will rule it and not the people who will then be very few in number.”

He answered back, “I see that the Maker has taught other worlds the truth on responsibility. That is the right answer, Richard. What I want you to do is stand perfectly still. I am going to extend my mystical power through your visual device. You will soon be enveloped in a white glowing light. When it reaches its peak power, you will be transported here through your visual device that is tuned to my location. Are you ready, Richard?”

“As ready as I will ever be. Do it.”

“Renard recited some words as if they were magic type words.”

“Magic, Richard? There is no such thing.”

“Maybe not here Elizabeth, but it’s real there.”

“Then my body started to glow white. Once the glow reached its peak intensity, I was instantly gone in a flash of light. I realized I was conscious the entire trip. I was a little disoriented at first. But, soon I found myself zipping past nebulae and stars that we are familiar with here on Earth, like the Crab and Horse Head Nebulae. I was soon approaching a star system that is similar to ours, but it was different. I soon approached a planet with two moons around it. In another flash I appeared in a room of a small cabin like this one here. There stood in front of me was a man that looked liked us, but again a little different.”

“Wow! What happened then?”

I can see her skepticism in her face and from her tone of voice.

“I was a little disoriented at first. He had me sitting down for a bit from my trip. Renard came over and recited a short incantation and touched my forehead and his. Soon we understood what we were saying to each other. Renard gave me a drink of water. He had a different word for it, but it is the same. He explained that the Maker decided to have worlds with Outside Helpers to aid in a time of major crisis. That way the worlds will know they are not alone in the Universe.”

“But, I interjected. 'I am sorry Renard. But on my world some think we are the only civilization in the Universe. However, some of our scientists are looking through telescopes and using other devices to look into the cosmos.”

“I am sorry to hear that, but at least your world is trying. You will have to tell me more about your world before you go back. Don't worry, the time you spend here won't affect the time there. When you're sent back, you will be back within a few minutes that you left.”

“Thanks I appreciate that.”

“But first you need to get dressed appropriately for our world.”

“I can see that by seeing your robe and how you carry yourself.”

“That's incredible, Richard. Talk about putting faith into action.”

“That's right, Elizabeth. I have a feeling once I make contact again, I don't know how long I will be away.”

“Well, we'll take care of the place as always. You know that.”

“You're right Elizabeth. Thanks. It's possible I might be gone from here for five minutes while I am there for months or even a year.”

“Well let's hope so. You still have a dinner date with us this evening. Go and help your friend. He needs you now.”

I walk into the bedroom and open the closet and pull out my ranger outfit. It's a good thing I packed this away for this trip. I don't think Renard will forgive me if I have to borrow one of his again. I better put on the breast and back plate as well. I take off my shoes and clothes. I fold them up and place the clothes in the dresser drawers. I put on a tee-shirt and a pair of shorts on. I roll up another pair of shorts, tee-shirt, underwear and socks and put them on the bed.

I then put the breast and back plate on and latch them in place. It still fits, great. After two months, it better fit. I put on the pants and tie them tight with the pull cord. I put the shirt on and over the breast and back plate. I take the belt and cinch it around the waist. I sit down and put on the calf-high boots. I tuck in the leggings into the tops of the boots. I stand up and put on the jacket.

I take off my watch and place it on the dresser. That reminds me, I need to bring a wind-up watch with me. I open the top drawer and take the wind-up watch I purchased a month ago. I put that on my wrist.

I then take a shoulder style satchel hanging in the closet. I check inside to make sure everything is there; a coin purse, some folded up pieces of cloth wrapped around some small pads and a jar of ointment to be used for injuries, another small bag containing two sewing needles and two spools of thread, some handkerchiefs, a piece of cloth that's large enough to be used as an arm sling and what's inside it, a comb for my hair and a small mirror.

I also decide to bring a small pad of paper with some pencils and a small fold-up knife that is put into another bag. Also, some small diameter coiled rope of twenty-five feet. The rope is strong enough to hold five people when hanging in the air. I put the rolled up clothes into the satchel.

Since I just had lunch, there is no need to bring a snack. I take the water skin inside the bag and fill it with water from the separate spout on the sink and secure the stopper on it and put it back inside the satchel. I love this fresh mountain water since dad provided a tap for it. The next two important items I see are the contact crystal sphere and light crystal that Renard gave me.

There was something else I need to bring, what was it? Hmm, now I remember what I need to bring; the flower book. I pick up the flower book I bought a month ago and place that into the satchel. I comb my hair one more time and look at myself. I smile as I put the medallion around my neck.

That’s it. I’m ready now. Oops . . . I can't forget the package for King Thranton and the other Dwarf Kings. I take the other package on the desk and put that into the satchel. I also put the multimedia/book about Earth in the satchel as well.

I walk back out to the living room.

“Well, Elizabeth, I am ready to go.”

“Wow, you look great, Richard. Good enough to be at a renaissance fair.”

“Thanks, Elizabeth. Hopefully I will be back in five minutes. Let's have a quick hug.” We hug together quickly.

She looks at him, “Now, you take care. Come back and tell us some out of the world stories.”

“If you want to know what that world is like, go read a book from the library on myths and legendary animals from our world. Some of them are there; like fairies, unicorns, centaurs and even talking dragons.”

“You're kidding me, right?”

“Nope, I'm not kidding. When I leave, you can leave the TV on and switch it to cable if you like. What I am about to do cannot be duplicated. You need this medallion for it to work. The incantation embedded in the message is set for the detection of it and me as well and no one else. Well, thanks for everything; I love your family a lot.”

“We all love you, too.”

We give each another a good hug.

I go to the TV and turn it to channel number thirty-three and it shows a static screen. “I am ready Elizabeth, replay the message.”

With Richard standing in front of the TV, Elizabeth replays the message. Soon Richard begins to glow with a white light. Elizabeth shields her eyes when it reaches its peak intensity. Then he disappears in a flash of light. When the light fades and looks where Richard was standing, he is gone.

Oh dear, he was telling the truth. He disappeared in a flash of light. “Take care, Richard. You are the most amazing friend for us to have in our family.”

The Summer Vacation
Chapter3
By Rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

As I get accustomed to the trip again, I’m always amazed at seeing the wonders and beauty of the galaxy. I pass Sirius quickly. There are the Orion constellation and the Orion Nebula. I see the Horse Head Nebula nearby and the Crab Nebula above it. I must be going faster than the speed of light; the nearby stars are streaking by me.

Then I see dead star system after dead star system. Uh, Maker, did you show me this in a dream awhile ago?

I did, Richard.

Soon, I approach a familiar star system. Then I see a very large space ship sparkling in the oort cloud and the path it took to get there. I don’t like that path where it came from. When I turn my head, I see I'm flying past the planets and approaching Twainor with the twin moons. Then I approach and enter into the cottage of my friend.

In a flash of light, I am standing in Renard's cottage. “Wow, that is some trip. But it was strange seeing that star ship sitting there in the oort cloud around this system. Fortunately I still remember some of Renard's language. I will need a brush up on it later.”

Looking around and seeing nobody home, “Well, it looks like Renard is not here. He's probably at the castle already. Of course, I don't know which day it is. But I will soon find out anyway. It looks like I will have to walk to the village and secure a horse to ride on.”

I step out of the cottage and onto the porch and close the door. I turn around and see the door glowing in a green color. What's this? I turn the door handle and find it is self-locked. I guess he was expecting me; the door is sealed with a spell. No sooner I step off the porch in front of the cottage. I hear laughter and singing in the wind. “Where are that laughter and singing coming from? I am not seeing it yet. It is getting louder and louder as it approaches.”

Looking all around, I soon see three fairies flying toward me in the clearing. “You're here. You’re here. You received the message in time, Richard.”

“Come, come. We will lead you where you need to be,” as another fairy shouts in excitement.

Smiling and laughing with them, “I'm coming. I’m coming. I think Renard is at the castle.” I continue their singsong lilt.

“He is, he is. He could not wait. He had to give the news to the King. It is the third day since the spy came.”

“Well I have more news to add when I get there. So hold on, hold on while I try to keep up.” I begin to jog down the path following the fairies.

“You're too slow, too slow. There are horses nearby ready to take you to the King.” The fairies laugh, giggle and sing while leading me to the village.

When I arrive in the village, the fairies lead me to one of the stables. Seeing someone in the paddock area, I call out to him as I catch my breath. I try to remember to speak in their tongue.

“Greetings . . . sir . . .pant . . . pant . . . Would you happen to have a spare horse …pant . . . pant . . . that I can rent and ride to Thryson Castle for a day or two?”

“Hello, sir. Rent a spare horse for a day or two? What’s your name?”

“I am Richard, friend of Wizard Renard. I am the Outside Helper for Thryson kingdom. I come from a far place to be here. The fairies here can vouch for me as well.” They shake their heads up and down as they giggle.

Seeing the medallion around his neck and the fairies, he smiles. “I remember you, Richard. No problem. My name is Rolston. Do you still have our coin with you?”

“I remembered to bring it. Let me take a look.” I open the satchel and remove the coin sack and open it. “What's the price?”

“A silver coin will do for the week, for now.”

“Yes, I do.” I retrieve a silver coin and hand it to the Stable master.

“Thank you very much, Richard. I am sure the King will help in caring for him. Bring him back and we will settle our account if it is longer. The horse's name is Swiftwind.”

“Thank you Stable master, stay safe until we meet again.” I bow my head to him. He nods his head as well. The Stable master and I put a simple saddle on him with stirrups and cinch it. Then we put a bridle and bit on as well. I turn to Swiftwind and mount him. “Come, Swiftwind we need to go to Thryson Castle.”

Swiftwind snorts and shakes his head up and down and then he gives me a thought in my mind as if to say, “Yes, let's race the wind!”

Swiftwind looks like the horses from Earth, but here they have a different look. Here their ears are a little more pointed and longer. The twin-tails and coat definitely have a brighter sheen, almost prismatic and glittering effect. Swiftwind has a silver-blue pattern. He is very beautiful just like the rest of the horses here.

I lead Swiftwind down the path while being escorted by the fairies. I decide to have Swiftwind trot, gallop, and race and walk periodically so as not to tire him out too quickly. Sometimes the fairies would sit on the horse’s head or one of them would sit on my shoulder. It takes about a full mark on the sundial to arrive at the castle.

We have a brief rest stop at a stream crossing along the way. Seeing the countryside is great, even though their forest trees are different from my world. But yet, seeing green foliage with its unique flowers reminds me to be thankful. The fairies give me the news of daily life. Some of it is whimsical and heartening. They are really enjoying the peace that has finally come between the kingdoms and continents.

The fairies did express their dismay about the intruder. But they hope all will be well soon.

Upon arriving at Thryson Castle, the fairies fly off to the Castle. I bring Swiftwind to a walk to allow him to catch his breath. I then continue and proceed across the drawbridge.

“Good job, Swiftwind, excellent ride. You know there's a stable ahead.” I then lean forward and pat his neck.

He nods his head and snorts.

~~~000~~~

“So, what news have you heard Praxor between the villages and towns?”

“My Lord . . . ”

Then the three fairies fly into the open window and into the council chamber. Everyone looks at them as they fly around in a large circle declaring the good news.

“He's here! He's here! Richard is here!”

“He arrived at your cottage, Renard!”

“He rode Swiftwind from the nearby village to be here.”

Everybody cheers and claps their hands upon hearing the good news. Some of the guests present stomp their hoofs on the stone floor.

“Praise to the Maker”

“Thank you, Maker!”

King Tierion raises his hands to quiet everyone down.

The fairies land on a table in front of Avel the Unicorn to catch their breath.

“Thank you for bringing the good news, fairies. Renard and Trianna, please greet Richard and escort him to the council chamber here.”

Renard and Trianna stand up with a smile.

“Yes, my King, we'll go and greet him.”

“Can we be there too, King Tierion?”

“Yes, you can go, fairies.”

“Thank you, thank you.”

They take off from the table and hover above Renard and Trianna. They do a quick bow before everyone and King Tierion. They leave the council chamber together.

~~~000~~~

The drawbridge spans a chasm that cannot be crossed easily or breached along the walls. The back of the castle is carved into part of a huge mesa. There are tunnels throughout the mesa and to the top. On the top of the mesa is a lookout tower which has a command view of the entire area. There is a rear gate spanning the chasm for a secondary entrance. It is also heavily fortified just like the main gate. There are also two well-hidden escape exits on the backside of the mesa and forest. The chasm makes a very large arc in front of the mesa. The land within can hold twenty thousand people if need be.

When I cross the drawbridge, the Gate Guards stand at attention as I near them. One of them recognizes the medallion around my neck and immediately smiles.

“Greetings, Richard, Friend of Thryson Kingdom, it is good to see you again. Is all well with you?”

I too remember the Gate Guard's name. “Greetings, Sir Landst. I am doing well and in good health. How is Thryson Kingdom faring these days?”

“Everything is glorious and prosperous. But this intruder spy trouble is the last thing we need. I hope all goes well in solving this problem.”

“I do too, Sir Landst. I think my fairy escort left me to inform the King and his guests that I am here.”

“Yes, the meeting just started a quarter mark ago. You have not missed much. You can turn to the right as soon as you get into the Outer Court. The Castle Stable Master will see to your ride.”

“Thank you, Sir Landst. Have a good day and thanks for being diligent in your duties here.”

“I am just doing my duty. But thanks, anyway.” The Gate Guards resumed their positions as Swiftwind canters by.

I slow Swiftwind to a walk into the Outer Court and turn right down the path toward the Castle Stables. Soon a boy comes running out and takes the reins from my hands. A man is not too far behind in coming to greet me.

“Good morning, Richard,” he nods his head toward me.

“Good morning Stable master,” I dismount and face the Stable Master and the stable boy. “This is Swiftwind from the village near Wizard Renard's cottage. I have use of him for the week.”

“No problem. We will quarter him well here and he will be exercised, rested and fed. Are you here for the meeting? The others are here as well.”

I retrieve a coin from my satchel. “Yes I am Sir. Here is a silver coin to help pay for the first week.” I hand the coin to the Stable Master and nod my head as well.

“That is fine for now. You better turn around. I think some people are coming to see you.” He smiles as he turns around. The Stable Master and the stable boy take Swiftwind to a stall and there he receives an excellent brushing and cool down from the stable hands.

Turning around, I see Renard and Trianna walking toward me with the fairy escort flying around them.

As soon as all three of us are standing together, the three fairies begin to circle around us while laughing and singing while we hug each other.

It is good to be with friends,
For it is a joyous reunion.
May it be a sweet scent that never ends,
For it is a reason to come again.

“There you are, Richard. Hold on one bit, let me refresh our language in you.” He recites a short incantation and touches his head as well as mine. “It is great to see you. I see that The Maker has brought you here in time.”

“Thanks and greetings, Renard. Indeed the Maker is swift with his promises. We will face this problem together. That is what friends are for. Good morning, Trianna.”

“Good morning to you, Richard. We have much to discuss. How long is your stay this time?”

“Well I was about to start a three-moon summer vacation before I finish my last year of studies for my first degree at the school I’m attending.”

“That is excellent. You were not here long enough last time. Stay here awhile longer. You can still be back in time to enjoy it.”

“That sounds great, Trianna. Well, we better get inside and see what is going on. The last time I saw you was about a moon ago.”

“For us, it has been a year since we saw you.”

All three of us turn and walk toward to the castle. One fairy sits on each of our shoulders and continues laughing and giggling. They are so contagious we start giggling and chuckling as well, like remembering an old joke that we only understood . . . giggle . . .chuckle . . giggle . . . chuckle . . .

We continue walking and enter into the inner courtyard. The beautiful gardens are in glorious bloom. The flowers are displaying the many colors of the rainbow with insects buzzing from flower to flower. We also hear the sounds of winged birds in the tree tops singing their calls. We walk up the stairs to the main entrance. Two massive stone doors, a gift of the dwarves in the region, are perfectly balanced. The doors are carved with a bas-relief design of elegance and beauty signifying the style of the Kingdom. The doors are glittering with three crystals of the colors in the rainbow, red, purple and yellow. There is a pair of guards at the door.

A guard opens a door for us and we all enter in and meet the Chamberlain.

“Chamberlain, we wish to be escorted to the King's Chamber for the King's Meeting.”

“Yes, Wizard Renard, follow me please.”

The Chamberlain leads us through several corridors and flights of stairs with ramps next to them. Shortly we arrive at the room. The Chamberlain walks over and opens the door to make the announcement and enters in.

“My Lord King, Governors, dwarves and High Honored Ones; I present to you, Richard Moore, Friend and Outside Helper of Thryson Kingdom.”

I walk in first with Renard, Trianna walking in and the fairies flying in behind me.

“Greetings, Richard, it is good to see you again.”

“Greetings to you too, King Tierion,” I bow my head slightly. The King bows his head slightly as well. We both raise our heads up at the same time and smile at each other. “I came as soon as I received the message. The Maker made sure I was here in time. I hope my talents and knowledge are sufficient for the task at hand.”

“I am sure they will be. Please have a seat. We have one ready for you next to Renard and Trianna.”

“Thank you, my Lord.” I walk over to the proffered chair. The three fairies fly over to Avel the unicorn at another location near his table with some small stone seating carved and designed for them on the table. Renard and Trianna walk over to their chairs as well. Several pages come up to assist us when we're ready to sit. When I stand in front of the chairs, there is a round of applause and cheers, and I join in as well. I smile and bow my head to everyone in the room as everyone else does as well.

The tables and chairs are arranged in a circle all facing inward. So that everyone can see each other. There are glasses of water of various sizes for each of the guests on the tables who wish one. There are several pages sitting near a wall, ready to attend whoever wants their attention for a task to do. Even if it is to refill their glasses from pitchers sitting on tables near the wall.

In the center of this circle is another large table with sixteen crystal spheres sitting on small separate ornate pedestals. Each of these has a small pennant hanging on the pedestals signifying which kingdom they represent.

There are sixteen banners representing the Kingdoms of Twainor hanging on four walls, evenly spaced about, four to a wall. King Tierion's banner is behind his chair. It comprises the three colors found in the Thryson Mountains with a star in the middle with three rays of light.

There are several high window openings in the outside wall allowing the sunlight to come in and light up the room. There is a pair of double doors opening to an outdoor balcony on the outside wall. The double doors have several large panes etched with colorful scenes on them. The doors are open to allow more fresh air into the room. No light crystals are needed at this time, for it is still morning before high noon.

The King sits down first. Then we all sit down in our chairs. Some of the guests remain standing at their location. Then the King gives the introductions. “Good morning, everyone. Let's introduce ourselves before we get started. I am King Tierion of Thryson Kingdom.” The King looks to his right. “You’re next, Quartermaster.”

“Yes, sir. I am the King's Quartermaster, Sir Bregor.” Looking to his right, he nods to the next one.

“I am Wizard Renard.”

“I am Richard Moore, Friend and Outside Helper of Thryson Kingdom. I am from the Sol System, Planet Earth.”

“I am Sorceress Trianna.”

“We're the Fairies who serve Avel the Unicorn.” All three fairies sing as one.

“I am Avel, the Unicorn.”

“I am Tarsi, Dwarf Sea Dragon. I have agreed to represent the dragon clans in Thryson Kingdom for this moon period.” Tarsi, is about eight feet high and fully grown for his species.

Behind Tarsi is an ingenious device built by the dwarves. It is a fan mounted on a stand; the fan speed is easily set by a magic spell. Attached is a metal tube from a small water tank. I recognize it as a fan-mister to help keep Tarsi's skin moist. A page is assigned to make sure it works during the meeting. I see they have improved the design I gave them when I was here last time. I don't see a pool of water on the floor.

“I am Telgon, Dwarf Ambassador to the Thryson Kingdom.”

“I am Durlond, Dwarf Ambassador to the Thryson Kingdom.”

Their wives are sitting near them.

“I am Drenan, Port Governor of Port Treston, and all shipping ports on the coast and rivers of Thryson Kingdom.”

“I am Praxor, Land Governor of the towns and villages in Thryson Kingdom.”

The last one gets our attention, a Centaur nine feet tall. “I am Caltron.” He announces himself with a deep booming voice.

Once all the introductions are taken care of, the King begins the meeting.

“I know this is a meeting of high importance. It is for the welfare of our kingdom and for our world. I will let Caltron speak first, then Renard.”

Everyone nods in agreement.

“My Lord, High Honored Ones and Friends of the Kingdom; approximately three days ago we sensed a disturbance in the Ethereal Space of our home world. We were not sure of its origin. But, we knew it was beyond the Twin Moons. All of the First Ones felt it. We looked to the stars and saw nothing move. But it was there. Master Wizard Eldwin was able to sense it as well. He contacted us shortly thereafter and we confirmed the disturbance with him. Eldwin was able to use the Seeing Stones to help look around the Twin Moons. He saw nothing at first, but then several stars shimmered in a group. He was not sure what it was, but he determined that somebody was hiding behind our inner moon watching us. For what purpose we don't know yet.”

“Thank you, Caltron. Eldwin contacted me two days ago and gave the same news. We agreed to spread the word throughout the Kingdom and Twainor. I contacted the Sisters of our Order and our Outside Helper, Richard to be here. I then went to King Tierion to inform him of the news. We agreed to go and gather all information possible and be here for this meeting, hence the two days.”

“Thank you, both. So let's begin with what we have found out. After this exchange we will contact the other Kingdoms on our world. We will compare notes so that we are all together and in agreement on what to do next.”

Everyone nods in agreement again.

“Let's start with the First Ones. Avel you are first.”

“Thank you, King Tierion. I sensed a change in the air and so did the fairies. The forest animals sensed it as well. We tried to calm them down, but we could not with some of them. The best we could make of it, we sensed harm and hurt coming to our world.”

“We agree, Avel.” Speaks one of the Fairies. “We felt a change in the wind and air. Being small and sensitive allows us to sense danger quickly. If there is a forest fire, we can sense it many leagues away. But since it was in the air from up above, we knew it was coming from beyond the Twin Moons.”

“Lord Tarsi, it is your turn,” spoke King Tierion.

“Thank you. We too have sensed a change in the air and the Ethereal Space above us. Our sharpest eye could not see this enemy. He must have been hiding behind one of the moons. But we felt a movement in the wind. It was going from one area to another. Like it was searching for something, we are not sure what it was.”

“Telgon, it is your turn.”

“Thank you, King Tierion. We don’t get much contact or news quickly, except with the trade routes or with the dragons that use the caves as we do. We make sure our paths do not cross too often. But, our people are glad for the peace that we have made now with the dragons. We each have a lot more understanding of our needs since those dark days. We also realize we could be the last defense as the surface dwellers seek protection if a war goes badly up here. For that the dwarves and the Dragons stand ready to help out when needed.”

Tarsi nodded in affirmation. “Yes, the Dragon Clans have agreed to help when the time comes. Each of us has a role from small to great dragons. King Tierion, just let us know what to do.”

“Thank you, Tarsi and Dwarf Ambassadors. The help is always accepted.”

“Drenan, you are next. What is the status of our seaports?”

“Our fleets of ships are in excellent health. There is one in dry-dock being repaired from a serious storm at sea several weeks ago. It is serviceable to be seaworthy in a few weeks time. It has been very profitable in the ports this past year. All goods and foodstuffs in the warehouses are nearly full. We have made the tithe of goods and food into the secret caches in times of trouble my King.”

“Thank you. Praxor, what is the situation with the villages and towns in our Kingdom?”

“Well, the presence of the intruder has disturbed the livestock.”

“I confirm that as well, the livestock have been jittery for the last several days in some of the villages and towns I visited. Some of them wanted to run and bolt out into the forest,” added by Trianna and nodded in agreement by Drenan and Praxor.

“Yes, the Elders of the villages and towns are concerned about when this anxiety will ever end. Even the people are expressing concern. Because when they see the restlessness in the livestock, they see it as a sign of bad days ahead. But the people are holding together as expected. They are trying to remain calm and keep to normal buying habits in the markets.”

The King nods in agreement. He looks to his right at the Quartermaster. “What is the current accounting of our provision and armaments here in the castle and in the kingdom abroad?”

“I have a good report from your brother, Duke Traylor. The food and water stores are filled to the brim here in the castle and other fiefdoms. Our crops are plentiful and I give 'Thanks' to all in the Kingdom, from the lowliest to our Honored First Ones who helped keep our blessing here. Including the advice we received when all of the Outside Helpers were here last year.”

Caltron nodded in appreciation. “You’re welcome. Thank you for the acknowledgment.”

“You’re welcome.” I respond likewise.

“I estimate a siege duration of two to three moons, depending on consumption and keeping our supplies protected. The hidden caches throughout our Kingdom which are located near strategic villages, towns and ports are ready as well. Those caches give another year if used wisely.”

“That's good news, Sir Bregor. What is the condition of the armory?”

“The armory is in good supply right now. Probably less than one percent is in need of repair or needs to be replaced across all weapon stores. We have enough to outfit an army of ten thousand soldiers, my Lord. If we conscript from the local population every able man from 16 on up to 70; that number can swell up to fifty thousand if needed. That number doesn’t include the women, children and the elders my Lord. Our entire population count of our Kingdom, not counting the First Ones, is about one hundred and fifty thousand my Lord. All castles within the kingdom can house our population if need be within their walls. The standing counts of the military, army, navy and dwarf brigades are five thousand throughout the kingdom.”

“Thank you, Sir Bregor. Well that leaves us with Richard. Do you have any news to add?”

“I do sir. While I was coming here, I was able to see the wonderful creation of our Maker. But as I was approaching your star system, I saw something out of place. Beyond your furthest gas giant planet and distant planets, lies a field of loose rock and debris. It is a word we use that is called an 'oort cloud'. This field of debris surrounds all star systems anywhere in the Maker's Universe. It helps shroud your system or it can be a source of pain. If a disturbance happens out there, a rock can be sent toward your sun and become a comet or meteorite. If too many come at once, there's a good chance one or more of these will impact your world or another planet in your system causing great damage. For such a thought occurred to me, because I saw a very large star ship trying to hide in the oort cloud as I arrived here.”

“What is the size of this star ship?”

“It's very big. I think it would hold several thousands of people, perhaps more. It is very large. But, I was dismayed when the Maker showed me the path it took to get here. In the star ship’s wake, there are dozens of star systems dead and empty. Rocks and dead planets are circling live and dead suns. I am sorry sir, but we're next.”

Everyone mumbles and ‘gasps’ at the news.

“What are we to do my Lord? Who can fight such an enemy?” Asks Trianna, who is on the verge of tears. Others voice the same fears and concerns as well.

“We must remain calm. We must open the meeting to the other Kingdoms and let them know. Renard if you please.”

“Yes, my Lord.” Renard gets up and walks into the center of the ring; he approaches the table with the crystal spheres. He recites the contact spell and puts his right palm above each one, and then a face appears above each one. A King or Queen from each Kingdom is represented.

For such a meeting has not taken place since when Richard was here last. That is when the Maker called for the Kingdoms to establish their Outside Helpers in a time of crisis for Twainor.

One of the Kings speaks, “Lord Tierion, I take it we all have the same news concerning our enemy?”

“I am sure we all do. But I have a question and piece of news that needs to be added, King Dryden.”

“Go ahead, King Tierion.”

“First is the question. Have any of your Outside Helpers arrived?”

They all look at each other and shake their heads negative with sad faces.

“Apparently they did not come. Did yours arrive?”

“Yes he did. He came just in time for the meeting.”

“Praise the Maker.”

“Praise the Twin Moons.”

They all exclaim with thanks and praises.

“Who is it that came, Lord Tierion?”

“It is Richard Moore from the Sol System and his home planet called Earth.”

“Welcome back Richard, Friend of Thryson Kingdom.”

All sixteen Kings and Queens smile, especially King Thranton and Queen Rosina and the rest of the dwarves’ royalty.

“Thank you, Kings and Queens. It is an honor to be here again. The news I bear will give the magnitude of your enemy. This star ship has become mine as well, because they threaten all life in our quadrant of our Galaxy.”

“Tell us, please, how big is this enemy, Richard?”

“On the way here, the Maker showed me a path of destruction. I saw a star ship at the edge of your star system, trying to hide among the rocks surrounding your system. It is only one ship my Lord. However, it is large enough to hold several thousands of people, perhaps more. In their wake lie many star systems that are dead, empty shells of planets and gas giants no longer glowing in the night. All life is gone. They consume these worlds for their hunger of power, energy and resources. Then they hunt for another star system to consume and devour. I am sorry my Lords. We're next on their list.”

Then all of their faces show astonishment and sadness, some with tears and weeping. Even the faces of the Kings and Queens expressed sadness and tears as well.

“What are we to do?” cries one of the Queens.

I clear my throat loud enough for everybody to hear, “Ahem.”

They all get quiet and try to calm down.

“Apparently the Maker saw fit that I am the one for the task at hand to help, my Lords.”

Everyone agrees to that and begins to have a brighter face and outlook on life.

“Can you please remind us what your specialty Richard is?”

Lord Tierion and Renard smile at each other because they already knew the answer from my first visit.

“My specialty Lord Dryden is Security Systems and Programming of Computer Systems. In addition I have a good understanding of the sciences and mathematics.”

“Oh, praise the Maker!!”

“He did send the right one!!”

“Praise the Twin Moons!!” The other Kings and Queens exclaim, along with everyone else in the King's Chamber.

Soon a Lord interjects. “Excuse me. May I have your attention?”

Everyone quiets down again.

“Go ahead Lord Keltan.”

“I have just received news in my kingdom. A small craft appeared in one of our caves. It is being guarded by several dragons. Some of our wizards were able to go there and put a sealing spell on the craft so that it can't harm others or tried to leave. Also, I am informed that all main energy on the craft is spent. But the craft has just enough energy to sustain their lives. No contact has been made yet.”

“That is excellent news, Lord Keltan. We will send Richard to you as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Lord Tierion. We look forward to meeting him. It will be a pleasure and honor to welcome you, Richard.”

“I am sure it will be a fine meeting Lord Keltan. But until then, I think we should remain alert for any changes beyond the Twin Moons. That star ship is still out there. It may react before we're ready. Have the wizards use their Seeing Stones and look toward your two gas giants. They're blue and multicolored. They're in that direction. In addition, here is an idea. Find a way to remove the crew from the craft safely. Split them up and put them in separate kingdoms for safe keeping. We will need to talk with them eventually. That way it will be on your terms and not theirs.”

Everyone nods in agreement and assent to the plan.

“Thank you, Richard. You have given us hope in the darkness.”

“That's what friends are for, Lord Dryden, to be there when needed.”

“Would it be all-right, Lord Keltan, for Richard to arrive the day after tomorrow? That will give us time for more preparation and give time for Richard to get reacclimated to our world.”

“That's a fine suggestion, Lord Tierion.”

All the other Lords, Kings and Queens assent in agreement as well.

“So be it. We all know what to do now. I am sure we will get more news from what Richard discovers in the small space craft. So be ready for that,” announces Lord Dryden.

Everyone else nods their heads in agreement.

“Take care everyone. Be safe until next time,” responds Lord Tierion.

Everyone stands and bows their heads slightly, including the images above the glass spheres. The images disappear and everyone breathes a sigh of relief with some smiles on their faces. There were others who kept reserved because the danger has not passed yet. But they're glad something is being done.

“This concludes the meeting. We will meet here in two days to see Richard go to Lord Keltan's Kingdom. If anybody wishes to attend may do so. It will probably be early morning.”

Everyone nods their heads in agreement.

“I had my knights set up one of the larger tents on the grounds near by while we are having this meeting. It is to welcome Richard and for those wish to partake of the noon repast. You may not realize it, but we have been here for three marks on the sundial.”

While some fly out the windows, most of us walk through the corridors and down the ramps and stairs to the front door of the castle. When we exit the castle, we see a large colorful pavilion tent erected. It is serviced by several of the King's cooks and attendees. Everyone soon shares in the celebration that the Outsider Helper has come and there is hope for all.

The King walks up to me and asks, “So, Richard, how long can you stay here this time?”

“Well I was about to start a three-moon vacation before I finish my last year of studies. Trianna suggested a longer stay since I was not here long the last time I was here.”

“I agree, Richard. After this crisis is over with, we'll make sure you enjoy the trip this time. You're welcome any time if you want to come.”

“Thank you, my Lord. Right now I need to clear my mind and get ready for the task at hand. Besides, I need to have some private words with Renard and Trianna. I will share it with you, my Lord, soon thereafter.”

“I understand Richard; have a close talk with your friends. I will be in my private study room when you're ready.”

“Thank you, Lord Tierion.” We nod at each other and turn away as we both went to mingle with the rest of the guests from the meeting.

“Come, let's join the celebration; we will talk more of this later.”

“Yes Renard. I just had my noon meal on my world before I came here. Now it looks like I get to have it again. It will probably give me a day to readjust to the time lag between our worlds.”

We all laugh together.

“That may be so, Richard, but you are here now. It is a glorious day to praise the Maker.”

I walk to the table and choose what is available. All foods are cooked vegetables that have cooled and some are set in crushed ice. In addition there are a wide variety of fruits and choices of drinks. There are quite a few that I barely recognize from the last trip. But I knew from the fruits that they would be sweet tasting with their own unique flavor.

For meats, only fish dishes were put out this time. The other meat dish is from the fowl variety, domesticated and wild. There are no beef type cattle here on Twainor. The wool bearing animals are not killed for their meat after the wool is sheared from them. For that is unthinkable.

I was told there was a dish set aside for Lord Tarsi, a large bowl of fresh whole sea-cantrell. It looks like a type of fish for all I can tell with the fins sticking out of water.

I was also told that Tarsi can swim, fly in the air and walk on the ground if he has to. But, he is not a fire breather like his land cousins. He is a flying sea dragon.

There are several fan-misters placed in several locations under the tent to keep the air cool and moist for everyone on this warm morning.

I walk up to each one and greet them. When I approach Avel, I hug his neck. Avel presses his head into my side. The fairies fly around us and sing a song of friendship.

“It's good to see you again, Avel and your fairies.”

“Yes, it’s good to see you again.” Hmm . . . I sense something new from Richard. What is it? He's trying to act as if nothing has happened since he was here last. Avel looks at Caltron.

Caltron looks at Avel. I sense it too, Avel. There is something new about Richard. He'll tell us when he is ready.

After awhile and most of the guests have eaten and left for the day. I was then able to talk discretely with Renard and Trianna.

“So, what’s this private news Richard?”

A tear starts to come down my face, “When I was here last, I had a wonderful family to go home to. Then a moon ago, my time, I lost my parents and two brothers. They were all killed in an aircraft in a bad storm.” More tears are running down by now. Renard and Trianna come forward and hug me.

“I am so sorry, Richard.”

“That is not all. Trianna will you please press your palm to my palm. You will sense something new about me.”

“All right, Richard.”

We touch our hand palms together. After a few moments of concentration; Trianna gasps and pulls her hands away.

“Oh, Richard, I don't believe this. I sense two spirits within you. One is male and the other female. How is this possible?”

“How can I say this in your words? But I will try. It has been known on my world that a small percentage of people can be born with both sex organs.”

Renard and Trianna gasp and their hands flew to their mouths with eyes in astonishment.

“What are you going to do? You know there will be a conflict in you as you get older. When did you know?”

“Well right now I am presenting myself as male on the outside. But on the inside I am also female. I did not know about it at all until one moon ago when the plane crash occurred. My parents kept it hidden from me, thinking I did not need to burden myself with the knowledge until I was ready to know.”

“When I came home for the funerals to take care of the matter; I had a meeting with our family legal representative. When we opened my parent’s will and read it, we discovered they had created a video letter explaining everything.”

I was shedding some more tears; I reach into my satchel to retrieve a handkerchief to dry my eyes.

“I have kept these emotions in check as much as possible. I had an examination by the family doctor and informed me of the current situation. She told me everything is okay. As long as I don't injure myself in the groin severely or come under extreme stress, my well being is safe for now. If the female organs do become active then there will be a conflict as you guessed Trianna. The organs are small fortunately. When I learned that I was coming here, I had high hopes to continue talking about this and to be examined by you. Moreover have some soul to soul talks and be just friends.”

“Of course, Richard, we can do that easily.”

“Thanks Renard and Trianna. You're the best.”

“Come, we need to tell the King the latest news. All of the other guests have left for the day. The King is inside.”

We walk back into the castle. The Chamberlain leads us to the King to update him on my new situation.

~~~000~~~
~~~000~~~

“Tek, Tek!!! What just happened? ! I saw a flash of light on the monitors.”

“Yes, General. I am checking telemetry readings now.” After a moment of searching through various band waves, “I am getting no telemetry readings at all from the Scout Ship. They're gone, Sir.”

Tek continues adjusting the controls on the control panel; then a signal reaches the console. “General, I just received the last transmission.”

“Good. Clean it up and play it back.”

“Yes, Sir.”

After a few minutes of filtering the data file, Tek plays the data file. When seeing the data scroll by on the screen, he smiles and turns around.

“Sir, the data file is a compressed data file of several data logs. The resource inventory data file is incredible. From looking at this data file, this system is very rich. We can last for about twenty stellar cycles before we need to search for another system.”

“That is good news. What about the tel-comm that we detected earlier? How are they communicating?”

“That file contained only one image Sir.”

“Show it.”

Tek presses a symbol on the panel, and then a 3-d image appears on the main viewing screen. Why does that look familiar? …Ouch . . . there is that pain in my head again. I’ve got to pay attention to my job here. I will check in the health ward at my next break.

“It is very degraded, Sir. All you see is the planet, the two moons which appear as white objects and the Scout Ship, the small white object behind the furthest moon.” The whole picture is washed out with light and a black background. “There are no other details discernible. I cannot make sense of it, Sir. There is no time-date to know when this image was taken.”

“I agree, Tek. But at least we have the resource inventory data. I am sure the Supreme will be pleased. He will be saddened by the loss of the Scout Ship and its crew. Their lives are a sweet scent for our Supreme. Their lives will be remembered so that we may live. Dar-re, take the command chair. Continue analyzing the data file. I'll go see The Supreme and inform him of the good news.”

“Yes Sir, General.”

The General gets up and walks over to a circular pad and disappears in a flash of light. Dar-re gets up and walks to the center of the control room and sits in the command chair.

“All right everybody, let's get the details on the data files. We need the exact numbers to know their volume and weight.”

“Yes Sir.” The other crew members respond to the command.

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 4
By Rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

Brin wakes up and groans. “Ughhh, What happened?” He tries to open his eyes but all he sees are white spots. He moves his hand to shield his eyes and sees they have not disappeared. Then he decides to keep his eyes shut. “Where did that blinding light come from?”

Soon one of the crewmen walks over and bends over his body. “I don't know sir. I just woke up a few sub-clicks before you did. I just finished a preliminary check of the ship. All main power is depleted. We're operating on reserves only for life support and system monitors. Your vision will come back. Just give it a few moments.”

“Thanks, Mal-tor.” I keep my eyes closed; soon my vision is back to normal in a half-click. “Let's get the others to their beds and check on their vitals.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mal-tor and I walk to the other crewmen and pick them up and place them in their beds and turn on the monitors.

“Good, there is nothing wrong with them. They're just unconscious. Look at their eyes, Mal-tor.” I open an eyelid for Mal-tor to see. “The eyes are normal and clear.” Then I close the eyelid.

“Yes sir, that is a good sign.” My mind is telling me this world is very rare. I hope it's true what I think it is.

Soon an indicator starts beeping on the monitor. Mal-tor and I both look at the monitor. Mal-tor smiles, he then walks over to the other bed to check on the other crewman.

“Good, Tran is starting to come around. The awareness sensor is being activated.” I look down at Tran and see his eyes begin to flutter. “How do you feel?”

“Ughhh . . . What happened? How do I feel? I feel like I got ran over by a freight tram. Besides the room feels likes it’s spinning when I am trying to look around. But those white spots are blocking my vision.”

“That's normal. We experienced the same thing. Give yourself a moment and rest. Once your vision comes back and you’re feeling all right, go ahead check out the rest of the ship.”

“Yes, sir.”

Soon everybody is up and checking the scout ship out. Once satisfied, they come back in and sit at their stations.

“All right, let's turn on the monitors and the external sensors. We should still be behind the furthest moon.”

Once the display is turned on, they get the biggest surprise of all.

“How is this possible? It shows we're in a cave on the planet surface.”

At the cave entrance it shows on the 3-d monitors, three large creatures blocking the way out.

“Tark, I need a visual. Open the blast shields a little bit. I need to take a look.”

Tark opens the blast shields about a head width for Brin to look out. Soon one of the creatures sees the movement. He comes down in front of the window and snorts some fire and smoke at them. 'Fwooosh'!!!

“Agghh . . . Quick, fire weapons!” As Brin jumps back into his seat, wide eyed and with a cold sweat on the brow. “They're huge winged creatures that breathe fire!”

Tark closes the blast shields quickly.

“We can't fire, sir. I just checked the laser banks. They're discharged as well. The main engine power cells are discharged also,” verified by Mal-tor.

“Go inspect the hand-held weapons. We need to defend ourselves.”

Tark gets up and walks over to the weapon’s locker and check on the hand-held laser guns. That's odd, but these are discharged as well, including the spare packs. I better check the heavy ordinances to make sure. He walks back into the control room and sits down a few moments later. “I am sorry, sir. All of the hand-held laser guns are discharged, including the spare packs. The only weapons we have available are the small heavy ordinances.”

“Thank you, Tark. Sighs . . . We'll keep the ordinances there. We might need them to blow up the ship if we have to. Since they have not made any advances on us, we'll just have to remain calm.”

“Fortunately we’re on reserve power for now. But that is not enough to lift off or use the main laser weapons on board. We need sunlight to power the solar cells.”

“Brin, there is some sort of energy field around the ship. I cannot open the doors. We are sealed in.”

“What? How is that possible Tran? It can't be from those creatures out there. Someone must have put an E/M bubble around us.”

“Well whatever it is, it's not an E/M bubble. The sensor analysis is coming back blank, sir.”

“It’s coming back blank? That can't be, there must be . . . ”

“Sir, there is someone walking up and stopping in front of the ship.”

“Reopen the blast shields; let's see what these inhabitants look like.”

Tark opens the blast shields again. “There is just one, sir. Perhaps we can capture him to learn more about this planet.”

“That is an excellent idea, Tran. Once we learn what we can, we will turn him against the others on this planet.”

“Yes subterfuge has always been one of the best traits that we excel in. It allowed us to conquer the other worlds that were stubborn and tried to fight back.”

Once the being stopped, three more walk out from behind him and come up and stand shoulder to shoulder looking at the ship. Each one has a medallion around his neck and hanging down in front of their chest. The four crewmen cannot see their faces directly, because they are partially hidden by their hoods and the shadows in the cave.

“How did they do that, sir? My sensors only showed one of them.”

“I don't know Tran. But it must be some sort of trick or sleight of hand to do something like that.”

“Could they have cloaking capability?”

“Maybe Tran. Huh, what's this? Now what is happening?”

Then all four men raise their hands and face their palms toward the ship. Then they start speaking in a strange language.

“Arrggh . . . What is happening!” I put my hands to the sides of my head.

All four have their hands to the side of the head trying to relieve the pain. They're twisting and squirming in their chairs with their faces doing the same thing.

“They just asked me some questions in my head. They want to know who we are and why we have come.”

“Quick, shut them out. Remember our training.”

“I'm trying Brin. It's too strong . . . I feel like I am going to pass . . .”

Soon all four men slump in their chairs or fall to the floor unconsciously.

Mean while outside the small space ship.

“Did you find the key to open the door, Wizard Thaygard?”

“Yes I did, Wizard Eldwin. I was able to memory tap one of them. The door key uses a four-tone melody to open the door.”

“Good, please go and open the door, Thaygard.”

Thaygard walks over to the side of the ship. He puts his finger tips together as though he is holding a ball. He recites a short incantation. Soon a spherical misty blue ball appears in his hands. When a four-tone chime sounds out, the side door opens.

Master Eldwin creates a hole in the sealing spell at the door entrance with another spell.

Then four knights come walking in to assist with the delivery.

“Quickly, let's get them outside. We each take one and bring them to the designated castles and kingdoms. We need to split them up. Who knows what damage can be done if they are together.”

They bring them out and lay them on the ground. He recites the sealing spell to reseal the space craft and closes the door. He turns around to looks up at one of the dragons. “Thank you, Belgaron.”

“You're welcome , Master Wizard Eldwin. You should have seen his face when I snorted at him. He had a big surprise,” chuckling while smoke comes out of his nostrils.

Chuckling along with him, “Yes, that is good thinking, Belgaron. It will give them second thoughts who they are dealing with.”

“When will the Outside Helper come?”

“Richard arrived this morning. He will be here in two days to discover what he can inside the ship to help save our world.”

“That is good. We will keep the space craft whole and safe.”

“Be well, Belgaron and your clan.”

“You too, Wizard Eldwin.”

The four knights bend down to hold the hand of a captive. They put their other hand onto a wizard's shoulder. Then all four wizards recite their own transport spell and they all vanish with a captive each.

When Thaygard arrives at his King's castle with the prisoner, he sees there are four guards waiting for him. “He is unconscious. Quickly let's get him in one of the special holding cells.”

Two of the guards walk forward with a litter. They put it on the ground next to the captive and place him on it. The third guard opens the door. The fourth one walks out the door with the litter and two guards behind him. Walking behind the litter carried by the two guards is Thaygard. Then the fourth one closes the door. They all walk down the hallways and ramps, single file to several lower levels. They make a turn and see a guard at a door. He opens for the group to enter in.

Walking down the crystal lighted hallway, they see doors on the left-hand side with small windows. Beside each door is a small ledge. It’s big enough to hold a crystal sphere.

On the right-hand side they see some colored blocks in four corners. If connected, it would out line a door. To the right of this 'door' is a small ledge to hold a crystal sphere. One guard stands on the left side while the other one stands on the other side of the 'door'. Along the top seam at the wall and ceiling is a series of small square openings, this allows light and fresh air to come into the room, but these square openings are hidden inside the room. Inside the room is a mattress and a stoned carved bowl that only a half of it is set in the wall. In one corner of the room is a stone-carved box with a stone lid and a hole in the middle of it. It too is magical. It is the lavatory. If used, the prisoner's excrement goes to a special place to be burned. The spell on the box only accepts body waste, there is no way for someone to try to make an escape or put something else in there. The spell also detects any living being trying to do so. There is no other metal or wooden object in the room. All six sides are magically sealed.

The two guards holding the litter come to halt and put the litter on the floor of the hallway.

One of the guards by the door takes out a crystal sphere from his pocket and recites a short incantation and an image appears of the room inside. He places it on the small ledge.

Thaygard kneels down and places his hands outward, the remaining two guards place their hands on this shoulder. Then one of the guards places his other hand on the prisoner. Thaygard recites the transport spell and all four appear in the special holding room. The guards pick him up and lay him on the mattress.

Thaygard comes over and touches his head while he touches his own forehead. He recites a spell to read his mind and learn his language. He is amazed to find that there are two minds at war with each other. But one is louder than the other. The smaller voice is trying to be heard but is ignored and drowned out. But at least he heard his name.

“By the Twin Moons; I don't believe it.”

“What's wrong, Wizard Thaygard?”

“I sense two completely different voices. One is louder than the other. Hopefully the Outside Helper will help us in solving this puzzle. But I can tell you this, the man's name is Tran.”

The other guards nod their heads.

“Come let us leave him here. He has water in the basin. We will begin with that. Let me know, if he asks for solid food. There is a spell on the water basin to be replenished as he drinks from it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Thaygard walks over to the wall; the two guards follow and put their hands on his shoulder. He recites the transport spell and all three vanish and then reappear in the hallway with the other two guards.

“I know you four are on rotation in guarding the prisoner for the day. When the others come in for their shift at night, relay what you have seen and heard among yourselves if he does anything. Keep me, the Chamberlain, the Commanders and the King informed of any changes or situations. As I told them in there, the man's name is Tran.”

“Yes, sir.” The four knights reply at once.

“I am going to King Keltan now to inform him of the current situation.”

Two of the guards follow me back out while the other two remain stationed at the special holding room.

~~~000~~~

The Chamberlain leads us up some stairs and hallways. Soon we arrive at a door with the King's symbol on it. He opens the door to lead us in.

The room is the King and Queen's private library. The King is seen reading a book. The Queen is doing a sketch on an easel; the subject is a glass vase with flowers on a table. When done then she will paint a scene to go with it. In the room are several chairs and sofas. There are carpets and wall hangings to make the room quieter. There are several light crystals mounted on stands with shades to make the room more comfortable as well. The window is open to allow fresh air into the room.

“My Lord and Queen, Renard, Trianna and Richard are ready to talk to you.”

The King and Queen both look up as we walk into the room.

“Thank you, Drexton. Please help and bring some chairs in so that we are more comfortable.”

Drexton, Renard and I help in bringing in chairs from the wall and arrange them in a circle in front of the unlit fireplace.

Once we all sit down. Drexton leaves the room and closes the door.

“So what is this news you need to tell me, Richard?”

“My Lord . . . these words are a bit hard for me. It has been two moons since I saw you last.”

“We haven’t seen you for about a year now.”

“One moon ago, my parents and two brothers decided to take a vacation in the mountains. They were supposed to be driving to a small town where our family cabin is located. For some reason they decided to fly in an aircraft and land near the town that they have been going to for about twenty years. They thought they had clear weather approaching the runway. Then a thunderstorm rolled down the mountains unexpectedly. This sudden change in weather caused the plane to crash.”

All gasp and have tears going down their eyes, as well as mine. Renard and Trianna each take my hand. I look at them both and try to smile, they smile back.

“The worst happened. All perished on the plane. There was another twenty people on board as well.”

“At least they are with the Maker now. How are you holding up Richard?”

“As well as I can be expected, my Lady. I do miss them terribly. But that is not all my Lord.”

“Go on.”

“I received the call while in school about several weeks before the semester would end. I flew home to take care of the burial details. When reading the Will to see what my parents left me, we had a surprise video. That would be like the recording and replaying that message you gave me Renard to come here.”

Everyone nods to that.

“In the recording my parents told me that I have a complete set of female sex organs as well.”

The King and Queen gasp. “Oh my, how is that possible Richard?”

“It is known on my world that a small percentage of the population can get this condition. On my world we have more than three billion people. They're divided over the 150 countries. There are about six major skin color groups, from fair skin to dark skin. But the languages can be just as varied among the countries. So, with that many people, there are variations among us. Generally we are male and female like everyone else.”

“How do you find agreement among such diversities?”

“It is very slow going. First is finding someone who can speak in multiple tongues. There are some who could speak in seven tongues. Then there is the understanding the different cultures. Like here for instance; I have to be careful what I say or it will get misunderstood. Then that person could be angry at me for my ignorance.”

“That is very true here on our world. I can only imagine the way it was for our ancestors when they tried to bring peace to our world. The last war we had was with our great grandfathers.”

“Yes, but I don't want to bring our problems here to have it multiplied again and again.”

“So what happened after you discovered your dual gender?”

“Well, I was examined by our doctors. They told me everything is fine. The female side is in quiet mode. I must keep myself from being injured severely in the groin, then it’s possible they can get turned on. The size is smaller than normal with my age. Also, the vaginal opening is currently closed.”

“Then you would experience a great inner conflict of emotions?”

“That is right, my Lady. But I need to remain calm and have a clear head. I try very hard to keep from getting stressed out. I get enough stress from my studies in school. It doesn't need to be compounded with my other self.”

“When do you think they knew you were special?”

“That's a good question. They first learned when I was about six years old.”

“You mean they did not know this when you were born?”

“No, they did not. The doctor at my birth kept it hidden from my parents. They were just as surprised as anyone else.”

“So what happened for them to discover the other self?”

“Do you remember the story I told you about the bullies when I was younger and walking a girl home from school?”

“I do. Were Renard and Trianna helpful in dealing with this memory?”

“Yes my Lord. They are like true friends that I can count on. After talking it over with them when I was here last, they gave me some pointers so that I can deal with it.”

“That is good to hear.”

“Yes, I was able to go to my college's health center and seek some more help. It turns out that their advice was practically the same thing that Renard and Trianna suggested. Just find some friends to talk about it. Once talked out, don't dwell on the pain itself, accept that it happened, it was not your fault and move on.”

“Do you need a short sleep spell? I sense the loss of your family has really affected you.”

“It has. It has made it tough to find people to talk to sometimes. When I get back to my world, I will be staying in our family mountain cabin. I'm going to be with several friends there for the next three moons. So, that part will be taken care of. However there is some good news concerning those four boys who hurt me a long time ago.”

“What is it?”

“About twenty days ago or so, those four boys showed up to hurt me again.”

“I don't see you hurt.”

“No, Renard. In fact, Josh formed a gang after that first time. After twelve years or so, nine men and three women showed up. Josh claimed he wanted to hurt me again. So, the original four thought they could beat me up. Do you remember what I did to those four knights in Evenshard?”

Everybody smiles upon remembering that incident.

“I remember it very well, Richard.”

“Well, I did the same thing to them.”

“Hopefully, they learned the lesson, Richard.”

“I hope so my King. Josh who is the leader came after me with a knife. I was able to defend myself, disarm him and break his finger in the process.”

“That's good, Richard.”

“I did a new move on Josh. I applied pressure point hits on his limbs. This caused his limbs to shake uncontrollably. While that was going on, the three women kicked him in the groin. He lost his testicles.”

“Ouch, I'm sure he is having nightmares.”

“I hope so, my King. Then the police showed up and arrested the entire gang. Hopefully, I won't hear from them for a long time.”

“That's good. You knew you needed help. Now that you are here to help us; let us help you to take a short nap to clear your mind.”

“Yes, I'm ready.” I close my eyes and draw in some big breaths and expel the air slowly. Once I feel the heart beat go slower, I nod my head. “I'm ready, Trianna.” I open my eyes and I see smiling faces from everyone. I smile as well.

“Walk over to the sofa and lie down.”

I get up and walk over to the sofa and lie down. I close my eyes.

Trianna comes up and raises her hands over me. Her left hand is above my head; her right hand is above my stomach area. She recites the sleep spell.

Soon I am asleep. In my dreams there are good memories of seeing my family and friends. I see myself doing things that I've done in the past. I even dreamed that I would see Brianna again someday.

After sleeping for a few marks, I slowly wake up. I look around and see no one there. They must be elsewhere, but nearby if I need help. But then I realize I am not alone in the room. Sitting on the arm of the sofa is a fairy. I remember her; she was one of the fairies who came to the meeting this morning. In fact she sat on my shoulder.

She smiles at me as I wake up.

“Good afternoon.” I try to smile.

“Good afternoon to you too, Richard,” She gives a big smile.

“I am a little surprised to see you here. Do you have a name? You have the prettiest amber color for eyes.”

“We have names for ourselves, but they are hard to say in your language. But I like the color name you just said. What is it again?”

“Amber.”

“Yes, you can call me Amber.”

“Thank you.”

“Well I was perplexed most of the day after I sat on your shoulder this morning.”

“How is that?”

“I sensed a beginning of a new spirit within you.”

“A new spirit? What kind of spirit, Amber?”

“I couldn't tell because your male spirit is very loud.” She smiles and gives a giggle.

“My male spirit is loud? What was it trying to hide?” I give a weak smile guessing where this is going.

“I think it was trying to hide a female spirit that will come forth someday. But, I thought to myself. How is this so? Can a human being have two gender spirits? I went to Avel after wards and we talked some about Earth’s past.”

“Avel told me to come back to the castle and meet Trianna. She has the insight into this question.”

“You met Trianna here at the castle?”

“Yes, I met her in the garden area about two marks ago. Trianna and I talked for about a mark. She explained to me your uniqueness.”

“So what do you think of it?”

“Well it does make you special.” She smiles at me.

“How so? I don't even know where to begin in understanding it.”

“Maybe not now, but you will someday. Is this condition rare on your world?”

“To a degree yes, percentage wise that is. Our world has many people, more than three billion people. It is usual for it to happen. But there are certain countries and people who accept it and some do not.”

“That is sad to hear. But, I am very glad you are here, because the Maker sent you to help save our world. So that makes you extra special.”

“Thanks, Amber. For that reason I will do my best in helping here. I guess someday I will need help when the time comes.”

“We all need help at one time or another. Does your world have an Outside Helper?”

“I don't think they do. First they think they're the only ones in the universe. There were instances of previous outside contacts, but they could not be proven. Some people are searching the cosmos to determine if Earth is alone or not using very strong . . . hmm . . . Seeing Stones. But, right now if you were to show up, I think you would be locked away in a cage and not be seen again. You would be asked questions, tested and probed. You would not like the experience.”

“I'm sure I wouldn't. I remembered Avel telling us you had First Ones on your world at one time.”

“We did. We even had wizards and magic at one time. But the Maker removed the magic because it was being abused for the wrong reasons. But they were so long ago; they are just myths and legends now. There are still reports of hidden First Ones in some of our deep waters and forests. If there is any left, they are hidden from our eyes. Now that I’m looking at you and the First Ones here; I know some of them came here.”

She smiles and her eyes brighten up, “Well, that is good to know.” She flies over and hovers in front of me and nearly touches my nose with hers. She then flies around me three times and then sits on my shoulder. “Everything will be all right. I know you miss your family. Think of us as your extended family and friends.”

“Thank you. I already consider you all as my extended family. I guess it will take some time now that I know about my other self.”

“Think of it as you need both sides to complete you.”

“That's a nice thought. I will keep that in mind, Amber.”

“You’re welcome, Richard. When you get some free time after this crisis please, come into the forest and we'll give you our biggest thanks.”

“Thank you. But I need to concentrate on the problem first. Right now I need to get ready for the trip to King Keltan's Kingdom. Renard and Trianna are planning a big day for me tomorrow to get me acclimated to your world.”

Then the door opens to the chamber and my hosts walk in. I get up and walk over to them. Amber flies off my shoulder and hovers nearby.

“I’m glad to see you're awake now, Richard. How are you feeling, any better?”

“Yes my Lord. I’m much better. Thank you for the rest. It helped me to relax my body, soul and spirit.”

“You’re welcome, Richard. We know you carry an extra burden, but remember you have friends here to help you.”

“Yes, I will remember that.”

“Come, it is time for the evening repast. Renard and Trianna will need to get you ready for the trip tomorrow. You will be leaving very early in the morning at the beginning of the fourth watch tomorrow night. They're about four marks ahead of us to the East.”

“Well, I need to get bed early then. I am not exactly a good morning person.”

They all chuckle, “Well we'll make sure you get enough sleep. You will need it after we are done with you tomorrow.”

“Gee thanks, Renard, I think.”

They all laugh some more.

“Can Amber come and watch me? She helped me put some issues into perspective.”

The King looks over at Amber hovering nearby and smiling. “Yes she can. She can help in relaying some news to the First Ones.”

Amber smiles again and gleefully spins around and dances in the air around all of us. “Thank you, King Tierion and Richard.”

“You're welcome. Come let us gather to partake of the evening meal.”

We all leave the room and walk down to the main hall. We soon enter in the dining room and see a long table set up for us.

“Chef, please set a space for Amber the Fairy here. She is joining us this evening.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

The Chef proceeds to bring out a small draped table that is the same height as the main table. On the table is the same stone-carved seat that was used this morning. Also, a glass of water is placed there with a plate and a napkin for her size.

Soon we all take our places with the King at the head of the table. Renard gives Thanks to the Maker for providing great fellowship and the bounty of the harvest. The conversations are freely given as we eat. I heard the latest news in the Kingdom and around the world. I was even asked to give the latest news from my world. The food is fabulous and very delicious. It was just like the noon meal. It is amazing to see Amber eat all that food. But I guess being a Fairy you do burn a lot of energy.

Afterward we watch the Sun Setting. It is gorgeous as the colors change and swirl around us. They are just like ones on earth in some ways. But the color schemes in the air are different because of the Ethereal Space. They reminded me of the Aurora Borealis on Earth. I was told the last time I was here that the Ethereal Space is generated from within the planet, but it is the Twin Moons that creates the boundary space limits as they circle the planet. The Twin Moons help concentrates the Ethereal Space to make it more sensitive. This is what allowed the First Ones and Master Eldwin to detect the intruder so quickly.

“If I remember from your stories last time; you have these types of light shows’ as well Richard?”

“We do my Lady, but ours are weaker and only found near the northern and southern poles of our planet. The only time they get lit up is if the sunspot activity is high enough and emits enough solar matter out into space. When it reaches our world, the magnetic field will display these lights as it gets charged. That's the scientific explanation. They have been seen for thousands of years. But there is no magic created from it. The people would create fantastic stories surrounding them. Some of the stories became myth and legends that it is the gods who created them. Some people associated magic with it. But again, The Maker made sure it did not contain any magic. If it did, He removed it before that beauty became abused.”

“So with the magic removed, you have to create mechanical marvels to do certain tasks?” He was just confirming what I told him the last time for the benefit of the others.

“Yes Renard, but it was not always so. We started out with moving goods via horse and cart. But it was very slow. It would take months to traverse one of our bigger continents. Bridges were built to span the most difficult obstacles. Eventually water craft was invented to sail in boats. That helped shorten the time to travel around the world and the rivers. Countries were no longer isolated. Those modes of transport remained the standards for several thousands of years. It was not until the last five hundred years that mechanical marvels were started and being created. Electricity was discovered in relation to the lightning storm. More and more knowledge were added. But it came with a price. Our life expectancy has doubled in five hundred years. Understanding our bodies and using medicine to prolong life caused our population to boom. It is common now to live close to ninety years. Fortunately our max age limit is about 120 years if you live right and take care of the body.”

“I take it your world had its ugly share of wars and battles.”

“Yes, many lives were lost over the centuries. I am talking millions of people. Nations were conquered and disappeared over time. But then those countries and nations would collapse from their own internal problems or get conquered by another group of people when they became weak. But the knowledge also created more weapons that became more devastating for a particular generation. I am surprised that we all have survived this long. There are still some groups who hate other groups. There are still some who want to conquer the world. But there is always a check and balance to keep one humble. Some see it. Some don't. Some recognize the Maker. Some don't. Some follow imaginary gods without realizing they don't exist. That has been going on for thousands of years. We had a major reduction in our population starting about eighty years ago. In a span of thirty years our population went from seven billion to 3.5 billion people, my King.”

“What happened?”

“Well it was a combination of several factors. But you could say it pointed to the Maker to get our attention. We had several major natural disasters with earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, etc. That occurred more than thirty years. That reduced the population by the millions directly. The worst loss in life came from diseases and famine, especially associated with the wars and the natural disasters afterward. That reduced the population the quickest. Most of those deaths occurred in poor countries with their large populations. There were some diseases that became very strong and spread around the world quickly. It took years before it tapered off with advances in medicine to find the cures.”

“It is incredible, Richard, how the Maker shaped your world over the centuries. Obviously He is not done in bringing your world to an alliance like we have with other star systems.”

“Yes, my Lord. Until we solve our own problems, we are not ready to join an alliance such as yours. It has been dreamed on our world by some people with the vision. But it will take time. When? I do not know.”

“We have talked enough Richard. The stars have come out. You will need a good night sleep for tomorrow.”

“Yes my Lord. Good night, King Tierion. Have a good night, my Lady.”

“Good night, Richard.”

Renard and I walk to our rooms. Amber follows Trianna to her room.

Renard and I disrobe and put on the night shirts provided in the drawers of the dressers. Then we get ourselves cleaned up before going to bed. I take the gift items out of my satchel and put them in a drawer.

“Good night, Renard.”

“Good night, Richard. Remember to stay calm and clear headed. It will go easier tomorrow.”

“Thanks for everything and the hospitality. Thank you for being a good friend as well.”

“You're welcome, Richard. That is what friends are for; to help each another. See you in the morning.”

“Good night, Renard.”

“Good night, Richard.”

Soon we fall asleep in the comfort of King Tierion's Thryson Castle. All is safe for now. Tomorrow begins the task of being prepared for the challenges ahead to help save their world.

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 5
By Rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

I wake up from a very restful sleep. But then I feel a weight on my chest. I look down and I see Amber lying on my chest asleep. She must have flown in during the night. Now why . . . why . . . did she do that? D.. D ... Does . . . someone . . . care . . . sniff . . . a.. b.b.bout...m.m..me? I start sniffling, trying to hold the tears back. I look toward the ceiling and tried to pray. Thank you, Maker.

Amber wakes up and smiles at me. But it turns to a concerned face when she sees a tear. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you.”

“You d..d..didn't.” As I try to look at her.

“I just felt you needed some comforting.”

“You're r..r..right. It just dawned on m..m..me I had the most wonderful night sleeping. I felt like I was back home when I was younger, safe in my parent's house. Now I feel safe again.”

“I'm glad. Are you ready to face a brand new day?” She gives a most beautiful smile. That smile really brightens my soul.

“I'm ready.” I get up and maneuver myself to sit on the edge of the bed.

Amber flies and hovers around us. “Are you awake, Renard?”

“Yes, I am. Give us a moment to clean up and change clothes.”

“I'll go see if Trianna is awake.”

“She should be. If she is still asleep, you can nudge her.”

“I will do that if she is.” Amber giggles and flies out the window to find the window to Trianna's room.

Renard and I chuckle as well and smile at each other.

We clean up and dress ourselves for the day. I put my satchel back on my shoulder. Once done Renard and I walk out of our room and we are met by Trianna and Amber.

“Good Morning, Trianna and Amber.” We both say it at the same time.

“Good morning to you both. Which one of you told Amber that she could nudge me awake this morning?”

I gave a quick defense, “It wasn't I, Trianna.” I put a hand to my chest and shake my head 'no'.

“I know you didn't say it, Richard. I knew it was Renard. He has done this in the past before.”

“I confess, Trianna,” Renard raises his right hand as making an oath and smiles. “Yes, I made the suggestion to Amber. I just want to make sure you're awake.”

Amber starts giggling and laughing. “Maybe you two should tie the knot and make it official.”

This time Renard and Trianna turn red in the face at the suggestion.

“We will some day, Amber, but right now we agreed to focus on this star ship problem first,” responds Trianna in defense of them both.

“I understand.” She smiles and flies around us several times while we walk down the hallways. She hums a song that helps lift our spirits as we walk.

We take the same route to walk to the dining room where we had dinner yesterday. When we arrive, we see Lord Tierion and Lady Shiranna there waiting for us.

Our meal consisted of fruits, breads, nuts and cooked fish served cold served on a bed of greens.

After having the morning repast Renard lead us to his room in the castle. We walk a flight of stairs up from the main floor. After making a few turns and walking past several doors, I see his symbol on the door. He opens it and we all go inside.

There are shelves of books. Crystal spheres on various pedestals. There are several tables and chairs scattered about. The room is about the same size as the King's private reading room we were in yesterday. I remember being in this room the last time I was here.

“Do you remember the Maranelle Island situation when you here last time?”

“I remember it very well. We were hoping the sickness can be removed from the families so that they can do magic again.”

“That’s right, Richard. We tried cleansing them of the sickness. We discovered that only a few of them were eating wild animal meat for a year. They were the easiest to restore. The harder ones were the ones who have eaten the wild animal meat the longest, like five years or more.”

“That seems to make sense.”

“Yes, it does. Some are still living on the Emerald Isles. Some of them have displayed the rage you talked about. Some people displayed a shaking body as well. Some people have gotten hurt. But, they know they have done wrong. They’re trying very hard to keep their focus on the Maker and remain calm. It seems the new herbs we found helped them very much. Most of them can do magic like using the light crystals. There are a few that are showing signs of resistance to the treatments.”

“That’s good to hear. Apparently the sickness affects people in different ways. We have the same problem. It is going to take some trial and error to determine the different combinations of treatment. The shakes can be controlled and they can live productive lives. But the illness can be passed on to the next generation or skip several generations before it shows up again.”

“That’s a good point. We will need to make note of that.”

“When this current problem is over, remind me and we’ll make another recording with the crystals as a following up.”

“Good idea, Richard, thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome. So, now we’re going to see if I can do any magic here?”

“That’s right. Did you bring the contact sphere and light crystal we gave you before you left?”

“I did.”

“We’re going to begin with the simple incantations to see what you can do. Bring out your contact crystal and hold it like I do.”

I open my satchel and bring out the contact crystal and hold it like Renard does in my left hand.

“Good, now with your right-hand palm facing the sphere, now you are going to try and contact me on my sphere.”

“All right Renard.”

“Now repeat after me, believe in the words . . . kena ar quet Renard , , , then focus on the sphere.”

“Kena ar quet Renard.” Then the sphere glows yellow.

Then Renard's crystal sphere glows yellow. Renard places his right palm above the sphere and concentrates, and then an image of my face from my shoulders up appears. But also at the same time an image of Renard appears above mine.

“Well done, Richard. That is great, this means you have the ability to learn magic.”

“Thank you, Renard. Just to let you know, I did try to use the light crystal when I was on Earth. The light crystal didn't light up.”

Then Trianna comes up and puts her hand on my shoulder. “I knew you can do it. All it takes is the belief that you can do anything.”

Amber begins flying around us all with laughter and singing.

To see and speak one's heart,
all is needed is the faith to send.
To see and speak to a friend,
is to bring him near from afar.

“Thank you, Amber. That is a sweet song to hear.”

“You’re welcome, Richard. Now you are ready to do more great and wonderful things.”

“Right, Amber. All right, Richard, onto the next test. Now I am going to transport to my cottage. You are going to do the same thing. This is a test of distance in trying to contact me. If you can do this, it means you have the ability to contact anyone on our world.”

“All right, Renard.”

Renard recites the transport spell and vanishes in a blink of an eye. I take the sphere in my hand as once before. I raise my right hand and face the palm toward the sphere.

“Kena ar quet, Renard.” I think of Renard and concentrate on the sphere. It glows yellow.

Then an image of Renard appears above the crystal sphere.

“Greetings, Richard.” He smiles at me.

“Greetings, Renard.” I smile back at him.

“Excellent, Richard, I knew you can do it. Now I'm going to transport back and continue onto the next stage and a new set of spells.”

Then in an instant, Renard appears in the room. “That is great, Richard. Now we go onto the next step.”

“I have a question, Renard, before we continue. Do the crystal spheres contain magic since it is from your world?”

“Ah, that is very astute, Richard. Yes, they do. But still it takes one's own belief and ability to reach me. But since you just stated the light crystals don’t work on Earth. That confirms that you can’t do magic there, except for the Earth Wizard and the Sorceress there.”

“I still find it amazing that you can reach me on my world with one of these. Obviously your ability is greater than mine, but a message sent from here shows up on my computer as an email with an attachment is a bit mind boggling. That must be some conversion that the Maker is doing.”

“But it is the same energy, just applied differently.”

“That sounds about right, onto the next lesson, Renard.”

“All right, the next lesson is to move an object. The key word is 'tyli'. You associate that with the object you wish to move.”

“Okay.”

“Here is an example. I going to move this book and slide it across the table from one end to the other.” He raises his right hand and faces the palm toward the book, “tyli shyl.” The book slides across the table.

“I noticed your concentration has to be the duration of the move, Renard.”

“That is right. If the concentration is too strong or weak before you are finished it could cause problems. All right, try it.”

I raise my right hand and face the palm toward it. I start to concentrate, “tyli shyl.” The book moves, but this time the book slides across too fast and falls to the floor before I have a chance to stop the concentration. “Oops, sorry about that, Renard.”

“That's all right.” Renard picks up the book and places it on the table. “It takes some practice, try it again. Remember the destination as well; that will help focus the duration of the concentration.”

“Right,” I focus again; I look at the book and see where I want it to go. I face my right palm toward the book. I concentrate on the book and look toward the destination. Right, remember the destination. “Tyli shyl,” The book moves an inch. Okay so far so good. I look toward the other end of the table. The book moves at a slower pace but it stops at the edge of the table.

“Pant . . . Pant . . . That was a little harder to do.”

“That’s excellent, Richard. Again with more practice you will be able to move it faster and with less energy.”

I practice it some more. Eventually I am able to slide the book very quickly from one end of the table to the other without much effort.

“All right, onto the next lesson; lights and fire.”

“Uh, don't you think we should be somewhere else? I don't want to cause damage to your room here.”

“Hmm, that’s a good idea. We can go outside for the fire later. We will do the light crystals here.” Renard picks up two light crystals. He then hands me one of them. “Now repeat after me, like before with the palms forward . . . jhol teirar.” His light crystal immediately brightens.

“I have a question Renard. Why do you need to raise the hands and face the palm toward what you are doing?”

“That's a good question. Why don't you try to light the crystal without the hands and just repeat the words and see what happens?”

“Sure,” I look at the light crystal, then I recite the words. “Jhol teirar,” The crystals did not brighten, not even to one candle flame brightness. “The crystal didn't light up. All right, I'll use the hand.”

I face my palm toward the crystal; I concentrate once again on the crystal. Once I was confident again, I recite the words. “Jhol teirar,” Then all of a sudden the crystal lights up. “What's going on? It seems the hands are needed. Why is that, Renard?”

“It is because of our planet, it emanates the magic through the Ethereal Space. The magic just sits there, but it takes a will and focus to channel that energy. That is why the hands and mind are needed, both together.”

“But what is the difference between a wizard and a farmer? Can't everyone be at a wizard level?”

“The farmer probably can, that's if he wants to. Many of the caretakers of the land are content with learning just enough magic to make life a little easier. But, yes if they put their mind to it, everyone can become a wizard or a sorceress. But, remember, with such power comes with great responsibility. Many of them remember the stories of the chaos, we just had two or three generations ago. They also remember last year as well. If we had not stopped the war, the Maker would not have invited us to our Local Group and receive the Outside Helpers.”

“Then I would not be here to help stop the coming horror from happening again.” I walk over to a chair and sit down. I bend over and put my hands to my face. “Oh . . . my . . . Maker … please help me . . . ” I start to shed some tears. I look up and I see my friends there gathering around with a hand on my shoulder. Amber is hovering in front of me with a smiling face.

“You're not alone, Richard. The Maker brought you here for redemption of us as well as for you.”

“Just remain strong in whom you are and with your abilities. The Maker will guide your steps and give you the insight to stop this horror.”

I look at them one by one, “You've no idea how many times I've heard that on my world. Maybe in not so many words, but the substance is the same.”

“We have no understanding of machines this star ship represents, but you do. Remember that. You're our eyes and ears in helping us understand this horror and how to fight it. There are some things magic can and cannot do. When the power that is coming against us is too large for our magic, then all hope is lost. That's why you're here.”

I shake my head up and down in agreement. “I understand now.” Trianna hands me a piece of cloth. I take it and wipe my eyes and clear my throat and take a big breath “cough . . . cough . . . Sigh . . . ” I stand up, “Okay, now where were we; something about fire?”

“Not yet, light this crystal up.”

“Okay.”

I put right hand toward the crystal. I concentrate on it and recite the words. “Jhol teirar.”

The light crystal brightens immediately.

“That’s very good, Richard. You can make it brighter or dimmer depending on the length of the concentration.”

“Thank you, Trianna.”

“Let's go outside and walk over to an area where the King's knights practice, it's safer there.”

We walk out of Renard's room. Then all four of us exit to a side door that leads to the knights’ practice field and housing quarters. I am amazed how large and long this chasm is in front of the castle. It gives a natural moat without water. They were able to fortify this chasm with the walls to give the additional height to make it more difficult for any would be attackers. The castle property and grounds are very large in front of the mesa. Even though the knights housing quarter hold two thousand in their own dorm buildings; there is enough land to bring in twenty thousand people in for a siege.

“I take it the knights know how to combat fire when it is very large like a forest fire?”

“They do. They must be prepared for all kinds of situations.”

“Different situations? I bet they have not come against weapons from a star ship such as this. Maybe I can help out there.”

“See. Your mind is open to make the impossible to be possible. Let's work with starting a simple flame on a candle.”

He walks over to a shed that is near the edge of the practice field. He opens it to look for what he needs. In the shed are various weapons, torches and other items needed to practice with. He takes a candle set in a mug and brings it out.

“Follow me, Richard,” We walk over to a set of stone stairs built into a small rise. He places the candle mug on the stairs. He faces his right hand towards the candle and recites the incantation, “jhol tali.” The candle immediately lights and is burning brightly.

“All right, now your turn.” Renard then blows out the candle.

I walk up to it and face my right palm towards the candle. I concentrate on the wick and speak the words, “jhol tali.” The candle wick produces a very small flame but then grows to normal size when established.

“Very good, it is a start. Now blow it out and do it again several times until you are comfortable with it.”

I blow the candle out. I begin to concentrate real hard again on the wick again, “jhol tali.” This time the flame is very large and almost melts the candle before Renard puts it out.

“Tali aezoler!” Immediately the flame disappears, but a thin stream of smoke lifts into the air from the wick. About an inch of candle has melted into the mug. “That was a little too strong, Richard.”

“That is obvious, Renard. I was not sure how strong the concentration had to be. I will ease up on it next time.” I concentrate again on the candle and try to judge the effort somewhere in the middle with the first two efforts. “Jhol tali.” Immediately the candle aflame just the way Renard did it.

“Excellent, Richard, a few more times like that.”

I blow out the candle and focus again on the candle. I am now able to do this about five more times before I am comfortable with it.

“That is great, Richard. Now you need to learn how to extinguish it without blowing it out. You heard the phrase that I used last time?”

“I think it was tali azelloor.”

“Almost, it is tali aezoler.”

“Aezoler.”

“You try it now. Now go and light the candle and extinguish it using the phrases.”

“Right,” I focus on the wick again, “jhol tali.” The candle immediately inflames to life. I smile. I focus on the flame again, “tali aezoler.” The flame extinguishes and only the small stream of smoke emits from the wick wafting through the air.

“Excellent, Richard, you're doing very well.”

“Thanks.”

“So what ideas are going through your mind about these weapons on the star ship?”

“Well, weapons as you know, can come in many forms.”

“Yes, for us it is arrows, the swords, the spear, even fire from the dragons.”

“Do you agree that magic can be used as weapon?”

“Yes, it can. When the words are right and said quickly it is very effective against an unsuspecting adversary.”

“But I’m guessing these weapons are more powerful. If they’re anything like the weapons from my world, you will need better training.”

“We will need to ask the King to set up a meeting with our commanders. They can give a better account of their readiness than I can.”

“Yes, please do. It will be very important. I’m not questioning their hand to hand combat; it’s the weapons that can inflict damage from afar.”

“We will go see the King, when we’re done here. I have a few more lessons that we need to address back inside.”

Soon Renard has me doing various spells; like cleaning my own clothes, refilling a pitcher of water, making the water cooler or warmer in temperature. There was one he has me trying to do; it is to mend my clothes if it gets torn. I just couldn’t get it right. It is doing all those threads and seams. There are too many to worry about. After awhile, I had to sit down to take a breather.

“Wow, that is some mental work out Renard, thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Richard. Don’t worry about the mending spell. Give it a rest. We’ll come back to it another day. Come, let’s go see the King and see what can be arranged.”

We walk out of Renard’s room and walk down some hallways. We soon meet the Chamberlain walking toward us on one of his errands.

“Hello, Sir Drexton, where is the King?”

“The King is with his military commanders in the war room.”

“Good, we need to see them all. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Drexton continues on his way.

“Come, Richard. The war room is not far from here.”

“Right behind you, lead the way, my friend.”

We walk down several hallways, stairs and making some turns heading toward a building that connects the castle with the knight’s quarters. We approach a door with the war room symbols displayed. Renard knocks on the door.

“Enter.”

Renard opens the door and I follow in behind.

We see the King and his leaders standing, walking and sitting around looking at maps. They look up toward us as we come in.”

“Welcome, Renard and Richard. What brings you here?”

“My Lord, Richard would like to provide some insight on the possible weapons they might have. He has some ideas that might help out your strategies and training.”

“Yes, by all means. Richard, these are my army and navy commanders. This Sir is Trenton, Thryson Legion Commander. This is Sir Valmar, Army Commander with his Lieutenant, Sir Carsen. Then we have Sir Leland, Navy Commander with his Lieutenant, Sir Palinar.”

“Please to meet you, sirs.”

“Do you have any military experience, Richard?”

“No sir, not directly, but I have knowledge of weapons and how they are made and work. By knowing that; it will give you an edge on what to expect.”

“Where did you get this knowledge?”

The King starts smiling to himself. My commanders are in for a treat.

Renard sees it and gives a slight smile to the King and he responds as well. One of the commanders takes notice of the exchange.

“Is there something going on here? What do you two know about Richard?”

“You’re observant as always, Trenton. Richard has a very active mind and constantly reading and learning the world around him. I would listen to Richard; he has a very good understanding of the math and sciences.”

“Yes, my Lord. Now I remember from the introductions when he was here last. Besides the few times we worked together. Is this true, Richard?”

“It is true Sir Trenton; most of it comes from classes in physics. We studied various problems and tried to come up with a math equation that will predict the behavior of what we’re seeing. For example, we studied projectile motions with arrows, bullets, cannonballs and falling objects. In physics we cover the basics of mechanics, light, gases, electricity and energy.”

“That's very good, Richard. What weapons do you think might be on this star ship?”

“My guess would be the light weapon.”

“Light weapon? How can light harm you?”

“Hmm . . . let me think . . . I know . . . do you have a glass lens?”

“Yes we do, let me get one from the cabinet.” Trenton goes to the cabinet behind him and opens a drawer. He takes a lens out and brings it to Richard.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton. As you know from this shape, you can magnify your images to see small things bigger or bring them closer.”

“That's right, or you can put them into tubes to make telescopes to view objects from afar without using magic. We discovered this property a thousand years ago before we found the Seeing Stones that we use today.”

“Good. I understand your reasoning for using stealth as much as possible. If you used magic, you risk the chance of being detected.”

“Why…Yes, that is right, Richard.” Sir Trenton eyes begin to narrow and smile. Now I remember; he has a quick mind.

“Come with me outside, I will do a demonstration with the lens. I'm going to show another property of lenses. If I remember right, the dwarves’ designer enclaves have something similar. But considering the situation we are faced with, you need to know it now.”

We all walk out to the training yard where Renard and I were earlier. “Renard, if you please, set the candle over there where I practiced to light it before.”

“Sure, Richard.” Renard takes the candle from the shed; he takes it out and walks over to the stoned paved area as before and sets it down.

“What I am going to do is that I am going to light this candle without using magic or not even touch it.”

The commanders murmur among themselves. “What are you going to use to light the candle with?”

“I am going to use your sun and this lens to light it.”

“This we would like to see, go ahead, Richard.”

I take the lens in my hand and position it above the candle wick trying to find the focal length of the lens. Once I find the point of concentrated light, I move it to the candle wick. Within moments it begins to smoke and then bursts into a flame.

“That's incredible, Richard. Where did this idea come from?”

“Have you ever had a fire start in a grass field in the early morning when the sun comes up?”

“Yes, we do. But we always wondered how it happened.”

“It is because of the morning dew, there are small droplets of water on the grass. That droplet of water is acting like this lens. When the sun comes up in the morning, it shines its light rays through the droplet and causes the grass to burn. This is a natural process. But here I am doing it on purpose with this lens.”

“How did you know the distance to place the lens from the candle?”

“I'll show you, Sir Leland. Can you bend down to the ground and pick up a handful of dirt and grass, please?”

Sir Leland bends down and grabs a handful of grass and dirt.

“Good, now bring it over here. And slowly sprinkle it over this space on the other side of the lens.” I point to where I want it.

Sir Leland slowly releases the grass and dirt and then the light begins to reflect off the grass and dirt and two cones of light appear.

“That's incredible, Richard. I see it now.”

The other commanders agree as well.

“Now for your memory and to remember that it hurts I want you to put your hand like I'm doing know.” I put my right hand behind the lens and a very bright round spot appears there. “Right now my hand is a bit warm. As I move my hand away from the lens, the circle gets smaller and smaller. When it gets to the fine point, it will be so hot it can burn wood, cloth or even skin. I suggest you wrap a cloth around your hand, you are only going to leave it there for a moment before you have to jerk your hand away quickly.”

Each of the commanders, the king and Renard did as I instructed and they get the same reaction.

“Ouch . . . you're right Richard it does hurt; it is burning the cloth easily.” Everybody finally understands how a light weapon can cause injury and death.

“I see that now, Richard. But I can't carry a lens around with me and use it as a weapon; the clouds would get in the way.”

“This star ship would have hand-held weapons that can emit these light beams. It would be so intense it would burn right through trees, buildings and people like it was nothing. If it came from the star ship, it would scar your world's surface. Or they can send those rocks surrounding your star system and bombard everything.”

“Then what is the protection against this threat?”

“There is one property of light that has a weakness. It is reflection.”

“Reflection? You're talking about mirrored surfaces, right?”

“Yes, the surface can be glass, but really the best reflection would be your armor, shields, swords or any flat metal object. Have the metals polished, smooth like new and highly reflective to see yourself. It should handle most hand held weapons. But it probably won't stop the major weapon on the star ship.”

“I see, but you're going to the scout ship tomorrow to find their weakness to exploit.”

“That is right, Sir Trenton. Hopefully by examining their computers and security system I will be able to find that hole and exploit it to our advantage.”

“Then let us hope you find it quickly so that we can develop a plan to back you up.”

“That is the hope, commander. Let me give a demonstration on reflection. Do any of you have a small mirror on hand?”

“I do, Richard. My name is Sir Valmar.” He takes it out of his pocket and hands to me.

“Thank you, Sir Valmar. I am going to hold the mirror here on my chest. Sir Valmar, I want you stand over there to my right. Sir Trenton, please stand here to my left. Good, now I want you, Renard, to stand here in front of me but between them.”

“All right, Richard.”

“Now Sir Trenton and Sir Valmar can’t see each other directly because Renard is in the way. But if Sir Trenton and Sir Valmar were to look at this mirror on my chest they can see each other. They are seeing a reflection of each other.”

“Yes, I see Sir Valmar in the mirror.”

“Well, the light behaves the same way. If the sun reflects off the water at a certain angle, it will reflect back up at the same angle.”

“Now I see where you going with this Richard. If an enemy approaches us with these light weapons, we can use our armor, shields or swords to reflect it off us and we can point it else where, at least not to our own knights and dwarf warriors. We would need to be aware of this angle and where everybody is.”

“Of course the drawback to this reflection is if they bring in a weapon that can knock you off your feet or burn through your shields quickly.”

Everybody starts to smile in finally understanding this principle.

“If remember the last time I was here, your world developed explosive weapons.”

“Yes we have. It is part of our arsenal. We discovered centuries ago how to make an explosive compound that can do great damage.”

“What is your protection schemes for this?”

“We cast sealing and barrier shield spells around us to protect us from the flying debris.”

“That's good. Does the sealing spell protect against heat and fire?”

“Not really, the heat does pass through the sealing spell while it blocks the fire itself.”

“So there are limitations to the spell.”

“Yes, Richard. The sealing spell is effective against arrows, knives as such. Now I'm making a guess, Richard. If this light beam were to hit our sealing spell, it would probably not block it.”

“Well let’s test it. Put a sealing spell around that candle and I will try to light or melt the wax candle itself.”

“Very well, let's try it.” Sir Trenton puts his hands forward and recites the sealing spell to put a seal around the unlit candle.

I take the lens and focus the concentration point onto the wick. The wick smokes then burst into flame. I then point the focal point onto the candle itself. It heats up and melts part of the candle. The other commanders start to murmur among themselves.

“What happened to the candle, Sir Trenton?”

“The sealing spell will not block the light weapon.”

“That is right. It still inflicted damaged, the light passed through the sealing spell.”

“So there are still limitations to the sealing spell.”

“But you like you said earlier, when I'm on the scout ship tomorrow I might discover something that will tip the balance to our favor and provide new options for an offense and a defense.”

“Yes, you have given us more things to worry about. That is the problem about war, the enemy comes up with a weapon that you have never seen, and you have to think on the spot on how to counter that new weapon.”

“I would still keep up with the practice of hand to hand combat and disarming them. The rushing and dodging practice are still needed to avoid a direct hit. Think of using arrows for now. But remember the light weapon will be very fast, you only have a blink of an eye or two when they aim at you and pull the trigger. How good their aim will be is another factor to give you those few moments for a split decision. For the arrow practices have the knights rush and dodge against one archer, then increase it two archers, then to three archers shooting one right after the other. That should approximate the reaction time from one person using a hand-held light weapon. The knight will have to decide how to use his armor, shield and sword to block the arrow if he gets hit. If he can judge the angle right while doing this, he can send the light beam back to the enemy or someone else.”

“Do you think we can use our light crystals to help train with?”

“I see no reason not to. There is a device we have on my world; it is called a flashlight. It is a hand-held tube-shaped device that we turn off and on with a switch quickly. You can use a tube with the light crystal in it and point it at the knight; he can use that to help judge his angle to point the light beam back where he wants it.”

“That's very a good idea, Richard. Thank you for your insight today. You have really been helpful.”

“You’re welcome, Sir Trenton.” I smile at the compliment.

Then each of the commanders came up to me and shook my hand and said “Thank you.”

“Now you can see why the Maker sent Richard to us to be our Outside Helper.”

“You're right, my Lord. Richard is a very valuable source of information. Once he discovers their weakness tomorrow we can create more opportunities for our advantage. It would be nice to use the scout ship to infiltrate the star ship, but the scout ship is too small and probably carries less than ten people at the most. That will not be enough against a thousand on the star ship.”

“Oh don't worry, Sir Trenton. If I can find a weakness to exploit it, this will provide the means to take control of the entire star ship with one little set of commands.”

“What?!? You can do that? How?”

“Remember this star ship has a computer network. It has been known on my world that the greatest challenge is to disrupt a new system newly installed to see if it can withstand a take over.”

“I see; it was like our world war two generations ago. The two rogue nations tried to take over the world, but the other ten kingdoms were able to put up a fight.”

“But what was the weak point in the fighting, Sir Trenton?”

“It was the dragons, my Lord. They had the fire power, but that fire power was removed from everyone and we had to come up with a new strategy.”

“Of course, peace is always a good option when the means to destroy is removed.”

“Then those two rogue nations were put into a precarious position. If they decided to keep on fighting, they would have lost everything.”

“That's right, Sir Trenton. I can send in a small set of commands that will effectively turn off their ship weapons. But there is still the matter of the people on board with the hand-held weapons. Are they resourceful enough to change strategies and still bring the horror here?”

“Well that remains to be seen. We will keep up with our practices as you say Richard. But I have a new question Richard. You seem to have some experience and knowledge in this, where did it come from? I know you mentioned it the last time you were here.”

“It came from several sources. I'm the youngest and smallest of my two older brothers. My dad sent me to a school for self-defense, learning the basic skills to protect myself or someone else. This happened after I was attacked by four older boys trying to protect a neighborhood friend when I was six or so. The other is from a youth organization on my world. There are several such groups there. With my parents help going on family outings to the mountains and being part of this organization I learned the basics of wilderness survival and knowing what to do. It was like a young person’s camping/military group; it is designed for the ages from eight to 18. There are ranks awarded within this group, I was able to achieve their highest rank by the time I turned 18. I was in this group for eight years. Then I can make the decision if I want to be part of something larger to help others or for a career if I want to.”

“That’s impressive, Richard. We have something similar here for our young recruits, some make it through basic training, some do not.”

“Oh there is one more thing about this star ship. Let's see if you all come to the same conclusion. Have any of you seen this star ship through Seeing Stones last night?”

“We have. It is very large indeed.”

“What does it remind you of that you already have on your world?”

“What we already have? What are you talking about Richard?”

“Think for a moment, this is a star ship that moves in space from star system to star system. What poetic words would you use to describe this movement?”

“Poetic words?”

“Don't you have songs and stories of your sailing ships going from port to port around your world?”

“You're right, Richard. You're talking about that star ship as it sails through the black sky and the stars as if it were on an ocean.”

“That’s right, Sir Palinar. Now think about that star ship as if it were like your own sailing vessels. What is the largest sailing vessel that you have, Sir Palinar?”

“It would be the Windover. It can hold five hundred soldiers, with multiple decks.”

“You're right again, Richard. We need to practice our missions on our sailing vessels because of the close quarter fighting and the corridors with rooms.”

The others shout in agreement in finally seeing the prize.

“That's right, Sir Trenton. But you know the layouts of your own ship. Since at this moment we do not have the star ship's layout we can surmise certain goals to be achieved.”

“That's true, Richard. That would be the weapons room, the health center, the captains and leadership positions, etc. We're all familiar with those goals.”

“But here is the added twist for confined space fighting. Once on board the star ship you cannot shoot or fire at an outside window by all means. If that were to happen then the vacuum of space will occupy that room quickly. The air in that room will be sucked out into empty space and you with it, and you would die. The bulk head doors would come down to block off that section to prevent further loss to the ship.”

“We understand that completely. On the Windover we have these bottom floors that contain certain rooms of storage and sleeping quarters for the men. The doors and floors are extra shielded and layered, if the hull on the bottom were to get breached we can close these doors to prevent further damaged to the ship and sink.”

“Yes, it is the same thinking that goes on the star ship out there.”

“Well I think we can draw up some exercises on the Windover and put our knights through the paces. They will need to be taught about these light weapons and what they can do hurt you.”

“Sir Trenton, I just had a strategy thought, it depends on the situation. If you are standing in front of this glass window and they’re aiming their weapon at you, they would hesitate to fire or not. That gives you more time for a quick decision.”

“Yes, it would be, Sir Valmar. We’ll have to keep that in mind.”

“Sir Trenton, I think it would be advisable for each of the kingdoms to provide say 100 men each. Everybody gets trained doing this type of warfare. Then, when we get more information from Richard tomorrow we can adjust the fighting tactics to it.”

“That is a very good idea, my Lord. From our ground practices out here on the grounds we can pick out the top 100 men from our forces. Then with these twelve hundred men we can pick several elite forces from them that we will train on our sailing vessels to go on the star ship itself.”

“I will contact Lord Dryden and the others to send their commanders here so you can explain what is going on to begin preparation at this mark. We don't know when the star ship will move in on us, but we must begin now.”

“We all agree, my Lord.” The commanders nodded and gave their approval as well. “Yes, we must begin preparations now.”

Lord Tierion brings out his contact sphere. He raises his right palm to the sphere and recites the incantation. Soon the image of Lord Dryden appears above the sphere.

“Greetings, Lord Tierion, what brings this call?”

“We must have a war council now. We must get our troops together quickly together and train.”

“I agree, our commanders are at a loss where to start.”

“Well Richard was able to provide some early insight on what we can do until he gets on the scout ship tomorrow morning. Send all commanders, captains and sergeants here at our meeting hall. My commanders will show them what to do and how to prepare. “

“That is excellent, Lord Tierion. Richard has again proven to be an excellent resource. Is there anything else we should know?”

“If Richard can find a way for us to board that star ship, we will need to select several elite forces to be ready. By having the general training going on now, we can then select the top one hundred from each kingdom to do some further training on our sailing vessels.”

“I see; Richard made a connection to their star ship to our sailing vessels. We’ll be dealing with close quarter fighting. That is very good, Tierion. They should be there within two marks or sooner.”

“I agree, Lord Dryden; the sooner the better. I will serve the noon repast to make it easy for all. To save time; you call the five kingdoms on your list and I will take the other five that we agreed for such a time as this.”

“Yes Lord Tierion. It is going to be busy the next few days. Does Richard have any idea how long it takes for a ship that size to get here?”

“That question has not been asked yet, but I will.”

“Please do. Be safe until next time.”

“You do as well.”

The image disappears.

“Commanders, I’m going to contact the five kingdoms on my list, so if you will excuse me.”

“By all means, do so quickly.”

We all walk back into the war room.

Lord Tierion steps into his commander’s room adjacent to the war room.

“We all heard Lord Dryden ask the question to Lord Tierion. It is hard to say how long. “ I turn around to Renard. “Renard, has it been determined how far apart your planets are in your star system?”

“It has been calculated Richard. Sir Trenton, do you have a copy of the map of our star system here?”

“Yes I do, let me retrieve it.” He goes to the same cabinet where the lens is kept. He pulls out a rolled up parchment and brings it to the table. He unrolls it and lays it out. The other commanders place some weights on the corners to keep it flat.

“Here we are.” Trenton points to an orbit. “It is the third planet from the sun.”

“It is the same as mine.” Trenton nods as the other commanders as well.

“The distance is very large as you can see. We had to use several different scales to draw it out, but the distance numbers are written there.”

“I think there is a way to judge it. When it reaches the outermost planet’s orbit and the next one, you will then know how long it will take.”

“Yes, we will need to keep a diligent eye on it to know its movement.”

“Yes, that is a must. It could take seven or fourteen days to get here. I doubt it will be here in two days. A mass that large is very hard to move; unless they have the technology to circumvent the mass problem.”

“Kind of like getting a heavy cart to roll, it is slow in the beginning, but once it starts rolling it is easy. Then it is a matter of coming to a stop.”

“That’s right, Sir Valmar. If they were to stop just beyond your twin moons orbits, it will appear as a small vessel in the sky.”

“Well let’s hope; with what you find tomorrow. We will begin with what we can do now.”

“Sir Valmar, send the call out to all of our men. Have the captains and sergeants report here as quickly as possible.”

“They should be here within the quarter-mark. They were put on notice this morning.”

“Good, the other Kingdoms will be here shortly with their commanders for the noon repast. We will use the meeting hall tent for the noon repast and then assemble on the training yard. We need to get our captains and sergeants up to speed quickly to show them what to do.”

Sir Valmar gives a salute, turns and walks out the door.

“Do you need me and Renard by your side just in case, Sir Trenton?”

“Yes, for introductions and explanations that might needs some clarifying. You’ll probably get some questions that we have not brought up yet.”

“Yes, we can do that.”

Sir Valmar walks into the war room. “Sir, our captains and sergeants are in the Captain’s Meeting Room.”

“Very good; let’s go down the hallway. It is the next room.”

We all walk out of the war room and walk into the meeting room. I see rows of tables and chairs laid out like one of my classes in college. I smile at the memory. There are about seventy men in the room. It is a mixed group of men divided between the Army and Navy of the Thryson Legion. I also see some dwarf warrior leaders as well.

“Good morning, men.”

Everybody responds, “Good morning, sir.”

“I would first like to introduce you to Richard Moore. He is our Outside Helper. He actually confirmed the presence of the threat to our world.”

There are some claps of hands and ‘thank you’ from several of them.

“The king came to us this morning to see what kind of plan we have to defend ourselves against this horror. Well, the truth is we did not have anything. This threat is larger than our world. If we don’t do anything, our world is nothing. But when Richard came into the meeting, he was able to provide some early insight to the enemy and their possible weapons.”

“How can we fight them, or even bring the fight to them?”

“Captain Bratton, Richard is going to the scout ship tomorrow morning; it's in a dragon cave in Lord Keltan’s Kingdom. Hopefully by entering the ship, he can get access to the information that is hidden on their machines. Hopefully he will find that weakness in their defense so that we can exploit it to our advantage.”

“Yes, then let us hope.” The other captains and sergeants agree as well.

“I’m going to let Richard speak for a bit to try and explain some of the ideas. From that you will begin to see what we need to do train our men.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton. I was asked the question of what type of weapon that they might have on board. I think they would have light weapons.” Immediately some hands shoot up. “I know, I was asked that earlier. How can light be a weapon? I just did a demonstration for your commanders to show how it can happen. I will now show it for you. We will need to go outside.”

Everybody in the room walks out to the training ground. This is where the stair pavement is located that Renard and I did the same practice as earlier. Then we showed them with a sealing spell around the candle. Needless to say they did not like the result. Then I did the same demonstration with the lens so that they know how it hurts them. I then tell them about the morning dew on the grass.

“So what can be used for protection?”

“There is a weakness in light. It can be reflected.”

“Yes, now I remember. We had some exercises where we used the morning sun to reflect the light back at the enemy to blind them on the battle field from our shields and armor.”

“Now you get the idea.”

The others nod and assent in agreement.

“But you will need to make sure your armor, shield and sword are polished and very smooth. You need to see yourself as if looking in a mirror. With that you should be able to reflect the hand-held light weapons they have.”

“What can we use on the training grounds to judge this angle?”

“Here, let me show you.” Sir Trenton takes a tube and puts a light crystal in it. He recites the light spell. He points the tube at the captains and sergeants armored chests. They see a round light spot shone there and reflected onto a nearby wall.

“Yes, that will work very well,” responds one of the dwarf warrior leaders.

“But here is one thing to remember; that light weapon is fast as that light from this tube to your body. You will need to be quick and very aware of everyone and everything around you when you reflect that light back.”

Soon everything is discussed in getting everybody trained and selecting the top one hundred soldiers. Because of the close-quarter fighting they agree that dwarf warriors must be included in the group. Everybody understands the emergency in getting prepared quickly while Richard is on the scout ship seeking out their weakness. Then at a later date one hundred will be chosen and sent to the sailing vessels for further training.

The commanders, captains and sergeants quickly hammer out a series of training methods for this new style of fighting plus some of the traditional fighting skills that will be needed. For the purpose of the demonstration only; they choose the top one hundred men from among all of their brigades. The Commanders, Captains and Sergeants quickly begin the process of training and how to show it to the other commanders from the other kingdoms who will arrive for the noon repast within the mark. The rest of the men in the Legion are practicing their hand to hand combat skills apart from the demonstration group.

After training for about a mark, Sir Trenton walks up to a waist high pedestal, with a bell mounted. He picks up the mallet and strikes the bell three times. “Bong!” “Bong!” “Bong!” All of the men come to a stop what they are doing, they come running up and form rows and groups according to their own brigade with their pennant flying high on a long staff. I also see a dwarf brigade among them as well.

Once everybody settles down and are standing in position in neat rows and columns; they look forward.

Sir Valmar shouts out the command, “Thryson Legion, attention!”

Everybody snaps to attention.

Sir Trenton speaks up. “At ease, men.”

The legion goes to a relaxed stance.

“Very good, you quickly grasped what is needed to be achieved. We have a show to put on for the rest of Twainor. The other kingdoms will be here shortly. We will break for the noon repast and reassemble here at first mark after. This demonstration should last about two marks at the most. The commanders will be milling around getting a closer look to see how it is done. You can stop and explain what you are trying to achieve. Are there any questions or comments?”

A hand goes up. Sir Trenton recognizes the hand. “Sir, are they aware that Richard needs to go to the scout ship tomorrow to get more information?”

“They do. They realize that they must begin somewhere. As Richard provides us new information, we will adjust our tactics and plans. Remember that we are picking the top one hundred from our own troops for further training on our sailing vessels. The ones who don’t go will still need to be ready if something new develops.”

“How long do we have before the enemy arrives?”

“We are watching them around the world while it is night. Once they move past our furthest two planets we will know when. Richard, our Outside Helper doubts they will be here in two days. They could be here in seven or fourteen days. Regardless, we must be prepared. The one hundred men that are chosen for this demonstration only, will then be helping the captains and sergeants train the others in our army and navy when the other kingdoms leave this afternoon. Are there any other questions?”

No movement is seen. Sir Trenton looks to Sir Valmar and nods his head.

Sir Valmar takes notice. “Thryson Legion, attention!”

Everybody snaps to attention.

“Legion dismissed!”

Everybody breaks apart and heads to their quarters and gets ready for the noon repast. The men begin to talk among themselves as they walk back to their buildings. Sir Trenton and his military staff remain to greet the eleven kingdoms who will be showing up soon. Renard and I are standing there with them as well.

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 6
By Rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

Within a quarter-mark of the noon repast, the eleven commanders begin to show up on the field near the bell-mounted pedestal with their wizards. In tow with the wizards are their respective commanders, captains, sergeants and dwarf warrior leaders. They begin to talk among themselves as they wait for the others.

“I’m curious about what Sir Trenton has for us. I don’t know how we are going to fight them.”

“That’s why their Outside Helper showed up. For some reason ours didn’t. Just be glad at least one showed up at all.”

“I agree, Sir Paladin.”

Sir Trenton speaks up when he sees all eleven Kingdoms represented. “Welcome, friends. We have a tent set up for our noon repast. Let me introduce my military staff.”

“These are my Army and Navy commanders, Lieutenants, captains, sergeants and dwarf leaders. Then we have Master Wizard Renard and our Outside Helper Richard Moore. Richard spotted the star ship as he arrived here after we contacted him.”

Everybody present claps their hands and thanks me.

I nod my head and smile, “You’re welcome.”

“Come let us partake of the noon repast. Afterwards we’ll have the demonstration of the exercises.”

We all walk together toward the North side of the castle. We see a large tent set up near the training grounds and pavement. When we walk inside, we see Master Chef Beharn, servers and attendees standing in a line along one side of the tent.

“Instead of sitting by kingdom, we will group by position. That should be easier in relating to your peers and exchanging information with the latest news from the other kingdoms.”

“Richard, we have a seat for you with the Legion Commanders.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton.”

Then everyone walks around and begins to group themselves together according to the signs posted on the tables. They greet each other with hands to the shoulders, smiles, jokes and laughter.

Everybody sits down except Renard and Sir Trenton. I’m sitting between Sir Krellen and Sir Paladin.

Sir Trenton speaks up, “Good afternoon, Twainor.”

“Good afternoon,” everyone responds at once.

“We’ll begin with Renard giving Thanks to the Maker.”

Everyone gets quiet.

“Maker, we just want to thank you for another day here on your world. We are thankful the call for the Outside Helpers is a success. Even though just one showed up, we’re thankful that he came. Give us the perseverance to defend your world and creation. It is a precious gem among the heavens. We thank you for this food we are about to partake. May it give us the strength so we can perform mighty deeds that will be sung in our halls, fortresses and castles forever? Thank you, Maker.”

“Thank you, Maker,” everyone responds at once.

Renard sits down while Sir Trenton remains standing. “We have a lot to show you this afternoon. There are going to be stations set up where you will group by kingdoms. I will sound the bell once for the warning. When the bell sounds twice that will be your signal to move another station. You will be at each station for a quarter-mark at least. After the demonstrations you can ask questions. Remember this is just the beginning of training. As Richard provides us more information, we'll adjust the training accordingly.”

“The ultimate goal is to select one hundred from each of the kingdoms. Since this star ship will be similar to our sea vessels, those groups of one hundred will come together for further training on our sea vessels. Hopefully, Richard will find a way for us to bring the fight to them before they start destroying our beloved star system.”

“We don’t know when they will be here, but we must begin now. We will watch them every night with our Seeing Stones. Richard doubts they will be here in two days; it could be seven or fourteen days.” Sir Trenton turns and faces the chef. “Master Chef Beharn, you may begin to serve us.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton.” He smiles and bows to him

The servers and attendees bow as well. The servers turn and follow Master Chef Beharn in a single file back to the kitchens in the castle. The attendees begin by serving their drinks and ales. Everyone begins a dull roar of conversation as we wait for our food to be served.

Sir Trenton sits down and joins in the conversations. My brain gets picked as I try to answer their questions. Sir Trenton smiles as he sees that I try to handle the pressure.

“We thank the Maker when you told us you saw the star ship on the edge of our star system. You’re going to the caves tomorrow morning?”

“I am, Sir Krellen. I will probably be going with Renard and Trianna very early in the morning, several marks before dawn from here.”

“That’s good. We all hope the discovery will be successful.”

“Richard, what weapons do you think will be on this ship?”

The commanders get quiet to hear my response.

“I think they will have light weapons.”

“Light weapons? How can light hurt you?”

“We have a couple of demonstrations that will show it for you ,Sir Jakan. It will be easy for you to recreate the experience when you get back to your legions.”

While we’re talking, the servers bring out the first course. A salad with various nuts and cold vegetables with a lightly spiced green oil drizzled on top.

We all try to eat and drink while we’re talking among ourselves.

“I was present in my King’s chamber when you gave your report, Richard. We were all dismayed that an enemy could do such an evil thing.”

“I agree, Sir Elion. Apparently the Maker made sure I saw the path of destruction it made, as I came here. I saw several star systems totally destroyed. If we don’t stop them here, they will get stronger. If they were to come to my world, there might be a chance to stop them. There is a phrase that we have. We must take care of the problem, the sooner the better.”

“I agree, Richard, the sooner the better. We were surprised that you were the only one to show up.”

“I was surprised too. It would be nice if some of the other ones were here like Evrat. He would be great with his ideas on weapons.”

“Yes, he would, Richard. So what can you do to get the advantage?”

“Well Sir Paladin, most star ships of this size will have computers on board. It is their type of machine magic. These machines control many functions to keep the ship safe. So by going on the scout ship, I hope to discover their weakness so we can exploit it to our advantage.”

“How would you do that?”

“I’ll try to keep it simple for you. Take for instance the structure of your legion. You have various positions among you. Each person is doing a job to see that it gets done in a timely manner. When you are at sea and there are breaks in the hull, what happens next?”

“We start receiving information from our leadership to determine the severity. Then we act on it. Usually the special partition doors will seal off that compartment.”

“Well, that works the same way via these machines. There are sensors that send signals to the captain and he sees a light display on a panel. He still gets first hand information from his people under him. He can send a command to have those doors close remotely without anyone doing anything. If I can get control of the computers, I can close the doors with our own set of commands.”

“That’s incredible, Richard.”

“It is, but it takes electricity to do those tasks. If I can find a hole in their computer program, I can send in some commands of our own that will make the battlefield more equal. Disable their on board weapons, barrier shields, propulsion that makes their ship moves. Anything is possible.”

The servers come back and take our empty plates. We continue our talking and drinking while they bring the main course out.

“What’s interesting, my friends, is that we still need to do our hand to hand combat. Richard did remind us the goals will be the same. The bridge, the health center, leadership positions, weapons, etc. will need to be planned out.”

“Well at least some things have not changed concerning ships whether at sea or in space.”

We all give a short laugh or two. We then look down at the main dish and see that fish is served up for us. Beharn served up several different ways of the meal. The fish is broiled, grilled and roasted each with its own different spice grouping. This includes the vegetable selection as well. It is as if no two dishes are the same. We continue our conversations while we eat.

“The last time I was here, there was a meeting with the sea dragons at the Grand Gala Arena. I met Tarsi in King Tierion’s Council Chamber when I arrived here. That tells me a lot has happened since then.”

“It has, Richard. They have helped us tremendously with our fishing fleets. It was a little rough in the beginning. We were not sure how much to bring in. Once we begin to understand how the seas move and ebb, our fleets have been busy. No one has been idle.”

“The nice thing is this. The sea dragons give the sea captains news of any storms approaching. Then the wizard who is assigned with the fleet transports into the Ethereal Space. He can get high above the clouds to see the patterns. We have not lost a ship yet.”

“I remember Governor Drenan mentioning one of his ships is in dry dock. He said it was because of a storm.”

“The sea captain could not out race the storm. The storm was very fast moving. The ship suffered some spar and rudder damage. The sea dragons got word to the other ships in the fleet quickly. They were able to anchor together near an island for safety until the storm passed.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Richard, these light weapons, what kind of damage can they do?”

“It would be like a hot knife cutting into the skin. It can be very quick and painful. It will look like a hand-held weapon with a trigger.”

“What can we use to protect ourselves in battle?”

Sir Trenton smiles, I see it and smile with him. I then look around and give my answer.

“Light has a weakness. Light can be reflected.”

“I remember that from some of our mock battles. We used our shields to reflect the sun light back to the opponent’s face to blind them.”

“That’s right Sir Jakan. You will need to make sure your armor. Shields and swords are polished like a mirror. You need to see yourself smile in the reflection.”

The Legion Commanders laugh at the analogy. You can see the look in their faces as they begin to calculate and formulate strategies for the days ahead.

“Richard, what made you think this star ship will be like our sea vessels?”

Sir Trenton and I look at each other and begin to smile again, almost to the point of laughing. We keep it in check.

“I will ask the same questions that I gave Sir Trenton and his commanders. This star ship moves from star system to star system. What poetic words would you use to describe this movement?”

“Poetic words, what are you talking about?”

Sir Trenton is smiling wide, almost ready to burst out laughing. The other Legion Commanders give a quick look and see his smile. They turn back to me to hear my next question.

“Don’t you have stories and songs of your own sailing ships going from port to port around your world?”

“You mean to tell us it is like a sailing vessel that sails through the black space as it does on our seas?”

“Yes.”

Then Sir Trenton and I begin to laugh.

The other Legion Commanders laugh out loud as well when they get the picture in their minds. The rest of the people under the tent stop their conversations and look toward their Legion Commanders with smiles.

Someone speaks up in the crowd, “We’ll find out what the joke is eventually.”

Everybody else joins in the laughter. Then everybody goes back to their private discussions.

“That’s great, Richard. I love the idea.”

“That’s a perfect analogy.”

“I will need to remember that one.”

“Now I can see why we need to practice close quarter fighting.”

I get a slap on the back from Sir Paladin and Sir Krellen while they’re laughing.

“There will be some new rules to consider though when you are on board this star ship. There is no air to breathe outside the star ship.”

“How are we going to get inside the star ship Richard?”

“Do you remember how the wizards returned the Emissaries’ small space craft back to their main ship Sir Paladin?”

“Now I remember Sir Trenton. It took about six wizards. They transported it through the Ethereal Space.”

“That mean we can use our wizards to get our men there.”

“The only problem I see, they may have a barrier shield around their star ship to protect themselves.”

“Yes, that would be a problem, Richard.”

“If I can find their weakness, I can figure out how to turn that barrier shield off or anything else off.”

“Yes, that would be great, Richard.”

We all take some more bites from our meals. I can see the expressions in their faces as they try to figure out the next move.

From the destruction that I saw, this star ship must have the experience to be patient to investigate their next conquest. They don't want to come in blind and be unaware. That is why they sent the scout ship. They probably got nervous when they lost contact with the scout ship. I just hope that star ship doesn't do anything rash because of it. They could send out another scout ship. Either way we must begin preparation now.

Once we finished eating the main meal, the servers come out and take our plates. We continue our conversations while they bring out the fruit dessert.

“I have another question since I was here last. When we had the Regional Meetings here last year, what has become of that? Did the dwarves address those concerns that we found out?”

“They did Richard. King Thranton made sure there are no more secret enclaves against anybody. He also made sure those Builder and Designer dwarves use their talent to improve the explosive ordinances for everyone or anything else they create. Once they begin to see the benefit of sharing and helping everyone, their Under Kingdom has really prospered.”

“As far as the conspiracies that were uncovered. Ruald is still on the island. Draknor along with his two friends was dealt with. The fourth one was set free after some further investigation. They’re at the bottom of The Abyss shaft for the time being.”

“There was nothing new to discover after what we found at the bottom of The Abyss. Ruald just did not know about Ryujin the dragon living down there. Then the Master Wizard protected the bombs from exploding when the others were thrown down. The rest of the information was found on the correspondences that implicated Ruald and Draknor respectively.”

“The four dwarves that were found down there; were given a high honor by King Thranton when they were properly laid to rest. He made sure everyone knew what had transpired.”

“If Evrat is here, he would be impressed on how things turned out. How has it been here on Twainor after the Outside Helpers left? I would think there is a general improvement in health, safety and other attributes that would describe a vibrant and healthy world.”

“It has been a great improvement, Richard. The encounter with this star ship will be our first test with what we have learned and from you being here.”

“Even though we have learned our world better, this will be our biggest test. This is especially true for someone who wants to destroy us,” replies Sir Paladin.

The servers bring out the fruit desserts in bowls. We see that Beharn did the work for us in cutting and slicing the fruits. There is a collection of mixed fruits from our region in the bowls. Again each bowl appears to have a different combination to make them different.

We dive into the bowls with our spoons and forks. We laugh and enjoy the fruit creation that is presented for us. We had to wipe our chins and mouths occasionally to keep our clothes clean as much as possible from the juice drippings. I can hear the others elsewhere under the tent having the same problem we are. Everybody is enjoying the noon repast that is prepared for us. While we’re eating the fruit, we leave the seeds in the bowl to be taken care of later.

After awhile when we see that we are done, Sir Trenton stands up to address everyone attending.

“Will one of you please inform Master Chef Beharn that we are done? We wish to give him thanks for this wonderful noon repast.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” One of the attendees leaves the tent and walks to the kitchens to tell Master Chef Beharn.

In a few moments, Master Chef Beharn, the cooks and servers come walking out. They line up along one side of the tent.

“Thank you, Master Chef Beharn. That was an excellent noon repast. I am sure it will give us the strength to do great and wonderful things today.”

Master Chef Beharn steps forward and bow his head slightly. “You’re welcome, Sir Trenton. It was an honor to serve Twainor’s finest military this day. All we ask is that you come back safely with victory from the battlefield so that we can serve you for years to come.”

“We hope and pray that we do. Thank you.” Sir Trenton claps his hands when he finishes speaking.

Everybody under the tent cheers and claps as well. Master Chef Beharn, the cooks, the servers and attendees all bow and smile.

“Come Twainor, let us go to the practice fields and we will show you what needs to be done to bring victory to the battlefield. We’ll meet first all together for the first demonstration at the stair case pavement. Your kingdom banners are set near there. Once you understand the concept of the light weapons then you will understand what the exercises are for.”

We all get up and leave the tent. I turn around and see Master Chef Beharn give the orders to begin the clean up of the tables, stacking the chairs and tables, etc. Then some of the knights come in and take those away to storage. The rest of the knights, who are assigned, will take down the tent, take it apart, fold it and store those pieces in the storage rooms.

We walk out to the stair case pavement where I had the demonstration with the Sir Trenton’s commanders and Renard earlier this morning.

Sir Trenton steps up the stairs so that everyone can see him. “My commanders, captains, sergeants and dwarf leaders will spread out among you. They will try to explain what the concepts are. If you ask a question that they cannot answer, Richard will be here to assist. By all means record these demonstrations to take back to your kingdoms.”

“So, let’s group by kingdom this time. I have set up the eleven banners for each of the kingdoms here. They are in a circle here on the grounds. Once that is done, then we’ll show the field exercises to help us bring victory. Remember that this is just the beginning. If you come up with a new idea back in your kingdoms, please share it with us so that we can all benefit. All right, let’s group by kingdom.”

Everybody starts walking to their own kingdom banner. Sir Trenton’s military staff, Renard and I stand in the center while they get themselves arranged.

“Each of you have a lens, small mirror, candle, light crystal, cloth and tube in your pockets?”

“We do, Sir Trenton.”

“Very good, go to your assigned kingdom. Richard will remain in the center here walking around. Please try to keep Richard in one piece if you want him at the same time.”

“That would be of great help, Sir Trenton.”

We all laugh together at the joke.

Sir Trenton’s military staff breaks apart and walks toward their assigned kingdom.

“This will be a good test on communication skills, Sir Trenton. I tried to keep it simple for the concepts.”

“Yes, you’re right, Richard. This will be a good test. Good communication is one of the keys needed to bring success and victory.”

Renard, Sir Trenton and I walk around to see and hear how it is proceeding. Sir Trenton assigned at least four members of his staff to each kingdom. He sees the kingdoms recording the sessions on their crystals.

I walk over to Eirecann Kingdom and listen to Sir Valmar as he tries to explain it.

“All right, the first step to understanding this concept is that I will use this lens and our sun to light this candle without using any magic at all.”

Everyone nods their head in agreement. Sir Valmar places the candle and cup on the ground. “I’ll need some room so as not to block the sun.” Some of them make some room around Sir Valmar.

Sir Valmar finds the focus length and point on the cup first. He does this by moving the lens close to the cup and sees the light circle get smaller. Once he sees the smallest point he adjusts the lens to move the light point to the wick. The wick smokes and bursts into a single flame.

“That’s incredible, where did this idea come from?”

“Do you remember some mornings with the dew on the field grass that fires would flare up sometimes after wards?”

“I remember some of those grass fires.”

“Well, those little droplets of water are acting like this lens.”

“I see.”

“How did you know where to put the lens?”

“I’ll show you that lens property. Pick up a handful of dirt and grass captain.”

The Eirecann Captain bends down and grabs a handful of dirt and grass.

“Now sprinkle it on this side of the lens slowly.” Sir Valmar points where he wants it sprinkled.

The captain slowly sprinkles the dirt and grass. They all see the two cones of light appear on the other side.

“We see it now. That is interesting.” The rest of the military staff in Eirecann Kingdom nods their heads in agreement.

“That it is captain. What I am looking for is the smallest point of light where the two cones meet.”

“What can we use to protect ourselves? I don’t think our sealing spells will stop that.”

“I heard that light can be reflected.”

“You’re both right on that idea. Let us demonstrate that for you.”

I smile to Sir Valmar and he smiles back. We both nod our heads together at the same time. I get a small round of applause from them.

“Thank you, Richard.”

“You’re welcome.”

I turn around and walk to another kingdom, which is Ringol Kingdom

“That’s disappointing to see that our sealing spells will not reflect that light or stop it.”

“I know. That is why you need a harder surface to reflect it. Here I’ll demonstrate with this mirror. Captain, you stand there to my right. Sergeant, please stand over here to my left. Now commander, please stand in front of me, but in between them.”

The three men arrange themselves as Sir Leland suggested.

“Now, if you will notice. The captain and the sergeant cannot see each other directly because their commander is in the way.”

“That’s right, Sir Leland.”

“But, if they were to look into the mirror here, I’m holding on my chest plate. They can see each other to get around their commander.”

They turn their heads and look at the mirror.

“Yes, I see him now.”

“Well this light weapon will behave the same way. Once it hits the surface, the light will reflect off this mirror and hit the captain.”

“Can this light weapon destroy that mirror if it is too strong?”

Sir Leland gives it some thought, he looks towards me when he can’t think of an answer, “Richard, can you answer that question?”

“Yes, I can Sir Leland. The mirror will break because it is made of thin glass. That particular glass is too weak against the light weapon. If you polish your shield, armor and sword like a mirror; then that will reflect the light beam away from you.”

Sir Kanoa, Legion Commander continues my thought. “You must see yourself smiling in the reflection after you polished it smooth. We have done that when we have our festivals.”

The rest of the group smiles and laughs at the idea.

“How do we know what angle to choose to reflect it away? I don’t want to hurt my friends in the cross fire Sir Leland.”

“This will take practice. We have some field exercises for that. Remember where the captain stood to see the sergeant in the mirror, to see around their commander?”

“I do.”

“Well that is the same angle. Here let me demonstrate with this tube and light crystal.”

The Thryson dwarf warrior leader places a light crystal at one end of the tube. He recites the light spell. He aims the light beam on to a captain’s breast plate. They look around to see where the light circle reflected to. They see it on the shirt of a sergeant nearby in their group.

“That’s interesting. Yes, it will take some practice to know where everybody is at in a room or a hall way.”

I smile and nod my head at Sir Leland and his assistants. They smile and nod back. The rest of Ringol Kingdom claps their hands and said, “Thank you, Richard.”

“You’re welcome, my friends.”

I turn around and walk to another kingdom which is Correlle Kingdom.

I see Sir Krellen smiling as I come near.

“Well, we come to the last part of the concept demonstration,” announced by Sir Carsen. “Each of you will pass your hand underneath this lens. You will need to put this cloth around your hand to momentarily protect yourself. Once you feel the pain, please jerk your hand away. I have done it myself, so I know how painful it can be.”

“Richard, you said it is like a hot knife that cuts through the skin.”

“That’s right, Sir Krellen.”

The rest of Correlle Kingdom looks at each other in wonderment at what that meant. One by one they place their hand underneath the lens as shown. Once the light circle becomes a small point, they see the cloth begin to smoke and burn. They jerk their hand away quickly once they feel the pain. Each of them screams in pain.

We all hear everybody else at the rest of kingdom stations scream as well when they experience the pain.

“Ouch, you’re right. It is painful. I wish we can create a weapon that will do that.”

Sir Carsen looks at me for the answer.

“I don’t know if it can be built in time. It will take time to experiment. But usually it takes a large amount of electrical power to create the light beam with lenses and certain gases. Usually electricity is involved in doing this; these hand-held weapons will have it stored in them.”

“That means our Ethereal Space will prevent us from doing that. Can our light crystals do this Richard?” He is still rubbing his hand. He even blows on it to cool it down from time to time.

“I don’t think so, Sir Krellen. Even if a light crystal that is glowing brightly as much as possible, it will still not be enough to do damage. Except that you can dazzle somebody in the eyes to blind them momentarily. You can still use your sleep darts. I don’t know if the sleep spell will work on the star ship yet.”

“Well that is something to consider for a quick advantage when pressed.”

“Yes it would be, Sir Krellen.”

“Well, that concludes the basic concepts that Richard gave us.”

“Thank you, Richard.”

The rest of the group claps as well.

“You’re welcome. If I know Sir Trenton, the next part of the demonstration will really test your mettle and endurance.”

“That’s nothing Richard. I’ve been through Sir Krellen’s drills before. They’re nothing compared to Sir Trenton’s drills.”

I don’t hear Sir Trenton until he speaks. He walks up behind me when he heard that remark.

“Don’t be so sure, captain. When you see what we have prepared; you will be breathless wishing for a breather.”

We all laugh together when we hear that comment.

“Richard, I have a question for you that was asked to me.” We start walking back to the center of the circle. He picks up the mallet and hits the bell once. “Bong!”

“Sure, what is the question? I also answered Sir Krellen’s question as well that you will need to hear.”

“Is there a way to see this light beam being reflected off our shields to see where it goes while we do the practice?”

“I think there is a way. It might be very simple. Can the wizards create a very light fog that won’t get blown away? The light beam from the tube can reflect off those little water droplets suspended in the air. If not, try some smoke, it will do the same thing. The results will be like what I showed with the dirt and grass behind the lens.”

“That’s a good idea. If we get a windy day, we can do that practice in a large tent or one of our buildings.”

“Yes, you will also have the hall ways and corridors as you go from room to room as well.”

“Thank you Richard. I knew you would come up with the solution.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What did Sir Krellen asked you?”

“He wanted to know if we can make our own light weapons.”

“I don’t think we’ll have the time to do it.”

“I don’t think so either. It will take manufacturing skills, some of my classes that I have taken in understanding of some gases and using electrical power.”

“You’re right Richard. Our Ethereal Space prevents us from working with electricity safely.”

“I did mention to Sir Krellen the light crystals can be used to temporarily dazzle someone in the eyes for a distraction.”

“Yes, that can work when needed.”

Sir Trenton and I stand in the center of the circle. Sir Trenton looks around to see if everyone is done. He picks up the mallet and hits the bell twice. “Bong!” “Bong!” Everyone stops and looks toward the center.

“Well, I see that everyone is done with the basic concepts that Richard provided. We should thank him for being here.”

Everybody claps and cheers as they gather around.

“Thank you!”

“Thank the Maker you came!”

On and on it went. Some come up and shake my hand or put a hand onto my shoulder. They quiet down when I put my hand up.

“You’re welcome, friends. You’re welcome. After Sir Trenton gets done with you today, you might think otherwise.”

Everybody around me laughs at the joke.

“Well said, Richard. Come let us go over to the practice field. We have the stations set up for you to observe. We chose one hundred for this demonstration only. After wards they will assist my military staff to begin training the rest of our legion. There are six stations that we have set up. So we’ll have two kingdoms per station except for the last one. All you have to do is follow one of my commanders and captains that gave you the concept demonstration. Just listen to the sounding of the bell as I mentioned earlier when it is time to change stations.”

Sir Trenton looks at everyone around him and smiles.

“All right, let’s get busy.”

Everyone breaks apart. The eleven kingdoms follow their respective Thryson leaders and walk toward the six stations. I stay behind with Renard and Sir Trenton. Once Sir Trenton sees that everybody is where they need to be, he picks up the mallet and strikes the bell twice. “Bong!” “Bong!”

“You may begin with the demonstrations now.”

We walk around and look at seeing what they have set up at the stations. “Is this anything you might expect, Richard?”

“It is not really different, Sir Trenton. It is very similar back on Earth. If you lose your shield, you look around to see what you could use to help protect yourself. Those sleep darts can really turn the tables. You just need a clear shot to get them.”

We both walk over to the shield position drill. We see the knights advancing past a wooden wall with door openings and hallways. They stop and freeze several times. Then the knights would get shot at with arrows and the light beams from the tubes.

“Let’s introduce the smoke and see if they are using shields the right way.”

“Sure.”

Sir Trenton walks up and interrupts the shield position practice. They come to a stop when he approaches.

“You are doing very good, men. Now let’s see if you are doing it right. Richard gave me an idea to see if you’re reflecting the arrows and light beams the right way.”

He turns to Wizard Branxon. “Wizard Branxon, can you please introduce a light fog or a smoky haze and keep it still here? Fortunately the wind is very still at this moment.”

“Yes, I can do that. Tell me when to stop.” Wizard Branxon places his hands outward and concentrates on the space in front of him. He recites the smoke spell. Soon we see the area in front of us become smoky.

Sir Trenton looks at me to confirm how thick the smoke should be.

“You can stop now.”

“That should be thick enough so that we can see the results.”

Wizard Branxon stops the spell and concentrates to keep the smoke in place. It's a very light hazy smoke. The visibility distance is about five hundred feet on Earth.

“Now let’s try that again, men. Now pay attention to the light beam as it hits your shield, armor or sword. Look out for the man in front of you or near you as you advance forward.”

“Yes sir,” they all respond at once.

The archers send the arrows towards the knights. The arrows bounce off the shields and fall harmlessly to the floor or stick into the wooden wall. Some of the arrows bounce in the direction of other knights and hit their leg or back side. They adjust their positions and shields during the next round. They did a better job of deflecting it away from their fellow knights. They come to a stop when done.

“Very good, you’re learning fast. Now let’s do it with the light beams and see if you're right. Go back to the beginning. Then run to the position where you want to be.”

The knights go back. They run forward at their captain’s command. They rearrange themselves to make the advance.

“All right, now freeze. Captain, aim the light beam where you want to, lets see if they got it right.”

The Captain aims the light beam at a knight one at a time. They see the light beam appear in the smoky haze. They see the path as it strikes the shield or part of their armor. The light beam reflects in several directions depending on where he points the tube from his position. Some of the light beams hit the floor or reflect back to the shooter. Some of the beams hit a fellow knight on the back side, arm or leg. The other kingdoms murmur among themselves as they see the results. They agree this is a very good method to iron out the details.

“Now you see why are you’re learning these skills, knights. Now slowly adjust your body or shield position so as not to hit your fellow knight.”

The knights adjust their bodies and shields as commanded.

“All right, very good, knights; now run forward to the next position and see if you get the next position right.”

The knights advance forward to their next position and freeze. The Captain aims the light tube at the knights. None of the beams hit their fellow knights this time. Most are aimed to the floor or back at the shooter.

“That’s very good. Now let’s do it without the shields and use your swords and armor this time.”

The knights get up and walk back to the beginning of the wooden wall partition set up. There are openings for doors and hallways intermittently spaced. They put their shields on the ground.

This time it proved to be harder to judge the angle. The knights did the same advancement as before. They come to a stop and freeze in their positions. This time the light beams hit their body and leg armor more often than the swords. But they did learn how to position themselves more effectively on the next run through of the drill.

The other kingdoms present there clap their hands and cheer when they see the results of this drill. The knights stand down and walk forward in a row in front of them.

“Sir Trenton, I think we can outfit our knights with a smaller shield for the forearms if they were to lose the main shield.”

“Yes, that is a good idea, Sir Paladin. We still need to have them armed with the sleep darts, metal stars and knives for backup weapons.”

“I agree, Sir Trenton. I really like this shield position drill.”

“Are there any other questions or statements you can ask them?”

“I do. When you first started doing this, did you know how to position the shield in the beginning?”

One of the knights steps forward and bows his head toward the one who asked the question. “Not at first, sir. I was looking to see where the arrows bounced, then see where the light beam reflected. If I didn’t see a light circle on my friend, I knew he was safe. But, now in seeing the path of the light beam, I'm now able to adjust myself to make a better decision.”

The knight steps back in line. Sir Trenton smiles at the knight and nods his head. The knight returns the smile and nods his head as well.

“Well it’s time to ring the bell and move onto the next station.”

Wizard Branxon ends the smoke spell and clears it out to get ready for the next group. Arrows are picked up and retrieved by the archers.

They begin to talk among themselves. Sir Trenton and I walk back to the bell. He picks up the mallet and strikes it once. “Bong!” Everyone quiets down. “All right finish up your questions and answers. When I ring it twice; walk to the next station please.”

The kingdoms continue talking among themselves in their group.

“That went well, Sir Trenton.”

“Yes it did, Richard. Thanks for the idea of using smoke to see the light beam path.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sir Trenton looks around and sees that the question and answers are finished. He strikes the bell with the mallet two times. “Bong!” “Bong!” The kingdoms start following their assigned Thryson commander or captain to the next station.

This time Sir Trenton and I walk toward the hand to hand combat area. Most of what I see is the typical hand to hand combat and taking them down.

“Sir Trenton, can I see how they disarm someone with a hand-held weapon? I would think with the armor reflecting the light beam it might cause the shooter to think twice that his opponent is not going down. He might aim elsewhere.”

“That’s a good point, Richard.” They come to a stop when they see him come forward. “Men, now let’s try it with the hand-held tube weapon.” Sir Trenton walks up to the group. He whispers to one of the knights with a light tube. He nods his head up and down. Sir Trenton steps back among the observers.

Some of the men pick up the light tube weapon and points at the rushing knights. The knights rush forward. The shooter points his weapon at various places on the knight. Then one of them points it toward his face. The knight raises his hand toward his eyes to shield himself. He gets distracted and gets taken down. Some of the other knights were successful in disarming the shooter of the light tube weapon. Some of the shooters brought out a knife for a backup weapon.

“All right men, stop. Tell us what has happened?”

The knights in the demonstration stand up and arrange themselves in a line in front of us.

“Everyone was able to disarm the shooter except one.”

“What is the solution here to prevent that?”

The two kingdoms look at each other and try to guess how to prevent that.

A knight steps forward. “I need some help in shielding my eyes effectively sir.”

Sir Trenton looks to me. “Do you have any ideas, Richard?”

“There are a couple of ideas. The first one is the helmet. Where you have the eye openings? Put a thin heat tempered glass plate covering mounted there. It should be glazed with a thin gold film, but you can still see through it. That should lessen the intensity of the light beam or the direct sunlight when you are in space waiting to get on board the star ship. You can have it designed that it can flip up or down when needed.”

“Why use gold, Richard?”

“It is one of the few metals that are soft to hammer with. It won’t take much gold to create the film layer. It has a unique property of blocking most of the harmful rays of energy that can cause blindness. Your sun will emit other energy rays besides light and heat.”

The other Legion Commanders agree to be extra safe.

“That’s good, Richard. That way we can still use our hands and not be distracted. Is there anything else needed?”

“Do you remember the breast and back plate that was made for me?”

“I do, Richard. We’ll make sure the metal mesh padding is underneath the armor for extra protection as well. That includes arms and legs.” Sir Trenton then looks at his knights. “All right, knights. Continue with the demonstration.”

Sir Trenton and I turn and walk to the center again. He lets them continue until the half mark is done. He picks up the mallet and strikes the bell once. “Bong!”

“What is the next demonstration Sir Trenton?”

He looks around and sees for himself. “It will be the obstacle and endurance test.”

“That sounds breath taking.” I smile at him.

Sir Trenton smiles back, “Yes it is breath taking. I have also combined it with the arrows and light beam test along with a goal to achieve.”

“Yes, that should be interesting.”

Sir Trenton strikes the bell twice this time. “Bong!” “Bong!” Everyone moves to another station.

Sir Trenton and I walk over to the obstacle course. At several stops along the course, four knights and a dwarf come to a stop. They put up their shields and shoot their sleep darts at several dummies. Near a dummy is another knight with the light tube and several archers.

The group of four knights and a dwarf begin the obstacle course by doing several jumps over logs and running through rope lattices on the ground. They come to a check point and get into position. The archers begin shooting at the knights in their defensive positions. The knights with light tubes aim their beams at the rushing group. A wizard nearby creates some smoke in the air. The knights and dwarf check their angles and correct their positions; once everyone is cleared they run forward to another part of the obstacle course.

This time they run forward toward a ‘T’ intersection and are caught in a cross fire from both sides. They put their shields up and form a small tight circle. They shoot their sleep darts again as before. Most of them hit their target, but some do not. You can hear them grumble when they missed. The light beams appear again to check their positions. The smoke appears and all of the knights and dwarf are in good position and no one gets ‘hurt’ in the process when the light beams are aimed at them.

The signal is given, then the group takes the imaginary hallway down the right. They open the door and encounter another empty ‘hallway’. The two kingdoms can see this as they proceed slowly forward. They walk in carefully, staying on guard. Then from small openings in various locations on both sides of the wall, light beams appear to cross the hallway. The knights and dwarf put up their shield to protect themselves. The smoke appears again to check their positions. This time most of the light beams that are reflected off is hitting some of the knights. They correct themselves as they advance forward.

Once they clear the hallway, they open another door and enter into a half-room. They take command of the room and anyone else that is in there. They relax when they hear the command from the captain in charge, “Clear, stand down.”

The knights come forward and stand in a line in front of the observers. The four knights and dwarf who ran the obstacle are standing and breathing a bit hard.

The two kingdoms clap their hands for a job well done.

I look toward to Sir Trenton. “That’s very good, sir. I like it a lot.”

“I knew you would.”

“I need to add a comment here for everyone’s benefit.”

“That would be greatly appreciated, Richard.”

I step forward to address those who are here. They get quiet to hear me. “There is one thing to remember about this star ship. I was told the largest sea vessel that you have can hold five hundred men.”

“Yes that is right, Richard.”

“Well imagine a ship that can hold at least five times that. The corridors are longer, more doorway openings, more intersections and more levels. It is going to take organization and communication for each squad and their duties. How many squads you put together will determine how swift you can take command of the star ship. If there are ten levels with two thousand people that’s an average two hundred people on each level. They could have several weapon rooms on different floors for example. In addition, there could be a second Command Bridge as back up if the main one is taken.”

“I see what you mean, Richard. It might take several squads to take command of a level effectively. We do not want to put our men at a disadvantage by underestimating them. We need to get our men to increase their endurance like doing runs with their gear on before tackling the obstacle courses.”

The two kingdoms agree that it is not wise to underestimate their forces and their capabilities. The two kingdoms thank us for this demonstration. Sir Trenton and I walk to the center again; Wizard Renard joins us this time. Sir Trenton strikes the bell once. “Bong!”

“Thank you for that reminder, Richard, on how large this star ship is.”

“Twainor must have no delusions on how big this star ship is. As big as our Maker’s Creation is, people will try to build a fleet of star ships to do the impossible and conquer their corner of galaxy or maybe all of it.”

“Well whatever their reasons are, but this one in particular must be stopped. We must hope they don’t have a fleet waiting somewhere.”

“I agree, Renard.”

Sir Trenton picks up the mallet and strikes the bell twice. “Bong!” “Bong!” Everyone moves to their next station.

“Well, that makes three demonstrations so far. What is the next one?”

“The sleep darts practice. I have also included the use of the sleep spell; just in case we can do it on board the star ship.”

“That sounds interesting.”

We walk forward to another part of the demonstration area. We see the knights using the sleep darts mounted on their wrists. They aim and fire the darts at various objects. Some of the objects are moving, some are in difficult positions requiring precise aim to get a part of a dummy that is exposed.

Then they practice their sleep spell at various distances from each other. Then they revive each other with no ill effect. Then they go back again to where the objects are located. This time the objects have been repositioned for different angles to aim at. They do this for several cycles. They hear the command from a captain overseeing the exercise to stand down. They come forward and stand in a line to greet the observers like the other groups did.

The kingdoms that are present clap their hands for the demonstration.

“I have a question about the use of the sleep spell. Don’t you think we should have a practice to see if the spell can work on a room that is filled with soldiers?”

“Renard, can you answer that question?”

“Yes, Sir Trenton. That’s a good question, Sergeant. We need to expand the focus of the spell and make it more widespread. That will take some practice, but it can be done.”

“Are there anymore questions or comments?”

Seeing no movement from the groups, the three of us turn around and walk back to the bell.

Sir Trenton picks up the mallet and strikes the bell once. “Bong!”

“I am sure you have a demonstration for using your weapons that you will be on your person.”

Sir Trenton smiles, “Of course, Richard. That is always a standard exercise with our legions, but we added an extra element to it.”

“Then by all means let’s see it.”

Sir Trenton strikes the bell two times with the mallet. “Bong!” “Bong!” Everyone moves to the next station.

Once everyone settles down, Sir Trenton leads Renard and me over to the next station. We watch as they go through the steps of using their weapons. Some use the sword and shield against each other or at wood logs standing on end, with thick wooden arms sticking out. There are two logs swinging from a cable that is hanging from a high support of beams and poles. Some of the knights use their metal stars, throwing them at moving or stationary objects. Then they switch to their knives hidden in their clothing and behind the armor.

When I thought they were done, the extra element is brought out. All of the knights in the exercise stop what they are doing. They have looks of surprise on their faces. Appearing in front of them from the Ethereal Space are two dwarf dragons with wizards on their backs. They regroup quickly and pick up their shields to defend themselves as they roar and breathe flames at them. Then the wizards recite the transport spell and they disappear. The knights and dwarf remain on guard. This time the dragons and wizards appear in different positions to out flank them. Again the knights and dwarf hold their position. Some shoot their sleep darts and throws their metal stars and knives at the dragons and wizards. Each of those objects hit various locations on their bodies harmlessly and fall to the ground.

The dragons and wizards disappear again. One of the knights rushes forward and tries to retrieve his weapons. Just as he bends down to pick up one weapon, the dragons and wizards appear again. The knight who is out of position immediately retreats back, walking backwards toward his group as a dragon shoots his flame toward him. He gets chastised by his team mates for the ill decision. They hold their ground and attempt to defend themselves again.

The wizards recite the spell again and they disappear once more. The knights stay on guard waiting for something to happen. Then out of the air come two streams of flames from the dragons. The flames come from different directions this time. The knights and dwarf hold their position. Since they don’t see anything, they hold on to their weapons and don’t throw them.

Once that round is over with; the captain in charge shouts out loud, “Clear, stand down everyone.” The captain raises his arm and makes the signal as well.

The dragons and wizards appear from the Ethereal Space and stand near the group of knights.

Everyone stops and stands up from their defensive positions. The knights and dwarf walk forward and form a line. The wizards dismount from the dragons and stand by their sides.

Everyone present claps their hands in showing approval for the demonstration. The dwarf-dragons smile proudly knowing they are helping them to fight better.

Sir Trenton steps forward to speak, “Well done everyone. That is what we like to see. As much it is important to practice, expect surprises and the unexpected. Even though their weapons will be different, we wanted to see what you’re reactions are going to be.”

Again everyone present at this station clap their hands.

Sir Trenton raises his hand to quiet them down. “As for you who went forward and try to collect your weapons, you were chastised properly by your team mates. Only do that when the danger is past and the area is secured.”

“Yes Sir. I was reminded by my team mates. I will make sure to pass that reminder on to the rest of our legion as we train them.” The knight bows his head slightly and raises it.

Sir Trenton bows his head as well. “I know you will. Are there any questions or comments that need to be said here?”

One of the Legion Commanders speaks up, “Thank you Sir Trenton for this exercise. It is very important to gauge the reactions to any surprise that might happen. We have to expect the unexpected from the enemy.”

Everyone claps their hands in approval.

“All right, everybody there is one more station to do. Get ready to move.”

Sir Trenton and I walk to the center again. He takes the mallet and hits it one time. “Bong!”

“What is the last demonstration, Sir Trenton?”

“We really thought hard on this one. We wanted to make a problem solver. We want to know if they can figure it out. We laid out a corridor. The squad has to get from one end to the other. There are various traps set up they have to disarm. If they don't, they will get wet from a water bomb or a smoke bomb.”

“Now I am impressed. I'm sure it took some imagination.”

“Yes it did. Thank you Richard. If you see something that might make it better, please let us know.”

“I'll be glad to do it.”

Sir Trenton uses the mallet and hits the bell two times. “Bong! Bong!”

“All right, on to the last station, Twainor. When we get done with that, we'll meet back at the stair case pavement. We'll have a discussion on the ideas. If you have any to add or subtract, it would be a good time do so. All right, Twainor, move on to the next station.”

They all move to the next station. I follow Sir Trenton to the sixth station. It is set up just the way he said it. As we get near the station, we see the squad discussing their options.

“They rearranged the traps again. They have us guessing where its located.”

“That's the point Sir Gradsen. We have to think on our feet.”

“Yes, but they use electricity up there not magic. I don't want to get wet again.”

“I know, if we had a wizard with us, we can fly through safely.”

“Yes, but that's cheating for right now. Come on men, think! What can we do to expose the light triggers?”

They think real hard for a moment.

I whisper to Sir Trenton. “This is great. Let's see if it comes to their mind under pressure.”

Sir Trenton whispers back, “Yes, but they must think calmly and remember the concepts.”

Then the dwarf warrior speaks up. “I remember now. What did the captain do to expose the two light cones?”

“Yes, he had us pick up a handful of grass and dirt.”

“But remember, there is no grass in the hallways on the star ship. We'll have to use something else.”

“How about dust? We can blow that across the corridor like we saw with the smoke or fog in the demonstration.”

“Yes, that is good thinking. We'll use the fine dirt for now. Don't use the grass.”

“Yes sir.”

The knights and warrior bend down and grab some fine dirt that is exposed near them in the grass. They blow it in their hands towards the corridor. Soon they see six light beams crossing the corridor at several different angles and heights.

They walk carefully through the corridor avoiding the light beams. They see the location where the light beams are coming from in the wall. Then they see the other end where the light beam ends. They see the water bombs mounted in different locations.

One by one, a small mirror is put in front of the light source, the light is reflected back to the source. They know this is all right for now. They see the water bombs don't explode.

After awhile they reach the other end of the corridor safely. We all begin to clap and cheer with them that made it. They come walking up and stand in a line in front of us.

“Very good, knights. You finally made it across. Congratulations men.”

“Thank you sir. Apparently we need to remember the concepts about light and reflecting it back.”

“Do you have any questions Sveadan Kingdom?”

“All I can say right now, this is great. We can definitely use this in preparation in the fields and on the sailing ships.”

“I'm sure we can make it more complicated to make it different each
time.”

The squad let their faces sag a bit when they heard that.

“Are there any comments about this Richard?”

“First of all I like this very much. There are other ways to sense someone in a room or a hallway. There could be sound sensors to detect a presence. But there is a way to make it more difficult for the light beams. Go from light source to a mirror that then reflects that light to the bomb.”

“Yes, that will provide two paths from one light source, thank you Richard.”

“You're welcome, Sir Trenton.”

“Are there any questions about this demonstration?”

“If they use electricity up there. How do they get the signal from the light source to the bomb?”

The dwarf warrior speaks up. “May I answer that question Sir Trenton?”

“Yes you may, Warrior Traclin.”

“They would use wire for the connection, Sir Kayden.”

“Now I remember what you discovered in your Designer Enclave. We'll have to remember that. It is basically the same thing as the wire on our castle spires that directs the lightning to the ground safely.”

“That's right, Sir Kayden. Care must be taken in dealing with it. Who knows how advance they are in knowledge. Anything is possible in their electrical generation and how they use it. Isn't that right, Richard?”

“That's right, Sir Trenton. But at least for the living body. It does sleep, breathe like each of us. So they will be susceptible to the sleep darts at least. If the traps and triggers are too complicated. Perhaps the bomb or explosive can be disabled, or the reaction can be slowed down to provide you time to make a decision.”

“How can we slow it down, Richard?”

“The best method is to cool it down or freeze it some how, perhaps with a freeze spell.”

“Yes, we'll have to remember that, Richard. We'll give them plenty of practice with that.”

“Of course it doesn't hurt, once a squad or wing is on board, is to use a wizard to fly in the Ethereal Space to check out the area. This will give you some direction in which way to go.”

The squad members smile when they hear that. So does everyone else.

“Of course, Richard. They must use what is on hand or what they bring. They will probably need a coil of rope, a bag of dust, a small mirror to look around corners, light crystal, contact crystal, or anything else they might need.”

“Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome.”

“Well, let's get ready to meet at the stair case pavement.”

Sir Trenton and I turn around and walk towards to the mounted bell. Sir Trenton strikes the bell with the mallet. “Bong!”

“I'm glad to see that squad finally figured out the corridor Richard.”

“Well I'm sure once they're on the sailing ships, this will be drilled into them relentlessly.”

“Yes, they must be prepared for the unexpected.”

Sir Trenton looks around and sees them done talking. He takes the mallet again and hits the bell twice. “Bong!” “Bong!” He then puts the mallet down next to the pedestal, hanging on a hook.

“Come, my friends. Let's meet at the stair case pavement where your banners are. We need to hear your suggestions. Once that is done. You can return to your own kingdoms. Thryson knights who gave the demonstration, walk to the stations and clean them up. Get prepared for our legion.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton!”

They all turn around and pick up their weapons, darts, arrows or anything else needed. The dragons go and take a break. They fly towards the kitchen, they see several tubs of various fish for them to eat.

The legions all begin to walk back to the stair case pavement. They gather by their kingdom's banner. Sir Trenton, his staff, Renard and I stand in the center.

“Well, is there anything to add or subtract to the demonstrations?”

Sir Elion speaks up first, “I agree this is a start, Sir Trenton. What you have shown us will keep us busy.”

“How long do we have until the star ship shows?”

“I don't know, Sir Paladin. We must watch them with the Seeing
Stones every night. Richard did give us a clue. We know how far apart the planets are in our star system. Once we time their passing of two of them, we'll have an idea how long it will be.”

“I see, then we must be diligent to keep an eye on them. We must work very fast to get everyone ready. What about the people themselves? What or where will they go if trouble comes?”

“The Dwarf Kings and Queens said their Under Kingdoms will be available for refuge.”

Warrior Taclin speaks up, “That is right, Sir Trenton. The four Under Kingdoms are making sure they provide space for as many as possible. It will be tight in some places. The road ways must be kept clear for movement of goods and people. All of the communities are tallying their empty spaces to determine where they can stay. I'm sure if anyone who comes in, must be bring their own food to eat. How long? We don't know at this time.”

“That's good, Warrior Taclin. Thank you for the assist.”

“You're welcome, Sir Elion.”

“Is there anything to add or subtract at this time while we're together?”

Everyone looks around at each other. They shake their heads side to side to indicate 'no'.

“I guess not friends. Keep in contact if anything new develops. Richard will be in Correlle Kingdom at First Mark in the morning there. I know the Eastern Kingdoms will probably be in representation, while the Western Kingdoms sleep in some more.”

They all laugh together on that remark.

“Well, then you all may go back to your kingdoms. I'm sure we'll be in contact after Richard's visit tomorrow morning. So be ready for that.”

“That we will, Sir Trenton. Thank you very much for providing the demonstrations.”

“Yes, thank you, Richard, for being here and helping us at this time.”

Everyone begins to clap and cheer.

I raise my hand to quiet them down. “Thank you my friends. If you have questions about the concepts or the demonstrations. Don't hesitate to contact us.”

“Come, we must return quickly to our kingdoms while it is still light. We can be here all day and get nothing accomplished.”

“Well said Sir Braxton. See you all soon. Perhaps sooner for others.”

“Thanks again, Richard, for being here. Thank you, Sir Trenton and your staff for explaining it to us.”

“You're welcome. We must be united on this endeavor to save Twainor.”

“Yes, we must.”

They all reconnect to their wizards. The wizards recite the transport spell and the wings disappear one by one. All that are left are Thryson's Legion Commanders and staff, Renard and I.

“Well, that is done. Excellent work everyone. I think we'll only have time for our Legion to teach them the concepts and explain the stations. That way they know what to expect at First Mark tomorrow.”

“I agree, Sir Trenton. Fortunately we have our one hundred already trained. They should be able to get the concepts taught quickly to them.”

“I agree, Sir Valmar. Let's gather our one hundred for now. We'll need to equip them with the tools to explain the concepts. How many do we have here in the training fields?”

“We have two thousand in our military dorms. There is another three thousand camped in tents in their area nearby. These are from the Castle Lords in our kingdom. The dwarf warrior brigade that is stationed here have their own dorm wing.”

“That's about fifty men per one hundred. We're going to need that many items for them to demonstrate.”

“I see what you mean Sir Trenton. We'll have to check the storage sheds near the training fields. Most of the items are there like the candle and the other weapons. I don't know about the mirror and lens, sir.”

“All right, go and send the one hundred we trained to check those sheds. If we're short, we need to know. There should be a mirror in each one at least. The lens could be a problem.”

“Hmm.. I have an idea, Sir Trenton.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“You find as many lenses as possible. Have several lines set up. One for seeing the light cones. Then they move on to feel the pain from the next station.”

“That can work, Richard. All right, go and find out what we have in the storage sheds. Then report back here. Then we'll go to the next step.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton!”

The staff stands at attention. They turn around and talk with the one hundred that did the demonstration.

They agree they need to check out the storage sheds quickly. The one hundred turn around and run to the storage sheds to check the inventory in them.

They see several candles in mugs in each one. They also see a couple of mirrors in each one as well. When they look for the lens, they only find two in each one. They are used for making a crude telescope. They did find plenty of light crystals stored away. But, there are no paper tubes in any of them at all.

They run back to the military staff to report the inventory count. They agree it is better than expected. They just need to find enough paper tubes to do that part of the demonstration.

The staff reports back to Sir Trenton the results.

“Well, that is better than expected. I think we can find those tubes, or make some more. They're not hard to make anyway.”

“We're going have to expand or make more stations to accommodate them all sir.”

“You're right, Sir Palinar. After we do the walk through with the stations. We'll use them to help set up more stations.”

“I agree, Sir Trenton. They will have to be on rotation and be patient for the time being. Dealing with two thousand at once is another, now it is five thousand. Fortunately our three dining halls can accommodate them in two shifts.”

“Is Master Chef Beharn ready for such a huge influx of knights?”

“He is, Richard. He has been preparing since the call has been put out to the other Castle Lords to send their knights here. That was done while you were flying here from your world. He has done this before. Don't worry, there will be plenty to eat.” He smiles at me.

“I see.” I smile back at him.

“All right, let's get ready for the concept demonstration. We'll scattered about evenly through out the training field. We'll have the knights divided up by Castle Lord and the King's Knights. Then divide them into fifty man groups within the brigades.”

“Yes Sir.” They all respond at once.

“We'll all meet in front of the observation tower first. We'll explain what we need to accomplish. Fortunately most of the additional stations out there are already built. We'll just add to it what we need for the light weapons.”

“Yes sir.” They all respond as one again.

Sir Trenton walks up to the mounted pedestal. He takes the mallet and hits the bell. “Bong!” “Bong!” “Bong!”

The Legion stops what they are doing in the fields. They come running up to the observation tower. They form their brigades behind their banner. Sir Trenton, his commander staff, Renard and I walk up the steps to the top platform level. We see the Legion settle into place. Once Sir Trenton sees that they are all there in neat rows and columns. He looks to Sir Valmar and nods his head up and down.

Sir Valmar shouts out loud, “Thryson Legion, Attention!”

Everyone snaps to attention.

The leadership sees that all is in order.

Sir Valmar shouts out loud again, “Thryson Legion at ease!”

Everyone goes into a relaxed stance. They all look up at the top platform.

“Thryson Legion, we have a lot to do in the next few days. As you have probably heard by now. There is a star ship at the edge of our star system. It is poised to do damage to our beloved star system.”

The Legion then begins to look uneasy. Sir Trenton sees it.

“Have no fear. Twainor sent the call out to our Outside Helpers. Of all who responded, only ours showed up in time. Some of you will remember him when he was here last time. I present to you Richard Moore!”

I step forward and wave my hands. Everybody cheers, claps their hands and dragons roar out loud.

“Thank you, Maker!”

“Thank you for coming, Richard!”

Sir Trenton raises his hands to quiet the Legion, which they do.

“Like I said, we have a lot to do get ready. Richard has provided us a starting point in training for this. Who knows there might be an opportunity for the dragons to help and defend Twainor.”

The dragons roar in approval. The Legion join them in cheering them on. They quiet down when they see Sir Trenton raises his hands again.

“Richard, will be in Correlle Kingdom tomorrow morning. He will be entering the scout ship that was found there yesterday. Hopefully he will find a way for us to bring the fight to them. So, until then we will keep ourselves occupied with training.”

“In two days, we will pick out one hundred men from our Legion. There will be full representation from us, including the Castle Lords brigades and dwarf warrior brigades. Each squad will have four knights and one dwarf warrior.”

“Why is that? We will be dealing with close quarter fighting there. As Richard provides us new information, we'll plan accordingly and introduce new concepts and strategies.”

“Right now we're going to have a demonstration of the concepts of what light weapons can do. We have one hundred chosen already to assist our staff. This does not qualify them for further training on our sea vessels. They have been divided among your brigades. They will take you to an assigned area here on the training fields. There will be fifty knights in each group. Pay attention to the concepts. They're very important. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. We'll be here to help.”

“After that, remain in your groups. You will then be taking a tour of the stations that we have set up so far. Some might seem familiar, some of it will be new to you. Follow the leader of your group to each station. We should get done in time to have the evening repast.”

“Once you review the last station, you're free to get ready for the evening repast. Then bright and early like we have it every morning here. We'll begin training at second mark after sunrise. So, get your rest and eat well after wards. So, let's begin right away with the concepts Legion. Sir Valmar, dismiss the Legion to their group leaders.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton. Thryson Legion follow the group leaders we've assigned to your brigades. Thryson Legion, you're dismissed!”

Then the brigades begin to break apart into groups of fifty. They follow the group leader to a position in the training field. Once they arrive at the spots, they begin the demonstration of the concepts.

We begin to hear basically the same thing that we have heard already. Some grasp the concepts easily, while some have a difficult time with it. Slowly, they see the reasoning behind it. When the group leaders do the demonstration with the lens and cloth. You hear everyone screaming in pain. Suddenly, it dawns on them what the light weapons can do to you.

Most of them agree this concept demonstration is very good. Some think it will be useless. Their main argument is that this just another excuse for different training methods. Also some think there is no star ship coming their way. They want proof that it exists.

Sir Trenton and his staff hear these arguments. They realize they need to do something quick to stem this potential division in the camp. This is the last thing they need, because it will slow down the training sessions tomorrow.

Once the concept demonstration is over, the group leaders begin to do a walk through of the stations. You can hear them arguing there are not enough stations for everyone, a rotation must be used until more are made. They like the idea of using the smoke spell to see the light beam path to judge the angles.

It takes about a full mark to review the stations. Once they reviewed the last station, they break apart to get ready for the evening repast.

“You're invited to eat with us Richard and Renard in the dining hall.”

“Shouldn't we tell King Tierion and Queen Shiranna? They might be expecting us to eat with them. I'm sure there will be more opportunities several days from now.”

“Hmm.. that's a good point, Renard. Then we'll make plans to have Richard to be here as well. Besides, we need to get Sir Halgren up to speed first.”

“So, until then, Sir Trenton. I will wait patiently to prove my worth again.”

They all laugh together. “Well said, Richard. See you again soon.”

“That we will my friends.”

They put their hands to my shoulder. I do the same thing by putting my left hand onto their shoulder.

“Thanks for everything, Richard.”

“You're welcome.”

We nod our heads together, we then break apart and go our ways. Sir Trenton and his staff walk towards the dining halls. Renard and I walk towards the main castle.

“That should keep them busy, Renard, for the next two days.”

“Yes it should, Richard. Thank you for being here.”

“Your welcome. Well, let's see what is served up this evening.”

I follow Renard to the side door entrance where we exited earlier this morning. We walk down the hallways until we reach the Main Dining hall. We open the doors and walk inside. We see the King and Queen there talking with Sir Drexton. Also, Trianna and Amber are there as well. They turn to face us as we get near to them.

“So, how did it go on the training fields, Renard and Richard?”

“It went well, my Lord. Richard, did an excellent job in explaining the concepts to them. The other kingdoms can't wait to get started to begin training their own legions.”

“I'm sure we'll hear the din of the metal clashing with metal for the next few days.”

“That's probably true, my Lord. But, at least with the light weapon exercises it should be quieter in some ways.”

“Well we heard them screaming with pain from the lens and sun demonstration. Come, let's sit down and eat.”

We all sit down in the same seats from this morning. Renard remains standing.

“You may begin, Wizard Renard.”

“Yes, my Lord. We thank you today Maker that Twainor has an opportunity to fight for one of your gems in the heavens. We pray for our Legions as they begin to prepare. Give them the strength and courage to prepare for that day. We thank you for the food that you have provided for us. Thank you, Maker.”

Everyone responds, “Thank you, Maker.”

The servers come out and serve the first course. It is a light salad with usual assortment of toppings on the greens. However, the oil dressing on top is lightly spiced.

The attendees come out and fill our cups with cold mountain water or wine. We talk among ourselves of the latest events.

“I just received several contacts from the kings, Richard. They want me to thank you for providing the concepts on the light weapons for their Legions.”

“You're welcome, my King. I would be derelict in my duties if I didn't. This potential conflict is too important to ignore. Everyone must be prepared to help out.”

“Yes, we must all be prepared.”

When we get done with the first course, the servers come out to take our plates. When they come back, they bring the main course. It is a fish dish that has been grilled with spices. It is blackened a bit to make the outer layer a bit crunchy. The inside is still tender and moist. The vegetables on the side are cut large and grilled as well.

We enjoy the dish very much. The conversations continue while we eat.

“Amber, how has the news been received among the First Ones so far?”

“It is not too bad, King Tierion. We try our best to herd the wild animals to other locations away from the villages and towns. Most of them get the message they need to move on.”

“That's good, Amber. If they get too close to our own flocks, they get spooked which will add to the air of excitement.”

“Yes, we have seen it before. If this star ship comes within the Twin Moons, that will really set them off.”

“Yes it would, Amber. Thank you for what you have done so far. We realize this is just a scout ship that made us nervous. We'll have to have nerves of steel to remain calm as much as possible when that star ship shows up.”

“You're welcome, King Tierion.”

We continue eating the wonderful meal prepared by Master Chef Beharn. When we get done, the servers come out to take our plates away. They return with bowls of fruit for each of us. When one of them is placed in front of me, I see it is cut up for us. The seeds and rinds are removed for us as well. I also see a light dusting of brown powder on top of them.

I try a taste and eat one of the pieces. It is not cinnamon, but it is a very good spice. It does go well with the fruits.

We all enjoy the desert immensely. Even with the pieces eaten, the fruit juices mixed together on the bottom with the spice is excellent. We enjoy spooning the last drop on the bottom of the bowl.

When we get done, King Tierion looks to one of the attendees. “Please have the Master Chef come out so that we can thank him for this wonderful meal.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

She turns around and walks into the kitchen. A little bit later the Master Chef Beharn and the kitchen staff walks in and lines up in front of us.

“Thank you for this wonderful dish. It tantalized all of the taste buds.”

“Thank you, my Lord. It was a pleasure to serve you again. We look forward to serve you again.”

“Just to let you know, Beharn, Richard, Renard and Trianna will be in the Eastern Kingdoms tomorrow and possibly the next day.”

“Thank you for telling me. I will plan accordingly.”

We all begin to clap and cheer for the wonderful meal.

They all bow their heads again and smile. They rise up, turn to the left and enter in the kitchen. We get up and walk out of the dining room. We exit the castle through the front doors and walk out to the courtyard.

We look around and see the sky clouds change its colors while the sun sets in the west. We look east ward and see the wall of colorful lights approaching us. Soon we are enveloped in the swirling mass of colorful streams. I see several birds flying through the air, they display the tendrils from their wingtips. Amber does the same thing. She dances and sings while flying through the air.

King Tierion and Queen Shiranna dance together while Amber sings. I also see Renard and Trianna get close together as well. They display a different color combination while they dance. As for myself, I see different colored lights emanating from my finger tips. My hair feels electrified, I'm sure it emitting little sparks of color as well.

After awhile the wall of colorful lights leave the courtyard. We see it race west ward towards the Thryson Mountains. We see the dragons flying through the air interacting with it. When it reaches the mountain range peaks, the Ethereal Space lights up like a crown all along the ridge. Then it disappears.

Then we see the stars, the nebulae shining brightly in the night sky. The Twin Moons are shining brightly as well. We all clap and cheer for a wonderful display from the Maker. We also hear the Legion as well cheering and clapping near the training fields doing the same thing.

“Well, you three need to get bed soon if you're going to be in Correlle Kingdom tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, it is going to be a long day, my Lord. We'll definitely need to sleep well tonight.”

We all back inside the castle. We meet Sir Drexton the Chamberlain waiting for us in the foyer area.

“Wasn't that another beautiful sunset my Lord?”

“Yes it was, Drexton. Will you please escort us to our rooms this evening. These three will need to get bed soon.”

“Yes, my Lord and Queen. Please follow me.”

We follow Sir Drexton. King Tierion and Queen Shiranna walk arm in arm. Renard, Trianna and I follow them. Amber is flying near us. We walk up the stairs on the left hand side of the foyer area. We turn left and walk down a hallway with many doors on the left hand side and some on the right.

We come to a stop by the same rooms we slept in last night.

“Good night my friends. I will be in the King's Council Chamber at the start of the fourth watch.”

“We'll set the sleep spell to wake up before then. Hopefully we can get about seven marks worth of sleep tonight my Lord.”

“All right Renard. See you all there in the morning.”

“Good night, my Lord and Queen.”

“Good night, Richard. We hope and pray for a successful visit to Correlle Kingdom.”

“Yes, we hope it is a successful visit. Good night, my Lord and Queen.”

“Good night, Trianna and Renard.”

We walk into our rooms and close our doors. Renard and my room have an interconnecting door. Renard opens it. Amber flies into my room.

“Well, let's get everything set out and ready for the morning, Richard.”

“Yes, I don't want to be thinking too hard that early in morning.”

“Same here, Richard.”

“I can sleep here on the extra pillow, Richard. Just place it on the other chair.”

“Okay, Amber.” I place the second pillow from the bed and place it on the chair I won't be using in the morning.

Amber glides down to the pillow and sits on it. She watches me undress as I get ready for bed.

I take off my clothes and fold them up. I take off the breast and back plate and set it on the bed. I detach the padding from the plates. I fold them up and put them in the drawer. I sit down on a chair and take off the boots, I set those aside. I then take off the pants, fold them up and place them in the drawer.

I take out the night shirt and undershorts. I lay those on the bed. I put the satchel on the chair for a reminder. I open the drawers again and see the clothes are clean and ready to wear.

I look in the drawers to make sure the gifts are still there. I walk over the dresser to clean myself up for the evening like I have done the last several days. I find it a little unnerving that I'm being watched, but I get used to it. At least I turn my back to her as I put on the shorts. I think she is becoming attached to me like a good friend at least, Maker.

She is, Richard.

I then put on the night shirt and shorts. I turn around and pull the covers down from the bed. I see Renard walking in looking similar to me.

“Well I'm ready, Renard, for a good night's sleep.”

“So am I, Richard and Amber. We'll try to be quiet when we wake up Amber.”

“I know you will try. I'll miss you until you return.”

I take a small hand cloth from the top of the dresser and put it on the pillow next to her.

“We'll miss you too, Amber. I think we're becoming good friends, Amber.”

“I think so too, Richard. Good night to you both.”

Amber lays down carefully as she folds her wings in. She lays on her
side as she falls asleep. She pulls over the small hand cloth for a covering.

I get into bed and get under the covers. Renard stands near me. He puts both of his hands above me. He recites the sleep spell and the time to wake up in the morning.

Soon, I'm asleep. I have many good dreams of being home again. I see my family again as we relive the moments in our lives.

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 7
By Rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

Even though I wanted to sleep in a bit more, I wake up very early the next morning at the urging of Renard and Trianna. Amber is still asleep in my room. But she knew we are gone when she woke up. We have our break fast meal in the Main Dining room before we leave. We had to leave early because Lord Keltan’s Kingdom is about four marks ahead to the East. They made sure my satchel had the essentials in it, money, contact sphere, light crystal and some simple natural foods that will keep well for the first noon repast, etc. They were impressed with what I brought along as well.

We walk down the hallways being led by the night guard. The guard opens the door to the King’s Conference Chamber where we had our meeting the other day. In the Chamber we see Lord Tierion and Caltron talking to each other. Then they turn to us as we walk in.

“We have come to see you before you leave. We wish you all a speedy discovery of the enemy’s plans and how to thwart the impending calamity.”

“Thank you, Lord Tierion, I am sure Richard will be able to seek out their weakness. We will contact you at the noon repast for an update on how we are doing, which should be your break fast.”

“That is fine, Renard. Any information is greatly appreciated; I will relay it to the other Kingdoms as soon as possible. Have a safe journey. I had a talk with Lord Keltan. He will have rooms set aside for you when you retire for the evening. That's if you're spending the night there.” The three of us nod our heads in agreement.

“Farewell, you have the blessing of the Maker and the First Ones. Return safely with great news.”

“Thank you, Caltron,” Renard, Trianna and I bow our heads to them as they do as well. Then we raise them.

“Before I forget, when I woke up this morning, Amber is still asleep in my room. She knew we were gone when we left.”

Caltron and Lord Tierion raise an eye toward me. “I’ll make sure she gets a safe escort to the forest.”

“Thank you, Caltron.”

Renard walks over to the table displaying the crystal spheres for the Kingdoms. Renard contacts King Keltan by picking up their sphere and raising his right palm facing sphere and recites the incantation. The image of Keltan appears above the sphere.

“Good morning, Lord Keltan.”

“Good morning to you too, Lord Tierion. Are you ready for the transport?”

“We are. Richard is here. Renard and Trianna are coming as well. They will assist him as well while working with your kingdom’s wizards.”

“I have no problem with that. All the help is needed if something goes wrong.”

“I agree. This is new territory for all of us. I wish you and your kingdom well in this venture.”

“Thank you, Lord Tierion. You be well also. Have you spotted the star ship yet?”

“It takes some great magnification with the Seeing Stones. But, yes, we have spotted it. It appears as a small sparkling gem against the darkness. It is where Richard said it would be. It tried to hide in the field of rocks out there, but it is noticeable.”

“Good, we will all keep an eye on it. That way at any given time, our world will keep it under watch.”

The King turns to Renard, Trianna and Richard, “Are you three ready for transport?”

“Yes we are, Lord. Richard, please place your hands on our shoulders for a group transport.” Richard places a hand on each shoulder. Renard and Trianna begin the spell; soon all three are gone in a blink of an eye.

All three are now flying almost half way around the world toward the rising sun. If they had taken the traditional means to travel, it would have taken them almost one week’s worth of sailing to get there. When using the transport spell, you become invisible. But you can see others who are with you or other people using the transport spell.

Soon the three friends see that they're arriving at the King’s Chamber Room. In a flash, all three appear in the room.

“Welcome to Castle Correlle, my honored guests.”

“Thank you, Lord Keltan. Where is Wizard Eldwin?”

“He is with one of the prisoners at Lord Dryden’s Castle, Renard. We were able to remove them from their small ship; all four are separated and are in separate castles and Kingdoms. They’re kept in a special room with no means of escape.”

“That's good. How far away is the small space craft from here?”

“It is located in one of the caves in the Grand Correllianne Mountains. It is guarded by several dragons. They know they must keep it whole. They are itching like crazy to demolish it, heh, heh.”

We all chuckle in the room. “I understand that. All dragons want to do something new when presented the opportunity.”

“Master Wizard Thaygard will take you there now. I will have an evening meal prepared for you when you retire this evening.”

“Thank you, my Lord.”

“Wizard Thaygard, please transport our three guests to the cave.”

“Yes, my Lord. Everyone who is going to the cave, please be together.” We all join hands and Renard and Trianna put our hands on his shoulders. Thaygard recites the transport spell and soon we all disappear. We start flying to the East, toward the mountains. We fly across the landscape and see that all is well. Soon we see some dragons flying around one of the cave entrances there. We make our descent and approach one of them, then in a blink of an eye we appear at the mouth of the cave.

Standing in front of us is three very large dragons at the entrance. Seeing them in pictures is one thing, but seeing them for real is a bit unnerving for me. We step forward and we are noticed by them.

“Greetingsss Thaygard, I sssee you have come for a clossser inssspection of thiss ssstrange craft.”

“We have, Lord Dragar. We want to go inside the craft and see what information we can retrieve so that our world will be saved.”

“Then do s-so, Thaygard.”

We all walk inside the cave. In one of the branches not far from the entrance we see the space craft. The three of us stand by while Thaygard walks up closer. Thaygard then puts his hands together and recreates the sound spell and emits the four sounds to open the door.

“That’s interesting, using sound as a door key. That is a unique approach without using a mechanical device.”

“We have traditional mechanical keys also, and keys that are magnetic. You’re always learning something new.”

The others nod their heads as well.

Upon entering in the space craft we see words written on various objects and the control panel.

“I see your confusion on the writing. I was able to connect with one of the prisoners to learn their language. Here, allow me. I will share their language with you.”

Thaygard recites the language spell and touches the forehead of Renard, Trianna and Richard while he touched his own. Soon, everyone can read and speak the language of the intruders.

“Thanks, Thaygard.”

“You’re welcome, Trianna. Where do you want to start, Richard?”

“I was told this ship is on reserve power only. That means there should be enough power to access the on board computers and run minimal systems like life support.”

I point to a station, “I will begin with that one there indicating the Commander.” I sit down in the chair in front of the terminal. I push a circle symbol near the corner of the glass console and the console is powered up with various multiple lights and displays. “Great, now let’s check their history logs and see where they have been. You might not realize it, Thaygard, you also gave me some passwords to gain access to the data.”

Going to the menu and selecting Historical Records, I scroll through the data; I see some alpha text I have not seen before. “Have any of you seen this text before? It has the title of worlds where they have been before. It looks like they scanned their computers and add it to their own and translated it for their use.”

The other three gathers around behind me and sees several different alpha text groupings.

“I do Richard. I recognize at least two of them right away. They were part of the gathering of the worlds when the Maker invited the Outside Helpers to aid us. The Emissaries showed them to us before they left.”

“You know what that means? I have an idea, but I want to hear it from you.”

“It means that those two worlds and their star system no longer exist.”

“That’s right, Renard. According to this log, they take all natural resources in the star system for their own consumption and use it while searching for another system to consume.”

“By the Maker, they … they’re hungry animals,” as Trianna tries to get the words out with emotion. “What of the people? What happened to them?”

“It is in another section,” scrolling through the data. I find it, “Here it is. According to this record about ten to twenty are taken from each system, this is to replace the ones who get old on the star craft or can’t give birth to regenerate their own kind.”

“What?!?! They rely on other planets to repopulate themselves? What kind of enemy is this that enslaves and kills people?” Trianna tries again to control her tears and emotions.

“I don’t know, Trianna. But we need to know more about this enemy and how their authority is structured and their history.”

“Yes, we need to know who is in charge of this star ship,” as she fights back the tears.

“Why don’t you three access those data stations over there and see what is there? Don’t forget to use the passwords to enter in or you will be blocked out.”

Soon all three sit at a data station and start to access the information.

“I have here that their weapons on board can create some serious damage. But it is their star ship that does the destruction of the planets and stars.”

“Does it show any weakness, Renard?”

“It really does not. They have four check points before you get access to their weapons control. There are other safety measures if any get compromised.”

“Does it show how to overload the system when fired? I am thinking the scout ship is similar to the star ship out there.”

“Yes, they’re the same design.”

“Great, now we have a reference point. Look into those four check points. I beginning to think they are structured that way.”

“Yes, good idea Richard, I will look into it.”

Typing some more, I find the access to the historical record. “Friends, I think I found their historical origin and where they came from.”

“Where did they come from?”

“Well where they came from is easy; just follow the path of destruction. They came from a star system that was dying. They built the star ship to travel and hope to find a new world to settle on.”

“That’s understandable. I take it something went wrong along the way?” asks Thaygard.

“Yes, they encountered a world they were not prepared for. They encountered a biological virus that practically wiped out their population. Only ten of them survived out of thousands. Their leader required constant energy to maintain his life support system. Well the virus caused him to mutate and get bigger. They were able to find a way to maintain the leader from getting too big. But in the effort to do so, he consumed too much energy of the reserves on the ship. They had to find more.”

“But to find more energy, they need more people to maintain the ship and the leader. The nine members of the crew were able to go to an uninhabited star system and retrieve the energy there from certain planets. But that was inefficient. They needed more people. So they devised a plan to conquer and enslave a portion of the populace at the next system.”

“I bet they encountered a problem there, as well.”

“They did Renard. The enslaved populace rebelled by not working for them. So the original crew members inserted implants at the base of the neck to effectively control their minds. It took some trial and error to get it right. Some were able to kill themselves when the slaves realized what is going on. But with the last two, they found a way to control them.”

“Oh, how barbaric. That is a sad story, Richard. Richard, I will keep looking in the records.”

“Richard, I looked into those four check points. It is the basis of everything, leadership, security, supplies, etc. But to get access to the original records you must have all of the passwords. If not, they are designed to block out all attempts. The passwords we know only got us this far.”

“That’s all right, Thaygard. I will look into it. It may take some time, but I will figure it out. Thanks.”

“Time might be in short supply if they start destroying our star system before we have a chance to discover how to shut them down. Have you found anything at the Commander’s station yet, Richard?”

“I think I did. I found some of their conquest records. You’re familiar with distractions to hide your true intentions?”

“Of course, it is basic to perception and deception.”

“All right here is the premise. You are a general with four platoons to guard the base. You would use three platoons to make sure the other does not falter. Each platoon supports the other. If one platoon is heavily attacked, the other three come in for support.”

“All right, so far so good. How does that get you into the base?”

“Would it stand to reason that if a war goes badly, there is an emergency exit or a secret tunnel to escape?”

“Of course, if all four platoons are heavily damaged. The leadership will need to escape and survive.”

“Well, if these four check points get so heavily attacked, they have to suffer some sort of damage. For me to take over a computer system, I have to make sure my attack goes deep into their software program for it to be a success.”

“Do you think their security program will account for every possible type of attack?”

“It is possible, Renard. But I bet they never encountered a civilization that could match them in sophistication like we have from my world. It will be a test of my knowledge and creativity that is for sure. If I can master their program, then I know what to do to make it stronger for the next generation.”

“So if these people see their computer systems being controlled by someone else, their leadership will try to escape and start all over if they can.”

“That is a possible outcome.”

“I think there is one prize to go for. We must find a way turn off the implant devices that control these abducted people.”

“Yes, Richard, then that will definitely end the crisis. But what about the people on the star ship, what if they still want a world to start over on?”

“That's a very good question. I doubt our world will welcome them, unless it was agreed by all of the kingdoms. Of course some of them could be encountering magic here for the first time. Will they be responsible if they want to learn it?”

“Either way it is a decision by all of the kingdoms.”

“Richard, we’ve been at this for three marks or so. Let’s take the noon break. I am sure we need to give a report to our Kings.”

“I agree, Thaygard. It is a good time for a break. It will help clear my head. I want to start attacking the security program right away. I am going to see if I can isolate a station from the other stations that way I won’t get any interference from the rest of the ship. I could trigger a countdown and the ship will get destroyed before we have a chance to know more.”

“It is a good thing we brought our food with us. It will revive us for the next couple of marks.”

Everyone agrees to the idea. Thaygard and Renard take out their crystal spheres to contact their respective Kings and recite the spell to make it a conference call.

Renard and Thaygard put their right palm above the sphere and focus on their crystals, in a few moments the image of King Tierion and King appear above the crystals.

“Greetings, Renard, how is it going?”

“Greetings, Thaygard.”

“Greetings, my Lords, We’re contacting you both during our noon break to give you an update and some information that will need some decisions on.”

“What have you found out so far?”

“We discovered their basic structure. It is based on the number four. There are four check points in the security program and everything else. Richard is going to try and isolate one of the stations and see if he can figure out how to gain access to the data and controls.”

“That is good news so far. Anything else we should know about them?”

“Yes, we discovered part of their historical record. When their original star system was dying; they were able to build a star ship to escape and search for another system. But they encountered several problems along the way.”

“That’s interesting. What problems did they encounter?”

“The first one was a biological virus from a star system that decimated their population from two thousand to ten survivors, including their leader.”

“That’s incredible. What happened next?”

“Well, the virus did cause their leader to grow very large. They were able to stop his growth, but it left them short on certain resources to keep him alive.”

“That is sad to hear. Go on.”

“When they found themselves low on certain resources, they started to harvest various different elements from other star systems. But found themselves they needed more people to do the job. So at the next inhabited star system, they captured and enslaved some of the people. When they did not cooperate, they devised an implant to control them. Some of them killed themselves when they saw what was happening. Through trial and error they found a way with the last two survivors of the slaves.”

“What? Not only they are taking the wealth of the star systems, they are enslaving and killing the people as well? That is not right!!”

“There’s more, my King. Remember the First Gathering of Outside Helpers? The Maker was able to bring about two dozen star systems in our local area to implement this.”

“I do remember it very much.”

“So, do I Lord Tierion.”

“Well it seems that two of the star systems in our group are now dead. The intruders were able to enslave a small portion of their population, though.”

“Yes, it is true. We were able to find the data entries where they saved their archived historical records. I recognized their language and the translation.”

“Do you know if these two worlds belong to our other Outside Helpers?”

“I don’t know. I need to verify it with our Kingdoms.”

“Lord Tierion, we must find a way stop this madness.”

“I agree, Lord Keltan. Hopefully Richard will find a way to gain control.”

“My Lord Tierion, Richard made a suggestion to end this quickly. If he can find a way to turn off the mind control implants, then the control of the enslaved people will end.”

“That is an excellent idea, Renard.”

“But that brings another problem up that will have to be discussed with the Kingdoms. The people can’t go home. Their star systems are dead. Should they continue to search for a planet to rebuild their lives? Should we allow them to settle here, or divide them among our local star systems? I can go on, but I think you get the idea.”

“You’re right, Thaygard. We need to discuss this with the other Kingdoms. I am sure some will be welcomed here, but some will not.”

“There is another consideration as well my Lords. Twainor is a magical world. What if the new comers are against it; or not responsible with such available power? That would put us at risk as well.”

“I agree, Renard. Thank you for bringing it up. We’ll have another Council of the Kingdoms tomorrow morning. We will let everyone know what we decide on if all goes well in stopping the intruders.”

“Well, I think that is enough for now. We will wait for the next update this evening at the Setting.”

“Yes, my Lords. We pray that Richard is successful in his endeavors this afternoon.”

“Yes, we will spread the word to the other Kingdoms.”

The images disappear above the glass spheres. The four resume having their noon meal. Richard is especially quiet while the others talk about what they found out so far. Renard notices his silence.

“Richard, are you all right? You have been quiet lately.”

“I’m sorry. I usually go into this quiet thinking mode going over possibilities to solve a problem. But, I realize it does not get solved until I try something. I’m also trying to remember some of the tricks I learned to gain access to an unknown system. These four check points are new to me, well at least that many. Other programmers try various tactics to protect their data. But most are too linear in their approach. This program is three-dimensional, so there are other paths to consider. If I can understand the first check point and get past it, it will provide me a template on how the other check points are set up.”

“I see, well we won’t bother you for now. We do the same thing when presented with a tough problem. Just speak up and we will listen.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.” I open my satchel and remove the pad of paper and pencil. I start by writing the steps I will take to decode an unknown system. It is a short list, you send in what you know and see what the response is. Then you change tactics based on the result. After several attempts, hopefully a pattern will emerge on the host program. From that, you devise a means to gain access. The steps repeat themselves until all avenues are investigated. It is very simple in approach. Hopefully I will be able to find a way today. I am being counted on to help bring a stop to this potential travesty. Please, Maker, give me the insight into their secrets of their computer system. Hmm … I know what I need. I need some tools.

After we all ate and got cleaned up, I speak up. ”I need to find a locker here somewhere. Everywhere I have gone, there has to be a tool box in case something goes wrong. Whether it is for the ship or any other system, there has to be a resource to troubleshoot. With the complexity of such a ship, I doubt if they have the brain power to remember every little detail. This tool box could contain anything. So, let’s see if we can find it.”

We all split up and start opening up lockers, cabinets, anything that we can open. After a quarter mark or so, “Richard, over here, I think I found it.”

We all walk over to where Trianna is standing. We look down and see a floor locker open with various different tools. Some are tools to work in the engine room and weapons. But the prizes I see are some electronic devices. “I knew it. Thanks to the Maker. Thank you, Trianna.”

“You’re welcome, Richard,” she smiles.

“These people are not too far in technology from my world. One can be very advanced, but basic tools are needed to solve the most complex problems. I just have to figure out their purpose and put it to use. Even though their symbols and words are different, the Maker made sure there are basic laws throughout the Creation to follow. It’s what make his Creation a beauty to behold. It all has a perfect order. The only time chaos comes into play, is when you try to break one of those principals. I am sure you heard that before.”

“You’re right, Richard. Thanks to the Maker. Is there anything for us to do?”

“Well, it would be nice if you can find a way to copy the historical and conquest records and get them stored onto your crystal spheres. Then you can retrieve them for later use or have it printed out.”

“That is an excellent idea, Richard. It will allow us to share it with others and to remember the two star systems that were part of our local group and the others as well. We know exactly which crystal spheres we need, Renard.”

“Yes we do. Trianna, stay here while we go get those crystal spheres. We’ll be back shortly. How many do you think we need, Thaygard?”

“Let’s bring ten each to be on the safe side. That should be more than enough. If we need more, we can always bring more.”

“Yes we can. Let’s go to my castle since it is the closest. Then you can transport back to your place.”

Wizard Renard places his hand onto Thaygard’s shoulder. He recites the transport spell. In a blink of an eye they are gone.

“Now that they are doing that, Trianna, you can still go through the historical records and see if there is anything that gets your attention that we should know. I will be trying to find the schematics of their systems layout so that I can isolate this station.”

Trianna sits back down at one of the stations and starts paging through the historical records.

While she is doing that I have a closer look in the locker that has the electronic devices. What I find are some small boxes. When I open one of them, I find a set of rectangular pieces of glass. I wonder if these are it. Well there should be a reader here somewhere. I take the small box out and bring it over to the Commander’s Station. I set the box near by, open it and take one out.

“What do you have there, Richard?”

“I found this in the bottom of the locker. I don’t know yet, but they remind me of your crystal spheres.” I hand one to her.

“Yes they do. Do you think these are the schematics you are looking for?” She hands it back to me.

“I don’t know. I need to find a reader to see what’s on these glass cards. Let’s take a look at the consoles. They might have it there.”

We look over the consoles. Everything is a smooth surface, not a slot to put this in. Then I notice a square shape design the same size as the crystal cards. “Trianna, I think I found it. Look in the upper left hand corner of the console.”

“Yes, I do see it. It appears to be the same size.”

“I am going to place one of these crystal cards in that space. Hopefully that is the answer.” I place the crystal card there and it stays there despite the slope of the console. Instantly the square space lights up and shines through the card. Then the data screen changes to a two dimensional picture. “That’s it. This is a schematic drawing of the pathways. But I need to display it in three dimensions to really understand it.” I look next to where the card is being lit up and see a cube symbol next to it. I push the cube symbol, then the data screen turns off, and then in front of me a 3-dimension picture appears before me. “Yes, this is great. It is the cube symbol next to it. Now I can see what I need to do.”

“That is great, Richard. Praise to the Maker.”

“This 3-dimension technology they have is great. It is one of the questions I have back home. This is how I am going to improve it. But I must focus here and now and save those ideas for later.”

“Yes Richard. But do you understand the symbols?”

“Not yet. But a circuit is a circuit.”

“What’s a circuit?”

I think for a moment, “A circuit could be anything. Let’s take your world for example. You have a river with ports and towns along the length of the river. The river is the path to get from one port to another along the way. A circuit is the same thing, but in this case the water is the electricity.”

“I see, so what you are trying to do is to isolate the station so it does not get any interference from the others. But I’m guessing stopping a river is harder to stop than electricity.”

“That’s right. I can tell from this diagram and symbols that this represents a system near the engines. So I need to look through the rest of the cards and find the ones for the stations.”

I take the cards out one by one and place them in the reader. Trianna goes back to look through the historical records. I eventually find the card for the stations. I look underneath the console and find the access panel. It is easy to remove, just press against the surface, the small magnetic latches release the panel and I am able to see underneath the console. I get another surprise when I look inside.

When I saw the 3-d diagram on the crystal cards, I should have expected this. Everything I see is fiber optic and laser conduits. Well, there is no problem here. This is what we have been moving toward to for some time. But these components are generations ahead of us, but we’ll get there eventually. Now to find those text and drawing documents, it should describe what I need to do.

I get back up and look at the 3-d diagram. Okay, I see the symbols for the display monitor and the control panel layout. There is the bus connector to the main CPU for the station. So far so good, there has to be a feed from the stations and the ship itself. I page through the schematics. There are the CPUs' to monitor the engines and the weapons. There’s no fiber optics directly connecting, unless. I page some more. That’s it. There’s the answer. This is truly a 3-dimensional system; it’s all wireless with laser conduits for the larger power loads. I love it. Besides, I just saw how they created the 3-dimensional images. It is just like our holograms but with more clarity and finer than ours. That will be easy to do back home. Now I need to find their programming core. It should be on this card. I page through the images again, then I find it. Eureka, this it. Again this is a 3-dimensional program. We have something similar, but ours is a linear top-down approach. I recognize those loop patterns easily. This is too much. I can imagine how to create a 3-d computer with what we have now. I can innovate from there. Now finding those emitters for the signals should be easy . . . yes, there it is.

I get back under the console to look for the emitters. Now that I know where to look, it was easy to find them. I am surprised to see no fiber optic cabling between the stations for backup, but it is their choice. If there is redundancy, it is somewhere else; unless it is through the wireless system or the laser conduits.

“Trianna, I think I found out how to isolate the station. I want you to pay attention to your console and tell me what happens. I’m going back under and try something to block the connection.”

“All right, Richard. Just don’t get yourself hurt down there.”

“It should be safe. I just need something to block the signal effectively. I will take a look in the locker and see what is available.” I look into the tool locker box to see if by chance something is in there. What’s this, well what do you know? They did plan for everything. I take out a small package out and open it up. I was right again. This will definitely block the signal on the emitters. I sit down on the floor again and look inside again where the emitters are.

“Okay, Trianna, I’m ready.”

“All right, Richard, I’m looking at the monitors.”

I place the object in front of the emitters and attach the clip to the frame of the emitters.

“The monitors flickered, but now I get a message on the screen.”

I get up and take a look at the monitors to see what she is seeing. “That’s it. I isolated the Commander’s Station. The other three are now monitoring the ship. This is great. Now I can concentrate on the security program alone. You should be able to continue with the historical record search now.”

Trianna pushes a button on the console. “Yes, I can. Thanks, Richard. I can see now why the Maker brought you here.”

“Yes, I’m glad the Maker chose me. Now I’m ready to solve their security program.” I sit back in the Commander’s chair at his station. I continue to page through the program core. There . . . there is the security subroutine. There are four of them nested, I expected as much. Now let’s see how it is structured. After a few moments at looking at the programming scheme I find their weak point. I shake head my in disbelief. I am surprised they did not cover for that hole in the program. I am sure someone brought it up at one point. But who is to say how old this program is. They probably don’t have anyone qualified to upgrade their systems if there were ten survivors from the original group. Well, I know what to do now to take control of their systems without using the passwords. I just need to write the file that will allow me to do that and use our passwords.

During my concentration at looking at the screen, Thaygard and Renard return with the crystal spheres they need. They walk through the door that they opened and reseal the space craft. Upon entering I hear their clothes rustling which tells me they are back. Trianna puts a finger to her lips to indicate to them to be quiet. They nod their heads and step away from me.

When I get done looking at the file, I immediately reach for the pad of paper and pencil to write down what I need to do. When I got done with that, I give a big breath and sigh of relief. I turn around to face my friends and smile.

“Good news, everybody, I found it. I found out how to overtake the systems without using the passwords. It took some doing, but Praise to the Maker, it is possible.”

They smile back as well. We all stand up and hug each other.

“Thank you, Maker.”

“Thank the Twin Moons.”

They all gave thanks and praise.

“That is great, Richard. We came back with the crystals. We told our Kings what we wanted to do. They gave us some extra crystal spheres to make sure we make copies of the historical records for all of the Kingdoms.”

“Yes, by all means do so. I found the troubleshooting diagrams as I suspected in the tool locker box. It is these crystal cards.” I pick one up and show it to them. “It showed me how to isolate the stations if I wanted to. Then I found the security program.”

“Yes, it is similar to our crystal spheres. That is excellent, Richard. What is the next step?”

“I need to use this station and write a file that will self-execute and replicate. It will be coded so that it can slip through all four check points because of the hole that I found. Once it gets through, it will spread throughout the system. It will wait in silence until we send in the command for the takeover.”

“That is great, Richard. But do they have means for retaliation?”
“That depends on what I write in the file to control certain systems. Since they have hand-held weapons, it won’t reach there. But it can disarm the onboard weapons, the engines, even the escape pods on the ship, even the monitors and the on board force fields.”

“What about the mind control implants, can it turn those off?”

“We need to examine the four crew men that you removed. That will be our test case. It looks like these implants are independent from the star ship. It would be easy if everything is controlled on the star ship or from this scout ship. But I am guessing at this moment.”

“Why don’t we get the historical record copied while you take a break Richard, you deserve it?”

“Thanks.”

Trianna walks to the station she was at and pushes the cube symbol next to the screen. Then a 3-d image of the text and images appears. Renard places a crystal sphere underneath the image and recites a short incantation. A spherical glow appears superimposed on the data image. Then Trianna starts paging through the historical records while it is being recorded onto the crystal spheres. Soon, they copied the entire historical and conquest database onto three separate crystal spheres. It is a massive amount of information, it was incredible the speed that it went through.

Making copies from the original crystal spheres is the easy part. They line up the crystals in three columns with the original three on the top row. With another spell, they make twelve copies of the historical records. They put three crystals into one soft velvet bag, for a total of twelve bags.

“Well there it is. The historical and conquest records are copied. We were given word, the four Dwarf King’s don’t need a copy of these crystals at this time. They can get a copy from us later if they need it. Let’s lock up and get back to my Lord’s Castle. We have one of the prisoners there. Do you think you will need any of the tools in the tool box Richard?”

“I don’t know. I am not a surgeon. We are dealing with a life now. If that implant got turned off or removed some how, I do not know what the result is going to be. I doubt the information for the implants would be here. It is probably in a health center on the star ship.”

“I understand that very well Richard. When we touched their minds to learn their language, we sensed two minds at war. But one is louder than the other.”

“I think we can all understand that very personally, Thaygard.” I look at Renard and Trianna and smile at them. They nod their heads in agreement as well as they smile to me.

“If we can remove it without harming the host, then I have a chance to analyze it and see what can be done.”

“Well, let us hope that is the case, Richard. Are we all ready to leave?”

“Yes, I think we are. Let’s take one more look to make sure we are not forgetting anything.”

After doing one more final check, I turn off the power to the scout ship to conserve power. We put on our satchels and walk back out of the space craft. We close the door and Thaygard reseals the hole in the sealing spell on the ship.

Thaygard takes out his crystal sphere and contacts Lord Keltan. “Greetings, my Lord.”

“Greetings, Thaygard. How did it go this afternoon?”

“Everything went fine. We are finished here for the day. We’ll discuss the results with you and King Tierion when we get back. We will need an escort to the prisoner in our castle; we are ready to take a closer look at him. Richard was successful in finding the weakness in their security system.”

“That is good news. I will have the guards in the conference room ready for you. See you soon.” The image goes blank above the crystal sphere. Thaygard walks up to Belgaron the dragon.

“Greetings, Belgaron.”

“Greetings, Thaygard. Was it a good day?”

“Yes, we are finished for the day. Richard had some good success for today. We will be back tomorrow morning at first mark to continue the information gathering. We are getting close to stop the destruction.”

“Yes, that is good news to hear. We will keep the craft safe. Be well everyone. See you all tomorrow morning.”

“Be well, Belgaron and your clan.”

We all bow our heads to each other. I put my hand onto Renard’s shoulder. Then Renard and Trianna put their hands onto Thaygard’s shoulder. Thaygard recites the transport spell and we all vanish in a blink of an eye. We fly back to Lord Keltan’s Conference Chamber. When we arrive and appear, we see two castle guards standing at the door entrance. They come to attention as soon as they see us. Lord Keltan, Lord Tierion and Master Eldwin are there as well. I guess it is no surprise to see Lord Tierion and Master Eldwin. Another surprise is seeing the twelve commanders of Twainor there as well. They all want the information first hand instead of waiting for it.

We let go of our hands. We all bow our heads slightly upon seeing the Kings and Master Eldwin. Thaygard speaks to King Keltan.

“My Lords, Richard has found a way to take control of their star ship systems without them knowing about it.”

“That is great, Richard, congratulations.”

The commanders cheer and clap as well.

“Well done, Richard!”

“Congratulations! We knew you could do it!”

“You’re welcome, but the job is not done yet. I will need to make another trip to the scout ship to write the program tomorrow morning. Then we need another conference on how to deliver the program or any other people from here to the star ship safely.”

“That is a lot to consider, but like you said we need to make plans.”

“Quick question, has everyone learned the language of the enemy?”

The others look around. Some made a gesture ‘no’.

“We have not been given the exchange yet.” About six or eight commanders speak up.

“Well, let’s share it so that everyone can understand what is being said on the crystals we give you.”

Renard, Trianna and Thaygard walk around the room and recite the language spell to any who needs it. The guards already have the knowledge from Thaygard when the prisoner was brought in the first time.

“Commanders, here are the copies of the historical and conquest records.”

“That is great. We’ll start with that.”

“Hopefully, it will reveal some of their tactics.”

We hand them a bag each.

“Thank you, Richard.”

“You’re welcome.”

“We’re ready to see the prisoner, take us to him.”

Lord Keltan turns and looks at one of the guards, “Guards, you may proceed with the escort.”

“Come this way.” The first Guard opens the door, the second guard walks out, and we all follow behind him. Once we leave the room, the first Guard closes the door and follows behind us. They lead us through several corridors, stairs and ramps through the castle. We see a guard at the entrance to the holding area underneath the castle. He opens the door for us.

We walk down a hallway and see doors with small windows evenly spaced apart with glowing crystal spheres near the doors down one side lighting the way. On the other side of the hall I see rows of small squares near the top seam of the wall and ceiling. In the wall I see some different colored stone blocks that seem to indicate a door out line if connected. Near one of the colored blocks is a small shelf extended with a small depression. Large enough to hold a crystal sphere. A guard stands on both sides of a doorway.

“Well, let’s take a look and see how he is doing?”

A guard takes out his contact sphere and places it on the small shelf. He recites an incantation; then an image of the prisoner appears. He is lying down on the mattress asleep. The other commanders take out their contact sphere to get their own view of the interrogation. They connect to the crystal sphere on the small shelf.

Looking at one of the guards, “Guard, we are ready to enter; please come with me to be on the safe side.”

“I understand,” he switches places with the other guard.

The two guards that came with us remain in their positions on either side of us.

“Lord Keltan, Lord Tierion, Trianna and Commanders, I want you all out here to help out just in case as well.” Lord Keltan, Lord Tierion, Trianna and the others nodded their heads. “Guards, Thaygard, Renard, Richard and I are coming in. We need to examine him to see what can be done. He has an implant at the base of his neck that is controlling him. We are seeing what can be done to release him from this control.”

“Yes, sir,” all guards answered back.

“Trianna, please has this encounter recorded. We need a record for proof and playback.”

“Yes, I will do that, Wizard Eldwin.”

Trianna gets out a crystal sphere and gets ready to recite the incantation when we enter into the room.

“Richard, before you transport into the room. What can you tell us about mind control and implants from your world? It might help us understand what is going on here.”

“Yes, Lord Tierion, this idea of mind control has always been tried by various different means throughout the ages. The first one is the simplest. You constantly berate with questions, situations or conditions until they give in and tell you want to know. But even the best trained mind can thwart that.”

“Yes, that has been used for centuries here. I guess that would be common on most worlds.”

“I am sure it is, Lord Tierion. The second is the use of drugs. The simplest drug is alcohol, like very strong wine for example.”

Everyone nods in agreement with that.

“But even that is not reliable because of the side effects and how long they last. The last one is the device that is used here. It could be a small capsule that is sending out a signal. Or the capsule could send out a special drug to enhance the effect as well. The devices do wear down and stop functioning until it is replaced or gets recharged. There is always the problem of knowing how the original thinking of a mind gets changed. Does it go back to normal before the control? Or does it change the personality once it is removed? There are several possibilities. This is where we need to be careful. We are dealing with an entire ship full of these people.”

“I agree, Richard, it is a problem. But, we must make an effort to save them and ourselves. Master Eldwin, Renard and Thaygard do the best in examining the prisoner before it is removed or turned off. Ask questions and see if he responds to them. Maybe we can help him to find a way for his original voice to be heard.”

“That is a very good idea, Lord Tierion. All right, let’s go in.”

We all link ourselves together for the transport in. Trianna recites the recording incantation and has it linked to the Guard’s contact sphere. In a moment we vanish in a blink of an eye. When we enter into the room, we discover there is plenty of room for all of us. The guard walks up and stands near the head of the prisoner. The four of us walk up to the prisoner and kneel down to examine him closely. He is still asleep, or so we thought.

Then all of a sudden he opens his eyes and not moving a muscle. He looks around to see what his situation is.

“Do not worry, Tran. We have come to examine you to make sure you are in good health.”

“How did you know my name? How come you can speak to me and understand me?”

“That will be explained later. Please trust us; we have nothing but good intentions. But we do know your plan to destroy our star system and steal the wealth.”

“What? How is that possible? Our security is fool proof.”

“We will try to answer your questions, Tran. But the first question to be answered is that we had outside help to understand your computer systems.”

“What? Outside help… whom? Wait a minute; that one does not look like the others. He turns his head to Richard. “You’re the one who helped them. You’re not from this planet.”

“No, I'm not. I come from a world that is advanced, but in some areas we are still improving. My specialty is computer systems and security.”

“That makes sense for now. We were located behind your furthest moon cloaked. We were trying to determine how you communicated around the world. At a particular frequency we detected the rays of light going around your world like a web. Then in the next instance about a dozen rays of light shot straight out into space in all directions. I guess,” pointing at Richard; “you were contacted at that time.”

“Apparently I was. I came as soon as possible. I will let my hosts here explain their world. But there is something we need to do. Did you know there is a mind control implant at they base of your neck?”

“A mind control implant? There can’t be. I know we put implants into some people whom we conquer to add to our population.”

We look at each other and give each other a nod with a slight grimace.

“Well, we can prove it to you.”

“How can you?”

“Have you heard of magic?”

“There is no such thing as magic. Everything has an explanation scientifically.”

“It does here, Tran,” answers Master Eldwin.

“How can that be? It is always attributed to slight of hand and distractions.”

“That may be true on most worlds. But this world gives us the ability to use magic.”

“What? You’re saying that your planet is magical?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, prove it to me.”

“All right, sit up and lean up against the wall and stay still. I am going to move you around the room.”

The rest of us move aside to make room. Wizard Eldwin raises his hands toward him and starts to recite an incantation in a strange language. But, I recognize it as the same language when I learned to use my contact sphere, but the words were different. In a moment Tran starts to be lifted into the air.

“What, the… this is impossible… b… but it’s happening. Incredible.”

Master Eldwin moves Tran from one corner of the room to the other and back again. He then sets him down.

“You have my complete cooperation. You may examine me.”

“Thank you, Tran. Will you please lie down on your stomach so we can take a look?”

“Sure, give me a moment.” Tran lowers his shirt part way to reveal his neck and shoulder. He then lies down on his stomach with his hands to his side.

Wizard Eldwin kneels down and leans forward. He moves the hair away from his neck. He takes his finger and touches his skin surface lightly. “Yes, I do feel a small bump at the base of your neck. Renard, Thaygard and Richard you can feel it right here.” He points to it.

We all bend down and touch it to confirm it. “Yes, it is there, Eldwin. Tran, reach behind you and you tell us what it is.”

Tran reaches behind him and touches it himself. “That’s the mind control implant? I thought it was part of my neck bone structure.”

“Eldwin, I have an idea so that we can see it without removing it.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“Can you take a crystal sphere and superimpose the scan onto the back of the neck? Then with the incantation take a picture of the neck. Then we have a recording of it. By looking at that picture closely we can see how it is placed in there and determine what to do next?”

“I remember that. You told Ariella how to do that. If you just wait a moment, I will do that.” Eldwin takes a crystal sphere places it near his neck and recites the short incantation. Soon he has a copy of the implant. “You can get back up Tran; you can take a look at it as well.”

Tran sits up and we all gather around to look at the image. “Yes, that is the implant that is put into the people we capture. How come I was told it was part of my neck?”

“I think you were told on purpose, basically it is a lie. I think you were also told that this is normal. However, it is programmed. The leadership has you thinking otherwise.”

“We found the historical records when they first devised it. The first group they conquered gave them problems. There were more than two thousand people on board in the beginning. But at one planet they tried to conquer they encountered a virus that wiped out their numbers down to ten, including their leader.”

“But their leader experienced a horrific growth problem. To keep him alive they just about used all the resources on the ship.”

“You mean tell me that the Supreme’s star ship is just collecting resources to keep him alive? What?!?!...even if he cannot move?”

“How many are left of the original crew, Tran?”

“It is hard to say. I would think the General is one of them. There could be others, but I am not sure. What was the purpose of the star ship in the first place?”

“Their original planet was dying. They built the star ship to seek a new home. But they encountered the problems that we mentioned.”

“Oh this is too much… owww!!! My head!!! …. It hurts!!” Then he puts his hands to the side of his head. “Help me… I think I’m pass…” He slumps down…. Then a small different voice comes forth. “Help me…” Then he is quiet and does not move.

“Quick, we have to remove it. I think a fail safe program kicked in to kill the host when he learns the truth.”

“How do we do that, Richard?”

“When you do the scan of the neck again, use the transport spell to remove the object itself. But keep it enclosed in the Ethereal Space. We must be ready if it does something else.”

“Right, Richard; quickly lay him down as before.”

We come forward and positioned Tran as before. Wizard Eldwin puts the crystal sphere near his neck and displays the location of the device. He put his hands above Tran’s neck and focuses on the small bump in his neck. He recites the transport spell. After a moment or two, “I’ve got it.” Then in the next instant, the bump disappears. “Thaygard, create a sealing spell around the basin of water. I am going to put it in there. Be ready Renard if anything else happens.”

“Yes, I’m ready.” He steels himself to put another sealing spell around Thaygard’s sealing spell.

“Excellent idea, Eldwin, hopefully the water will act as a buffer.”

Wizard Eldwin then transports the device into the bowl. Once the implant hits the water there is an electrical explosion with some smoke coming up from the water. We all look into the water bowl and see the device has exploded into many small shards and pieces.” Thaygard and Renard remove the sealing spells.

~~~000~~~

“General, I just received a signal from the scout ship.”

“What does the signal match to, Tek?”

“It matches Tran’s bio-file.”

“That's good, Tek. That means the scout ship is still there.” Hah! That means Tran is dead. So far so good, our plans are safe.

~~~000~~~

“I was afraid this would happen. It would be nice to find a way to reconstruct the device. We can learn a lot from it. We only have three more to work with.”

“Yes, I have a spell for that. We sometimes use this spell if there is an accident in construction of a building. We modified the spell for something unknown. It does come handy to save a life quickly. We assigned our wizards in training to those tasks where they are needed.”

“Good, proceed to reconstruct the device. But, can you do it without putting the shell around it and the power cell in it? That way it can be examined more closely.”

“I think I can do that, Richard, hold on a moment.”

Wizard Eldwin recites the spell; then the implant device is reconstructed magically just like Richard requested.

“That is great, Wizard Eldwin. Now let’s take a closer look at it.” I reach down into the water and retrieve the device, the shell and the battery. Everybody gathers around to look at it.

“That is amazing, Richard. That is a very small device. I wonder how Tran is doing.”

We turn around to pay attention to Tran. We still see him unconscious and lying face down. “I better do a check up on him.” Wizard Eldwin turns him over with the Guard’s help. He checks for a heart beat near his neck. He smiles, “Yes, he is still with us. We’ll let him rest until he comes around. Hopefully he will recover from this ordeal.”

“I hope so too. What do you hope to learn from the device, Richard?”

“I will need to take it back to the scout ship. Hopefully there with the equipment and tools, we can get a better idea how to shut them off without hurting more people. You saw what happened when Tran learned the truth.”

“Yes, we must find a better way. What time is it? I think it is getting late in the day.”

“Let’s check in …”

Then all of a sudden, Tran wakes up in a fright. “Mother, father where are you? Our world is being destroyed!” He looks around quickly. “Where am I? Who are you people? This does not look my home world.”

We all look at each other with worried faces, then back to Tran. The guard stiffens up and gets tense, ready to respond.

“No, I think I know who you are. Was I talking with you a little while ago?”

Eldwin kneels down to his level on the mattress. “I’m afraid it’s true. Your star system and world was destroyed. The people who conquered you also took some of your people to help operate their star ship.”

“No. That’s not possible. We would have killed ourselves to prevent being enslaved.” The guard relaxes, but remains alert to any sudden movement.

“Somehow they were able to restrain you while they put this implant control device in the back of your neck.” I show it to him.

Tran looks at the device. “They put that in me? How did you get it out so quickly?”

“I was able to remove it with magic.”

“What? Magic does not exist. Everything has an explanation.”

“Normally, I would say yes. But our world is magical. It gives us the ability to do the impossible. Everyone on our world has the ability to do magic, but it depends on the person who can master the simplest spells to the most complex.”

“For instance my friend here, Richard, is not from this world. He can only master using the contact sphere and other simple spells. But he cannot do the transport spell to move himself from one place to another.”

“Moreover, when I go back to my world, I will lose these abilities. This is because my world doesn't have magic.”

“I see. You said they took others from my world to enslave and do their works? We must go and release them.”

“We very much want to and quickly. They’re on the edge of our star system getting ready to consume and destroy us soon. Will you help us to find a way to stop this madness?”

“Tran, they have conquered many other worlds besides yours. That device almost exploded in your neck. We were able to remove it before you were killed.”

“Killed? What kind of people are these? Wait, you said you need my help? What can I do?”

“Do you remember anything before you woke up?”

“I think I do, but the memories are faint. Like it was a bad dream; if I remember right, I was on a scout ship scanning a world with two moons.”

“Good, you do remember. Recovering the rest of your alternate memory won’t be so bad. It is just a matter of you accepting them or not.”

“How would you do that? Would you use magic?” He tries to smile.

“We could, but that is not necessary. It’s just a matter of relaxing your mind and recalling those thoughts and events that you’ve had.”

“So, if you are ready.”

“I’m ready.”

“All right, now lean back against the wall. Close your eyes; breathe deeply. Go back to the day you were captured.”

“Yes, I remember it clearly. I’m in the yard area between buildings. I see people running around from building to building in a panic. I see a light beam from the air. It is searching around looking for people because I see someone disappear in a moment. All of a sudden it comes to a stop on top of me.”

“What happened next?”

“In a moment I disappeared and appeared in a room. I see people pointing guns at me.”

===<<<<<<<>>>>>>>===

“Come with us. We won’t hurt you.”

“No, why did you take me? Who are you people?”

“Come with us and you will live. Your world is dying.”

“You’re lying! Our world is fine. We saw you destroy the other planets in our star system. Unhand me you monsters!!”

“That’s enough! Come with us!”

===<<<<<<<>>>>>>>===

“Then the next instance I felt a small shock and I passed out. When I woke up, I felt I was a member of their crew as I always was. Soon I was assigned to be part of the Scout Ship team to look for a star system for us to find more resources.” He gets quiet again.

We all look at each other with concern faces. Then we look down again as he wakes up.

Tran stirs again. He looks up at us. “Now I remember!! Everything! I even remember my earlier conversation with you. Tell me what you need. I will help you find a way to stop this horror.”

“Do you think there is an effective way to remove these devices or turn them off without harming the other people on board?”

“I doubt that you have enough wizards to do it. There are more than one thousand people on board.”

“I think there is a way. Earlier in the day I found a hole in their security software. My initial plan is to send a program that will self-replicate and hibernate throughout the star ship. One possible thought is to hitch a ride on the Scout Ship undetected send in the file hidden with another file. Then send in the command to disable all major systems on board to stop them before they destroy our system.”

“That is possible, Richard. But with this new problem of the implants, we need another plan.”

“I agree, Tran. But first we must go to your other crew mates and release them from the mind control. Perhaps with their help as well, we can come up with a new plan.”

“I have question for you, Tran. Is it possible that some of the worlds that the people come from might be enemies? Because that will add a new wrinkle to the problem once the devices are disabled.”

“I don’t know. I would have to check the historical records to make sure. That would be a problem.”

“There is something you might not be aware of. With Richard’s help we were able to copy the historical records from your Scout Ship.”

“Did you find anything useful there?”

“Two of the worlds you conquered were part of our local group. About a year ago our time, the Maker of the Universe allowed us to come together to establish the Outside Helper for our worlds.”

“More than likely, if not our world, another world will have the means to stop the star ship before it destroys another star system.”

“I see, here the people could be saved, but with another star system we could have been killed and no … no… one would remember us at all.” Tran starts to cry. Then he stops suddenly; then he bangs his fist on his knees in frustration. “No! It will not happen again! We must go and release the other crew mates, hopefully they will see truth.”

“We will do that, but that is late in day now. Are you well enough to eat a real meal? We have two of our Kings with us who would like to meet you. There is a total of sixteen kingdoms on our world.”

“I don’t think so. Not until we release the other crew mates, then we can meet them.”

Master Eldwin brings out his contact sphere and recites the incantation. Soon the images of both Kings appear from the outside hallway.

“Greetings Tran, welcome to the planet Twainor. I’m King Keltan of the Correlle Kingdom.”

“Welcome Tran; I’m King Tierion of the Thryson Kingdom.”

“Greetings, Kings, I’m sorry I can’t be more hospitable. I will not have a proper meal until my other crew mates are free from the implant.”

“We understand that. The water is there for you, we will provide bread and fruit if you desire.”

“Thank you Kings, the bread and fruit will be enough for now. This room will suit my needs for now. Let me know when the others are released and we can be together again tomorrow.”

“We’ll let you know. See you tomorrow, Tran, good night.” Tran lies down on the mattress to fall asleep.

“Good night.”

We all group together and Master Eldwin transports us back to the hall. We reappear with the others.

“Well done, everyone. The day ended on a positive note.”

“Yes, thank you, Lord Keltan. We’ll need to take a closer look at those records and makes sure there are no enemies among the population.”

“Yes, by all means do so. Come, it is time for the Setting and evening repast.”

“We have a lot to consider Lord Tierion. Richard will need to go back to the Scout Ship to write the program. We need to go to the other crew mates and release them from the mind control devices.”

“Yes, once that is done, we need a conference to plan our attack to the star ship and deal with the problems there. We only have the Scout Ship to get us there.”

“Well, let’s give it some thought. We still need to react quickly. They could start destroying our system before we are ready still.”

Leaving the two guards by the room, we all leave the holding area and walk back up to the main hall and the dining room area.

Sir Trenton walks besides me as he talks with me. “Well done, Richard. You showed us how we can remove the implants.”

“You’re welcome, Sir Trenton. We have something similar on my world to take a picture of the implant. Your magic allows it to happen faster. However, removing it will be tricky; you won’t know what will happen next.”

“True, but it gives hope that it can be done. Let me introduce you to the other Commanders of Twainor.”

Richard is introduced to them all and they thank him. However, two of them express a different sentiment.

“Richard when you here were last, I was very skeptical of your abilities and knowledge. We started to listen to our fishing captains and saw the catches that were brought in. We saw creatures that we have not seen before.”

“But when we saw the sea dragons come forth near the islands, we finally understood that we don’t know our world at all.”

“Please forgive us, Richard for not believing.”

“You’re easily forgiven Commanders. Like I said before, even on my world, the oceans are always the last frontier to discover.”

“To think our former Kings and Queens started a war without proof. They were told a bunch of lies by Ruald after they had eaten wild animal meat. The loss of life then is unthinkable today. We all learned a lesson that day. Thank you, Richard.”

“You’re welcome. But if I remember right, Ruald forced your former royalty to eat the wild animal meat.” I smile to myself and feel really good that I accomplished something meaningful.

We walk into the dining area and we see a long table set up for everybody. King Keltan sits at the head of the table. His Queen sits in the chair to the right. Lord Tierion is to his left. I sit on the same side with Renard and Trianna as Lord Tierion. Thaygard and Eldwin are opposite from us. The rest of the Commanders sit where they wish.

Eldwin is given the honor of giving Thanks to the Maker.

The meal was wonderful. On the table the chefs bring out a selection of various fruits, vegetables and meat dishes. Fortunately Renard warned me the dishes here have a different flavor and spice groupings than Thryson Kingdom has. It was not too hot, but some of the dishes did get my host’s attention.

“Are you all right, Richard? I hope it is not too hot for you?”

“No my Lord … ‘coughs’ … I will need a glass of water a little more often.” I take a sip of water. “On my world it is the same problem. Each region has its own unique flavor and spiciness. I was just not ready for yours. Now that I know, I will be more careful.” I smile and give a laugh.

Everybody chuckles at my discomfort and I laugh with them.

“I’m glad we had a successful day. How long do you think it will take to write that program, Richard?”

“It shouldn't take too long, probably about a mark at the most on the sundial. We should get the other crewmen interviewed quickly as possible within two or three marks at the most.”

“Yes, when that is accomplished we will need to come together and come up with a plan. We all have another long day tomorrow.”

“Lord Keltan, we’ll have to do the World Conference at Lord Dryden’s Castle, since it is our world’s capital. Perhaps set it for the noon repast or the next morning?”

“The next morning should do, Lord Tierion.”

“Yes, we must do that. Everybody agrees to that?”

“Yes, we agree.” Everybody assents for the Grand Council to be held at Second Mark the morning.

After awhile, with the meal finished. King Keltan asks for his Master Chef to come in for some thanks and praise.

When we get done with that, we get up and follow King Keltan to a parapet on the castle wall. We watch the Setting of the Sun and see the dazzling display of lights throughout the sky and among ourselves. It is gorgeous to say the least, just like back at Thryson Castle. Since the mountains and cloud patterns are different here, it did provide a different color scheme.

“That is gorgeous, Lord Keltan. I saw last night’s Setting. It is just as different here as it is there.”

“That is beauty of it. No two Settings are the same. It will be different here tomorrow night. Our artisans have tried to capture the color in paintings and in the art work. You should see them.”

“I will do that when I get the chance. I don’t know if you remember this. Your First Ones remind me of the ones we have for our myths and legends.”

“I remember that Inquiry you had last year, Richard. I can see why the Maker sent you to reconnect your world with our world.”

Once the dusk has settled and the light show is done, we walk down the parapet and back into the castle.

“I bid you all a good night’s rest. The guards are instructed to lead you to your rooms for the night.”

“Good night, King Keltan, thank you for your hospitality.”

“Good night, my friends; see you all at first mark of the morning for break fast.”

“Good night.” Everybody responds.

The guards leads us to our rooms. This time I was given a room of my own with a view of the forest and mountains when I look out the window. The crystal lights are already lit in the room.

I see the last of the sunset is slowly fading to darkness with the stars ready to light the night sky. I walk out to my window and look above me and I see the Crab Nebula and Horse Head Nebula in all its glory. I wish I could take a picture of it and bring it back with me. But I would probably be questioned endlessly on how I was able to do it from a different perspective and closer. Oh well, at least it will provide me a great memory.

I undress myself and give myself a wash and rub down with the hand towel, soap, basin and a pitcher of water. I dry myself with another towel. I walk to the other pitcher of water and pour out a glass of water. When I put the pitcher down, I see that level returns to the original height. Obviously they put a spell on it to keep the pitcher full at all times.

I take the cup of water and bring it over to the table and chair to drink while I am writing. I put on a night shirt provided in the dresser drawer. I fold my clothes and but them in a drawer. I recite another incantation and my shorts and undershirt are now clean and dry. I put those on for the evening.

I take out my pad of paper and pencil and start to write down the program that will be needed to infiltrate their computers.

I would not be surprised if we all come to agreement very quickly on how to get to the star ship. But please Maker; please let tomorrow be a very successful day. Time is running out.

After about half a mark I am finished writing out the program in a computer language that I know. Okay, I will have to wait and see for tomorrow morning. Hopefully their computer language is similar. If it is different, I will adapt. But at least I have the outline of what needs to be accomplished. But because of the hole that I found, hopefully this self replicating EXE file will work in their environment. But, that is the purpose of testing it on the Scout Ship before it gets sent to the star ship.

Well, time for bed. Goodnight my friends. Tomorrow is a brand new day.

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 8
By Rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

The sun comes up from the East, casting the long shadows across the landscape from the tops of the Correllianne Mountains. Slowly the land wakes up to the dawn of a bright new morning.

The morning light show of the Ethereal Space provides its brief colorful display in the sky. Swirling and stretching like ribbons of a rainbow everywhere. The sunlight reaches the First Mark on the sundial in the castle courtyard; the color display ends and moves westward.

The light of the sun cast its bright beam of light onto Castle Correlle. Renard comes into Richard's room and sees he is still asleep. He smiles. He walks over to the curtains and pulls them apart to bring in the morning light.

“Ugh, did you have to that? My ears picked you up when you opened the door.” I turn my head toward Renard and narrow my eyes. “Okay, okay, I'm up. That light is bright enough.” I smile and chuckle at Renard's attempt of morning humor.

“Good morning, Richard. Yes it is bright. But it is better than yesterday morning.”

“That's true.” I throw the light cover off and sit up facing the window. I let the light slowly wake up the brain. Soon I get accustom to the brightness. I get up and walk over to the window where Renard is looking out.

“Yes it is a beautiful morning. I want to keep seeing it.” Then I took a deep breath, “sigh . . . ”

“Yes it is beautiful. We all want to keep seeing this beauty.”

“Well, I better go get ready.” I walk back and take off the night shirt and drape it on the bed. I open the dresser drawer and see the cleaning spell on the dresser cleaned my clothes from yesterday. I take them out and put them on the bed. I wish it was this easy on my world. I take a mint type leaf from a bowl on the dresser and put into my mouth and chew on it. I then walk to the private room within my room to take care of my body functions. I walk out and pick up the shorts and shirt on the bed and put them on. I then put on my breast and back plates and attach them. Then I put on the ranger clothes, the boots and the medallion around my neck.

Once I was done with the mint leaf, I walk to the private room and throw the used leaf into the receptacle. I walk back out and stand in front of the mirror and begin to comb my hair.

Renard comes up behind me. “Well, are you ready for another big day?” He smiles.

“Yes I am. Let's go have the morning repast.”

We walk out of my room and walk down the hallway and we are soon walking with Master Eldwin, Thaygard and Trianna.

“Good morning everybody,” smiles Master Eldwin as he greets us.

“Good morning Master,” as we all respond at the same time.

“There will be a Grand Kingdom Council tomorrow morning at Lord Dryden's Castle. Hopefully we can all come to agreement to a plan on how to stop this horror.”

“That sounds good, Master Eldwin. Hopefully the star ship does not move until then.”

“We hope so too, Richard. As soon as you write your program, we'll need to get to the other prisoners.”

“I understand.”

We all arrive in the dining room and we see King Keltan and Tierion there. But we also see two other nobles and ladies there as well. We also see the twelve commanders of Twainor. They're standing in front of the table all talking together. They turn their heads and themselves to the door when they see us come in.

“Good morning. I've invited the Lords and Ladies who hold the other prisoners so that they know what is going on as well. I also invited the twelve commanders as well.”

“That is fine Lord Keltan. We wish it no other way.”

“Richard, I would like to introduce you to the other nobles. This is King Dryden and his Queen Lorinor of the Angathorn Kingdom and Capital of Twainor.”

I bow my head slightly to both as they bow their heads slightly to me.

“This is Lady Corissa of the Antarte Kingdom. Her husband Lord Nazar could not be here this morning. He had to attend to a personal matter in his kingdom.”

I bow my head slightly to Lady Corissa as did she.

“And this is Lord Beltrane of the Evenshard Kingdom.”

I bow my head again slightly to him as did he.

“Welcome back Richard to Twainor.”

“Thank you, King Beltrane.” I bow my head to him as well.

“These are the twelve commanders of Twainor which you met yesterday.”

“Come let us partake of the morning break fast.”

We all take our seats on the long table. Master Eldwin gives Thanks to the Maker for the meal and for a new day.

Soon there are multiple conversations going around the table while we are eating. Even I am drawn into a few of them. The other nobles whom came, ask me questions of my home world and how it is like.

“So, Richard, I hear from Lords Keltan and Tierion that your world is not ready for an official invitation to join a Local Group.”

“I'm afraid it is not Lord Dryden; until we stop all hostilities and wars, it will not happen. In a way it is better to choose a common man like me instead of our diplomats for now. Time is needed to plant seeds for future generations. We have more than 150 nations with three billion people. But there are attempts to bring unity. We have a United Nations Assembly. But they have no real authority or power to effect real change in the other countries. They try to bring peace to the world, but it is difficult because of the pain that wars bring mistrust and hatred afterward. Many people and some religions still consider that Earth is still the only living planet in the Universe.”

Most of the commanders look at each other and smile and nod as if remembering a past memory.

“You have different religions on your world?”

“Yes we do. It is very complicated. The sad part is you can have one religion that says theirs is the 'true way' and the others are 'false'. Either believe in our way or die. There are others who tried to get along through no fighting at all. Some use the Maker's name to bring their version of the Creator for their own means and wealth.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.”

“Yes, but there is hope, Lord Dryden.”

“How so, Richard?”

“Well Lord Beltrane, it is coming from within on several fronts. First are the scientists and the astronomers. They're using telescopes, and other types of equipment to look into the night sky. They've discovered other star systems with other worlds, but that is all that they see right now.”

“So, the seed is planted that you're not alone, right?”

“That's right. All is needed now is contact with another star system.”

“If I remember the last time, you were here. You mentioned the magic on your world was probably removed.”

“I remember saying that. When I came back to my world, the last time I was here; I started to do some research. I read many stories; the magic was there about five thousand years ago. It was not recorded directly, but you would recognize it from the results. You would have to do a comparison of all of the stories through out the world to get a sense of it.”

“So it was like a large puzzle scattered across the ages and through out the world?”

“That’s right Lord Keltan. The wizards, magi, sorceresses and others soon became power hungry to the dark side to control people. There were very few who kept the magic true.”

“So, the Maker removed the magic?”

“That is right. Fortunately the true magic is held by at least one wizard and one sorceress. They are also blessed to have long life to make sure it does not fall into the wrong hands. I have not seen him since I was here last time.”

“Well, I see that everyone is finished eating. We'll talk some more Richard, but we must move forward now. Thaygard, Renard, Trianna and Richard are you ready to go back to the cave?”

“Yes we are Lord Dryden. Once we are done there, we'll come back here. Then we need to go to the other prisoners to see if we can safely remove the mind control implants.”

“Yes, Lords Keltan and Tierion told me of the difficulty and the success. Hopefully we can some up with a better means of releasing them. Well, let's see you off.”

We all get up and walk up a flight of stairs and down some hallways. Soon we enter into Lord Keltan's Conference Chamber. It too is similar in decor to Lord Tierion's room with the banners and tables. But it did have its own style.

“Don't worry about us, Richard. The other commanders and I will need to return to our kingdoms. We'll be back at Lord Dryden's Castle in time for the Grand Council.”

“Yes Richard, what you have provided so far is silver. Now we just need the gold lining,” said Commander Krellen.

I started to blush and stammer, “Uh . . . ah Sirs, I think you're piling it too high there. Wait until we're back. We still need to see the other captives. But thanks for that vote of confidence.”

We all laugh and chuckle. But I knew they were trying to encourage me.

The four of us gathered together and joined with Thaygard. The nobles spoke and gave us our blessings.

“Be well and keep safe,” said Lord Dryden.

“May you be successful in what you seek and need to do,” continues Lady Corissa.

“You have the blessing of all of us here on Twainor,” smiles Queen Lorinor.

“Come back swiftly with good news,” said Lord Beltrane.

“Thank you, my Lords and Ladies,” we all respond at the same time.

“See you soon by the next mark,” replies Thaygard.

Thaygard recites the transport spell and we all vanish in a blink of an eye. We soon appear at the cave entrance. We see the dragons there as before keeping watch. They notice us appearing.

“Ah, welcome Thaygard and friends. The craft is still whole within the lair.”

“Thank you, Belgaron and your clan. We're ready to go in and see what we can do to avert the possible horror.”

“Then go, do as you say.”

We bow our heads to the three dragons. We walk past them and see the craft is whole with the sealing spell still activated.

Thaygard opens the door with the sound spell and the door opens. He then creates an opening in the spell and we walk into the scout ship. Thaygard reseals the spell and closes the door.

“All right, I have my notes what I wrote last night. Let me check the tool locker again.”

I walk over to the locker and I see another small box in there. I open it up and see some more crystal cards. “I hope these are blank. It would be the perfect means to write and test the program to it.” I sit down at the commander's station and turn on the console.

The other three friends walk to the other stations to see what new information they can find. They sit down and turn on the stations and begin searching the historical records once again.

I take a card and put it on the console where the reader is located. Immediately it comes up blank. Great the card is blank. Now let's check their programming core again to see how it is created. There should be some help sections. I page through the programming core and find a section on debugging and correcting. I see, even this is a 3-d program. It states here I need to put on the stylus pen tips on my fingers. This will allow me to point where I want to put a loop or a port to a certain ship function. Then use the console to type the commands. This is great, no need for a mouse here.

I look in the box again and I see a small clear box with several metal caps that look pointed. I take them out and put them on my finger tips. I touch the cube symbol next to the reader, the 2-d display cuts out and the 3-d display appears in front of me with a cursor box flashing in the upper left hand corner facing me. I smile and laugh. “This is great, friends. I’m ready to start writing and testing the program.”

“That's great, Richard.”

“I did find that there are some worlds who hated each other. The survivors are on the star ship.”

“That's good to know, Trianna. See if there are comments made on how they handled that situation.”

“Yes, that will be important, Thaygard. Keep digging, we need to know all we can of the original crew.”

“Right,” they all respond together. The chuckle once they realized they said it together at the same time and shake their heads and smile.

I look through the programming core to see how they call the components of the Scout Ship. I see. They use a short hand notation phrase or symbol. The data ports from the ships sensors and functions were easy to find. Now I just need to incorporate that with what I want it to do.

I switch back to my blank card. I decide to write a simple program to see it I can remotely turn off and on the console only while the station is still turned on. This is great; this gives me an idea to throw in surprises with the voice command.

Wait a second, there was something from the historical records that really changed their protocols when approaching an unknown world. Yes, they had an encounter with the alien virus that almost wiped them out. They were able to add another layer of E/M with an antiviral component to the shielding to prevent any future viral outbreak from an alien planet. So, I decide to perform a sensor analysis of the planet's Ethereal Space and save it to a file. This will come in handy when they're on the star ship. Then with a combination of pointing and typing, I soon have it written in 3-d. I close the program and save it to the card. I switch to the programming core.

I page through the programming core, until I find the file. Yes, this is the file. It’s an emergency signal file. Now I should be able to send this from the commander's station to the other three stations. It should work; because this will confirm the back up connection from this station to the rest of the Scout Ship. I'll scramble my program among the signal file so it appears as a weak static signal. When it gets there it will reassemble and proceed to infiltrate their main system servers and processors through the hole that I found. Oh this going to be fun. This is giving me ideas like crazy.

I write the program and scramble it among the distress signal. I then program the destination to the three stations on board here. There I'm ready to test it. I write down on my pad of paper a couple of phrases for Thaygard to say.

“All right friends, this is a test. Since my station has been separated from yours, this program will test several things at once. Just pay attention to your consoles and tell me what happens.”

“All right, we're ready.”

“I’m sending the distress signal.”

Soon a message appears on all three screens and the lights flicker on the Scout Ship.

“Yes, we received the distress signal from you. What's next?”

“Here's the surprise. Thaygard please read what I wrote down on this piece of paper.” I hand the piece of paper to him.

“All right.” He looks at it and reads aloud what is written there. “Computer, this is Thaygard. Computer, reboot to Twainor control.”

Then all of the screens and lights flicker on the Scout Ship and resume to normal.

“All right, now what?”

“Read the next phrase, Thaygard.”

“Maker, turn off all consoles and displays.”

Then all consoles and displays throughout the ship are turned off, but you can still hear the hum of the processors.

“Read the next phrase, Thaygard.”

“Maker, turn on all consoles and displays.”

Then all consoles and displays throughout the ship turned on.

“How did you do that? This is great!”

“This is really my kind of magic. I put in another surprise. Each of you speaks to your station in your own language and turn it off and on with your voice only. Remember I programmed it for Twainor control.”

They did that and they were astonished to say the least.

“You were able to distinguish us from them. How?”

“It is the Ethereal Space, that's the key. I took a sensor analysis of your Ethereal Space and converted that to a mathematical equation here on the ship. I then inserted that math equation into the program, which I sent the distress signal to you. That file soon was reassembled and replicated throughout the scout ship. It can be turned off with another command and it will never be found. It will appear as static in the signal. The program will also sense you or anyone else because you come from this planet. It will generate the Ethereal Space inside their star ship.”

“So, you mean tell us, we can send some wizards and knights or anybody else from our world to the star ship and we can use our magic there?”

“That's right!” I gave a wide smile with some glee in the eyes.

“You're a genius!” They all cheer and hug me. “That will allow us to extend our power anywhere on the star ship in one stroke or just as fast.”

“That's about sums it up. But reaction time from them will be a key with their hand-held weapons. Other than that, you can turn off or on all on board weapons, force fields, etc. All we need to worry about then is to deal with the mind control implants.”

“That's easy, Richard. Once we're on board we can recite a sleep spell to put anybody to sleep however long we want,” as Thaygard smiles widely.

“So, that will add to the appearance of our magic multiplied.”

“But I have a question, Richard. How are we going to get on the star
ship in the first place?”

“Good question, Trianna. Tran provided the answer the other day.”

“He did? What did he say?”

“While he was on his planet's surface, a beam of light appeared on top of them and they disappeared in a flash. It is a type of transport spell that they have in the physical sense.”

“I see, by sending them a signal that the crew is still alive. It will contain your program without their knowledge and sit there until we come on board.”

“Right.”

“But this will give them pause and want to retrieve the Scout Ship and the crew. Take some of our people in the process before they completely destroy our star system.”

“That is one idea, Renard. I have a question, Thaygard. How far can a wizard go when using the transport spell?”

“He can go far as his mind will allow him. But he needs a destination in mind to confirm the end point.”

“Here is my thinking. Let's say they take about ten to fifteen people from here. One of them has to be a wizard or knight. Would that provide an anchor point for other wizards and knights to transport from the surface here to the star ship?”

“That's an excellent idea, Richard. But do you think we can get the star ship to come within the orbit of our twin moons before they start destroying our star system? The First Ones and Master Eldwin were able to detect the Scout Ship when they were behind the furthest moon.”

“It's possible, but they would need a good reason to come here first before they start destroying your star system. What are you thinking, Thaygard?”

“Well, right now we need to get the other crewmen released from the mind control implants. With their help we should be able to come up with information on our planet that would make it very tempting to save our world and the star system for their own greed.”

“I see, greed is a major motivator to disregard all other sensibilities. Well I need to finish writing the program to include the other functions of the star ship.”

They all start laughing as they go back searching through the historical records.

Hmm . . . I better add my voice to the database in the program. This is just in case I get taken as well.

After a half a mark or so, I finish the program and save it to the crystal card. I delete the test program. I then scramble the various subroutines that I created. One is the math equation for the Ethereal Space. The other subroutines are for the functions on the star ship to be under Twainor control, which is everything that the star ship needs to operate. I join those programs together to act as a single package. I then put a header control on the package so that it will go through the hole that I found. I scramble that so it appears as a weak static energy and merge it with the distress signal.

Now when it gets sent, they will receive the distress signal. But my program will now slip through and will attach onto the nearest server. From there it will self-replicate and spread throughout the star ship. The sensor subroutine will activate and add the math equation of the Ethereal Space to their catalogue so it won't flash a warning when it comes on. Then the Ethereal Space subroutine will be in 'sleep mode' waiting for us to come on board to use it.

“All right, Richard, we're done. How about you?”

“I’m almost done. I just need to put a few more commands’ in.” I quickly type them in. Now I just need to put Brin's authorization code that I found to show that it originated from Brin and to save it. I remove the card from the reader on the console and put it in my satchel. “There, I'm done. I'm ready to check the other prisoners.” For some reason I'm forgetting something about this scout ship. I will probably remember it later. Oh well.

I then press a series of symbols on the control to erase the program on the scout ship. When I do that, I see a comment from the on board computer displayed in front of me. It doesn't speak out loud for us to hear the words.

Richard Moore Protocol Program for Twainor Control erased from memory.

I then power down the scout ship again. “Good let's go.”

“Thaygard, I just had another surprise thought.”

“Yes Richard.”

“It would be nice to bring some dragons with us to help out. I think these three will be a bit upset that they can't destroy this Scout Ship right away.”

“I see what you mean. But here is another idea Renard that you just gave me. What if all of the dragons on your world are given the chance to help out in destroying the star ship when the mission is finished?”

“That's an excellent idea Richard and Wizard Thaygard. We'll definitely need to include them,” concluded by Renard.

“After searching through the historical records some more, we found some more details that will be needed to discuss with the prisoners. Hopefully they will give us some insight into what it means.”

“Well that is it for now. We'll need to discuss our findings with the others. Come let us go. We need to give some hope to our hosts here.”

We all walk out of the Scout Ship and Thaygard reseal the ship. Thaygard walks up to the dragons.

“My Lord dragons. We wished to thank you for keeping the craft safe and whole.”

“Can we destroy it now?”

“Not yet, Belgaron.”

They all look down with sad eyes and faces.

“But we have a better idea when it comes time. How would you like if all of the dragon clans on Twainor are given the opportunity to destroy a star ship?”

“You would do that for us?”

“Yes we would. Then once destroyed, the wreckage will then be sent to our sun for final destruction.”

“What of the people on board? Do we get to kill them as well?”

“They won't be on the star ship. After we deliver the people on board to other star systems, who want them. The star ship will return here and then you can destroy it.”

The other dragons look at each other and begin to smile and laugh while smoke puffs through their noses and mouths.

“We still the need the scout ship for bait to bring the star ship closer.”

“Yes, we agree to the plan. We will keep the small craft safe until it is no longer needed.”

“Thank you, Lord Belgaron. We need to go now. We will keep in touch and let you know what is happening. Take care until next time.”

We bow our heads to the dragons and they lower their heads as well.

“Be well Thaygard and friends until next time we meet.”

We all join to Thaygard, he recites the transport spell. We disappear in a blink of an eye. We begin flying toward King Keltan's castle. Their country side is just as beautiful in Tierion's kingdom. We soon arrive at the castle and we enter into Keltan's Conference Chamber. In a blink of an eye we appear in the chamber.

In the room we see our hosts who have not really left. But we get a surprise in seeing Sir Trenton in the room as well with another wizard from Thryson Kingdom. I thought he said we would see them later.

“Welcome back Thaygard and friends.”

We bow our heads to the Lords, the Ladies and to Sir Trenton.

“Sir Trenton, I thought you left with the other commanders.”

“I did, but when I reached my war room, my captain who is reviewing the historical and conquest records come across an entry that caught his attention.”

“I really did not focus on the conquest records because of the time needed to discover their weakness. What did your captain find?”

“Then you probably did not check all of the lockers, because in one of them contains their hand-held weapons and explosive arsenal.”

“You're right, Sir Trenton. We were looking for a tool box for Richard to help him out. We stopped looking in the others to get more information from the historical records.”

“What was in the entry that caught the captain's eye, Sir Trenton?”

“There's a log entry in which the scout ship had to enter into a space cloud to hide from another spacecraft that was pursuing them. When the scout ship entered into the space cloud, they discovered they were vulnerable.”

“Vulnerable? What happened?”

“First their hand-held weapons were totally discharged including their primary weapons on the ship. Their magnetic shielding generator became very weak. They had to use some of their life support system to stay alive. The only thing that saved them was their design of the craft itself as well.”

“I think I know what you are trying to say Sir Trenton. We experienced it as well on my world. We have air crafts that can fly through the air. But the problem is getting near a thunderstorm. The lightning from it is so powerful it can knock out all electrical components and cause the craft to fall out the sky. It he is a good pilot, he still has control of the craft through backup controls. That is why they designed better crafts to withstand this natural power.”

“Yes Richard, when we get our storm season, the lightning can be very bad. We discovered this attraction to the metal spires on our castles. We came to the conclusion that a strong metal wire needs to be connected on the spires and mounted on the outside walls. The other end is buried in the ground to direct its power to the ground and away from us.”

“Congratulations Sir Trenton. You did the same discovery just as we did on my world.” We smile at each other and began to laugh. The others in the room laugh as well.

“So Thaygard, can we go back to the scout ship to see if we can find this weapon’s locker?”

“Yes Richard, let's do it now so it will satisfy our commander's curiosity.”

“Thank you, Thaygard. I knew I was forgetting something in the scout ship. It was the hand-held weapons Are you ready to come with us Sir Trenton? You will see it for the first time.”

“Don't fret Richard, you have provided more than we can hope for when you arrived. You were right about them having light weapons. Yes, I would like to see the scout ship. It will confirm our suspicions about their hand-held weapons.”

This time Renard and Trianna stay behind and explain what I did and what they found in the historical records. We then agreed to interrogate the other prisoners after the noon repast. Then Sir Trenton and I approach Thaygard. We put our hands on Thaygard's shoulder and he recites the transport spell. We disappear in a blink of an eye and start flying back to the cave.

When we approach the cave, we appear quickly before the dragons.

“Welcome back so soon, Thaygard. Did you forget something in the craft?”

“In fact we did, Lord Dragons. Sir Trenton would like to see the craft itself, he said there is something in there that got his interest.”

“Then do so, go and enter in the craft.”

We walk past them and approach the scout ship. Thaygard uses the sound spell and opens the door. He then recites a spell to create a hole in the sealing spell so that we can walk in. Once we are in, he reseals the sealing spell and the door.

“They used sound to open the door? That's interesting, Thaygard.”

“I said the same thing, Sir Trenton, when I saw and heard it the first time.”

We chuckle for a few moments.

Sir Trenton looks about the scout ship. “This ship layout has just enough room for the four crew men. Let's find that weapon’s locker.”

We start opening all the lockers and cabinets again like before, but we come to several that we did not open the first time.

“Here they are, Richard. Check them out and see if they are still working.”

I take a hand-held weapon out and look at it. “There are no lights showing on this weapon.” I point to the small green and red light bulbs on the weapon.” Let me check the reserve energy packs.” I swap the packs onto the hand-held weapon, again no sign of a charge. I even take out one of the testing tools in the other locker to verify the charge. “They are all dead sir. There is no charge in these weapons.”

“That confirms our suspicions from the entry that my captain told me earlier. Our Ethereal Space discharged their hand-held weapons and their main energy weapons on board which is tied to their engines power, but the emergency power is shielded against such situations.”

“That is why their stations here are still working; it is also providing their life support to survive in the harshest conditions.”

“That is right, Thaygard. Check their explosive arsenal Richard; it should still be in working order.”

I walk back to the locker and take out one of them. It has an indicator showing the explosive is still good. “Yes the explosive arsenal is still good; they were smart to put a different type of indicator on these.” I show it to Thaygard and Sir Trenton.

“So they were not totally defenseless on the scout ship, they had other means to protect themselves. So we removed them in time before they used that explosive arsenal.”

“Yes, that is true, Thaygard.”

“Did you have success this morning in writing the program Richard?”

“I did. I have it all recorded on this crystal card.” I take it out of my satchel and handed it to him.

“It is like our crystal spheres, Thaygard.”

“Yes it is. That means their information storage is somewhat like ours but different. You have to use this console over here to read it to get the information on it and to play it back.”

He hands it back to me.

“This crystal card contains the program and several files. It is hidden in a distress signal file that I found. The file is scrambled among the signal as static. Once it is sent to the star ship. The file will reassemble and pass through a hole that I found in their security program.”

“That is excellent Richard. What commands do you have on it?”

“Once the file sits on their servers, it will start to self replicate and put copies throughout the star ship. The first command is the environment file. When I was here this morning, I remembered how important the Ethereal Space is for your world for magic to work. I did a sensor analysis of the Ethereal Space to create a mathematical equation of it. First it will put your Ethereal Space into their sensor catalogue. This will keep their sensor warnings from going on when it activates.”

“All right so far so good, Richard. I think I know where you are going with this. How are we going to get on board the ship?”

“Do you remember what Tran said yesterday, how he got on board the star ship when it came to his world?” Thaygard is smiling from to ear to ear.

Sir Trenton sees it and begins to smile as well. “He said he disappeared when a light beam appeared over him and he appeared on their ship. That is just like we do with our transport spell. So how are we going to get the star ship close to us? I would think they would stay beyond the orbits of our twin moons.”

“Sir Trenton, when we send the distress signal from here, I plan to have one of the captives here to provide a verbal confirmation and possibly a new file containing information that will make them greedy. This is to bait them to come in closer to Twainor. They need to be within or near the orbit of your twin moons. Their improved shielding will protect them while they come within the orbit of the twin moons.”

“They take one of us on board. Then what is the next step, Richard?”

“So once on board, that person will just need to say a certain phrase with their name in it. The key phrase is actually the last one.” I look to Thaygard.

“Computer, this is Thaygard. Computer, reboot to Twainor control.”

“They will realize too late because our Ethereal Space will now be generated throughout the star ship without their knowledge from within. Their improved shielding is now compromised and now you can pass through it.”

“Then their hand-held weapons will be discharged without them knowing it. Then we can use our wizards who have a great command of the transport spell, we can connect our forces with them and they can transport us in. They will be perplexed and confused like crazy when we start appearing out of nowhere.”

Sir Trenton begins to smile, “Then we can do our magic on board, we have no need for maps to know where everything is in advance. We will be invisible to them, pass through walls and floors until we get to a room that we need to be in. That is great, Richard. Is there anything else that we should know?”

“Once the star ship reboot to Twainor control, it will program all on board weapons, force fields, escape pods, and cameras to be off. You can even command to have all consoles and displays like these here to be off as well.”

“Excellent, Richard, it will provide a level fighting field, except that we can transport where we need to be. How do they move from level to level?”

“They have several methods, Sir Trenton. When you approach a certain double door, you will see a glass plate near the door. The doors open up to reveal a carriage. Once inside you speak a command, the doors close, then the carriage moves you to another floor. They also have a transport circle. You step into the circle; it then sends you to the destination like your own transport spell. They do have some open stairs but they are located in some large special gathering rooms.”

“So they figured how to transport with their machines.”

“That is right, Thaygard, but their machines don't have moving parts. Everything is done by light for power. Your Ethereal Space will not affect it. They will need to be commanded to be turned off because of their computer network.”

“Do they have a back up for moving people from floor to floor?”

“Yes, but in this case the star ship will be like your castles. What happens if you are cornered by an enemy that breaches your defenses and get inside the castle?”

“Yes, we have hidden passages for emergency exits. So this star ship will have hidden passages as well?”

“Yes, these passages provide access to certain controls in the event of what you are trying to do to them. They will try to regain control of the ship through there.”

“Thank you, Richard. I will keep that in mind when I talk with the other commanders. So your program will recognize us and not them.”

“That is right. The Ethereal Space that is generated from within will allow you to use your own language from your world because you have been living here all your life. It won't recognize any commands from those on the star ship already. That includes the ultimate solution that they might have, the self-destruction sequence.”

“Yes, if I were put into a position like that, I might order suicide to prevent being captured. They will probably use the explosives that they can set off manually. It will be a race to prevent that.”

“I don't know if you considered this, Sir Trenton. The best way to disarm them would probably be the sleep spell. Then it will give you time to sort out the people on board. You will need to keep certain groups apart. We found some worlds they conquered were enemies as well.”

“Thank you for reminding me, Thaygard, about using the sleep spell. Then it will give us time to remove the mind control implants from them safely.”

“I did create some passwords for your use only if you need to create a very secure area or need access to them. These passwords should over ride theirs if you come across them.” I take out a piece of paper in my satchel and hand it to Sir Trenton.

He looks at it and reads the words to himself. He begins to smile and laugh. “These passwords are great, Richard. I will share it with the other commanders. But what are we going to do with them once the threat is gone?”

“Well, their original worlds are no more. This is where our kings and queens will have to make a decision. We could ask some of the star systems in our Local Group if they want the refugees, or transport them to another planet that they can create their own kingdom, or even here on Twainor.”

“That is going to be a tough call, Thaygard. Yes, I will leave that decision to them.”

“Here is one more thought. There is a group of dragons out there itching to do something new.”

“Yes, I can imagine that they want to do destroy this scout ship.”

“Well how about after we deliver the people on board the star ship to where they want to be, bring it back here so that they can destroy it and then send the wreckage into your sun?” I give a broad smile and a wink at Sir Trenton.

Sir Trenton looks at Richard with an eye raised up, “If I don't know any better I say that you got a bit of mean streak in you.”

“Hmm . . . I like to think I do. But, I like to get people thinking before they act out their aggression to hurt someone.”

Sir Trenton starts to laugh, “I saw that when you tried to get us thinking about seeing that star ship as one of our sailing vessels the other day. What did you say, 'what poetic words do we have that describes the star ship'? That's really good Richard. It got me thinking as well. I like it a lot. I will need to remember that tactic when I want the Thryson Legion to think better on their feet.”

We all laugh together for a moment.

“When do you think you will send the distress signal?”

“We will probably send the message tomorrow, Thaygard. After the Grand Council meeting with everybody's approval.”

“Good, the star ship has not left the rock field around our star system. I don't know why they haven't moved in yet.”

“Well whatever the reason is, Sir Trenton, they're probably being cautious and preparing their cargo storage areas. I also checked the transmission logs here. They sent several large files to the star ship.”

“What information did it contain, Richard?

“It contains the complete inventory of the wealth of your star system and Twainor itself. The only file that was incomplete was the communication file. Apparently the Maker interrupted that part and sent the scout ship to this cave before they finished analyzing how you communicate and how the Ethereal Space behaves on Twainor.” I smile and laugh. “Then the Maker discharged their weapons as well.”

Thaygard and Sir Trenton smile and laugh.

“Yes, the Maker is looking out for us.”

“Praise the Twin Moons!!”

“Come Thaygard and Richard. When we arrive back in Lord Keltan's Conference Chamber, I will need to leave and meet with the commanders. This new information will keep us busy for a while; I need to share it with them so that we can all adjust our training schedules with this new information. They also agreed to have at lest several of us present when the other captives are interrogated at first mark after the noon repast.”

“So they want the information first hand. I don't blame them.”

“Yes, then tomorrow morning when we have the Grand Council we will present the plan to everyone present. I don't know if you realized this, you said you have no military experience, but you just gave me the outline on how to bring victory to Twainor.”

“Well, I look at it like this. I like to solve problems. But, even I realize when a problem is bigger than you expected, you always need help. This problem cannot be solved by one person.”

“Yes Richard, but you’re the catalyst so Twainor can act and bring peace to the captives on the star ship and justice to the original crew members.”

Thaygard opens the side door and creates the hole in sealing spell. We exit the ship and Thaygard closes the door and reseals the sealing spell.

We walk out of the caves and come near the dragons. “We are done here for now my Lord Dragons. We retrieved the information that we needed. We will be here tomorrow to begin the first part of taking the fight to them.”

“That’s excellent Thaygard and friends. Do you think they could bring the fight here as well?”

“Anything is possible; all of Twainor must be alert. We have our Seeing Stones trained on them every night. We will know soon how long it will take for the star ship to be here.”

“That’s very good Sir Knight. We will be alert for changes in the Ethereal Space and let you know as well.”

“That's the spirit my Lord Dragons. We need to go now. Be well and keep safe until we meet again.”

“Be well until we meet again.”

Everybody nods their heads and raises them.

Sir Trenton and I put our hands onto Thaygard's shoulder. He recites the transport spell and we disappear in a blink of an eye. We fly back to Castle Correlle across their beautiful landscape. We arrive in the Chamber and appear as once before. We see Renard and Trianna there and some guards posted, but the Royalties are not there except King Keltan and Queen Florianne. Sir Trenton's wizard is there as well.

“Was it successful my friends?”

“Yes it was, Renard. It verified our suspicions how our Ethereal Space affects their weapons. The Ethereal Space discharges their hand-held light weapons. But we need to be ready if they bring in weapons that can work. We still need to go over those conquest records and see if it mentions of any other weapons they might have.”

“The Royalty, where are they Renard?”

“They're in the Grand Dining Hall at the Grand Castle waiting for us to serve the noon repast. Do you wish to join us, Sir Trenton?”

“I wish I could. But, I really need to get this information to the other commanders as quickly as possible, and the other information that Richard and I discussed on the scout ship.”

“Yes, that is more important. See you at First Mark at Lord Dryden's Castle for the Grand Council tomorrow?”

“Yes, I will be there.” He turns around and faces the other wizard in the room, “I'm ready to see the other commanders, Braden.”

“Yes sir.”

Sir Trenton puts his hand on the wizard's shoulders. He recites the transport spell and they disappear in a blink of an eye.

“Well it's time to fly to the Grand Castle.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, King Keltan.”

“You're welcome Richard. I hear you're on a three-moon vacation before you arrived here.”

“I am, Lord Keltan. If all goes well, I might be visiting all of the kingdoms before I go back.”

“Well, then you better get some rest between each one.” He smiles at me.

“Yes I better. It might take me another three moons back on my world to wind down and relax from this adventure.”

They all laugh together.

“You just might need it, Richard. You’re welcome back here anytime.”

“Thank you, King Keltan and Queen Florianne.”

We connect to Wizard Thaygard and Renard. They recite the transport spell. Then we disappear in a blink of an eye.

“He's a most remarkable young man, my Love.”

“That he is my dear husband. Let's hope all goes well. We'll give our thanks before we go to bed tonight.”

“Yes my dear, Florianne.”

She puts her arm around King Keltan's arm. Then they leave the King's Council Chamber together. They walk down the hallway to see how their Legion is progressing in the training fields.

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 9
By Rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

“General, have we received any news from the scout ship?”

“We have, Supreme. However, the data is incomplete. The only complete log we have is from the resource inventory.”

“Excellent. How much is in this system?”

“It appears we can stay here for twenty cycles before we need to move on.”

“Twenty cycles? That is very good. Is there anything else from the scout ship?”

“We received the comm-log of the planet. It is inhabited, but there are no mech. orbs around the planet.”

“That's odd, General. What did the comm-log show?”

“It only showed the planet, the two moons and the scout ship. They're white in color. The background is totally black. That was the last transmission image before we lost contact with the scout ship.”

“Lost contact? Explain that General.”

“There is no telemetry from them at all. It is as if they disappeared.”

“Disappeared? I think that is unlikely. They must have been attacked or crash landed on one of the moons or the planet surface.”

“It is hard to tell from here, Supreme. The energy spike could come from the planet, the two moons or something else. We don't know. Do you want to send another scout ship to verify, Supreme?”

“It might be best. We have encountered resistance before, but they always get dispatched in the end.”

“Were there any reactions from the artifacts that we found so far?”

“None of them glowed if that's what you mean. The last one we found was on a planet with no redeemable value, including their star system. So we took her and her mate in a trade that we didn't consume their star system.”

“We were surprised. Their bodies resisted all attempts to put our imprint in them. It turns out all they are good for is to work the health wards.”

“I agree, General, she and her mate are most unusual. It they become a problem, we can always isolate them with the others.”

“What do you think will happen when we find all of the artifacts? These artifacts have to come from somewhere in this galaxy.”

“Hopefully they will lead us to a planet with great power. This world must be powerful if they can contact these worlds so far apart. Once we claim that power, nothing will stop us from conquering this galaxy.”

“If this star system is rich. We might be able to build our second star ship and continue to grow faster and find your cure.”

“That would be great, General. I'm tired of sitting here and doing nothing. At least my brain power was not diminished when we became infected.”

“Did you sense anything when we lost contact with the scout ship?”

“No, I didn't. If they are on the planet's surface still alive, then their thoughts are being blocked from me somehow.”

“We are computing the actual numbers of the resource inventories. Once that is determined, we can start getting our storage areas ready to receive their wealth.”

“If this world is rich, after we have dispatched the inhabitants. We will use this world for our base to start building our fleet.”

“I'll start making the plans for the next star ship after I send word for a second scout ship.”

The General bows and rises back up. He turns around and steps into the transport circle. He disappears in a flash of light.

The Supreme turns his head and faces a nearby control panel. “Emperor's Log. A light comes on the panel. E-Date 1238.95, begin entry.”

“We have arrived at the next star system. We found an inhabited world on the third planet from the sun. It has two moons circling. We received the resource inventory but not the comm-log. It was interrupted when we lost the telemetry from the scout ship. We know there are no mech-orbs circling the planet. We're sending a second scout ship to verify the world's resistance capability and to complete the comm-logs. We will be prepared if they resist.”

“E-Date 1238.96, second entry. The artifacts that we have found so far have led us to a very interesting selection of different star systems. Our study of the artifacts show that they are similar, but each one is designed differently. The crystals are of the same property meaning they come from one world. We don't know the full range of this world's influence. We suspect it is a source of great power.”

“E-Date 1238.97, third entry. After taking the wealth of the last two star systems, we encountered an alliance called the Local Group. We found ourselves badly outnumbered. Fortunately we found two more artifacts on those worlds before we had to leave. But we'll be back to dispatch them all and collect their wealth when we are stronger.”

“This is Supreme Emperor Natachlon of the Kiywalym System with orders from High Emperor Lechstar of the Sagitarii Dwarf Galaxy. We're making progress with our ultimate plan. Fortunately our ancestors spread their influence far and wide in this galaxy. All fifty of our brethren have been contacted. They are doing the same thing we are in the other quadrants of this galaxy. We will have our revenge for our ancestors who were dispatched on that cursed world.”

“End Emperor's Log on this E-date 1238.97” The light turns off on the panel.

The Supreme turns his head and faces the center of the room. “If it takes another thousand years, so be it. We'll still be here after all these worlds in this galaxy are dispatched, hah, hah, … !! Now let's continue with the mind exercises.”

The Supreme concentrates on a box in one corner of the room. He focuses his mind on it. The box slides a bit. Then in a few moments the box is lifted into the air. Then the box moves to the other side of the room. The Supreme looks at the box. He has beads of sweat dripping on his forehead. He can't hold it any more and let's go of the box. The box falls to the ground. “That’s much better than last time.”

“Now let's try multiple objects.” He looks at another box in the room and concentrates on it. Floating out of the box rises twenty small metal balls. He sends them around the room in a group. After a few circuits in the room, he returns the metal balls to the open box.

“That's getting better. This was easy before I became infected with that virus. I will be the strongest of our race in this galaxy. Nothing will stop me or our plans!!”

“We underestimated our enemy thousands of years ago. Well, not this time. We'll dispatch that world the cursed Maker showed favor on then. Fortunately Lechstar gave me the coordinates of that world before he had to find refuge in that faint galaxy system. We'll have our revenge, hah, hah, hah, … !!”

~~~000~~~

Thaygard, Renard, Trianna and I are now flying East. We fly over the countryside of Correlle Kingdom. The land is very beautiful with rolling hills. Near the towns and villages you can see the farm lands. There are castles in prominent locations on high hill tops. Some have a veil of lowing lying clouds around the castle, giving it that appearance of a castle floating in the clouds. Then we start ascending to fly over the Correllianne Mountains. Once we fly over the peaks we are greeted with the spectacular view of Angathorn Kingdom.

We make our descent and fly toward the Grand Castle. I see towns and villages scattered around, each with buildings and planting fields. Most are near streams and rivers. I also see several castles perched on hill tops and open fields. Near them are more towns and villages.

Then I see the forest edge approaching. Once we fly past it, I see the Grand Castle with its twelve camp walls in the field near the castle. They are empty right now since there are no festivals at this time. As we approach the Grand Castle, I see the other Legion Commanders arriving as well with their wizard escort. We start making our descent to the court yard. I see a large sundial in the center of the court yard.

We appear there in a blink of an eye. The other Legion Commanders show up one by one. In all, seven commanders show up. We start talking among ourselves while we wait for the escort into the Grand Castle.

“Which one do we have here?”

“His name is Brin, Richard. He is the leader on the scout ship.”

“We'll soon find out if he has an implant on the back of his neck or not.”

“If he does not, he could be one of the original crew members.”

“It's possible.”

One of the Legion Commanders walks up to me. We both nod our heads to each other slightly.

“Greetings ,Richard. I'm Sir Aridian.”

“Greetings, Sir Aridian.”

“Let's hope we get more information from their leader this time than with Tran.”

“I agree, Sir Aridian. He will be one more piece to the puzzle.”

Just about before another question gets asked, we see the chamberlain arrive with a squad of four knights. We all get quiet as they approach us. They come to a stop. The chamberlain steps forward to greet us.

“Greetings, Legion Commanders, Wizards, Sorceress and Outside Helper Richard. Will you please follow us? We will meet with some Kings before we go to the holding cell. This is for a quick exchange of information with them. They need some information just like you do, commanders.”

“We understand, chamberlain. Please lead the way.”

We all get ourselves arrayed into two columns. Two of the knights take the rear while we are led by the chamberlain and two knights.

We walk toward the main entrance. A pair of knights standing at attention at the double door entrance, open the doors for us to enter. We all walk in together and turn left in the foyer. We walk toward an intersection. Straight ahead are stairs and ramps. We turn right at the intersection and walk down a crystal lighted hallway. We pass a couple of doors on our left and right-hand sides. Soon we arrive at the end of the hallway. The two leading knights open the two double wooden doors and we follow the chamberlain into the Grand Kingdom Council Chamber. I see other Kings and Queens there with wizards standing around talking to each other. They stop their talking and turn to face us to greet us.

“Welcome, Legion Commanders, wizards, sorceress and Outside Helper Richard. Please have a seat here so that we can get an update so far.”

“We have a recording of the interrogation with the first crew member, Tran.”

“Yes, it is most disturbing. They use the implants to control their minds.”

“Richard, I hear that you found a weakness in their machine magic. Is that true?”

“Yes I did, King Dryden. I figured out how we can use it for our advantage.”

“Can you explain to us what that is?”

“I can, King Dryden. I will try to keep it simple.” I take out the crystal card from my satchel and show it to them. “This crystal card contains a simple distress signal from the scout ship. Within that signal I hid several functions.”

“When the signal is received on the star ship, the hidden program will first embed itself on their computer system and copy itself and spread throughout the star ship. I remembered how your Ethereal Space is very important for you to do your magic. So, I analyzed the Ethereal Space and created a folder with that data.”

“The first step will put the folder into their sensor log so that their warning systems won't alert anyone. Then all someone has to do when they're on the star ship after being captured is to say out loud, 'Computer, reboot to Twainor Control.' Then the Ethereal Space will be generated on the star ship.”

“When that happens, several things will occur on the star ship. First their hand-held light weapons will no longer work. The second item is anyone can speak in your language and do your magic there. You can give the command to have their barrier shields to be turned off for example. I also included a set of passwords for your commanders who are leading them.”

“Then we can come on board and proceed to take control of the star ship. We can use our sleep spells and put them to sleep so we can remove the mind control implants from them safely.”

“That's right, Sir Elion.”

“Then all we have to worry about are the other surprises that they might have.”

Then everyone claps their hands and gives thanks to the Maker for this opportunity to save their world and star ship crew.

“Thank you, Maker!”

“Thank you for sending the Outside Helpers!”

“Thank you for the Twin Moons!”

“Thank you for the Ethereal Space!”

After awhile, they quiet down.

“Richard, there was an entry we found in the historical records. We came across a phrase that we did not understand. Perhaps you can tell us what it means.”

“I'll try, Sir Krellen. What's the phrase?”

“They encountered a world that had air capability. Once they learned that, they sent out their air fighters.”

“Air capability? Air fighters?” I get a little wide-eyed and give a concern look on my face. I take a big breath and shake my head slowly up and down.

The others noticed the change in my face.

“What does it mean, Richard? I think you know what it means.”

“I do my friends. These fighters are machines that can fly through the air and cause damage on the ground. They're like the dragons here, but different. They can't destroy the planet. They are used to fight other air machines. They can be piloted by someone in the machine.”

“Can our dragons defeat them?”

“They will need intense practice for this. These air fighters are fast in flight. They will probably shoot light weapons, drop bombs or shoot pieces of metal.”

“I see. What can we do to give the dragons an edge in fighting these air machines?”

“Well, the dragons can hover in the air and breathe fire.”

“That may be true sir, but these air fighters might have heat-seeking bombs that can zero in on their target.”

“That's not good, Richard. I wish there is a way. We need to think hard on this one everybody.”

After everyone thinks for a moment, then Sir Braxton speaks up.

“Can't we let a wizard fly on their backs? He can use the transport spell and disappear into the Ethereal Space. Also, they will fly faster than normal.”

Everybody around the room begins to smile.

“Yes, that can work. If the dragons can coax them lower to the oceans, then the sea dragons can come up for a surprise of their own.”

“Sir Trenton, did one of your captains find an entry where they improved the shielding?”

“Yes he did, Richard. These air fighters will be exposed to our Ethereal Space. These air machines should suffer a great lightning hit in our atmosphere.”

“If my program can turn off the barrier shield on the star ship. We should be able to turn off the barrier shield on the air fighters. Then the air fighters will be easier to destroy. It would be nice if these air fighters are not manned but controlled by a computer or even remote control.”

“What are you talking about, Richard, an air fighter not manned?”

“On my world, when our wars progressed each generation, weapons would be designed to be more lethal than before. Same thing could be said of air fighter machines. They are usually piloted by people. However, when the air fighter would get hit, there is a loss of life with the pilot. Unless he ejects from the craft in time to save himself.”

“So, in time our computers and machines would get sophisticated enough to create air craft that would fly by itself or controlled remotely. Either way, it involves electricity for the air craft to fly. They will have engines and fuel to create the forward movement.”

“Now that I have said that, I have an idea that will help you see this. I'm going to use a sheet of paper that I brought with me.”

I open my satchel and take out my notepad. I tear off a blank page. I put the pad of paper back inside the satchel. I then start folding the paper to make a simple paper airplane.

“Now I'm going toss this plane into the air. It will glide in a straight line or curved path in the air. It will be like one of your sea birds gliding in the air.”

I toss it in the air. The paper plane glides in the air from one side of the room to the other until it rests on the floor. I walk over to it and pick it up. I put the paper plane into my satchel. I walk back and sit in my chair.

They whisper among themselves when they see it glide through the air.

“These air fighters can be any size, but generally they won't be as big as Marcon. They can accelerate very fast and maneuver very quickly. It would be nice if there is recording of these flying in the historical records.”

“So, that means they must have some preparation and to be ready just in case.”

“I agree, King Dryden. I remembered Belgaron said his clan is looking for something new to do.”

Everybody in the council chamber laughs at that statement of fact.

“If they are to be involved, we'll need tell them soon. Probably the best place would be at the Grand Gala Sea Arena here.”

“I agree, King Beltrane. We'll contact them after we are done with Brin.”

“Is there anything else that needs to be discussed?”

King Dryden sees no movement. He sees that they are in deep thought.

“I know we have a lot to think about, but we need more information from the captives. So, if you don't mind, let's go to the holding cells below here.”

Everybody gets up and walks to the double doors. King Dryden opens the doors. “Guards, it is time. Please escort us to the prisoner here.”

The guards snap to attention, “Yes, my King. Please follow us.”

We follow the knights as before. We walk in two columns behind the guards. At the end of the column, the rear is taken by the other two knights. We walk down the hallway and come to the intersection with the ramps and stairs.

Near the stairs, the guards unlock a strong wooden door with a small window with two bars. We follow in one at a time into the hallway. The last guard locks the door behind us when we are all in together. The hallways are lit with light crystals. The guards lead us down several flights of ramps. The hallway is similar to the one I saw in Castle Correlle. We see two guards standing on both sides of a doorway outline. The two front guards we followed stop on the far side of an outlined doorway. He takes out a crystal sphere and puts it on a small stone holder near the doorway. He recites the spell to see in the cell room. The others in our group take out theirs and connect to the contact crystal with a spell so that they can see and hear as well.

We see Brin sitting up on the mattress. He appears to be in a calm state of mind.

Master Wizard Eldwin steps up and speaks to Brin. “Prisoner, my name is Wizard Eldwin. Can you hear me in there?”

“I can hear you, wizard. I don't know how you got me in here. Apparently you're more powerful than we expected.” Brin keeps his eyes closed while he speaks.

“Would it be all right if some of us come in there? We wish to examine you and make sure you're in good health.”

“You may come in.”

Mean while, back in the hallway.

“We'll take in the same group as before. One of the guards will accompany us.”

“Be wary. This one appears to be more aware of his situation.”

“Set up a barrier shield before we enter in, Trianna.”

“I'll do that, Master Eldwin.”

“I'll stay behind you so as not to draw attention right away. I'll watch and observe.”

“I agree, Richard. That has proven to be the best approach so far.”

“All right. Are we ready?”

Everyone looks at each other and nods their heads in agreement.

Trianna raises her hand palms toward the wall and concentrates on the cell. She looks at the image above the crystal sphere and recites the spell. An invisible barrier shield is erected about two arm spans from the wall.
“All right, the barrier shield is in place. Stay close to this wall. There is room for you.”

“Thank you, Trianna.”

Trianna then takes out a crystal to record the conversation inside the cell.

We all join up hand to shoulder. Master Eldwin recites the transport spell. All five of us disappear in a blink of an eye. We soon appear in the cell. We disconnect ourselves from Master Eldwin.

I stay in the background. The knight moves forward and stands on the left of Master Eldwin. Thaygard and Renard move to the right side of Eldwin.

Brin looks up and sees us all standing there. “That's a neat trick, Wizard. I wish I could do magic like that. It would make life easier.”

“However, we are used to it. My name is Grand Master Wizard Eldwin.”

“I'm sure you are. Was it one you who got into my mind when we were in the cave?”

“Yes, I'm sorry for the discomfort, but we had to know your intentions.”

“But you didn't get that information from me, right?”

“No, we didn't, not at first.”

“What were those fire breathing beasts that we saw?”

“We call those beasts dragons.”

“Dragons? I've never seen such creatures. They're the largest we have seen.”

“The Maker's creation is very large. Perhaps there are creatures out there, bigger than them?”

“Perhaps, wizard.”

“What were you doing behind our moons?”

“We were behind one of your moons scanning your world. We were trying to determine how you communicated world wide. You have no mech-orbs around your world.”

“What are mech-orbs?”

“Those are communication machine devices that allow talk to take place around the world. I take it you use a different way of doing it?”

“We do, Brin. Can we approach you? We want to take a closer look at you.”

Brin looks at the five men and tries to make his decision. Who is that one in the background? He has not said anything. He does not look like a guard or the other four men. He's just observing the interaction. He must be important. “Yes, you may approach.”

“Thank you.” Eldwin makes a hand signal.

Trianna removes the barrier shield.

The knight takes two steps forward. Renard stays in front of me. Thaygard and Eldwin step forward and stand in front of Brin.

“Do you need me to stand up?”

“Yes, and face the knight please. Also, take off your shirt please.”

Brin stands and removes his shirt.

Thaygard and Eldwin walk around Brin and look at him closely.

Eldwin gets behind Brin. “Please bow your head forward, Brin.”

Brin bows his head forward. Eldwin notices a bump at the base of his neck. Eldwin looks toward us and nods his head up and down.

“You may raise your head, Brin.”

Brin raises his head and looks at the guard.

Eldwin and Thaygard continue their examination.

Thaygard looks at Eldwin and nods his head up and down.

“You're in good health, Brin. However, I noticed a bump at the base of your neck. Do you know what it is?”

Brin brings his right hand up and touches the back of his neck. “That's part of my neck skeleton. It's been there since I was born.”

“I don't think it is, Brin. We saw some thing similar on Tran earlier today.”

“You did? How can that be? He is from a different world.”

“Let me take a scan of your neck. I'll replay it back for you.”

Eldwin takes out a crystal from his pocket. He brings it up and recites the spell. A misty balloon appears, he then moves the crystal and the balloon downward and scans the neck. He ends the spell and brings the crystal in front of Brin.

Brin looks at the crystal

Eldwin recites the spell and replays the scan.

“What? How is that possible? Our best equipment can't do this.” Brin looks at the bump closely. “That's not my bone skeleton that looks like a metal capsule.”

Renard speaks up this time. “That's right, Brin. It's a device that controls your brain to think otherwise.”

“We know of your plans to destroy our star system after you have taken the planet's wealth, including some of our people.”

He turns his head quickly and looks at each of us. “What?! How did you find that out? Our computers can't be breached!”

“We have no knowledge of electrical machinery. Our world prevents us from using it.”

Brin smiles, “that's great. Your world will be easy to conquer and destroy.”

“We don't think that will happen. We sensed your presence behind our twin moons. We sent a call out to our friends before it is too late.”

“You sent a call out? So that is what we saw on our monitors. Did anybody respond?”

“Yes, one did show up, Brin. He has already proven his worth more than you know.”

“I present to you Outside Helper Richard Moore. His specialty is in computers and security.”

Renard steps aside, I step forward. The knight tenses up for any sudden movements.

Brin looks at me, his mouth hangs open and gets wide eyed. “Your specialty is in computers?”

“Yes, Brin. I infiltrated your computer systems on the scout ship. I found a hole in your computer code.”

“That's impossible no one can hack our systems.” Brin looks at me then he sees my medallion.

“I don't believe it. That's the twelfth medallion that I have seen. Owww . . . my head!”

I look at my medallion then back up. All of a sudden I get a revelation, I shout out loud. “What?! The twelfth one? Put him to sleep now!”

The rest of them look at me quickly with worried faces.

“No!”

“What?!”

“What did I say?!” shouts Brin.

Eldwin nods his head up and down. Eldwin looks at Brin and recites the sleep spell.

Brin falls asleep, the knight steps forward and helps him down easy.

“Remove the mind control device now. Some of your plans just got changed in taking over the star ship.”

“Yes, Richard. It just became more complicated.”

Thaygard and Eldwin bend down near Brin's neck. Thaygard takes Eldwin crystal and replays the neck scan. He stops when the image of the implant appears.

Eldwin places his hand palms toward Brin's neck. He concentrates on the bump. “I have the implant. I'm ready to remove it.” Eldwin moves the mind control device into the Ethereal Space. He then moves the device into the water basin and nods his head up and down.

Renard puts a barrier shield around it. Eldwin releases the device into the water. The device explodes in the water. Thaygard hands the crystal back to Eldwin.

~~~000~~~

“General, I just received another signal from one of the scout crew members.”

“Which one is it?”

“It’s Brin, Sir.”

“That’s good Tek. Keep monitoring the frequencies.”

“Yes, sir.”

That’s interesting. Now Brin’s signal is sent. That means there is one left for us to worry about. I hope it does what’s it to suppose to do.

~~~000~~~

Eldwin then gets up and looks in the water basin. He recites the reassemble spell like before. The implant magically reassembles like magic without the battery and the outer shell. Eldwin dips his hand into the basin and retrieves the pieces.

Renard activates his contact crystal and sees the others in the hallway.

“That was close, my friends.”

“I agree, King Dryden. Your line of questions just changed. If they have the other medallions that mean your Outsides Helpers are on that star ship.”

“So is some of their own people, Richard. All the more reason to rescue the people on the star ship.”

“Yes, but think of the help you will have once the mind control devices are removed or turned off.”

“That's true, Sir Aridian. The other mystery is this. Someone is looking for the twelfth medallion and where they come from. The Supreme must be looking for the home world where they originated.”

“Yes, that is a most disturbing comment, Richard. We must be very wary when we're on the star ship.”

“There will be a confrontation on the star ship whether we want one or not. Our dragons must be prepared if the fight is brought to our skies.”

“Yes, they must be prepared for anything.”

“We all must be prepared for anything.”

“All right, Master Eldwin, wake up Brin. We need some answers to new questions.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

We all turn around and face Brin laying on the mattress. The knight stands ready like before. I stay in the background again. Eldwin kneels down and recites the spell to wake up Brin. Then he stands back up.

Brin slowly opens his eyes. He moans as he slowly wakes up. “Unnnh . . . my head. What happened?” He opens his eyes wider and see several people looking at him. “Who are you?” He looks around, “How did I get here?”

“What is the last thing you remembered before you woke up?”

Brin sits up on the mattress with his back to the wall. “I was running down a street looking for shelter. We were attacked by a large star ship. They sent many air fighters. We tried to defend ourselves. Then a white light appeared above me. The next instant I was somewhere else. After that I don't remember much else.”

“What is the name of your home world?”

“Its name is Traglan Four of the Sergii Star System.”

“I'm sorry, Brin. We checked the historical records on the scout ship. It is one of the star systems that was consumed by the star ship.”

“No!”

“But have heart, Brin. The star ship took some of your people from your world and they are now part of the crew.”

“They are? Then we must free them!”

“We will, Brin, but we need all the information you can give us. There is not much information on the Supreme himself for example.”

Brin calms down and thinks about it. “I don't have an answer for you. I’m sorry.”

“We can help you remember. If we can do it for Tran, we can do it for you.”

“Please, I want to remember everything I did on the star ship.”

“Stay seated like you are. Close your eyes and breathe slowly.”

Brin closes his eyes and slows down his breathing.

“Remember the day the star ship showed up.”

“I remember. Our planet space sensors found it about ten days before it showed up in our skies. We sent our air fighters to combat theirs. However, the weapons on their air fighters were far superior to ours. They had light weapons on them. Every time we shoot at them, our weapons did not bring them down. They were too fast to track even from our ground base weapons.”

“Then their air fighters eventually destroyed all of our air fighters. We still had some weapons to use. We launched our heat seeker missiles. We did get a few of them down. When we investigated the wreckage, we found no bodies in the cockpit. We concluded that we were dealing with a very advanced robot race at the time.”

“We wished we had put heat seeker missiles on our air fighters. Then the star ship showed up high in our skies. We could not believe how big it is. We sent our largest missile weapons at it. It had no effect. For some reason they blew up before reaching the star ship.”

“Their air fighters were not seen when the star ship showed up. We were defenseless. We had nothing left to throw at them after we launched all of our missile weapons.”

“Then the star ship starts to use its major weapons on our world. There was no place to hide. While we were running in a panic, I remembered seeing a bright light aimed at us. Then I saw some of our people disappeared.”

“We thought that was the final insult to us. We will be disintegrated, totally wiped out from existence. No one would remember our world. Then the light appeared above me. But, I had a surprise. I appeared in a room. “

“I was immediately subdued and put to sleep somehow. When I woke up, I became a member of the star ship's crew. Eventually I was assigned as leader of one of the scout ships crews.”

“We would search out star systems to resupply the star ship's inventory. Then we would take some of the world's people before destroying their world.”

Then Brin slams his fist on his knee. “No! This madness must end. We must rescue my people. This Supreme leader must pay for his crimes!”

“We will do all we can, Brin. But first you must meet one of our Outside Helpers. Richard, please come forward.”

I step forward, “Greetings Brin, my name is Richard Moore.”

“I remember you now. You're wearing a medallion that we have discovered else where in this galaxy.”

“I know. In fact we all know it now. Those eleven other medallions you found belong to eleven other Outside Helpers to aid this world in its time of need.”

”What can I do to rectify the problem, Richard?”

“You have told us a lot of information already. But we need some more information.”

“I'll try to do that.”

“We still need to interview two more members of your scout ship.”

“You won't get much info from Tark. He is very new to our crew. Mal-tor has been there since before I was assigned to the scout ship.”

“Thank you for telling us that. Now we need to introduce you to some of the leaders on this world.”

Renard takes out his contact crystal, he places his right palm above the crystal and recites the spell. Soon there is an image of about a dozen people in the hallway.

”Brin, I present to you some of our kings, queens and military leaders.”

King Dryden speaks first, “Greetings, Brin, welcome to Twainor.”

“Greetings, royalty.”

“We have an important question for you now. Can you provide a sketch of the star ship and how the floors are laid out? We couldn't find a copy of it on the scout ship's computers.”

“That's a good question. It was never put there because of this possible scenario. But because the implant has been removed, I can provide that for you.”

“Thank you. Do you know where our friends are and the medallions are?”

“Some are crew members, and some are in lock-up. The medallions are secured in a separate area with the Supreme. They are protected by light weapons. It takes a password and voice type recognition from the Supreme only.”

I smile as I look at them. They smile back.

“Have you ever seen the Supreme?”

“No, not personally, Richard. I have only seen his face on the 3-d video screens like I see here now.” Brin pauses for a moment, “I have a question or two, sirs.”

“You may go ahead and ask them.”

“How are you going to fight the air fighters and get on board the star ship? If you have no knowledge of electrical machinery, you don't have any air fighter capability, rockets and missiles.”

“Don't worry about that Brin. We are preparing for this invasion as we speak. How long will it take for the star ship to reach here?”

“It will take about seven to ten days. They usually thoroughly investigate a star system and any potential resistance. They want to prepare themselves as well. Since the scout ship has disappeared, they will send out another scout ship to finish analyzing your star system. They will start going after your gas giants as the star ship works its way here.”

“What if you send a message that the greater prize is Twainor itself and not the rest of the planets in this star system?”

“Well Richard, they would need to know this is the origin of the twelve medallions. They think this world they are looking for is a source of great power to influence the worlds where the medallions were found.”

“Well, that is true to a point. Our magic comes from Twainor itself not of us.”

“You mean to tell me, King, that is true?”

“Yes it is, Brin.”

“I think the Supreme would do that. Not only for finding your world, but they would plan to be here for twenty sun cycles consuming your star system. They would do this so that they can build a second star ship and start creating a fleet of them.”

“We'll not let that happen.”

“I've heard rumors of an ultimate goal while this destruction is going on, Kings. It's the Supreme's goal to get revenge for his fallen brethren on a distant world that occurred long ago.”

“That hatred sounds very deep rooted. Did you ever hear the name of these brethren and the world's name?”

“No, I haven't. I'm sorry, King Dryden.”

“That's all right. You did well today.”

“Tran said he would not be reunited with you until the rest of your crew has been freed.”

Brin smiles, “I agree with that decision, Kings. At least you know where I am if you need any more information.”

“We can provide food for you. The water in the basin is for you to drink.”

“That's fine, Kings. Bread, fruit and water will do. I take it that box in the corner of the room is for waste disposal?”

“Yes Brin, and for your own body waste as well. It has a couple of spells on it. One, it will clean you when you're done. Second, it will send the waste to a fire mountain pit on our world.”

“Ouch! Thank you for telling me that.”

“Don't try to put yourself in that box to escape. There is another spell that detects and rejects any attempt to sabotage it. You will only end up hurting yourself.”

“I understand. I'll be a good prisoner. I can wait for the others so that we can gain our freedom together.”

“Brin, we might need you for a later task to bait the Supreme to come here.”

“I understand, Richard. Contact me when you're ready.”

“Thank you, Brin.”

“Come, my friends, it time to leave.”

We all walk toward the wall where we came in.

Eldwin puts his palms outwards. We all join with him hand to shoulder. He recites the transport spell. We all disappear in a blink of an eye.

I sure would like to know how they do that. Brin thinks to himself when he sees that trick done.

We all appear in the hallway together standing next to the others there.

“Guards, inform the Captain of the Guard to continue with the rotation. Keep him under watch. Let us know if anything unusual happens. He's very valuable to Twainor's survival.”

They snap to attention. “Yes, my Lord.”

“We can be escorted back to the Grand Council Chamber guards.”

“Yes my Lord.”

Two of the knights take the lead. We all follow him. The other two guards take the rear position.

The original two guards we saw continue the watch of the prisoner. One of them takes out a contact crystal to inform the Captain of the Guard of King Dryden's request and the latest news and condition of the prisoner.

The guards lead us back to the foyer area. We walk back to the Grand Council Chamber to continue discussing what to do next. Each one is deep in thought. This is especially true now that they know why the other Outside Helpers didn't show up.

The lead knight opens the doors to the Chamber. Everyone walks in and sits down where we sat earlier. The double doors are closed, and the knights stay posted outside the Chamber.

King Dryden looks at each of us, one by one. He sees faces that are deep in thought. The Queens have a look of worry of their faces. The Kings are trying to figure out what to do next. The Legion Commanders are in deep thought on how to prepare the forces.

“I'm sorry to break the silence, but we must move forward and plan the next set of moves.”

“I agree, Dryden. We must inform the other kingdoms right now on what we know now.”

“Yes my darling Queen Lorinor. We must do that. Eldwin, Renard and Thaygard please go and contact the other Master Wizards. Legion Commanders contact the other Legion Commanders. The rest of us will contact the Kings and Queens. Wizard Eldwin, then you will connect them all together for a Grand Council.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

Everyone gets out their contact crystal sphere and contacts the others. It doesn't take long to get everyone's attention. Eldwin then recites the spell to synchronize the images together so that everyone can see each other.

“First, I just want to thank the Maker that we have an opportunity that we can save Twainor and our star system.”

Everyone shouts out loud in praise of the Maker. After a few moments, Lord Dryden raises his hand to quiet everyone down.

”We finally discovered why our Outside Helpers did not show up my friends.”

“What happened, King Dryden?”

“When Richard was introduced to Brin, Brin recognized that Richard is wearing the twelfth medallion.”

Everyone starts shouting.

“What?!”

“Our Outside Helpers are on that star ship?”

“We must rescue them all!”

King Dryden raises his hands to quiet them down. “That's not all. They have air fighters that can destroy our castles, towns and people.”

“What can we do?”

“Can the dragons defeat them?”

Dryden raises his hand again. “I'll let Richard answer that question.”

“Thank you, King Dryden. These air fighters can be as big as Marcon or smaller. They can fly very fast. They have light weapons, heat-seeking weapons and shoot pieces of metal. Right now the dragons won't be able to defeat them at all. We discussed that problem here already. The best solution is to have a wizard sit on their backs and use the transport spell.”

“Yes, that is a great idea, Richard.”

“We'll need to meet all of the dragons at the Grand Gala Sea Arena. We need to inform them now so that they can start practicing.”

“Can the sea dragons help out?”

“They can provide a surprise attack if these air fighters get too low to the water. Perhaps they can be baited by the land dragons.”

“Yes, that can work, Richard.”

“Do these air fighters have people in them?”

“Brin said they do not. They pilot themselves by computers. It is their type of machine magic.”

“That's great, Richard, but won't they be affected by our Ethereal Space?”

“Probably not at first, Sir Jakan. That's if they have a barrier shield in place to protect themselves. If we can turn off the barrier shields on the star ship, we can do the same for the air fighters.”

“If that can be done, they will be easier to destroy.”

“That's right, Sir Jakan.”

“King Dryden, it is more than likely the medallions are separated from our Outside Helpers. What can we do to find them?”

“Well, we know who they are and what they look like, King Jeriel. We were told the medallions are locked away and only the Supreme has access to them. Brin says it is protected by light weapons and password with voice recognition.”

“That's interesting. Richard, can your program break that security?”

“The password and light weapons are not the problem. The voice detection will be. The voice is based on sound waves. It is very unique to person. It is very difficult to duplicate. However, if the electricity is turned off, it is possible that room will be affected as well.”

“We can only hope, Richard.”

“Another thing that Brin told us, they will send a second scout ship to finish surveying Twainor. They want to make sure there is no resistance. Right now they don't know how we communicate with our contact crystals, our dragons and our Ethereal Space to do magic.”

“Well, at least we have that going for us. It looks like our tasks for our forces getting on the star ship are getting bigger. We need all the information we can get.”

“There are two more interviews though.”

“Yes, we'll continue with the training. How long do we have King Dryden?”

“Brin said they could be here in seven to ten days.”

“But, if we bait the Supreme that our world is magical and not about the effects of our Ethereal Space. That will goad him to come here to claim the prize.”

“Then he will get a big surprise when their barrier shield is down and we bring the fight to him.”

“Yes, that can work very well to our advantage.”

“Before I forget, friends. There is one more piece of information. The reason why the Supreme is doing this.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“Brin said the Supreme wants to get revenge for his fallen brethren that died a long time ago. It is on a world somewhere in this galaxy.”

“Thank you, Richard. We'll keep that in mind. We have an opportunity to save our beloved Twainor. We must be diligent to do so.”

“All right, Legion Commanders, you know what needs to be done for now. Make your plans accordingly. Brin says that he can provide us some floor drawings of the star ship layout if we want them.”

“Yes, that would be of great help, King Dryden. We'll use them as backup just in case. If Richard can generate the Ethereal Space inside the star ship, then there will be no need for the maps. We'll use them to mark off where we have been to keep track of our forces.”

“Go and contact the dragons, land and sea in your region. Have them meet at the Grand Gala Sea Arena.”

“Should Eingana be there, King Dryden?”

“That's her choice if she wants to.”

“Some of the dragons are assisting our legions in training. Should that be interrupted?”

“That's a good question, Sir Jakan. Well it's all part of the training really. Yes, have them all come. It will be a chance for them to get all together. We can explain to them what is going on and what could happen here.”

“We still need to interview the other crew members.”

“We can do that first thing in the morning. We'll do Tark in Evenshard first. Then we'll do Mal-tor in Antarte.”

“That sounds fine, King Dryden. What about the second scout ship? What if the Maker sends it to our surface? Who should keep the crew under guard this time?”

“That's a good question, Sir Krellen. We'll still need to split them up. Since there are four here in the Eastern kingdoms, let's put them in the Western kingdoms this time. That way they will not have contact with the others.”

“I agree with that assessment. When the star ship receives no signal from the second scout ship, it might cause the Supreme to get really mad. We must send the bait to goad him to come here before that happens.”

“I'll agree with that idea, Sir Trenton. How about we send the message after we interview the last one in Antarte? By then we'll have a better idea when the star ship will arrive.”

“Will the forces be ready in half that time, like three to five days?”

“Well five days is better than three days. We'll just have to be diligent with our Seeing Stones to keep an eye on its movements.”

“How long will it take to get the dragons to come and meet at the Gala Sea Arena?”

“For the furthest ones we can use the wizards and sorceresses to transport them there faster.”

“Very well. We still have time to do it today. Have them meet there at the Third Mark after the noon repast.”

“Yes, King Dryden.” Most of them respond at once.

“Oh and one more thing. Bring your ear plugs. There will be a lot of roaring.”

Everyone laughs at the joke.

“We will, King Dryden.”

“Wizards go and contact the land and sea dragons in your kingdoms. Tell them to meet there at the Third Mark after the noon repast. Legion Commanders, you can go with them to relay the latest information to your forces.”

“You can come back here if you wish to see the dragons at the Gala Sea Arena.”

“Yes, King Dryden.”

“You can have your noon repast here if you wish.”

“Thank you for the offer, King Dryden, but I think it will be best if we are in our own kingdoms. We need to give the latest news to our castle lords and the dwarves’ kingdoms as well. They need to know what is going on.”

“I would not mind sitting here, King Dryden, unless Renard and Trianna are needed back in Thryson Kingdom King Tierion.”

“You three can stay there if you wish. We can always get of hold you with the contact crystals to get any information we need.”

“Thank you, King Dryden and King Tierion.”

“Is there anything else that needs to be discussed?”

Seeing and hearing nothing from them, King Dryden continues. “We should all meet at the Grand Castle at First Mark after the noon repast tomorrow. We'll give an update then. Does everyone agree to that?”

“Yes, King Dryden.” They all respond as one.

“Until then, keep safe Twainor. Let us know when that second scout ship shows or the star ship moves.”

“Be safe, King Dryden.” They all nod their heads as one and raise them. Then all of the images disappear above the crystal spheres.

We all exit the Grand Council Chamber. We walk down the hallways, we turn left and walk down the foyer to the main entrance. We exit through the double doors of the main entrance and enter the main courtyard. We see them get organized for the trip back to their kingdoms.

The ones who stay behind are King Dryden, Queen Lorinor, Eldwin, Thaygard, Renard, Trianna and I. The Legion Commander for Angathorn Kingdom leaves as well with his wizard escort.

“Come, my friends. My Master Chef has set up the noon repast for us here on the second floor.”

“Thank you, King Dryden.”

We follow them back inside the Grand Castle. We turn left in the foyer area. We walk toward the stairs and ramps at the intersection. We walk up the stairs to the second floor. We walk down the hallway until we see two guards standing by two wooden double doors. They open the doors for us and we walk inside.

We see a single long table with chairs set up for us. King Dryden takes the Kings' Chair at one end of the table and Queen Lorinor takes the Queens' Chair on his right-hand side. Eldwin sits in the chair on the King's left-hand side. The rest of us take the seats at the other positions.

“Richard, please take the seat opposite from me at the other end of the table.”

“Yes, King Dryden. Thank you for the honor.”

“You're welcome. It is not too often that someone sits there who is from another world.”

“Did one of the Emissaries sit here at the time?”

“Yes Richard, one of them did. Let us give thanks, Eldwin.”

“Yes, my Lord.” Wizard Eldwin stands up. “Maker, we thank you for this food that you have given us. We pray that it restores our strength to do the task at hand to save Twainor. We thank you that Richard has answered the call for help. We pray he is successful as well with the task at hand to help us rescue the crew members from the star ship and our own Outside Helpers. We also pray that we bring swift justice on the Supreme and stop his plans from destroying your Creation. Thank you, Maker.”

We all respond as one, “Thank you, Maker.”

“Master Chef, you may serve the noon repast.”

“Yes, my Lord.” He turns and walks into the kitchen.

The servants come out with trays to serve the first course. It is a light salad with greens and cold vegetables on top. Another servant comes around and fills our glasses with water and fruit juices.

“Richard, do you think there is a chance we can overcome this potential tragedy?”

“There is always a chance. I have read many stories and seen images like some of the historical records you have on your storage crystals. For us to win, it will take planning and coordination from the knights to the commanders then to the Kings and Queens.”

“Hmm . . . I agree Richard. We must be prepared for anything. This will be our greatest test.”

“The only unknown I see at this time is the Supreme.”

“Perhaps, Richard. These next two interviews will reveal part of that answer.”

“I hope so, Wizard Eldwin. This hidden agenda or ultimate goal of getting revenge disturbs me. I might get another warning from the Maker one of these nights when we go to sleep.”

“Yes, I remembered the last time you had that Richard. Let's hope we all get one of those. I don't want you to go through that again alone.”

We laugh on recalling that memory.

“Thank you, King Dryden. That means a lot to me.”

“You're welcome, Richard.”

The servants come and take our salad plates. They are soon replaced with a simple fish dish and cooked vegetables on the side. It is seasoned with various spices to tantalize the taste buds.

“If we get those dreams, we better discuss it quickly before we lose sight of them. I'm sure we all had dreams that will stick in our minds for days. Then there are dreams that lose their meaning the next day and are forgotten.”

“That's very true, Richard. Wizards and sorceresses, has the selection begun who will transport our forces to the star ship?”

“We have, King Dryden. We're making sure they can transport the knights and dwarf warriors to the furthest moon and back.”

“Don't forget about the dragons. Some will want a rider to help them fight.”

“Yes, King Dryden. We have more enough for the forces. We figured at least one hundred and twenty of us will do. That provides a reserve for backup here on Twainor.”

“After the meeting with the dragons we'll have an idea how many will be needed for them. I would think the female dragon mates should not participate, including the younger ones, King Dryden.”

“I agree, Thaygard. It took a long time for their numbers to come back since our First War.”

The servants come out and take our main dish plates. They come back out with bowls of fruit. I see that they are whole this time. We each take two different kinds of fruit and put them in our bowls. We cut them into bite size pieces.

We enjoy the fun as we eat the fruits. We laugh and giggle as we try to be neat while eating them. We separate the seeds and rind pieces in the bowl as we finish each piece.

We get done with the fruits after awhile. When we get done, the servants pick up our bowls and leave a damp towel so that we can get ourselves cleaned up.

King Dryden turns his head, “Server, will you please go tell the Master Chef to come in so that we can thank him for today's noon repast.”

“Yes, my Lord.” She bows her head quickly and raises it. She turns around and leaves the dining room.

After a few moments, the Master Chef comes back in with the kitchen staff. They all line up as they face us.

“Thank you, Master Chef for this simple meal. It is very delicious and satisfying.”

We all clap our hands. The Master Chef and the kitchen staff bow their heads quickly and raise them.

The Master Chef steps forward. “Thank you, King Dryden, for this opportunity to serve again. We pray to the Maker that Twainor is successful in defeating the enemy so that we can continue to serve the bounty of Twainor.”

They bow their head again quickly. They turn left and walk back to the kitchen so that they can have their own meal and finish cleaning up the kitchen.

“Come, my friends. Let us walk to the garden fountain. It should help us clear our minds before we meet the dragons.”

“That sounds great, King Dryden.”

We get up from our chairs and walk out of the dining room. We are escorted by a pair of knights. We turn right. We walk down the stair case on the right side of the Grand Foyer area. Once we get on the main floor, we walk down a long hallway. We turn left at an intersection. We walk down the hallway some more passing hallway openings on the right. We get to the end finally. The knight opens the double doors that lead to the garden. We walk inside and take in the beauty of the place.

We see that are alone. One of the knights walks over to the wall and steps up to the platform so that he can get a commanding view of the grass plains. The other knight closes the door and stands at attention, then he moves to a relaxed stance.

I walk up to the fountain, I move my hand under one small stream that's spilling over one of the bowls. I smile as I feel the coolness of the water. I take some water in the hand and rub it over my face. I breathe in deeply the cool air there. “Hmm . . . yes it is beautiful here.”

The others are sitting down on the benches in the garden. I walk over to one of the open benches and sit down. Each one of us is deep in our own thoughts.

I can only imagine what they are thinking. Our silence gets interrupted by the knight standing guard on the wall.

“King Dryden, I see some fairies flying this way.”

“How many are there?”

“There are about six coming this way.”

“Allow them to come if they come here.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

After a few moments, the fairies approach the wall and stop. They hover in front of the knight. One of them speaks, “Is King Dryden here?”

“He is resting here. He said you can come and meet him.”

“Thank you.” The fairies fly into the garden area and hover in front of King Dryden.

“Greetings, King Dryden.”

“Greetings, fairies of Silverwind. What can I do for you?”

“We heard there will be a meeting with the dragons at the Grand Gala Sea Arena at the third-mark today.”

“Yes, we need to give them news of any possible air attacks that could come.”

“Can the rest of the First Ones be there? They wish to be there as well.”

“I see no reason to deny them. If any of them wish to show up, they can.”

“Thank you, King Dryden.”

They turn around and fly toward me. They hover in front of me.

“Greetings, fairies.”

“Greetings, Richard. We just want to thank you for being here to help us in our time of need.”

“You're welcome, fairies. We must all work together so we can rescue our other Outside Helpers and the crew members.”

“Yes, we all have our part at this time. We hope that you don't get taken on the star ship.”

“I agree. I don't want to be there. We must trust in Maker that whoever is taken will have the chance to say the phrase to turn it into Twainor's favor.”

“What is that phrase, Richard?”

“'Computer, reboot to Twainor Control.' If a fairy gets sent there, there are very few places to hide there.”

“I'm sure you're right, Richard. We'll tell the others what the phrase is just in case.”

“That is wise to do so, fairies.”

“Yes, it is Richard. Thanks for providing hope to us.”

Then the fairies fly around me a few times. They hover in real close to me one by one and smile at me. I smile back to them.

“Thank you, Richard. You are Fairy Friend for all time. If we are still here after this time of trouble, we'll give you a grand time in the forest.”

“Thank you for the honor, fairies. Give greetings to the unicorns for me. I'm sure some of them miss me.”

“Yes they do, Richard. They would like to touch you again to be reminded where they come from.”

“Yes, I'm sure the rest of the First Ones do as well. Take care fairies. I’ll see you at the Sea Gala Arena soon.”

“See you soon again, Richard.”

Then the fairies fly around the fountain and dive through the little water streams giggling and laughing.

We all laugh with them as they do that.

“See you all there, friends.”

“See you soon at the arena.”

Then the fairies fly out of the garden area and back to the forest to carry their message.

We all smile at each other after they left.

“Richard, have you seen any fairies on your world yet?”

“I have, Queen Lorinor. However, they are in butterfly mode. They can't change into fairies because there is no unicorn on Earth. They're very good at hiding. Besides, it is up to them if they want to reveal themselves to me.”

“I'm sure you're right, Richard.” She smiles at me.

“How much longer until the meeting, King Dryden?”

“We still have about a full mark and a half to go. Is there somewhere you wish to visit before then?”

“I was thinking of visiting some different parts of Angathorn Kingdom and see how the training is proceeding here. I want to see if it is getting better with this new information so far.”

“That's a fine suggestion, Richard.”

“Don't worry about me, Richard. I can stay with Queen Lorinor. You men can take off and do your check up.”

“Thank you, Trianna. We'll meet you at the Sea Gala Arena at the Third Mark.”

“See you then, my dear King. Moreover, you better not be late.” She smiles at him.

“I won’t be my Queen. Eldwin will make sure I'll be there in time.”

They stand up and hug each other quickly. They give a quick kiss on the lips.

“Wizard Eldwin, will you please take us to our training fields here in Angathorn Kingdom?”

“Yes, my Lord. If you please put hand to shoulder who is going with me.”

The men connect with Wizard Eldwin. He recites the transport spell and we all disappear in a blink of an eye. We start flying north westward and fly over the forest. We see dragons flying in the air. Soon we see a large field near a large castle. We see about two thousand men and dwarves going through the paces. Some are in groups of five acting as a team in achieving a goal. Some are going through obstacle courses to increase their stamina and endurance. Some are doing one on one fighting skills or fighting in a group.

“I've seen enough, Eldwin. Take us down to the pavement area near the sundial in the court yard.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

We make our descent and appear in a blink of an eye.

A knight sees us appear. He comes running up and stands at attention.

“Welcome, King Dryden, to the training grounds. Do you wish to see Legion Commander Braxton?”

“Yes I do, sir knight. We are only here for a mark only. Richard here made the suggestion. He wanted to see how it is progressing and I agree with him. After the mark is up, then we are going to the Sea Gala Arena. This is to inform the dragons and the other First Ones who requested to be there.”

“I'll go inform Sir Braxton. Please wait here.”

“We will wait, sir knight.”

The knight turns around and walks toward a platform. We look around the area. Then I see an older castle in the distance.

“Is that the home castle for Twainor, King Dryden?”

“Yes it is Richard. This where we started, Richard. There is a lot of history behind those walls. That is also the location of the Grand Library. The main archives are kept there in deep underground vaults. The vaults are kept dry by using a certain spell. We try to make sure the other kingdoms have copies of these records to be safe.”

“Yes, copies are important. You don't want any fire or destruction happening to the originals. It has happened on my world lots of times. Some of it was by war or even by angry mobs of people.”

“I'm sorry to hear that, Richard.”

“That's all right, King Dryden. All we can do is to be disappointed and sad when it happens. Then we move onto the next day and rebuild.”

“That's what we did when had our First War.”

We look at each other and nod our heads up and down solemnly and in agreement. Soon we see some knights coming our way. They come to a stop. The Legion Commander steps forward to greet us.

“Welcome, King Dryden and honored guests. Welcome to our training field. Please follow us, you can get on the raised platform that we use so we can survey the training.”

“Thank you, Sir Braxton, for the opportunity.”

We are then escorted by them to the training fields. I see a raised platform with a multicolored awning covering over the top platform. On the four corners of the platform are pennants fluttering in a slight wind. The platform has three flights of stairs to get to the top platform. When we get there, we see several tables with maps laid out and weighed down. There are a number of chairs there as well. We look around and see how it is progressing.

“We saw the general layout as we came in, Sir Braxton. It looks good. What do you think, Richard?”

“It looks very good to me. You have informed them of the air fighters that could come here in the skies?”

“We just announced it during the noon repast here. They were not happy with that news, Richard.”

“I'm sure they weren't.”

“Have the wizards started doing their practice runs using the transport spell to the Twin Moons and back?”

“They have, Renard. Some are making the trip. We want the best ones there for that. The rest of the Mystic Order will be needed here to ride the dragons or for general protection, besides being healers if somebody gets injured.”

“I agree, Sir Braxton. Their minds must be on the task at hand to keep the forces together. We don't need an additional tragedy while they are waiting in the Ethereal Space.”

“That's true, Wizard Eldwin. Richard, are you sure you can generate the Ethereal Space inside the star ship?”

“I was able to generate it in the scout ship. Thaygard and Renard can vouch for it.”

“It does work, Sir Braxton. Not only can you use our spells, you can command certain functions of the star ship off or on by your new commands. It will over ride theirs.”

“That's great. Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome. I gave some new passwords to Sir Trenton if you need them for emergencies.”

“I saw that list. That is very clever to do that for us. Will these passwords help us release the medallions?”

“Probably not, that’s if they are near the Supreme for safe keeping. It will probably be a different and separate set of security measures. There could be a separate power supply to keep his own defenses up and active.”

“I'm sure you're right. I would probably do the same thing to make things more secure.”

“Can our dragons destroy the air fighters, Wizard Thaygard?”

“Well, like Richard said before in the Grand Council Chamber Lieutenant Commander. With the wizards riding on their backs and using the transport spell, they should be faster than them. They can destroy them however they wish.”

“They can set them on fire. If the barrier shields can be turned off, then the Ethereal Space will render their weapons useless. But, then they can have orders to commit a suicide run to hit a castle and explode on impact.”

“That's not good, Richard. Either way we must be prepared. I'll inform the other Legion Commanders of this possibility.”

“Sir Braxton, perhaps the dragons can drop large boulders onto the training field or a simple wooden structure. Then your men and wizards can practice how to work around that.”

“That is an excellent idea. Thank you, Renard.”

“You're welcome, Sir Braxton.”

“Since these air fighters do not have people on board and are operated by machines, the Ethereal Space will affect that part of it. You can try using a barrier shield spell around the castle. But the best solution is to nudge them off course, then they miss the castle and other buildings.”

“I see, that is a better solution. If we were to launch catapult boulders at them, it would be like trying to hit the smallest flying insect on Twainor.”

“We had the same problem a long time ago. We would shoot up hundreds of rockets hoping to hit just one air fighter. It took awhile to develop the ideas how to do it more efficiently Lives were lost during those times.”

“Thank you for the insight, Richard.”

“You're welcome.”

“Has the star ship moved yet, Wizard Eldwin?”

“No, it hasn't, Richard. It's still there. We'll probably sense the second scout ship first before that star ship moves.”

“I hope we can show the bait to the Supreme before they discover more information about Twainor.”

“I agree, King Dryden. We need all the advantage we can get.”

“Did Sir Trenton tell you about the possible hidden corridors and rooms?”

“Yes he did, Richard. We'll make sure we have dwarf warriors among us. They have proven to be very effective in these situations.”

“That's good, Commanders. How is it going picking the one hundred?”

“Well, my King, we'll be close to picking our one hundred by tomorrow evening.
The Navy Commanders have agreed to bring their largest sailing vessel to the southern port of our kingdom at Beserte. There will be a total of six there from six kingdoms. The other six will stay in their own kingdoms.”

“That sounds fine, Sir Braxton. I think we have been here long enough. It is time to meet the dragons.”

“Yes, my Lord. Be well and keep safe. Thank you, Richard, for everything so far. You have provided hope for us.”

“You're welcome, Sir Braxton.”

“Hold a moment. It is time for their breather break. Let me introduce you.”

I look at King Dryden.

He smiles, “Please do it, Richard. It will help with the morale.”

“Of course, King Dryden. Do they know about Outside Helpers on the star ship?”

“Yes, they were told today.”

“Commanders, please sound the bell for the breather break and have them come near the platform.”

“Yes, Sir Braxton.” The Army Commander turns around walks down the stairs. He walks over to a pedestal and picks up a hammer. He strikes the bell in a certain sequence to the end the current session.

“Bong! Bong!”

Then everyone stops in the training field.

Then the Army Commander strikes a different sequence to gather everyone at the platform.
“Bong!” . . . Pause … “Bong!” . . . Pause … “Bong!”

Then all of the men put down their weapons or sheath them. They come running toward to the platform. They assemble by brigades behind their banner. They get themselves evenly spaced.

Once Sir Braxton sees everyone present, including the dwarf dragons, dwarf warriors and wizards. He looks at his Army Commander, Sir Levon and nods his head.

“Legion Angathorn, attention!”

Everyone snaps to attention including the dragons surprisingly.

“At ease, Legion Angathorn!”

Then they all go into a relaxed stance and look up at the platform.

“Legion, we have several honored guests with us up here on the platform. Shortly thereafter, they will be flying to the Grand Gala Sea Arena to meet the dragons and the other First Ones there. They will be given instructions on how they can help us to defend our skies from the star ship's air fighters.”

“You have heard a lot about him when he was here the last time. He heard our call for help in our time of need. He has provided us much insight and knowledge on how we can bring the fight to the enemy. I present to you, the Outside Helper for Thryson Kingdom, Richard Moore!”

I step forward and raise my hand.

Then everybody begins to clap, cheer and roar, including everyone on the platform.

“Thank you, Maker!”

“Thank you for coming!”

Then they begin to chant, “Richard, Richard!” Over and over again.

I smile as I wave at them. “I think that is enough, Sir Braxton. I'll say some words now.”

“Of course, Richard,” He smiles at me. Sir Braxton raises his hands. The Legion quiets down. He gestures with his hand for me to step forward.

I speak out really loud. “Friends, we must stay focus with the task at hand and with a clear mind. We must not let anger rule our decisions. Your Outside Helpers are part of the crew on the star ship. It is our intention to rescue them and the crew. Also, to bring justice to their leaders for doing this abominable act.”

Everyone cheers to that announcement.

I raise my hand to quiet them down. “Be sure to tell your families and friends the key phrase if the star ship appears here and puts a light beam on top of them and they disappear. Have heart for they will appear on the star ship. Then say quickly 'Computer, reboot to Twainor control.' When that is said, the Ethereal Space will be generated within the star ship and their barrier shield will be turned off. This will allow Twainor's forces to board the star ship and bring the battle to them.”

They cheer some more.

I raise my hand again to quiet them down again. I yell out loud, “For Twainor!”

“For Twainor!” they shout back.

“For the Twin Moons!”

“For the Twin Moons!” they shout back.

“For the Maker!”

“For the Maker!” they shout back.

Then I started yelling and clapping my hands in exuberance.

They do the same thing yelling back.

“Yeah!”

“For the Maker!”

“Thank you for the Outside Helpers!”

This goes on for a while. I turn and face King Dryden.

He acknowledges and steps forward, while I step back. He raises his hands to quiet them down as he looks around.

“Thank you, Richard, for those words of encouragement. We must all work together. All sixteen kingdoms must act as one. All of the First Ones must act as one. This is Twainor's greatest challenge that we have ever faced. We will succeed! We will be victorious!”

Then everybody shouts out loud with approval.

“Victory! Victory!”

King Dryden raises his hands again. They quiet down as before.

“I'll be leaving now to meet the First Ones at the Grand Gala Sea Arena. Train hard, Angathorn Kingdom. The ones who are left here are just as important. You will keep our kingdom safe if the fight is brought to our skies. Remember that my Legion. Sir Braxton, you may continue.”

Sir Braxton steps forward, “Yes, my Lord.” He looks at the Legion. “Legion, take your water break and rotate to your next station. We'll begin the next session at the next half-mark. Dwarf dragons you can fly to the Gala Sea Arena if you wish. Don't worry about the training here. We'll keep them very busy until you get back.” Sir Braxton looks to his Army Commander and nods his head.

The Army Commander shouts out loud, “Angathorn Legion attention!”

Everyone snaps to attention.

“Legion, you’re dismissed!”

The Legion breaks apart, some walk, some half jog their way to the long tables where servants are ready to serve tall mugs of cold water. The dragons go to several large tubs and eat some sea-Cantrell together. When they get done, they begin to fly southeast wards to the arena.

Sir Braxton turns around and faces King Dryden and his guests. “Thank you for those words, King Dryden and Richard.”

“You're welcome,” we both say it at the same time.

Wizard Eldwin speaks up, “It is time, King Dryden to be at the arena.”

“Yes it is. See you at the end of the day, Sir Braxton, to hear your daily report.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

They both nod their heads up and down in respect.

We walk toward Wizard Eldwin. We put our hands to shoulder and connect to Eldwin's left and right shoulders. Wizard Eldwin recites the transport spell. We disappear in a blink of an eye.

We fly over the training fields and head southeast ward back to the Grand Castle. We fly over the countryside. We see other dragons flying along the way, including the dwarf dragons at the training fields. Some of them have wizards riding on their backs in the Ethereal Space. We straighten out and fly eastward toward the arena. The forest clears and I see the Grand Gala Sea Arena.

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 10
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

We see the dragons flying and the other First Ones streaming toward the arena. We also see some Kings and Queens from the other kingdoms as well. We make our descent and land outside the arena where the other Kings and Queens have gathered.

“You made it in time, my royal friends.”

“Yes we did King Dryden, and so did you.”

“Where did you come from, King Dryden?”

“We just did a short visit to Angathorn training fields. Sir Braxton requested a morale speech from Richard and me after we looked it over.”

“A morale speech? You should come to our fields as well, Richard.”

“Hmm . . . that may require some very fast flying to get around. I don't remember having a twin brother.” I smile at them.

They all laugh together.

“Hah, hah, hah . . . That's good, Richard. Perhaps you can do it when the 1,200 are gathered at the sea port.”

“That sounds fine, King Beltrane. I'll be glad to do it then.”

“That’s very good, Richard. Now let's give the news and information to the First Ones of what could happen in our skies here.”

We all turn around and walk together into the Sea Arena.

The Sea Arena is built into a natural half bowl of a hill side that over looks the sea. There are several tunnels that lead to the mid-level seating areas. It too is arranged like the seating in the Grand Hall in the Grand Castle. Most are walking around the perimeter when we get into the open. We hear a lot of cheering and roaring by the dragons when they see us.

I see about a five hundred sea dragons swimming in front of us. I also see about two hundred land dragons. They're all mixed sizes, shapes and colors. Then I see a white dragon flying in. The other dragons make room for him. They see that his skin is emitting little lightning flashes from it.

“Isn't that Ryujin, King Dryden?”

“It is, Richard. He has become a very powerful dragon like his brother Marcon.”

“He will be a unique weapon if the fight is brought here.”

“Yes he will be, Richard.”

I look around and see all four of the Dwarves’ Under Kingdoms are represented here with their banners. I see all of the unicorns with their own group of fairies hovering around them. I see in another area of the arena a lot centaurs as well.

“Follow me, Richard, to the Royal Section. You'll meet the leaders of the dwarf under kingdoms.”

The Royal Section is a separate set of seating and tables in the center front of the arena. It is used by the Royalty for judging of the events at the Festival.

When we get there, I see the four dwarf Kings and Queens with their Chief Warriors. I also see the rest of the Kings and Queens there as well. Then the twelve unicorns walk near us with their fairies. Then several dwarf dragons fly in closer including some flying dwarf sea dragons. The centaurs come near when they see others gather together at the Royalty section.

“Welcome, First Ones. We have not met like this in a long time.”

“We certainly have not, King Dryden.”

“Are you ready, Richard, to explain what is needed?”

“I think so, King Tierion. If I stutter, I'll look to Thaygard, Eldwin, Renard and Trianna for help.”

“Excellent, Richard, just keep calm and you'll do fine.”

The others laugh at my predicament to come.

“We've also brought some captains and sergeants with us who have read the historical records very thoroughly.”

“Thank you, King Quentin. That will help out greatly.”

“You're welcome.”

“Please walk to your sections please. It is time to begin the meeting.”

All of the Kings and Queens walk to the section the same way in the Grand Castle. The dwarves, centaurs, unicorns, fairies, and some dwarf land dragons go to their respective section as well. The rest of the land dragons stay on the right and left-hand sides of the arena. The dwarf sea dragons fly back to the other sea dragons and join them in the water.

King Dryden walks up to the center stage. The sea dragons try to come closer. He shouts out loud, “Welcome, First Ones, to the Grand Gala Sea Arena!”

Everyone starts to roar, cheer, clapping hands, neighing and yelling. King Dryden let them make the applause for awhile. He then raises his hands to quiet them down, which they do eventually.

“We have a lot to do and explaining so that everyone has a part in defending Twainor. The first thing we'll do is begin with the scout ship.”

“As you know by now, we sent the call out to our Outside Helpers once we sensed the presence of it near the Twin Moons. Within two days only one showed up. We were disappointed the others did not show up. But Richard did remind us that we should be thankful at least one showed up.”

“We then asked him what his specialty is. He told us that it is computers and security. We then did realize that the Maker did send the right one. On his way here, Richard saw a large star ship on the edge of our star system. It is still there at this time.”

Everyone starts to cheer and roar. King Dryden raises his hands to quiet them down. “While Richard adjusts to our world, Richard immediately started to give us ideas to work with. He suggested for us to find a way to remove the crew members safely and to split them up. Which we did. The other is that he gave our forces ideas to start training with. Richard, Renard and Trianna flew to King Keltan's kingdom early yesterday morning. They met wizard Thaygard there. Then they flew to the cave where the scout ship appeared.”

“Once they entered in the scout ship, Richard easily retrieved the information from their computer machinery. He found the historical records depicting the travels of the star ship.”

“A long time ago a star system was dying. The original crew members built the star ship to find a new world. At one of the star systems they encountered a disease that decimated their numbers. It was reduced from two thousand or so to just ten people. One of them is their leader. However, he became infected as well. From what we know, he grew very big and became known as the Supreme. However, the other nine could not operate the star ship efficiently. Hence, they sought our worlds to capture people to repopulate their crew. They would be used as well to rebuild their depleted supplies on the star ship.”

“However, the new crew members did not cooperate with them. Then the original nine developed mind control devices to get them to think otherwise.”

“Richard continued his work on the scout ship. Richard, please continue with the story.”

I get up and walk forward and step up to the center stage next to King Dryden on his right-hand side. I speak out loud as I look around. “I then proceeded to find a hole in their machine magic, which I did eventually find. I then remembered how important the Ethereal Space is here for you to do your magic. I analyzed it and created a program so that it can be generated within the star ship. I also found the commands so that the barrier shields can be turned off. I also created a new set of passwords for the forces to use on the star ship. This will allow the Twainor forces to board the star ship and bring the fight to them.”

Everyone one starts to cheer and roar again. I raise my hands to quiet them down, which they do. “After examining and reading the historical record some more, we found some more disturbing news. Their weapons can fire beams of intense light. The weapons can cut through you like a hot knife or sword. It is very painful. Fortunately I was able to tell the Commanders that these light weapons do have a weakness. Light can be reflected. Therefore, the knights will have their armor polished brightly like a mirror.”

“When I was meeting with the Kings and Queens earlier today, one of the Legion Commanders told me that they found something in the records.” I turn and look at King Quentin and nod my head up and down. He nods his head in acknowledgment. Then one of the captains steps forward and stands next to me.

“We found a phrase that they use air fighters to help subdue a world. We didn't know what it meant, so we asked Richard.”

“I immediately knew what it is. These air fighters are small flying machines. They can be any size, anywhere from a dwarf dragon to a big one like Marcon. They can fly very fast in a straight or curved path. They can shoot these light weapons, missiles with heat seekers or shoot pieces of metal. They are designed to eliminate any resistance that a world would use to defend themselves.”

Then everyone yells and roars. “What can we do for protection?”

King Dryden and I raise our hands to quiet them down.

“The solution is the wizard. They can ride your backs and use the transport spell. You will be able to disappear and fly faster. They you can destroy these air fighters, however you wish.”

Then everyone shouts in approval.

“Thank you, Maker!”

“Praise the Twin Moons!”

“We also found out these air fighters have no one on board flying them. They are operated by computers and their type of machine magic.”

“Yeah!”

“All right!”

“Thank you, Maker!”

“Now we come to the next problem. When Richard revealed himself to the second crew member, that crew member noticed Richard is wearing the twelfth medallion.”

“What!?” They all yell out loud.

“Yes, the star ship has our Outside Helpers as crew members. So, we must rescue the crew and bring justice to their leaders. Because they have committed the biggest crime of all.”

“After they have taken some people from a world, they proceed to strip the wealth and resources of that star system. They have killed millions and billions of people while searching a cure for their leader and a new home.”

“No! We'll fight for Twainor!”

“We'll win!”

“Do you remember the story of the Emissaries and how their small craft crash landed on Twainor? Our Ethereal Space damaged it. If we can turn off the barrier shield on the star ship, we can do the same to the air fighters.”

“Praise the Maker!”

“Thank you, Richard!”

“Thank the Maker for our Ethereal Space!”

“This is where we must be wary. These air fighters can still cause damage. If any escape your chase, they can still crash on the surface. When they crash, there will be an explosion with fire. They can crash into the castles, buildings and into the forest. If you see one of these air fighters on a crash course with no control, you can nudge them off course to avoid the target.”

“Let the wizards and sorceresses use the barrier shields to avoid injury. Seek shelter underground if necessary. Remember First Ones, Twainor's forces will be on the star ship to disarm it quickly before it has a chance to do serious damage to Twainor.”

“We know the forest animals will sense the danger. Just don't get hurt in the process if you want to help. If Twainor is saved, we can always rebuild and keep our lives for the next generation.”

“If there is a fire in the forest. Let us know where it is. We'll all work together to put the fire out.”

“Are there any questions or comments?”

All four Dwarf Kings stand up.

“You may come forward Kings.”

All four Dwarf Kings walk up to the center stage to stand with us. The captain goes back to his seat.

“It is time to put our differences aside. We all have learned a lot from our Outside Helpers. Richard has provided us an opportunity to bring victory.”

“Yes, King Thranton. That is right. We'll open our Under Kingdoms for any who need refuge, Kings and Queens of the Upper Kingdoms.”

“Yes, we know your food storage buildings are filled with the blessing of the Maker. We will survive this threat to us.”

“If any become injured, we'll provide aid. That includes you too, dragons. We can help by removing any metal object, close the wound and skin.”

Marcon speaks up, “Thank you Dwarf Kings for the help. That is greatly appreciated.”

“What about me? What can I do to help my brothers fight?”

King Dryden looks at me, “Richard, do you have any ideas for Ryujin?”

“I do, King Dryden.” I walk towards to Ryujin. “You are very unique, Ryujin. For a wizard to ride your back he needs to have a special crafted saddle. This is for his protection against your lightning. The material needs to be a pliable insulation material that does not conduct electricity. It also needs heat protection as well.”

“Richard, I know what material you're talking about. It is what we discovered when you were here last time.”

“Yes, that is right, King Thranton. Can your builders make a saddle for a wizard?”

“I'm sure they can in one or two days.”

“That's a start. While they are making the saddle Ryujin, you need to start practicing how to shoot an electric bolt from your claws or tail. You need to learn to control and aim it where you want it to go. Crushing or using your fire breath is your first choice. Use the lightning bolts in situations as a surprise on the air fighters.”

“I understand, Richard. I have set fire to trees with my lightning by accident.”

“Have your brethren toss or drop rocks and boulders and see if you can hit a moving object.”

Then the dragons of the Rainbow Falls roar out loud in approval. “Yes, we can do that easily!”

“What about the sea dragons? What can we do to help?”

“We thought about that too, Chelen. I have seen recordings of air fighters on my world in past wars. Sometimes there are fighters flying over water to attack ports and to destroy sea going sailing ships. Tarsi and the others who can fly, you can bait them by having these air fighters chase you to get lower to the sea surface.”

“Yes, then the sea dragons can come up and provide our own attacks to bring them down!”

Then the sea dragons roar with approval when they hear that.

“That is all we have at this point. If we get any new information, we'll let you know as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Kings and Queens. Thank you, Richard.”

“We'll have wizards available for you in your respective kingdoms in the morning.”

“Thank you, King Dryden.”

“Take care First Ones of Twainor. We all have a part in bringing victory to Twainor!”

Then everyone begins to roar, yell, clap their hands, stomp their hoofs and feet. The dragons shoot flames into the air. The sea dragons shoot large streams of water into high arcs in the air. The sea dragons also jump higher into the air to get as high as they can.

“King Dryden, I have a feeling the Supreme is going to be surprised how Twainor defends itself.” I smile at him.

“Yes, Richard, he will definitely be surprised.”

The Kings and Queens of the Upper and Under Kingdoms come walking up to the center stage. King Dryden sees them come near.

“It is time to return to our respective kingdoms.”

“Where are the two other crew members, King Dryden?”

“They're in Evenshard and Antarte, Richard.”

“That would be Tark and Mal-tor, Richard.”

“I was just wondering where I should spend the night, King Tierion.”

“We'll take care of your Outside Helper, Renard and Trianna.”

“I know you will, King Beltrane. We look forward to the information from the last two crew members.”

“Then I will see you tomorrow my friends, Kings and Queens.”

“See you tomorrow, Richard. Have a good night's sleep.”

“Thank you, my Queen.” I turn to the unicorns, “see you tomorrow. It is good to see you again.”

“Yes it is good to see you again.”

Then all twelve unicorns walk up to me one by one. I hug each one in turn. The fairies fly around us singing and giving thanks for the special bond we share. When we get done, I give some hugs to the Dwarf Kings and Queens. After that, some of the centaurs put their hand on my shoulder with a smile. When I get done with them, I turn to the land and sea dragons and smile.

“Thank you, Richard, for giving us hope.”

“We thank the Maker that you're here with us.”

“You're welcome, dragons. Give my best to Eingana.”

“We will, Richard. See you tomorrow.”

“We will all need a good night's rest and sleep for tomorrow.”

“That we will.”

The sea dragons turn around and dive into the water. We see them swim away.

“It is time for the evening repast. See you all tomorrow, First Ones.”

“See you tomorrow, King Dryden.”

Avel speaks up now. “The unicorns, the fairies and the land dragons are staying here for the night Lord Dryden.”

“So are we. We'll be in the Under Kingdom here for the night. There is no need to rush back and forth between Kingdoms at this time.”

“I understand, King Thranton. Lord Beltrane has Richard this evening. He will be near the other crew members tomorrow morning.”

“I understand. I heard you were beginning a three-moon vacation before you answered the call, Richard?”

“That's right, King Thranton.”

“Well don't forget us when it's over.”

“I won't, King Thranton. If all goes well, I will probably be visiting everyone before I go back.”

“I'm sure you're right. You'll definitely need a good night's sleep between kingdoms.” He smiles at me.

Then everyone laughs at that joke.

“Anyone who is leaving, please connect with a sorceress or a wizard.”

“Yes, King Dryden.”

We all connect hand to shoulder. Once we're connected, they recite the transport spell. We all disappear in a blink of an eye. Eldwin, Renard, Trianna, Thaygard and I fly South to Evenshard. We see the other Kings and Queens fly back to their own respective kingdoms.

We fly over the ocean to the southern hemisphere. Soon we see a lush green continent on the horizon. I see a beautiful landscape of flat lands and rolling hills. In the distance I see the mountain range that divides Antarte and Evenshard Kingdoms. I see many towns, villages and castles. Some of the castles are trimmed in white stone. Then we see King Beltrane's castle appearing as a white diamond in a sea of green.

The outer stone of the castle walls and turrets comes from the quarry in the mountains to the East. The stone glitters in the night from the moon light, hence the name of the kingdom, Evenshard.

We make our descent and land in the courtyard with the large sundial on display there. King Beltrane and Queen Darissa appear as well. “Welcome to Evenshard, my friends and honored guests.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, King Beltrane. How much time do we have until the setting of the sun?”

“We only have time for the evening repast. Come let's go inside.”

We turn around and see four knights walking toward us. The fifth man between them steps forward.

“Welcome back, my King and Queen. Welcome honored guests.”

“Yes it is good to be back home. Is the evening repast ready?”

“Yes it is, my Lord. Please follow us.”

We follow them in the courtyard up to the main entrance. Two knights by the main entrance open two large stone doors. I see a beautiful pattern of silver flecks, purple gems and the white Evenshard stone in it. It must have been carved and set by the dwarves in the region.

We walk inside and see a beautiful foyer area. Straight ahead are the two large wooden doors. It too is decorated with pieces of silver, Evenshard and purple gems in a delicate pattern.

We turn right in the foyer area and walk down the hallway. The two knights in front of us open another pair of large wooden doors on the left-hand side. We walk in and see the dining area already arranged for the evening repast.

In the room we see other people standing and talking together. They get quiet when we enter in.

“Welcome back, my King and Queen.”

“Yes it’s good to be back. We have some honored guests with us this evening.” King Beltrane turns to us and introduces us. “This is Wizards Eldwin, Thaygard and Renard and Sorceress Trianna whom you already know.”

Then King Beltrane stands next to me. “This is Richard Moore, the Outside Helper from Thryson Kingdom.”

Everyone in the room then claps their hands and cheers.

I raise my hands quickly. They quiet down.

“Thank you, my friends. Let us enjoy and give thanks for this evening repast while we still have time. I would like to keep seeing these great sun settings every day.”

They all laugh together.

“Well said, Richard. Master Wizard Braylin, please give this evening Thanks to the Maker.”

He smiles, “Yes, my Lord.”

We all walk around to take our seats. Grand Master Eldwin sits at the other end of the table. The rest of us take our seats where we wish. I end up sitting on the same side with Thaygard, Renard and Trianna and Wizard Braylin. On the other side is Queen Darissa, Legion Commander Dolen, Army Commander Torreno, Navy Commander Larkin and Master Sorceress Dreama.

Wizard Braylin stays standing up and begins to give thanks. “Maker we give thanks that we have a chance to defend your creation. Give us the wisdom, the courage, the perseverance to bring victory for all of Twainor. Thank you providing the bounty of the land for our strength.”

Then everyone responds, “Thank you, Maker.”

The servers come in and serve the first course. A salad is brought in with different vegetables than I have seen so far. They are served cold. The spice on the dish is sweet tasting with a slight tang.

The conversations come in from everyone.

“So, my commanders, how is it going on the training grounds?”

“Everything is progressing well. We'll have our one hundred chosen by tomorrow evening with ten wizards. Then the next day will begin training on the sailing vessels. Hopefully, we can get two full days on the ships before the star ship shows up.”

“I agree, Sir Dolen. After the last crew member is interviewed, we must send the distress signal to the star ship.”

“Yes, we hope they will take the bait and come here directly.”

“Has anyone asked Brin for a layout of the star ship?”

“We did, Richard. He was able to sketch many levels with some good detail. Copies were made quickly and given to the other Kingdoms. They all agreed to get them laid out today to start increasing the endurance of the squads.”

“That's good.”

“The only level we don't have is the location of the Supreme.”

“That will come in time. Getting command of the key areas will be important to limit their choices, especially the weapons.”

We pause as the servers come in and take our salad plates. The next time the come out, they bring the main dish. It is a fowl dish. I immediately get a whiff of a very spicy aroma from it. I take a small piece to check how spicy it is. Hmm . . . not too bad. It is a bit different. It brings the heat to the backside of the tongue. I take a bite of a vegetable serving. Ah . . . This has a cool taste to calm the heat, excellent. I take a drink of water to clear my throat.

“Sir Dolen, I'm just curious. What did you do to get the legion back in shape after my demonstration match?” I give a mischievous smile as I look at him.

They all laugh together.

“You should have seen their faces Richard when we came up with some new techniques.”

“They were not happy at all. We had to break down their pride and over confidence. Your match proved you don't need magic and weapons to defeat somebody. That hand slap game and technique you showed Sir Trenton, was a nice introduction to develop the improved eye-hand coordination in quickness. Some of our best soldiers were surprised how slow they reacted. ”

“Yes, Sir Torreno, they fought fairies and dwarf warriors without weapons for at least one moon period. By then they conceded their pride. We then started to rebuild them back up with very good results.”

“Before the Outside Helpers came, we had become very concerned with this attitude that was building up. This attitude is not only in Evenshard, but also in some of the other Kingdoms. The Royalty and the Commanders all saw it at the Mid-Summer and Grand Gala Events.”

“Yes my King. Your match, Richard, opened them up and revealed a serious infection as it was. Once the Commanders saw that recording, they finally have the lessons needed to get their Legion’s attention.”

“You're welcome. Just to let you know there is another direction the problem could go. That is stress that causes harm to your fellow soldiers. We even have that problem. We're constantly evaluating the soldiers to make sure they are of sound mind.”

“Yes, we have that problem as well. Your match revealed that anger as well. It did get their attention about trying to stay calm in the heat of battle. We have seen them develop the 'fury' during certain situations.”

“I have seen that as well in the fighting ring. It is useful, but it can lead to exhaustion and collapse at an inconvenient time or moment.”

The servers come in and remove our plates after we have eaten. I take another sip of water to cool off my spicy tongue. The servers then bring out several fruit bowls. All of the fruits are cut in large pieces. The servers also put another empty bowl at each of our place setting in front of us and a small damp towel for later.

We take our forks and start poking them and bring them to our empty bowls. We take several different kinds of fruit and put into our bowls. I see pieces with the seeds removed already. It is up to us to remove the fruit from the rinds.

We enjoy the challenge of removing the fruit from the coverings. We laugh and giggle while we eat it. We occasionally have to wipe our chins from the sweet juicy nectar dripping down from the mouths.

After we get done, the servers come and take our bowls and utensils. We continue to clean ourselves up some more with the damp towel.

The Master Chef comes with comes in with the kitchen staff and stand in a line nearby. King Beltrane notices them. “Thank you, Master Chef for this wonderful meal.”

We all clap our hands and cheer for serving a delicious meal.

“Thank you, Master Chef!”

“The meal satisfied my taste buds.”

The Master Chef and the kitchen staff bow their heads and raise them.

“Thank you, my King and Queen and honored guests. It was a pleasure to serve you all at this time. We hope and pray for victory so that we can serve you again.

We clap and cheer again.

“Until then, good night and see you here for the morning repast everyone.”

“Until then Master Chef, good night.”

“Come my friends. Let us go outside and witness the sun setting and the Maker's Creation.”

We all get up and walk outside to the courtyard by the sundial. The kitchen staff stays and begins to clean up the tables and the kitchen.

“Will this be your first setting here Richard?”

“It is, King Beltrane. The last time I was here, we had to leave early to arrive in the Maranelle Islands Kingdom by the Second Mark in the morning there.”

“Now I remember that day. You'll enjoy seeing it here. Look everyone. Here it comes from the East.”

We look East wards. Soon we see the wall of colorful lights coming our way. Then it envelopes all around us.

I get a big surprise to see how the lights interact with the castle walls. It begins to pulse in colorful lights as well. When a blue filament touches the Evenshard stone, it glows a blue as well. When each color of the rainbow touches the castle, it takes on that color. It appears as a multicolored polka-dotted pattern on the Evenshard stone. We see ourselves interact with colors like I have seen before. After a few moments, the colorful walls of lights leave. But the castle continues to pulse with the colors that the filaments last touch as the walls glow in the dark. This continues for about quarter-mark before it completely fades. Then it glitters like a white diamond like before.

“That's an incredible display King Beltrane. Apparently you discovered this stone property a long time ago.”

“Yes we did, Richard.”

Then the stars, the nebulae and the Twin Moons appear in the night sky.

We all clap our hands and give thanks to the Maker for a beautiful display.

“We discovered the stone in the mountains East of here. It took two years for the dwarves and men to cut the stones and bring them here on this hill rise. There is a deep wide river that flows around this rocky hill. It provides a natural moat. The back side is a heavily fortified wall with gates and turrets.”

“There are no bridges to cross the river. You use ferries or the gate entrance in the back to get into the castle grounds.”

“What about catapult boulders? They can damage the castle from the other side of the river.”

“Sir Dolen, will you please be so kind to demonstrate another property of the Evenshard stone?”

“Yes my Lord.” He walks over to the front entrance and stands near a crystal torch mounted there. He recites the spell to light up the crystals. The crystal torch glows brightly. Soon, the rest of that part of the castle wall begins to glow as well. “Now watch what happens when I throw a stone at the wall.”

He picks ups a stone on the ground and throws it at the wall. The stone never touches the wall. It bounces off an invisible force field and lands on the ground and rolls to stop.

“That's incredible, King Beltrane. The stone generates a natural force field when a strong light source activates it. I'll have to give many thanks to the Maker for that idea.”

“That's right, Richard. We tried everything against the wall. It even bounced off the catapult boulders in day light.”

“This is too much. Do all of the Kingdoms have this capability, King Beltrane?”

“Only the kingdoms in this region have the Evenshard stone. There is not enough of it for everyone, unless a new vein is discovered in the mountains.”

“I see, so you have a rare deposit here. The other kingdoms will have to use embankments, walls, barrier shields and sealing spells for their protection.”

“That's right, Richard. We did try using the lens to focus the sun’s rays onto it. It did not block it. That means the light weapons on the air fighters can do damage. But it should block their other weapons.”

“Well at least that's something for a start. The dragons will have to be very aware where these air fighters are flying. The wizards can provide another pair of eyes for them.”

“Yes, we must be very alert and watching the skies. We greatly appreciate what you have done so far.”

“You're welcome, King Beltrane Well, I think it is time for some sleep. It is going to be another long and interesting day tomorrow.”

“Yes it will be, Richard. Come, my honored guests, my chamberlain will escort to your rooms for this evening.”

We all walk back inside the castle. There we see the chamberlain waiting for us with a pair of knights for the escort.

“Chamberlain, please show the way for honored guests where they will be sleeping tonight.”

“Yes, my Lord. Please follow me.”

We follow the chamberlain inside the foyer area. We turn right in the foyer and walk to the end of the hallway. We turn left and see a set of stairs and ramps to the second and third floors. When we arrive at the third floor, we turn left again and walk down a long hallway. We see several doors on the left and right-hand sides.

“These rooms are used by our guests. This is where you'll be staying this evening. Richard, yours is in the first one to the right. Wizard Renard, yours is the next one to him on the right. There is a common door between the two.”

“Trianna, yours is on the left-hand side here. Wizard Thaygard yours is the next one to Renard. Wizard Eldwin, yours is the next one on the left, next to Trianna. There is no common door between them. All rooms have windows in this part of the castle wing.

“Thank you, chamberlain.” We all respond as one.

“You're welcome. There will be guards on watch at the top of the next mark.”

“Good night, everyone. See you in the morning in the dining room. The morning repast is at the First Mark.”

“We'll be there. Good night chamberlain.”

We walk into our rooms and close the doors. I walk inside and take a look around. I see a beautiful decorated room. Then the common door opens.

“Hello, Richard.”

“Hello, Renard. This is a very nice room.”

“Yes it is, Richard. I'll be sure to wake you in time to get ready.”

“Thanks. Well let's get ready for bed. As long as I get about seven marks of sleep, I'll wake up very rested.”

“That sounds good to me. Good night, Richard.”

“Good night Renard.”

Renard leaves the door open and returns to his room.

I take off my satchel and put it on one of the chairs. I take off my jacket and fold it up really nice and smooth. I take off the shirt and do the same thing. I sit on the chair and take off my boots. I set those aside near the wooden dresser. I take off the pants and fold those up as well.

I walk over to the dresser and open them to see what is available. The second drawer is empty. So, I put the folded clothes in that drawer. I undo the latches on the breast and back plate. I take them off and lay them on the bed. I untie the knots on the padding from the plates. I set the metal plates near the other side of the dresser. I fold up the padding and put them in the empty bottom drawer. I open the top drawer again and take out the largest night shirt and under shorts there that will fit me. I place them on the bed. I take off my shorts, under shorts and T-shirt. I fold them up and place them in the second drawer. When I open the second drawer again, I see a cleaning spell has already been set for it. There was a dirt stain on the ranger shirt that is now gone.

I look in the mirror and smile at the face I see there. I comb my hair to straighten it out. I pour some water into the bowl. I proceed to wash my face and hands to freshen up. I use the damp cloth and rub down my body, even the feet as well. Once that is done, I drape the cloth on the edge of the bowl.

I walk over to the curtains and open them up. I see the light of the Twin Moons breaking through some clouds. I turn around and walk over to the bed and turn down the bed covers. I then look at the crystal lights and raise my right hand toward them one at a time. I recite the spell and turn them off.

I get under the bed covers and put my head on the large pillow.

“Good night, Renard.”

“Good night, Richard.”

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 11
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

I finally fall asleep and have several dreams of being home again. I remember the times with my family and friends in college.

After awhile, the scene changes to a different location on Earth. I'm a young boy playing in a dry river bed near my home. I pick up a river stone and put it in my sling. I start spinning the sling to get it up to speed. I look at my target that I want to hit.

I let go of one of the leather thong strings. The stone flies across the dry river bed and hits the large boulder.

“That's getting closer. A little higher and I will hit that small boulder on top of the large one.”

I pick up another river stone and do the same thing. This time the stone sails over the small boulder and misses it by a hand width.

“That's better. I just have to keep practicing. I'll hit it eventually.”

Just about when I bend down to pick up another river stone, I hear father calling me.

“Son, my beloved son! It is time for the midday supper!”

“I’m coming, father!” I toss down the stone. I turn and run to my father's tent.

“I'm here, father. What do you wish me to do after supper?”

“I need you to take the herd here tomorrow morning to a new grazing field. But first I need you to take this skin of food and water for your brothers who are on the war front. Give me news of how it is going.”

“Yes, father, I'll bring it to them. It will be good to see them again. Hopefully, there will be good news from them as well.”

“Yes it will be, my beloved. Let's have our midday supper first. I don't need you leaving here on an empty stomach.” He smiles at me.

“Yes, father,” I smile back at him.

We get our supper together. It is a simple meal, yet filling.

Father goes to the well with two bowls and a ladle. He brings up the rope. At the end of the rope is a water tight skin bag dripping with cold water. He opens it. He sees two smaller skin bags in there. He opens one of them. He ladles some goat's milk cheese into each of the bowls. Then he closes it tightly. He opens the other one and ladles out some goat's milk yogurt also. He reseals that bag as well. He then reseals the main bag and lowers it back down the well so that it floats on top of the water.

I go to several bags in the tent that are hanging in a corner of the tent. I open them one by one. I take a large bowl nearby. I reach into the bags and retrieve some dried and fresh fruit from each of them. That would be figs and olives for now. The citrus fruit will be saved for later tonight. In the other bag I retrieve two small loaves of bread.

We gather together in the center of the tent. We put what we found on a clean small rug that father has put out. We each drink some water from the skins. Father gives a simple blessing to the Maker for the food.

We then have our midday meal. We talk about many things of the day, such as how the herd is doing, where the grazing field is, and the war with our enemy.

When we get done, we give the Maker the proper thanks and blessings for the food that we have eaten.

After we have cleaned up the bowls, we load up the satchel with what I will bring to my brothers.

“Now go, my son. Be swift and sure footed. I'll pray for a safe return.”

“Thank you, father. The Maker will be sure of that as long as we thank him daily in his Tent of Meeting in the Wilderness.”

“Yes, my son. Take care now.”

I make sure my sandals are tied securely on my feet and ankles. It is uneven land from where our tent is to the war front. Fortunately I know the path I’ll be taking to get there. I moved most of the larger boulders and rocks out of the way each time I come back.

Father and I hug each other tightly. I pick up the skin of food and water and put it on my shoulder. Father hands me my satchel. I open it and see what he put in there. I see my sling and a few river stones. There is a skin of water and a few dried figs and olives. I then close the satchel.

I smile at him as he hands me my staff. We give each other a quick hug.

“I'll return with great news today, father.”

“I'm sure you will. Now go, my beloved son, with blessings from the Maker.”

“Yes, father. Praise the Maker for another wonderful day.”

I turn around and walk out of the tent. I then run north wards. I stay low in the valleys between the rolling hills as much as possible. I run the distance for a while. Once I feel out of breath, I stop for a rest. After eating one of the olives and drinking a little bit of water, I get back on the trail and continue to run to the war front. After awhile, I see our southern sentry.

He recognizes me and allows me through. He knows that I have done this several times for my brothers. We smile at each other as I walk past him.

I continue walking down the worn path until I hear a loud commotion from the enemy. As I get closer, I hear a booming voice sounding out loud.

As soon as I turn the corner and walk behind our lines I get the biggest surprise of all. I see a giant warrior standing there. He's speaking profanities at our army and the Maker Himself.

I shout out loud, “What in Heaven's Name is going on here?”

~~~000~~~

I wake up with a startle and look at the ceiling. I can still hear his profanities as the dream fades from memory.

I look to the window. I get out of bed and walk toward it. I see the break of dawn on the horizon.

I better get ready for the day, Maker. Why did you give me that dream, Maker? It's one of my favorite stories, because it is the youngest brother who overcame great odds to do great things.

I walk over to the dresser and put a mint type leaf in my mouth and begin to chew it. I change my clothes and get ready for the day. I pick up the metal plates and put them on the bed. I open the drawer and retrieve the padding. I reattach them onto the breast and back plate. I continue getting myself dressed. I hear Renard from the other room.

“Good morning, Richard.”

“Good morning, Renard.”

“I had a strange dream last night. I can't make sense of it.”

“You had a strange dream, Renard? Can you describe it before you forget it?” I put on my jacket and look in the mirror. I comb my hair to put it into place. I take the chewed mint leaf and toss it into the waste receptacle.

“I'll try. I was a young lad running down a dry river bed to my father's tent.”

I smile when I hear that.

“What's strange, it's a place I’ve never been to on Twainor. In fact I don't think it is anywhere here on Twainor.”

I turn to face Renard. “Well, this is one time I know what it means. You had part of the same dream as I did last night.”

“We had the same dream? Apparently the Maker is trying to tell us something.”

“I'm sure the Maker is. Right now it is a wait and see how the day goes. The answer will probably reveal itself then.”

“I'm sure you're right. Do you know what the story is about?”

“I do, Renard. If I tell it now, we'll be late for the morning repast.”

“Sigh . . . very well. Let's go. We'll have time for it later.”

“Come, it is time to eat. It will recharge the mind and body for the day.”

We put on our satchels and walk out the door. We see the guards out there at their stations. A little bit later the other three doors open. We see Eldwin, Trianna and Thaygard enter the hallway. Each one is deep in thought.

“Good morning, Master Eldwin.” We all say it at the same time.

“Huh?” He looks up at us. “Good morning, everyone. I had a strange dream last night.”

“You did? You better tell us before you forget it.”

“Oh, I won't forget it. I was in a large tent in a desert somewhere. I was dressed strangely. I was giving Thanks, offerings and prayers to the Maker in a strange language.”

“I was attending a group of soldiers on the war front. Our forces were on one side of a valley. The enemy was on the other side of the valley. I heard a big deep voice yelling curses at us. I awoke in a fright.”

“What about you, Thaygard?”

“My dream sounds like the others. I was the father of several sons. Three or four of them are in the army. The youngest tends the flock. I sent him on a journey to deliver some food and water to the war front for his older brothers.”

Renard and I smile at each other widely. Almost to the point of laughing.

“Apparently you two know what is going on. So, what is it?”

“We do, Master Eldwin. The Maker gave us the same dream from Richard's world.”

“He did, Richard?”

Trianna and Thaygard look at us with a surprised look on their faces.

“Yes Master Eldwin. The story is rather old, it several thousand years’ old. It is a well-written story. I'll tell it later.”

“Yes, Richard. Apparently the Maker is trying to tell us something.”

“Apparently the Maker is. Come, let's have the morning repast.”

We walk down the flights of stairs to the main floor. We walk into the dining room and see our hosts standing there talking together. They turn around when they see us walk in.

“Good morning, my honored guests.”

“Good morning, King Beltrane and Queen Darissa.”

“Did everyone get a good night's sleep?”

“We did for the most part. That is until the last dream.”

“We've been talking about it. We can't make sense of it.”

“If it's like ours last night. We'll need Richard to explain it.”

“Richard?”

“Yes, King Beltrane. Apparently the Maker put a story in your dreams that was written down more than three thousand years ago on Earth.”

“That's strange. It seems then, the Maker is trying to tell us something.”

“If the Maker did it here for us. He could have sent it to the rest of Twainor.”

“If that's true Master Eldwin. Then it must be very important.”

“I have a feeling, King Beltrane and Sir Dolen, it will make sense after we finish interviewing these two crew members this morning.”

“Yes, you're probably right Richard. We'll we have talked enough. Let's have the morning repast. We'll contact the other kingdoms after we have eaten.”

We all sit down in the chairs where we ate last evening. Master Wizard Braylin remains standing.

“You may give thanks, Wizard Braylin.”

“Yes my Lord. Maker, we give you Thanks this morning for a brand-new day. We thank you for the food you have given us this morning. We thank you for the dream last night, because you're trying to tell us a secret for the days ahead. We are sure it will be one of the keys to victory so that we can keep your creation for all time.”

Then everyone responds, “Thank you, Maker.”

Wizard Braylin sits down to join us.

“Master Chef. You may begin to serve us.”

“Yes, my Lord.” He bows his head and raises it back. He turns and walks into the kitchen.

Servers come out with the first course. It is a plate with greens, boiled grains that are spiced mildly and slices of several cold vegetables. We begin to talk while we're eating.

“So, Richard, what is this story about from your world?”

“It is a story of a young boy who is chosen by the Maker to do great things for his countrymen. When he comes of age, he eventually becomes King and his Kingdom lasts for centuries, despite the enemy's efforts to destroy it. There are a lot of intrigue and tests from the Maker for him and the kingdom.” I pause and take some more bites of food.

“So his kingdom was one of the few that could hear the Maker's Voice?”

“Yes, King Beltrane. In fact, it has been written, if it hadn't been for that kingdom the world would be lost. But the Maker tested other kingdoms around the world from time to time to see if they are listening to him as well.”

“That's good, Richard. At least there is hope for your world.”

“Richard, in the dream last night, I saw a very large man. He had to be two to three times taller than the rest of us. Who was he?”

“He was one of the few giants that were left on the Earth, Sir Dolen.”

“A giant? Where did he come from?”

We get done with our salad. The servers come in to remove our empty plates. Then they come and bring the main course out. The main dish is a fish dish with some vegetables. This time it is served up warm and lightly spiced.

“His ancestor's name is a rare name. I'm trying to remember, but it escapes me for now. I do remember reading it a few times.”

“That's all right, Richard. Perhaps it will come later today. Did this giant have a weakness Richard?”

“Yes he did, Sir Dolen. Because of his size, it was not his build, strength or armor. The young boy quickly determined what it was when he looked at his face and head. His helmet did not cover the forehead.”

“Ah, he had a very sensitive spot there. That's where the young boy tossed his stone with his sling.”

“That's right, Sir Torreno. Once he was knocked down, he was unconscious for a short moment. Then the young boy took the giant's sword and killed him with it.”

“Then the tide turned and the enemy was routed from the land?”

“It took a few more years after that, but yes King Beltrane.”

“I can see why it is a favorite story on your world.”

“Yes, there are many other stories, King Beltrane. I'm just as surprised as you are that the Maker would do such a thing for Twainor.”

“If the Maker thinks this story is important, Sir Dolen, then we must pay attention to it.”

“Yes, my King. We'll keep it in mind while the forces are getting ready.”

Then we all get quiet and finish the main course. When we get done, the servers bring out several bowls of fruit for us. The fruits are whole this time. We each take two different kinds of fruit. I see that these fruits are different from what I have eaten last night.

We cut into the fruits to discover the prize within. The first one I cut reveals a juicy yellow pulp that reminds me of a citrus fruit from Earth. However, it has a different flavor that I never tasted before. I slice it up and remove the seeds and set the rind pieces aside.

We start laughing while eating them. When we get done with the first fruit, we go after the second fruit. The fruit that I have turns out to be very different inside. It has single large seed. The pulp is purple in color. It too has a very different flavor as well. It is very good.

I try to be careful and not get myself too messy. I constantly wipe my chin and mouth with the napkin while eating it.

When we get done, the servers come out to take our bowls. They leave behind a damp cloth to help us clean up.

When we get done, King Beltrane asks for the Master Chef to come out. The Master Chef comes out with the cooks and kitchen staff.

“Thank you very much for this wonderful morning repast. It helped us to recharge our bodies and mind for today's activities.”

We all clap our hands and cheer.

The Master Chef and the kitchen staff all bow their heads with a smile and raise them.

“Thank you, my King. It is a pleasure to serve you again. We pray that Twainor is successful in defeating this enemy. For we also had the same dream last night as well, Richard. Thank you for easing our minds.”

“You're welcome, Master Chef.”

“See you at the noon repast, but then we could be having it in Antarte.”

“We will wait patiently. I will be in contact with Antarte later this morning so I will know for sure. So, until next time, my King.”

We clap our hands and cheer again. They bow their heads again and smile. Then they turn around and walk back into the kitchen. We get up and walk out of the dining room.

“Come, let us go to the King's Council Chamber. We need to know if the rest of Twainor had the same dream. In addition, some of them want to be here when we interview Tark here.”

We follow King Beltrane, Queen Darissa and the Commanders. At the end of the foyer area on the left-hand side. We walk up a flight of stairs to the second floor. Then we turn left and walk down a long hallway. We see a pair of knights standing near a pair of large wooden double doors. They open the doors for us and we walk inside.

I see a room similar to King Tierion's Council room. It does have its own flair for being in Evenshard Kingdom. The room is already lit with crystal lights. There is a large double pane bay window that is open to allow fresh air into the room.

“Please take a seat before the tables. Wizard Braylin, please contact the other Kingdoms.”

“Yes my Lord.” Wizard Braylin walks to the center table. He recites the contact spell for each of the crystal spheres. Each one glows a different color. Then one by one there is an image of a King above the spheres.

“Welcome, Kings of Twainor. Good morning.”

“Good morning King Beltrane. We're glad for the call. I think some of us had some strange dreams last night.”

We all look at each other and smile.

“We did too, King Dryden. We figured out what the Maker is up to. Apparently these dreams are from an old story on Richard's home world.”

Then everyone starts to laugh. They quiet down after awhile.

“Please Richard, can you tell us the story?”

“Yes, I will. Are your Commanders with you this morning?”

The Kings look around and shake their heads up and down.

“That's great. This story is about three thousand years old. It is the story of a boy who is chosen to do great things. When he becomes of age, he is eventually crowned King of his Kingdom.”

“This story is just one of many of his younger years. Apparently the Maker gave each of us a different point of view in this story. The young boy encountered a giant that has aligned himself with the opposing forces. The lad has the conviction to challenge the giant, when his own countrymen’s forces were afraid to attack.”

“The only weapon he had is his shepherd staff, a sling and some river stones. He looked at the giant to see if he can find his weakness. The giant presented himself as very formidable and difficult to bring down. The boy found his weakness when he looked at his face and head. He was a wearing a helmet of a very strange design. There was no protection for his forehead.”

“The boy runs to a nearby dry river bed, he picks up the right size stone and puts one of them into the sling.”

“The giant laughs and curses the boy and the Maker. The boy starts swinging the sling in a circle. He takes aim at the giant's forehead and let's it fly.”

“The story does not say how many times he tried to hit him. He could have hit him on the first try. The stone sinks into his forehead. He falls to the ground unconscious for a moment. Before the giant wakes up, the boy runs up and takes the giant's own sword and kills him with it.”

“Then the Maker's forces are rallied. Their heads are clear thinking again. They storm forward and defeat their enemies that day and the next several years.”

Everyone starts to cheer, laugh and clap their hands.

“Thank you, Richard. Apparently the Maker is trying to tell us something about this enemy. Hopefully it will be revealed to us in time.”

“You're welcome, King Dryden and Twainor.”

“We'll be interviewing the third crew man here soon. If you want to be here, we'll be in the foyer area at the next mark.”

“Thank you, King Beltrane. I'm sure the Western Kingdoms will want to sleep some more. So you're forgiven if you can't make it.”

Everybody laughs at the joke.

“Yes, I think we will take that offer, King Dryden. At least we know what this dream is now.”

“Yes, King Jeriel. We'll relay it to our forces here so that they are at peace as well.”

“King Beltrane, I have question for Sir Trenton.”

“You may ask it, Richard.”

Sir Trenton moves into view. “What is it, Richard?”

“How is Sir Halgren doing in the training fields? I'm just wondering.”

“He's doing fine, Richard. He'll be ready to stand by your side soon.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Trenton smiles, so does everyone else.

“See you later today, Richard.”

“See you later, Sir Trenton.”

“Take care, Twainor. Keep in contact as the day goes on. Let anyone know if you discover something new.”

“We will, King Dryden.”

The images disappear above the crystal spheres.

“Well let's go down to the foyer and wait for our guests to arrive.”

We all get up and exit the King's Council Chamber. We walk down the hallway to the staircase and ramps. Once we are down the stairs, we walk down the foyer area to the main entrance.

We stay inside and look at the artwork that is on display there. I see beautiful carved pieces of wood and Evenshard stone on display there. There are framed paintings hanging on the walls. They depict scenes of the landscape. I see the artist has mixed in small pieces of Evenshard stone so that it appears to glow with radiance.

We look out the windows from time to time. After awhile, we start seeing the Commanders appearing in the court yard. We also see some Kings and Queens as well. They're all from the Eastern Kingdoms. We walk outside to greet them.

“Welcome to Evenshard Kingdom, my friends. Good morning.”

“Thank you and good morning to you too, King Beltrane and Queen Darissa.” King Dryden turns to me. “That dream we had last night Richard was amazing. I'm surprised the Maker would do such a thing for us. Thankfully you are here to help explain it.”

“So was I King Dryden. The Kingdom that boy represented was one of the few that could hear the Maker's Voice at the time. That Kingdom is still there on Earth. However, there is no King ruling. Perhaps someday there will be.”

“Perhaps, Richard.”

“Well, let's go below to our cells and interview Tark.”

We all follow King Beltrane and Queen Darissa. The knights open the large stone doors for us. We walk inside and turn left. At the end of the foyer, we see a knight standing guard at a locked door near the staircase.

The knight unlocks the door and opens it for us. We walk in single file. Once we are inside, the hallway slopes downward and widens out for two people side by side. The hallway is well lit with light crystals.

After walking down another ramp we see a pair of knights on both sides of a stone doorway like I have seen elsewhere.

“Guards, has Tark done anything new lately?”

“All he has done since he woke up yesterday is just exercises to keep himself fit. He has taken his fill of water from the basin my Lord.”

“We did tell him about the waste receptacle box. Other than that, he has been anxious to see his crew mates and get back to the star ship.”

“I see, well guards, it is time to interview Tark.”

“Yes, Sir.” They both respond at the same time.

“Same group as before inside the cell, King Dryden?”

“Yes, that is best. Trianna, set up the barrier shield please when we are ready.”

“Yes, King Dryden.”

The Commanders take out their crystal spheres and connect to the contact sphere on the wall mount. Everybody else now has a view inside the cell room. They see Tark is sitting on the mattress.

King Dryden speaks up, “Tark can you hear me?”

“Yes, I can hear. Where are my crew mates? How do you know my language?”

“They're in separate Kingdoms. They're all in good health. I assure you. As far as understanding each other, that will be explained later.”

“That's good. I assume it’s my turn to be interrogated?”

“It is, Tark. However, we are sending in several people who want to look you over. They will be asking questions for us.”

“Very well. I don't know how you got me into this room. I checked all of the stone blocks. I can't find the doorway to this room.”

“That's all right, Tark. Please remain sitting on the mattress. We’ll be in very soon.”

“All right, Trianna, set the barrier shield.”

“Yes, King Dryden.” Trianna looks at the image and concentrates on the room. She recites the spell. Then a barrier shield is put up like she did for Brin's cell. “It is all set. It is just like I did for Brin.”

“Very good, Trianna. Take care, he seems to be on edge. Take two knights this time, Eldwin.”

“Yes, King Dryden.”

Then two knights, Thaygard, Renard and I connect to Eldwin. Eldwin recites the transport spell. We disappear in a blink of an eye. We then appear in the cell room in a blink of an eye between the wall and the barrier shield.

“What? That's incredible! How did you do that? I didn't see the stone blocks move at all.”

We disconnect from Eldwin. We arrange ourselves like before. A knight stays on
Eldwin's left side. Then it's Thaygard, Renard and the second knight. I stay behind them and watch for the unexpected.

Eldwin speaks first, “It is done by magic, Tark.”

“Magic? There is no such thing as magic. Everything has an explanation. I have seen things on the star ship that would be seem like magic.”

“Perhaps, Tark. Can we come forward and check you out?”

“Sure you can, but right now my head is still hurting when someone tried to read my mind when we appeared in that cave.”

Thaygard answers him, “I'm sorry about that, Tark. It must have been I when I heard the sound sequence to open the doors to the scout ship.”

“Well, you better fix it before I say anything more.”

“Sure, if you hold still a moment and breathe slowly I can do something about it.”

Eldwin gives a hand signal for Trianna to remove the barrier shield. Trianna removes the barrier shield. The three wizards walk forward. The two knights stand next to each other in front of me.

“Take off your shirt, Tark.”

Tark takes off his shirt. He stands still while they examine him.

Thaygard raises his right hand toward Tark. He concentrates on his head. He senses great conflict there. He looks at Eldwin and nods his head up and down.

Then they look at the base of his neck. They see the bump there. It is inflamed and very red.

“There is no damage to you. However, do you have an itch in your neck? It appears very red.”

“Why, yes. It is itching and it’s very hot. Can you get rid of the itch?”

“Yes I can, Tark.”

“Well, you better hurry. It's making me crazy.”

Eldwin slightly touches the bump at the base of the neck.

“Ouch! That hurts!”

“I'm sorry about that. Please lie down on the mattress. It is very hot to the touch. I will need to remove the cause of the infection.”

“Hurry! It hurts! Ow! My neck feels like it is going to explode!” Tark passes out.

“Hurry, everybody!” I yell.

The knights step forward to catch Tark. They lay him face down on the mattress. Eldwin decides not to scan it. He puts his hand above and concentrates on the inflamed implant control. He recites the spell to remove it. “I've got it. It is in the Ethereal Space. Be ready, Renard and Thaygard. It is about to explode.”

“Yes, Eldwin.” Renard sets a barrier shield around the water basin.

So does Thaygard around Renard's barrier shield.

Eldwin moves the implant into the basin and releases it. The implant explodes with great violence. It shatters the basin into pieces. I get knocked off my feet and slump down to the floor when I hit the wall.

However, the double shields hold the pieces and the water together. It is now a sphere floating in air.

“Is everyone all right in there?”

“We are, King Dryden. That explosion was meant to kill anyone who tried to remove or tamper with it.”

“I agree Eldwin. Can you reassemble the basin and the implant?”

“Yes, I will need a bowl here to hold this. Then we'll be able to reassemble the basin and the implant.”

“All right, good. I'll have Wizard Braylin take care of that. Are you all right, Richard?”

I slowly get up. “I'm fine. It caught us all by surprise. My ears are ringing a bit. How is Tark doing?”

Then Wizard Braylin appears inside the cell with another knight carrying a large bowl. He disconnects from the wizard and sets the bowl on the floor under the sphere of stone pieces and water.

Thaygard and Renard release the barrier shields and let the contents pour into the bowl.

Wizard Braylin recites the reassemble spell for the basin and resets it back in the wall. He then recites another spell to transfer the water back into the bowl. He sees the stone basin holding the water. It shows no signs of leaks.

Eldwin looks at Tark and checks for his pulse and breathing. “Tark is still with us. Knights, let's turn him over and get him comfortable. His skin is normal now. The redness is gone.”

Wizard Braylin looks at the pieces of the implant in the bowl. He places his right hand above the bowl and recites the reassemble spell. All of the pieces magically move and join back together without the battery and the shell. He reaches down and picks up the pieces.

We gather around and look at the implant in Braylins' hand.

“Apparently this one was designed to prevent discovery, Richard.”

“Yes, Wizard Braylin. It has a very advanced explosive. You removed it in time, Wizard Eldwin. It could have damaged the cell and the castle's foundation.”

“Yes, it could have. Thank the Maker. The magic was strong enough to contain the blast.”

Then we hear Tark moaning as he comes to.

“Unnnh . . . my head, my neck. The pain is gone. What did you do?” Then Tark looks around and gets a surprise. “Who are you? This is not my home world.”

We turn around to face Tark. I stay in the background again.

“Yes, this is not your home world. You're on the planet Twainor. What do you remember last?”

~~~000~~~

“General. I just received an energy spike from the third planet.”

“Let me see that on the screen, Tek.”

“Yes sir.” Tek pushes a symbol on the glass screen. The graph is displayed in 3-d in front of Tek.

“Yes I see it. Apparently the fail safe went off. That matches the other spikes we saw earlier. Our plans are safe for now.”

“Yes, sir. What of the last crew member?”

“Don't worry, Tek. Since we've had no link with them since the disappearance. Their sacrifices have been offered to the Supreme.” This is great! Now Mal-tor is dispatched as well. He was the most difficult to control. Hah, hah, hah . . . !

“Yes, General. I have not received any word from the second scout ship. They are still en route.”

“Very good, Tek. Let us know when they are there.”

“Yes, General.” Tek continues to monitor his station.

~~~000~~~

“I remember walking down a dirt path near my home. Then a bright light appeared on me. The next moment I appeared somewhere else. Then I was subdued. When I woke up, I was a member on the star ship.”

“Have you seen any of your countrymen on the star ship?”

“I did, but there was no acknowledgment from them. I was not in their circles of cities. I'm a farmer on my world.”

“What is the name of your world?”

“It is Deneb 4 of the Cygnii system.”

“I'm sorry, Tark. It does not exist any more.”

“I know. I figured it out after I was assigned to the scout ship crew. I wept for my family and my world a year later. I felt their absence soon after I was taken. On my world, all of us can sense our emotions. Our world has been peaceful forever.”

“I'm sorry to hear that, Tark.”

“What can I do to help?”

I speak up, “Eldwin, I have a question.”

“Yes Richard. Tark, I want to introduce you to Richard Moore. He is one of our Outside Helpers who answered the call for help.”

I step forward. “Hello, Tark. Has the Supreme ever spoken on your Scout Ship?”

“Hmm . . . I think he did once. It was a very important speech. It should still be in the historical records.”

“That's good. Thank you, Tark. That is all I need to ask. I greatly appreciate it very much.”

“You're welcome. When will I get to see my crew mates?”

“You will soon, Tark. We still need to interview Mal-tor today.”

“I understand, wizard.”

“Let us introduce you to some of our leaders, kings, queens and commanders.”

Wizard Braylin takes out a crystal sphere and contacts the people in the hallway. Then an image appears above the sphere. We see a large crowd in the hallway.

“Welcome to Twainor, Tark. We're sorry for your loss. We want to prevent another tragedy here. We're doing the best we can. We can provide food for you if you like.”

“Thank you, royalty. Fruit, vegetables, bread and water will do fine.” He points to the box in the corner. “Is that the waste receptacle box in the corner?”

“It is, Tark. We'll provide a selection. Let us know which ones you’d like to try.”

“Thank you. I greatly appreciate it. Did you get in here by magic?”

“We did. Are you familiar with it? You did not express it before we removed the implant.”

“I remember it, wizard. Not only is my world empathic, some of us have telekinesis to move objects with our minds.”

Then Tark stands up and looks at the mattress. He concentrates on it. It then elevates in the air about a knee high. He then lowers it down. He smiles at us.

We all start laughing together in the cell and in the hallway.

“Well done, Tark. Well, enjoy your rest. We hope to give you good news soon.”

“I hope so. Good luck in defeating the Supreme and rescuing the crew members.” He holds up hands to stop our next thoughts. “I sensed your intentions once you removed the implant. That implant was blocking my abilities. Thank you very much. You saved my life.”

Eldwin smiles at him. “You're welcome, Tark.”

We all walk over to the wall. We connect with Braylin and Eldwin. They recite the transport spell. We all disappear in a blink of an eye.

Tark looks at the wall when they disappear and smiles. Richard is very smart. He has already done a lot for them. The Supreme and the General are in for a big surprise. I would love to see their faces when their plans fail. I would love to give them a piece of my mind so they know how it feels to be afraid.

We appear in the hallway together.

King Dryden speaks up, “Well done, everyone. Well that is a surprise. We're just thankful we removed the implant in time.”

“Yes, we thank the Maker we saved his life in time.”

“Richard, why did you want to know if the Supreme's speech is recorded on the scout ship?”

“It provides a starting point to provide the voice for his security measures. It will contain his voice wave pattern to release the medallions.” I smile at them.

“Well done, Richard! We'll look for it right away.”

“So with that, we can get past the other security measures that could be separate from the star ship?”

“That's right, Sir Braxton. More than likely it is a short phrase that he uses a lot.”

The commanders smile when they hear that.

“Yes Richard, we'll have our captains and sergeants look for it. Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome.” I smile at them.

“Well let's go to Antarte Kingdom and interview Mal-tor. We have about two marks before the noon repast.”

“You're welcome to have the noon repast there, King Dryden.”

“Thank you, King Nazar. There might be some others there from the other kingdoms.”

“That's all right, King Dryden. We'll provide for all who come. We'll be back at the Grand Castle by the First Mark there for the meeting.”

“Come, let's go to the courtyard and get ready to fly from there.”

“Guards, keep with the rotation here. Try a selection of foods for him. He'll let you know which one he likes.”

“Yes, my Lord. We'll keep him safe.”

The lead knights escort us out of the holding cells and back up the ramps. I see Sir Dolen take out his crystal sphere and contact Sir Trenton while walking up the ramp in the hallway.

The guard unlocks the door and opens it for us. We exit in a single file and into the foyer area. We then exit the outside to the courtyard. We all connect together with a wizard or a sorceress.

“Is everyone ready?”

“We are, King Dryden.”

“Then let's fly to Antarte Kingdom.”

They recite the transport spell and we disappear in a blink of an eye.

We fly eastward to Antarte Kingdom. I see rolling hills with rivers everywhere. It is very lush and beautiful. Then I see the hills get larger and higher as we approach the mountain range that separates Antarte and Evenshard Kingdoms.

I see some fire mountains to the southern end of the mountain range. We also see some dragons flying below us. We then fly over the snow capped mountains. When we make our descent into Antarte, I see another green and lush kingdom.

I see more castles, towns and villages in the landscape. Soon we see a large castle on top of a high hill. It is trimmed in green stones and some Evenshard stone. It is a very beautiful castle.

We make our descent to the courtyard and their great sundial. We appear in a blink of an eye when we land on the ground. We look around and see a beautiful courtyard with the same design as the castle.

“This is my first time here, King Nazar and Queen Corissa. It is very beautiful.”

“Thank you, Richard.”

Just about when King Dryden speaks, the other commanders, kings and queens show up from the western kingdoms.

“We were just about to call you.”

“We were contacted by Sir Dolen before you left. We wanted to be here for the last interview.”

“How did the interview go with Tark?”

“We almost lost him, King Gregor. His implant had a very intense explosive. It destroyed the water basin. We were not hurt.”

“We would hope so. Did he tell us anything new?”

“Not really, Sir Jakan. That is until Richard asked a good question.”

“What was it, Richard?”

“Is there a recording of the Supreme giving a speech? If we can find a favorite phrase he uses. It might lead to his password and voice pattern.”

The commanders all smile.

“Excellent question, Richard. Hopefully it will help us to release the medallions and his separate security measures.”

“Come let's interview Mal-tor in our holding cells.”

We follow our hosts to the castle. The knights on guard there open the doors for us.

I see the doors are stone doors like I have seen elsewhere. In the stone I see various shades of green. I take a closer at one of the doors as I walk by. That green crystal I see looks like an emerald. It that's true, they discovered a very rich emerald mine. I bet the dwarves did this stone work for them.

We walk into the foyer area. I see in front of me two large double wooden doors. They are decorated with the colors of the kingdom as well. I'm sure that leads to their throne room.

We turn left and walk down the foyer to a set of stairs and ramps to the second floor. We turn right and walk down another long hallway. We walk past several doors on both sides. The hallways are lit with several large crystal torches. At the end of the hallway we see a knight standing guard. He turns around and unlocks the door.

We walk through the opening single file. The way is brightly lit with more crystal torches. We walk down the ramps until we see two guards standing at a door outline in the stones.

“How is Mal-tor, guard?”

“He is fine, my Lord. He was wondering when he will have his chance to speak. We told him it will be this morning.”

“Very well then, let's contact him.”

“Yes, my Lord.” The guard turns around and puts his hand above the crystal sphere sitting on a small stone ledge. He recites the spell to activate. Then an image appears above the crystal.

The others in the hallway take out their crystals and do the same thing. Then they connect to the guard’s crystal so that they can all see and hear what is going on and to record it as well.

They all see Mal-tor pacing back and forth in the room. Then he goes to the water basin and takes a drink of water from it. He also rubs his wet hands on his face to refresh himself. Then he sits down on the mattress.

King Dryden speaks up, “We are here, Mal-tor. Are you ready to talk? My name is King Dryden.”

“I'm ready, King Dryden. What do you wish to know?”

“We would like to check you out to make sure you're in good health.”

“Yes, you can come in and check me out.”

“Thank you, Mal-tor.”

Back in the hallway, “Be very aware in there. He appears to be very nervous and anxious.”

“Yes, Wizard Eldwin. Set up the barrier shield again, Trianna.”

“Yes, King Dryden,” Trianna recites the spell and projects a barrier shield in the room like before.

“We'll use the same group again. We'll be ready here if something new happens.”

“Bring in two knights again?”

“Yes that is wise, King Nazar.”

Two knights step forward and connect to Wizard Eldwin on his left shoulder. Thaygard, Renard and I connect to him on his right shoulder. Wizard Eldwin recites the transport spell, we then disappear in a blink of an eye. We appear inside the holding cell in a blink of an eye.

“Did you use magic to get in here?”

“We did, Mal-tor.”

“Oh thank the Heavens. Thank you, Master of the Universe. Salvation is at hand for us.”

“What do you mean Mal-tor?”

“Is this holding cell sealed by magic as well?”

“It is, Mal-tor.”

“Yes, that means my thoughts are not being read by the Supreme or the General. I can finally think clearly. I'm one of the original crew members of the star ship.”

We all look at each other and smile.

“Please come and check my neck, it will verify that part if you have read the historical archives on the scout ship.”

Eldwin makes a hand signal. Trianna removes the barrier shield. Then the five walk forward, while I stay behind near the wall and watch.

Mal-tor lowers his shirt. Eldwin looks at the back of his neck and sees no bump there.

“There is no bump there, Mal-tor. We have a lot to talk about.”

“I know. I feel so relieved that this nightmare will finally end. Do you have any plans to defeat the Supreme?”

“We do, Mal-tor. However, I don't want to give it away. We did have help in discovering your plans and where you came from.”

“You got that knowledge from the scout ship, right?”

“Yes Mal-tor. However, on our world we have no knowledge of electrical machinery. Our world prevents us from using it. But our world provides us magic to use.”

“What? Then you have no hope or chance to defeat them.”

“I think we do, Mal-tor. We sent a call out to friends who are our Outside Helpers. However, only one showed up.”

“Only one showed up? Is that him standing by the wall?”

“Yes Mal-tor. I present to you, Richard Moore. His specialty is computers and security.”

I step forward to be among them.

“Your specialty is in computers and security?”

“Yes Mal-tor. I was able to get into your computers on the scout ship. We gathered as much information as we could. We even learned from the other crewmen.”

“You did? How? They should be dead.”

“They're not dead, Mal-tor. We were able to remove the implants in time before they exploded.”

Mal-tor laughs a bit, “Hah, hah . . . This is great. We find a world that has magic.” Then Mal-tor sees my medallion. “Yours is the twelfth medallion, Richard.”

“That's right Mal-tor. The other eleven medallions belong to the other Outside Helpers for this world.”

He looks at me again after he looks at the others, “So, is this the home world where the medallions are made?”

“Yes it is, Mal-tor. I have another question. What's the Supreme's ultimate goal?”

“That's a long story. I will tell the short version. First of all, as you found out about my world, it was dying. The real reason was because our sun started to change. It was getting ready to blow up. We built the star ship to seek a new world. That took about ten cycles to build. We estimated our sun would explode in about a thousand cycles. We had two thousand people on board. We have been traveling for about twenty cycles before we came across a damaged ship.”

“We gave the two inhabitants shelter while we repaired their ship. However, it was all a ruse. They easily over powered us with their mind control. They took control of the leadership mainly plus some crew members. We had no hope of escape.”

“They changed our course to go in a particular direction. As we went, our resources begin to dwindle. We started looking for star systems to replenish our supplies. Once we got resupplied, we destroyed some of the suns and all of the planets. We would never have done that if we weren't mind controlled.”

“Then we came across a world that showed promise for us, but we were prevented to do a thorough scan of the planet. The Supreme was too hasty in his decision. One of our crewmen was not careful. He became infected. The bio-virus were so bad it almost wiped us out. You know what happened afterwards.”

“Then we encountered the first world with a medallion. The Supreme became obsessed to find where it came from. The crystals are very unique and not from the world where we found them. We tried to examine them. One of the crystals has light characteristics while the other could hold data. We could not activate either one of them.”

“We were surprised on the selection of worlds they were found on. Then two of the worlds were found in an area called the Local Group. When we found the medallions, we took them and the people who wore them. We didn't have time to consume their worlds. We had to flee quickly because space craft from other worlds came in quickly to defend them.”

“We read an entry or two, Mal-tor, that two of those star systems in Local Group are now destroyed. Is that true?”

“Yes and no, wizard. I'll try to explain that. We realized the scout ship could be taken and our secrets would be revealed. So some of those log entries are false. Those two star systems are still there. It was written there, that we would go back and destroy the entire Local Group once we got strong enough. But, the Supreme thought it might be best is to mention just two of them that we took the medallions from.”

“So, everything else we found was true except that.”

“That's right, Richard. There was one world we found that had no value at all. Their gravity is very weak. They live underground. But we discovered their bodies reject all attempts to put the implants in them. The only thing that was unique is their mind power to heal somebody or find out what illness you have. However, they could not heal the Supreme. So they were assigned to the Health Centers on the star ship.”

“Well, you didn't look hard enough, Mal-tor. Everything is underground for them. So what of the ultimate plan from the Supreme?”

He shakes his head up and down. Then he continues, “He wants revenge for his ancestors. I was told there was a world they found thousands of cycles ago. They proceeded to invade the world and try to bend it to their influence. They wanted that world to be their new home world.”

“They can even intermingle with a local populace to keep their race alive. They have done this wherever they go in the galaxy. They call themselves the Nefelim.”

“The Nefelim? Oh, my Maker!” I stagger backwards until I hit the wall.

They turn around to see my reaction.

Once my back hits the wall, I slide down and sit down. “No, not them. That's impossible! No! No!” I bury my face in my hands and bring my knees up.

Renard comes near and kneels beside me. “What's wrong, Richard?”

I look up with a worried face, “The Nefelim was a race of super giants on Earth. They were there before the Great Flood.”

“That means Avel knows who they are.”

“Yes, Renard. So does Eingana.”

“Why Eingana?”

“If I remember right. I just read an entry in an ancient historical book on Earth about two moons ago. All of the Nefelim were drowned in the Great Flood, except one. His name was Og of Bashan. He was the tallest giant on Earth. His height must have been three to four times the rest of us.”

“He was able to continue the super giant race. He must have killed some sea creatures to stay alive during the Great Flood. The flood lasted for many moons before dry land appeared in the area where it happened.”

“The only good thing about it is that he was killed and his sons eventually. That took about twelve hundred years to do. He called his sons the Raphaim and three other names I don't remember right now.”

“Was one of them in the dream we had last night?”

Then my face changes to a smile. He smiles back.

“Yes, Renard, that's right.” I smile at Renard.

“Good, now you know why you were chosen.”

“Yes, Renard. Thank you for the reminder.”

“You're welcome, Richard.”

Renard and a knight help me to stand back up. I hug him. “Thanks again.”

I look at him with a smile. He smiles back. So does the knight.

“Best friends?”

“Best friends, Richard.”

We then walk forward to rejoin them.

“You know of the Nefelim?”

“I do Mal-tor. They were all drowned in the Great Flood in one part on my world thousands of years ago. However, it was written that only one survived. He continued the giant race for another twelve hundred years or so before he and his sons were killed.”

“What is your world's name?”

“The name is Earth, third planet of the Sol System.”

“That's their ultimate destination, Richard. Your world has no hope.”

“I think we have plenty of hope. First, Earth survived the Great Flood in that area. There are three billion people on Earth now. Also, our technology is very advanced. I was able to infiltrate your computers and found a hole in the programming code.”

“You did? It has not been improved since the original population was decimated. We had no one on board to keep it current. We had to make do with what we had. There were some things more important.”

“Mal-tor, who is the General?”

“The General is very powerful wizard. He's a Nefelim also. Their normal height is slightly less than twice our height. When the Supreme became infected with the bio-virus, he grew very large to at least three times our height and he is overweight for his stature. He can't leave his own star ship which is docked on our star ship.”

“They use their minds to read our thoughts and create fear. They can move objects. They can do almost anything. Then I made a discovery one day. On a world we were scouting. We went through a shrouded world covered in clouds. Once we entered in the clouds, I did not feel his mind probing my thoughts.”

“We analyzed the system as we always do. Within the shrouded world we found one of the medallions.”

“Did the world look red to you?”

“Yes it did, Richard.”

I turn around and face the wall and give a big smile to them. I can imagine King Keltan, Queen Florianne and Sir Krellen smiling widely as well as everyone else. I turn back around. “Oh it's just a guess. Have the General and the Supreme shown any weakness?”

“No, Richard. I've never seen it. Are you saying you know what their weakness is?”

“Yes, Mal-tor. I think I know what it is. It was discovered more than three thousand years ago. Now there is one thing to remember about Earth. We used to have magic, then it was removed by the Maker when it became abused by power hungry people. There was a leader after the Great Flood who tried to control the population then. He failed in the end when the Maker mixed up our language. Instead of one language and one kingdom, it is now seventy different kingdoms. There are more than one hundred and fifty right now on Earth.”

“Generations later after the Great Flood, one of the giant's sons aligned himself with a group of people. They decided to attack this other group of people who were fleeing from another nation where they were held captive for several hundred years. They have twelve clans within their group.”

“The Maker is known to this fledgling kingdom. It took another several hundred years before they chose a man to be their king. However, he was chosen by the people and not by the Maker Himself. The Maker knew which one would be the right king. He was chosen when he was a young boy. He was a shepherd, but his conviction is very strong and he knew the Maker's Voice.”

“Then one day he was asked by his father to deliver food and water to his elder brothers on the war front. He has done this before. However, when he arrived, he had a new surprise. He saw a giant leading their enemy's forces.”

“His countrymen were afraid of this giant. Somehow this giant put fear into their minds. The boy went to their army leaders and demanded that he be allowed to fight the giant.”

“The leaders allowed it. The boy could not wear their armor. So he went out with his only weapon, a sling and his shepherd staff.”

“A sling, Richard? What is that against such might?”

“Well the young boy looked at the giant to see if he can find his weakness. He did find it Mal-tor. Even though the giant was very large, strong and very formidable, he looked at his face and head. He saw the giant with an unusual helmet. His forehead was exposed.”

“What? You mean to tell me, that's their weakness?”

“Yes Mal-tor. The boy ran to a dry river bed nearby. He looked for the right size stone. The giant cursed him, the army and the Maker himself. He was able to resist the fear tactic from the giant. The giant swung his great sword at the boy. The boy was able to dodge it and stay out of his reach.”

“It is not written how times he tried to hit him. He could have hit him on the first try. Eventually, the stone hit his forehead. The stone sunk into the skull a bit and rendered him unconscious momentarily. He fell to the ground and caused it to shake.”

“Then the young boy runs forward, picks up the giant's sword and kills him with it.”

“We were all given the same dream last night, Mal-tor. All of Twainor received the dream from the Maker Himself.”

“So that means their brain has no protection there. Or it could be the skull there is very soft. I've seen them with a very strange head gear from time to time. We never knew their weakness. They must have clouded our minds to keep from knowing that as well.”

“Richard, this river stone might be a natural block to their mind power.”

“Perhaps, Wizard Eldwin. Does Twainor have any dry river beds?”

“I think there are some, Richard. We'll need to check with the other kingdoms. There is a question that I have, Mal-tor.”

“What is it, wizard?”

“Are the air fighters on the star ship operated by people or by machine?”

”When the General and the Supreme took over our star ship, they had us convert them to be run by computers. I have never seen such sophistication in robotics in my life time. They are very fast and agile. They can do a lot of damage to a world. There is no way you can defeat them.”

“We discussed that problem as well. We came up with a solution, but for right now, we can't tell you.”

“I understand.”

“Mal-tor, I would like to introduce you to our leadership. They are the kings, queens and commanders of our twelve kingdoms.”

Thaygard takes out crystal sphere. He puts his right hand above it and recites the spell. Soon an image of everyone appears in the hallway.

“Greetings, Mal-tor. Welcome to Twainor.”

“Greetings, Twainor. I wish I could leave this cell, but I don't want to be detected by the General and the Supreme.”

“We understand that Mal-tor. We can provide you food if you wish. The water in the basin is for you to drink. The box in the corner of the room is a waste receptacle. It accepts food and your body waste. There are several spells set on it. It sends the waste to a fire mountain south of here.”

“Thank you, Twainor. Bread, fruit and vegetables will do fine for now. I won't eat meat until we are free from this nightmare.”

“Yes, we hope our plans will work. You have told us a lot more about the enemy. It was confirmed by Richard's stories from his world.”

“Once the fighting gets under way. Our guards can show you images as the day goes on.”

“I have seen longer fights on some worlds, kings. The longest lasted three days before they failed in the end.”

“That is something to consider, Mal-tor. We are making many plans for this confrontation. We are quite confident Twainor will win.”

Then Sir Braxton speaks up. “Mal-tor, how many air fighters are on board the star ship? How many do they send out at one time?”

“We have four hundred in the launching bays. We send out two hundred to the surface, the next one hundred are held back just outside the star ship. The last one hundred stays on board.”

“Thank you for telling us that. That helps out immensely in our planning.”

“You're welcome. Well you have my best wishes. Good Luck.”

“Thank you, Mal-tor. We'll check in with you later.”

“See you later, Twainor.”

We all walk toward the wall. We connect with Wizard Eldwin. He recites the transport spell. We disappear in a blink of an eye.

Mal-tor looks at the wall when he sees them disappear. “That is amazing to see. If they can do magic and that disappearing act, they might have a chance to defeat them.”

Mal-tor sits down on the mattress and leans against the wall and smiles. “But it sure does feel great to have them out of my head.”

~~~000~~~

We appear in the hallway in a blink of an eye.

“Well done, everyone.”

Everyone cheers and claps their hands. I get hugs from the Queens, hands to my shoulders from the Kings and from some of the commanders.

“Thank you for coming, Richard. You have given us hope.”

“Yes, now we know who is the real enemy.”

“Yes, my friends. When I heard the ancient name, I couldn't believe what I heard. To think they want revenge for their ancestors whom the Maker dispensed justice on.”

“Yes, but if we capture them. What are we going to do with them?”

“We'll have to think really hard on that one when the time comes.”

“Yes, our focus should be for the days ahead.”

“Shouldn't we tell Avel and Eingana who are on the star ship?”

“We could, King Tierion, but it could cause them great anger and they would not be of clear mind if and when the fight is brought here.”

He nods his head up and down.

“That's true, King Dryden. Come, it is time for the noon repast here shortly.”

“Yes King Nazar. Thank you for your hospitality. When we are done, then we'll go the Grand Castle and plan the next steps.”

“Are you ready, Richard, to send the bait to the star ship?”

“I'm ready, King Dryden. We just need to bring Brin to the scout ship and send the message and the signal.”

“That's good, Richard. King Nazar, you have us at your mercy.”

We all laugh together.

“Come, my friends. My Master Chef will serve up an excellent meal. Guards, keep an eye on Mal-tor. Give him food and see which one he likes, that includes fruits and vegetables or even bread.”

“Yes my King.”

“Also continue with the rotation at each watch.”

“Yes, my King.”

We all walk up the ramps back to the locked door to the holding cells. The guard unlocks the door for us. We walk out single file and down the hallways. We turn left at the staircase and into the foyer area. We gather together in front of the double wooden doors.

“Please wait a moment while Queen Corissa and I talk with the Master Chef.”

They walk into the dining room and see servants arranging the tables for the noon repast. The Master Chef walks to them when he sees them enter in.

“Greetings, my King. Are you done with the crewman down below?”

“We are, Master Chef. I see that you have provided more chairs and tables for our guests.”

“Yes, my Lord. I saw them appear in the court yard before you went down. We did a quick count. As you can see, the royalty sits here. The commanders are sitting together at this long table. The other long table is for the wizards and sorceresses.”

“Where is Richard sitting?”

“Where do you wish to have him sit, my Lord and Lady?”

“How about we move the tables into a triangle so that we can all see each other. Have Richard sit at the corner between the commanders and the royalty.”

“Yes that can work, my Queen. My King, do you agree?”

“Yes, Master Chef. You can create two openings at the other corners if you want to serve in front of us or behind us.”

“We'll serve the dishes and drinks inside the triangle. It will be an easier reach for our servers.”

“That sounds good, Master Chef. Is the noon repast on time?”

“It is, my Lord. It will be ready at the midday mark.”

“Very well, until then. That is almost less than a half-mark from now. We'll be in the throne room or in the court yard.”

“Until then, my King and Queen. I will have the Chamberlain make the announcement.”

They nod their heads together and smile at each other. King Nazar and Queen Corissa walk out of the dining room and rejoin the guests in the foyer. They turn to see them walking toward them.

“Everything is set. The Master Chef anticipated the extra guests. Everything will be ready at the midday mark. You can wait in the throne room or in the court yard. It is your choice. Just don't wander too far.”

“Thank you, King Nazar and Queen Corissa.” King Dryden turns around to face us. “Walk around where you wish my friends.”

“You heard him. I would like to take a walk in the court yard and get some fresh air.”

“That sounds good to me, Queen Brianne.”

“Same here.”

Then all of the ladies walk out of the foyer area through the stone doors and enter the court yard. This leaves all of the men standing there.

“I kind of figure this would happen. Please come into the throne room. We can talk there quietly. You can come too, Richard.”

I smile at him. “Thank you, King Nazar.”

The knights open the large wooden doors for us and we walk inside the throne room. The wizards recite the spells to light up the crystals in the room. Soon the room is brightened up.

I see a beautiful throne room with white glittering walls of Evenshard stone. It is trimmed in the various shades of green through out the room. The throne room can hold about five hundred people at least.

“Come, we can sit down here in the chairs and make ourselves comfortable.”

We each take a chair and form a circle facing inward. We sit down and look at each other. Some are in deep thought on what to do next.

~~~000~~~

The ladies walk in the court yard of Antarte Castle. They look at the flowers and smell the beauty of the place. They think what needs to be done to help their own kingdom in this time of trouble. They try to relax and tell themselves there will be another tomorrow.

Trianna wanders around with Queen Shiranna looking at the flower garden. She looks at one and gives a deep 'sigh'.

“What's on your mind, Trianna?”

“I remembered a conversation that Renard had with Richard on his first day here, my Queen.”

“Was it something Richard said?”

“Yes, Renard told it to me later. They were sitting on Renard's porch at his cottage. Renard began gathering information from Richard.”

“What was it?”

“Once Richard realized he was chosen by the Maker to be our Outside Helper, he had a question in his mind. He looked at a flower in the garden as if asking the Maker “Why me?”

“Yes, we didn't know who the Maker was going to choose that day.”

“The Maker could have chosen anybody else on Earth, but He chose him.”

“He has many more great deeds to do here and there on Earth.”

“Yes, I remembered the Earth Wizard's words my Queen. We have seen Richard get overwhelmed at times, but he recovers and gets the job done.”

“Yes Trianna, I've seen it as well. I'm amazed at how he makes the connection to the smallest detail. He has given us hope that Twainor will be a beacon among the stars. He does need someone by his side to help keep him steady.” She smiles at Trianna.

She smiles back, “Yes my Lady. Hopefully the same thing will happen for Earth one day. Who knows when the Emissaries will arrive there to invite them to the Local Group.”

“Yes, let's hope that Richard plants the seed that will grow into a beautiful tree that will bring healing to them with truth and light.”

“I'm sure the numbers are mounting for world peace. There will be some groups who will want the old ways forever.”

“Well, let's hope the Maker gets their attention somehow.”

“Yes, let's hope then.”

They continue walking around with the other ladies in the court yard until the chamberlain comes out to tell them that the noon repast is ready.

~~~000~~~

“Well is there anything that we need to discuss in this short amount of time?”

“I understand that you're close to picking the one hundred from each kingdom. Is that true, Sir Braxton?”

“That's true King Sherwyn. The Legion Commanders agreed to get it done tonight. Hopefully, we can get two full days of training on our ships and the floor layouts on the training fields.”

“That's good. Are you planning to have the Outside Helper's Escorts to be on the star ship?”

“Yes, King Jeriel. When the Ethereal Space is generated, we'll start searching for them as well.”

“How are you planning each squad and wing, Sir Krellen?”

“Sir Braxton and I are going to be in charge on the star ship. Since we know there are ten floors on the star ship, we plan to have a Lieutenant Commander for each floor from each of the kingdoms except ours. On each floor will be ten wings. Each wing will have two squads. The wing is identified by a wizard. A squad is four knights and a dwarf warrior. There is one from each of the kingdoms within a wing.”

“Why are you mixing them up like that, Sir Krellen?”

“It does several things for us. First they must learn to work together. They are representing Twainor besides their own kingdom. Second it will maximize in locating our Outside Helpers.”

“They will have badges on them to identify themselves. On the left shoulder will be a special badge for being part of this campaign. On the right shoulder will be their own kingdom badge.”

“Let's see, that puts about twelve hundred at least for this campaign. Do we have enough wizards for that and for the dragons in self-defense here?”

“We do, King Dryden. If they send the two hundred air fighters at us for the first wave that puts it less than twenty per kingdom. Therefore, each kingdom will need ten wizards for the dragons.”

“Where did you get that number, Sir Braxton?”

“Mal-tor gave us that number a little earlier. I'm surprised they are confident with that number. These air fighters sound like they can defend themselves pretty well.”

“The rest of the Mystic Order will help where they can in each kingdom.”

“You realize the wizards on board the star ship will have to act fast in removing the mind control implants.”

“I know King Quentin. The wizards are practicing as well in removing it without scanning it first.”

“They also realize time is very important. Putting them to sleep will be the easy part. It will be controlling the potential riots afterwards if they want revenge for their own world when it was destroyed.”

“We intend to overwhelm them with 130 knights, dwarf warriors and wizards on each level. We'll be in constant communication with them. If we find a level that is hard to take over, it will be easy to shift our forces to them.”

“What if they turn on or activate a self-destruct sequence?”

“That is where we hope Richard's new passwords will work. Hopefully it will help us in securing areas to keep us, our forces and the ship crew safe from harm.”

“What about the unexpected weapons?”

“If they have a sound weapon, there is ear protection inside the helmets.”

“That's good, Sir Elion.”

“Richard, I would like for you to come back to Thryson Kingdom tonight.”

“Yes, my King.”

“Yes, this is important for you. The reason is this. When the star ship visited two of the worlds in the Local Group, they found the medallions very quickly.”

“I see, Sir Trenton. They must have found the unique characteristics to identify them quickly with their sensors.”

“Yes, but it should be more difficult because we know this is the home world where they are made.”

We get quiet for a moment. Then the doors open. The chamberlain walks toward us and stops.

“It is time for the noon repast, my King and honored guests.”

“Thank you, Chamberlain. Come my friends. It is time.”

We all get up and follow King Nazar, Sir Gerino, their Legion Commander and the chamberlain. We walk out of the throne room. The guards close the doors behind us. We turn left, then we see the ladies standing there waiting for us.

They all greet each other. Queen Corissa puts her arm into King Nazar’s arms. So do the other Kings and Queens. We follow them and let them enter in the dining room first.

“We have the seating arrangement ready. Kings and Queens, you’re at this long table. Commanders, you're at this long table. Wizards and Sorceresses, you take the other table. Richard, your chair is here at this corner.”

We follow their directions and take our seats. The tables are arranged to like a triangle.

I walk to the corner table and stand behind the chair. King Tierion and Queen Shiranna are sitting on my left-hand side. Sir Trenton sits on my right-hand side.

Once we see we are happy with our seats, we take our chairs and move them back. A bunch of servers comes up and help us sit down and move the chairs forward.

Wizard Braylin stays standing to give thanks to the Maker.

We all get quiet. King Nazar looks to Wizard Braylin and nods his head up and down. “Wizard Braylin, please give the Thanks for the Maker.”

“Yes, my Lord. Maker, we thank you for another day here on Twainor. Thank you for the food that we are about to eat. We hope it gives us the strength to defend your world every day. We all give thanks that Richard showed up to give us hope. Thank you, Maker.”

Then everyone responds in one voice, “Thank you, Maker.”

The servers come in with large trays with the first course. They come inside the triangle and place the plates down in front of us.

I see a green salad plate with various cold vegetables and nuts. It is lightly spiced with an oil dressing.

There's a dull roar as several different conversations begin in the room. Sir Trenton leans over to me. “Richard, when we get back to Thryson, we'll be changing your breast and back plate. I want it shining brightly just in case.”

“I understand, Sir Trenton. I think it will be good to check my satchel. I have some things in there already.”

“Yes, that's a good idea. We'll need to check that.”

We take some more bites from our plates. This time, King Tierion speaks to me.

“Richard, once you have been checked out by Sir Trenton, I want Sir Halgren by your side like before.”

“Yes my Lord. I understand the seriousness of this problem.”

“I know you're capable of taking care of yourself. The problem is you or Twainor doesn’t know when you'll be out numbered.”

“Yes, my Lord. By having Sir Halgren with me, I have a better chance of initiating the surprise take over of the star ship.”

“That's right, Richard. We must be prepared for anything.”

We resume eating the first course. Once we're done, the servers come in and take our plates. The next time they come in, they bring the main course. We see that it is a fowl dish. The meat has been roasted over an open fire pit. It is wonderfully spiced that is very good. But, then I catch a flavor that the meat has been smoked with a particular wood flavor. There are two vegetable side items on the plate as well.

We enjoy the dish very much. It is very rich in taste and flavorful to the taste buds. The conversations continue while we eat. After awhile, we get done eating our main dish. The servers come in and remove our plates. They come back in with the fruit dishes. I see about four or five different kinds of fruits in the bowl. They are cut in large pieces with rind coverings, but the seeds have been removed for us.

We enjoy the challenge as we try to remove the delicious fruit from the covering. We all have to wipe our chins and mouths while eating it. We all laugh and giggle while we try to be neat in eating them. We get so engrossed with it that all conversations cease.

After a quarter-mark or so, we get done with the fruit bowl. The servers come back out and take the bowls, they leave behind a small damp towel for each of us to get ourselves cleaned up.

“Have the Master Chef come out, please, when you go back inside?”

“Yes, my Lord. I will tell him.” The server nods her head and turns around. She walks into the kitchen to find the Master Chef.

After a few moments, the entire kitchen staff comes in and lines up in several rows, including the Master Chef.”

“Thank you, Master Chef, for that wonderful meal. It was very delicious. It definitely satisfied our palate.”

Then everyone claps their hands and give acclaim for the noon repast.

The kitchen staff smiles and all bow forward and rise up. The Master Chef steps forward.

“Thank you, my King and Queen. Thank you, honored guests. It is not too often we do this when all are present here. We hope it is more often when it comes our turn to hosts the Regional Festivals and Sea Galas.”

“Yes, it will be our turn next year, Master Chef for the Regional Festival. We look forward to seeing your skill on display at our Mid-Summer Festival as always.”

“Thank you, my King. Take care everyone and come again when you can. We hope all goes well in rescuing our Outside Helpers and the crew of the star ship.”

“We'll be back this evening, Master Chef, at least.”

“Yes, my King. We’ll be waiting for you.”

We all clap again. They all bow again. When they rise up, they turn to the left and walk back into the kitchen.

We get up from our chairs with the help from the servers and attendees. We all walk out of the dining room and exit the castle and enter the court yard.

“My friends, contact your kingdoms. It is time to meet at the Grand Castle for our meeting and set in motion the next step of our plans.”

“Yes, King Dryden.”

“Should we meet at the Sea Gala Arena instead, King Dryden?”

“That's a good question, King Hilmar. All of the First Ones are there already. Yes, we must tell then who is the real enemy.”

“I agree, King Dryden. Eingana should be there as well.”

“Yes, King Tierion, she must know what is going on.”

The Kings, the Legion Commanders, wizards and sorceresses bring out their contact spheres to contact their kingdoms. They contacted their secondary royal leaders, army and navy commanders, the Mystic Order leaders in each kingdom. They all agree to meet at the Grand Sea Gala Arena.

Once those contacts are done, they contact the Dwarf Kings and Queens, as well as the Dwarf Ambassadors. They tell them to inform the unicorns, the fairies, the centaurs and the land and sea dragons, including Eingana. The Dwarf Kings agree they will tell the other First Ones to be there at the First Mark.

“Well that is done, my friends. Come, let us fly to Angathorn Kingdom for this Grand Meeting.”

The wizards and sorceresses all line up one behind the other. The rest of us put our hands to shoulder one by one on both sides of them.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Yes, King Dryden!”

“Then take us to the Grand Gala Sea Arena.”

The wizards and sorceresses recite the transport spell. We all disappear in a blink of an eye. We start flying northward. Once we are over the ocean that separates the Eastern Kingdoms, they adjust their flight and turn to the left. Soon we see the southern coast of the Angathorn Kingdom. We start making our descent to the Grand Sea Gala Arena.

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 12
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

As we approach the arena, we see the sea dragons swimming toward it. We also see everyone else arriving as well from the First Ones and all of the other kingdoms.

We land outside the Sea Gala Arena in a blink of an eye. We disconnect from the wizards and sorceresses. We see everyone walking and flying in. We walk inside the arena. We see the sea dragons swimming in, but no sign of Eingana yet.

I turn around and look for the unicorns. I see them walking in with fairies flying around them, the centaurs and representatives from the Dwarf Under Kingdoms.

King Dryden steps up to the main stage and begins to speak. “Please sit in your sections. We need to begin this as soon as possible.” King Dryden turns around and faces the sea dragons. “Chelen, is Eingana coming?”

“Yes, King Dryden. She will be here soon. This must be very important for her to be here.”

“It is, Chelen. We finally know who is the real enemy this time. Just be prepared to calm her down if her rage is like what we witnessed the last time here.”

“If that's true, we all might be angry.”

“I know, Chelen. It will be explained when she gets here.”

“Thank you for the warning, King Dryden.”

“You're welcome, Chelen.”

I sit in our section in the arena. Soon, all of the representatives for Thryson Kingdom joins us as well. I have never seen this type of meeting before. The closest was when I was here the first time.

Avel comes near me. I hug his neck. He looks at me and sees a concerned face on me.

“What's wrong, Richard?”

“You'll know what it is soon. It's an old problem that has reared its ugly head again. It's an old enemy that we both know.”

“An old enemy? Who is it?”

I look at the fairies, “Do your best to keep him calm.”

“We'll try, Richard.”

“Avel, look at me. I won't say the name now. I'll put a picture there for you to see.”

Avel looks at me, he sees the image in my head and hears the name. Avel whispers to me, “Are you kidding me, Richard? Them?”

“I'm not kidding, Avel. There are two of them on the star ship. There are probably more in the galaxy here.”

“Eingana is not going to like this one bit.”

“I can only imagine her anger. It will be nothing compared to what we witnessed here last time.”

“Thanks for the warning, Richard.”

“You're welcome, Avel.”

We smile at each other. I hug his neck again. “We'll beat them, Avel. The Maker showed one of your descendants after the Great Flood how to do it.”

“He did?”

“Yes.”

“That's great, Richard.”

Then we all hear the water bubbling and boiling upwards near the arena. The mass of water is churning. It gets bigger and bigger. The water breaks apart. We see Eingana's head appear as she rises up.

She swims toward to the stage area. Anybody who is sitting down, stands up. We all bow toward her. She bows her head in response.

“Welcome, Eingana. We're sorry to disturb your rest.”

“Thank you, Twainor, for your respect. I have been trying to enjoy my rest, but this star ship who wants to destroy us has my full attention. Is there something new to tell me?”

Everyone sits down who can.

“There is, Eingana. We finally know who is the real enemy. We need to tell a story from what we learned when we interviewed the last crewman.”

“Go ahead; tell it.”

King Dryden begins the story, “There was a world that was dying a long time ago. The people designed and built a very large star ship. They traveled through the black space among the stars, looking for a world to start over. After many years, they encountered a small craft floating adrift. They found inside the craft, two people. The people on the star ship showed mercy to repair the craft. While repairing the space craft, the two survivors with their mind power over took and controlled the people's minds on the star ship.”

“They have mind powers?” Her eyes narrow a bit.

“Yes, the two survivors are called the General and Supreme. They are the ones who destroyed star system after star system, seeking a cure for the Supreme. Because on one world they visited, they encountered a very bad sickness. Many people died on the star ship, except ten people. The Supreme grew very big like a giant, but he could not leave his own space craft.”

“A giant, King Dryden?” Her interest suddenly gets peaked. She starts to recall some memories.

“Yes, Eingana. Then last night the Maker gave all of Twainor a dream from Earth's past.”

“He did? What was the dream?”

King Dryden turns to me, “Richard, please continue from here.”

I stand up and walk forward and step up to the stage. “Yes, King Dryden. The Maker gave us a story that was about one thousand two hundred years after the Great Flood. It is a well-written story. A boy is practicing using his sling to hurl a small river stone at a small boulder on top of a large one. He misses it a few times before he is called by his father. His father wants him to deliver some food and water to his elder brothers who are on the war front with a neighboring enemy.”

“When he arrives in the camp, he hears a booming voice shouting curses at the army and the Maker himself. When he gets into the clearing, he sees a very large man at least two to three times as big as everyone else.”

“What?! The giants survived the Great Flood, Richard?”

“Apparently one did, Eingana. I just read an ancient book two moons ago back on Earth. This was for a history reading that I was asked to do. The writer mentioned that Og of Bashan is the one who survived the Great Flood.”

“Og? I remember him! I also remember Lechstar! They and their kind killed many of my children!” She roars with anger. So do the other dragons. “Roooarr!” “Roooarrrr!”

“Eingana, please calm down! In time all of the giants were killed on Earth. None survive to this day!”

Eingana and the rest of the dragons calm down.

“How did they die, Richard?”

“That's interesting part of the story Eingana. The boy found his weakness when he looked at his helmet. There was no protection for his forehead.” I point to my own forehead.

“I remember seeing that strange head gear on them.”

“The boy was able to sling a river stone to the giant's forehead. He fell to the ground and the ground shook. The boy ran up and took the giant's own sword and killed him with it before he awoke fully.”

Then everyone cheers, claps, roars, stomps their hooves when they hear the conclusion.

King Dryden and I raise our hands to quiet everyone down again, which they do.

I continue with the story. “So, this morning we interviewed the last crewman. We discovered he is one of the original crew members on the star ship. He told us the ancient name of these two. They are the Nefelim.”

“The Nefelim?!” Then Eingana, the unicorns roar and neigh in anger. The fairies and the rest of us try to calm them down. The other dragons roar and shoot flames and water into the air as well in anger. We put our hands to our ears to muffle the noise.

After a while, all of the dragons and unicorns calm down on their own. They see everyone else staying where they are and have not left the arena. They slowly catch their breath.

“You must bring them here, King Dryden! We'll send them to cold depths for perpetuating the horror!”

King Dryden turns around and looks toward the Kings and Queens for an answer. They all stand up and say “Yes! Let Eingana have them!!”

King Dryden turns around to face Eingana. “We will, Eingana. Because we learned also they want to return to Earth and get revenge for what happened to them long ago.”

“Apparently they have not learned their lesson, King Dryden.”

“Apparently they did not, Eingana. We are making plans to bring the fight to them. But we are also aware that they could send air fighters to our skies.”

“We'll bring them down if they do. Just have enough wizards for us. We'll do the rest.”

“We plan to have one hundred and twenty wizards for you. That is ten for each upper kingdom.”

“That should be plenty for us. Thank you, King Dryden and Twainor.'

“You're welcome, Eingana. The dragons can start practicing tomorrow morning in their own kingdoms with the wizards. We're planning to send a message to the star ship so they come directly here first. We think they will be here in about two to the three days from now.”

“That sounds like a good plan, King Dryden.”

“Oh and one more thing, Eingana. We think there will be a second scout ship here soon. Hopefully we can get hold of it before they learn anything more about Twainor.”

“Yes, let's hope they don't learn anything more.”

“We hope so too, Eingana.”

“Thank you, King Dryden and Richard for the story. Apparently we need to send them a lesson they won't forget.”

“Yes, let's send them a message. Take care Eingana and Sea Dragons of Twainor.”

“Yes, take care King Dryden and Twainor. Come, Chelen. We must get ourselves ready for a fight to defend Twainor.”

“Yes, Eingana. Come my sea brethren. Let us return and get our rest. We need to practice what we can do to help the land dragons to defend our skies.”

The sea dragons all dive into the water and swim away.

Marcon turns to us and speaks. “Who are these Nefelim, Richard?”

“We need to let Avel and the other unicorns speak. They saw them first hand.”

King Dryden turns to the crowd. “Come, six unicorns. Tell us some stories about the Nefelim.”

The six unicorns walk forward. They each have a group of fairies hovering around them. They walk up to the stage to speak to us. I move aside to make room for them.

Avel speaks first, “My mother and father told me their scout ships were there before they left the Maker’s special garden. The rest of the Nefelim showed up on Earth not too long after my brother killed me in my old body. To us they appeared as heavenly beings from the Maker. They start to intermingle with us. Then that is when things changed. They lived among us for hundreds of years. Their offspring became very powerful leaders. What we didn't know is that they started to rule us with fear. I was able to withstand their fear tactic in this unicorn body.”

Silverwind speaks next, “Some grew very large, literally giants. Some were two to four times as tall as the rest of the general population. When some people rose up against them, they broke down the will of the people.”

Athena speaks, “The Nefelim caused the people to do horrible things with their mind power. We tried to kill them before it was too late.”

Einhorn speaks, “But the people's army could not defeat them. There was no one strong enough to do it.”

Makaela speaks, “So, the Maker told us, the unicorns, the fairies, dwarves, centaurs and dragons that he will flood the Earth where the Nefelim gathered to start over. They gathered around a large inland sea between two continents.”

Star Dancer speaks, “The Maker found a family that listened to his voice. Noach and his family built the ark to save as much life as possible in our region.”

Avel speaks, “Then the Maker picked us up and brought us here long before you showed up King Dryden.”

King Dryden speaks, “When Richard heard the ancient name this morning, he remembered reading it before he came here. That confirms they were on Earth before.”

“This means there could be more of them out there, Avel and King Dryden.”

“I think you're right, Richard.”

“So what can we do to get their attention, King Dryden?”

“Well, let's not worry about that for now, King Thranton. Perhaps the Maker will reveal an answer to us when the time comes or with another dream.”

“Perhaps, King Dryden. Thank you.”

“Let us all thank the Maker, because we have a chance to preserve our lives here.”

Then everyone begins to cheer, clap, roar, neigh, stomp their feet and fairies flying and dancing in the air praising the Maker of the Universe. The dragons shoot flames into the air as well. Ryujin shoots some lightning bolts into the air. After a while King Dryden raises his hands to quiet everyone down.

“Thank you for that round of applause. We must be confident that we can do this. Right now, we need to bring Richard and Brin to the scout ship to set the bait. I would like some Legion Commanders to witness the exchange.”

The Legion Commanders nod their heads up and down.

'The rest of us can now return back to our kingdoms. Make sure everything is in place in your kingdoms. We expect to sense the second scout ship soon. If the Maker sends the scout ship to our surface, we'll need to split the crew up like before.

“Have them put in the Western Kingdoms this time. We'll need to remove the mind control implants that are located on the back part of the neck. Put them in the magical sealed cells to keep them safe.”

All of the Kings and Queens nod their heads up and down in agreement.

“All right, let's get ready for the next step. Richard, please step down from the stage. You'll be going with Wizards Thaygard, Eldwin and Renard. I recommend one Legion Commander from each Region to be with them.”

“Go to the Grand Castle and pick up Brin. Then fly to the cave where the scout ship is located. Return Brin back to the Grand Castle for safe keeping. Then from there you can return to your own kingdom.”

Everyone agrees to the plan. They all shout out loud, “Yes, King Dryden.”

Everyone gets up from the arena and gets ready to leave and go back to their kingdoms.

All of the unicorns come near to me like before. I hug their necks again. After that, the Dwarf Kings and Queens come near. I put my hands on the Kings shoulder and nod my head. I also get hugs from the Queens.

“Good luck, Richard.”

“Thank you, Kings and Queens of the Under Kingdom.”

“Take care. You’re very valuable to us.”

“I know, Queen Rosina. We are making the best plans possible.”

We smile at each other. The centaurs come up next. Some put their hands onto my shoulders with a smile. Some of the female centaurs put their arms around me carefully.

“See you again soon, Richard.”

“See you later, Caltron and Serena.”

We smile at each other.

I turn to the dragons. “Take care, dragons. This will be your biggest test ever. You finally get to do something new if the air fighters are in the skies.”

“Yes, Richard. We'll practice hard. We’ll be ready.”

King Thranton comes near Ryujin. “The special saddle will be ready tomorrow morning. We'll be at the back entrance of the Rainbow Falls Caverns.”

“Thank you, King Thranton. My brethren have been helping me with my target practice very well.”

“That's good, Ryujin. See you then.”

They nod their heads up and down to each other with a smile.

The group that is going to Grand Castle gathers together. The four Legion Commanders are Sir Dolen, Sir Trenton, Sir Braxton and Sir Elion. We connect to the wizards. They recite the transport spell. We disappear in a blink of an eye.

As we fly to the Grand Castle, we see the other kingdoms flying toward it as well. Apparently they changed their minds. They want to see us return.

We land in the courtyard in a blink of an eye. We disconnect and walk to the Grand Castle. The knights snap to attention and open the doors for us.

Once we enter the foyer, we turn left. We walk to the same door where it leads down to the holding cells. A knight standing guard, unlocks the door and opens it for us.

We walk down the hallways and ramps to where Brin is kept. We see two guards standing there. They snap to attention when they see us.

“At ease, men. It is time to retrieve Brin.”

“Yes, Sir Braxton.” They turn around. One of them recites the spell for the contact crystal on the small stone ledge. An image from inside the cell appears above the crystal.

They see Brin sitting on the mattress.

“Brin, can you hear me? This is Sir Braxton.”

“Yes, I can hear you, Sir Braxton. I heard a bunch of dragons roaring with anger. I felt it all the way here.”

“Yes we know. We finally learned who is the real enemy on the star ship. It is the Supreme and the General.”

“They are? I'm not surprised. Is it time to set the bait?”

“It is, Brin. Are you ready?”

“I am, Sir Braxton.”

“A wizard and a guard are coming in to get you out.”

“All right, Sir Braxton.”

Wizard Eldwin steps forward. A guard puts his left hand onto his right shoulder. Eldwin recites the transport spell. They disappear in a blink of an eye. Then they appear in the cell in a blink of an eye.

“That's amazing to see that.”

“Well, you're about to experience it a few more times. Put your right hand on my left shoulder.”

Brin stands and walks over. He puts his right hand on Eldwin's left shoulder. The guard keeps his left hand on Eldwin's right shoulder. Eldwin recites the transport spell, they all disappear in a blink of an eye and reappear in the hallway just as quickly.

“That's incredible. What happened?”

“That's a little hard to explain right now. We need to get outside and fly to the scout ship.”

“We're going to fly?”

“Yes, you'll see, Brin. Guards, you'll be coming with us just in case. When we get done there, we'll fly back here.”

“Yes, Sir Braxton.”

We all walk together back up the ramps and hallways. The knight unlocks the door for us. We enter the foyer and exit through the front doors. We walk out to the courtyard.

Brin quickly looks around, “This world is beautiful.”

“We know, Brin. We're working hard to keep it that way.”

“Hand to shoulder please.”

Sir Trenton and I connect to Renard. Brin and Sir Braxton connect to Eldwin. Sir Elion and a guard connect to Thaygard. Sir Dolen connects to Renard. The other guard connects to Thaygard.

The wizards recite the transport spell. We disappear in a blink of an eye. We start flying westward.

“This is incredible. We're flying in the air?”

“That's right, Brin. But we can't be seen by others who are not doing this.”

“I have never seen anything like it.”

We fly higher and higher to get over the Correllianne Mountains. Once we fly past the highest peaks, we see the land slope down and away from us. We see the land of Correlle Kingdom.

Thaygard takes the lead and starts making his descent. We follow him into the cave. As we make our descent, we see the dragons flying in the air around the cave.

When we get to the mouth of the cave and land, we appear in a blink of an eye. We look around as we walk to the cave entrance. We see several dragons on watch there.

We all bow toward them. They bow their heads as well.

“Welcome back, my friends. Are you here to get inside the strange craft?”

“Greetings, Belgaron and Dragar. We are here to set the bait.”

“Excellent. You may go inside.”

“Thank you, honorable dragons.”

We walk inside the cave. After walking a bit, we see the scout ship down a branch from the main branch. We see the scout ship is still in one piece.

Thaygard puts his fingers together. He recites the spell to generate the four tone key codes. The door opens. Eldwin makes a hole in the sealing spell.

“Knights, stay on guard out here just in case.”

“Yes, Sir Braxton.”

We walk inside the scout ship.

“Brin, is there anything you need to send the distress signal?”

“Yes, it will require my authorization. It detects my voice. But it also needs a verification signal that identifies me. It is on us all the time.”

“I think I know what it is. Eldwin, do you have Brin's implant?”

“Yes I do, Richard.”

“Put it back together with the battery. It sends a signal to them.”

“Yes, it lets them know if they're still alive. It's strange, I know we put the implants in others, but I didn’t know I had one in me. That is strange programming.”

Eldwin takes out the implant device and puts the battery into it. He sees a little green light flashing. Then Eldwin puts the device into the shell. We all see a light come on a console panel.

I take out the crystal card from my satchel. “Brin, this is the distress signal I found, it is ready to send.”

“All right, Richard.” Brin sits down at commander’s console. Brin takes the crystal card and puts on the console. Brin turns on the console at his station. All the lights come on. A light shines through the crystal card. Brin breathes in and closes his eyes. He opens them and breathes out. “No one must speak at all.”

We all nod our heads up and down. “Remove the containment shield you put on the scout ship.”

Eldwin recites the spell to remove the sealing spell. He nods his head and down.

Brin pushes a symbol on the control panel and types a code sequence and hits a green symbol on the glass panel.

~~~000~~~

“General, I'm receiving a distress signal from the first scout ship.”

“Does it meet authorization specs?”

“Yes, General. It is from Brin. I'm also detecting his imprint signal.”

“Open a channel, Tek.” A signal from Brin? He should be dead.

“Yes sir.” He pushes a series of symbols on the glass panel.

~~~000~~~

“Get into the next room. He can see me.”

We all walk quietly into the next room. We try to be quiet and not make any noise.

When Brin sees that is safe, he pushes a symbol on the panel.

“Brin here. This is Distress Code #2. Please respond.”

“I received your signal Brin. I’m switching you to the General.”

“I confirm, Tek.”

~~~000~~~

“Brin, what happened? You disappeared in a big energy spike. In addition, we received three fail safe signals.”

“I'm still trying to figure it out. Somehow, we're on the surface in a cave.”

“On the surface and in a cave? What of the crew? How are they?”

“I'm sorry to report. They were dispatched. They did not survive too long in exploring the surrounding area. I recovered the bodies.”

“I'm sorry to hear that. Their lives are a sacrifice to the Supreme.”

“Yes, sir. I have no capability to get off the surface. I'm on emergency power.”

“I understand, Brin. We have sent a second scout ship to finish the comm-logs and any resistance. Put the crew members on ice. We'll pick you up in a few planet spins.”

“Sir, I want to report an unusual condition here.”

“What is it, Brin?”

“This world is magical.”

“Magical? What do you mean?”

“When we appeared inside the cave, some local people appeared and disappeared in a blink of an eye. I extend my sensor range as far as possible. From sensor analysis, there are no comm-signals on all wave lengths. That means this is an archaic world.”

“I understand, Brin. Well done.”

“There is another verification, General.”

“What is it?”

“I opened the sealed folder and compared the scan of the artifacts. The reading is hot here. This is the source of the artifacts.”

“Excellent, Brin. I'll report to the Supreme. Sit tight, we'll pick you up.”

“Yes ,General.”

“General out.”

“Brin out.”

~~~000~~~

“Tek, it looks like we found the source for the artifacts.”

“Yes, General, this looks like this is the home world for the artifacts.”

“I'm going to the Supreme and give the report.”

“Yes sir.”

“Dar-re, you have the bridge.”

“Yes, General.”

The General steps down and walks to the circle. He disappears in a flash of light. Dar-re walks up and sits in the command chair.

“Tek, how is it going in getting the storage areas ready?”

“They will be complete in six clicks, sir.”

“That's very good, Tek. Keep monitoring the second scout ship.”

“Yes sir.” Let me look at that distress signal again. Tek makes an adjustment on the console and looks at the read out. That's odd, I thought that signal was bigger. Now it is at the normal size. Where did the rest of it go to? I wonder, let me check the file logs. I type some commands to check the file logs and entries. What's this folder called 'T-net'? It appears to be harmless. I see it is loaded in the environment file and accepted. But that is not enough. Where did the rest of it go? It must have come from Brin as a separate analysis of the atmosphere. Well, let's continue scanning the telemetry readings from the second scout ship. Why do I get the feeling I know someone who knows computer systems? Ouch . . . There is that pain again. Well let's back to work . . . Yes, the pain is gone now.

~~~000~~~

Brin gives a big sigh of relief, “Whew! I didn't think I could pull it off. It is done.”

We all walk inside to the control room.

“Well done, Brin. That was an excellent performance.”

“Thanks, they won't be contacting me again until they are here. That should be about two or three days from now if they take the bait.”

“That's great, Brin.”

“Brin, you spoke to somebody on the bridge named Tek?”

“Yes, his station is on the bridge.”

“That voice sound like Tek, Thaygard.”

“Yes it did, Richard.”

“If that's true, we know where one of our Outside Helpers is commander.”

They smile in agreement.

“Is Tek one of your Outside Helpers?”

Everybody responds in one voice. “Yes.”

I walk over to the console and pick up the crystal card and put it in my satchel.

“You can go ahead and deactivate that implant. They will think I'm dead when they don't sense it next time.”

Eldwin takes the implant apart and removes the battery. The green light stops flashing. He puts the pieces into his pocket.

“I guess the shielding for your emergency power is low enough. The Ethereal Space is not attracting to it. It is dampening that effect.”

“That's right, Richard. So if the shielding is turned off, the rest of the electrical systems would get hit by lightning.”

“Our storms here are very powerful, Brin. Our castles have very strong and thick metal rods on the spires. That includes the wire from the metal rods to the end that is buried deep into the ground.”

“Now I see why you're confident you can save your world.”

“That's right, Brin. The other problem is this, Brin. If this star ship reaches Earth for its revenge, more than likely my world's forces would find a way to destroy it.”

“Then all would be lost and forgotten.”

“Yes, Brin. We must believe that Twainor will succeed. Are you ready to return to the cell?”

“I'm ready, commanders.”

Brin turns off the consoles and powers down the ship. All lights are off except for the emergency lights. Brin opens the door. Eldwin makes a hole in the sealing spell. We walk outside to rejoin the guards out there. Thaygard closes the door with the sound spell. Eldwin recites the sealing spell to reseal the scout ship. We walk out of the cave and see Belgaron and Dragar still standing there.

“Greetings, Belgaron and Dragar. The bait has been sent and received.”

“Excellent, commanders. Can we destroy the strange craft now?”

Brin looks at us with a worried face. We see it.

“That is not needed. I'm sorry. You will have plenty to do when the air fighters appear in the skies in two or three days.”

Their faces fall down for a moment, then brightens up when they hear of the possible air fight that will come.

“Very well. We'll keep it safe for now. If Twainor wins, we suggest you get this craft out of here.”

“We will, Dragons of the Correllianne Mountains. We heard there is another space craft attached onto the main star ship. It belongs to the General and the Supreme.”

“Yes, that would be better to destroy so that they can't leave in a hurry.”

“Take care, Richard. It is good to see you again. Be safe.”

“Take care, dragons. It is good to see you again. I'll be in Thryson Kingdom the next two days at least.”

“Very good, see you later.”

We put our hands to shoulder to the wizards. They recite the transport spell. We disappear in a blink of an eye. We fly eastward and over the Correllianne Mountains. Soon we see the landscape for Angathorn Kingdom. We fly over the hills and valleys. We see castles, towns and villages scattered about. Soon we see the forest edge and the plains. Then we see the Grand Castle coming into view.

As we make our descent, we see a lot of people standing there, including some First Ones. When we touch down, we appear in a blink of an eye. We disconnect from the wizards and walk toward them. We see the rest of the Legion Commanders, wizards, sorceresses, kings and queens standing there. I see Avel and the fairies, King Thranton and Queen Rosina, Caltron and Serena as well. This includes the other First Ones in attendance.

They stop their talking as we approach them.

King Dryden walks up to greet us. “How did it go? Is the bait set?”

“It is, King Dryden. Brin put on a great performance. The distress signal is sent and received on the star ship.”

Everybody claps their hands and cheer. Some come to hug me or put a hand to my shoulder.

We all laugh and smile at each other. Brin looks at us as if trying to figure us out.

“Is there something going on here? I see huge dragons being friendly to Richard. Who are these other people that are half your size? They don't look like you, King Dryden, but like Richard. Then I see this four-legged animal with a single horn and small winged people flying around it. They all talk. Then I see this half man and half horse as well. I've never seen such diversity on such a world.”

King Dryden speaks first. “There is a reason, Brin. There is a history connection between Twainor and Earth, which is Richard's home world.” King Dryden looks at me to continue the story.

“A long time ago, about six thousand years ago. Life on Earth was very different. We had dragons, centaurs, dwarves, unicorns and fairies.” I point to each one in turn. “Besides men and women who look like me.”

Avel speaks, “Yes Brin, that is our home world.”

“What? You can speak?”

“All unicorns can speak, except horses. They talk differently. After a hundred years or so on Earth I was killed in my former body by my brother.”

“Are you telling me you used to be like Richard?”

“Yes, I was a man. I was the first man killed in hate on Earth after my parents left a special garden designed by the Maker. The Maker had mercy on me and allowed me to be a witness to his Creation. Makaela is the first woman killed in hate on Earth. We were a peace loving population on Earth until the Nefelim showed up.”

“This is too much.”

“I know it is a lot to take in. After I was killed, some more people came from the stars and showed up on Earth. It didn't take long for them to take control of the people.”

Silverwind speaks, “They controlled the people with fear. They intermingled with the population. Their children grew up to be giants, at least three to four times as tall as the rest of the normal people.”

“The giants caused the people to do horrible things when they conquered them.”

“Then the Maker of the Universe decided to start over. He found a family that would listen to His Voice. The Maker decided to flood the world where the Nefelim was gathered. They were all located around an inland sea between two continents. The family built a very large boat to save as much life as possible.”

“All of the people drowned, including the giants in our region. Before the Great Flood came, the Maker picked up some of us and brought us here to Twainor long before the people of Twainor showed up. We're called the First Ones here.”

“The family survived the Great Flood and started over. I'm a descendant from that family after five thousand years or so. There were some First Ones who begged to be on the boat. Some did get on and tried to survive afterwards. The only ones who are left are the fairies. I met some of them not too long ago.”

They fly in front of Brin. They smile at him while they laugh and giggle. Then they fly back to their unicorns.

“The other source of refuge is our deep and vast oceans like here. They contain many sea fish, sea mammals and ancient sea life. There is a good chance that sea dragons are there as well. But, that has not been proven yet.”

“Earth is like Twainor with its oceans. The dwarves here are like me. There is still the dwarf marker in us on Earth. Right now, they’re about three billion people on Earth with about 150 nations or kingdoms. We have only explored our star system. We have yet to discover interstellar travel like that star ship that is coming here.”

“How did you get here, Richard?”

King Dryden speaks up, “Several years ago we were visited by a group that call themselves the Emissaries. These Emissaries are representatives from the Maker. They invited us to be part of the Local Group.”

“I know that group. We encountered two medallions within that group. We had to flee or be destroyed. We located the medallions quickly and took their bearers only. I don't know where they are on the star ship.”

“That's all right, Brin. We'll find them and rescue the crew from the Supreme and the General.”

“It took about two years to come to an agreement. Our only war we had was about 150 years ago. We had to make peace. If we did, we would be accepted in the Local Group. We would accept Outside Helpers from other worlds in the Local Group. They would help us in our time of need.”

“We had to put complete trust in the Maker when we sent out the call. We didn't know who was going to come.”

“That's incredible. I wish my world had Outside Helpers. They would have saved our world.”

“The problem with that, is that all war must cease Brin. Even the secret factions had to cease functioning.”

“When the Outside Helpers were here last year. They found two secret factions that we did not know about. They had taken root. The Outside Helpers helped us put them down. We now finally have true peace here.”

“Then we had a surprise when one of them showed up. He has helped us more than you will ever know.”

Brin looks at me, “You came.”

“That's right, Brin. The Maker could have chosen anyone else on Earth with my abilities. There are others there like me with the knowledge I have. I have accepted the honor with humbleness. I may not know everything, but I seek to learn the world around me. It intrigues me to find those interesting clues to make sense of it all.”

“That's right Brin. Richard and the other Outside Helpers have helped us to learn more about Twainor and how we fit in the Maker's Universe.”

“Is there peace on Earth, Richard?”

I look down momentarily, so do everyone else. Then we look back up.

“There is no true peace there yet. We've had wars on Earth every year it seems like. One country experiences peace while two neighboring kingdoms are at war. There is blood shed even in the streets of the cities, towns and villages in my so called peaceful nation.”

“We are illness prone. Fortunately for myself and others like me, we know what it takes to be healthy and eat right. I live in a good country and there are other countries who want peace very much.”

“There is no magic there. It was probably removed when some of the people abused it for power and control a long time ago. Probably long before the Great Flood. I think it lingered for another thousand years before it finally disappeared afterwards.”

“About sixty years ago, my time. We had a population of seven billion people with two hundred nations. Then in a space of thirty years we experienced a huge outbreak of disasters, disease and war. It did get the attention of many nations and kingdoms. That number is now reduced to three billion people and 150 nations.”

Avel continues with my thought, “If the bad choices continue, I think the Maker will have no choice but to reduce their population numbers again. He can make the land animals more numerous than the people if He wants to.”

“Either way our hatred and killing ways will end. Perhaps when I go back this time, the Maker will find a way to get their attention.”

“We can only hope.”

Brin then breaks down and cries. His knees buckle from the emotional burst. Some knights help him down easy. After awhile, he recovers to speak.

“Why? Why did my world have to die? I think I know the answer to my own question. My world suffered wars as well. We had several strong kingdoms and factions. However, they could not trust each other. They were always suspicious of the secret plots by them. Only two of the kingdoms had the weapons to defend the world, but it was not enough.”

“Your world died because of that mistrust.”

“Yes, King Dryden. Maybe after this fight and we are still here, there is a way to start over.”

“Yes, there is always hope, Brin. We know of two groups on the star ship are enemies. They cannot be in the presence of either one. That is going to be a separate problem to solve also.”

“Yes, I see what you mean, King Dryden.” Brin stands up with the knights help. “Thank you for telling me the bigger picture. Good luck in the days ahead.” Brin turns to the Legion Commanders, “I'm ready to return to my cell. Thank you for allowing to take a small part to redeem myself and my people.”

“You're welcome, Brin.” Sir Braxton addresses the guards, “Knights and Wizard Eldwin, please take Brin back to his cell.”

“Yes, Sir Braxton.”

“Guards, when the fighting is underway, you can show him some images to him if he wants to.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Thank you for the offer, Sir Braxton. “I'll watch it for a short time period. I've seen enough wars already from my view point.”

“We understand, let the guards know if you need anything else like different kinds of food.”

“Yes, King Dryden. Thank you for your hospitality and compassion.”

“You're welcome.”

Then King Dryden and Queen Lorinor walk up and hug Brin and put a hand to his shoulder. Brin smiles weakly. He turns around and walks toward to the two knights and Master Wizard Eldwin. He is led inside the Grand Castle and returns to his cell.

“Well, all is set, Twainor. Tomorrow morning begins the training sessions on our sea ships and more training on the field layouts we just built.”

“Yes, King Dryden. The one hundred will be chosen this evening from each of the kingdoms.”

“Very good, Sir Braxton. Commanders, Kings and Queens, First Ones, get a good night’s rest.”

“Yes, King Dryden.”

“Are there any last words or comments, Richard?”

“Hmm . . . It might be obvious. If general power is off on the star ship, the hallways will probably have emergency lighting. It will be dimmer in the hallways.”

“Yes, we suspect that as well, Richard. Thanks for everything in providing us hope.”

I smile at them, “You're welcome, my friends.”

“Can you be here on the third morning, Richard? This will be for a morale speech for the forces on our sea ships.”

I look to King Tierion and smile.

King Tierion smiles as well, “Yes, Richard will be here to give it.”

“Very good, King Tierion.”

“We can be here too, King Dryden.”

“That is your choice, Kings and Queens. I just thought it might be safe for everyone to be in their own kingdoms when the fighting begins.”

“Yes, I see what you mean, King Dryden.”

“Farewell my friends, take care. I hope to see you all again when this is over.”

I get a hug from each of the ladies and hands to the shoulder from the men. I hug the unicorns while the fairies fly around us singing songs. The centaurs come up and put their hands to my shoulder. I grasp their arm while they do that. We all smile at each other.

The wizards and sorceresses all line up. We then connect to them hand to shoulder. A queen puts her hand to the shoulder of a sorceress while the other is on the shoulder of a unicorn. The fairies sit on their unicorn's back and hold onto his or her mane.

“Are all eleven kingdoms ready?”

“Yes, King Dryden. We're ready.”

“Go with best speed from the Maker. Keep in contact if anything new develops, especially the second scout ship.”

The wizards and sorceresses recite the transport spell. We all disappear in a flash of light. We all fly back to our respective kingdoms.

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 13
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

As we are flying back to our own kingdoms, we see the kingdoms fly in different directions toward their regions.

Thryson, Ringol and Eirecann fly together for a while. Once we cross the ocean we split apart. Some of us wave to each other with our free hand when we break apart.

Renard and Trianna make the descent when we see Thryson Castle appearing. We land in the courtyard near their great sundial. We appear in a flash of light. We break apart and disconnect from one another.

“Well, we are home again. Sir Trenton, take Richard to begin his training. You know what needs to be done.”

“Yes, my Lord. Come follow me, Richard.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

We leave together and walk toward another part of the castle and enter a door.

“Renard and Trianna, please take King Thranton and Queen Rosina and their representatives back to their Under Kingdom.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Until the next time we meet, King Tierion and Queen Shiranna. Be safe.”

“Until next time, be safe, my friends.”

They smile at each other. The men nod their heads while the ladies hug each other.

King Thranton and Queen Rosina, Telgon and Durlond with their mates put hand to shoulder to them. Including their dwarf escorts of Banner Bearer, Sword Bearer and three dwarf warrior guards.

Renard and Trianna recite the transport spell. They disappear in a blink of an eye.

“Well Avel, fairies, Caltron and Serena that leaves us.”

“Yes, we'll let you know if we sense anything new.”

“We'll be on the lookout. Now we know who is the real enemy.”

“We will win and preserve life here on Twainor.”

“Yes, we will. Take care, First Ones.”

“Take care, King Tierion and Queen Shiranna.”

Avel, Caltron and Serena turn around to trot out of the courtyard through the castle front gates. The fairies fly along with them. They find a forest trail to report back to their kin folk.

King Tierion and Queen Shiranna walk back to the castle arm in arm.

“Let's see, Beharn and what else is happening inside.”

“My dear husband, Richard will need a change of clothes before this is over.”

“You're right. Thank you for reminding me. We'll stop by Rosella's shop first.”

They walk up the steps to the double stone doors. The two knights at guard there, snap to attention. They open the doors for them.

“Welcome home, my King and Queen.”

“Yes, it is good to be home.”

“Thank you, sir knights.”

“You're welcome, my Lady.”

They walk inside and turn right. The knights close the doors and resume their positions. King Tierion and Queen Shiranna walk down the foyer and turn left at the intersection. They walk down the hallway and pass several doors on the right-hand side. They stop at a door that shows the sign for the Castle Tailor Shop. King Tierion opens the door and they both walk inside.

Once they're inside, Rosella and her staff stop what they are doing. They bow quickly.

“Welcome back home, my King and Queen.”

King Tierion and Queen Shiranna bow their heads in response.

“Yes, it is good to be back home. We have a request for you.”

“What do you wish to have us to make?”

“Do you still have Richard's measurements when he was here last time?”

“We do, my King.”

“Good. I would like another change of clothes for him. It won't be like his ranger set or the ceremonial. It should be designed for fighting with his new breast and back plate that is being made at this moment. He will also have arm and leg armor as well with wrist bow gauntlets.”

“I see. How long do I have?”

“Richard is here now with Sir Trenton. Richard will be here for the next two nights at least.”

“That's plenty of time, my Lord. What weapons will be hidden?”

“Hmm... if I remember, he has practiced with knives, stars, arrows, clubs and swords.”

“I didn't realize he was versed in that many, my Lord.”

“He has, Thomas. Do you remember the demonstration match he did last year in Evenshard Kingdom?”

“Yes, now I remember.”

The others in the room nod their heads up and down as they remember it as well.

“His match caused all of Twainor's Legions to be retrained.”

“That's right, Vincent. He does know how to defend himself.”

“Do you want the clothes to fit over his armor like last time?”

“Yes, it is to give him an advantage as much as possible.”

“I think the cloth should be light as possible and not restricting in movement. If it gets damaged, it will be easy to take off or repair.”

“Yes, that sounds good, Rosella. Have it like his ranger set, but this time the color design will be for stealth and shadows in the hallways.”

“That means it will be muted with gray shades that don't stand out. We know which garments will work.”

“That's all for now. Is there something else, my dear wife?”

“He does have a satchel on his shoulder, my love.”

“We'll make one up to match the outfit, my Lord and Lady. Will he have a cloak?”

“No, I think that will be too much. Sir Halgren will have his. Oh and Richard will be wearing that new helmet we designed and built from his suggestions earlier.”

“Very good, my Lord.”

“Yes, he will need to practice in it and get used to it in two days.”

“It will be done, my Lord and Lady.”

“Don't worry about being paid. It will be a bonus for everyone here.” King Tierion and Queen Shiranna smile at them.

They all smile in the shop on hearing the good news.

“Thank you for your generosity, my King and Queen.”

“You're welcome. With the up and coming defense of Twainor, you'll be very busy in the days ahead. We'll plan for a first fitting at the Fourth Mark after the noon repast today.”

“Yes, my Lord. That still gives us plenty of time to have it done. It is the Fourth Mark in the morning now.”

“Until then, Rosella. See you all later. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you. Until then, my Lord and Lady.”

Everyone bows their heads to the King and Queen. They respond as well. They turn around and open the doors. They exit the Castle Tailor Shop and close the doors.

They can hear Rosella calling out what needs to be done in the room.

“All right, let's get busy. Thomas, Vincent and Theresa, get the stealth fabrics from storage. Rough it out and do the main seams. We have some time to do this. So let's get the stitches done right and the seams marked out.”

“Yes, Rosella.”

“The rest of us have plenty to do with our current projects. These training sessions on the field are keeping our field tailors very busy.”

~~~000~~~

King Tierion and Queen Shiranna walk down the hallway back to the intersection and turn right. Then they open the doors to the main dining room on the right-hand side. They see servers and attendees getting the noon repast ready by arranging the tables, setting out table cloths, glass goblets, silver utensils, etc.

King Tierion gets the attention of one of the servers. “Is the Master Chef here, Claxton?”

“He is in the kitchen, my Lord. I'll go and let him know you're here.”

“Please do, Claxton.” They bow their heads together and rise up.

Claxton turns around and walks into the kitchen. In a few moments Master Chef Beharn comes walking into the dining room. All three bow their heads to each other.

“Greetings, my Lord and Lady. Welcome home. How long are you here now?”

“We are here for the duration now. All of the traveling and meetings in the other kingdoms are done. We have interviewed all four captured crewmen.”

“That's good, my Lord. Is Richard here as well?”

“He is, Beharn. He is with Sir Trenton right now. Wizard Renard and Sorceress Trianna should be back soon from delivering King Thranton and Queen Rosina and their group back to their Under Kingdom. Richard will be here for the next two nights at least.”

“Thank you, my Lord. At least I know what to plan for at each repast. See you at the noon repast.”

“Until then, Beharn. We'll be in our private study room if you need us.”

“Take your rest, my Lord and Lady, until then.”

They bow their heads again to each other and rise up. King Tierion and Queen Shiranna walk out of the dining room arm in arm. They walk together to the private study room on the second floor.

~~~000~~~

I follow Sir Trenton down the hallways to exit the castle side door. We walk down a covered walkway. We turn left and face a large one story building with six smoke stacks attached to the building.

I see a symbol on the door that shows an anvil with tongs and a hammer.

Sir Trenton opens the door and we walk inside. I close the door behind me. We see two coal/lava stone fired forges attached to each smoke stack. There are a dozen black smiths working at each one with their assistants working on their current projects.

One of them sees Sir Trenton and me. One of them yells out loud, “Sir Trenton and Outside Helper Richard are present!”

They pause for a moment.

“Keep working smiths, until you come to a stopping point for the noon repast, then we'll talk later.”

They all shout together, “Yes, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Trenton looks at me, “Follow me as I make the rounds.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Trenton and I walk over to the first forge on the right-hand side. We see them working on a new sword. It's in its final stage. The smith is hammering the bevels that will taper to the blade on both sides. The assistant has a pair of tongs that is clamped onto the handle stub. The smith hammers the bevel up to the point, he pauses.

“What do you think, Sir Trenton?”

“It looks good, Sir Brandt. You can work on the lettering, the filigree and handle ornamentation after the noon repast.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton. I'll start prepping the next stock pieces to start binding them together afterwards.”

“That sounds good, Sir Brandt.”

Sir Trenton and I walk over to the next station. We see the smith is folding a long piece of steel. The assistant clamps the two ends together. The assistant pushes the doubled over piece into the fire. The smith pumps the bellows a few times to add air to the forge. The coals glow from red to white hot. The assistant then pulls out the piece and sets it on the anvil. The smith hammers it quickly to fuse them together. After ten hits, the assistant thrusts the piece back into the forge. The two are in rhythm. It is a sight to see. After a quarter-mark or so, the fused piece has now lengthened again back to its original length. They both pause and look to Sir Trenton.

“What do you think, Sir Trenton?”

“How many folds is that, Sir Dalton, since the last stub cut?”

“That is twenty folds since the last cut, sir. I have not reached the half way point to our fold number. It is still soft as you can see.”

“That’s very good Sir Dalton. Go and cut the slag stub. Cool it down to temper it and set it in the hot box to keep it warm for the next cycle after the noon repast.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Trenton and I walk over to the center of the room. We see four knights burnishing and putting the final edge on several blades. I see a group of swords finished with their hilts. That includes the pommel, the guard and grip. Two other knights are making scabbards for the swords.

I point to a sword, “Can I pick one up, Sir Trenton?”

“Sure, you can pick one up.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton.”

I pick up a sword. It has a very good balance. It is not too heavy. I look for room around me. I swing the blade in several different directions. It knifes through the air with ease. Then I point it to a window opening and look down the edge of the blade. It has a very good profile. I see a very straight and thin black line on both edges of the blade.

By this time some of the men smile when they see me handle the sword.

I smile at them as I put the sword back where it was on the rack. “That's very good craft work. It has an excellent feel and the blade edges are very straight and thin the way it should be.”

“Thank you, Richard. Have you made any blades on your world?”

“Be careful, Sir Landston, with your question. You might get a surprise answer.”

“Well, Richard?” He smiles at me.

“I have not made any swords or knives from scratch. I did take some existing steel stock and made a small knife set. But, I know what is happening during the process. One of my classes earlier this year was in materials. We studied metal combinations for different situations.”

“That's just book knowledge. My hands on experience came in the youth camping organization I was in. We learned how to take care of knives, axes and one-sided short swords. I learned how to file and hone them to give them that edge that I just saw.” I smile at them.

They all laugh back.

“The other hands on experience I have is in school. There is a requirement for fourteen to fifteen year-old students to take a year in basic metal and wood shop. There are some pieces I made that I'm proud of.”

Sir Trenton walks up to me and puts his hand on my shoulder and laughs. The other smiths and assistants got done a little awhile ago. They gather around and hear the conversation were having.

“So, do you have any insights for us here?”

“You might want to record this.”

One of the smiths takes out a crystal and recites the spell to record the conversation.

“There is not much to add. Where is the ore kept and identified?”

“It is over here in these bins, Richard. We get the ore from the dwarves already prepared. It is up to us what the combinations are for what we're making.”

I nod my head up and down. “Sir Trenton, did the dwarves we met last year give you a chart of the elements they found so far?”

“Yes they did, Richard. The chart is over here in this box to keep this copy clean as possible.” Sir Trenton unlocks the hasp and opens it up. He takes it out and hands it to me.

I take it and look at it. I see it organized somewhat like our periodic table. It has spaces for elements that are yet to be discovered.

“This is a good beginning. I may not recognize your names, but I know the position that compares to Earth's table. I see some hand written in. Are these ones you've found since then?”

“Yes, Richard. They were exposed near the surface. We send them down to the dwarves where they analyze it with their equipment to verify it.”

“That's good, very good. There are going to be some that are going to be difficult to get samples of. These are the gasses. You'll need to capture them in glass bottles or metal containers. They need to be sealed tight.”

They nod their heads up and down in agreement.

“There are a couple of gasses and elements you will need to be very careful around. The only way you know is to be observant of the surrounding area. If you have a lush green field, but in the middle of the field it is brown or dead. Or you might see dead animals lying in a low area of the ground. Be very careful, you might have to use gloves and full body armor to protect yourselves.”

“I don't think we have a problem like that here in Thryson. Do we, Sir Trenton?”

“No, Sir Brandt. It might be in another kingdom or in another dwarf under kingdom.”

“There is another symptom to take notice of. If you see a group of people or a village for example that seems to be dying young, the hair falling out too early in life. They look old and wrinkled for their young age. That is a big sign something is going on with the ground or water. The source has to be found. The area has to be posted with signs to avoid contact with the area. Erect a fence or solid wall if you have to.”

“In time, as it is identified and where it fits on the chart, you're learning more about Twainor. You'll need to find or make new medicine for this illness. Evrat, Ariella and the rest of the Outside Helpers gave the dwarf designer enclave a few hints on how to make a new detector for this type of element when I was here last time. Also, some safety measures.”

“Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome, Sir Trenton. Didn't you say I will be getting a new breast and back plate?”

“Yes you are, Richard.” Sir Trenton puts the chart back in the box and locks the hasp. “It's over here, Richard.” Sir Trenton looks around to the men, “Go and get cleaned up men for the noon repast.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” They all respond at the same time. The smith ends the recording on the crystal and puts it into his pocket.

They all walk over to a wash area to get themselves clean as much as possible. They talk between themselves and have a few laughs while doing it.

Sir Trenton and I walk over to a table. I see a brightly polished breast and back plate, including some arm and leg pieces and two forearm shields.

“When we get done with the noon repast, you'll be doing the Forest Run. After that, we'll back here to switch your armor. As you can see, there are arm and leg pieces as well.”

“Yes, I see that. I’m guessing that I will be going through the gauntlet of training for the next two days?” I smile at him.

“That's right, Richard. I'm just adding a little more protection. Just in case.”

“That's okay. I'll get used to the additional weight and its movement.”

“King Tierion, Queen Shiranna and I discussed this for quite some time. They agreed that it is necessary.”

“I understand the caution. I'll have to do some endurance runs to get my fitness up for this.”

“Yes, Richard. Then we'll have you and Sir Halgren work together. You'll need to learn how to communicate and be aware of your surroundings. We'll see how you perform under pressure.”

“Okay. Oh, before I forget. Here is my satchel. Let's see what is needed or not that I brought.” I open the satchel and empty the contents onto the table. The smiths and the assistants gather around to see what I brought.

“As you can see, I came prepared.”

“Yes you did. Tear off your hand written notes. Keep the pad blank. I wrote down your passwords and gave them to Sir Braxton and Sir Krellen.”

“Yes, Sir.” I tear them off and give them to Sir Trenton. The passwords I created are simple to remember. I chose words from their own vocabulary. Also, I no longer need the notes I wrote for the program on the scout ship.

Sir Trenton crumples them up and tosses them onto the hot lava rocks and coals. They immediately go up in flames.

“What's in this bag?”

“It is a basic first aid kit. Pads, bandages and some ointment. This folded up sheet is big enough for an arm sling.”

“Keep that. This is a knife?” He picks it up and looks at it.

“Yes it is. I'll show you.” I take it and open it up. I display the main blade, the awl, the screwdriver and another short blade.

“I like this, Richard, keep it.”

“Sir Trenton, we can do something like that. It will take some designing and some trial and error.”

“This is just one style of many on Earth. You might find some different tools for different situations. I know one design has a small file rasp that comes out. There is one that has a hidden compartment. It just takes some imagination.”

“You have my permission, smiths. But we need to focus on the current projects. Work up some drawings first and create some wooden models for starters in your spare time.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton.” They all smile that they have a chance to do something new.

“How good is this rope, Richard?”

“It's strong enough to hold four average people hanging on it safely. It breaks on the fifth man. But for knights it will probably hold three because of the added weight.”

“Excellent, keep that as well. When we find the dry river stones Richard, I want you to carry five or six with a sling.”

“Yes, Sir. I will need some practice with it.”

“Sir Trenton, a sling and river stone? That's an old weapon.”

“Yes it is, but it's for the General and the Supreme.”

“Now I remember. It's the dream from Richard's world that we had the other night is it?”

“Yes, Sir Brandt.” Sir Trenton picks up my money pouch. “You won't be needing this up there.”

“No, I don't think so. It might cause some problems. I could be declared a hostage if they get greedy.”

“Yes, that's a possibility. I see you have a small mirror with a handle. Keep that plus this needle and thread bag. You never know when it might be needed.”

“This water skin is filled with water from my family's cabin. We have a fresh water cold stream near the cabin. It comes from a mountain nearby.”

“Very good. Well, that should do it, Richard. Your selection is very good.”

“Thank you Sir Trenton.” We put the items back inside the satchel. I then put it on my shoulder. “Sir Trenton, there are four more things I brought with me. Two are in the room where I sleep here. Really they are gifts. I brought a book that describes the flowers the ladies received last year.”

“I remember that. Queen Shiranna will like that. What are the other three?”

“I remembered to bring a book for you, Sir Trenton.”

“Thank you Richard. I look forward to reading it.”

“It also has images recorded like you do with your crystals. I have an idea how we can retrieve those images.”

“Yes, that will be interesting to see. What are the other items?”

“It is the time piece on my wrist. It is truly mechanical.” I show my left wrist to him.

The men gather around to look at it.

“Those parts have to be really small Richard.”

“Yes they are. We've had watches like this for at least three hundred years. Large public clocks were first built about seven hundred years ago. This watch is brand new. I was thinking of giving it to King Thranton.”

I see their faces sag and hear them groan when they heard that.

“But, I just remembered what we discovered among their Builders and Designers. They already have time pieces down there and other advanced equipment. Besides I brought a better gift for him.”

“Yes, I remember that Richard. It made all of the Upper Kingdoms and some Under Kingdoms very upset and mad. At the time Draknor didn't want to share the knowledge, he kept it a secret for his own plots.”

“So, for you, Sir Trenton. I give this time piece to say 'Thank You'.”

The men cheer when I make that announcement.

I take the watch off my wrist and hand it to him. “As you can see the divisions are almost the same on Twainor.”

“Thank you, Richard. What are these other moving pieces?”

“These three arms allow you to see the time progress. This one sweeping the fastest is the second hand. It takes 60 seconds to equal one minute. That long arm is the minute hand. It takes 60 minutes to equal one hour or about one mark on your sundial.”

“I see now. I can judge the time between quarter marks with more accuracy. It's similar to the time devices that the dwarves have.”

“That's right, Sir Trenton. For example you can time how fast a wizard is flying to get to the Twin Moons and back with the knights.”

“Yes, Richard. We can synchronize our forces with better accuracy. Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome. Oh and one more thing. Let me unwrap this arm sling bandage.” I smile while I take it out and unwrap it. I reveal a larger time piece.

The smiths begin to drool over it. I smile when I see that.

“For your smiths to play with and learn instead of King Thranton and his Builders and Designers.”

The men cheer and slap me on the back.

“All right, way to go, Richard!”

“Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome. I must give some advice on the parts inside. You'll have no problem in making the metal pieces. There are some pieces that are unique and built with precision. There are several small gems inside as well to reduce friction.”

“You'll need to build large models to understand how it works. It is going to be trial and error. Don't break this watch in frustration or you will be using the reassemble spells a lot.”

“I understand that all too well. Thank you, Richard.” Sir Trenton looks at the smiths. “Men, I know you would love to conquer this, but we have more important things to do for the days ahead.”

The men all respond as one, “Yes, Sir Trenton.”

“We'll save this project for our spare time. The sundials in our courtyard are still useful, but they don't break down. These time pieces can. Isn't that right, Richard?”

“That's right, Sir Trenton. Now if you pull that little knob out on the side. You can adjust the time to where you want it to start. You can have it match with your sundial. Then you can see if my watch speed matches the sundial. If not, then you know the watch needs a speed adjustment behind the back plate.”

“If I remember right from the dwarf time pieces, they put a wound spring in theirs.”

“Yes they did. It is the same here. When that knob is pushed in, you can turn it a few times in a clockwise rotation. Do it five turns only. If you over wind it and make the spring too tight, something could break inside it.”

“Of course, I need to be careful how or where I use it. I can't be wearing this if I'm working near a forge for example.”

“No, you can't.”

“Well, thank you for the gifts.”

“You're welcome.” I fold the arm sling bandage and put it in my satchel. I then look a little sad.

“Why the sad face, Richard?”

“It's the gift giving. It reminds me of the times I had with my family. Since the death of my family and finishing school . . . ”

The smiths put a hand on my shoulder.

I smile back at them.

“That's all right, Richard. I would be remiss to remember everything if I lost my family that way.”

“Thank you.”

“All right men, Richard is going to start training with our knights. Today after the noon repast it is the Forest Run. We'll stop at the Fourth Mark to get him fitted with armor and new clothes from Rosella.”

“Yes, sir!” They all respond in one voice.

“I noticed the breast plate here that the weapons are not finished. I want Sir Brighton and Sir Carnell with their assistants to work on that. The rest of you will continue with your current projects. Is that clear everyone?”

“Yes, Sir Trenton!” They all respond as one again.

“Very good, now let's have our noon repast. Richard and I will be with the King and Queen today. He will be sleeping with the Legion tonight and tomorrow night.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” They all laugh and put a hand onto my shoulder. They thank me again for the gifts.

“You better put those time pieces in a safe place and lock them away.”

“That's a good idea, Richard.” He puts the time pieces into his pockets for now.

We all walk out of the forge building together. We walk down the covered walkway back to the castle. Then the smiths and assistants turn right and walk down a sidewalk toward several buildings near the castle and training fields.

“See you later, Richard!” Some of them yell out.

“See you later, men.” I yell back. I look at them for a moment. Then I turn back and continue to follow Sir Trenton.

Sir Trenton and I walk up the stairs to the side door and enter in the main castle. I close the door when I get inside.

“Have you eaten in a large food service building on Earth?”

“I have, Sir Trenton. We have schools that teach by different age groups. It depends on the numbers and who attend. It’s usually done in shifts. There are not enough seats to accommodate everyone at once. It also depends on the size of the building and the kitchens.”

“It's the same here, Richard. There are two shifts for the knights here.”

“I take it you had to make some serious and quick decisions who the one hundred are.”

“Yes, they realized it is good competition. The commanders made sure there are at least forty knights from the eight Castle Lords and twenty Dwarf warriors. That had to be done besides choosing the forty from the King's own forces.”

“That's good. It helps with the morale that everyone has a part.”

“Yes, it does.”

As we walk down the foyer to the main dining room, we see the King and Queen being escorted by Sir Drexton.

“Ah . . . just in time. We thought we might have to send some guards after you, Sir Trenton. We know how you like being in the forge.” They all smile at him.

Sir Trenton laughs, “There was no need my Lord. I had a look at Richard's time piece. It reminded me that it is time to eat.”

“That's good. Come let's enjoy the noon repast.”

The King, the Queen, Sir Drexton, Sir Trenton and I walk into the main dining room. We see Sir Valmar, Sir Leland, Renard and Trianna there already.

We all sit down together. We sit in the same seats as before. Renard remains standing waiting for the signal from the King.

“Thank you for all coming, my friends. It has been awhile since we have been together. The last time we were together, was before the arrival of the star ship. Renard, if you please, give the Thanks to the Maker.”

“Yes, my Lord. Maker, we just want to thank you that we have another day together. We thank you for this food that you have provided. All the plans are being laid with a sure foundation in you. Thank you, Maker.”

Everyone responds in one voice, “Thank you, Maker.”

Renard sits down. The servers come out and serve the first course. It is a salad plate with a slice of fruit and cold vegetables. It is lightly spiced. The attendees come out and fill our glasses with cold mountain water or fruit juices. No ale or wine until the end of the day.

“So, Richard, are you ready for this afternoon fitness and endurance test?”

“Well, I have kept up with the exercises before I received the call, Sir Valmar. I did some long distance jogging and hikes. I did go to the school gym and did some weight lifting and a few sparring sessions.”

“That's good, Richard. We'll see how you handle yourself with the armor on.”

“Will I have to carry any weight in my arms or on my back?”

“Not at first, Richard, we'll see how you do.”

“I have a feeling my joints and muscles might need some medicine. I wished I brought some of my own.”

“Don't worry about it. I'm sure the healers will have something for that.”

“I hope so, but usually I only need it at the end of the day. It helps me sleep and recover. The next day I will be fine.”

We get done eating our salad. The servers come out come and take our plates. When they return with the main dish, we see it is cooked fowl. This time it is not seasoned with spices and herbs. It has a smoked fruit flavor. I can smell it from the plate. I take a bite, it also a wonderful spice to go with it.

“Mmm . . . King Tierion. This dish is delicious.”

“We were wondering how long it would take for you to notice.”

“It is definitely not boring and tasteless, Richard.”

We all laugh together.

“It’s definitely not, my Queen. This is great.”

We all laugh and giggle while we continue eating the delicious meal.

I pause after eating another bite, “My Lord, has Beharn served this type of dish to the other kingdoms who visit here?”

“Yes he has, Richard. All of the Kings, Queens, and honored guests have tasted it. They have taken the news of the experience back to their own kingdoms.”

“Their Master Chefs have tried to duplicate it. Most of them get different results. Some of the recipes worked. Some did not. However, it turned out each region has two or three fruit trees that work.”

“That's interesting, my Lord and Lady.”

We continue eating, when we get done the servers come out and take our plates. Then they come back out with the fruit bowls next. I look in the bowl, I see the fruit cut up for us in large pieces. The seeds and rinds have been removed for us. However, I see the fruit pieces grilled.

I take a bite. I moan as my taste buds enjoy the intense flavor. “Oh my, my taste buds are among the stars. This is great again.”

“Yes, Beharn felt emboldened after you left. He tried grilling the fruits with different spices. Each fruit has a different spice.”

I try a different fruit as suggested. “This is great again, King Tierion. Thank you.”

“Thank you, Richard.” Everyone responds with laughter.

I open my mouth, then I close it. I smile, “You're welcome.”

The ladies giggle and the men chuckle in response

We continue eating the delicious dessert. We laugh and giggle while eating it.

When we get done, the King looks to a server nearby. “Please have the Master Chef and the kitchen staff come out.”

“Yes, my Lord.” She gives a quick bow. She turns and walks into the kitchen.

After a few moments, the entire kitchen staff comes out and lines up. We all clap and cheer for a wonderful meal. They all smile.

After a while the Master Chef steps forward. He raises his hand to quiet us down.

“Thank you, thank you and thank you, Richard, for this wonderful idea. It has become the rage among the other kingdoms. Even the other kingdoms can grill their own fruits and put their own spices on their dishes. It appears our combination is unique for our kingdom and region.”

“You're welcome, Beharn.”

“If you have any more ideas, I would greatly appreciate hearing them.”

We all laugh together on that statement.

“Thank you for serving a very delicious meal, Chef Beharn.”

“It has been our pleasure, my King. Just do your best in defeating the enemy. We would love to serve again.”

“If I do think of anything new, I'll make sure they're not boring and tasteless.”

We all laugh again. We begin to clap and cheer again. The kitchen staff and Beharn bow again and rise up. They turn and walk into the kitchen.

“My King, do you serve this dish for special occasions here?”

“Yes we do, Richard. We make sure it is not served too often. Commanders, it is time for Richard to get in shape. Make sure he recovers and makes it through the day. Have him in Rosella's shop by the Fourth Mark for the fitting.”

“We will, my Lord. Come, Richard, it is time.”

“Yes Commanders.” I look to Renard and Trianna.

“Don't worry about us Richard. We have plenty to do ourselves. We must help the rest of the Mystic Order here to get ready.”

“All right, Renard and Trianna. See you later.”

All three Commanders and I walk out of the dining room together. We turn left and walk down the hallway and exit the castle. We walk toward their training fields. I see a raised platform. It is built similarly to the one I saw in Angathorn Kingdom. We walk up the stairs to get a view of the layout.

I see a floor level from the star ship laid out. It is in a long circular, almost an oval pattern with many hallways and rooms. There are no ceilings anywhere. It is all built with simple wooden walls. They must keep a stash of these wall partitions somewhere or make some of them. In another part of the training field I see obstacle courses and different stations to test and train different aspects and strategies. I see a large group of men walking out of the main cafeteria and joining the others out there already.

“Well, as you can see there is a lot to cover, Richard. We'll begin with the Forest Run. There are various obstacles to overcome, streams, getting pass boulders that are in key locations for you to get around. There will be some other surprises as well.”

“It takes about a half-mark to get through it. We will be watching nearby to make sure you're all right. There are crystals set up in key locations for us to see. You shouldn't get hurt at all, except for your muscles and joints.”

“That sounds fine, Sir Leland.”

“Then you'll take a quarter-mark rest. We'll discuss the results. Then it's on the course again and we see if you get any better.”

“After another quarter-mark rest then we'll weigh you down with a back pack and do it again.”

“We'll see how you adapt to the change. We'll evaluate you again.”

“Right, then run it again.”

“That's right Richard. Then we'll take off the back pack and put the armor on and run it again like before.”

“That should put me close to seeing Rosella, Sir Valmar.”

“Yes it will be. It just means you need to make an improvement so you won't be late.” He smiles at me.

“Ah . . . incentives, very well, let's begin.”

We walk down from the platform. We walk across the field. Some of the men stop and cheer as I go by. I wave back in return.

“Thank you, Richard.”
“Way to go, Richard. Thank you for the ideas.”

“You're welcome. It looks like it is my turn to get in shape with you.”

A lot of them laugh at that remark.

“After what we've been through when you were here last time, you better be, for your sake.”

“Thank you for that vote of confidence. I just might have to show another demonstration match.”

“Ah, a challenge. We'll take you up on that.”

“All right, all right men. Get back to work. He's doing the Forest Run for starters. We'll see about that match later if we have time.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The men clap their hands and cheer again. They turn around and resume their training. We walk up to the starting point for the Forest Run at the edge of the training field. I see some benches and two stone pillars nearby. Then I get a surprise when I see a familiar face standing there.

“Sir Halgren! It's good to see you again.”

“Richard! It is good to see you as well.”

We laugh together and give each other a quick hug and slap each other on the back. We break apart. The other Commanders walk up and stand near us.

“Are you ready, Richard?”

“I am, Sir Trenton. Where is the exit?”

“It is over there, Richard, to the right.” He points to it.

I look over there and see an opening in the forest. There is also well worn path from it to the stone pillar. “I see, Sir Trenton.”

“You're on your own. We'll be watching at key locations with the crystals.”

“Are you timing me with the watch I gave you?”

“That's a good idea Richard. It will help me start getting used to it. Thanks.”

“You're welcome.”

“You gave Sir Trenton a watch from your home world?”

“Yes I did, Sir Halgren and Commanders. I decided to give Sir Trenton a present for 'Thanks'. They were meant for King Thranton. But, then I remembered what we found in that secret room.”

“Yes, now I remember it, Richard. We couldn't believe it either. Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome.”

Sir Trenton takes out the watch. The others gather around to look at it. “Richard also gave me a bigger time piece for our smiths to figure out to make one.”

“That's great, Richard. Thank you.”

“It will take trial and error in understanding how the gears, pinion and the other parts work together, Sirs. Make the pieces large first so you can see it work. Once it is understood, then you can make them smaller.”

“We know how to use those parts, Richard. We have them in our draw bridges, and water powered mills and so on.”

“All right, men. We're wasting Richard's time. Let me adjust this watch and we can get started.” Sir Trenton adjusts the watch.

“Put your hand on that stone pillar there, Richard. When I say 'go' take off running down the path. When you exit the forest over there, run here and touch that second shorter stone pillar.”

“Yes Sir.” I walk over to first stone pillar. I put my hand on it. I get in my start stance for running. “I'm ready, Sir Trenton.” I breathe in and out a few times.

Sir Trenton looks at the second hand when it reaches the twelfth mark. “Get ready . . . get set . . . go!”

I run down the path at a good pace. Since I never did this path before, I become very aware of my surroundings. The path weaves through the forest. I see the first obstacle, a small log that is easy to jump over in a stride.

~~~000~~~

“He's doing good so far.” They keep looking at the images above their crystals.

“Yes, he is. We'll have to wait and see how he conquers the bigger ones.”

~~~000~~~

I continue down the path. Then the path goes up a steep incline. I see the path rutted from wear and tear and from the rains. I see a rope strung along the side for balance.

I choose my steps carefully. I make it up half way before I have to grab the rope to steady myself. I make head way up the incline. Then I see a bunch of large roots exposed across the trail while climbing upward. The roots are crossing the path in many directions and angles.

I smile when I see that. I jump and climb from root to root at angles instead of going straight at it. I make it up fairly quick. I make the clearing and continue running down the path while I catch my breath from that climb.

~~~000~~~

“Did you see that, Sir Trenton? If I don't know any better, he must have done this before.”

“I remember now. He said he was part of a youth camping group. They probably did this to keep in shape and to be aware of the surroundings.”

“I’m sure you're right, Sir Halgren. But at least this course is a different layout.”

“Yes, it is. Look, he is approaching the first major obstacle.”

~~~000~~~

I run down the path. I see a large tree lying on the ground. It is blocking the path. The tree is about chest high. I stop for a moment. I see what I have to do. I run forward and dive for it to get over it. I put my hands on top of the tree. I put my chest on the top of the tree for a pivot point, then I swing both my legs over to the right. I land on the other side in a smooth motion. I continue running along the path. Then I pick up speed when the path slopes downward. I smile from that obstacle win.

~~~000~~~

“Well done, Richard. Excellent, he figured it out.”

“Yes, he is doing well.”

~~~Zero~~~

I see my next obstacle ahead. It is a stream crossing. That stream appears to be about two feet deep. I see two choices to help cross over. One is a simple rope swing. The other is a large flat boulder in the middle of the stream. That distance appears to be about ten to twelve feet across. I stop to take a look. I look back up the hill and back at the crossing choices. I look around for something. There has to be something here to help me. I don't see a long branch. Wait, I see something that will work.

~~~000~~~

“What's he doing?”

“I don't know.”

~~~000~~~

I look around and see a foot high small boulder near the edge of the trail. I roll it over and put the flattest side on the bottom near the apex of the embankment between the two original choices. I then take a large branch. I break off the smaller pieces easily. I then jam the branch pieces on the sides of the boulder. I check it and jump on it. It doesn't move.

~~~000~~~

“I think he is trying a third approach.”

“If he jumps it, I'll be surprised if he makes it.”

“He probably won't when he has the weight on him.”

“Probably not, Sir Valmar. Look, he's going back up the trail.”

~~~000~~~

I run up the path some distance. I look down at the small boulder and the stream. I breathe in and out a few times. I then take off running down the path at full speed. I plant my left foot on the boulder and jump through the air. I adjust myself as I see the embankment. I land on the other side with ease on two feet. I continue running down the path while laughing. “Hah, hah, hah . . . that was fun!”

~~~000~~~

The Commanders and Sir Halgren laugh when they see that.

“He made it! The additional height on the boulder was what did it.”

“Yes it did. We'll leave it there for a third choice.”

“Yes, Sir Leland. Look, he is approaching the last obstacle with the boulders.”

~~~000~~~

I run down the path as it serpentines through the forest. Then I see a field of very large boulders, at least twice my height. I do see a gap between each pair of boulders. I run quickly, when I get close I turn sideways in one move. I quickly side shuffle with my feet through the opening. There is a total of six pairs of boulders for this obstacle.

I make through them all cleanly. I run down the path at full speed again. I see the edge of the forest approaching. I exit the forest and turn right. I run as fast as I can to the second stone pillar. I touch it and come to a stop. I pant really hard to catch my breath. “Pant . . . pant . . . pant . . . ”

They come up walking up to me.

“Well done, Richard. You did really well.”

“That's not too bad for your first time here.”

“Pant . . . pant . . . Thank you . . . ”

“Come over and sit on the bench for a breather.”

Sir Halgren hands me a cup of water.

“Thanks . . . pant . . . pant . . . ” I take the cup and drink it slowly and sit down.

“We saw what you did to jump across the stream.”

“I hope I didn't change the objective, sirs.”

“No, you didn't. You just added one more choice. However, it probably won't work when you're weighted down or have your armor on.”

“No, but it does say something about leg strength and speed to jump across it.”

“Yes, it does. What were you looking for at the time?”

“I was thinking of a long stout branch to vault over the stream. I didn't see one.”

“Some men tried that, they ended up landing wrong or get wet when the branch breaks. So we cleared those long branches out of there or make them shorter.”

“It is going take a better spring in the legs with the weight on. Have the dwarves been able to conquer the tree?”

“There is another way over it, Richard. You probably didn't see it right away.”

“All right, I'll look for it next time, Sir Trenton.”

“When you do see it. You'll have to make a decision to use it or not. It does add some time to the run.”

“I understand Sir Valmar. What was the time?”

“That took about 22 minutes if I'm looking at this right.”

I look at the watch. He points to where it stopped. “You read it right.”

“You conquered the tree as expected.”

“Thank you. I was thinking of diving over it and spring off my hands on the other side on the ground. But, I thought about my legs getting caught on the way up.”

“Some knights tried to do that. They ended up landing on their heads most of the time.”

“So, are you ready to do it again?”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” My breathing is easier. I stand up and finish off the cup of water. I hand the empty cup to Sir Halgren. I walk over to the first stone pillar and get into position like before.

Sir Trenton readjusts the watch again. He looks at the second hand get closer to the twelfth mark. “Get set... go!”

I run down the path again with more confidence. I weave down the trail at good speed. I jump over the small log with ease. I continue running down the path.

Then I see the steep incline ahead. I run up halfway again like before. I grab the rope to steady myself until I get to the tree roots.

I step from root to root as I climb upward at angles like before. I get past the tree roots with not too much trouble. I am not panting as hard as I was before.

~~~000~~~

“He did that a faster pace, Sir Leland.”

“Yes, he did. He has more confidence in the path ahead. Let's how he handles the rest of it.”

~~~000~~~

I run down the path, then I see the large tree again blocking the path. I look to the left and right of the path quickly. Then I see it on the right-hand side. Two large stone steps built up next to the tree near the path. The steps end about half way up the diameter of the tree. I nod my head. I then look ahead.

I run forward and time my jump. I do the same thing as the last time. But this time the chest does not touch the tree. I get over it in a smooth motion.

~~~000~~~

“He did that section at a faster pace again, Sir Trenton.”

“Yes, he did. He has more confidence in the path ahead.”

“He did notice the other choice for the tree.”

~~~000~~~

I continue running, then the path slopes down hill to the stream. I keep in full strides. This time I try the jump from the embankment itself. Once I take off, I aim for a slightly higher arc. I make it across. However, my left boot touches the water's edge. I scramble to the top of the embankment and continue running down the path with a smile.

~~~000~~~

“Did you see that, Sir Trenton?”

“Yes, I did. He's testing himself to know if he can make it. He's learning what he
can do or not.”

“Yes, he would make an excellent knight if he stays.”

“Perhaps, but he would lose the education potential if he does Sir Valmar.”

“I see. You’re right, Sir Trenton.”

~~~000~~~

I run down the path and see the boulder obstacles ahead. I side step quickly and shuffle through them at a faster pace. I make it through with ease. I run down the path at full speed and exit the forest. I turn right and run toward the second stone pillar. I touch it and come to a stop. I lean against it and bend over while I catch my breath.

“Pant . . . pant . . . pant . . . “

They all walk up to me. “We expected a faster time. You did really well.”

“Thanks . . . pant . . . pant . . . pant . . . What was the time?”

“You did that in one-quarter mark exactly.”

“That's fifteen minutes. I shaved off seven minutes.”

“You showed a lot more confidence on the trail.”

“Yes, but I'm sure it will change with the extra weight.”

“Yes, it will. Come over and sit down for a rest.”

We walk over to the benches and sit down on them. Sir Halgren picks up a back pack and shows it to me. I look at it as he places it near me. He hands me another cup of water. I drink it slowly as I get my breath back.

“We saw that you didn't use the boulder to jump over the stream.”

“I wanted to try it from the embankment. I have an idea for the back pack. I launch off the boulder like the first time. The weight helps carry me over. When I land, I put my hands down and do a side roll as I ease into it.”

“That can work, Richard. You might think differently by then.”

“I'm sure you're right after the climb.”

“That's right, Richard.”

“Are you ready to do it again, Richard?”

“I'm ready.” I put the empty cup on the bench. I stand up. I pick up the back pack. I estimate the weight to be about ten to twenty pounds. I've worn heavier packs on hikes. But this will feel heavier as time goes on.

I cinch the waist and shoulder straps to keep it close to my back. “Let me do some practice motions, Commanders.”

“Please do, Richard.”

I do some knee bends. I bend over and try to touch my toes. I find it a struggle to get back up. I bend the knees to get back up.

“That's a change in the center of gravity, sirs. I have worn heavier back packs before. But that was on long hikes with a week long camping trip. We hiked about three to six marks per day.”

“Now you're going to be running it. If you lose your balance, be careful how or where you fall. Are you ready, Richard?”

“Yes, Sir.” I walk up to the stone pillar and put my left hand on it. I get into the running position stance. “I'm ready, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Trenton resets the watch. He sees the second hand approach the twelfth mark. “Get set . . . go!”

I run down the trail at a good pace. I jump over the small log with ease. I continue running down the trail. I see the steep incline ahead. I lean forward as I climb upwards. I end up grabbing the rope sooner. I make my way up without stumbling too much.

I keep to the same tactic when I climb the tree roots. I keep my hands in front of me for balance. I make it through okay.

~~~000~~~

“He did that really well, Sir Valmar.”

“Yes he did, Sir Halgren. He kept his weight forward and kept his balance.”

“But it will be different with the armor on. His time is slower up the slope.”

“That's very true, Sir Trenton.”

~~~000~~~

I run down the path at a slower pace to get my breath back. I stop when I see the large tree ahead. I take a big breath and run toward it. I jump up like last time. I hug the tree and let my chest rest on top of the tree as I pivot the legs around like before. I continue running down the trail getting ready for the jump.

~~~000~~~

“He did a good job getting over the tree this time.”

“Yes, he might not make it the next time.”

“We'll see.”

~~~000~~~

I look down the slope toward the stream and see my launching point. I run at full speed as I keep my body erect down the hill. Then I lean forward slightly when I level out. I plant my left foot on the boulder and jump in the air leaning forward. As my foot leaves the boulder, I feel it move slightly underneath me. I dive forward and sail over the stream at a slightly higher arc.

I come down and see my shoulder approaching the ground. I put my right hand out and ease into a shoulder roll. I roll two times. I get up and stand up. I quickly catch my breath for a moment. I look at the boulder and shake my head from side to side. I turn and continue running down the path.

~~~000~~~

“He did pretty well there. That was a good landing.”

“Yes, but he looked back at the boulder. What did he see that he didn't like?”

“I don't know. We'll ask him when he gets here.”

~~~000~~~

I run down the trail and see the boulder obstacles. I turn sideways and side shuffles like before. This time the space is narrower because of the back pack. It is a lot more tighter. I have to slowdown and squirm my way through by jumping up and down while I try to shuffle sideways.

I try a longer side jump on the next pair of boulders. I just make it through. That time it took only two jumps to make it through. When I get past the last pair of boulders I look back quickly and look under the boulders. It is not wide enough for me. Perhaps for a dwarf to get underneath them.

I turn around and run as fast as I can down the path and out of the forest. I turn right and run as fast as I can. I touch the second stone pillar. I bend over and lean against the pillar like last time. “Pant . . . pant . . . pant . . . ”

They walk up to me. I stand up as they approach.

“That was very good Richard. It was slower as expected. You did that in twenty minutes.”

I shake my head up and down. We walk over to the benches and sit down.

“You did really well going up the incline.”

“Yes, I knew I had to keep my weight forward. Pant . . . pant . . . pant . . . ”

Sir Halgren hands me a cup of water. He smiles while I take it. “Thank you.” I smile back at him.

“You're welcome.”

I drink it slowly.

“What happened after you jumped over the stream?”

“The boulder moved underneath me and dislodged the branch pieces. I won't be able to use it next time.”

“Ah, a new decision has to be made, Richard.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton. However, it was tighter going through the boulder obstacle. It is just wide enough for me.”

“I'm sure it was. Why did you look down at the bottom of the last pair?”

“I wanted to see if I could go under them. But, I'm too big. Then I thought it might be okay for a dwarf warrior.”

I finish the cup of water and put the empty cup on the bench. I stand up and walk around and twist my torso.

They laugh, “You guessed right, Richard.”

“Are you ready Richard? How are you doing health wise?”

“Let me look at the watch Sir Trenton. I need to check my pulse.”

“Sure Richard.” He extends his left arm to me so that I can look at it.

I put my right index finger on the side of my neck. I count the beats for five seconds. I count about one hard beat per second. That's not too bad.

“The pulse is fine Sir Trenton. For my resting pulse is about sixty beats per minute.”

“That's good Richard. We have ourselves checked by the healers from time to time. Ours is a bit lower on average than the dwarves.”

“Well, I'm ready, Sir Trenton.” I walk up to the stone pillar and put my left hand on it. I get into my running stance.

Sir Trenton readjusts the watch again. He looks at the second hand approaching the twelfth mark. “Get set . . . go!”

I run down the path and at an easier pace. I jump over the small log with no problem. I keep running forward.

I climb up the steep incline. I have to use the rope about one-third the way up like last time. I keep leaning forward while I go up. I get pass the tree roots with not too much trouble. My feet slip twice on the roots. I get past it and come to a stop to catch my breath.

I run forward and see the large tree ahead. I feel my legs being a little heavier. I decide to try the second choice on the right-hand side. I run up to it. I plan it to have my right foot on the top step. I keep the right hand on the trunk. I give a push with my right leg to swing both legs over to the left in one motion. I make it over just barely without touching the tree with my derriere.

~~~000~~~

“He is doing excellent, Sir Trenton.”

“Yes he is, Sir Leland. I suspect he will slide down on the back side when he has the armor on.”

“I'm sure he will.”

~~~000~~~

I run along until I see the stream down the hill. As I approach the embankment, I plant my left foot on the embankment and jump for the boulder in the stream. I land on the boulder with my right foot. Then I swing the left leg forward, keeping my momentum forward. I leap to the embankment. Again I feel the boulder move underneath my foot.

My left foot hits the water's edge. I keep leaning forward. When I land, I grab the grass and scramble up the embankment crawling forward. I look back at the boulder and see it turned a little. I turn and continue running down the trail.

~~~000~~~

“Why did he look at that boulder?”

“I don't know. It may have moved underneath him.”

“That's possible.”

~~~000~~~

I approach the boulder field again. I turn sideways and try to jump as high as I can to move through the gap. I make the first one easily.

I do the same thing for the second pair. However, the next pairs are more difficult. I jump up and down like before. I work my way through. For the last pair I'm able to pass it sideways in one jump.

I'm panting as I run forward. I get a little off balance as I make the turn. I recover and make a straight run for the second stone pillar. I touch and come to a stop.

I bend over to catch my breath. “Pant . . . pant . . . pant . . . ”

I stand up as they approach. I walk over to the benches and sit down with their help.

“That was harder, sir.”

“Yes it was, Richard. Your decisions are good, especially for the fallen tree, the stream and the boulder field.”

Sir Halgren hands me a cup of water. “Thank you.” I sip it slowly while I recover.

“We've had other knights do the same thing you did.”

“That's good.”

“Your time was about the same. That was two minutes faster. We expect it to be slower with the armor.”

“Don't I know it. The weight will be on the legs and arms this time.”

“Yes, it will be. Let's get that back pack off.”

I undo the straps and remove the back pack. They take it from me and set it on the ground near the bench. It feels good to get that weight off. “Sir Trenton, I'm guessing, is that back pack the weight of a shield?”

“It is, Richard.”

“I thought so.”

“Why did you look at the boulder in the stream?”

“It moved underneath me.”

“Yes it is not solid. Sometimes it will get slick when it gets wet on top.”

“I thought that too.”

“You haven't tried the rope swing. It is strong enough to support you and the armor.”

“It is? I don't know if I will make it across. I have tried it before many times. The rope slips through my hands all the time. We had knots in the rope to prevent that.”

“I see. You'll have to improve your hand grip to do that. We have some exercises for that.”

“I've done some in my self-defense classes as well.”

“Well, let's get the arm and leg pieces on. Stand up, Richard.”

I stand up and make a stance with legs further apart. They put the legging pieces on and attach the straps onto the breast and back plate that I'm wearing. Then they put the arm pieces on and attach the straps to the plates at the shoulder.

I do some arm and leg movements to see how it feels like. “How much time do we have left before the Fourth Mark commanders?”

They get out their crystal sphere and recite the spell. They check with the sundial in the courtyard.

“You have at least a full mark to go. You're doing well overall. This will be your biggest test. We understand if the time is slower. Do your best in crossing the stream. Don't try to hurt yourself anywhere on the trail.”

“Yes, Sir.” I swing my arms as I twist my torso. I lift them up and feel the extra weight in the arms. I finish drinking the cup of water and put the empty cup on the bench. I walk over to the stone pillar and put my left hand on it. I get into my running position stance. “I'm ready Sir Trenton.”

Sir Trenton adjusts the watch again and sets it. When the second hand reaches the twelfth mark, he yells, “Get set . . . go!”

“Come on, Richard! You can do it!” yells Sir Halgren.

I run down the path at a slower pace. I feel the weight in my legs right away. I see the small log ahead. I put my left foot on the log and step over it. I continue running at an easy pace.

I see the steep incline ahead. I lean forward and begin the climb. I immediately grab the rope to help me up. My feet slip a few times. I make it to the roots and grab them. I keep moving forward. My foot slips off one more time. Fortunately I'm grabbing a root with both hands when that happens. I make it through safely.

~~~000~~~

“He's definitely pacing himself.”

“Yes, he knows he needs to save his energy for later.”

~~~000~~~

I catch my breath while running at an easy pace. I see the tree ahead. I run toward the steps. I step up like last time. I put my right hand on the trunk. I then swing my legs over to the left. I sit on the trunk and slide down. I keep running forward and downward the path toward the stream.

When I get to the embankment, I do the same leap motion to the boulder in the stream. I land with my right foot and swing my left leg forward. I leap forward and land on the embankment. Both my feet hit the water's edge. I grab the grass and crawl up the embankment. I get up and keep running forward down the curving trail.

I come to the boulder obstacles again. I do the same technique. I side jump and shuffle through the gap. I make it through each in turn. I run down the path as fast as I can. The legs and arms feel heavy. I make the turn and run toward the second stone pillar. I touch it. Then I lean against it and start breathing hard. “Pant . . . pant . . . pant . . . ”

The commanders and Sir Halgren walk toward me. “Are you all right, Richard?”

I stand erect, “I will be. That really took a lot out of me.”

They guide me over to the bench. I sit down still trying to get my breath back. Sir Halgren hands me a cup of water. “Thank you. How long did that take?”

“That took about 25 minutes Richard.”

“Can you do it one more time? It will be the last time.”

“I think I can, Sir Trenton.”

“When you're done, we'll take off the arm and leg pieces.”

“That sounds like a very good incentive to me. Hopefully, it will be easier tomorrow.”

“It should be. Stand up and walk around.”

“Yes, I don't want the legs to cramp up.” I get up and walk around. I empty the cup. He fills it again and hands it back to me. I drink it slowly as I talk with them.

“You'll get some fruit juice afterwards.”

“Thank you. I'll definitely need it after this run.”

I drink some more water. “I don't know if the time will be more or less next time.”

“Don't worry about it. Just do your best.”

“I don't put this breast and back plate on me when I'm working or running back home. There is a difference with the added weight.”

“Yes there is, Richard. How do the soldiers protect themselves in battle?”

“Usually it is a very strong type of vest. It would be like the padding underneath this chest and back plate. It is also fire proof as well.”

“Can it stop a light weapon?”

“It will burn the outer fabric first. Then the metal mesh with other materials stops it from penetrating. It does not reflect off.”

“That's interesting. They are trying to save weight as much as possible.”

“Yes they are, Sir Valmar.” I take another sip of water from the cup.

“We are not taking any chances with our situation, you know that Richard.”

“I would think not, Sirs.”

“Are you ready to do it one more time, Richard?”

I breathe in and out calmly. “I am, sir.” I finish off the cup of water and put it on the bench. I get into the same position as before.

“If you get this done in a half-mark you will have time to cool down and get fitted.”

“That sounds good to me. I'm ready, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Trenton resets the watch. He looks at it and sees the second hand approaching the twelfth mark again. “Get set . . . go!”

I run down the trail at a good pace. I weave the trail and keep jogging forward at slightly a faster pace. Yes, I'm starting to feel that bliss when everything is in sync. I step on the small log and keep jogging forward.

Then I see the steep incline ahead. Come on, do it one more time. I start climbing upward as far as I can until I need the rope. I grab the rope and lean forward as I pull up. When I get to the tree roots, I try the angle movement that I did the first time.

I find it easier to do it that way. When I get to the top, I find myself not as winded the last time. Yes, it is coming to me like in my defense classes. I run to the fallen tree. I aim for the steps. I leap up quickly in two steps. I easily get my legs over to the left. I slide down on the back side. I smile when I do that. I run forward and get ready to jump the stream one more time.

~~~000~~~

“I think he found his rhythm and breath, Sir Trenton. His face shows it.”

“Yes, he's at a faster pace as well, Sir Halgren. He's at ease with his body.”

“Go Richard! You can do it!”

The commanders look behind them and see a gathering of knights and dwarf warriors nearby.

“Are you done with the afternoon sessions knights and warriors, except for the final one?”

“Yes, we are, sirs!”

“All right, you can stay and watch.”

“Thank you, sirs.”

“Go, Richard, go!”

~~~000~~~

I run down the slope to the stream crossing. I time it right to jump from the embankment to the boulder in the stream. I continue in one fluid motion and lead with my left leg swinging forward from the boulder. I land on the embankment with my hands and knees. My feet just miss the water. I grab the grass and crawl to get up the embankment. Once I'm on level ground, I get up and run forward on the curving path.

~~~000~~~

“Has he used the rope swing yet?”

“No, he hasn't. He knows he'll get wet if he tries it.”

“He knows he has to improve his hand strength, men. Some of you know what I'm talking about.”

“Yes, sir!” They know not to push that subject on Richard.

“You're doing great, Richard!”

~~~000~~~

I make the single side leap through the boulders on three of them. The others take additional side steps to do it. By this time my legs start to feel like lead after the last pair of boulders. I make it through. I run down the path and exit the forest. I turn right, then I see a bunch of knights and dwarf warriors there cheering me on. I run as I fast as I can to the second stone pillar.

“Go, Richard, go!”

“Run hard, Richard!”

I touch the pillar and come to a stop. I lean against it to catch my breath. “Pant . . . pant . . . pant . . . ”

“Yeah! Way to go, Richard!”

“Well done!”

Sir Trenton and the others come over. I stand up as they come near.

“That was incredible, Richard. You shaved off five minutes, congratulations.”

“Thank you . . . pant . . . pant . . . ”

“Bring him over to the bench, men. We need to get his armor off. He's done for the day.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The knights and dwarves help me over to the bench and ease me down on it. They take off all of the armor. It feels good to get the weight off. Sir Halgren pours some fruit juice into the cup and hands it to me.

“Thanks, the body needs this.” I smile at him.

“I know, Richard. You're welcome.” He smiles at me.

A knight speaks up, “How did he do, Sir Trenton?”

“Richard did very well, despite the heavier armor.”

“Heavier armor? What are you talking about Sir Trenton?”

I take another sip of fruit juice while I stare at Sir Trenton.

“This armor is for training. Your own armor will be a bit lighter than this.” He smiles at me.

Then everyone laughs at the joke.

I look around and get the joke. I smile back at them. “Fine, then let's see if they can break my times, Sir Trenton.”

“What was his time, Sir Trenton?”

“He did the first run twice with only his chest and back plate. The fastest time is one-quarter mark.”

“What? That is flying. Did he cheat?”

“No, he didn't cheat. He came up with some unique solutions on some of the obstacles.”

“That I have to see.”

“You will later. Just for your information men, he did the last run in full armor in one-third of a mark.”

“That's incredible. Now I'm impressed Richard.”

“Thank you and you're welcome to try and break it.”

“We won't do that today men. Go and get ready for the final exercise men.”

“Yes, sir! They all respond at once. They turn around and walk back to the training field.

I stand up and walk around. I finish drinking the fruit juice.

Sir Halgren carries the arm and leg pieces. I put the breast and back plate back on and latch them. I pick up the back pack on and put that on my shoulders. I don't cinch the straps tight.

“What is the final exercise, Sir Halgren?”

“Come up on the platform, you'll see.”

We walk across the field to the platform. I put the back pack near an upright support. Sir Halgren puts the arm and leg pieces next to it. We step up the stairs to the top level. We see the commanders already there watching as they look over the field.

We see the men in the star ship layout, but I see only half the men there. Unless . . . I know what is going to happen next.

Then I see Sir Trenton look at Sir Valmar on the ground next to the bell. Then he looks at the watch, he raises his hand and brings it down. Sir Valmar strikes the bell once with the mallet. “Bong!”

Then all of the sudden the other half of the men show up with wizards from the Ethereal Space. They begin to fight among themselves. I also see flames coming from up above as well in some areas. Many are being put to sleep with either sleep darts or sleep spells. They slowly take control of the level. Then I see wizards remove pebbles that are held in place by a cloth on the knights necks. They move very fast among them. They don't even scan the neck ahead of time.

Sir Trenton sees that the wing leaders are communicating with the Lieutenant Commanders from the hallways. Then they relay the information to Sir Valmar and Sir Leland. He looks at them for the all clear sign. It eventually comes in a few moments. They signal to Sir Trenton.

“Time! Stop!”

Then Sir Valmar uses the mallet and hits the bell once. “Bong!” He then walks up to the top of the platform.

Everyone stops what they are doing and looks toward to the platform.

“That’s very good, Legion. Go and wake them up. Gather here by the platform by brigades.”

The knights and wizards wake up their fellow knights. Once they're all awake, they jog up to the platform and get organized by brigades in neat rows and columns behind their banner. I see a dwarf warrior brigade as well with four dwarf dragons.

Sir Trenton looks at Sir Valmar and nods his head.

“Thryson Legion, Attention!”

Everyone snaps to attention, except for the dragons.

“Parade rest, Thryson Legion!”

Everyone goes into a relaxed stance.

“That's very good ,Thryson Legion. You shaved off the time by one-third to a half-mark. That is very good. The one hundred will be chosen right now. That includes the ten wizards who will be going with them. We will be fully represented from each Castle Lord, Dwarf Warrior Brigade and the King's Knights. Those that are chosen will receive a special patch for their left shoulder while they wear the Thryson Legion patch on the right shoulder.”

“Dwarf Dragons, I and the rest of the Legion want to give you thanks for helping us at this time. You deserve the honor and respect from us.”

Then everybody begins to cheer and clap their hands.

The dwarf dragons look at each other and smile. Then they roar and shoot flames into the air knowing they have done a great service for their dragon clan.

“Then the one hundred and ten will then pack up and fly to Angathorn Kingdom right after they have an evening repast here. They will arrive at their southern port where Twainor has docked about six of our largest ships. They will be there for the next two days to get further training there.”

“While they are there, we will be here to do some more training. Tomorrow is one more day of training with the floor level. Then the next day we will focus on the defense of Thryson. Dwarf dragons, this is where we need your help again. Do you remember what we discussed yesterday?”

“Yes, we'll be ready to help again.”

“Good. When that half-day is over, then everyone can go back to their Castle Lord and help with their defense. The King's Knights and the Dwarf Warriors will need to be here.”

“Now I need to give you an update. The bait has been sent and received on the star ship. We will soon know if they take the bait. We'll be watching with our Seeing Stones. Richard did really well on the Forest Run this afternoon. Richard and Sir Halgren will start working together tomorrow. That is all, Thryson Legion. Enjoy the Evening Repast.”

Then Sir Trenton shouts out loud, “For Victory!”

Everybody responds, “For Victory!”

Sir Trenton shouts out loud, “For Twainor!”

Everybody responds, “For Twainor!”

Sir Trenton shouts out loud, “For the Maker!”

Everybody responds, “For the Maker!”

Everyone quiets down after that. Sir Trenton looks at Sir Valmar and nods his head.

“Thryson Legion, attention!”

Everyone snaps to attention.

“Thryson Legion, dismissed!”

Then they all break apart and go their ways.

I follow the Commanders down from the platform. “Come, Richard, it is time to get you fitted.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Halgren and I follow Sir Trenton. Sir Valmar and Sir Leland follow us as well. We stop by the forge first. He opens the door and we all walk inside. We walk over to the left side of the forge. We see the set of armor brightly polished like a mirror. There is a set of weapons displayed near them. The smiths turn around when they us.

“At ease men. Come to a stopping point men and get cleaned up for the evening repast.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

The men come to a stopping point and put their projects aside. They go to the wash basins and get cleaned up. Two of the smiths walk over to us by the table.

“I see you got them done, Sir Brighton and Sir Carnell.”

“Yes we did, Sir. As you can see, Richard, they fit behind the breast plate in those slots. They're easy to reach for.”

“Can I try throwing some of them sirs?”

“By all means do so, Richard. We have some targets over here for just that.”

I pick up some stars and short knives. I stand about fifteen feet from a target. I take a star and side throw it in my right hand from left to right about chest high. It spins in a straight line. It sticks into the target chest high. I then take the short knife and throw it over hand and aim for the right shoulder target. It misses it just barely.

“That's good Richard. Step back further and aim lower.”

I step back about ten feet and do it again. The stars have an excellent flight path to where I aim it on the left thigh. The short knife hits the right thigh.

“Very good, Richard, now try the wrist bow gauntlets.”

“Okay.” I pick up the wrist bow gauntlets and put them on my hands.

The smiths help and show me how it works.

“There are ten darts on each forearm. This latch over here is for the forearm shield.” Sir Brighton shows me the latch. “This button here in the palm releases the dart. You just need to make a fist to reach it.”

“I see,” I pull the lever back to lock the string in place. I do the same thing to the left gauntlet. I take a dart and load one in each gauntlet. “Have you tried a mechanism that when you pull the lever back for the string, the dart gets loaded as well?”

“We have, Richard. It is still on the drawing board and some gauntlets we have worked on here.”

“At least you're trying. It will come to you as you figure it out.”

“Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome, Sir Carnell.”

“You will also have extra darts on your lower leg armor. Both forearm shields are brightly polished if you need them to reflect a light weapon.”

“Thanks , I greatly appreciate that.” I take aim at a target and aim for the left upper thigh with my right gauntlet. I squeeze my hand and make a fist. I touch the button with my index finger. The dart flies to the target and hits it on the mark.

“That’s very good, Richard. Now try the left gauntlet.”

I take aim at the left shoulder. I make a fist and touch the button with my left index finger. The dart flies to the mark right on target.

“Very good, Richard.”

“Thank you, sirs. I have a question about this button. This button won't get damaged if I'm hanging onto a rope or pole?”

“No, it won’t be Richard. We've tested that as well. That button is actually connected by a small metal wire that is under tension to the release latch. We picked up the button idea from the dwarf designers about twenty years ago from the Eastern Region before you came here. The lever when pulled back puts the wire under tension along with the string for the bow.”

“Now, that’s impressive. Thank you, smiths, you did excellent craft work.”

“You're welcome, Richard.”

We gather up the weapons and put them where they belong on the breast plate. We take the darts and put them where they belong on the gauntlets. Sir Halgren and I share the load and carry the items. We follow the commanders to Rosella's shop.

We exit the forge and turn right. They open doors for us and we enter in the castle. We walk down the hallway until we come to the intersection where we need to turn left. We walk down the hallway until we see the symbol for the Castle Tailor Shop. Sir Trenton gives a quick double knock on the door. He opens it and we all walk inside. We see everyone there including the King and Queen.

“You've made it on time. How did Richard do on the Forest Run?”

“He did really well, my King. He created some unique solutions to conquer the obstacles. His fitness improved as well as his time.”

He looks at me, “That's good, Richard.”

“Thank you, my King.”

“Are you ready to be fitted, Richard?”

“I am, Rosella.”

“Put the new armor pieces on the table here. Richard, take off your ranger outfit and the breast and back plate.”

“Yes, Rosella.”

Sir Halgren helps me undress. They're glad to see that I'm wearing a pair of working shorts and my T-shirt underneath the armor.

Rosella and the other tailor assistants start attaching the new metal mesh padding on the armored pieces and tie them in place.

“Put the breast and back plate armor on first, Richard. It will be easier.”

“Yes, Rosella.”

I put on the breast and back plate with Sir Halgren's help. We latch it in place. Then I put on the metal mesh leggings with the legging armor. We take the straps from those pieces and attach it to the breast and back plate. I see they put some metal armor on the seat portion and in the front. The legging fits around the boots as expected.

Then we put on the arm pieces and use the straps there and attach it to the shoulder portion on the breast and back plate.

“How does that feel, Richard?”

“It is a lot lighter than the armor I ran in earlier.”

“See, you're ready, Richard.” Sir Trenton smiles at me.

I smile back at him.

“Now put on the new ranger outfit. We're doing it reverse first. I want to check the stitching before we finish the final seams.”

Taking off the boots with the leggings on is not too bad. They show how me to do it. There are slit openings at strategic points in the padding that allows you to do it.

Then they help me put on the pants and tie it tight with the pull cord. Then we put the shirt on. Then we put the waist cord on to draw it in. Then comes the jacket. I see it has a hood.

“Now do some movements like you did last time, slowly.”

I stand on the small platform. I slowly go through the movements and make some poses. The tailors look closely at the stitching to see where it could be tight, especially on the chest area.

“You don't feel any tightness, Richard?”

“No, Rosella, not in the chest, the arms or the legs. You got it right the first time, since I have not grown in two months my time.”

They all laugh together.

“Good, let's mark the seams for the lengths to be sure.”

The tailors each take a marker and put some marks on the ends of the arms, the collars, and the end of the pant legs.

“All right let's take it off and finish the seams.”

The tailors help me take off the clothes as quickly as possible. They put them on the tables and finish the seams with the sewing spell. They cut the loose threads to make it appear neat. Then they take the clothes and invert them so that they appear as a finish product.

Then they redress me with the new stealth ranger outfit. I put the boots back on and slip them under the leggings. I retie them so that they will stay up. I stand up and look at them.

“So, how do I look now, my friends?”

“You're almost there, Richard. Put on the gauntlet gloves and the helmet.”

I put on the helmet and gauntlet gloves.

“Now you look like a knight for a stealth and recon-mission, Richard.”
I look in the mirror, I see an image that brings a smile to my face. “Yes, it does look good. Thank you, my friends.”

“Richard, that helmet has the improvements you suggested Plus a few more.”

“All right, Sir Trenton.”

“Push this button to lower and raise your visor.” He shows me in the mirror reflection.

I push it, the vision has a golden hue. I look at a window and see the glare is reduced greatly. I push it again, the visor moves up.

“Push this button to close the front.”

I push the button, then two small doors slide into place. “That's very good. I like it.” I push it again, the two small doors slide back.

“There is one more aide. It is for your ears. You twist the side pieces here of the helmet. It moves the ear protection into place.”

I twist the pieces. The ear protection moves into place. I can't hear anyone speaking. I twist them in the opposite direction to move them back.

“Wow, talk about silence. That is very good.”

“Yes it is, Richard. The helmet will stay in place when you push this button. Push it again to release it.”

I push the button. Then I feel some padding move in on my head from several directions. I try to take off the helmet. It stays in place. I push the button again, the cushions move back. Now I'm able to remove the helmet.

“That's a lot better than a chin strap, sir.”

“Yes it is, Richard.”

“If you look carefully on the shirt, you see two side openings. You can reach for the stars and knives behind your breast plate. Also, you can reach for your forearm shields. Try it.”

I move the jacket and put my left hand into the shirt opening and take a star. With my right hand I retrieve a forearm shield from the back breast plate. I hear a click when I do that.

“There is a slit opening in the arm of the jacket. It will allow you to attach the forearm shield to the gauntlet.”

I look for it. I find it with my left hand. I find it easy to attach the forearm shield. I take it off and put it back on the back plate with no problem with one hand. I hear it click in place.

“Here is a new satchel, Richard. It matches with the stealth clothes.”

Sir Trenton, Sir Halgren and I quickly transfer the items from the original satchel to the new one. I put it on my shoulder.

“That is it, Richard. You're fully armed and ready for battle.”

“Thank you, my King. Thank you for providing this protection.”

“You're welcome Richard. Now let's put the medallion back on again.”

I take off the helmet. I hold it in my right arm. I bow deeply before him.

Both the King and Queen put the medallion on my neck. I rise up before them. They smile at me. I smile back at them.

Then whole room erupts into applause and cheering.

“Come, let us partake of the evening repast with us. Rosella, you and your staff are invited to sit with us. I also invited the smiths and their assistants as well. You all have been working hard this past week. We figure it was time to show you our gratitude in providing your talents to Thryson Kingdom.”

“Thank you, my Lord and Lady. It will be an honor to sit with you this evening.”

We all exit the tailor shop together. When we enter the dining room, we see a larger table setting for everyone there. I also see the smiths and their assistants all clean and in their good clothes.

“Richard, you can put your gauntlets and helmet on this table by the wall.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Halgren and I walk over there. We put our gauntlets and my helmet on the table. We then turn around and join the others. I take an open seat next to Sir Halgren. Renard remains standing. The King and Queen look at each of us in turn and smile. We all smile back and nod our heads in acknowledgment.

“Please give the Thanks, Renard.”

“Yes my Lord. Maker, we thank you for another day here on Twainor. We thank you that we have a chance to fight for your creation. We thank you for the food that you provided for us. May it renew our strength to do great things. Thank you, Maker.”

Everyone responds, “Thank you, Maker.”

Renard sits down. The servers come out and serve the first dish. The attendees come around and fill our glasses with the beverage of our choice. Most of the men request ale, some request wine and fruit juice. Some request cold mountain water like I did.

I see that it is another salad with an assortment of cold vegetables and nuts. It is lightly spiced with a different oil dressing.

“Rosella, how good is this fabric that I'm wearing? It is very light.”

“It is designed to blend in the shadows of hallways. It can take a beating, but it can be torn and catch on fire.”

“That's good.”

“It is meant to hide your armor like last time.”

“I see. Thank you, Rosella and to your staff.”

“You're welcome, Richard.”

I take a few more bites, then I remember something. “My Queen. I have a gift for you. I remembered to bring it. It is the flower book from Earth.”

“You did? Thank you, we'll make copies of it and share it with the other kingdoms.”

“You're welcome, my Queen. It's in the room here where I sleep.”

“We'll wait for it until the time is right.”

When we get done eating the first dish, the servers come out to take our plates. They come out and bring the main dish. When they put it down in front of me, I see and smell a fish dish that is grilled and smoked with a different fruit flavor.

I take a few bites like everyone else. Then I taste a different spice for this combination. This is very good. Beharn out did himself. He found another combination.

I hear everybody enjoying the meal. We are laughing and giggling. I try the vegetables, it too has a great spice that complements the fish portion. My mouth waters with each bite. This sure reminds of a good home cooked meal.

Home cooked meal . . . sighs . . . I look at the dish again. A tear goes down my face. I take a napkin and dab my face.

“What's wrong, Richard?”

Everybody gets quiet.

“Huh . . . I'm sorry, my Queen. I just had a home reminder.”

“What was it?”

“This dish reminded me of a home cooked meal. Something like this was served up by mother and father in our mountain cabin one summer.”

They smile at me. Sir Halgren puts his hand on my shoulder, “Then that's a good memory. Keep it always. I heard you lost your family.”

“Thank you. I will always think that Thryson is my second home.”

“Yes it is, Richard. You have friends that care about you. Just be encouraged that you have provided hope for us. When you return home, use that encouragement to help others.”

“Thank you, my Lord.”

Everybody claps their hands. They smile at me again.

I smile back at them and nod my head up and down. “It is good to have friends.”

“Yes it is, Richard.”

We continue eating the main dish in silence. When we get done, the servers come out to take our plates away. They return with the fruit bowls for each of us. I see grilled fruit again like he did earlier.

I take a bite of some of the fruit. Then I get a big surprise. I taste a different spice that is seared on each fruit. This is great. He experimented again. One of the spices changed the color on the surface of one of the fruits. Thank you, Maker it made my soul glad. I chuckle as I enjoy the fruit bowl. Some of the fruit squirts in my mouth. I have to use the napkin to keep my chin clean.

I hear everyone else enjoy the fruit dish as well. We laugh and giggle while we eat this creation served to us. When we get done, the servers take our bowls and leave a damp cloth for us to help clean up.

King Tierion looks at a server, “Please have the Master Chef and the kitchen staff come out please.”

“Yes, my Lord.” She turns around and walks into the kitchen. In a few moments, Beharn with the kitchen staff, servers and attendees come out. They line up in two rows.

We all begin clap and cheer. They smile and bow up and down quickly. Then Mater Chef Beharn steps forward.

“Thank you. Thank you for those accolades. It was a pleasure to serve you again.”

“King Tierion, may I give an accolade?”

“Yes, you may, Richard.” He smiles at me.

“Master Chef Beharn. I just want to thank you personally. This fish dish reminded me of my family. The fish was freshly caught in a stream near our mountain cabin one summer. Thank you. Then I had a wonderful surprise with the fruit and spice combination you created. You found a second spice that changed the surface color when grilled. It brought joy to my taste buds and chased away the potential sadness. Thank you.” I clap my hands.

Then the others clap their hands and join me.

“Thank you, Richard. It is greatly appreciated. I hear you will be with our forces in the training fields starting tomorrow morning. Don't worry, but they eat really well.”

Everybody laughs at the joke.

“Yes, they do, Chef Beharn. Thank you again. See you in the morning.”

“See you in the morning, my Lord and Lady.”

We clap our hands again. They bow quickly and rise back up with smiles. They turn and enter in the kitchen. Some of the servers and attendees stay in the dining room waiting to start cleaning up when we leave.

We get up and exit the dining room. I come near Trianna.

“Trianna, I need your help.”

“Yes, what is it Richard?”

“This flower book I brought is written in two languages. The main language is mine and the country where I live. The other is for scientific identification. So, when I get to my room here, I want to share my language with you.”

“I see, then we can translate it into ours. All right, we'll do it after the sun set.”
“Thank you.”

“You're welcome, Richard.”

Sir Halgren and I stop back at the table and pick up our gauntlets and my helmet.

We follow everyone else outside the castle and onto the courtyard. We wait for the sunset and the colorful display.

We see the sky change in color and how the light plays with the clouds. We look eastward. Soon we see the colorful wall of lights.

“Here it comes, everyone!”

Soon the colorful lights are in the courtyard. It intermingles among us. Some of the smiths ask the ladies from the tailor shop for a dance. They accept. We see people dance with each other including the King, Queen, Renard and Trianna.

The men themselves start interacting with each other as they play some games. They display a different color combination as well. I look at my hands and see the lights emanate from them. I shake hands with Sir Halgren. We too display a different combination as well. We laugh at what we see. We see insects and birds flying in the air with a different display as well.

Soon the wall of colorful lights moves westward and toward the Thryson Mountains. We stop what we are doing as we see it moves away. In time, the lights travel up the mountain slopes. When it gets to the mountain peaks, they shoot up like a crown and then disappear. Then more stars appear in the night sky along with the Twin Moons and the Nebulae.

We all clap our hands and give Thanks to the Maker.

When we get done with that, I look at the Twin Moons one more time. Then I see a small white dot move toward one of them, then it disappears.

Oh, oh . . . I think that is the second scout ship.

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 14
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

“What did you see, Richard?”

“I think I saw a white dot move to one of the moons. It could be the second scout ship.”

Before they could say another word, Avel, the fairies, Caltron and Serena come trotting in quickly.

“King Tierion, there is a disturbance in the Ethereal Space.”

“It could be the second scout ship.”

Then the dwarf ambassadors show up with their mates, connected to Wizard Braden.

“We saw the second scout ship with our Seeing Stones, King Tierion, before it disappeared,” exclaims Durlond.

“Quickly everyone, let's join hands in a circle. Let us plead our case to the Maker. Perhaps the Maker will send the scout ship to our surface.”

“Yes, King Tierion!” We all shout together.

We all join hands in a large circle. We look up at the Twin Moons and try to listen to the Maker and hope he hears our plea for help.

Soon the area in front of us begins to glow in a white light. In the next instant the white glow shoots straight up toward the moons. We see five other beams as well shooting toward the Twin Moons from different kingdoms near us.

“Apparently the other kingdoms felt it too, my Lord.”

“Yes, they must have, Richard.”

The beams converge on the Twin Moons. The entire space between the Twin Moons lights up. Then the next instance, a single shaft of light comes back to Twainor's surface.

We see it coming toward us.

Sir Trenton yells, “Everybody get to safety. It's coming to the courtyard!”

Everybody scatters and runs to hide behind a wall, a bench, the garden area, or a statute.

The light appears in the courtyard. When the light fades, we see the second scout ship appearing in the court yard.

“Renard, put a sealing spell on the scout ship.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” Renard recites the sealing spell.

We see a green glow on the outside shell of the scout ship, then it disappears.

“It is set, Sir Trenton.”

“We should get them out of there, King Tierion.”

“Yes, Caltron. That is wise. Renard, can you open the ship's door?”

“I think I can recreate the four tone melody, provided they have not changed the sequence, my King.”

“If it doesn't work, you'll have to do a distant mind tap when they wake up.”

“Yes, my Lord.” Renard steps up to the side door. He makes a hole in the sealing spell.

Wizard Braden comes up to assist. Renard puts his finger tips together. He concentrates and tries to remember the tone pattern that Thaygard used. He recites the spell. A misty blue sphere appears within his finger tips. The four tone melody is sounded out.

The doors open.

We all smile when we see that. Renard and Braden carefully walk inside. They see the four men inside all unconscious and laying on the floor. They recite a sleep spell for each of them.

They come out and report to King Tierion. The commanders and I approach as well.

“They are laying on the floor unconscious. We put a sleep spell on them right away.”

“That’s very good, wizards. Check the back of the necks, Renard and Braden. If they have the implants, they need to be removed.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Richard, go inside and check the ship out. Sir Trenton and Sir Halgren go with him.”

“Yes, my Lord.” We respond at the same time.

We walk inside the scout ship. We see Renard and Braden kneeling down and checking them out. They recite the spell and touch their foreheads to read their minds.

I sit down at the commander station and start accessing their computers.

“All four of them have the implants, Sir Trenton.”

“Which one is the leader, Renard?”

“It is this one here, Sir Trenton.” Braden points at him. “His name is Yisrati. The others are Traven, Colban and Evande.” He points to each one in turn.

“Do any of them have knowledge of our Outside Helpers?”

“I can't tell right now, Sir Trenton. The implant is in the way.”

“All right, I would like to split them up tonight if we can. How are you doing, Richard?”

I look at the display and the readouts on the panel.

“It's the same power failure as the first scout ship.” I push some more symbols on the glass panel. “They have not sent anything to the star ship except for one command. It was the distress signal. Nothing else was sent, Sir Trenton. We reacted in time. ”

“Good. I have a feeling it is too late to split them up tonight. We'll put them in separate cells tonight. Then after the morning repast we'll send them to separate kingdoms. Power down the ship, Richard. I'll tell our Lord what's the current situation.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” I power down the ship and make sure there is no beacon activated. “That's all I need to do Sir Halgren. We can leave the scout ship now.”

“All right, Richard.”

We leave with Sir Trenton.

Sir Trenton walks outside and reports to King Tierion. The others gather around, including the dwarf ambassadors, Avel, the fairies, Caltron and Serena this time.

“There is good news, my Lord. They were able to send out the distress signal only. There was no other information sent. Apparently we reacted in time. I'm surprised the Maker sent it to our courtyard.”

“So am I, but this is good news.”

“Should we split them up tonight or do it first thing in the morning, my Lord?”

“We also need to get this scout ship in a cave somewhere to hide it.”

“Will it fit in the Abyss Cave, Telgon?”

“I don't know. It might be a tight fit.”

“A dragon cave might be better, King Tierion.”

“Perhaps Durlond, but we got a short and curt response from them this morning in Correlle Kingdom. They want that first scout ship out of there as quickly as possible if we win the day.”

“I see. It is taking up their nesting space.”

“Well, let's contact the other kingdoms, my Lord and let them know.”

“Yes. Let's start with that.” King Tierion takes out his contact crystal sphere and contacts King Dryden. He recites the spell. The crystal glows goldenly, then the image of King Dryden appears above the crystal.

“I'm glad you called, King Tierion. Our First Ones and Wizard Eldwin felt a disturbance in the Ethereal Space. Some also saw a white dot approach one of the Twin Moons.”

“It was the second scout ship. The Maker sent the scout ship to our courtyard.”

“He did? That's unexpected. Is everyone all right?”

“Yes, King Dryden. We were able to get inside the scout ship and make sure they are asleep. The only signal that was sent is the distress signal.”

“Praise the Maker for that.”

“As late it is, King Dryden. It might be best to split them up in the morning.”

“Yes, it is. What are you going to do about the scout ship?”

“Keep it under guard tonight. Then we need to talk to the dragons here. Hopefully they know where an empty small cave is.”

“Yes that is a good idea, King Tierion. I'll inform over here what has happened. If anything new develops, let us know.”

“We will King Dryden. Have a good sleep tonight.”

“You do the same. Good night, King Tierion.”

Then the image disappears above the crystal sphere.

Then we start to hear some flapping of large wings in the air. We look up and see in the shadows, outlines of several dragons. We make room for them as they land. It is Croin, Marcon and Agaroan.

King Tierion walks up to them and gives them a quick bow and rises back up.

“Welcome, Dragons of the Rainbow Falls. Good evening.”

“Good evening, King Tierion.”

“We saw a flash of light in the sky. The light beamed from the castle here, then a beam of light comes back down.”

“ We didn't know what to think.”

“Now we see that the castle is not in ruins. That is a good sign.”

“Yes it is, dragons. We are still here. As you can see, this is the second scout ship. We saw and felt the disturbance in the Ethereal Space. We immediately gathered together and agreed that the Maker would take care of the matter.”

“Yes He did. I see the Maker sent the scout ship here.”

“This is not a good place to keep it, King Tierion.”

“No, it is not, Marcon. Do you know of a small empty cave this will fit into?”

The three dragons talk among themselves. They disagreed on some caves. Soon they agree on one.

They turn to face King Tierion. Croin speaks, “There is a cave that will do. It is very remote. It is to the north of the Rainbow Falls cave. It is four mountain peaks away. It is on this side of the mountain range. There is no access by climbing to it. It is even too small for me.”

“Very good, dragons. We'll keep it under watch tonight, including the crew members inside. Then in the morning after our morning repast, we'll split them up and deliver the scout ship to the cave.”

“Very good, King Tierion. Some of us will be circling above the cave so your wizards can spot it.”

“Thank you, dragons of the Rainbow Falls. Have a good night's sleep. You can inform the other dragons what is happening. The bait was sent to the scout ship and received.”

“That's good to know.”

“Croin, I have a question.”

“Yes, Renard?”

“Can the cave be sealed?”

“I think it can.”

“We'll check it out anyway.”

“That we will.”

“Good night, King Tierion and Thryson Kingdom.”

“Good night.” We all shout out loud to them.

The dragons flap their wings and take off in the night. They fly westward to the Thryson Mountains.

King Tierion uses his contact sphere to contact the others. Just as he is to do so, the crystal has a golden color. He puts his hand above it and recites the spell. He sees King Jeriel and King Loran together in the image.

“I was just about to call everyone in this region, Kings.”

“Is everything all right, King Tierion? We saw the light come down in your kingdom.”

“Everything is fine. The Maker brought the scout ship to our court yard.”

“Thank the Maker for that. What did you find out?”

“Richard determined they only sent the distress signal only before the Maker sent the craft here.”

“What of the crewmen?”

“All four have the implants. They are asleep right now. Because of the time, we'll keep them here tonight in separate cells. After the morning repast we'll split them up.”

“What about the scout ship?”

“We'll guard it tonight. Croin, Marcon and Agaroan saw the light beams as well. They showed up here moments after the scout ship appeared. They know of a small cave that is four mountain peaks north of the Rainbow Falls. It will be delivered there in the morning as well.”

“So, now we need to decide which Kingdom will hold which prisoner.”

“Any ideas, friends?”

“I was thinking of two to the Southern Kingdoms and two here.”

“All right, that seems to work. I don't think there is really any new information from them at this time.”

“I agree, King Jeriel. We should inform them of the current situation and why they are on the star ship.”

“We could do that, King Loran.”

“I was thinking of letting you two hold two of the crewmen. Why? The Maker thanked us by sending the scout ship here. Because Richard is here and he immediately checked out the scout ship and powered it down.”

“I see. There was no time delay this time. Do you agree, King Jeriel?”

“I agree, King Loran. We accept the honor, King Tierion.”

“I agree as well.”

“Now that we agree on that. Which two crewmen are going to which southern kingdom here?”

“Well, let's contact them and see who is up for it.”

“Hold on a moment, my friends. Let me ask Renard to contact them.”

“Sure, we can wait.”

King Tierion turns to Renard. “Renard, will you please contact your counter parts in the southern kingdoms. We need their kings to join in the discussion here.”

“Yes, my Lord. I will contact them now.”

Renard takes out his contact crystal with his left hand. He puts his right hand above it and concentrates on it. He recites the contact spell. It soon glows yellow.

Soon an image of Corrbas appears above it. “Greetings, Renard.”

“Greetings, Corrbas. Did your First Ones sense anything from the Twin Moons?”

“Yes, our First Ones did. We gathered together and joined our hearts together right after the sun set. We saw five other beams of white light go up to the Twin Moons. One came down to the North. What happened?”

“The Maker brought the second scout ship to our court yard. Everything is fine. The four crewmen are asleep. Richard determined they only sent a distress signal and nothing else.”

“Praise the Maker. They don't know anything more about us. It will probably upset them on the star ship.”

“Probably, Corrbas. We need to split up the crewmen tomorrow morning. Two will be here in Ringol and Eirecann Kingdoms and two for the southern kingdoms.”

“Yes, that is good. At what time in the morning?”

“We'll have the implants removed tonight. Be here just after the morning repast here at second mark.”

“That sounds good. What about the scout ship?”

“We'll guard it tonight. Then we'll take the scout ship to an empty cave here in the Thryson Mountains.”

“That sounds like a good plan. I'll bring all three kingdoms with me; that way we're all in agreement on what to do next.”

“I agree to that. See you in the morning, Corrbas. Have a good night's sleep.”
“See you there as well. You have a good night's sleep as well.”

Then the image disappears above Renard's crystal. He turns to King Tierion. “It is done, King Tierion. The three southern kingdoms will be here in representation. You can decide what to do then.”

“Did you hear all that, my friends?”

“We did King Tierion. We'll be there in the morning and have our meeting.”

“Yes I will be there after the morning repast.”

“Very good. See you then my friends. Have a good night's sleep.”

“You do as well.”

Then the images of the two kings disappear. King Tierion turns to Renard. “It is time to remove the implants from the crewmen and get them below in our holding cells, Sir Trenton.”

“Yes, my Lord.” They both respond at the same time.

Sir Trenton gets out his contact crystal and contacts the Captain of the Guard in the Castle. “Sir Largan, we need four stretchers out here in the courtyard. We're putting the crewmen into our own cells this evening. Then in the morning, the five other western kingdoms will be here to decide which one they will receive.”

“Yes Sir Trenton. I'll send the guards and stretchers as requested. What about the implants?”

“Renard and Braden will be removing them right now.”

“Very good. I'll have the guards in the courtyard as soon as possible.”

The image disappears above the crystal. Sir Trenton turns to Renard. “Let's remove those implants, Renard.”

“Braden, I will need your help to do this.”

“Yes Renard. We should do this outside of the scout ship. We'll need a tub of water out here just in case.”

“I'll take care of that with a tub from the Castle Stables.”

“Yes, that can work, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Trenton walks over to the stables. He sees the stable boy doing some cleaning from the mess just created by the horses.

The stable boy sees him coming toward him. “Evening, Sir Trenton. The arrival of the scout ship spooked the horses.”

“I can imagine how they reacted.”

“What can I do for you, Sir?”

“We need a tub of water out there, Carlin.”

“We have an extra one over here Sir. We'll just need a bucket of water so that we can fill it up.”

“You go get the bucket of water. I'll bring out the tub.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” Carlin turns around and walks over to a wall to pick up a bucket.

Sir Trenton walks over to the same wall, he bends down and picks up a metal tub. He waits for Carlin. Carlin then walks over to a barrel. He takes off the lid and dips the bucket into it and fills it up. He puts the lid back onto the barrel. They both walk out together.

“I'm putting the tub over here Renard. That should be enough room and away from causing any possible damage.”

“Yes it is, Sir Trenton. Thank you.”

Sir Trenton sets down the tub. Carlin pours the water into the tub. Carlin puts his hands above the water in the tub. He recites the spell, then the tub fills up with water until it three-quarters full.

Sir Trenton sees that is done. “Thank you, Carlin. You'll need to get back inside the stable. We're not out of danger yet. There could be some explosions in this tub of water.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” Carlin walks back inside the stable and continues cleaning up the mess.

“All right, Renard and Braden. We're already here.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton. Let's go inside Braden.”

Renard and Braden walk inside the scout ship and kneel down beside one of the crewmen. Renard puts his hands above the neck. He concentrates on it. He sees the implant in his mind. He grabs it with his mind and moves it into the Ethereal Space. “I've got it, Braden. I'm ready to move it to the tub of water.”

Braden walks outside. He stands near the tub. He places his hand toward the tub. He recites the barrier shield spell around the tub. “It's ready, Renard.”

Renard moves the implant into the tub and let's go of it. The implant does not explode. It sinks to the bottom of the tub.

Renard walks out of the scout ship and takes a look. “It didn't blow up Braden. How come?”

King Tierion, the commanders, the dwarf ambassadors, the centaurs, Avel, the fairies, Sir Halgren and I walk over and look in the tub as well.

“Do you have an idea, Richard?”

Braden removes the barrier shield.

“I only have one, my King. The other three were removed when they experienced pain in trying to remember. It's probably their true self screaming for help that set it off.”

“Yes, I remember the first one. It was Tran. He called for help before losing consciousness.”

“Yes, apparently it takes stress to tip the balance. If Tran had calmed down, the device would not have exploded.”

“That is why it didn't explode here. If Tek is on the bridge, he must have one of these in him. Once he sees us on the bridge, there's a good chance his stress levels will increase dramatically in trying to remember us.”

“Then the implant will explode quickly. We must move very fast in removing the implants.”

“Yes, my Lord. The sooner we get the people on board asleep, all the better.”

“That's especially true for our Outside Helpers. Once they see our forces on the star ship, they will have fast memory reactions.”

I dip my hand into the tub of water and remove the implant. I take it apart and we all see a small green light flashing. I remove the battery and the light stops flashing.

“This means my friends that if the Ethereal Space is generated on the star ship, these devices are still active.”

“I agree, Richard. We'll have to emphasize speed in getting the crew asleep first, then the wizards can remove the implants safely.”

“All right Renard and Braden, go ahead and remove the other three implants.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

The rest of us make room around the tub and get some distance from it.

Renard and Braden walk into the scout ship. Braden kneels down and puts his hands above the neck of a crewman. He looks at the neck. He sees the implant in his mind and grabs it. He recites the transport spell and moves it into the Ethereal Space. “I've got it, Renard. Get the tub ready with a barrier shield just in case.”

“Yes, Braden.” Renard walks out of the scout ship. Renard recites the spell for the barrier shield. “It's ready Braden.”

Braden moves the implant into the tub of water and releases it. The implant does not explode. Renard removes the barrier shield. He reaches for the implant in the tub of water and removes it. He takes it apart and removes the battery. The little green light stops flashing. He puts the pieces into his pocket.

Renard and Braden repeat this two more times to remove the implants from the last two crewmen.

By this time, the guards arrive with the four stretchers. “It is now safe to go inside, men. Bring them out and put them on the stretchers.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

The guards go in two at a time. Once one crewman is brought out, another pair of guards goes in to retrieve another crewman. Soon all four crewmen are on the stretchers. As soon as the last one leave, Renard closes the door and reseals the scout ship with the sealing spell.

Sir Trenton walks into the stables. “Carlin, all is safe now.'

“Thank you, Sir Trenton. I'll take care of the tub of water. The horses were a little skittish again. They calmed down after the last one was taken from the scout ship.”

“That's good, Carlin. The scout ship will be delivered to a cave in the Thryson Mountains after the morning repast.”

“I'll be sure to tell the Stable Master when I see him in the morning.”

“There will be guards posted here to make sure of the peace. Good night, Carlin.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton. Good night. My relief will be here at midnight. I'll tell him the latest news about this scout ship.”

Sir Trenton turns around and walks toward us. “Guards, once the four crewmen are in separate cells, put the sealing spells on the four cells. The guards there will be on watch for them. I want four guards out here watching the scout ship. You can walk around to make sure no one disturbs it. Inform the Captain of the Guard to have you on watch rotation. Be wary, even from the sky above. If you see something out of the ordinary like this scout craft floating straight up for no apparent reason, sound the alarm. Richard powered down the scout ship, that means nothing should happen to it by itself.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

“Braden, will you see to it that these crewmen are in the holding cells safely?”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

The eight guards pick up the stretchers and carry the crewmen into the castle and down below to the holding cells. Braden follows them.

“Well, this has been an interesting day and night so far, King Tierion.”

“Yes it has, Telgon. We have been here long enough. Dwarf ambassadors, you are welcome to stay here tonight. Your rooms are always available.”

“Thank you, King Tierion. We just want to give a quick report. Everything is being arranged in the Under Kingdom if you need refuge.”

“Thank you, ambassadors.”

“We have set aside areas for the general population inside near the key entrances, villages and fortresses. It will be a tight fit. It is advised that they bring in what they can on their backs like blankets, small pillow, water and some easy food that will keep for a week without spoiling.”

“The roadways need to be kept clear for movement of people, carts, food goods and for the military.”

“Yes, I would think so Thalsia.”

“We will be flying throughout Thryson Kingdom starting tomorrow morning to spread the news. We'll meet with each Castle Lord, village and town leaders.”

“Thank you, ambassadors, for doing that for us.”

“You're welcome.”

“See you at the morning repast. The other five kingdoms will be here to split up the crewmen afterwards. You can meet them if you like, before you go.”

“Thank you for the offer, King Tierion. We'll think about it.”

Then we see the eight guards return with Braden exiting from the castle. They approach us.

“Did you tell the Captain of the Guard the situation tonight?”

“We did, Sir Trenton. The schedule has been set.”

“Very good men, see to your posts.”

Then four of them get into position around the scout craft and walk slowly around it..

King Tierion looks at the two of the guards, “will you please escort the dwarf ambassadors to their rooms before you return to your own quarters.”

“Yes, my Lord. Please follow us.”

The dwarf ambassadors follow the two knights into the castle.

“Good night again, First Ones. Let's hope we don't get any more surprises this evening.”

“Yes, King Tierion. Good night again everyone.”

“Good night.”

Avel, the fairies and the centaurs leave the court yard and the castle and enter in the forest.

King Tierion looks at the last two guards, “will you please escort us back to our rooms.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“My Lord, we have a bed for Richard with the men. We figured it would be a good start for his preparation this way.”

“I see.” King Tierion turns to me. “Are you ready, Richard?”

“I'm ready, my Lord. I just need to stop by my room in the castle to pick up a few things.”

“Very good. Sir Trenton, commanders and Sir Halgren, please begin his training.”

“Yes my Lord. Please come with us, Richard.”

“Yes Sir Trenton.” I leave with them and walk into the castle. We walk up the stairs to the second floor. We walk down the hallway until we come to the door. The guard on duty there snaps to attention.

“We need to enter in Richard's room to get some things.”

“Yes Sir.” He turns around and recites the spell to remove the sealing spell on the door. He opens it for us.

Sir Trenton, Sir Halgren and I walk into the room. I open a drawer and remove some things from it. I put them into my satchel. It is another T-shirt, a pair of working shorts, socks and underwear that I brought with me. I leave King Thranton's gift in the top drawer.

I take out the book for Sir Trenton to show it to him. “This is the book, Sir Trenton. There are several hundred pages. There are several discs in the back for additional images.”

“Leave it there, Richard. I'll get it later.”

“Yes Sir.” I look at the flower book on the dresser. “I need to have Trianna touch my mind. This is the flower book that I brought with me. She will translate it at a later date for Twainor.”

Then we hear Trianna in the hallway. “I'm here, Richard.”

“Good, let's take care of this language spell.” I pick up the book and walk out with it.

She looks at me and smiles. She touches my forehead and recites the spell. Then she touches her head. “Wow, that is some vocabulary you have Richard. Thank you for sharing. I will get started on it when I have some free time if we are still here.”

“You're welcome, Trianna.” I hand the book to her.

“You take care of Richard, commanders.”

“We will, Sorceress Trianna. Good night. We know you have a lot to do in the coming days to get the Mystic Order here ready.”

“That we do. Good night again.”

“Good night, Trianna.” We all respond together.

We walk down the hallway to the other end. The guard behind us closes the door and seals it with the sealing spell. He opens the door for the others who just arrived to their rooms. The King and Queen are escorted to the third floor where their quarters are located.

We get to the end of the hallway. We walk down the staircase to the main floor. We then walk down the hallway and exit the side door of the castle. We turn left at a sidewalk intersection. We walk around the castle to the knights housing complex.

“Richard, if I remember right, you told us you were part of a youth camping group. What can you tell us about it?”

“Well, it is designed for boys from eleven to eighteen or so. Not everybody joins one where they live. Sometimes I wished it was required. You learn many things and skills that are useful in life.”

“There are ranks to achieve as you learn a new set of skills. The leaders train the boys to be leaders as they stay in the troop. I achieved the highest rank plus some leadership positions.”

“What are some of the skills you learned?”

“There are a lot of them. I learned how to do first aid in the wilderness, make rope bridges, wooden towers and bridges. I learned how to light a fire several different ways. I learn to recognize the difference between the good plants to eat and the poisonous ones to avoid in my region. I learned some information about birds, insects and other animals as well.”

“We learn how to plan long hikes, back packing, swimming, rowing and canoeing. We learned what we need to bring and how to prepare food with or with what is available in the woods. How to take care of knives, axes, archery. I even learned how to take care of the land and what to do if a camp fire gets out of control.”

“Did that include maneuvers and acting as a group?”

“Our troop consisted of about thirty boys with adult leaders. We divided into patrols of five to seven boys. We learned how to act as a unit and have competition between the patrols. We also played some games as well for that competition.”

“One game we played is 'Capture the Flag'. It is done at dusk with or without a moon. You have to rely on stealth skills to sneak past the opposing team without being caught. Capture the flag and bring it back to your side again before being caught. We like to use a stream or a well-worn road to divide the area.”

“That's excellent, Richard. We have done that on occasion too.” Sir Valmar smiles.

“We usually did it four or five times in one night.”

“Yes, it is a good test of working together as a team.”

“Is there anything else, Richard?”

“Hmm . . . There was one skill set that is very important. How to do compass orientation with maps or not.”

“Yes, Richard, we have that as well. They need to know how to traverse across territory that is unknown to them. We usually provide a goal to attain as well.”

“You will do well with us. Tomorrow is going to be spent here. Hopefully the next day you will be with others in Angathorn Kingdom to get some work done on the sailing ships that are docked there.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

We approach the housing for the knights.

“I have a question before we go inside, sirs.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“Since I'm new here. Will I get roused out of my bed unexpectedly?” I smile at them.

They start laughing.

“What makes you think that, Richard?”

“Well, I would like to return the favor to show them I'm not so naive.”

They laugh again.

“Just as long as no one gets hurt. It's been known to happen.”

“I thought as much. Well, let's go inside and see what kind of greeting I will get.”

“Your bed is next to Sir Halgren inside.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

They open the double doors. We walk inside and see a large gathering hall. There are several hundred knights all talking to each other.

Then one of them notices us. “Commanders in the hall!”

Everybody snaps to attention and stops talking.

“At ease, men.”

Everybody goes into a relaxed stance.

We walk into the middle of the room.

“As you can see, Richard, our Outside Helper is here. He's going to train with Sir Halgren so they can work together. I'm not taking any chances with that star ship out there.”

They all shout, “Yes, Sir.”

“Don't take him for granted. He is very aware of the danger that lies ahead. He already knows some basic training. I want to see an improvement there.”

They all shout, “Yes, Sir.”

“If for some reason someone decides to test him with a prank or a joke. Richard has my full permission to give that someone a demonstration match.”

They all shout, “Yes, Sir.”

“Captains and Sergeants, please report here now for a quick meeting. The rest of you can go to your sleeping quarters.”

They all shout, “Yes, Sir.”

Sir Valmar shouts out loud. “Legion dismissed and have a good night's sleep.”

Everybody breaks apart. They walk down the hallways and go up stair cases to the next two levels or the main floor. The captains and sergeants walk to the center of the room where we are gathered.

“I need to make sure Richard and Sir Halgren learn how to work together and with a team. Richard saw the mock take over of the star ship floor level.”

“His first morning task is the training fields. He has been outfitted with the weapons on him. So it is target practice in certain situations.”

“Yes, he has some stealth skills already. He needs to be fluid in his motions. He has learned some spells from Renard. Give him a few more like the sleep spell.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“In his satchel he will have some things that he might use. He has a basic first aid kit, rope, mirror, knife, a skin of water and a sewing kit. Most importantly will be a sling with the river stones.”

“We found a dry river bed here in Thryson. The men will be practicing with it as well.”

“That's good captain. Is there anything else that needs to be mentioned?”

“Can we use him as a goal to achieve in some scenarios?”

Sir Trenton looks at me. “Well, Richard?”

“Sure, I can provide a recognition reaction when I see the forces appear.”

“Yes, it will be a good test on speed. Be prepared to be put to sleep.”

“I just hope I won't get any insomnia and be up all night tomorrow night.” I smile at them.

They chuckle at the joke.

“It won't be too bad, Richard.”

“Perhaps, but you better get some extra stand ins just in case.”

“There will be some other hostages out there, so the entire focus won't be you.”

“Well, let's get some sleep. The Legion will be up before dawn. The morning repast is at the half-mark before the First Mark for the first shift for three-quarters of a mark. Everyone will be done eating at the Second Mark plus a quarter-mark for the second shift.”

I shake my head up and down in agreement. “That's a mark earlier than my current schedule. So, if you don't mind, I need to get to bed now my friends.”

“Sir Halgren, take him to bed.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

“Good night, Richard.”

“Good night, my friends.”

I quickly bow to them and rise up. I turn around and walk with Sir Halgren. We stay on the main floor and enter a hallway. We walk past several open doors on the right and left hand side. I see bunk beds in there two and three high. There are floor chests near them.

Sir Halgren stops and opens a door on the right. “This is where I sleep. I sleep with the sergeants here.”

We walk inside. I see about a dozen beds all single level arranged neatly. There are two windows on the opposite wall. It is well lit with light crystals. Each bed has a chest on the floor. There are also a small table and chair near each one. Each table has a small set of shelves on it. Some of the spaces are filled with various items.

“Your bed is over here, Richard.”

“Thank you, Sir Halgren.”

“You can call me Halgren. There is no formality here, except on the field.”

“I understand, Halgren.” I take off my satchel and put it on the bed.

We both start to undress ourselves. Once I get the jacket and shirt off, I put those on the bed. I bend down and open the floor chest. I see a long night shirt and a pair of night shorts. I take them out put them on the bed. I fold up the jacket and the shirt and put them in the chest.

“Halgren, what happens when the men get extra dirty?”

“We have a separate room down the hall. There are four on each level. There are tubs and other items to get yourself clean. There is a medicine cabinet in each one as well. They are attended by several pages to assist us.”

I sit down on the chair and take off the pants and fold them up and place it in the chest. I then begin to take off the padded armor. I start with the leggings first. I set those near the chair. Then I undo the straps and take off the armor for the arms. I put them on the bed. Then I undo the latches for the breast and back plates, I take them off and put them on the bed.

“Halgren, since this padding and armor are brand-new today, I'm not going take them apart. I'll probably put the padding in the chest tomorrow night to clean them.”

“That sounds fine, Richard.”

I take off my smelly T-shirt and fold it up. “I think I will take that bath tomorrow night. I definitely need it then.”

“I will join you, Richard.”

I put on the night shirt. Then I take off my shorts and underwear. Then I put on the night shorts. I take out my extra clothes from the satchel and put them in the floor chest. I fold up the rest of the clothes and put them in there. I turn around and see that Sir Halgren has changed as well.

I close the chest and put my hands above it. I recite the cleaning spell for the chest. I open it to check it. I see that clothes are clean and don’t smell at all. I smile when I see that. I close the lid and sit down on the bed.

The next set of noises I hear is the captains and sergeants walking down the hall. The sergeants open the door and walk into their room.

“Ah good, you're both ready for bed.”

“I've heard so much about you, Richard. I wasn't sure what to expect. My name is Carsten.”

“My name is Chad Bratton. My older brother is Alec Bratton and Captain here.”

“Yes, we now see that everyone looks the same but different from star system to star system.”

They start changing and getting ready for bed while they are talking.

“If you think I'm different, on Earth we can appear different among ourselves. Our skin can have various shades of color. I'm considered white skinned. There are shades of light brown, dark brown, shades of tan and olive skin and everything in between. We come in all sizes from dwarf to this high. (I raise my hand above my head.)

“Some are thin, and some are strong like you. Some are fighters, teachers, doctors like Ariella, leaders of villages, towns, states and nations. There are musicians and writers as well.”

“Wow, I guess the Maker wants variety, He over did it.” Smiles Bratton.

“I'm sure you’re right.” Smiles Halgren.

“Richard, can I clasp your hand?”

“Sure, Bratton.” I clasp hands with him.

He looks at the hand comparison as we hold hands. “Sir Trenton is right. You need to improve your hand strength. It's not too bad, but it could use some work.”

“May I Richard?” Several others ask at the same time.

“Okay.” Soon I grab hands with all of the sergeants.

“You're right, Bratton. Trenton just told us after you left the meeting in the hall.”

“He also said you've had self-defense training.”

“Yes that is right, sir. When I was younger about eight years old, I was walking home with a neighborhood girlfriend. She and I were next door neighbors at the time. Four older boys jumped out to hurt to us.”

“Why, Richard?”

“Brianna and I were the smartest kids in the school then. Those four were just as smart, but their average was just below ours.”

“So they felt insulted that two younger ones were smarter than they.”

“That's right. They were the smartest for their age group.”

“That's sad. So what happened next?”

“I stepped in to protect her. So they beat me up first. They stepped on my hands to break them. They also kicked me in various places on the body. I was soon unconscious. They left laughing and threatened the same to her. Provided she failed some tests on purpose so they can get ahead.”

“That didn't happen?”

“No. She ran home to get our parents help. I was in the hospital for two moons. She told the principal of the school what happened. The boys were caught and sent to jail for children for a year. After they got out, they were held back a year. By that time our families had moved to another town. I haven't seen her since.”

“Once I was healed of my injuries, my dad enrolled me in a self-defense class. I was in it for about five years. I was in tournaments. I learned there is always someone who wants to hurt you. But if you know some moves you can find a way to win a fight.”

“Like you did in that demonstration fight when you were here last time.”

“Yes, I wanted to test myself last time and see if my lessons really worked.”

“Did you learn any new moves since then?”

“Yes I did. I found a local club to practice and learn some new techniques.”

“That's good, Richard. Well, let's hope we don't have to see it. After what we went through, my joints can still feel that strain.”

Everybody laughs on recalling the retraining sessions.

“Do you remember what Ariella did to get her opponent off, Carsten?”

“If I remember right. She applied pressure at the elbow to get him off.”

“I remember that too. That can really get your attention. What are you saying Richard? You know some more pressure points?”

“Yes, I do. In fact if applied at various joints at once, the limbs will start to shake and spasm like crazy. The heart is all right, it’s the muscles are twitching like crazy.”

“Ouch. That would definitely get my attention in a hurry. How do I relieve the pain, Richard?”

“You start rubbing those joints. Then you rub down the muscle You'll be standing back up soon. But the memory of the shaking will stick in the brain for about a week or longer. My instructor did it to me so that I know what it is like.”

“Well let's hope our men learned their lessons. If it happens again, Richard, I can see why Sir Trenton allowed you to do another match.”

“Yes, oh and one more thing about my strength. My instructor taught me how to be deceptive with it.”

“I can see with your size, Richard.”

“My strength had always been my legs in lifting. My instructor had me work on my arm and back strength. I'll show you. Bring up two chairs and a table.”

“All right, Richard. I think I know what you're going to do.”

“We must be quiet men, no yelling for encouragement.”

“Yes, Halgren.”

I sit in a chair. Sergeant Langley sits in the other chair opposite me. We bring our right arms up and put our elbows on the table.

“As you can see, your arm strength is obviously bigger than mine.”

“That’s right, Richard.”

“My hand is definitely smaller than yours. I'm already conceding you will win in the end.”

“If I know I'm going to win, what is your advantage?”

“Time. How long will it take for you to win?”

“I'm thinking really quickly.”

“All right, let's find out. Let me take off my night shirt. You'll see a surprise.” I take off the night shirt and toss it on my bed. “Watch my muscles’ men.”

We clasp our right hands together. We look at each other with intensity. We grab the table edge with our left hands.

Halgren holds the hands still. Then he let's go and mutters the word, “go!”

We both tense up. Langley struggles to bring my arm down, but I hold it firm at the top. Then the men get the surprise.

“What you're not moving?” mutters Langley.

“Look at his muscles. They’re not bulging. His skin seems to have a layer of fat.”

“Yes, it is hiding his strength. That's unexpected.”

“Nope, I'm not moving.” I mutter.

Then I start to increase my pull.

Langley has a surprised look. He tries to match it. He starts to recover when I get halfway down. He pulls the clasped hands back to the top. Langley goes for the advantage and gets to his half way point.

I strain to recover to get back to the top. It takes some time, but I get it back. Then I get a surprise.

He let's go and stands up.

Everybody breathes out quietly from the suspense.

“That's incredible Richard. I've never expected that. I could have gone for the win, but you recovered. We could have struggled for a quarter-mark and not get anywhere.”

“Why did you learn that, Richard?”

“To save a life and pulling one to safety.”

“Ah, now I see why. That's very important. You need to hold it until you or someone else comes to help you for the rescue.”

“That's right.” I get up and walk over to my bed. I put on the night shirt.

The men put the chairs and table where they belong.

“My parents made sure I was in a good self-defense school. The instructor made sure my motivation in a fight was not in anger or revenge. It clouds the mind.”

“Yes, I remember seeing that look on those four knights in Evenshard. They also displayed too much pride. They showed it off at the tournaments.”

“Well, let's get some sleep. It's going to be a long day for Richard and me.”

“Well said, Halgren.”

We all lie on our beds and pull the covers of us. Someone recites the light spell to turn off the light crystals.

We see the moon light streaming into the windows. I barely see the stars shining as well. We soon fall asleep one by one.

~~~000~~~

“Cut off main engines and use the thrusters, Colban.”

“Yes, Sir.” Colban pushes a symbol on the glass panel. “Main engines are off.
We're under thruster guidance.”

“All right men, we're approaching the moons. Turn on the stealth generators, Traven.”

Traven pushes a symbol on the glass panel. “Stealth is turned on.”

“Very good let's maneuver behind the nearest moon. Begin data sweeps of all frequencies.”

“Yes, Sir.” They all respond as one voice.

“Yisrati, there's an energy beam coming from the surface.”

“An energy beam? How strong is it?”

“Make that six energy beams, Yisrati. They're all converging here to this moon.”

“Get behind the other moon now.”

“I can't, Yisrati. It's moving too fast!”

“How did they know? They have no mech-orbs here.”

“Brin said there is magic here.”

“If they do have magic, it's very powerful.”

“Send the distress signal now!”

“Yes Sir!” Colban pushes a symbol on the glass panel.”

“This must have what happened to Brin . . . ”

Soon the second scout ship is enveloped in a sphere of white light. When it fades, the scout ship disappears.

~~~000~~~

“General, I just received an energy spike like last time!”

“Is the scout ship still there, Tek?”

Tek adjusts some controls on the glass panel. “No, it is not there. I just received the distress signal. There is no data file sent.”

“What's going on, Tek?”

“I don't know, General. It's as if they have some sort of warning.”

“If they can do magic. They may have a means to sense it that far out.”

“I'm sure you're right, General.” Magic, two moons . . . Why is it that familiar? I rub the back of my neck. The pain goes away.

The General notices the reaction. “I'm going to the Supreme and discuss this problem. Dar-re, you have the comm-chair again.”

“Yes, General.”

The General gets up and walks over to the transport circle. He disappears in a flash of light once he steps into it.

Dar-re gets up from his station and walks to the comm-chair. He sits down in it.

“We'll need to wait for their decision, bridge. I'm perplexed as you are. Tek, continue monitoring all frequencies.”

“Yes Sir.”

~~~000~~~

The General appears in the Supreme's chamber in a flash of light. He shows a scowl on his face.

“Let me guess, General, from that look on your face. The second scout ship is gone.”

“It is, Supreme. More than likely it is on the surface. Our secrets are still safe. If Brin is correct, this world is archaic, they have no knowledge how our ships work.”

“If this world is the source of the artifacts. We'll be the most powerful force in the galaxy. Nothing will stop us.”

“Do you think the twelfth artifact could be here, Supreme?”

“I seriously doubt it. They have no means to communicate beyond their planet or have interstellar transportation. But we'll scan for it anyway just in case. We'll probably find their quarries instead, then we can stock pile that magic on our fleet of star ships when they are built.”

“It will be done, Supreme.”

“We could start consuming their outer worlds for the resources. But, I want that world really badly. We'll need it for current supplies and building the second star ship.”

“I agree, Supreme. Our race hasn't encountered a magic world for more than five thousand cycles.”

“Yes, we must cloud their minds with fear. It's the only way to get past their magic efforts.”

“We'll have to use our world projector to reach them all at once.”

“Yes, they will panic and lose hope. There is no way they will mount a counter attack.”

“So, my Supreme. Do we go directly to the planet?”

“Yes, General. If we travel as fast as possible, how long will it take to get there?”

“I estimate two or three sub-cycles on this world from its distance to the sun.”

“Very good, General. That won't give them any time to prepare for anything. We'll be victorious and dispatch them all before they know it.”

“Yes, Supreme. For victory of the Nefelim!”

“For the Nefelim, rulers of the Universe. We'll have our revenge on our cursed enemy!”

“It will be done, my Supreme.” The General bows and rises back up quickly. He turns around and steps into the transport circle. He disappears in a flash of light.

The Supreme turns his head and looks at the panel. “Emperor's Log.” A light comes on the panel. “E-date 1240.45 begin entry.”

“The second scout has disappeared. We are not receiving any telemetry after another energy spike from the planet. We suspect the scout ship is on the surface like the first one.”

“The General and I have agreed that we must conquer this world for its resources. Hopefully we will be able to gain their magic power as stated by Brin, leader of the first scout ship.”

“End Supreme Emperor Natachlon of the Kiywalym System.” The light turns off on the panel.

“All right, let's do some multiple objects this time.”

He looks at another box in a corner of the room. He focuses on the lid. The lid rises up and is moved to the floor easily. He concentrates on the objects within the box.

One steel ball floats into the air. The steel ball is about one finger width on his hand. He concentrates on the box again and keeps the first steel ball floating. This time three balls float into the air. He looks around the room. The steel balls move quickly in various directions.

“Yes, it is getting easier now. Let's try ten more.”

He keeps the four balls flying in the air. He looks at the box again. Soon ten balls are floating in the air. Then those ten balls join the other four. The Supreme then sends the balls in different random patterns in the room. He then looks at his target on a wall in the room.

He uses his mind to hit the target one by one. Once the steel balls bounce off the target, he keeps them moving in a random pattern in the air. The metal target gets dented. In some places on the target, a tear develops in the sheet metal.

“I love it. Once we gain their magical powers, nothing will stop the Nefelim . . . Hah . . . hah . . . hah . . . !”

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 15
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

King Tierion wakes up in the morning just before sunrise. He sees that Shiranna is just stirring to wake up.

“Good morning, my love.”

“Good morning to you too, my love.”

“It's time to get dressed for the day.”

“All right.”

They give each other a lingering kiss.

“Hmm . . . that's nice. That will keep me warm all day.”

“I hope so, Tierion. You always keep me warm.”

King Tierion looks at Shiranna and smiles. She smiles back.

King Tierion gets up and out of bed. He walks to the dressing room. He sees the two servants there already getting the clothes laid out for the day. They see the King.

“Good morning, King Tierion.” They both say it at the same time.

“Good morning, Tamra and Brandt.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“We did.”

Then the Queen walks into the dressing room as well.

“Good morning, Queen Shiranna.”

“Good morning, Tamra and Brandt.”

“Did you sleep well, also?”

“I did for the most part. Some dreams crept in about Richard and our Kingdom here.”

“Was there a good ending to the dreams my Lady?”

“They were, Tamra.” She smiles as she remembers the dreams.

“Then those were good dreams.”

“Well, let's get ready, Brandt. We have a busy morning. We're expecting the five western kingdoms to be here after the morning repast.”

“Yes, my Lord. Will these clothes do for their reception?”

“Yes, that is a good choice, Tamra and Brandt.”

The Queen walks behind a long folded decorated partition with Tamra. The partition practically divides the room in half.

Behind the partition is furniture for the Queen to sit down and begins to change her clothes. There is also a mirror and a table to get her face ready with some light make-up. Once undressed, Tamra helps her to get herself clean and smelling beautiful for the day.

Brandt does the same thing with King Tierion. Once he is undressed, King Tierion does a quick scrub with the cloth, water and soap all over his body.

“We'll do a proper bath tonight, Brandt.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

As soon as both are clean, they begin to get dressed. Once Tamra and Brandt are
satisfied on their appearances, they step out to see the results in the mirrors.

“So, how do we look my love?”

“Beautiful as ever. Your voice matches your beauty.”

“With flattery like that, I know someone who will enjoy the evening sunset.”

“By all means, we'll save the dance until then my love.”

They both smile at each other and give each other a deep hug.

Tamra and Brandt smile as well to see that these two love birds are still in love.

In case you’re wondering readers, Twainor's love birds are different from the ones on Earth.

Queen Shiranna puts her arm around King Tierion's arm. Brandt goes to the double doors and open them to the sitting room. Tamra follows them. Brandt then opens another pair of double wooden doors to the main hallway on the third floor. The knight on guard there snaps to attention as they pass by. Then he goes to a relaxed stance.

The King and Queen continue walking down the hallway and descend the stairs to the first floor.

Brandt closes the double doors. Tamra and Brandt begin to clean up the royal suite for the day.

~~~000~~~

The King and Queen walk down the hallway to the main dining room. They open the doors and see the staff has the table fully set. They see Renard, Braden, Trianna and Ma-ani there already.

“Good morning, my King and Queen.”

“Good morning, Renard, Braden, Trianna and Ma-ani.”

“Our dwarf ambassadors should be here very soon.”

“Good, Braden. We know you have a busy day to fly around the kingdom.”

“That we do. Sorceress Ma-ani will be assisting us so that we can cover the Kingdom twice as fast.”

“That's good.”

Then the doors open. The dwarf ambassadors come into the dining room.

“Good morning, my dwarf ambassadors.”

“Good morning, King Tierion and Queen Shiranna.” All four respond at the same time.

“Come let's sit and enjoy the morning repast together.”

The dwarf ambassadors take off their traveling satchels and put them on the tables near the doors with the other two.

Everybody takes their seat around the table. The dwarves have a special step-chair so that they can eat at table level with the others. They climb and take their seats. Some servants come in and help push them in closer to the table.

Sir Tierion looks at Renard and nods his head once he sees that everyone is ready. “You may begin, Renard.”

“Yes, my Lord. Maker, we thank you this morning for what happened last night. We thank that Twainor's secrets are still safe. We thank you for this food you have given us. May it give us the strength as we prepare another day to defend your creation. Thank you Maker.”

Everyone responds, “Thank you, Maker.”

The servers come out and deliver the first dish. It is a light salad. It contains a vegetable, mushrooms from the under kingdom that are sauteed with nuts and a slice of fruit. The conversations begin at the table.

“So how are you dividing up the Kingdom, Telgon?”

“Dolina and I will do the northern half while Durlond and Thalsia will do the southern half.”

“That seems reasonable. The only problem right now is how many air fighters they will they send to each kingdom. For that size of a star ship, I'm guessing the two hundred air fighters at first, then the one hundred if Mal-tor is right.”

“I see, they would not be able to attack all of the kingdoms effectively. That would mean, they could focus on the major ports, towns and castles.”

“That's my thought as well, Durlond.”

“We'll have to rely on the sensitivity of the dragons when these air fighters enter our skies. They will know where they are because of our Ethereal Space.”

King Tierion sees that everyone is done with the first plate. He nods his head to the servant to bring out the main dish.

She sees it and turns around and enters the kitchen. Then additional servers come out and pick up the empty plates and return to the kitchen. They come out with the main dish and place it in front of the King, the Queen and the guests.

They see it is a fish dish that is grilled with some grilled fruit slices and a certain spice to go with it. There are also two different vegetable servings as well on the plate.

Everybody enjoys the dish that Master Chef has served up. The attendees come out and refill their drinking cups for the main dish.

“King Tierion, this dish is delicious. Never would I have thought of adding fruit to a fish dish. This is great. Did Beharn come up with this idea?”

“Not at first, Thalsia, Richard suggested smoking some wood chips from a fruit tree when he was here last year.”

Everybody laughs as they remember Richard from last year and what he did for Twainor.

“That's great. So, I take it Chef Beharn has been experimenting on different combinations and cooking styles?”

“Yes he has, Telgon. If all goes well, he will present some new ones at the midsummer festival here.”

“I look forward to tasting the treats. Our chefs in the under kingdom have been trying it as well. Some work, some do not.”

“That's the whole point of experimenting, my friends. That way it is definitely not boring and tasteless as Richard said once.”

Everybody laughs on recalling the comment that Richard made about cooking.

“So, how is Richard doing, King Tierion?”

“Richard is doing fine. Before he left for Correlle Kingdom, he gave Sir Trenton, the commanders and staff a starting point to train. He provided ideas on the possible weapons that will be on the star ship. He's with the Legion today here in Thryson. Tomorrow he will be at Beserte port in Angathorn Kingdom.”

“I've heard about that already. Our brigades that are assigned to the kingdoms have reported back on the progress. Our military leaders are impressed on what is being taught.”

“It's too bad we won't be able to create light weapons of our own. At least our magic and the Ethereal Space can make up for it.”

“That's true, Durlond, and our ingenuity in problem solving.”

They look at the plates and see they are done eating. King Tierion looks at an attendee nearby and nods his head up and down. He leaves the dining room and enters the kitchen.

The servers come out and remove the main dish plates. Then they come out with bowls of fruit for each of them. They see the fruits cut up largely with most of the seeds removed. They see a spice sprinkled on top.

Everyone enjoys the challenge of trying to remove the fruit from the rinds. The juices collected in the bowl create a nice finish that is mixed with the spice as well.

“This fruit dish is a joy to the taste buds. It will definitely linger all day while we travel King Tierion.”

“I think that's the point, Dolina. It will definitely help you remember what you need to do.”

“It might cause me to come back here and order some more.” She smiles.

They all laugh as they enjoy the fruit bowl. They have to use the napkins to clean their chins and mouths occasionally. Once they are done, they lean back and savor the flavors still lingering on their tongues and lips.

King Tierion looks to an attendee. “Please have Master Chef Beharn and the kitchen staff please come out here.”

“Yes, my Lord.” She bows quickly and returns to the kitchen.

A little bit later, the kitchen staff comes out with Master Chef Beharn. They all line up and face the table.

“Thank you, Master Chef Beharn, for this wonderful dish. We've been commenting on it while we've been enjoying it. It definitely satisfied the taste buds. It seems they want more.”

Everyone begins to clap and cheer. The kitchen staff smiles.

Master Chef Beharn steps forward and bows.

“Thank you, King Tierion and honored guests. Well, if you want more, then you will need to come back or wait for the midsummer festival.”

“Well at least we know what to smell for at the midsummer festival.” She smiles.

“That might be true, Dolina. But my dishes might be getting some stiff competition from the others out there this year.”

“At least yours are unique and tested.”

“Thank you, my King.”

They all clap and cheer again.

The kitchen all bows again and rise up. They turn and walk into the kitchen.

King Tierion and Queen Shiranna stands up. Everyone else stands up as well. Some attendees come and help the dwarves with their chairs and pull them away from the table.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

They get down from the chairs.

“You're welcome to be with us ambassadors.”

“We've thought about it last night, King Tierion.”

“We'll greet them when they arrive. Then we'll be off before you go inside.”

“I appreciate that very much. Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

The dwarves pick up their traveling satchels on and put them on their shoulders.

Braden and Ma-ani put their traveling satchels on their shoulders as well.

They all walk out of the dining room. They enter the foyer area and wait for the arrival of the five kingdoms.

We continue walking in the foyer area waiting for the kingdoms to show up. We look out the windows from time to time.

Then they start to show up in the court yard one group at a time. There are a King, a Queen, a wizard, a sorceress and two knights in each group.

Soon they see them all there. They talk among themselves waiting for their hosts to show up. They see the scout ship in the court yard.

“Sir Drexton, it is time. Is the throne room all set?”

“Yes, my Lord. All of the tables and chairs are set.”

“Well, let's go out there and ask them in.”

Four knights get together with Sir Drexton. They form the leading party. The knights open the double doors. Sir Drexton, walks out with two knights. Then King Tierion, Queen Shiranna and the others in the foyer walk out with them.

The guests see them come out from the castle. The knights lead the entourage out. Then they split in four directions. Sir Drexton walks up to greet them.

“Welcome to Thryson Kingdom, honored guests. Everything is set in the throne room for your meeting.” He then steps aside.

King Tierion and Queen Shiranna walks to the other Kings and Queens.

“Greetings, my friends. Welcome. Before we go inside, I would like to introduce our dwarf ambassadors. This is Telgon, Dolina, Durlond and Thalsia. They're about to take off and spread word to our kingdom of the refuge centers in their under kingdom.”

“Greetings, dwarf ambassadors,” King Gregor steps forward. “It's an honor to meet you.”

“Greetings King Gregor. Thank you very much. Has King Bnar's Under Kingdom opened their doors yet?”

“They have, ambassadors. We're making arrangements as we speak.”

“That's good. Hopefully, the dragons will take down these air fighters quickly.”

“We hope so too. But that star ship is another problem. Hopefully, Twainor's forces will be victorious on the star ship and bring justice to the enemy.”

“That's what we all hope.”

“Well, we must be going, royalty. We have a long day or two ahead of us.”

“Then let us not keep you waiting.”

Then, Braden and Ma-ani steps forward. Telgon and Dolina put hand to shoulder to Wizard Braden. Durlond and Thalsia put hand to shoulder to Sorceress Ma-ani. They recite the transport spell and they disappear in a blink of an eye.

“Well as you can see my friends. The scout ship appeared here last night.”

“Yes, we see that. When will it be taken to the cave?”

“It is going to happen right now. Wizard Renard, please contact the wizards who are transporting the scout ship to the cave.”

“Yes, my Lord.” Renard takes out his contact crystal. He places his right hand above it and concentrates. It glows yellow. Soon an image of a wizard appears there.

“Greetings Renard. Good morning.”

“Greetings Wizard Gryphon. Good morning. It's time to deliver the scout ship to the cave.”

“We'll be right there in a moment.”

“Very good, see you soon.”

The image disappears. Then six wizards appear in a blink of an eye in the court yard.

“Are you ready to deliver the scout ship wizards?”

“We are, my Lord. The dragons are waiting for us to arrive. They're circling above it right now.”

“Then let's not keep them waiting.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

The six wizards walk around the scout ship. It's three on one side and three on the other side. They put both their hands on the hull and grab a part of the scout ship.

“On the count of three fellow wizards.”

“Yes Wizard Gryphon.” They all respond together.

Wizard Gryphon counts out loud, “one, two, three. Now!”

The six wizards recite the transport spell together. Then they and the scout ship disappear in a flash of light.

“Well that is done. Let us go inside now and have our meeting.”

~~~000~~~

The wizards fly north then westward to the Thryson Mountains. They see four dragons circling near the fourth mountain peek. The dragons sense them coming near.

They fly lower to the cave. One of them shoots some flames toward the cave entrance. The wizards see the cave opening.

The wizards see there is enough room to put the scout ship inside and for them to get out. The wizards guide the scout ship in carefully and land on the cave floor. They maneuver the scout ship as far back as possible.

They end the transport spell and they appear in a flash of light. They work their way carefully by side stepping to the cave entrance and gather there.

“We'll leave now, dragons of the Rainbow Falls. Thank you for the assist in finding this cave.”

“You're welcome, wizards. From the way it looks in there, we can seal the cave so it can't be seen.”

“Yes, it does.”

“To find it again, we'll have some of the boulders blackened after it is sealed.”

“That's a good idea, Croin. See you all later, dragons of the Rainbow Falls.”

“See you later, wizards.”

The wizards recite the transport spell separately and disappear in a blink of an eye. They hover nearby and see the dragons seal the cave.

The three large dragons take several large boulders from above the cave and drop them on the slope above the cave. It dislodges the loose boulders up there. Then a fair amount of boulders come tumbling down and cover the cave entrance.

They do it one more time to make sure. Once they are satisfied, Croin flies close to the entrance. He shoots some flames at some boulders. He sees that he has scorched about four or five large boulders.

They see everything is all right. Then they take off and fly southward to the Rainbow Falls. The wizards then turn around and return to Thryson Castle.

~~~000~~~

Avel is nibbling some grass in a glade as he eats his morning meal. He looks around and sees his fairies busy with their duties. Some fly around to make sure the honey insects are going from flower to flower to pollinate them. Others are busy watching the wild animals and see where they go as they graze.

Then Avel sees one of his fairies sitting on a boulder. She is not interested in helping with the other fairies. Avel walks over to her. She sees him coming near.

Using the name Richard gave her, “What's wrong, Amber? You look heart-torn.”

“I am heart-torn Avel. I'm torn between you and Richard.”

“Ah . . . you're starting to feel a connection growing with Richard.”

“Yes Avel. I don't know what to do about it. I know Richard will leave and go back to Earth one of these days.”

“That's right Amber. Are you feeling that you want to go back with him?”

She looks up quickly at Avel and sees his big eye looking right through her.

“Yes, I want to go back with him.” She looks back down.

“Are you afraid that you'll be alone?”

“That's part of it. The other is I don't know how long Richard will live. He might join the Maker before I join the Maker. When I'm with you, I know I will live longer.”

“I see. Also, there is the hope of finding fairies there hidden in the deep forest where he has the family cabin.”

“That's a big hope, Avel. It would be great to make that re-connection to our kin.”

“Yes it would be. So, let's focus on the here and now, Amber. Richard has to get ready to meet our ancient enemy. He needs a clear mind to do that.”

“Yes, Avel.”

“Now I need you to have a clear mind while you're still here.”

She looks again at Avel. She sees him smile. She smiles back. “All right Avel, no more sad face. I need to keep that giggling flow of laughter to brighten the day for all.”

“That's right, Amber. We still have things to do in the forest when these air fighters arrive.”

“Yes Avel. I'll check the latest movements of the herds nearby.”

“You better take your soul mate with you. I don't want you alone either.”

“Yes Avel. I'll go find him.”

Amber takes off flying looking for her fairy soul mate. She finds him hovering near a group of flowers. He's making sure the flowers are being pollinated by the honey insects. Once that is done, he'll look for Amber.

Amber flies near him. She sees his beautiful deep blue eyes sparkling in the sun.
“Ah, there you are, my love.”

He sees her flying to him, “These honey insects are almost done. Are you ready to check out the local wild herds?”

“I am. I had a talk with Avel.”

“Do you feel better that you have done it?”

“I do. I just need to focus on what we can do here and now. I'll just have to trust the Maker that Richard will be taken care of and returns safe to us.”

“That's right. I too feel a pull to Richard as well. His soul still needs some healing. Perhaps in time before he goes back, some of that will be done by the Maker.”

“Then let us hope, my love.”

“Well, the honey insects are done here. They're flying to another group of flowers. Come, let's check those herds.”

Amber and her soul mate fly off together to check the nearby herds of wild animals. They need to sense their moods while they're grazing. They know it will change when the air fighters arrive.

~~~000~~~

The four knights turn and open the doors for the royal entourage. They enter into the foyer. Two knights at the throne room entrance open the double doors for them. They close the doors once everyone is inside.

They all enter in the throne room. It is brightly lit with the crystals. They see the tables and chairs have been rearranged in a circular pattern. There is a banner for each kingdom near the tables.

Each kingdom member takes their seats near their banner. King Tierion and Queen Shiranna take their seats that are the near the front of the throne room.

The kings and queens’ chairs are fully padded and decorated as such for royalty. The other chairs are padded, but not as luxuriously as the royal chairs.

Sitting with King Tierion and Queen Shiranna is wizard Renard and sorceress Trianna.

Once everyone takes their seat King Tierion begins the meeting.

“Good morning, everyone.”

“Good morning.” Everyone responds.

“Well, as you can see when you arrived, the scout ship appeared here in our court yard. We would like to give a summary of what happened last night.”

“Please do, King Tierion. We’re very curious about it.”

“Wizard Renard, please give an account of last night.”

“Yes, my King. When the scout ship arrived, I was able to open the doors. It used the same four tone melody from the first scout ship. Braden and I went inside and put the crew to sleep right away. They were unconscious any way when we got inside. King Tierion then told us we need to check out the crew and the ship itself. Richard, Sir Trenton, Sir Halgren, Braden and I went inside to check it out. Richard accessed their machines and determined that only the distress signal was sent and nothing else. We checked out the crew members. All of them had the implants. Richard powered down the scout ship. Then Braden and I removed the implants.”

“Did the implants explode, Renard?”

“No they didn't, King Loran. Sir Trenton set up a tub of water for us just in case. When I removed the first implant and put it in the water, it didn't explode.”

“That's odd.”

“We thought so too. Then Richard made a good observation comparison.”

“What was it?”

“The first implants exploded when the first three crewmen experienced stress in recalling their memories. The implants were suppressing their old memories.”

“I see.”

“So, when we put these crewmen to sleep right away, they didn't experience any memory stress problems.”

“Now I see why our forces are trying to put the ship crew fast asleep when they get on board first.”

“That's right, King Jeriel. When we opened the implant, we saw it was still active despite being in our Ethereal Space.”

“That means our forces on board the star ship have to be wary of any situation up there.”

“Yes, King Sherwyn. It is very important.”

“So we removed the rest of the implants safely last night. They are being held in the holding cells below here.”

“That's very good, King Tierion. Now we can take them with us and hold them in our own kingdoms.”

“The leader's name is Yisrati. The others are Traven, Colban and Evande.”

“The four men will be split up, two to the northern kingdoms and two to the southern kingdoms.”

“I imagine Ringol and Eirecann will take one each. Who will take the other two to the southern kingdoms?”

“Why don't the Laurentil and Maranelle Islands Kingdoms take them? I have plenty of room on Nevidre being the anchor kingdom there for the potential refugee problem.”

“Do you agree, King Gregor and King Hilmar?”

The look at each other and nod their heads up and down.

“We agree, King Tierion and King Sherwyn.”

“Very good. Is there anything else that we need to discuss while we're here?”

“I have one concerning our defense strategy.”

“What is it, King Loran?”

“The Legion Commanders seem to have a handle on it when the air fighters come. The dragons should be able to defeat them. Is it possible that one can slip through and cause damage on our surface?”

“That's a very good possibility. If the barrier shields are still on. They will be difficult to bring down. Then we'll have to use our wizards and sorceresses to help defend us.”

“What if they attack a town or port that is not defended well?”

“That is a problem. You will need to send word to your Legion or to the Castle Lord nearby that has the means to help you.”

“The wizards can send boulders and logs at the air fighters.”

“They will need protection as they are doing that, Sir Jeriel.”

“Yes they will, King Gregor.”

“Don't forget, King Loran. These air fighters will be in our skies and the Ethereal Space. The dragons will know where they are.”

“Yes they have been looking forward to this for days. It is more than doing something new, they are proving to themselves they can help us defend Twainor.”

“I see, King Gregor. How many do you think will come?”

“That's the hard part. If Mal-tor is right, it will be two hundred in the first wave. Then the one hundred outside the star ship will be sent. You divide that up among the kingdoms, it's not so bad as you think.”

“Perhaps, King Tierion. I’m worried about their weapons. They can inflict a lot of damage.”

“Perhaps, King Gregor. But we must trust the Maker that we will win.”

“Yes, this trust is just like when we sent the call out for our Outside Helpers the first time. We didn't know who was going to come.”

“That's true Queen Mirielle. Each one is different with their abilities. Now we need to rescue them as well.”

“Yes we must rescue them and the crew as well from the Nefelim.”

“When I heard the word Nefelim, I didn't know what it meant.”

“We know that word now, King Sherwyn. I'm surprised as well of the connections that are being made between Twainor and Earth. Obviously the Maker has a plan that has not been fully revealed yet.”

“Yes, the Maker has a plan. We're just one piece to the puzzle. More of it will be revealed if we are still here days from now.”

“Then we must hold fast to the plans that are being laid now. They show the most promise to succeed. We must be united in this together.”

“The Earth Wizard was right in saying that Twainor's greatest strength is when we are all working together.”

“That's right, Wizard Corrbas. Thank you for the reminder.”

“You're welcome.”

“So, my friends. Let's act together at this time. I have four scout ship crewmen below that need to be in separate kingdoms.”

“Yes, King Tierion. Let's retrieve them.”

“I think it will be best that we do it one kingdom at a time down below. There are four stretchers in the hallways down there already. Bring them out here to the courtyard. Then you can arrange yourselves how you want to fly back.”

“That's a good idea, King Tierion.”

They all stand up together. Everyone hears this and they agree as well to the plan.

The wizards and knights leave first. They open the doors to the throne room. They see the Captain of the Guard standing there for Thryson Kingdom.

“Come this way my friends, my name is Sir Largan. I'm the Captain of the Guard.”

~~~000~~~

“While they are doing that my friends. We can go out into the courtyard and enjoy another beautiful day there.”

They look at each other and agree to that.

They all get up and walk out together. The knights open the doors for them as they exit the castle.

They walk among the flower gardens. The Kings agree that it is another beautiful day. It helps them relax for the days ahead. The women definitely see the need to remember the beauty that the Maker has created for them.

They walk in small groups here and there as they enjoy the sights and aroma of the garden.

~~~000~~~

Meanwhile, back on Earth about three weeks ago, an elderly man is seen walking into a three-story building in Charlottesville, NC.

He enters an elevator on the main level. He pushes the button for the second floor. The door closes and the car moves up to the second floor. The elevator doors open and walks into the hallway.

He walks past several doors on his left and right-hand side until he gets to the last one on the end.

He sees a nice wooden door with small sectioned windows on the left side of the door. He sees the sign indicating his destination.

He opens the door and walks up to the secretary. She looks up and sees him standing in front of her.

“Hello, sir. Welcome to the Dawson Law Firm. How can we help you? Do you need some legal advice?”

Looking at the name on the desk. “Thank you, Brenda. I have an appointment to see Ms. Anna Dawson. My name is a bit unusual, but you can call me Grand Elder.”

“Let me take a look on the appointment screen.” Brenda touches a few symbols on the screen. The screen changes and looks for the entry. “Here it is. Yes, please have a seat. I'll inform her that you are here.”

“Thank you.” He turns around and sits down on a cushioned chair. He looks around and sees how the office is working.

Richard has a good lawyer. You don't have too many of those. She has done well in looking after him and his family interests. The Maker needs to make sure there is legal protection for Richard and his family for generations to come.

It will be taken care of Wizard. Thank you for your concern. Ms. Dawson will not lack a relative to over see Richard's needs.

Thank you, Maker.

Brenda pushes a button on the intercom. “Ms. Dawson, your ten o'clock appointment is here.”

“Thank you. I'll be out shortly.”

Brenda continues her work at her desk.

Then the door opens to the main office.

“Welcome, Grand Elder. It's an honor to meet someone who has connections to the local Cherokee Nation.”

He stands up and greets her, “Thank you, Ms. Dawson.”

“Please come inside and sit down.”

“Thank you.”

They both enter in Ms. Dawson's office. She sits behind her desk. The Grand Elder sits in the chair opposite from her.

“What can I do for you?”

“Well, it's a bit hard to describe. This is really about one of your clients. His name is Richard Moore.”

“Richard? I know him well. Is all well with him since he lost his family?”

“From what I can figure out, he's doing fine at NC State. As you know, he'll be taking a summer vacation when the semester ends soon.”

“Yes, he gave me his schedule at the beginning of the year. He's not taking any courses during the summer because of his personal situation.” He must know the NC State class schedule.

“Well, I would like to make a request for you to meet him at his family cabin in Mount Blanc.”

“That's unusual. Is something going on that I should know?”

“Yes, as you know he's dual gender or intersex as some doctors call it.”

“That's not common knowledge right now. But, that's right if you've done your own investigation.”

“Well, it seems there will be a gathering there of more people at the family cabin. Some will be from Mount Blanc like the mayor, the Wilkersons, the police chief and some Cherokee Elders.”

“That is some gathering, Grand Elder. From that list, it sounds to be like a special ceremony of some sort.”

“It is Ms. Dawson. I'm also planning to have Dr. Sarah Mitchell to be there as well to check him out.”

“That's interesting. Is there anything I need to bring with me besides a copy of his file?”

“You'll you need to take some notes and your PC laptop. When Richard gets examined again, there will be some new challenges to set some precedent and for his privacy.”

“Hmm . . . a precedent. In what direction will this precedent be?”

“It will be a special medical case.”

“Hmm . . . I wonder what it will be, Grand Elder?”

“Let me write down the words for you. You can do some research in preparation.”

“Sure, I don't mind doing some homework.” She reaches for a pad of paper and pen. She gets up and pushes it to the edge of her desk near the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder takes the pen and writes a few words on the pad. He pushes the pad and pen back to Anna.

She picks up the pad and sits down and reads it.

“You're kidding me? You want me to do some research on this?”

“I am most serious Ms. Dawson. When I see Dr. Sarah Mitchell, I'm going to have her do the same thing.”

“All right, I'll do it. Can Brenda help me on this?”

“She can, Ms. Dawson. I know she will keep this in confidence.”

“Thank you. What day should I be there?”

“Make it for the first Sunday of the next month.”

“That's the day he'll arrive there, Grand Elder.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, let me take a look at the schedule.” She turns and looks at her PC screen. She touches a few symbols on the screen. The screen changes to the view she wants. She pages a month forward and looks at it.

“Yes, I do have that date open. I'll set it and be there. Besides it will be good to visit that town again. It's very beautiful there.”

“Yes it is. Plan to be there about 2 P.M..”

“Well, I better call the hotel there and make reservations. Hopefully there is a room available when I call. I'll check in the day before and be there for a week.”

“That sounds like a good plan. Thank you for taking the time for this talk.” Don't worry Ms. Dawson there will be a room available when you call.

“You're welcome, Grand Elder. Say 'hi' to Sarah for me. I'll see you in Mount Blanc on the first Sunday.”

They both stand up together.

“Thank you, Ms. Dawson. I'll give her greetings as well.”

Ms. Dawson escorts him to the door and opens it for him.

“Have a safe travel, Grand Elder.”

“You do the same. Be careful on those mountain roads.”

“I'll certainly do that.”

The Grand Elder turns and opens the door and leaves the office. The door closes behind him.

“Hmm . . . I have another question.” She walks to the door and opens it. She doesn't see the Grand Elder walking down the hallway. “He sure disappeared fast, Brenda.”

“Yes, he did Anna. Did I hear right you're going on a trip soon?”

She turns to Brenda and let the door close behind her.

“Yes, on the first Sunday of May, I will be in Mount Blanc, NC to see Richard Moore.”

“Are you going to need to take something?”

“Yes, I will be taking a copy of his file there. The Grand Elder wrote down some words that we need to do some homework on before then. Here is what he wrote down.”

She hands the pad to Brenda. Brenda reads the words.

“This is an odd request Anna. I haven't read those stories since middle and high school.”

“I know. I read those unicorn and fairies stories too. I've a feeling those stories will pertain to Richard when we see him.”

“Who else is going to be there?”

“There will Dr. Mitchell, myself, the mayor, the police chief and some Cherokee Elders. I think it will be a ceremony of some type.”

“It does sound like it, Anna. Well, let's get busy. You still have four more clients coming by today.”

“All right, we'll do this research in our spare time and compare notes.”

“I like that, Anna.”

Anna returns to her office and closes the door. Brenda continues with her duties at her desk.

~~~000~~~

Sir Largan leads the group to the main door to the holding cells. The knight on guard there opens the locked door for them.

“There is enough room here just inside for you all to be together. You'll see what once you get inside.”

They walk inside and see an anteroom and a hallway opening to the holding cells down below.

“Yes, we'll wait here one at a time until we are back here with the crewmen. Then we can leave together.”

Sir Largan leads the first group down below. They walk down the ramps until they see the guards down there and the four stretchers folded up.

“This is the first one here on the left. He is the leader, Yisrati.”

The Thryson knight recites the spell on his contact crystal and places it on the stone ledge. They see Yisrati in there asleep on the mattress.

The two knights connect hand to shoulder on Wizard Matous. He looks at the image and then recites the transport spell. They disappear in a blink of an eye.

They reappear in the holding cell. They walk up together and stand near him. The Eirecann knights bend down and pick up Yisrati. They hold him up together with one hand each and wrap their arms around him.

Then with their free hand they put it on Matous shoulders. “We're ready Wizard Matous.”

“All right.” Matous recites the transport spell and they disappear in a blink of an eye from the holding cell.

They reappear in the hallway. The knights carefully lay Yisrati down on the floor. Then they reach for one of the stretchers and bring it near. They open it up besides Yisrati.

They pick up Yisrati and put him on the stretcher. The knights pick up the stretcher and they walk back up the ramps and hallway to the anteroom.

They put him down and wait for the retrieval of the rest of the crewmen.

The next group walks down the hallways and ramps. They arrive at the next holding cell.

“This is Evande.” Indicated by Sir Largan.

“Thank you, Sir Largan.”

Master Wizard Arlen sees the contact crystal is in the stone holder and activated. He sees the image inside the cell room. The Ringol knights connect to Arlen. He recites the transport spell and they disappear in a blink of an eye.

They reappear in the holding cell. The walk over and get near Evande. The knights lift up Evande and hold him similar to first group. They put their free hands on Arlen.

He recites the transport spell. They disappear in a blink of an eye. They reappear in the hallway. The knights lay Evande on the floor carefully. They pick up the stretcher and place it near Evande and open it up.

The knights lift Evande and place him the stretcher. They pick up the stretcher and carry him back up the hallway.

The groups repeat the process two more times. Maranelle Islands retrieve Colban. Laurentil Islands retrieve Traven last. When the Laurentil Islands groups come near. Sir Largan walks up to the door.

“We're ready, Sir Talbet.”

“Yes, Sir Largan.”

He turns and opens the door to the anteroom. The groups walk out one behind the other. They walk down the foyer to the main doors. The knights open the stone doors for them.

They exit the castle and enter the court yard. They walk out there and space themselves apart. The knights put down the stretchers and stand by them until they're ready to leave.

The kingdoms see them entering the courtyard. They walk toward their respective wizard and knights.

“Well, I see they are here my friends. Thank you for coming and visiting us.”

“It's been an honor and a privilege to do this.”

“We'll need to get together again. Perhaps during the regional fall festival this year.”

“Yes, we need to do that King Tierion.”

Everyone groups together by kingdom. The knights pick their crewmen and hold him like before. They place their free hand on their Master Wizard. The Kings and Queens connect to their respective Master Sorceresses.

“Keep in touch, my friends. Have a safe journey back.”

“You keep safe as well King Tierion and Queen Shiranna.”

The wizards and sorceresses recite the transport spell and they disappear in a blink of an eye.

The kingdom groups fly back to their own kingdoms and get ready for another day in their kingdom.

Queen Shiranna puts her arm around King Tierion's arm. They walk back into the castle to resume their duties for the day.

Renard and Trianna go inside as well. They walk toward to their Mystic Order meeting room to continue their preparations as well.

Then Sir Largan orders the knights to pick up the stretchers and have them put back where they belong in the storage room near the holding cells.

~~~000~~~

Meanwhile, back on Earth about three weeks ago. The same elderly man is seen walking into a four-story hospital in Charlotte, NC. He walks up to the receptionist.

“Hello sir. How can I help you?”

“I'm looking for Dr. Sarah Mitchell.”

“Let me take a look at her appointment schedule.” She looks at her PC. She presses some symbols on the screen and finds her schedule.

“She's in today sir. Are you here for an appointment?”

He looks at the name plaque on the desk, “Yes I am, Ms. Patricia. I'm here for the nine o'clock appointment. I'm the Grand Elder from the Cherokee Nation.”

She looks down the list. “Yes, here it is. She's in room 314. I'll let her know that you're here.”

“Thank you.”

She pushes a series of buttons on the telephone pad and picks up the phone. “Hello, Sarah?”

“Yes, Patricia?”

“You're nine o'clock appointment is here Sarah.”

“Good, I'll be down in a moment.”

“All right.”

Patricia hangs up the phone. “She'll be down to see you.”

“Thank you. I will wait patiently.” He starts to wander around the lobby area and look at some of the art work on display. Then he starts to walk closer to the elevator doors.

The doors open and Sarah Mitchell almost walks into him and stops. “Oh, I'm sorry. I came down as soon as possible.”

He smiles, “That's all right, Dr. Mitchell. I need to talk privately with you for a moment.”

“Sure, come to my office and we'll discuss it there.”

They both enter the elevator car together. Sarah pushes the number three on the glass panel. The elevator ascends to the third floor.

“So, Grand Elder, what is this about?”

“It's about one of your patients. It's Richard Moore.”

“Richard? I think he's in college right now.”

“He is. Oh, and Ms. Anna Dawson says 'hi'.”

She smiles. “Thank you. She's a good lawyer.”

“Yes she is.” He smiles back.

The doors open to the third floor. They exit together and walk down the hallway. They soon arrive at room #314. She opens the door and they both walk inside. Sarah sits in her chair while the Grand Elder sits in the extra chair in the room.

“So, what about Richard do you need to know?”

“Well, actually this is an invitation. I would like for you to come to Mount Blanc, NC.”

“Isn't that the town where the Moore family cabin is located?”

“It is Ms. Mitchell. Richard will be arriving there to begin his summer vacation. I would like for you to check him out physically as a witness that he is all right.”

“Hmm . . . Yes, I would. I'm sure his state of mind will be ready to relax from the trauma he learned this year.”

“Yes, it has been an unfortunate year for him in some ways. But, in other areas it has been beneficial for him.”

“I see. Are there going to be other people there besides me?”

He smiles, “You're very astute, Ms. Mitchell. Yes, there will be other people there to greet Richard. The mayor, the police chief, the Wilkersons, Richard's lawyer will be there along with some Cherokee Elders.”

“Wow! That is some gathering of important people. What is this about really?” She stares at him.

“You're very perceptive Ms. Mitchell.” He smiles. I think she knows who I am. Have I met her once before? “It has to do with Richard himself. Something wonderful will happen during the time that you're there. I just need your expertise to make sure everything is fine.”

“All right, I trust you so far, Grand Elder. I have a feeling you're aware of Richard's physical status.”

“Yes I do Ms. Mitchell. I'm aware of his dual gender situation. I would like to give you some homework before you arrive there.”

“Homework? What do I have to study up on? A new medical procedure? I know the Cherokee Nation has an excellent resource in herbal medicine.”

“I need to write down what you need to study for.”

“All right. I'm game, Grand Elder.” she smiles. She takes a pad of paper and pen near her and gets up and hands it to him.

He takes it and writes down a series of words. He hands it back to her.

She sits down and read the words.

“You're kidding me?”

“I'm not, Ms. Mitchell. In fact Ms. Anna Dawson said the same thing.”

“She is? You're having her doing the same thing?”

“I am, Ms. Mitchell. I need you both prepared and not to be shocked when you see Richard.”

“I see. When are we having this meeting?”

“It will be the first Sunday of next month.”

“Let me check my schedule.” Sarah pushes some symbols on the PC monitor to bring up her schedule. “I do have that date available. I'll need to put a request in right now to the admin secretary.”

“I'm sure they will approve it on short notice.”

“It has been known to happen. That will give me some time to get ready. I'll be there.”

“That's good. Ms. Anna Dawson will be checking in the day before at the hotel in Mount Blanc.”

“That's fine. I'll do the same. Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Well, take your traveling medical bag at least.”

“What about x-rays at the local hospital?”

“There is no need for that. Just bring your notes from the homework and your laptop PC. Richard has a PC satellite connection in the family cabin if you need access for more information.”

“I'll do that. Well, this has been an interesting meeting. If I don't know any better, I feel like I have been talking to a well-known doctor.” She smiles at him.

He smiles back, “Thank you for the compliment. Well, I need to get going. I have other pressing matters to attend to.”

“Well, I won't hold you up any longer.”

They both get up. She opens the door for him. “See you on the first Sunday of next month.”

“See you then, Ms. Mitchell. Drive safe on those mountain roads.”

“I'll do that.”

He leaves the office. She closes the door. Then she thought of another question. When she opens the door and looks down the hall, the Grand Elder is no where to be found.

“He sure disappeared fast. Well, I'll see him next month.” She closes the door and sits back down in her chair.

“Well, I'll need a copy of Richard's medical records and x-rays. I'll need them for comparison later. I need to set that time off for Mt. Blanc. Fortunately I have some vacation time to use. I'll use a week and enjoy some fresh mountain air while I'm at it.”

She picks up the phone to call the Director and explain about the time off coming up. When she does that, she looks at the words again on the notepad. He wants me to do a study on unicorns and fairies? That’s a strange request. If Anna is doing the same, then it must be for a very good reason. Well, let’s get busy. I have still have a couple of patients I need to check up on.

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 16
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

I sleep through the night relatively easily. I get dreams of seeing family again. Then I switch to the good times that Brianna and I had. A little bit later the dreams switch to images of the Nefelim. I see giants ruling Earth before the Great Flood. I sense the fear from the people easily. I see them doing things they should not be doing. When I look at one intently, I shout out up to him. “I'm not afraid of you! Everyone has a weak spot!”

“Look at this, my fellow Nefelim brother. Someone wants to stand up to us!”

“That's impossible, Og. Not one of them will grow up to our size.”

“Yes, let's squash this cockroach. They crunch when you step on them, Lechstar!”

They both laugh together. “Hah . . . hah . . . hah ….hah . . . !”

I pick up several rocks and throw the rocks at them. I aim for their chests. “Go away monsters! Go back to the heavens where you came from!” I turn around to run away from them.

I run as fast as I can. “Maker of the Heavens and Earth, help us defeat them. They have corrupted your beautiful world!”

I run harder, then my head starts to clear as I wake up.

~~~000~~~

I'm panting like crazy like I'm still running. I try to slow it down. I hear the men waking up from their sleep. They get up and start to get ready for the day. They see me with my eyes open.

“It's time to get up, Richard.”

“You look tired, Richard. Did you have a bad dream last night?”

I sit up on the edge of the bed. I see Halgren getting up as well. “Not really, sirs. For the most part I slept well. The last one was a scene from Earth's past. It was before the Great Flood.”

“What did you see and hear?”

“I saw two giants. Their names are Og and Lechstar.”

“Well, don't dwell on it too long. You have a big day ahead.”

“Right. I'll get dressed now.” I know Og's name. Who is Lechstar? Eingana mentioned his name the other day. If that was Lechstar I saw in the dream, these Nefelim are very dangerous.

I take off the night shorts and fold them up and lay them on the bed. I open the floor chest and take out my clothes. I put on my underwear and working shorts. I then take off the night shirt. I fold that up and put in the chest. I take the folded night shorts and put them there as well and close the floor chest.

I put on my T-shirt and tuck it into the shorts. I then put on the breast and back plate with the padding. I latch the sides. I sit back down on the bed. I put on the leggings with the leg armor. I leave the calf pieces loose. I stand back up and attach them to the breast and back plate. I put the arm padding on with its armor. I attach them to the breast and back plate at the shoulder points.

I sit down and put on the stealth pants and tie the draw string tight. I scrunch up the stealth pants to the knees. I then put the boots on and attach the calf parts of the armor. I pull the boot laces tight and tie them off through the slit openings. I tuck the extra lace to hide them. I then push down the stealth pants.

I stand up and put on the shirt. I put the cord belt around my waist and tie that. I then put on the ranger jacket. Looking in the mirror, I comb my hair and put on my medallion.

I fix my bed as I see everyone else does it. I make it look neat for an inspection. I put on my satchel, then I pick up the wrist bow gauntlets, the helmet. I look around and see that everyone is done getting dressed for the day.

“Is everyone ready?” asks Sir Langley.

“We are.” We all respond in one voice.

“Good, let's get to the dining hall.”

We all exit the dorm room. We see everyone else walking toward the exit doors with us. We enter the fields and walk toward the kitchen and dining hall complex. We see the break of dawn on the horizon.

“We go in first, Richard. The commanders, captains, sergeants and other leaders. We have to eat first, and half of the Legion.”

“So that you can be on the field before everyone else.”

“That's right, Richard.”

“The other half of the Legion will be here in about three-quarter of a mark.”

“Our food is already on the tables to save time in serving.”

We walk inside. I see a large dining hall with rows and rows of benches and tables. I follow the sergeants and Sir Halgren to the front part of the dining room. I see the commanders standing behind their long table on a raised platform. I see a wizard standing nearby.

Sir Halgren motions with his hands for me to sit at the end of the table row to the front. Sir Halgren stands on the other side from me.

I look around and see everyone remain standing when the men arrive at their table setting. Then someone shouts, “All in!”

“Good morning, Thryson Kingdom.”

“Good morning, commanders,” everyone responds at once.

“We just received word from the night watch with the Seeing Stones. The star ship is on its way. They have taken the bait.”

Everyone looks at each other. Some have smiles. Some have worried faces.

“We must keep to our schedule by all means possible. The one hundred and ten who have been chosen are already on the sailing vessels in Angathorn Kingdom. Richard and Sir Halgren are here today. Tomorrow they will be on the sailing vessels. Wizard Gryphon, please give the morning Thanks.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton. Maker, we just want to thank you for another day on Twainor. As we speak, the enemy comes to take your creation from us and from you. Let this food give us the strength to do great and mighty deeds. Thank you, Maker.”

Everyone responds as one, “Thank you, Maker.”

We all sit down and start eating and drinking the morning repast. There is a plate of food in front of me. I see other bowls of food in the center of the table.

My plate is filled with cold vegetables and nuts on top of several green leaves. I eat at a fairly fast pace as I see everyone else does.

I get done with the salad. I take my fork and stab at the fish pieces in a bowl and bring it to my plate. I see there is enough fruit for each of us to have two. I grab two of them right away. The other men quickly grab the other fruits for themselves. I take a bite from the fish portion. It is lightly spiced.

I take the spoon in one of the vegetable bowls and put a serving on my plate and return the spoon to the bowl. I drink from a cup near me once in awhile. The cup is filled with fruit juice. When it is empty, I reach for the pitcher and refill my cup. I see the pitcher refills itself.

We then cut into the fruits that we have on our plates. We try our best to be neat. We end up using our napkins to keep the chin and mouth dry as possible. We laugh and chuckle while we enjoy the sweet flavor. This will definitely charge up our batteries this morning.

We all get done in about a half-mark with time to spare. We talk among ourselves.”

“Well, that was filling. At least it is not heavy in the stomach.”

“I agree, Richard. You better drink another cup of juice Richard. Our next breather and water break will be at midmorning.”

I drink my second cup down as everyone else does. One of the sergeants picks up the pitcher and pours another cup for all six of us at the table.

I follow his lead and we bring our cups together and touch them together.

“To victory, men.”

“To victory.” We respond in one voice.

We drink the cup of juice down slowly. I wipe my mouth with the napkin provided at my place setting.

“So, what's the first task this morning for me?”

“You and Sir Halgren will be in the training fields helping each other. Sir Halgren will teach you the hand signals along the way.”

“After the break, then you will work with a squad to achieve a goal.”

“There is target practice along the way. Expect the unexpected, Richard. You need to think clearly and work together.”

“You will use your weapons. If you run out of certain weapons, you'll need to improvise. Don't collect your weapons and rearm until the exercise is over with.”

“Will I use the sleep spell today?”

“Not at first, Richard, it will be used after the noon repast.”

“That sounds good. I'm ready to begin my basic military training.”

“Then let's begin.”

We all get up at once. We start leaving the dining room. As soon as we leave the room. The kitchen staff comes in quickly and picks up the dirty plates, bowls, cups, utensils and napkins.

Once a table is cleared up and clean, more food is brought out. Clean utensils, cups and food bowls are brought out for the next shift.

“How many are served here, Sir Bratton? This is a very large dining hall.”

“It is, Richard. There are three dining halls really. Each hall can seat about eight hundred men. Therefore, in two shifts all five thousand men are served.”

“That is a lot of food being served.”

“Yes it is, Richard. Fortunately it only happens a couple of times a year here. When the Castle Lord's Knights are not needed here, only two thousand knights stay here year round with a dwarf warrior brigade.”

“So the rest of the knights go back home to their Castle Lord, but remain on call.”

“That's right, Richard.”

We start walking to the training fields. Then I see our group splitting up.

“Follow me, Richard.”

“Yes, Sir Halgren.”

Sir Halgren leads me to a station to begin with. “All right, let's begin with some hand signals. I'll repeat them until you memorize them by the end of the day.”

“Yes sir.”

“This hand signal is used for . . . ”

After a quarter-mark we review them again. Fortunately some of them make sense because I've used some of them on Earth. But there are some new ones to remember.

“Don't worry about it, Richard. I'll repeat them during the day.”

“I would hope so.” I smile at him. “I remember some of the easier ones, because I've used them on Earth before.”

“That's good. Let's do some target practice. Follow me, Richard.”

I follow Sir Halgren to the target range. I see various targets at different distances. Right in front of me are boxes, barrels of different heights and arrangements. There is a wall as well.

“You're going to use all of your weapons at each set up, Richard.”

“Okay. I can aim for any part of the body outline and other targets?”

“Yes, so let's begin. Start with the stars and knives.”

“All right.” I reach for some stars and knives behind the breast plate. I toss the stars one at a time with my right hand as I take them from my left hand. I aim the stars toward the chest. I end up scattering them. Some hit the sides of the chest. One star hits the center of the chest. After the stars, I start throwing the knives toward the arms and legs. Half of them hit the mark. The other half I miss.

“That’s not too bad, Richard. Use the sleep darts on the wrist bows.”

“All right, Sir Halgren.” I set up both wrist bows. I pull the level back as it pulls the string. I lock it once it is set. I then take two darts from my gauntlet and place them in the slots.

I take aim at the targets. I aim for the shoulders. I squeeze my hand and make a fist. I touch the buttons to release the darts. Both darts hit the mark where I aim them. I smile.

“Very good, Richard. All right, continue using the sleep darts. Aim for some difficult locations.”

“Yes, Sir Halgren.” I reset the wrist bows as before. I load the darts in. I take aim at the left wrist of the target and shoot it. It misses it by a dart width. Then I aim for the calf muscle right above the ankle. I shoot the dart. The dart hits the mark right on target.

“Excellent, Richard. Go ahead and use up the darts on both wrists.”

I repeat the process. After a while all of the sleep darts, are spent. It turns out my aim is about 75 percent accurate in hitting the target.

“That’s very good, Richard. Go to the targets and retrieve your weapons. Put them where they belong on you.”

“Yes, Sir Halgren.” I walk up to the target and pull them out. I store them where they belong on me. I walk back to Sir Halgren.

“Now move to the crates and do the same thing. This time, hide behind them for protection.”

I do the same thing behind the crates. My accuracy with the stars and knives is about 50 percent. My accuracy with darts is getting better. It is about 80 percent accurate.

“All right, do the barrels next.”

I walk up to the targets and retrieve my weapons and rearm. I walk back and get behind the barrels. I take aim at the targets and do the same thing. Just about I was to start I get interrupted.

“Richard, before you start, watch me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sir Halgren reaches for the stars behind his breast plate. He kneels down behind a barrel. I see no hesitation between taking them out and releasing them. He flips his wrists backwards once. He moves his hands forward in one motion. Both stars hit the upper thigh.

“You need to get used to aiming it from below. You're bringing it up to eye level. Also when you dive for cover, you need to throw them before you get there.”

“In my self-defense class, my instructor taught me how to defend against such objects and not use them against someone.”

“Hmm... that is a problem.”

“I think there might be a way. In my youth camping group, we would have different kinds of fights depending on the time of the year.”

“What are some of them?”

“During the winter we would have snow ball fights.”

“Snow ball fights?”

“Yes, when the weather gets colder. Instead of rain it would snow and cover the ground in white water crystals.”

“Ah, now I know what you're talking about. We have that here in our northern part of the kingdom and in Eirecann. You would make hand size balls from it, choose sides and let the fun begin.”

“That's right, Sir Halgren. During the other times of the year it would be the pine cone fight. The pine cone falls from a certain tree where I live. When it's dry and opened up, they're light and airy. You can't throw them far.”

“So it is like close-quarter fighting, throwing these cones?”

“That's right, Sir Halgren.”

“All right, think close-quarter fighting here. Put yourself under pressure a bit to get it done quickly before the opposing enemy does some thing.”

“All right, Sir Halgren. I'll give it a try.” I close my eyes as I picture a scene in my head. I look down at my feet. I can do this. Recall the intensity in the air . . . that's it . . . I see it now . . . I look at the barrels and the target in front of me.

A sergeant comes near to watch. Sir Halgren sees him. He puts a finger to his mouth to be quiet. They both nod their heads up and down. They both watch Richard.

I run forward to the barrels. I take out a knife and throw it overhead. I hit the left shoulder right on target. I kneel down behind the barrels. I peek around the edge of the barrel. I take out a star and side toss it with my right hand by flipping it immediately in one motion from right to left. It is like throwing a side arm pine cone. The star spins and hits the upper arm right on target.

I spin around on my back and sit down behind a barrel. I load up both wrist bows with darts. I turn my left wrist bow forty-five degrees right. I turn my right wrist bow forty-five degrees to the left. I aim between the barrels for the target. I push the buttons in the glove. Both darts shoot at the same time. The darts cross each other in flight. A dart hits the upper left thigh and while the other one hits the upper right thigh.

I breathe quickly real quietly. Then I hear some people behind me cheering me on.

“All right, way to go, Richard! That is much better!”

I turn around and stand up. I see that I have an audience watching me. Sir Halgren and Sir Langley come and put a hand to my shoulder. Some of the other knights come near plus some dwarf warriors.

I smile at them. They smile back.

“That is a big improvement. Just remember that frame of mind, Richard.”
“Thank you, Sir Halgren.”

“What were you thinking during that time, Richard?”

“Well, I was not concentrating hard enough at first. The stars and knives were missing most of the time. The darts were hitting a bit better.”

“Richard only learned how to defend and not be the aggressor in his self-defense classes.”

“Yes, that would be a problem. So, how did you resolve it?”

“I remember some close-quarter fighting from my youth camping group. We would have camping weekends at different times of the year. One month would be snow ball fights. During the summer it would be pine cone fights.”

“I am from up north. I remember having the snow ball fights with my friends. What are pine cones?”

“They come from a type of tree that produces them. When they get dried out, they're airy and very light. You can't throw them far. We did that during the summer.”

“I see. Then you would pick teams and gather up as many as you can. Then you defend your side and have at it among the trees.”

“That's right, Sir Langley.”

Then everybody starts to laugh.

“All right, knights and warriors you had your mini-break. Get back to your stations now or I'll order you to miss your midmorning break,” Shouts Captain Norston.
“Yes sir!” They all respond in one voice. They turn around and return to their stations.

The captain escorts them to make sure they get back.

“So, Sir Langley, I put myself in that type mind set.”

“That's very good, Richard. Now get ready for the wall partition.”

“What you need to do here is imagine this to be a corridor. You need to get to the other side to help defend that position over there. Hit two targets from this side without being seen. Then imagine that you're being shot at while you cross the opening. Hit all four targets as you move across the opening.”

“Okay, Sir Halgren.” I close my eyes and try to imagine the intensity of the situation. I picture it in my mind. I open my eye and run forward. I reach for a knife with my right hand and throw it overhand. The knife hits the right shoulder on target on the left-hand side.

I crouch down behind the wall. I try to look around the corner. I imagine a light beam shot coming toward me. I get behind quickly. I open my satchel and take out the small mirror with the handle that I brought with me.

I hold the handle and position it so that I can see around the corner. I see two shoulders showing on both sides of the corridor. I pull the lever back on the wrist bow and lock it in place. I take a dart and place onto the wrist bow. I carefully position the right wrist bow so that the dart just clears the corner. I use my left hand to position the mirror near the right wrist bow and I can see around the corner at the same time.

I aim for the left shoulder on my side of the corridor. I squeeze the fingers carefully to release the dart. The dart flies down the wall surface and hits the shoulder on target.

“Very good, Richard. Excellent use of the mirror.”

I nod my head up and down. I set both wrist bows and lock the levers back. I load a dart into each one. I then take two stars to get ready to cross the corridor.

I look to Sir Halgren after I'm ready. I nod my head up and down. I bring up my left hand and count down my fingers from three to one. When I reach to 'one', I get up and run across the open face.

I throw the stars quickly at the legs of both targets that are exposed. One of the stars hits the mark. The other one just misses it barely. I shoot both the darts toward the shoulders, by the time I reach the other wall partition I hit both shoulders right on target.

“Well done, Richard. Now you're getting the idea. You got four shots off. That was an excellent barrage to get to the other side and move to another position.”

“Yes it is, Sir Halgren. I agree, you used the mirror to find the target without revealing yourself. You used it to get the shot off effectively.”

“Thank you, sirs.” I smile at them. I breathe a bit heavily from that intense session. “Pant . . . pant . . . pant . . . ”

“All right, go and retrieve your weapons and rearm, Richard.”

“Yes, Sir Halgren.” I walk up to the targets and retrieve them. I put them where they belong. I walk back and see Sir Halgren and Sir Langley talking to each other. They turn to me when I get near them.

“All right, you're done here, Richard.”

“The next challenge is learning how to use your arm shields to reflect off the light beams.”

“After that you'll need some practice with the sling. You'll probably get more practice tomorrow on the ships. After that, then we'll have the midmorning break.”

“Sounds fine to me, sirs. Lead on.” I motion with my hands for them to take the lead.

We walk to another station. I see a wall with five openings. Sir Halgren and I stay behind the line.

Sir Langley walks up to the wall and turns around to face us. “In these openings are tubes with light crystals in them. There is a fan blade in front of them spinning slowly. Your task is to find where the light beam is pointing. Then reflect the light beam onto the target here on the wall. Once you find that angle, move that reflected light beam where you want it to. Are there any questions, Richard?”

“I do have one, Sir Langley. If I find an actual light beam hitting a part of my body, it will burn the clothing first, then it will reflect. Should I go ahead and remove the stealth outfit for now?”

“Good question, Richard, for your situation. Go ahead and remove your stealth clothes for this exercise.”

Sir Halgren helps me take off my stealth clothes. First it is the wrist bow gauntlets, the satchel, helmet and the medallion that come off. Taking off the jacket and shirt is easy. I undo the pull cord for the pants. We push them down. Then we undo the laces for the boots and take them off. Then we slip the pants off. Then the boots go back on. We tie them up again and tuck in the laces.

We fold the stealth clothes neatly and put them on a nearby crate. I put the gauntlets, the helmet and the medallion back on. I take the left forearm shield from the breast plate and attach it to the left forearm. I walk up to them. I do the same to put on the right forearm shield.

“Now let's see if you can find the light beams before we show them to you.”

“Yes, sirs.”

Sir Langley raises his hands toward the openings. He recites the light spell to light up the crystals. He recites another spell to spin the small fan blades slowly. He gets behind the line with Sir Halgren and they both watch me.

I raise my left forearm shield in front of me and I walk up to the line and stop. I see the light flashing. I look for clues in the air in front of me Come on, anything, even a dust particle . . . darn it . . . there is nothing floating . . . I know. I smile when I remember what to do.

I take my right hand and rub it on the metal mesh padding. I shake my hands in front of me while I blow the air in front of me. Then I see little specks of dust light up in front of me.

I smile when I see the beam coming down at an angle missing my waist on the right side. I get down on my knees and put the shield in front of me. I reflect the light beam onto the target.

“Very good, Richard. You used what is on you. We had some men grab grass and throw it in air.”

“Yes, then they realized there is no grass on the floors on the star ship.”

“If I have stealth clothes on, I have a better source to get some dust from there or inside my satchel.”

“There might be some dust on the floors up there. In my experience, no floor is perfectly clean.”

We all laugh at the remark.

“I think you're right on that, Sir Langley, no matter what world you're on.”

We laugh again at the joke.

“All right, Richard. Go and find the next light beam.”

“Yes, Sir Langley.” I look at the opening in the wall. I see a hint of color. Then I see some dust floating by near the opening. The light beam is pointing to my feet. I get on the ground and lay down. I put the shield up in front of me. I reflect the light beam and hit the left shoulder of the target.

“That's good, Richard. How did you know where it's pointing? You can get up now.”

I stand up. “I saw a dust particle float in front of it. It lit up momentarily.”

“I didn't see it. Your vision must be really good to see that.”

“It wasn't that hard. The opening in the wall is black. I only saw the light beam near the opening. It had a hint of color.”

“Richard, you said these light beams can be very intense in brightness. If that's true, they won't be hard to detect at all.”

“Yes, that's true. Our light beam weapons on Earth are very intense in brightness. You'll definitely need the gold visor down to save your eyes.”

“We'll have to remember that always, Richard.”

“Yes we will, sirs.”

“All right Richard, the last three will have to be reflected all at once. In addition, it will be recorded for proof.” Sir Langley takes out the crystal from his pocket. He puts his hand above it and recites the spell to start the recording.

“If that's the case. I'll just have to walk in front of them. But, it would be safe to know by blowing some dust in the air first.”

I rub both my hands down the side of my body. I put my hands in front of me and blow the dust toward the wall. Slowly I see some specks of dust light up.

I see three light beams trace in front of me. They're in three different directions. One beam is aimed at the shin. The second one is aimed at the upper thigh. The third one is aimed to the right of me, waist high.

“This is going to be a reach sir, but I will try.” I put the left shin in place. I angle it to hit the target. I move the right leg and thigh to the right a bit. I reflect it to the target. Now I have to readjust the left leg and shin a bit to keep it on target.

I see that having the right forearm shield on won't work. I won't be able to turn it to face the light beam. Therefore, I move my left arm to the right. I position the left forearm shield in place to reflect the light beam to the target.

“Unnnh . . . how long do I have to hold . . . this position . . . sirs?”

“Hold it, Richard.” Sir Langley ends the recording by reciting the spell. “All right, you can relax now. I've got it recorded.”

“Why did you want it recorded, Sir Langley?”

“You're one of about fifty knights who figured it out. That includes Sir Halgren.”

Sir Halgren and I smile at each other. We begin to laugh together.

Sir Langley holds his hands up to quiet us down. “This is designed to test how observant you are. Those other knights from here who are in Angathorn Kingdom right now, passed this test.”

“There were some who easily figured out two of them.”

“Well, at least I'm in good company.”

“Yes, we are, Richard.”

“Now let's practice using the sling.”

We walk over to another target range. Sir Halgren and I, we pick up a sling off the table nearby. We see a pile of dry river stones there on the table.

We each pick one up and put it in the sling. We start swinging it in a circle. Once it is up to speed and sure of our aim. We let go of one of the thongs. The stones flies toward the targets and miss it by a foot.

“It looks like we need more practice, Sir Halgren.”

“I'll agree with you on that. It has been years since I used one. Let's keep at it until we hit it ten times each.”

“That sounds good to me.”

We keep slinging the stones at the target. When we used up the pile of stones on the table, we discovered, we only hit it five times each. We each take a cloth bag near the table and we walk up to the targets and the range to pick up the stones on the ground. After we bag them all, we walk back and continue with the practice. Eventually we both hit it ten times.

“Obviously, we still need more practice, Richard.”

“Hopefully, we'll get it on the ships tomorrow.”

“I'll put in a word to Sir Trenton to let Sir Braxton know. His weapons master will see to it that you both get it right.”

Sir Halgren and I look at each other and agree to it.

“I think that is best, Sir Langley.”

Then we hear the bell sound out a single note. “Bong!”

“Come, let's get our water break, my friends.”

I follow them to the edge of the training fields near the dining complex. I see a series of tables set up with hundreds of mugs filled with water.

We get in line like everyone else. We find the lines are moving quickly.

“Once you get your mug. Drink it down, Richard, and put it back on the table. Then walk away and back to the field here. You'll see as you get closer.”

“All right, Sir Halgren.”

I look around and see how they are doing it. I see some knights drink all of it at once. Some knights drink half it, then pour the rest on top of their head to cool themselves off.

Once the mug is empty, it is placed on the table. Then the pages and servers from the kitchen behind the table take the empty mugs and rinse them in a large tub of steaming hot water. Then they take them out and dip them in a barrel of cold mountain water and place it on the tables for the next knight to take.

I see the tubs and barrels have spells on them to keep them filled with hot and cold water each.

When it comes to my turn, I take a mug and drink it down as fast as possible. “Thank you. That water is very refreshing.”

“You're welcome, Richard.”

I put the mug on the table and walk toward the field. I see Sir Halgren and Sir
Langley talking with some other knights.

They turn to me when I get near them.

“I hear you did really well on the target practice, Richard.”

“I had a problem at first, sirs. But once I got into the right mind set, the accuracy greatly improved, Sir Valmar.”

“Yes, it's very important to have the right mind set. Are you ready for the next phase, Richard?”

“I am Sir Valmar.”

“Very good. Follow Sir Halgren to the Confidence Course.”

“Come this way, Richard.”

“Yes, sir.”

We walk back first to pick up my stealth clothes and put them back on. Then I follow them to another area on the field. I see an obstacle course that definitely takes two people to conquer together. There are walls to scale, ropes to cross pits. There are targets to shoot along the way, beam crossings over an empty pit to learn your balance. Also there are a few more that will get your attention.

“As you can see, it is quite formidable. We will help each other through the course. We start together and we end it together. We'll encourage and admonish each other.”

“We have to trust each other and anticipate our moves right, Sir Halgren?”

“That's right. Hopefully we can get through the course at least two times. Then we'll work with a squad to achieve a goal before the noon repast.”

“Yes, sir.”

“All right, let me check the sundial for the time.” Sir Langley brings out his contact crystal. He puts his right hand above the crystal and recites the spell. Then an image of the sundial from the court yard appears.

“All right, it is half-mark past the Third Mark. Do your best and try not to get hurt. Get into position with your hands on that short stone pillar. Touch it again to end it.”

“Yes, sir.” We walk over to the stone pillar and put our hands on it. We get into a running position.

“Get set . . . go!”

We both run forward at the same pace. We come to the first challenge. A wall with a rope hanging down.

“I'm up first, Richard. Give me a hand.”

“Right.” I put my back to the wall. I clasp my hands to make a cup in front of me for his foot.

Halgren puts his foot into it and I boost him up while he grabs the rope. He climbs up and puts his right leg over and straddles it and sits on top of it.

“It's your turn, Richard.”

“Okay.” I grab the rope with both hands. I pull myself up slowly. I put my feet against the wall and try to walk up the wall. I reach for more rope and pull myself up. “...Arrggg!”

“You're almost there. One more time and I'll grab your hand.”

The rope is now shorter. Using my feet is no longer an option. I bring my knees in against the wall. I then grab for more rope. I then lunge forward and crock my left arm over the top.

“That's it, Richard.” He reaches down and grabs my right arm. I'm now able to get my left leg over the top.

“Whew, that's a climb.”

“Come on, let's get going.”

We both jump down on the other side. We run forward. Sir Halgren comes to a stop. “Down Richard. Shoot at the targets two times. Choose your weapons.”

“All right, Sir Halgren.”

We kneel down. I reach for two stars behind my breast plate. I concentrate on the target on the left-hand side. I throw them at the target. They hit the left shoulder and upper thigh.

Sir Halgren does the same and hits the target on the right-hand side.

“Very good, Richard. We'll get them later. Let's keep moving.”

We run forward. The next challenge we see ahead is two long beams spanning a deep pit.

“Arm your wrist bows while we cross over on the beams.”

“Okay.”

We walk up and onto the beams. I try to set my wrist bows while walking across. I lose sight of the beam. I stop for a moment to get my balance back. I set the wrist bows and load the darts in them. I then look forward and continue walking ahead.

I see Sir Halgren already across ready and waiting for me.

I make it across safely.

“Hopefully you'll do better next time.”

“Yes, sir.”

We turn around and run forward. “Get behind the crates and shoot.”

We kneel down again behind the crates. We take aim at the targets and shoot the darts. One of my darts hit the target right on. The other one misses the other shoulder barely. Sir Halgren hits both shoulders.

We run forward again. We make a U-turn to the right. The next challenge is a rope swing across the same pit. However, the pit is a bit narrower here.

“Oh boy . . . I hope I can do this.”

Sir Halgren runs forward first. He jumps for the rope. He hangs on as he swings across. He let's go as soon as his feet reach the other side.

I run forward and do the same thing. I jump for the rope. I hang on as tightly as I can. My hands slip when I'm at the bottom of the swing. I land on the bottom of the pit. “Rats!” I run forward to get out of the pit. I reach for Sir Halgren's hands. He helps me out of the pit.

“I hate it. My hands are not strong enough . . . pant . . . pant . . . ”

“Don't worry about it. Let's keep moving.”

We run forward a few paces. We see the targets ahead. I reach for the knives this
time. Sir Halgren does the same thing. We throw them at the targets. This time our knives hit the target right on.

We run forward to the next challenge. I see the most daunting challenge ever.

“It is going to take both of us to conquer this, Sir Halgren.”

“I know, Richard. It is designed that way.”

In front of us a staircase of crates. The crates are about chest high and all the same size. There is no rope to help us up. The crates are stacked four in a 'L' shape pattern. Four up one way, four down another way.

“We go up together. We come down together.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sir Halgren gets down in front of the first crate. He puts his hands on his knees and kneels against the crate with his back. I step into his hands and he boosts me up on top of the crate.

I turn around and sit down. I set my feet at the edge of the crate. I reach down forward with both hands. He grabs them both.

I pull to help him up. He jumps at the same time. He gets his right foot over the edge. I continue pulling and straightening out my legs. Sir Halgren is now able to get on top of the crate. I back up and get into position like the first time. I boost him up with no problem.

Sir Halgren gets into the same position as I did. When he reaches forward, I grab his hands. He then pulls me up and I jump up at the same time.

Apparently his strength is greater than mine. I get up quickly on top of the crate.

“That's two, Richard. Two more just like that.”

“Yes, sir.”

We alternate again. We both conquer the next two crates. When we reach the top we look at each other and smile.

“All right, let's get down the other leg here.”

“Yes, sir.”

We start jumping down. But we didn't at the same time. We alternated, so that one can steady the other and not lose their balance and have a terrible tumble down the crates. Soon we are on the ground.

“This is the last set of targets, Richard. We each shoot and throw four weapons at them.”

“Yes, sir.”

We both set our wrist bow gauntlets and load them with darts. We then reach for a star and a knife each behind our breast plates. We run forward and kneel down behind some more crates.

We throw our weapons first. We hit the targets that are exposed, no misses. Then we shoot our darts. Again no misses.

We run forward until we get to the end of the course. We touch the stone pillar and come to a stop.

We're both panting hard. Sir Langley comes up to us.

“Well done to you both. You did that in almost a half mark. You have time to do it again.”

Sir Halgren and I smile at each other. We put our right hand to the shoulder of each other. We walk around while trying to catch our breath.

“That is excellent team work on the crates and the other challenges. Check your weapons if you have enough for the next round.”

We both see have enough darts on the wrist bows. We then check our stars and knives. We both have enough to do it again. But, we'll need to retrieve them when we're done.

“I wish there is away to improve my hand grip on the rope sirs. It's embarrassing. Even this added weight from the armor is not helping.”

“But you did really well in getting me up the stack of crates. You have the body strength to do that.”

I nod my head up and down. “The only thing I can figure out why it is so. Musicians need to have quick fingers to play a musical instrument. My instructor did his best to help improve the strength.”

“What did he do to help that, Richard?”

“It is not difficult to create the exercise. One is doing simple finger grabs in the air.” I demonstrate doing that. “The other is using a handle with a rope attached. At the end of the rope you can put various weights. Then turn the handle while coiling up the rope. There are some others that I can show.”

“Yes, I can see that would be of great help Richard. We usually have our men hang on to an over head bar and pull themselves up.”

“We have that exercise as well, Sir Langley.”

“All right, get into position for one more run on the course.”

“Yes sir.” Sir Halgren and I say at the same time. We walk over to the stone pillar and get into position. We put our hands on the stone pillar. We look at each other and smile. “We're ready, Sir Langley.” We say it at the same time again. We then look at the wall and rope challenge.

Sir Langley looks at the image above his crystal. “Get set . . . go!”

We both run forward. Sir Halgren boosts me up first to the top of the wall. I need the rope to keep my balance. I get up there and straddle my legs on top. I then bend forward an offer my left forearm for him to grab onto. He grabs the rope and begins to climb up. When he reaches me, I squeeze my legs really tight and put my right arm and hand behind the wall to brace myself. He grabs my left forearm and I help him up as he swings his left leg over.

We look at each other and smile. Then we both jump down on the other side on the ground. We run forward and come to a stop. We kneel down and throw our stars at the targets. We didn't miss the targets.

We run forward. When we see the beams spanning the pit, we see the pit in a blaze of fire this time. I point to my wrist bows and lock the levers back. Sir Halgren sees it and does the same thing. We put our visors down to block the glare and put the face guard into place. We run across the beams with no problems. We keep looking forward and downward, I can see my feet with my peripheral vision. We feel the heat as we make it across safely and our clothes are not singed.

We get into position behind the crates and shoot our darts. Again we didn't miss. We run forward and make the U-turn to the right. We see the rope swing ahead. However, now the pit is filled with water this time.

I breathe in and out. Sir Halgren runs forward first. He jumps and grabs the rope and swings across the pit. He makes it across without getting wet.

I get an idea. I look in my satchel and take out my rope. I tie one end around me with a bowline hitch. Sir Halgren sees what I'm doing and nods his head up and down.

I keep the rest of the rope coiled in my hand. I run forward to the pit. I toss it before I jump for the rope. Sir Halgren catches it and gets ready for me. I jump for the rope and swing across. This time I'm determined to hold on to the rope.

Just when I make it across, I let go to land on my feet. But my balance is backwards. I begin to lean backwards swinging my arms backward hopefully to regain my balance. Sir Halgren immediately pulls on the rope to pull me back to safety.

We open our visors and face guards. We look at each other and smile. I take off the rope around me and coil it up and put it in my satchel. As we run forward we take out our knives. We stop at the line and throw the knives at the targets. Again we don't miss.

We run forward and see the stair case crates ahead. We do the same tactic as last time to conquer it. We get to the top at a slightly faster pace. We go down together descending the other set of crates like before.

Once we get down, we set our wrist bows and load the darts. We take our knives and stars. We run forward and get into position behind the crates. We throw the weapons at the targets and don't miss. We then shoot our darts. Again we didn't miss. We run forward and touch the stone pillar.

We breathe and pant hard to catch our breath. “Pant . . . pant . . . pant . . . ”

Sir Langley walks up to us smiling. “Well done to you both. You shaved off about one-half of a quarter-mark. Excellent team work.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Go and retrieve your weapons and put out the fire while you're at it.”

“Yes, Sir Langley.”

We start walking back to the targets and retrieve our weapons. Sir Halgren goes to the water pit and removes a board that is holding the water back. It flows through a channel and into the fire pit. The water puts out the flames. We see steam float through the air as the pit cools down.

Once we retrieve our weapons and are standing near Sir Langley, a squad approaches us. Four knights and dwarf warrior. We greet each other with a nod of our heads and laughter. We exchange names with each other.

“We saw you two work together. That is excellent use of the rope in your satchel Richard.”

“Thank you, Sir Landst. I fell into the pit the first time as my hands slipped through the rope. I became determined to not let that happen again.”

“Especially getting wet.”

“Especially getting wet.”

We laugh together again.

“All right, men. We have time to achieve a goal before the noon repast.”

“What's it going to be this time, Sir Langley?”

“You'll go through the ship layout here. There is a room you must take command of. Defend it while Richard looks for a piece of information that will help locate the other Outside Helpers.”

“Expect the usual resistance, Sir Langley?”

“Yes, but we added a few surprises along the way.”

“All right, we need to talk among ourselves to see who gets which detail.”

“I'll give you a few moments. Then walk over to the insertion point. We'll be ready when you start.”

“Yes, Sir Langley.”

~~~000~~~

Sir Langley walks over to the platform to inform the commanders. He steps up to the top level to watch as well. He nods his head to the three commanders.

“Richard is doing really well, sirs.”

“Yes, he is. We can see him getting better and better each time.”

“Richard gave me an idea for an exercise tool to help increasing the hand grip.”

“Tell me later Sir Langley. They're about to start.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” He turns to watch as well from the platform.

~~~000~~~

“All right, we must move together. Since you don't have a full shield, Richard, you'll need to be in the middle of the group. Get both of your forearm shields on now.”

“Yes Sir Landst.” I take them off the breast and back plates and put them on the forearms.

“You'll need them above you to protect us from above when we huddle together.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Expect to be attacked by people or weapons. I don't know what the surprises are going to be.”

“Why are you wearing stealth clothes outside your armor, Richard?”

“It is meant to provide any deception as much as possible. If the enemy saw the armor and weapons first, they might think otherwise.”

“I see, you need all the advantage you need on the star ship if you're there.”

“That's right, Warrior Kelgar.”

“All right, once we get into the room, we secure it and then you can begin looking for the goal, Richard.”

“Yes, sirs. Do we have any clue to know which room to go to?”

“No, we don't. But I think it will be a commander type room. Some of our wood craftsmen made some props and copies from the scout ship to give it that feel of being there.”

“That sounds good to me.”

We walk together to the insertion point near the edge of the floor layout. We see hallways intersecting with hallways. We also see a very light fog in the air. Obviously needed to see the light beams.

The four knights form a vanguard in front of me. Warrior Kelgar and Sir Halgren take the rear position. Sir Landst raises his hand high in the air. He then brings it down.

We carefully move forward in the hallway. As we approach a 'T' intersection, we get against the wall and kneel down. Sir Landst takes out a small mirror to look around the corners. We see several light beams shoot by. Sir Landst sees several shooters in both directions.

He looks at us. He points to his eyes then show the number two in both directions. We nod our heads up and down. They form a circle around me. They have their shields in place and stay low to the ground. I put my forearm shields above me.

We walk out to the intersection. Soon we are bombarded by light beams from both directions. Then a fire blast comes from up above out of nowhere. We see that we are reflecting the light beams away from us or back at the shooter. Some of us shoot darts at them. Then the next instant the light beams stops shooting. We see four knights lying on the ground asleep.

We turn left as a group and walk down the hallway with our shields up. We open the doors one by one along the way. We put to sleep anyone who comes our way. It takes five rooms before we find the one we're looking for.

We are met with heavy resistance when the doors open. Light beams are being shot at us. Then we get another fire attack from up above. Fortunately I have my forearm shields above me when we opened the door.

Slowly we gain the advantage in the room. We put them to sleep with the sleep spell or the sleep darts to take them down. There are about fifteen men in the room.

Once the room is secure, I look around for the prize. I see books on shelves and tables. On one of the tables I see a monitor that is a copy from the scout ship. I see a small box in front of it with cable attached to the monitor. I see that it needs a key for the box.

“Who is the leader, here?”

“It is this one here, Richard.” Kelgar points to him.

I get down and look for a key in his pockets. I eventually find it. I take it and sit down in front of the terminal. I insert the key into the box and turn it. The display turns on. It's probably from a data crystal they have. They probably put a spell on the key that activates the data crystal when inserted in. That took some imagination.

I see text appearing and speak it out loud. “Hostages are kept in a holding area on the fifth floor. This is the third floor.”

Then we hear out loud the bell sounding out. “Bong!” “Bong!” “Bong!”

We stop what we are doing.

“Let's get to the platform. We accomplished the goal.”

We help wake up the knights, then we run toward the platform.

The legion begins to get themselves in order by brigade. Sir Halgren leads me to stand off to the side from everybody else. Once we are present and in neat rows and columns, including the four dwarf dragons. We hear from Sir Valmar.

“Thryson Legion, attention!”

Everyone snaps to attention.

Then the commanders look around. Sir Trenton looks at Sir Valmar again and nods his head up and down.

“At ease, Thryson Legion!”

We all go into a relaxed stance. We look up at the platform to hear what they have to say.

“Well done, Thryson Legion. We had an excellent morning session. I'm equally impressed with Richard's improvement and in working with Sir Halgren and a squad to achieve a goal. That is excellent work.”

“When we come back after the noon repast, Richard has agreed to assist us to be an Outside Helper to be rescued. We'll do several scenarios to see if you can find him and the other hostages quickly. We'll discuss more about this after the noon repast.”

He looks around again. Then he looks at Sir Valmar and nods his head up and down.

Sir Valmar shouts out loud, “Thryson Legion, attention!”

Everyone snaps to attention.

The commanders look them over one more time.

Then Sir Valmar shouts loud, “Thryson Legion, dismissed!”

Everyone breaks apart and walks toward the dining halls. However, about one-half of the men walk to their own quarters or tents at the edge of the field.

As I'm walking with Sir Halgren, I see three knights walking toward us. We make room to let them pass. However, all three of them keep walking toward me. It is one tall knight built like Sir Cargan from Evenshard Kingdom and two average height knights.

I try to squeeze between two of them. However, I get bumped very hard.

Not again Maker . . . sigh . . .

The Summer Vacation
Chapter 17
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

“Uh, excuse me. I didn't see you.” One of the knights tries to apologize to me.

I think that was done on purpose. His tone of voice has 'ice' in his speech.

All three men are staring me down as they stand around me.

Sir Halgren sees it coming. He walks around to get behind them, when the three get near me. Some other knights and dwarf warriors come around as well.

“We finally get to meet the famous Outside Helper, Richard. The Maker must have picked the runt of the litter from his world, Sir Callahan.”

“I'm sorry, but if you'll excuse me. I....”

The tallest one speaks next, “That’s right, Sir Orslond. Isn't he the one who took down those four knights last year, Sir Thalstead? It caused all of us to be retrained.”

“Yeah, Sir Callahan, because of him our joints hurt for weeks after.”

“Look sirs. If you want, I can arrange a demonstration match.”

“No, you won't, Richard. It's going to be on our terms this time.”

The Sir Valmar pushes his way through the crowd with some sergeants and captains.

He shouts out loud, “Thryson attention!”

Everyone snaps to attention.

“Come on, break it up. Get where you need to be . . . now!”

“Yes Sir!” Everyone responds at once.

Everyone breaks apart. The three knights, who bumped into me, stare and scowl at me while they walk back to their tents before they turn around.

Sir Valmar comes near to us who have gathered together, that includes some of the dwarf warriors, captains and sergeants.

“I hope you have something to teach those three men a lesson, Richard.”

“I do, Sir Valmar. I showed some of it to the sergeants last night before we went to bed.”

Sir Valmar looks at the sergeants and Sir Halgren to confirm. “Well?”

Sir Langley looks around before he speaks up, he sees no one around. “Richard is very deceptive with his strength. We did a quick and silent arm wrestling match last night. He had me on the ropes.”

“He also helped me up the stair case crates with ease,” adds Sir Halgren.

“I see. All right, keep it under wraps for now. Let's get to the noon repast. I”ll discuss this with Sir Trenton.”

We all respond, “Yes, Sir Valmar.”

We walk together to the dining hall. I stand at the same bench as I did this morning. We see the commanders and Wizard Gryphon up there as well.

Then we hear in the back part of the dining hall, “All in!”

“Wizard Gryphon, if you please.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton. Maker, we thank you for another morning. We are preparing hard to help defend your creation. We thank you for this food, because it will give us the strength to do so. Thank you, Maker.”

Everyone responds in the dining hall. “Thank you, Maker.”

We all sit down to see what is available to us. We see bowls of hot vegetables and cooked bird that are spiced. There is a salad plate in front of us filled with greens and a different set of cold vegetables. It too is lightly spiced.

We immediately fill our mugs with fruit juice before we start eating. We try to talk while we eat.

“Have Sir Callahan and his friends given you problems before?”

“Not until last year, Richard. They felt insulted that they had to be retrained.”

“I didn't feel that way. I looked forward to it. Some of us were getting soft using magic to defend and attack an opponent.”

“This arrival of the star ship is just what we need to get their attention again.”

“They're good knights, but it’s stunts like they did that will keep them from advancing in rank.”

“Well, maybe this time they will learn, Richard.”

“I hope so my friends. If all goes well after this star ship problem. Maybe I'll do some morning exercises with them to show them I mean well.”

“Yes, that's a good idea, Richard. You can show some of your routine as well.”

“I have no problem with that.”

We give a few laughs on that thought.

We finish our salad. We take our forks and go after the main dish of fowl and vegetables. After we serve ourselves from those bowls, I see those bowls are now empty.

By the time we get done eating the main dish, we have finished drinking our second cup of fruit juice. We grab for the fruits in the last bowl. We each take two kinds of fruits.

We cut into the fruits and have the same problem we had this morning. They are very delicious and sweet. Once we are done, we sort out the seed and rinds for the kitchen staff. We stack the dishes for them as well. The utensils are separated into separate bowls. We know this will help them out.

We clean ourselves up and pour our third cup of fruit juice. We bring them together like this morning.

“To victory.”

“To victory,” we respond.

“So are you ready to be a hostage, Richard?”

“I think so. It shouldn't be too hard. I do have an idea to make it more realistic.”

“Well, don't tell us. Tell it to Sir Trenton.”

“Yes sirs. I'll do that.”

When we finished drinking from out last mugs of juice, we put them down and stand up. Sir Halgren looks to the commanders and sees a hand signal.

“Richard, Sir Trenton, needs to see us.”

“All right, Sir Halgren. See you later on the training fields, sergeants.”

“See you both later.”

The sergeants turn to leave the dining hall. Sir Halgren and I walk up front to the commanders. They step down to greet us.

“I hear Sir Callahan and his friends bumped into you, Richard.”

“Yes Sir, they did. They almost demanded the terms for the demonstration match.”

“I see. I remember their attitudes after our retraining sessions when you left. Those three were not happy about it.”

“I heard from some of the corporals he wants revenge to prove that he is the strongest knight in Thryson.”

“Hmm . . . what are your tests that demonstrate that?”

“Arm wrestling is one. The other are leg presses.”

I look to Sir Halgren and smile, he smiles back.

“Good, I'll agree to that. For the arm wrestling match, make it a time duration match.”

“I saw it last night sirs, before we went to bed. He held his own against Sir Langley, before Sir Langley gave up. Richard froze and sustained it. It's incredible.”

The commanders smile at each other. “All right we accept the conditions, Richard.”

“I'm sure there will be the usual side betting going on?”

“Of course, we'll see if they have the money to back up their boasts.”

We leave the dining hall together.

“Sir Trenton, I have an idea to help with the rescue scenarios this afternoon.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“Instead of a pebble behind the scarf. Make it a pellet that will explode in a puff of smoke.”

“Yes, that will expedite the rescue. If it explodes before it is removed, you can be declared 'dead'”.

“I like it, Richard. See to it Sir Valmar. Get it set for the first rescue mission.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton. Come with me, Richard and Sir Halgren.”

We both follow Sir Valmar to another part of the field. We see several tents with flaps open. There are some tents for the healers. We walk inside in one of them. We see shelves set up with various herbs and ointments. The healers see us walk inside.

“Sir Valmar! Welcome Sir Halgren and Richard.”

“Is anyone hurt?”

“No, we are not hurt, Salia. I need some help for some rescue scenarios this
afternoon.”

“What do you need?”

“I need a small pellet that will explode in a small puff of smoke, Felton.”

“Why?”

“When I see Twainor's forces arrive for the rescue, I will have an immediate reaction like the crewmen had from the scout craft.”

“I see, Richard. I think we can come up with a solution. Salia, what do you think?”

“Yes, it shouldn't be too hard to make. Hold a moment while we get it ready.”

The three healers gather together around and start talking to themselves.

“We should use the dry white powder, we have plenty of that, Tamia. We know where the source is in Thryson.”

“Yes, we can put a spell on the pellet that will trigger to Richard's screams.”

“It should have a time delay of three counts before it explodes, Felton.”

“That sounds good. Do we agree to that?”

“Yes,” The other two ladies respond to the question.

They get the items together. Felton takes a large container from the shelf. He opens it and spoons some of it onto a very smooth board. Tamia takes a mold form from another shelf. She places it on the smooth board.

Then Salia spoons some white powder into the form. Felton folds the form over and presses it firmly. He opens it and sees the pellet packed hard. He touches it lightly. A little bit of the powder flakes off.

“It's going to need a sealing spell to hold it together, Felton.”

“Yes, but when we set the spell on it, the sealing spell will be removed and then it can explode after he screams.”

“Yes, that can work.”

Tamia sets the sealing spell on the pellet. She picks it up. “Please come over here, Richard.”

“Yes, Tamia.” I walk up to her.

“I want you to scream at the pellet that Tamia is holding. Then I will recite the appropriate spell for it.”

“All right, Felton.”

Tamia puts the pellet in front of my mouth. Felton puts his hands toward it. “Now, Richard.”

“Arrggh!”

Felton quickly recites the spells while I scream at it. He ends the spell. Then I stop screaming.

“It should work, Sir Valmar. It has a count delay of three, before it explodes.”

“Very good, Salia. Can you make about twenty of them?”

“Sure, that is no problem. If they are to be used on different people to be hostages, the spell has to be reset to that person's scream.”

“How about a certain phrase besides a scream?”

“That can work better, Richard.”

“All right, reset it for a phrase. Richard, use this phrase, 'I see Twainor's forces, I remember them.”

“All right, are you ready healers?”

“Yes, Felton.”

Felton takes the pellet from Tamia and holds the pellet in front of me.

“Now, Richard.”

Salia recites the spells to reset the pellet while I shout out loud.

“I see Twainor's forces! I remember them!”

Salia stops the spell. “That's good Richard. It is now set for anyone who says that phrase without the screams.”

“Good. Can you make twenty of those pellets? That should be enough.”

“Yes, we can.”

The three healers begin to make an assembly line to make the pellets. Once the sealing spell is set on the finished pellet, it's easy to copy the spell on the first pellet onto the others.

Once they are finished, they clean up the left over white powder and put it back into the container. Felton puts it back where it belongs.

Then the healers gathered the pellets up and put them in a bag with a drawstring. Salia hands it to Sir Valmar.

“Thank you, Salia.”

“You're welcome, Sir Valmar.”

We exit the healer's tent and walk to a group of captains and sergeants. We gather around.

“Are the squads and wings ready?”

“Yes, they're in a secure room, Sir Valmar.”

Sir Valmar takes out a pellet from the bag and shows it to them. “This pellet will
explode as soon as Richard screams and yells. 'I see Twainor's forces, I remember them.' It will explode on a count of three after that.”

“I like it. This will be a good test on speed from the squads.”

“I have one bit of advice about the timing of this sir.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“We know the star ship has an entire crew with these implant devices. Right?”

“That's right, Richard.”

“What would happen if they all start exploding on the star ship?”

“I see, it might cause some serious damage inside. The wizards will have to send the implants outside the star ship to be safe.”

“That's right. So, let's see if they catch onto the problem.”

“If they don't, we'll remind them and redo the scenario.”

“Do we all agree, men?”

“Yes, Sir Valmar.”

“All right to your posts, men.”

“Yes, Sir!”

They all turn and go to their posts scattered about the floor layout to be observers and leaders of several wings. Two of the captains return to the room where the squads and wings are kept.

Sir Halgren and I follow Sir Valmar.

“That's a good question Richard. We'll need to make sure that gets relayed to Sir Braxton and Sir Krellen.”

“You’re welcome, Sir Valmar.”

We continue to follow Sir Valmar. We see only knights who are playing the role of the ship's crew. We walk down the hallway and turn at an intersection. We walk down the hallway. Sir Valmar turns and opens a door. We enter in the room. We see ten men in here.

“This is a new scenario, men. Richard is going to be an Outside Helper to be rescued. You will protect him the best you can. But there is going to be a surprise reaction.”

“Once he sees the forces appear, he will scream a phrase. He will have a pellet tied in place with a scarf behind his neck.”

“So if the pellet explodes before it is removed, he will be declared 'dead'?”

“That's right. But if he is put to sleep before he screams, he is safe.”

“We understand.”

“Sir Halgren is here as an observer. Good luck, men.”

“Thank you, Sir Valmar.”

Sir Valmar turns around and leaves the room.

“Richard, go and hide in the cabinet there now. When you hear the bell sound out, come out and join us.”

“Okay.” I walk into the wooden cabinet and close the door. I stand in the cabinet and I hear voices outside.

~~~000~~~

“Why is he here, Sir Halgren?”

“You know why is he here. He's our Outside Helper. If it wasn't for him, we would have no idea how to defend ourselves again this threat.”

“How do we know that star ship is there? It could be a lie!”

“Then you need to look at the Seeing Stones if you didn't last night.”

“I'll do that!”

“Good! Now be ready for anything!”

~~~000~~~

Then we hear the bell sound out. “Bong!”

I step out of the cabinet and walk around the room. I see faces on the men who are trying to stay focused on the task at hand. Some still look upset as they look at me.

Then the door opens. We see a squad there trying to get inside. The ship's crew puts up a good fight.

Then one of the squad members gets inside. I see him come toward me.

I yell. “Arrrghhh! Oww! My head hurts! I see Twainor's forces! I remember them!” I relax and fall to the ground.

“Quickly men! We must get to him!”

A wizard comes forward and quickly puts his hands above me. He recites the spell to remove the capsule.

As soon as the capsule is removed, it explodes in the air just above me. The wizard and I are covered in white powder.

Then we hear the bell sound out. “Bong!”

Everybody gets quiet and stands up. Then we hear out loud from Sir Trenton.

“That's not fast enough, men. I have witnessed the explosion of these devices. The wizard and Richard are both dead. As soon as Richard saw Twainor's forces he reacted to heavy stress which caused the device to explode.”

“Twainor's forces have to react faster on the star ship to get these devices removed off the star ship or it is a tragedy for all. You have to get the crew asleep first before they react.”

“So let's reset the scenario and try it again.”

We all get up. Those who are asleep are helped up by wakening by their fellow knights and wizards. Darts are removed and reloaded. Then squads and wings leave the floor layout quickly and return to the secured room.

Sir Halgren takes me out of the room and we walk down the hallways until we see Sir Valmar coming toward us.

“That's a very good reaction, Richard. I'm sorry you died.” He smiles at me.

I smile at him too, “I'm sorry too, Sir.”

“Let's see if they're faster next time.”

Sir Valmar hands me another pellet. I place it behind my neck and secure it with the scarf there.

We follow Sir Valmar to another part of the ship. We walk into a room and we see Sir Callahan there with a bunch of knights. But we don't see his two friends there.

Sir Callahan sees us and gets really mad. He walks up Sir Valmar. “Permission to speak freely, sir.”

Sir Valmar looks at me.

I nod my head up and down.

Sir Valmar looks back at Sir Callahan. “You may speak.”

“Sir, why are we doing these exercises? They have no value at all! How do we know this star ship is for real?”

Sir Halgren steps forward, “Sir Valmar, I just argued the same thing before the first scenario.”

Sir Valmar looks at Sir Halgren and sees and hears he still has a dilemma. “I have seen the star ship in the Seeing Stones, Sir Callahan. Some of the knights saw it too last night. However, not all saw it. Believe me. It’s on the way. Richard, witnessed the destructive path of this star ship. We have read the historical records on the scout ship. What more proof do you need? Do you want to see it for yourself?”

“Yes, I want to see it, Sir Valmar.”

“You will or anybody else before you go to bed tonight. Will that satisfy you?”

“Yes, Sir Valmar.”

“Good. Now let's proceed with the scenario again.” Sir Valmar looks around the room at everyone.

“Yes, Sir!” Everyone snaps to attention.

“Very good men. Now let's do it again. We have to do this if something goes wrong on the star ship. We need back up plans and choices to overcome this potential tragedy.”

Sir Valmar walks out of the room. Sir Halgren leads me to a small crate and opens it. I step into it and crouch down. He puts the lid back on and stands guard.

The men try to calm down.

Then we hear the bell sound out. “Bong!”

Sir Halgren opens the lid and I step out again.

Sir Callahan walks up to me with a scowl on his face. “This is not over, Richard.”

“I'm ready anytime. Perhaps before the evening repast or after.”

Sir Callahan continues to stare down at me. “That's fine by me.”

Then we hear a commotion out in the hallway. The door opens up and we see Twainor's forces trying to come in.

They immediately start using the sleep darts and sleep spells as they make their way in.

“Arrrghhh! I see Twainor's . . . ”

Then two sleep darts are shot at me. One hits my neck, the other one misses me and hits a wall. I crumple to the ground and fall asleep.

A wizard comes forward and kneels down. He recites the spell to remove the pellet. The pellet appears and is set on a crate nearby. Then it explodes in a puff of smoke.

Then we hear the bell sound out again. “Bong!”

They all stop what they are doing. They look up at the platform.

“That's much better. However, the implant is still on the star ship. If you have one thousand of these to explode inside the star ship, people will die if the ship's hull is breached. The implants need to be sent outside the star ship before they explode.”

The wizard bows his head and realizes it. He nods his head up and down.

“All right, let's reset and do it again.”

The wizard puts his hand above me and recites the spell to wake me up. Sir Halgren helps me to stand up.

“Ow . . . that dart hurt my neck.”

“Sorry about the dart hit, Richard.”

“That's all right. Maybe I should remove the arm and leg armor for alternative hit sites, Sir Halgren.”

“That's a good idea Richard.” We turn around and help the other knights up.

When we help Sir Callahan up. I speak to him. “If it makes you feel any better, I just got darted in the neck.”

“Huh?” He looks at me.

“Yeah, it's a real pain in the neck.” I smile at him while I look up at him.

He smiles at me, “Good answer, Richard.” Then he scowls at me again, “But we'll still have our match later.”

Then Sir Valmar walks into the room. “Is everything all right here?”

Sir Callahan and I look at each other and answer at the same time, “Yes, Sir Valmar.”

“Good. Now let's reset and do it again.”

“Yes, Sir.” We both respond at the same time.

We break apart and go our ways. I follow Sir Halgren and Sir Valmar. Sir Valmar takes another pellet out of the bag and hands me one.

We walk out of the room and down the hallways to another part of the floor layout. We see squads and wings leaving the layout and walking toward to the secure room so they don't know what is being planned.

~~~000~~~

“We're getting better, Sir Landst.”

“Yes we are Warrior Kelgar. We need to get the crew asleep as fast as possible before any recognition takes place.”

“I'm glad we're finding this out now. We need to be quick in securing the area. Stop them before they make a run from us and hide.”

“I'll agree with you on that.”

~~~000~~~

“Sir Valmar, have the squads found anyone who tried to hide in the hidden corridors or rooms?”

“That's a good question. We'll need to emphasize that as well. Thank you for the reminder, Richard.”

“You're welcome.”

We continue walking through the hallways. We then enter a room. We see a group of knights there acting as crew members.

“Sir Valmar, I got hit in the neck last time. Perhaps it might be best if I take off the armor for the legs and arms.”

“Yes go ahead and help him Sir Halgren. I'm sure it was a pain in the neck.” He smiles at me.

“Yes, it was.” I smile back at him.

Sir Halgren helps me remove the armor for the arms and leggings. While we do that Sir Valmar addresses the men in the room.

“All right, this is going to be a new challenge. As soon as the squads show up in the hallways, I want some of you to put Richard into the hidden room here. Have at least three of you go with them. We want to see how long it will take for them to find Richard.”

“Yes, Sir Valmar.”

Sir Halgren holds onto my armor pieces.

Sir Valmar leaves the room and gets into position near the platform. He looks up at Sir Trenton and nods his head up and down. Sir Trenton gives the signal for the next scenario. He moves his arm up and down.

Sir Valmar takes the mallet and hits the bell. “Bong!”

When the wings show up in the hallways, we hear the fight going on out there. Then three crewmen lead me and Sir Halgren to a partition that is hidden in a wall. They open it, then the five of us enter into the room. They close the partition. Soon we hear the door open to our room. The crewmen put up a good fight, but they eventually fall asleep from the darts or sleep spells.

The squads and wings report in as they secure their area and to hear news from their wing leader.

“Have you found him yet?”

“No, we haven't Sir. He is not in my sector.”

“He's not in mine, Captain.”

“Where could he be? He can't vanish into the Ethereal Space.”

“Weren't we told there might be hidden corridors and rooms on the star ship?”

“Yes, that must be it, Wizard. Start searching for them via the Ethereal Space.”

“Yes, I will use the transport spell and find out.”

“We'll keep looking for hidden doorways. Come back here when you're done and report to us. Then we can decide what to do next.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The squads begin to look around for places to hide. The wizards recite the transport spell. They all disappear to start looking for Richard. Eventually a wizard finds the hidden room with Richard, Sir Halgren and three knights.

He reports back to his wing and reappears.

“I found them. There is a hidden room in the next room to the left of us.”

“How much room is there for us?”

“There is only enough room for two dwarf warriors, a knight and a wizard.”

“Good. We'll be in the room to help them out. Go ahead and enter the room and put them to sleep.”

“All right, come on friends, connect with me.”

Two dwarf warriors and a knight load their wrist bows with sleep darts. They put their hands to shoulder and connect with the wizard.

He recites the transport spell and they disappear in a blink of an eye. The rest of the wing runs to the next room to get ready.

The wizard appears in the hidden room. Immediately there is a fight with the three knights.

I immediately begin to shout out loud. “What's this?” Before I can shout another word, I see the wizard raise his hands.

The wizard points his hand palms toward us. He recites the spell to put everyone to sleep. Everyone collapses to the ground, but the wizard.

The wizard then starts to revive his squad. They slowly wake up.

“I'm sorry about that, Sir Wilton. I had to act fast.”

“Don't worry about it. You did what you had to do.”

“Yes, let me get that device removed first.”

The wizard carefully walks toward my body lying on the ground. He bends down and puts his hands above my neck. He looks at my neck and places his hands above the neck. He concentrates and sees the device in his mind. He then moves it to the Ethereal Space. Then he sends it to the perimeter of the ship layout. It explodes in a puff of smoke.

Then everyone hears the bell sound out again. “Bong!”

Everyone stops what they are doing. They look up at the platform and get quiet.

“Well done, Thryson Legion. Well done. You found Richard where he was hiding. You also removed the device in time before it exploded. Wake up your fellow knights. You may go ahead for your afternoon water break.”

“At the sound of the three bells, be here at the platform for further instructions.”

They all shout, “Yes sir!”

The wizards and knights wake up the rest of the legion. Sir Halgren and I help each other up. We then walk out of the hidden room and we see a wing waiting for us.

“How are you, Richard?”

We start walking out together. We talk among ourselves as we do.

“I'm fine, sirs. That's an excellent decision to put everyone to sleep at once.”

“Thank you, Richard. I had to react fast before that pellet exploded. I hear you came up with that idea.”

“Yes, I wanted to add a bit more realism.”

“It certainly did, Richard.”

“What time is it, Sir Halgren? I've seemed to lost track of time in being to put sleep.” I yawn out loud, ”yawn . . . ”

He smiles at me. “It's the Third Mark after the noon repast. This break will be a quarter-mark.”

“I've been thinking. This challenge with Sir Callahan should be before the evening repast.”

“Hmm . . . I think it might be best too. It will give you time to recover for tomorrow.”

“You're having a challenge with Sir Callahan?”

“He actually challenged me first, Kelgar. You'll find out a little bit later.”

“That ought to be interesting.” He smiles to himself. I have another chance to sting back a certain knight I know . . . heh, heh, heh . . .

We get in line with the others. Soon we are up at the tables. We drink our mugs of water and put the mugs back on the table.

I look at one of the servers, “Thank you. Excellent cold water.”

“You're welcome, Richard.”

I turn around and walk with Sir Halgren. We walk toward to the platform. We see Sir Callahan talking with his friends. You can see them plotting something. Sir Halgren keeps me away from them. You can see them smiling and laughing now and then.

Soon we hear the three bells sound out. “Bong!” “Bong!” “Bong!”

We all run to our positions and by brigade in front of the platform. Once we settle in and are in neat rows and columns. We hear Sir Valmar.

“Thryson Legion, attention!”

Everyone snaps to attention. Sir Trenton looks around at us, then he looks at Sir Valmar and nods his head.

“Thryson Legion, at ease!”

We all go into relaxing stance and look up at the platform.

“This next scenario will be the last one for the day. It will be your biggest test. We're going to have several knights and ladies to act as Outside Helpers along with Richard. Take what you have learned so far and apply it. We are looking for the fastest and safest time to take control of this level.”

“If an area is still not under control after a quarter-mark, contact the captain of your sector for additional help. He will direct a wing to your area.”

“We'll start at the next quarter-mark. So get to your stations, Legion.” Sir Trenton looks at Sir Valmar and nods his head up and down.

“Thryson Legion, attention!”

Everyone snaps to attention. Sir Trenton looks around at us, then he looks at Sir Valmar and nods his head.

“Thryson Legion, dismissed!”

Sir Halgren and stay near the platform as the commanders approach us after coming down from the platform.

“Here you go, Richard.” Sir Valmar hands me a smoke pellet.

“Thank you, Sir Valmar. This is going to be a good test for multiple rescues. Did you build some weapon rooms and healing center here as well?”

“Yes we did, Richard, and a few more important rooms. Don't worry. The squads and wings have been really busy.” Sir Trenton smiles at me.

I smile back. “So, which room do I go to now?”

Sir Trenton hands a note to Sir Halgren.

He opens it and reads the note. “Let's go, Richard, I need to get you into position.” Sir Halgren hands the arm and leg armor to Sir Valmar. He places it near the platform for safe keeping. The platform has several knights posted to keep the platform secured. Sir Valmar looks at one of the knights.

“This is Richard's armor, keep it safe.”

“Yes, Sir Valmar.”

I follow Sir Halgren to the floor layout. He leads me to a different room. When he opens the door, I see a layout that looks like a bridge layout from a sea ship. However, it has wooden furniture that is copied from the scout ship.

“This took some imagination. I like it.”

One of the crewmen talks to me. “Yes, we took some clues from the historical records and the interviews you had with Brin and the others Richard.”

“That's good.”

“All right, let's get into position men. Sir Halgren, please stand against the wall over there.” He points to it.

“Yes Sir. That is a good location to be out of the way.” Sir Halgren walks over to the wall and turns around. He faces the center of the room.

“There is only one door in men. We are pretending to be in control of a ship like our sea ships. Your monitors actually display views in other locations on this floor layout. You'll report to me the situations you see.”

“Yes Sir.” We all respond at once.

“Sir Halgren, give the signal we're ready.”

“Yes Sir, Captain Prestor.” Sir Halgren uses his contact crystal to contact Sir Valmar. He puts his right hand above it and recites the spell. An image of Sir Valmar appears above it.

“All set on the bridge, sir.”

“Thank you, Sir Halgren.”

The image disappears above the crystal. Sir Halgren puts his contact crystal into his pocket.

Soon we hear the bell sound out again. “Bong!”

“Sir, enemy forces are appearing everywhere.”

“I don't know how, our crews are collapsing to the ground. They seem to speak a foreign language, sir.”

“That's not good.”

“Sir, there are soldiers running this way.”:

“Get ready for a fight. Halt the ship's movement.”

“Yes, sir. They look like knights. Ow . . . my head hurts.”

Soon the door opens. A squad rushes in. In the next instance another squad appears in a blink of an eye on the bridge.

There is a brief fight. The knights start putting the crewmen to sleep.

“What? I see . . . “

Before I can say another word, a dart is shot at my arm. I fall asleep and slump in the chair. A wizard comes forward and quickly recites the spell to remove the pebbles and the smoke pellet from behind our necks.

Once the pellet is sent outside the floor layout, it explodes. The wing leaders
report to their captains the situation. That is relayed to the commanders on the platform.

There are about six more puffs of smoke seen outside the floor layout as well.

Soon we hear the bell sounds out. “Bong!”

They stop what they are doing and look at the platform.

“Well done, Thryson Legion. Excellent work. You did that in one-quarter mark plus a third. Wake up your fellow knights and report to the platform.”

The wizards and knights recite the spells to wake us up. Sir Halgren comes over to help me up. He takes the dart from my arm and hands it to a dwarf warrior.

“Thank you, Sir Halgren.”

“Are you up for it later?”

“I should have a clear head by the time we get to the platform.”

“Well, then let's get there.”

We start walking to the platform. Some men do a half jog to get there. We also see some ladies being escorted there as well. The 'hostages' all gather together off to the side. The rest of the men arrange themselves as before.

Sir Trenton looks at them again. He nods his head up and down to Sir Valmar.

Sir Valmar speaks out loud, “Thryson Legion, attention!”

Everyone snaps to attention.

The commanders look around. Sir Trenton looks at Sir Valmar again and nods his head up and down.

“At ease, Thryson Legion!”

We all go into a relaxed stance. We look up at the platform to hear what they have to say.

“That's excellent work, men. That's the way to do it. It is important to get them asleep first. Remember that always.”

“Tonight after the evening repast and sunset, we'll have a showing from the Seeing Stones here at the platform. We're going to show the star ship coming here. I want everyone here to see it. Is that understood?”

Everyone shouts, “Yes Sir!”

“Now, I need to take care of a very important matter before it gets out of hand.” Sir Trenton looks around, “Will Sir Callahan please report here, front and center now!”

Sir Callahan steps forward to the front and stands at attention then moves to a relaxed stance.

“Will Outside Helper Richard Moore please comes forward.”

I step out and walk forward. Sir Halgren follows me. I stand to the right of Sir Callahan. I stand at attention and go into a relaxed stance. Sir Halgren stands behind me two steps.

“I'm calling you out, Sir Callahan. What is your problem?”

Sir Callahan looks at me then at Sir Trenton. “My problem is Richard himself. He comes here last year and defeated four knights in Evenshard Kingdom with humiliation. Sure he might be quick and had some self-defense training. But he is small and weak in my eyes.”

“What do you propose, Sir Callahan?”

“I challenge Richard to a test of strength. If he can beat me, I'll acknowledge him as our Outside Helper, Sir Trenton.”

“What happens if you beat him?”

“He does not have my respect. I will ignore him.”

“Do you agree to the tests, Richard?”

“Yes, Sir Trenton. I accept. What are the tests of strength, Sir Trenton?”

“There are two that we have. It is arm wrestling and weight lifting with the legs. There are others, but will that do, Sir Callahan?”

Sir Callahan smiles. “That will do, Sir Trenton.”

Some people smile in the Legion. Some look at others with a concerned face, because they remembered what happened last time when Richard won.

“We'll have the first test up here on the middle platform so that all can see. It will be recorded for proof.”

The three of us walk forward and step up the stairs to the middle platform. We see a table and two chairs there. Sir Halgren and I get on one side. Sir Callahan stands on the other side of the platform.

The commanders stand near as well to officiate. Sir Trenton steps to the center between us.

“What is the wager?”

“I wager one gold piece.” Sir Callahan smiles at me.

“I wager one gold piece as well, and a bonus.”

“What's the bonus, Richard?”

“It's a time bonus, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Callahan looks at me cautiously.

~~~000~~~

So do Sir Callahan's two friends. They look at each other.

Sir Thalstead speaks quietly to his friend. “That's not good, Orslond.”

“Perhaps Callahan can still win.”

“I hope so.”

~~~000~~~

“If we're still at it after a quarter-mark. If the loser gets pinned or gives up. The bet is doubled and the winner takes two gold pieces from the loser.”

Sir Trenton looks at Sir Callahan, “Do you agree?”

Sir Callahan looks a little dumbfounded, then he begins to laugh. “A quarter-mark? You won't make it. I'll beat you in a blink of an eye. I agree, Sir Trenton.”

The crowd begins to grumble with wonderment to what Richard said.

“All right, sit in the chairs.”

I take off my jacket, shirt and breast and back plate armor and hand them to Sir Halgren. I also take off my T-shirt as well. We wink at each other. Then I turn around and look at Sir Callahan.

“Why are you doing that, Richard?”

“This is to show you I have nothing to hide, that way I can't be accused of cheating.”

“Fine, and I’ll do the same thing.” Sir Callahan removes his breast and back plate armor and arm pieces. He then takes off his shirt. He places them on the platform.

He starts to flex his muscles as we look at each other. He sees my build and begins to smile. I don't show any facial expression and keep my muscles relaxed. We then sit down.

Sir Trenton looks at the Legion. “You may break rank and make bets among yourselves if you like. Come no closer to the guards that are posted around the platform.”

Then all mayhem breaks loose. Most of the people walks forward to get near the platform. There are many bets taking place. All of the dwarf warriors and some knights are betting that I will win. Some knights say I will lose badly. This is especially true from Sir Thalstead and his friend, Sir Orslond.

Sir Callahan and I put our right hands together and make a clasp. We use our left hand to grasp the edge of the table. We stare at each other continuously.

“You're a weakling. I'm the strongest on Twainor. I beat Sir Cargan at the last Sea Gala Festival.”

“We'll see.” I stare back with determination.

We both tense up. Sir Trenton puts his hands on top of ours to make sure they're in the top position. He let's go and yells, “Go!”

The knights around the platform begin to yell encouragement to their favorite.

I hold Sir Callahan for a moment. He starts going for the advantage.

He mutters, “I've got you now!”

Someone yells, “Come on, Richard! Fight back!”

Just before he gets halfway, I start to bring it back with determination on my face. “Ugh . . . Arrggh . . . !”

I slowly bring it back. The look on Sir Callahan's face is priceless.

“What?!?! How can that be?!” He mutters.

“Way to go, Richard! Go! Go!”

The commanders, the leadership and Sir Halgren are smiling when they see this.

Slowly I get to the top. I smile at him. “Don't trust your eyes.” I then go for the advantage.

The people are yelling like crazy now.

“Come on, Callahan. You can beat him!”

“Yeah that's it, Richard!”

Sir Callahan has a look of desperation. He struggles to regain it by the time I get halfway down.

I strain as hard as possible, but Sir Callahan slowly struggles to regain the top position. He smiles at me.

“I'm better.”

Then Sir Trenton yells, “One-quarter mark!”

Then I look at Sir Callahan and mutter to him, “Can you save two lives at once?”

“Huh?”

He relaxes for a moment. I struggle to gain the advantage. He then doubles his effort to bring it back to the top.

The men continue their yelling.

“Come on, Richard! You've got him on the ropes!”

“Come on, Callahan! You're the strongest on Twainor!” Yells Sir Thalstead.

Callahan gets it back to the top. He smiles at me again. “I've got you now!”

“No, you don't!” I strain really hard to get the advantage back again. I slowly get halfway. I decide to go for it.

Sir Callahan sees that he is losing and almost spent. He face is getting really red as well as mine.

He then gives up, “Arrrghhh . . . !”

I slam my hand down as I pin him.

Everybody yells and cheers for the outcome. There are some 'boos' heard in the crowd also.

Sir Callahan and I are breathing hard. Callahan is shaking his head in disbelief. He rubs his right arm to relieve the tension.

I do the same thing.

“I don't believe it, but you beat me. How did you do it? I can't see your muscles under your skin.”

Everybody gets quiet to hear my answer.

“My instructor noticed my loose skin as well. He came up with a plan so that my strength is deceptive. Plus, he helped me to control the strength to save a life or two until help comes.'

“Does that include your legs?”

“Yes.”

“Sigh . . . He looks down, “Hmm . . . ” Then he looks at me. “I'll continue with the leg press contest. Here are two gold coins.” Callahan takes out two gold coins from his pocket and hands them to me.

I take them from his hand. I turn and walk up to Sir Trenton with a smile. “Do you know a family or two that are having problems in life?”

Sir Trenton smiles at me. “I do, Richard. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”

“You're welcome.”

I hand the coins to Sir Trenton. He receives them with a smile.

Then the crowd roars and cheers in approval. Including the dwarf dragons.

Sir Callahan sees the exchange and smiles to himself. Yeah, he would do something like that.

Of course the losers are silent which is about one third of the Legion.

Sir Trenton looks to the crowd and raises his hand to quiet them down, which they do.

“Pay off your bets now. Let's go over to the weight training area. Don't crowd in. Stay behind the roped off area.”

Sir Halgren and the commanders come up and congratulate me.

“Well done, Richard.”

“Thank you, sirs.”

“You have one more contest to go.”

“We'll see. I was hoping to outlast him. Now for a real test of strength.”

“Win or lose, its how you use it.”

“That's right, Sir Leland.” I put my shirt back on and follow the commanders.

We walk down the stairs from the platform. Sir Halgren puts the breast and back plate with the arm and leggings already there near the platform.

A knight who is on guard at the platform speaks, “We'll keep an eye on it, Richard and Sir Halgren. That includes the last match on our crystals.”

“We'll pick them up afterwards.”

“Yes, Sir Halgren.”

“Did you have any bets among yourselves?”

“We didn't need to Sir Halgren. We were rooting for Richard anyway.”

They smile at each other.

We follow everyone else to the weight training area.

We are surrounded by knights and dwarf warriors laughing at what they saw happened.

Then I see Sir Callahan arguing quietly with his two friends. They're agreeing what to do next. Then they walk with confidence and a smile to the weight training area.

We see it is a slope area down in a natural half bowl. We see a few thousand people gather around. The rest of them are using their contact crystals to see the contest.

We walk into the area. I see free weights like I would find in a gym on Earth, but the shapes are different. However, the lever machines that they have for legs, body and arms look different. They do appear to do the same function though.

I see Sir Callahan standing next to the leg press machine. “This is going to be on my terms this time, Richard.”

“What are the conditions?”

“There are two tests. First is the maximum weight. The next one is repetition with that maximum weight.”

“I've seen such contests on Earth. I even did it in my training program.”

“Good. Let's do the maximum weight now. I'll go first. Then we'll see if you can match it. It will be increased until one cannot lift it.”

“That's fair. What are the weight increments?”

“They are two shields apiece.”

I do some quick calculations in my head. Let's see that is about twenty pounds per piece if it is the same as the shield that I ran with the Forest Run. A shield should about weigh ten pounds. I turn to Sir Halgren and whisper. Some commanders lean in to hear the conversation. “That makes almost twenty pieces for my max. I can push it ten times before needing a rest.”

“I understand. Don't hurt yourself.”

“I'm going to need an extra wide belt to hold my stomach muscles in. That way I won't over strain it.” I demonstrate with my hands.

“I'll find one quickly.”

“You'll find one in the equipment and weapons room, Sir Halgren.”

“Yes, Sir Valmar.”

Sir Halgren leaves quickly to find the belt.

I turn to Sir Callahan. I see that he has taken the seat. “Put the weights on, ten pieces to start.”

I calculate quickly. That's about two hundred pounds.

Some knights put the designated weight on the machine. Sir Callahan pushes the weight up easy. He lets it down just as fast. The weights clack when he rests. He gets up. I sit down and do the same thing. I ease the weight down instead.

There is some hand clapping heard in the crowd.

“I thought as much. Put five more pieces on, knights.”

The knights put on the weight pieces. Sir Callahan sits in the chair. He pushes
the weights up easily.

We hear a clapping of hands in the crowd again.

He lets the weight down with a clacking sound again.

He gets up and motions for me to do it.

I get in the chair. I push the weights with ease and lower it down easy.

The crowd cheers when they see I accomplished that. I get up and turn around and see Sir Halgren with the belt. I walk up to him to take it from him. “Thanks, it's been easy so far.”

“You know your limits. Don't overdo it.”

“Thank you for the reminder.” I smile at him.

“You're welcome,” He smiles back.

I turn around and walk back. Sir Callahan orders five more pieces on the machine. He sits down and pushes on the pedals. I see the strain in his face. He pushes the weights up slowly. He lets them down with a bang.

The crowd claps and cheers. He stands up and looks at me. “Beat that!”

I put the leather type belt around me and clasp it in place as tight as possible.

“What's that for, Richard?”

“I don't want to bust my stomach muscles when I strain.”

“That's fine. Go ahead and try it.”

I sit in the chair and put my feet in the pedals. I brace myself. Then I push into it and lift the weights slowly. “Unnnh . . . “ I then reach the extension of my legs. I slowly let the weights down.

The crowd roars with approval.

Sir Callahan looks at me, “Not bad, Richard. I see it in your face. You're close to your max.”

“Same here, Sir Callahan. You're close to your max as well.”

“All right, two more pieces. Then we'll see how many times we can push it.” He stares down at me.

“That sounds fine to me.” I stare back up at him.

The knights put on two more pieces. The crowd grumbles and wonders how strong I am.

I stand near Sir Halgren and the commanders and whisper to them. “I should be able to press it five times.”

“All right.”

Sir Callahan sits in the chair. He huffs and puffs a few times. He then pushes the weight up once. He lets it down easy, but it slams when he gets closer.

The crowd claps and cheers.

Sir Callahan lifts the weights three more times before he gives up. He stands up.

The crowd claps and cheers again.

I see that he is breathing hard. I walk forward and sit in the chair. I put my feet on the pedals and prepare myself. I close my eyes momentarily. I breathe in and out a few times. I press into it.

The crowd cheers for me to do it.

“Come on, Richard, you can do it!”

“That's it. You can do it!”

I slowly lift the weight. I stop when my legs are extended. I slowly lower the weights back down. I don't slam the weights.

The crowd claps their hands and cheers me on.

I lift the weight two more times with no problems. Each time the crowd roars with approval.

Sir Callahan can't believe what he is seeing. His friends don't believe it either.

I push it one more time to tie him. I scream, “Arrrghhh . . . !” I push the weight to the top. I then let the weights down easy. But I let them slam the last several inches.

The crowd roars and cheers me on to do it one more time.

“Come on, Richard! One more time!”

I put my hand to my stomach. I hear the crowd cheering me on for one more.

I raise my hands to quiet them down. “I can go for one more Sir Callahan but I won't. I don't want to hurt myself at this time. We are so close to battle. I know my limits.”

The crowd groans with disappointment.

I stand up and walk up to Sir Callahan and nod my head at him and smile. I raise my right hand toward his left shoulder.

The crowd gets quiet. He looks at my hand, then he looks at the commanders. He sees their faces of concern. He looks at me again. He smiles at me and puts his right hand onto my left shoulder. I then put my right hand onto his left shoulder.

“I accept the tie, Richard. Let's each give a gold piece to help a family out.”

“That's a very good idea, Sir Callahan.” I smile at him.

The crowd roars with approval.

Sir Callahan's friends can't believe it either. Again they lost money to the others.

The commanders step forward to take control of the crowd.

“All right Legion. The fun is over. You have time to get yourselves cleaned up for the evening repast. Use your time wisely. Pay off your bets if you did agree with someone.”

Sir Valmar shouts out loud, “Thryson Legion dismissed!”

I'm greeted by many for putting on a great show of strength. The commanders come up and do the same thing.

“I didn't think you could do it. But you like you said, you know your limits.”

“Yes, but what I need right now is a visit to the healer's tent. I need some ointment or medicine to relieve the stress and strain. Moreover, I need a rub down. I don't want to cramp when I go to bed tonight.”

“Yes I would too, Richard. Sir Halgren, see to it please?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don't worry about the gold piece. We'll take care of that later.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Halgren escorts me to the healer's tent. We enter the tent and see the healers there. One of them is attending a knight. They see us enter in.

“Salia, Richard needs some tending. His muscles are strained from Sir Callahan's challenge.”

“We heard and saw it. Yes, we have something for you.”

“Come over here and sit on the table. We'll give you something to swallow. Then we'll do a rub down with some ointment.”

Tamia takes a jar from the shelf with a label on it. She takes off the lid. She reaches for a cup and puts it on the table. She takes a pitcher of water from another table and pours some water into it. She puts the pitcher back.

She takes a spoon and dips it into the jar. She takes out some powder and puts a level spoonful into the cup of water. She stirs it with the spoon. Once she is satisfied that it is well mixed. She hands me the cup of water with the powder.

“This will help you later when you get to bed.”

“Thank you.” I take it and drink the cup of water. It doesn't have much taste. It seems to taste like an aspirin that I know from Earth.

Tamia puts the items away. “All right, now lie down on the table. Let's do that rub down. Take off your pants and shirt.”

I take off the pants and shirt. They see I'm wearing a pair of shorts underneath.

Then Felton takes a big jar from a floor chest and put it on a table nearby and opens it. Tamia and Felton take a little bit of ointment into their hands. They begin the rub down of all of leg and arm muscles. They even work the stomach muscles as well.

“Oh . . . that feels really good. Keep it up.”

“Well, don't fall asleep on us.” Tamia smiles.

We all laugh in the tent.

“I'll try not to.”

When she rubs the stomach muscles again, she pauses and looks at me with a knowing look.

I look at her and nod my head up and down.

She bends down to my ear and whispers. “You have both organs?”

“I do, Tamia. I didn't know until my family died a moon ago or so.”

“I'm sorry you had to find out that way. I'll keep it a secret.”

“My King and Queen, Renard and Trianna are the only ones who know at this point in time.”

“All right.” She rises back up and smiles at me and continues the rubbing of the muscles.

After awhile, they are done.

“You're in excellent health, Richard. We can sense it while we rubbed you down.”

“Yes, it stems from my self-defense classes.”

“That's good.”

“Well that's it, Richard. You should sleep really well tonight.”

“Thanks.” I reach for my coin purse in my satchel and take out three silver pieces. “Please accept it. I know you get paid well by King Tierion. Use it for purchasing more herbs.”

“Thank you, Richard. We'll do that.”

“Now go so that we can have our evening repast as well.”

“Yes, my lady.” I bow my head quickly and raise it.

They all laugh.

I get myself dressed. I walk out with Sir Halgren. We stop by the platform and pick up my armor. The knights posted there then leave for their evening repast. We then start walking back to the dorms. We walk past rows and rows of tents near the edge of the field. Soon we enter the building where I sleep with the sergeants.

“How much time do I have until the evening repast Sir Halgren?”

“We have about a full mark.”

“Good, we have time to get a bath.”

“That sounds good to me. I'll join you. After what we've been through today, we definitely need it.”

“That's for sure. Leave your armor here. Just wear the stealth clothes to the bathing room. You'll get it cleaned as well. Bring a silver coin for the pages in the bathing room.”

“Okay.” I take off my shirt and jacket, I unsnap the latches and remove the breast and back plate and place them on the bed. I remove the padding from all of the armor. I fold them up and place them in the floor chest near my bed. I put the shirt and jacket back on. I bring my coin purse with me as Halgren suggested.

When I get done, I see that Sir Halgren has done the same thing. We exit the sleeping quarters and walk across the hall. Sir Halgren opens the door. We walk inside the room. I see a nice layout of at least a dozen brass type tubs. There are pages there helping the others in the tubs like returning clean clothes, pouring in water and making it hot, etc. I see some captains and sergeants in the other tubs.

One of the young men sees us walk in. “Come, there are two tubs over here.”

We walk over to the tubs. There are a chair and a small table nearby. We sit down in the chair and begin to undress. I take off the boots and place them near the chair. Then I take off all my clothes and place them on the chair. I slowly inch my way into the hot water.

“Ahh... that feels good.” I lean back and smile.

A page comes near to me. “I'll take care of your clothes. They will be clean when you're done.”

“Thank you.”

He picks up the clothes and takes them to a station to clean them up.

I take the soap from the table and begin to scrub with the small cloth and clean my body. “This is great Halgren. It has been days since my last wash on Earth.”

“I can tell you're overdue.” He smiles at me while he gets himself clean as well.

“Uh huh . . . If I took this bath tomorrow, I might be repelling the enemy downwind.”

Then everybody laughs in the room.

“We would all be, Richard.”

“How were you able to push that weight Richard? I didn't think it was possible with your size.”

“It took time to build up to that Sir Bratton. I can easily push forty shields. I estimate each shield to weigh about ten pounds on Earth. When he asked for two more pieces, I knew I could push it five times at least.

“But you felt something after the fourth push, right?”

“I did, Sir Langley. The belt helped me push the weight and keep from injuring my stomach muscles. It has been known that if a stomach muscle is too weak, it won't hold some organs when it is strained. I decided no more after that.”

We then get quiet for a moment while we continue to scrub our bodies. This soap smells great. I detect a nice smelling flower in it. I also wash my hair as well. It feels good to be clean again. I will probably need another bath if we win two days from now. I rub my face to feel my beard. It's not too bad. It will need a shave as well in two days.

“This bath sure does feel good after that rub down from the healers sirs.”

“I'm sure it does, Richard. Well, we've been here long enough. We need to get dressed for the evening repast at first shift.”

We all stand up in the tubs. We take a pitcher of water that's on the tables near us. We begin to rinse the soap off our bodies.

I look at the chair and see my clothes are there. They're all clean and neatly folded. Even the torn edges have been repaired. That's great. It’s just like new.

We step out of the tubs and step onto a floor rug near the tubs. I take the hand cloth and wring it and hang it on the edge of the tub. I then take a towel hanging over the back of the chair and begin to dry myself. When that is done, I get dressed and put the boots on last. I see a brush on the table. I take and use it to straighten out my hair.

I rub my finger on my teeth to feel them. I wished I brought a toothbrush. Chewing those mint leaves will have to do. I'll ask a healer for some advice later.

I look around and see everyone else is dressed and ready. I take a silver coin from my purse and put it on the table. I see the captains and sergeants do the same thing as well.

We walk out of the room and down the hall. We exit the building together. We see half of the Legion walking toward the dining halls.

We enter the center dining hall and walk to the tables where we sat earlier today.

We see the commanders up there standing with Wizard Gryphon. Then we hear a loud voice from the back. “All in!”

Sir Trenton looks at Wizard Gryphon, “Please give the evening Thanks, Wizard Gryphon.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton. “Maker, we just want to thank you for another successful day to prepare ourselves. We know the enemy is on the way to destroy your creation. You have given us hope with our Outside Helper. Let this food we are about to eat restore our strength. Thank you, Maker.”

Everyone responds, “Thank you, Maker.”

Everyone sits down on the benches and sees what is available for us. We see some different vegetables cooked up in the bowls. There are also fruits and grilled fish served up.

We pour ourselves juice from the pitchers into our mugs. We start eating the salad set before us. There are greens, nuts, cold fruit sliced and a serving of cooked grains.

All of the food is great tasting with the spices and oil on the salad plate. We begin to talk while we eat.

“When will I be going to the ships for the next part of the training?”

“Right after we get done eating the morning repast. We'll meet with King Tierion before we go.”

“All right, Sir Halgren.”

“The Navy commanders are in charge there with some Legion Commanders, Richard.”

“Don't worry, Richard. Sir Trenton and the other Legion Commanders have been in constant communication since we started. They know what has been accomplished here.”

“That's good. It's important to be on the same page. How is the defense going on here?”

“We'll be putting the finishing touches on it tomorrow while you're there.”

“We've taken your ideas and the stories from the historical records on the scout ship to good use. We'll be ready for those air fighters.”

“We just hope their barrier shields can be turned off in time.”

“If not, we'll have to use our wizards and sorceresses to fly in the Ethereal Space. They will have to place the bombs in them or toss them.”

“That's an alternative choice if it comes to it.”

When we get done talking, we see that we are done with the salad and the main dish. We pour ourselves the third glass of juice. We then each grab a couple of fruits for our dessert.

We cut them up and remove the seeds that we find. We have a great time in eating them. We hear everyone else in the dining hall enjoying it as well.

When we get done, we get ourselves cleaned up. We even sort the seeds and rinds for the kitchen staff. We also arrange the plates and utensils like before.

We each lift our mug and bring them together and we say, “To victory.”

We drink some of it. Then we see Sir Trenton standing up to give a speech.

We all get quiet to hear him speak. The other dining halls are seeing it as well with a contact sphere with the image displayed very large.

“Thryson Legion, I want to thank you all for participating these last few days. You've all learned how important it is to defend ourselves against this enemy.”

“I especially want to thank the Maker for sending our Outside Helper here in our time of need.” He points to me.

I stand up and smile. Then everyone begins to clap and cheer.

“Thank you, Maker!”

“Richard! Richard!” I let them chant for a bit.

I give a formal bow and raise my hands, they quiet down.

“Thank you, thank you, my friends. It's an honor to serve you this way. Now we need to get ready to save Twainor and the crew on the star ship from an ancient enemy.”

“To Victory!” I shout.

“To Victory!” They shout in response.

“For the Maker!” I shout.

“For the Maker!” They shout in response.

“For Twainor!” I shout.

“For Twainor!” They shout in response.

Then they all cheer and shout together.

I then sit down. Sir Trenton raises his hands to quiet them down, which they do.

“Thank you, Richard. Tomorrow we'll be going over the plans to improve our defenses when these air fighters arrive.”

“There will be mock battles in the air. The dragons have agreed to help us. They'll be dropping boulders on us here in the training field. It is up to us to use our wizards, sorceresses and our weapons to deflect these boulders away from us.”

“The centaurs, Avel and the fairies will be in the woods seeing how the wild life behaves and lead them to safety if they have to. We'll be doing this until the noon repast.”

“After that, you will get to go home to help with your village, town or Castle Lord. The King's Knights and Dwarf Warrior Brigade will remain here.”

“Take what you have learned here and use it wisely. After the sun setting this evening, gather by the platform. We'll show you the star ship from the Seeing Stones. That's all. Thryson Legion, dismissed!”

We all get up and walk outside. We see the second shift standing out there waiting to go in. The kitchen staff walks in quickly to clean up the tables and set the food for the second shift. They get done eating in about two-thirds of a mark.

I see Sir Callahan arguing with his friends again, so do Sir Halgren. This time he shakes his head 'no' as they walk away laughing.

I whisper to Sir Halgren. “I think Sir Callahan needs some new friends.”

He whispers back, “He certainly does, Richard. It looks like those two need some new lessons.”

“It will be waiting for them when it happens.”

We walk around outside and breathe in the fresh air. As Sir Halgren and I walk around, we are greeted by many.

“Greetings, Richard. I just want to thank you for coming and for all of your ideas.”

I shake hands with them as I talk with them.

“You're welcome. I've been trying to provide it so that it can be easy to understand.”

“We might be in a better position if those dwarves shared their knowledge a long time ago.”

Sir Halgren and some dwarves hear a tone of voice that doesn't sound well.

“Now listen, knights. I resent that tone. Even I don't know what they know in the designer and builder enclaves. It was a secret group. They felt if the rest of Twainor had this knowledge, there would be more trouble in the wrong hands. Moreover, they were trying to isolate the dwarf under kingdom from the upper kingdoms.”

The knights look at the dwarf warriors as if about to say something. The dwarf warriors look at me.

“I could not have said it better, warrior Kelgar. I may know more than the dwarves sir knight at this moment. I have to be careful what knowledge I give you. You'll have to learn on your own.”

“Fortunately the Ethereal Space prevents Twainor from doing greater damage. The safety measures have to be in place and understood as the discoveries are made. The other Outside Helpers come from worlds with problems of their own. They don't want to see them repeated here either.”

“There is one world where the people had to build floating cities to survive. They polluted the world with their war more than a thousand years ago.”

“I... I... I'm sorry Richard.” He looks down then at me again, then at the dwarf warriors. “I'm sorry, Kelgar.”

“You’re forgiven, sir knights. Do you remember what happened last year with the Wizard Ruald in the Maranelle Island Kingdom?”

“I remember. He used the knowledge for the wrong reasons. Twainor would be a different place if he had won.”

“The people who could use magic would be fewer and fewer. ”

“That's right. But the Maker intervened so that we have a chance to fight for Twainor today.”

“You mean to tell me, Sir Halgren, we could be destroyed if Ruald had won?”

“Yes, then the enemy would find Earth eventually and try to destroy it as well.”

“That's right or Earth would try and fight back and defend itself.”

“Wow . . . I didn't think that far ahead.”

“Don't worry about it. That's why you have leaders in place to do that. The scout ship was detected and sent to the surface. But still Twainor had no knowledge of the star ship yet if I didn't come.”

“They could have sent dwarf designers to try and figure it out. But their knowledge is limited at this time.”

“If Richard didn't come, we would have no help at all.”

Then the attitude begins to change in the crowd around us. They start looking down deep in thought. Then they start to hug me one by one. Sir Halgren and the dwarves smile when they see that.

“Thank you, Richard.” They slap me on the back.

“You're welcome.” I slap them on the back.

I do this to about twenty knights who come up to me.

Then we hear a voice near us.

“The second shift is done eating. Come it is time to gather at the platform.”

We start walking toward the platform. We see the commanders up there. We hear Sir Trenton speak.

“Look. Here comes the sun setting!”

We look eastward. Then we see the wall of colorful lights approach us. We all begin to clap, cheer and laugh during the experience.

The dwarf dragons are flying in the air displaying a unique combination while blowing flames in the air. We see birds and insects flying in the air as well.

We see the colorful lights intermingle among us. It radiates from our fingers with streams of light.

“This is great friends. It's too bad, I can't do this on Earth.”

“You did analyze the Ethereal Space to be used on the star ship. Perhaps you can create a room on Earth if you want to.”

“I could, Sir Halgren, but it's not right. If someone finds it, someone could use it for the wrong reasons and create great harm.”

“You're right, Richard.”

“But the idea of using their 3-D technology for computers will fit with us. We are heading in that direction as well.”

“Good.”

We smile at each other.

Then the light display leaves the training field. We see it leave westward. In about half-mark or so it reaches the Thryson Mountains. The lights flare up like a crown of rays along the ridge. It then disappears. Then we see the stars, the nebulae and the twin moons shining brightly in the heavens.

We all clap and cheer when we see it all displayed in full color and glory from the Maker. Then we hear Sir Trenton again.

“We're now going to display the star ship from the Seeing Stones. Richard, will you please come up here.”

“Yes sir.”

Sir Halgren follows me up to the top of the platform.

I see the commanders there with Wizard Gryphon. Then we see a lot of dragons flying from the west. They land in the empty parts of the training field.

Wizard Gryphon takes out his contact crystal. He puts his right hand above it. He recites the spell to tap into the Seeing Stones Observatory near Thryson Castle. Soon the image of the star ship appears as a small image.

Then he recites another spell to make it bigger and focus on the star ship. Then the image is made three stories high.

Everyone in the field grumble to themselves as they see it move toward them. They all have different looks on their faces. Some people looked astonished, even the dragons are very upset. A lot of knights and dwarf warriors have a look of determination on their faces.

“Oh wow . . . That's big.”

“Richard is right.”

“It's coming to destroy us.”

Some yell to encourage them.

“We'll win the day!”

“Thank you, Maker for bringing Richard!”

Then Sir Trenton speaks.

“Yes, it's on its way here. We estimate it will be here the day after tomorrow. We must have a clear mind always. Communication is the key. There will be two Legion Commanders assigned to the assault on the star ship. They will have a complete set of leadership up there. Navy Lieutenant Sir Palinar has been selected to represent Thryson leadership there.”

“They will know what is going on and will be talking to us on the progress. I will be here to help coordinate the forces of Twainor from here at the castle. Sir Valmar and Sir Leland will be in charge of Thryson Kingdoms’ forces as they have always done.”

“We must work together to help save Twainor. The air fighters will be fast and agile in flight. We'll be faster. Croin and the Dragons of the Rainbow Falls, I see that you are here. How is it going with your efforts?”

Croin and some other dragons fly near the platform and land near it.

“The land and sea dragons have been working hard to come up with ideas to bring them down.”

“The team work with the wizards is really working out great. Ryujin is doing really well to control his lightning. He will be very difficult to bring down.”

Everybody cheers and claps when they hear the news.

“Some of us will be here in the morning to help your ground forces practice your defense.”

“Thank you, Dragons of the Rainbow Falls. Have a good night sleep See you tomorrow morning.”

“See you tomorrow morning, Thryson Legion.”

Then all of the dragons take flight and circle around the training field. They shoot flames.

We all clap and cheer while they fly back to the Thryson Mountains.

Once we see them leave, we hear Sir Trenton again from the platform.

“Get a good night's sleep, men. Tomorrow is another day to prepare. Good night Thryson Legion. Your dismissed.”

The commanders then walk down from the platform. The men go their ways to their tents and sleeping quarters.

We begin to get undress and get ready for bed in the sergeant's quarters. We get under our covers and rest our heads on the pillow. A sergeant recites the spell to turn off the lights to the light crystals in the room.

We all soon fall asleep to a very sound sleep.

I have some pleasant dreams from home. When they seem to be winding down, the dreams change to Earth's past. Then I hear a voice coming into the dream.

“Fire! Fire!”