THE VROL TRILOGY Page 23

  "Hmmm, hey bitch, figured it out yet?" snorted Johnson, turning to the side and motioning to someone. "Come, my dear. Show Jennie who helped to bring her home."

  Alea walked out from the shadows, wearing a face of slight remorse. She was unable to look Jennie in the eyes, but still said, "They have my husband, Morgus. He still lives, and they said if I-"

  "Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Johnson interrupted with maniacal laughter, "you actually believed that bunch of bullshit?"

  Alea almost fell back, and would have if there were not two lower-caste soldiers behind to apprehend her.

  "No! Siegfried said that my husband would be released if I helped bring the girl! This cannot be true!"

  Ryder Johnson stood in front of the cell and appraised Jennie's injuries He pointed at the cell next to Jennie's and said, "Lock her up. Right here in this cell, so they can be girlfriends. Maybe they'll get it on and we can watch."

  Alea started howling as the soldiers forcefully pushed her into the cell, not even bothering to chain her to the ground. Johnson turned to leave, but paused for a moment, saying, "You know, Lord Vladros wanted to execute you and send your head back as a gift, but I convinced him to hold off a bit. The fun has yet to start. We never did finish what we started on the ship."

  Backing off, Johnson disappeared back into the darkness and out of view, but not out of smell.

  Locked in her cell, with little hope at the present, Jennie just sat on the cold stone floor. She stared at a facing wall for a few minutes, only hearing the moans of the normal prisoners. Then, without even turning to Alea she said, "You bitch."

  ###

  The entire chamber in Krynos' castle was in a state of absolute chaos, with everyone yelling over each other as more and more soldiers filtered into the room. Krynos attempted to call everyone to attention, but to no avail. Without warning, a large crackling sound thundered throughout the hall, Draagh having slammed his staff to the ground. Everyone fell silent, and Draagh motioned for Krynos to address the attending lycans.

  "It appears that we have been betrayed, and that Jennie Escalante has been abducted." Looking at Draagh, Krynos asked, "My friend, is there anything that you can do to help determine her location?"

  Draagh looked out at the ever-growing crowd of lycan soldiers, and then at Max, saying, "Oh, I already know where she is, my son. Vladros has her in his dungeon."

  Max looked at his grandfather, horrified. "Vladros? The vampire leader? How do you know?"

  Draagh solemnly nodded and continued, "Max, my boy. Those clothes you wear, did I not conjure them for this evening's festivities?"

  Max looked down at his white military uniform and nodded his head, still maintaining a look of extreme concern on his face.

  "As I made them, they have a very particular connection to me. In fact, I detected her change of location not long after she was taken, though there was little I could do at the time. It was a devious 3D slip out of the castle. In fact, I was going to change my clothing and look into this situation, but you had responded so quickly that I came here with everyone else."

  Max looked at his ancient grandfather and pleaded, "Then what can we do?"

  "Why, we rescue her, of course!"

  He went on to explained to Max, and to the uncharacteristically quiet lycans, that Vladros' castle had an ancient protective cantus that prevented anyone from entering via magic.

  "We will have to enter like we would into any other building in lesser situations," said the ancient mage.

  Max's eyes shifted right and left, as he tried to figure out what Draagh meant, when Donus boomed, "We shall dig a tunnel! Lycans specialize in tunnels!"

  "A… tunnel?" stammered Max, who was starting to become even more confused. "We dig? How long will this take?"

  Donus replied, "Not long at all. We shall make preparations right away," to which Draagh added, "Max, my dear boy, please do not worry. Though I am unable to breach the castle's defenses with a 3D slip, once inside we can quickly locate Jennie and slip out. The protection is not a two-way defense."

  "But what if they kill her? Oh my God, what are they going to do?" Max cried out in anguish.

  Draagh rested a hand on the young man's quivering shoulder and said, "Calm yourself, my boy. She yet lives. I am able to see her, and although she has been roughed up a bit, I can do some things to help keep her from being further damaged."

  Draagh then looked out over the crowd, and his eyes met with Krynos'.

  "There is something you all should all know. We have suffered at the hands of a traitor. Two, in fact."

  "Who might they be?" demanded the king, while everyone started to look at each other with suspicious glares and growls.

  "Oh, they are not here. Not anymore. Your resident minor-mage, Siegfried and the skills trainer Alea are both in Vladros' castle, but it appears that things did not turn out so well for the woman, as she now resides in a cell next to Jennie."

  "She told me there was a traitor in the castle!" exclaimed Max, who continued, "I should have listened to her! But wait, she was the traitor? Oh damn."

  Draagh waved his hand out and said, "Oh, my boy. That was just a ploy of hers to get into your bed. At that time she was unaware of any such nefarious activities. However, I never much cared for the skulking, sneaky Siegfried, and I had mentioned it to Lord Krynos on various occasions in the past."

  "Well, he was inexpensive," said Krynos, wearing a regretful, almost guilty look on his face. He then recouped and called out with great authority, "Prepare thyselves, great warriors of the Rhönen! We go to rescue our sister!"

  With that order everyone cleared the room as fast as lightning, except Max, who stood there, helplessly looking at his grandfather.

  "Draagh, we will rescue her, won't we?" he almost begged.

  "Yes, my son. She shall be retrieved safely. Now go get ready for battle."

  Max spun around to leave the room and was gone in an instant. As he raced to his quarters all he could see in his mind was Jennie. All he wanted to do was to keep her safe, even if she would have nothing to do with him as a man. His heart pounded, drowning out all other sounds, as he fought to keep from vomiting. He was twisted inside-out from anguish, and had even puked a bit in his mouth while around the Dominion soldiers, but turned his head so no one would see.

  He burst into his room and went straight to the bathroom, ejecting the contents of his stomach into the latrine. Amazed he had held on for so long, he choked out the remaining mead and bile, gagging… and then quietly sobbed. It was his moment to release, to let it all out and get his head together. He didn't understand why he cared so much for the woman. It was more than her outward appearance. And even though she was arrogant, proud and had the table manners of a troll, she was honest. He knew she would always tell him the truth, and he valued sad truths more than happy lies. She made him feel safe, and now he wanted to save her.

  Why didn't I insist on getting her to her room? I'm such a dumbass.

  Max threw on his gear and even brought along special, ultra-sharp throwing knives he had made in the castle foundry. Ohiro helped him to fold tamagahane steel in the ancient Japanese tradition, so his small blades were not only sharp, they were also incredibly strong. He had made another set for Jennie, to give to her on her birthday, whenever that was. He didn't know her birthdate, or even her middle name, if she even had one.

  I should have asked more questions. I should have paid more attention.

  Dressed down completely, Max went for the door, but then paused for a moment. He kneeled to the ground and lowered his head. He wasn't a religious man, but after having learned the true nature of the universe he thought it wouldn't hurt to say a little prayer.

  ###

  After 20 minutes of preparation, a Rhönen Special Forces recon team had been assembled of the warriors most skilled at fighting in enclosed spaces. This meant that many of the largest warriors were not to go. Vladros' castle ceilings were lower than that of a lycan castle – vampires, in most cases, bei
ng shorter in stature than their mortal enemies. Max stood at the forefront with Donus, who, although rather large, was to lead the effort. Wearing a lighter version of his battle armor, protection that would allow him to sneak about while making much less noise, Max was well-prepared, with his katana strapped to his back and his energy reserves replenished via a quick nutrition shake. Draagh approached him and held out his hand, presenting the young man with Jennie's katana.

  "Here, my boy. She will want this. I made a few minor improvements to it while it was in my possession."

  Max took the weapon and examined it, not initially seeing anything different. Then, a look of profound understanding grew on his previously preoccupied face as he spun around, pointing it at an old table in an empty part of the room.

  "Undaincantatio ad mortem!" he cried out, causing everyone in attendance to gasp in awe. Max's scream carried through every corridor in the castle, so powerful was his voice. It conveyed pain, anguish and despair. But more than anything, it carried a definite undertone of resolve.

  The room became dead quiet, as every soldier in attendance looked to the corner where the table once stood. Max had reduced it to nothingness, not even ashes, after focusing a thermonuclear cantus through the tip of Jennie's blade. Draagh had basically rebuilt the katana as a magical object for Jennie, and Max was really, really pissed off and planned to use it - on Vladros.

  ###

  The recon team rode out of the castle on horses after Draagh had slipped up ahead, making sure that no one was spying on their activities. They assumed that Vladros would not expect such a quick reaction, if even one at all, as he wasn't aware of the love and respect the girl had garnered in her short time in the Rhönen. His only information on her came from Ryder Johnson, who wanted to rape and hurt her for having been the cause of his being stuck in the strange world - and also because he was the personification of evil cowardice.

  After some hours, the lycans stopped in a wooded area to replenish water and let their steeds rest out of the rays of the sun.

  "We shall go another hour, and then leave the horses in the transition area, from where we must continue on foot," commanded Donus, whose horse was an offshoot of a Clydesdale, yet much more massive than those of the past.

  After reaching the transition point, they tied of their horses and proceeded on foot, coming to the boundary of Vladros' castle land. As there was still daylight, the lycans would have an advantage in approaching the castle. And although there were vampires that could tolerate moderate sunlight, their vision was severely limited by the strong and deadly UV rays.

  Max stood by with Draagh and watched as a single lycans soldier, named Wilhelm, morphed to his battle form and started to dig quite rapidly with his enhanced claws. Dirt flew out as four other soldiers moved the loose earth back and out of the way. Another lycan jumped down into the newly made tunnel entrance and started widening it, following Wilhelm. In a matter of mere minutes the two had disappeared into the earth.

  Crouched down and ready to go, the team was finally given the Ok to enter into the tunnel, which was high and wide enough to walk through with ease. Max had no idea that lycans were such incredible tunnelers, but was glad to know of the skill. He planned to practice tunneling once they had safely retrieved Jennie from the clutches of the putrid half-dead.

  ###

  Inside the castle dungeon, Jennie sat in her cell, glaring at Alea, as she had been doing for the past few hours. Not knowing what would happen next, she threw a small rock through the bars at the woman who sat a mere three meters away.

  "Hey, idiot. Happy now that you're getting us both killed?" she asked, with a definite tone of hostility.

  Alea looked over and had tear stains all over her face, being unable to cope with the fact that she had ruined not only her own life, but also that of an innocent.

  Before Jennie could say anything else, a voice softly called to her in her head.

  "Jennie, hold fast, my dear girl. Do not make a sound. Just think to me and do not speak. We are here for you and shall arrive soon," said the voice.

  "Draagh? Is that you? How can you do this?" she asked back in her mind.

  "It is the clothing you wear. I conjured it for the party, and as an added benefit it allows me to maintain a connection to the wearer. I am so very glad that no vampire decided to disrobe you."

  "Yeah, so am I," she thought back, "they weren't built for wearing a tango dress, that's for sure."

  Jennie thought she detected telepathic laughter, but was unsure. She then projected back out, "What do I need to do? I don't even have a weapon."

  "Max has your katana. I improved it, and you will no longer need to strap your wand to it in order to direct cantuses. It is now quite, how shall I put it - cool - if I do say so myself."

  Jennie snickered mentally and continued ignoring Alea. The woman had betrayed her once, and Jennie wasn't even going to give her any indication that rescuers were on their way. In fact, she hoped that Alea would attempt to fight the lycans upon their arrival, just so she would have an excuse to kill her. She used her enhanced hearing to listen for the sound of invading forces, but only heard vampires milling about, and the light sound of some stones being moved, believing it to be slave laborers performing tasks for their disintegrating masters.

  Suddenly, and without warning, she heard screaming and growling, as well as the sound of flesh being torn. Trying to pinpoint Max's or Draagh's scent, she looked over to see Alea wearing the most terrified expression she had ever seen on a person's face. It appeared that the lycan woman feared her own kind more than the vampires who had so easily betrayed her, and it brought Jennie a quieting satisfaction.

  After stealthily entering into the basement area of the castle, the recon team had set out for the dungeon area, two levels below, but were detected by hellcats that immediately attacked and made the lycans' position known. Elsewhere in the castle, Vladros called on his own personal protection forces to surround him, with Johnson trying to get in the middle, only to be shoved out by the vampire king.

  "You, coward, do not belong here. My son was to take his place by my side, and is dead due to your incompetence. Die like a lower-caste foot-soldier, alien slime."

  Johnson gave him a glare of pure hatred, and dashed off to find a hiding place of his own. He wasn't about to go into battle with a bunch of psychotic lycans - he would pick and choose his battles as they suited him. Johnson found a chamber filled with corpses, and dove into the rotting pile of bodies in an attempt to hide his scent and avoid detection.

  Max and Draagh stuck together, while Donus and the others used their new katanas to easily slice the attacking vampires and hellcats to ribbons.

  "Oh-Ho! I do love this fine blade!" Donus cried out, "I shall name it… I shall name it kalte tod - cold death, in the language of my forefathers."

  With that, he merrily bifurcated a hellcat that had been running inverted on the low ceiling, causing its two separated halves to fall to opposing sides of the walkway. Max, who had regrouped with the lycan commander, looked at the newly halved creature on the ground, which was somehow still moving. He then gave Donus an inquisitive look, raising a brow.

  "No, my good man, they are not for consumption. They are - how would dear Jennie put it? Oh yes, they taste like ass."

  Max grinned at Donus' comment, figuring that was pretty much how she would say it, and opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Draagh, who urgently called out to them both.

  "Come, she is this way." The mage bolted down a left corridor, surprisingly fast for someone who had been alive for eons.

  Arriving in the dungeon area, Max, Draagh and Donus ran to her cell, only to hear the girl cheerfully say, "Hey fellas. What took ya so long?"

  Max looked at her with a combination of anger and grief, as it was obvious she had suffered some abuse at the hands of whoever had abducted her. Her once-beautiful white dress was torn to shreds, and there was clotted blood matting her face and hair. Before Max coul
d even reach to open the cell door, Draagh waved his hand, causing the door to open - Jennie's opened, but Alea's did not.

  "Max, take Jennie and get out of here. A simple 3D slip to the entrance of Krynos' gate should suffice. I have other things in which to attend."

  "Oh no you don't!" howled Jennie, standing and moving out of the cell, her shackles falling to the ground with loud clunking sounds, having been magically released by the ancient mage. "I'm gonna find Johnson and make his head into a trophy. Gunnarsson, give me my sword. It's my turn for some decapitation fun."

  "How did you know I have it?" started Max, as Jennie shot back, "Oh, a little birdie told me - and Draagh, can you do something about these rags?"

  The old mage waved his hand, his cantus causing them to reform in an impressive, white leather battle outfit (and matching boots), albeit with some of the bloodstains she had earlier acquired. An amazed Max stared at Jennie, who looked magnificent in white, her dark skin contrasting strikingly with the supple leather. This all despite the fact that she still had blood matting her hair. Pulling his gaze away from the beautiful dega, he gave his attention to his grandfather.

  "Pops, do you have a bead on Johnson's location?" asked Max, as the mage looked around, with the battle still going on in the upper levels of the castle.

  "No, my boy, and if you cannot detect his scent that means he has either fled, done quite a splendid job of hiding himself, or has been killed and eaten. We should hope for the latter, but I digress. I should like very much to find Siegfried, as he is the one who betrayed us all."