Everville: The Rise of Mallory (16 page)

“What to do you think the trillions that were left behind in our dying universe would say? Do you think they would be pleased with your actions today? Do you think they would approve of you attacking those armies? Do you think they would believe that the pursuit of additional power as well as revenge is a good enough reason to allow for the death of people?” Governor Laveda said.

“I don’t really care. The Keepers have stopped the flow of my power and I’m going to get it back,” he said.

“Your power? I thought it was for all the Alarians. Do you hear yourself? This is about you, not our people,” she replied.

“No! You’re wrong. This is not just about increasing our access to the element. This is also about avenging the death of our children.” Governor Jahal said emphatically.

“And what about that, Governor?” she asked. “Did you ever ask them about where you would put your children? You buried them on their world. How do you know you didn’t kill any of their children?”

“It makes no difference. All that matters is that our children are dead, and those responsible for their deaths will pay. Our access to the element has also been stopped, so now they will be stopped. We will eradicate them just like they eradicated our children. If a few tens of thousands of our people have to die, then so be it!” Governor Jahal said with righteous indignation.

“Do you hear yourself? You want to fight genocide with genocide, and you don’t even know the circumstances as to why they did what they did?” she said.

He would have no more of the conversation. They would try and figure out what was causing them not to be able to shape shift, and then they would attack once again.

While the Alarians were waiting just outside the giants’ realm, a few of them got to thinking. Several of those not in power began to question the absence of Rathlar and Mallory.

“Why haven’t Rathlar and Mallory joined us? I can understand why Rathlar would be reluctant to fight, but what about Mallory? He has more power than we do. Is he simply waiting for us to do his job for him and then leave us there to die?” one of the Alarians asked.

“Yes, and what about our inability to shape shift. Perhaps he has something to do with that, as well. I think would should pay Mallory a visit and find out what the cause of his reluctance is,” another Alarian said in response.

They decided to bring the matter to one of the councilmen who agreed to listen to what they had to say. After he listened to their concerns, the councilman promised them to discuss the matter with Governor Jahal, which he did.

“Governor, I think the men are right. Why has Mallory acted so cowardly? His unwillingness to assist our people has led to so many deaths,” he said in anger.

“Mallory stated from the beginning that he would arrive later and join us in battle,” Governor Jahal replied.

“Yes, Governor, but why? What reason did he give? He has more power than us and it seems that we should be fighting together. I think it’s time we pay Mallory a visit and find out exactly why that’s the case.”

The Governor thought about it for a while and concluded it was a reasonable request. Perhaps he knew what the source was that prevented them from shape shifting. If he did, it would not only abate the concerns of the Alarians, but it would ensure their victory.

The Governor told the councilman he would meet with Mallory and return when they were ready to attack. For the moment, he had prevented the revolt.

“Mallory,” Governor Jahal said after he had transported back to the ice planet.

“What brings you back from the battlefield? Have you defeated The Keepers already?” Mallory inquired.

“No. There’s a problem. Something has prevented us from being able to shift. In our solid state, we are susceptible to death. Tens of thousands of Alarians have already succumbed to the armies of Everville and the giants, and I fear a revolt. Why haven’t you joined us yet on the battlefield. What is preventing us from being able to change our form?” he asked in a forceful tone.

Mallory was concerned. He did not care about the deaths of the Alarians, since he was planning on killing them anyway, but their inability to shift in the presence of the armies presented a distinct snag in his plan, including possible defeat. He needed to not just placate the Governor, but he needed the answer. As to the second question, any lie would do.

“Governor, give me a little time to think about and try to discover the reason behind your problem. As far as your second question is concerned, Rathlar was scared. I had to assure him that he would be safe. Much of the element lies within Rathlar, and we need to have him fully involved to ensure victory against The Keepers and Everville,” Mallory replied.

The Governor was satisfied with Mallory’s answer and gave him some additional time to find a solution or cause to the issue of the shifting. Half a day later, Mallory had an answer.

“I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me sooner, but I have the answer you seek,” Mallory said to Governor Jahal.

“Well, what is it?” he replied.

“The armies of Them are possessed by the non-corporeal shape of creatures that are collectively known as Them. A long time ago, when your people seeded the worms in their land, you eradicated most of their species. Shortly after the seeding, the anger among the living made some of them eat the flesh of the eggs that were laid. What they found was those who tasted the flesh could remain in non-corporeal form.

“There was a disagreement between The Keepers and the survivors of the seeding that led to the current rift between The Keepers and Them. Them became a collective mind in order to gain more power in the hopes of one day finding your race and destroying you. Unlike the Alarians, when Them took non-corporeal form, they could not take a physical shape. They could only possess the bodies of others. I think that your inability to shift must mean that you are in the presence of Them.

“It can only mean that an alliance has formed between The Keepers and the remnant armies of Them. If that’s the case, I suggest you take a different approach in the battle. You will need to distance your position from Them and the armies and instead focus your attack on destroying the mineral rocks, portals, and artifacts used to stop the flow of the element. Find the location of the portals and draw the armies away from them. Once you have the armies at a sufficient distance, attack the portals and infrastructure. Once the portals have been destroyed, the flow of element to your artifacts will be restored, and your energy and strength will grow. You can leave the rest of the destruction of the armies to me.

“Once I have eased Rathlar’s fears, I will join you on the battlefield,” Mallory replied.

Governor Jahal was pleased with the solution, but he was also stunned at the revelation that Governor Laveda had been correct all along. He alone was responsible for the genocide of another race. However, the knowledge that Them had tasted the flesh of his race sickened him. It would provide the motivation for him to continue fighting until they had destroyed the portals and regained the access to the flow of the element.

After meeting with Mallory and satisfying their concerns, the Alarians returned, invading the three different regions in Everville.

Chapter 17

The Return

W
hen the Alarians found out that Them had eaten some of their progeny, the anger exploded within their ranks. They, along with Governor Jahal, were satisfied with the solution to lure the armies from the portals, allowing them a chance to destroy the portals and regain the access to the element.

Governor Jahal reminded them that so long as they were near the collective known as Them, they would not be able to change their form. As such, it was important to consider which form would be most advantageous for them. They needed a form that would be the most effective at destroying the portals, while defending themselves from the onslaught of fire, stone, and metal. They would also need to keep up the appearances with the armies and not reveal their intent to target the portals and mineral rocks.

After a careful deliberation, Governor Jahal decided on a form. The Alarians would take the shape of a translucent armored creature. There would be no soft flesh exposed on the outside of the armor. Their ability to see through the armor would allow a visibility without the weakness of exposed eyes. Finally, they would have a single armored limb that extended from rest of the body. It would have the shape of a hammer. The hammer would be effective at both flattening the soldiers and destroying portals. Once the last of the portals was destroyed, they would regain access to the flow of the element.

In the land of the giants, the army was grateful for the retreat of the Alarians, but they did not let down their guard. The giants fully expected the Alarians to return soon. The only question was when and in what form.

The soldiers were cautious not to remain too exposed, but they took the time to replenish their strength with food, attend to the sick, and bury the dead. The armies refortified as many positions they could and refashioned and made as much armors, bows, and weapons as time would allow. That time had just run out.

The Alarians began their return. This time, their appearance was swift and uniform. The translucent shape allowed light to remain, but it was an eerie green glow. The armies of Everville and the giants looked at the shape the Alarians had taken. They were concerned.

“Councilmen, we will attack the line of solders at the end farthest from the monoliths. We will smash them into smithereens, and then we will move outward, luring them as far as possible until the monoliths lay fully exposed. Ready? Attack!” shouted Governor Jahal.

They descended with a tremendous speed. Once they reached the surface, whichever creature was in their path would be instantly flattened.

“Scatter! Scatter!” shouted Borak.

As fast as they could, the soldiers scattered across the vast lands of the giants. From above, they more closely resembled ants that had just been shaken from the hive.

The first of the Alarians made contact with the ground, smashing one or two of the soldiers. It took a tremendous amount of energy, but at least they had stemmed the losses of their own dead.

The Alarians gradually pulled back and spread out farther and farther from the monoliths in an attempt to draw the armies away.

In the land of the Fron, The Keepers were also prepared for the Alarians’ return. This contingent of Alarians also arrived in unison. Immediately the Alarians began hammering away at the shield created by The Keepers. There was no visible progress, but the Alarians did not relent. They were patient and indifferent, banging away one hammer blow at time.

“Will it hold?” one of the Fron asked The Keeper.

“It will hold,” he said with assurance.

The pounding, though, did not stop. One after the other, the Alarians wielded their hammers, thrusting it upon the shield. The ceaseless trembling of the ground troubled a few, but there was no sign of fatigue or weakness in the shield.

The battle in Brackenbone had completely reversed after the return of the Alarians in their new form. The presence of Them and the inability to shift was irrelevant to the attack. The new shape rendered the Alarians impervious to the weapons of the Ubaloo, and the Ubaloo’s smaller size meant that each attack of the hammer killed more soldiers.

The Alarians soon focused their attack in Brackenbone on the walls of Vermogen. They began pummeling the walls, smashing each section into little bits. The Ubaloo were glad that the Alarians were no longer attacking them, but they soon realized that the Alarians were trying to destroy the ability to control the flow of the element.

The Ubaloo took solace in the fact that the construction of the final collector took place underground. The materials were already collected, and soon the work would be complete. The walls could be rebuilt, but the Ubaloo could not.

The Ubaloo were concerned, however, with the monoliths in the land of the giants. They would need to finish the construction of the collector before the portals within the monoliths were all destroyed. With the portals temporarily cut off, they were unable to communicate to Everville or The Keepers.

In the land of the giants, the Alarians had successfully drawn the armies away from the monoliths. They were about to begin pummeling the monoliths when the Mountain Dwellers, Fwaylan, and additional armies of Them arrived from their rear.

Governor Jahal was surprised at the additional armies, but he was not concerned. The Mountain Dwellers and Fwaylan were as ineffectual as the other soldiers.

The Alarians refocused their attack. In a mere moment, they had commenced their destruction of the monoliths. The structures proved surprisingly resilient, no doubt a result of the properties from which they were made. They were not indestructible, though. It took some doing and some time, but the Alarians were eventually successful in the destruction of the first monolith and the portal within it.

Instantly, the element that was stored within that solitary portal was released and shared equally between Rathlar, Mallory, and the holders of the other artifacts including the Alarians and Jacob. It did not return the flow of the element, however, only released the portion that was stored in the solitary portal.

In Everville, the Alarians continued their assault on the shield created by The Keepers. The next strike was much stronger. The shield was now being punished with a greater force, and The Keepers knew one of the portals was destroyed. The Fron and others knew it, as well.

The pounding kept going until once again there was an increase in the force being brought to bear on the shield.

“Will it hold? Is it going to hold?” many of the Fron asked.

“It will hold. So long as one portal within one monolith remains, it will hold,” The Keeper replied.

That was a troubling thought to the Fron. If two of the portals had already been destroyed, it could only be a matter of time before the final portal was destroyed and the shield failed.

An increase in the strength of the attacks was occurring at regular intervals. It was taking a quarter of a day for each portal to fail. By The Keeper’s estimate they had a day and a half remaining before the final portal failed and the element was no longer contained.

In the land of the giants, the armies were now aware that the portals were the Alarians’ sole focus. They were powerless to do anything. The Alarians were impervious to the attack of the soldiers and no longer bothered to attack them. Like the Alarians, the giants and the soldiers in the armies of Everville stopped their attack as well.

“General, is there anything that can be done? Do we have nothing that can prevent the destruction of the monoliths and the portals?” Borak asked.

“I’m afraid I know of nothing that is that powerful,” he replied with regret.

Another monolith failed and with it another portal. One by one, the monoliths were obliterated. Half of the armies of Everville, and all but one of the portals were destroyed. Only one portal remained, but that was all that was needed.