Whistlestop (20 page)

The elf bowed deeply and pulled Lydia
into a curtsy. “I am Jedidiah Beetleweed Mosscatcher of Marblehead,
Whistlestop, Lord Dragon. My companion is Lydia Amaranths
Iron-heart, a Knight of Winterpast.”

“
Then you are the ones
chosen by the angels,” the white dragon said.

“
How did you come by that
particular name, dragon?” Lydia scoffed. Jedidiah frowned at her
and opened his mouth to reprimand her.

“
That is not necessary,
Master Mosscatcher,” the white dragon interjected. “It is a fair
question from the knight. Dear Lydia, my father chose my name in
honor of the Father. What greater honor is there?”

“
Most certainly it is a
great honor, dear dragon,” she said. “I’m sorry if I offended
you.”

“
Lydia, can we talk in
private?” Emmanuel asked.

“
Are you sure that is safe,
Son?” Archimedes said.

“
You fear me, great
dragon?” Lydia gasped.

“
Lydia, my father is
correct. This planet is being watched by the forces of the empire.
Yet you and I are drawn together and must forge a pact. The future
of the universe is in your hands and mine.” Jedidiah and Archimedes
stared at Emmanuel in disbelief.

“
Just tell me what to do,
Emmanuel,” she replied.

“
Climb on my back and we
will fly to the peak of the Salvation mountains. Father, you and
the elf should seek shelter in the nest, and we will join you as
soon as possible.”

“
Please be reasonable, my
Son,” Archimedes begged.

“
Trust me, Father,” the
white dragon replied. As they watched, Lydia climbed up on the
shoulders of the white dragon, which then took to the air and flew
toward the distant peak.

“
Kids, what are you going
to do?” Archimedes sighed.

“
I suppose we should do
what he said, Brother,” Jedidiah replied.

The white dragon and the knight landed
on the peak of Mount Salvation just as the last sun dipped below
the horizon. The peak was covered in a thick blanket of snow and
ice. The vast desert of Winterpast stretched out to the horizon in
all directions, illuminated by the four moons, and broken only by
other small patches of hills and mountains. Lydia climbed down and
sat on a boulder that pushed through the snow cover, and looked at
the white dragon who seemed totally at peace. “Why did you choose
this place, Emmanuel?”

The dragon motioned toward a bright
light in the distance and said, “That is the Temple of Light. Abbot
Lumen is there still worrying about you. Beyond that light lie the
Valley of Thrace and the palace of the trehbor. Beyond that valley,
the rest of this planet is dead. This viewpoint is a perfect
microcosm for the Empire of Axis. Tiny points of life separated by
vast stretches of empty space.”

“
That’s pretty depressing,
Emmanuel,” she replied.

“
You passed through the
dead villages of the Knights of Winterpast as you traveled here
today, didn’t you?” She frowned but nodded. “That was the goal of
the emperor, but he has failed, and his evil helper has failed too.
Unlike Winterpast, the villages of those other worlds are not
deserted. The residents may be downhearted, but they have not given
up! They are just waiting for heroes to help them rise up! That is
our job, my darling Lydia.”

“
I thought my cousins were
the Chosen Ones, Emmanuel.”

“
Do not so easily allow the
cup to pass from your hands, Lydia. The future is not yet written.
Even the Evil One knows that. There is a chance that you and I are
chosen. Why else are we here together now?”

“
Why are you here with me,
Emmanuel?” she asked. “And why did you choose this god-forsaken
planet as home?”

The white dragon belched fire to melt
the snow and warm the ground so he could be more comfortable. “Why
did you choose to fight the trehbor’s guards, Sister? And why did
the sprites rescue your cousin from the prison of the emperor? We
are all being led by the one for whom I am named. We are truly the
Hands of God, Lydia!”

A voice laughed behind them and they
spun around to see Linger Bartholomew Breakneck standing less than
ten feet away. “Both of you are stupid! The Upper Realm will do
nothing to help you. The time of the knights has passed. It would
be better for you to join forces with me. I am here now. Where are
they to protect you? ” The white dragon shot an intense stream of
blue flame toward the demon, engulfing him in searing heat. After
he stopped, Linger smiled at them and shook his finger. “You know I
can’t be killed. I will see you both again soon.” He dissolved into
smoke and shot up into the sky.

“
Do you see what I mean
now?”

Lydia nodded her head and then began
to cry. “How are we to stand up to such evil, Emmanuel? You just
saw that your attack had no real effect. What happens when he
returns to kill us? I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”

“
Neither you nor I know
whether we will succeed or fail, but our cause is just! You and I
are mortal and will eventually die. We can choose whether that
happens to us as cowards hiding under our beds or as warriors doing
what we know is right. I am here because I chose to be with you,
dear Lydia, not because you are afraid, but because you are
brave!”

“
I only wish I was as wise
as you, Emmanuel.”

“
Open your eyes and see the
universe as it is, Sister, and you will be,” the dragon smiled. “In
the meantime, climb on my back and we will return to the cavern and
huddle together with the elf and my family.” She kissed the dragon
repeatedly and then climbed onto his shoulders. Emmanuel took
flight, and minutes later, they joined the group in their cavern.
As luck would have it, several barrels of whisky had already been
tapped.

Jerry, Montrose and the sprites walked
into the sprite town of Valiant late in the afternoon after walking
through the woods and past several ogre farms. Eventually, the ogre
region had given way to a large plain covered with sprite farms,
wide slow-moving rivers and simple villages. The buildings of
Valiant looked medieval, with split beam framing, narrow
cobblestone streets and second floor balconies leaning out over
their heads. The issue Jerry would face was painfully evident as he
and Montrose were forced to walk in the center of the street.
Isolde and Simplot were their natural size again, and the balconies
on the second floor were the same height as Jerry’s head. Montrose
could easily look into the second story windows. “Simplot, I
appreciate your hospitality, but I’m not sure your village is
suitable for Montrose and me.”

“
Nonsense, Jerry,” Simplot
laughed, “We have special accommodations for you two. You must know
that we have visitors and tourists too.”

“
We can’t stay long,
Simplot,” Montrose interjected. “We must save Bartok! No time for
visiting.”

“
Please Montrose, we can’t
be rash. We must wait until the elves tell us the time is right,
otherwise, we will fail for certain. Also, we need you to help
Jerry learn how to fight. You trained his father, and now it is his
turn.” The group walked around the next corner. To their left, the
short lane ended solid brick wall pierced by a large double barn
door. “This is it,” Simplot said as he led them to the doors, and
then pulled them open. The large room was furnished for battle
training, with all sorts of blades and spears along with armor and
shields. There were two large beds in one corner and a seating area
and kitchen in another. “Not bad, right?”

Montrose strode inside and began to
examine the blades. “A bit rusty, but I suppose they will
do.”

“
What is going on here?”
Jerry interrupted. “I’m not going to sit here while my family is
lost and helpless. We have to help them now!”

“
Frankly, we don’t have any
choice,” Simplot replied. “You almost died at the hands of the
emperor. Do you want to go back to that cell, Jerry?” Jerry walked
away and sat on one of the beds, looking the other way. “Jerry!
Your children are safe. They are with their grandmother in a place
the Evil One cannot touch them.” Jerry did not turn.

“
Give him time, Brother,”
Montrose said. “We all have to accept the facts. You and your
sister should go. I will take care of Jerry.” He smiled down to the
sprite and went back to checking the weapons. Simplot and Isolde
walked out of the room and closed the doors behind them.

Little Jeremy could not sleep well in
the small bedroom of his great grandparents’ home. He felt robbed
of his opportunity to be a Knight of Winterpast. Now he knew he
would have to go to school again. Finally, he did fall asleep and
dreamed of being a knight. He rode across a broad field on a
brilliant white stallion. A horde of monsters appeared ahead of him
and he attacked them, swinging his long sword as they fell to the
ground begging for mercy. He jumped from the horse, striking the
head monster in the chest with his feet. He held his sword over his
head, and readied himself for the killing blow. “Stop!” shouted a
voice behind him and he spun around to see a tattooed man wearing a
white robe.

“
Who are you?” the boy
asked.

Linger motioned with his hand and
Jeremy’s sword turned into a snake. In shock, Jeremy dropped it to
the ground and it slithered away. When he looked up again, Linger
was standing two feet in front of him and all of the monsters were
gone. “Your family is beginning to get on my nerves, little man.
The angels think you are safe here, but they are naïve. When you
sleep, your subconscious mind escapes their realm and I can find
you, as I have now.”

“
I don’t know what you’re
talking about.”

Instantly, the two were sitting at the
counter in a small diner. The server approached and set a banana
split in front of each of them. Jeremy grabbed his spoon and began
to eat ravenously. “What do you want from your life, Son?” The boy
looked at him and continued eating. “You want to be a knight, isn’t
that right?” Jeremy nodded, but did not stop eating. “And now
you’re with your great grandfather, ready to go back to school. Is
that what you want?”

“
I’m going to be a Knight
of Winterpast!” Jeremy exclaimed.

“
They’re all dead, boy. You
have to face facts! You seem to be a nice young man. I can make you
a general in the Empire of Axis. Would you like that?”

“
A general? That’s cool,”
Jeremy replied as he set down his spoon at last.

“
Well, you would have to
earn it, but I will help you. Think about it, okay?”

Jeremy woke up in a strange bed. The
small bedroom in the suburban house was gone. He was lying on a
massive four poster bed in a large stone walled room. Heavy
tapestries hung on the walls. A smoldering fire filled a huge
fireplace on one wall. “Mommy!” he shouted. “Where are
you?”

The heavy wooden door swung open and a
man entered wearing brilliant silver armor and a helmet. Long and
short swords hung from his belt. “Your mommy isn’t here, knight!”
he exclaimed. “I am your Granduncle Gabriel. I have been selected
to help train you to be a knight.”

“
But I want to be a
general.”

“
A general?” Gabriel asked.
“Where did you get that idea?”

“
The man in my dreams told
me I was going to be a general in the Empire of Axis.”

“
Oh no,” Gabriel gasped.
“Did he tell you his name?” The boy shook his head. “Was he
tattooed?”

“
Yeah, all
over!”

“
Do not trust him, Jeremy.
He is a very bad man.”

“
He told me the knights
were all dead, but that he’d make me a general.”

“
Most of the Knights of
Winterpast are dead, Jeremy, but it was the tattooed demon who
killed them. You, your father, grandfather and aunt are the only
ones left. Don’t think for a moment that Linger Bartholomew
Breakneck would not kill all of you if he could.”

“
But why would he lie to
me?”

“
Do you remember when the
man took your dad from your room? That man was the Emperor of the
Universe. The demon in your dream is his friend. He wanted to turn
your father, but failed. You, a young man, seemed like an easy
target.”

“
So I can’t be a
general?”

“
Jeremy, the empire is
evil. If you are their general, they will make you evil as well.
You have a chance to change the course of history, bring about the
end of the empire and restore peace to all the realms.”

“
And I will be a
knight?”

“
That’s why we are here in
this place, Nephew,” Gabriel said. “My father thought the simple
home would be easier for you and your sister to accept, but you and
I know that a knight needs a castle. That’s why I brought you
here.”

Unlike her brother, Lilian had no
problem sleeping in her great grandparents’ house, although she was
none too pleased with the idea of school. At eleven years old, she
had outgrown the fantasy world with which her little brother was
enamored. She was ready to move on with her life and begin middle
school soon, but now had been taken from the only home she had even
known and told she was some kind of fortune-teller. It seemed
surreal. Her father worked in an office, her grandfather sold
insurance, none of them were soldiers or seers, and yet now they
wanted her to believe those things were true.