The Mahogany Door by Mark Boliek
Chapter 21
“Whew!” a little blonde-haired boy yelped from the back of the huddled group of children. “I sure am glad they got out of that.”
The rest of the children responded with an enthusiastic cheer. I too was happy Kali and JT escaped from the Triton Pyramid.
“I’m glad about something else though,” my little friend still perched in my lap stated as she tugged on my shirt collar.
“And what might that be?” I whispered in a very calm voice.
“I like that Billy’s back.” The girl’s round face beamed with joy. “I was hoping he would show up,” I replied and smiled back at her very politely.
“You know my little friend? I wonder, maybe, if he was always there.” I returned in an even lower tone and the little girl reacted with a surprised gasp and revealed her pearly teeth. If the fire had doused out at that moment, her grin would have lit the great hall all by itself. “But,” I continued in a very bewildering tone, “there is one thing that I have always wondered about, and have never found out or received a very clear answer.”
All the children’s heads popped up and their eyes bulged with enthusiasm ready to ask me what it was that I was so curious about. I looked down not sure I wanted to tell them, but had already posed the thought, and I gave in just the same. “I always wondered what JT did with all those little creepy crawlies that were squirming around in his boots.”
“EW!” the children screeched. I thought it was a relevant question, but I suppose it would have to remain one of life’s great mysteries. I continued with the story just the same.
“JT and Kali ran as hard as they could away from the Triton Pyramid; their legs pumped, and their hearts pounded. They did not turn around once, not even for a second, to see if anyone was chasing them. They kept their eyes straight forward wanting to get as far away from Charlie as quickly as possible.
The night air was cold and misty. The smell of mildew and stink permeated the air and Kali wanted to gag as her breath became deeper and stronger with every running stride. The air didn’t bother JT in the least. To him, the rotten air was the smell of freedom. Intense, strained minutes passed and the former prisoners found a large outcropping of sand dunes down the long, winding hill of Triton. They climbed behind a couple of the larger sand mounds, plopped to the ground, and took a much needed break.
Kali heaved deep breaths, but JT did not breathe hard at all. Instead his thoughts changed to another subject.
‘I just can’t believe all of this,’ JT stated as Kali continued catching her breath coughing up phlegm and trying without success to get used to the smell.
‘Can’t believe what?’ Kali answered finally able to breathe with a calmer rhythm, ‘That Triton guards came to attack us and that this is real, because I told you; even in the rules - If you bleed in Bruin-’
JT interrupted. ‘No. None of that. I can’t believe that Michael wanted to kill us.’ He tightened his fists then released them in disgust. ‘I might be able to understand why Charlie wants us dead, but not Michael.’ JT searched his feelings. He knew that Michael was obsessed in getting back to Bruinduer, but he had no idea that the power and allure the Vryheid world had, was that strong.
‘He didn’t have anything, JT. I told you that,’ Kali interrupted JT’s thoughts. ‘You had it all. You had a loving family and he wanted that. He wanted a crazy, old granddad that had a big old house that you could get lost in or travel to a different world. He wanted control of everything he did. He wanted the power that it seemed only you - or even that monster Billy could give him.’ Kali sighed because she knew her next words were true. ‘Charlie and this place can give him what he wants now. I told you this back at Warhead Dale. This is his chance to return to a time when he thought everything was good; a time when there were no worries. I’m just sorry to see that Bruinduer and what it can give him means more to him than I would have hoped. You’re right. He is willing to kill his friends for it.’ Kali shuffled beside JT. Her eyes were glassy from the putrid smell, but she could see that JT was still confused. She wanted him to have his memory back.
‘Well, he might not get that chance, now will he,’ JT broke the silence. ‘I mean Charlie said he was going to kill us all.’ He hung his head. He could sense an uneasy feeling edging up his spine. He had no idea what to do. Gregory would have known how to handle this situation. He bet his grandfather would have known too.
‘That’s why we have to go warn him, JT. We have to go tell Michael that Charlie is forming his army and ready to attack,’ said Kali placing her hand on JT’s shoulder and squeezing it gently.
‘What?’ JT’s head darted toward Kali. ‘And get killed? No I don’t think so. This may be a trap. For all I know, Charlie and Michael planned all of this. I mean they had a war for fun, remember, to split up Bruinduer?’
Kali didn’t know how to answer JT’s concern. Everything was confusing to her too. She knew Michael and just couldn’t believe deep down that he would kill them.
JT thought as hard as he could. Maybe if they chose to just hide there, no one would miss them and all would be well. Then, after everyone dies in Charlie’s war, they would at least survive. His thoughts then strayed to Billy.
Billy had to be somewhere in Bruinduer. JT couldn’t understand why he just didn’t make himself appear and resolve the situation. Certainly Billy could just take care of Charlie with one punch or use some kind of magic to destroy him. From how the Essence emerged from Warhead Dale, and how much contempt he showed Michael in his dreams, it seemed that the spirit guide of Bruinduer was angry, capable, and powerful enough to remedy himself rid of the young, dangerous Triton monarch. Even if that power was not 100 percent. And where was the big brut now? JT knew that Billy had sent the rat to save and guide him and Kali out of the pyramid. Why did he just leave them alone now? ‘Where are you?’ the thought swam through JT’s mind.
A gentle breeze puffed and JT’s cheek turned his head upward to the crest of the tallest dune that he and Kali sat beneath. JT crawled delicately up the side of the dune and Kali crept behind him without hesitation. As the pair peered over the top, JT’s eyes swelled with intense horror and Kali struggled for breath as she sucked in more moldy air than she could handle and began to wheeze and choke.
Below, it was obvious to JT that this was not a ruse thought up by Charlie and Michael to trap and kill him and Kali. This was something much more serious. The Triton army, under their red flags, gathered at the base of the hill shadowed by the great pyramid. Their multitude outlined in mortifying silhouette from the pale start of the Bruinduer sunrise and the blaze of thousands of hot torches.
Soldiers prepared for battle, shining and inspecting their swords and spears on foot. Others mounted great black stallions that rocked back and forth, ready to explode into battle; large streams of white mist circled the beasts’ heads as they exhaled the musty, cold, stinking Triton air.
‘This doesn’t look good,’ JT whispered to Kali who was still trying to calm herself. ‘This doesn’t look good at all.’
‘I told you. We need to go and warn Michael,’ Kali said with fright and deep, rhythmic nervous breaths. She grabbed JT’s hand.
JT thought for a few minutes as he watched the Triton soldiers preparing to go to war. He knew he had to act quickly but could not help pondering his predicament philosophically. He couldn’t believe that the Vryheid would create a world that could be so volatile and full of violence, especially since it was designed for people to fulfill their destinies.
He gazed up at the Triton Pyramid and saw even larger pieces of its walls crumble to the ground and he noticed that the air began to get thicker and more opaque. He had to end this. Did he want to take the chance and just jump down the dune and confront Charlie right here, right now, or should he go back to the Godwin side and tell Michael that he and Bruinduer were in serious danger? ‘I know I can take him,’ thought JT, but he was smart enough to know that he couldn’t take the thousands of hardened soldiers ready to do battle. r />
‘Fine,’ JT answered Kali as he released her hand. ‘We’ll go back to Michael and tell him what’s going on. We’ll tell him that Charlie’s crazy and wants to kill us all.’ JT had made his decision. ‘It’s probably the only way to stop Bruinduer from collapsing. We’ll fight him, take him, and then finally get out of here.’ JT stood and brushed the sand off of his extremely soiled clothes in futility. ‘I hope Michael has a big enough army. How are we going to get there in ti—’
JT felt a presence behind him and was startled as he stared over the Triton army. With mustered courage, he spun around and a human wearing a long black robe with a hood blocking his face stood looking at them in total silence. JT jumped into a quick fighting stance dropping the prison guard’s sword he had stolen, but the hooded person stood in still study of JT and was noncombative; his hands hidden by his draping sleeves.
As JT rocked in his crouched position with his fists raised, the person revealed and elevated an old, wrinkled pale hand slowly and methodically in JT’s direction. JT scanned the hooded person from head to foot baffled, and the pasty, cold, crooked fingers of the person’s hand delicately grabbed JT’s arm, tugged gently, and led him down the dune. Kali subsequently, just as confused as JT, followed behind the descending pair.
The long, black robe glided and led them off the sand hill, but maintained large dunes between them and the gathering Triton army so they would not be detected. After ten minutes, the silent robed person led JT and Kali to another gathering of robed persons standing in a circle holding baskets, sacks, and cases of goods.
‘Do not be afraid of us,’ the robed person who led JT and Kali to the group stated and slung a satchel of clothes and food over his shoulder. ‘Please.’ He then reached up and de-hooded himself and revealed a pallid face with sunken, dark eyes.
JT recognized the man as one of Charlie’s subjects in the great hall of the Triton Pyramid. He was the first person he noticed as he walked through the great doors behind Tickler. His black eyes were mesmerizing. ‘What’s this about?’ asked JT befuddled.
‘We are subjects of Triton,’ the man began. ‘We are subjects of Triton who wish to be no more.’
‘How did you know we were –?’ JT began but was interrupted by the man.
‘Word travels fast in Triton, plus there is a greater power at work here. You see we have come to believe again what we were so longed denied.’ The man placed his hood back over his head. ‘We believe in what you just recently found to be true. Kawaida is here.’
‘Who? But -’ JT tried to begin again, but the man raised his crooked porcelain hand and hushed him.
‘There is no time for this. You must go to Godwin as your companion has suggested and warn young King Michael about Triton’s intentions.’ Kali appeared perplexed but was caught up in the moment. ‘We will not be far behind you,’ the man stated, ‘and hopefully we will cross the great ravine to Godwin before war breaks out across the land.’ The man motioned over his head with his hand. Immediately, two hooded people came from behind the sand dunes leading two majestic, large, strong black horses.
The animals were the most graceful and elegant JT had ever seen. The horses’ shiny black coats glistened in the morning dawn and their breaths were a steaming mist. Their bright yellow eyes sparkled with a hint of care and urgency. As they bellowed, their teeth flashed white.
JT’s jaw hung open and he became nervous. Every step the horses took closer to him and Kali, his heart hammered his ribs. As he watched the graceful animals approach, his thoughts turned to the Shorts’ farm. He didn’t want to think that any horse could be more magnificent than his pal George, but he concluded that even George would have been impressed by the elegance of these animals.
‘Really? I’m going to ride this?’ JT mumbled to himself. He couldn’t quite get the words out of his mouth. He was still trembling at the animals’ presence. ‘Could it be true?’ he thought to himself.
‘Yes,’ the hooded Tritonian leading the horse announced to JT as he settled beside him. ‘Joshua is most able and honorable. He will run like the wind.’
JT’s hand quivered as he placed his palm against the horse’s chest. It moved up and down with every deep breath Joshua took. He had so much wanted to ride George on the farm. The thought danced in his head every time he went to clean the horse barn. He knew his injured knee wouldn’t let him enjoy that freedom. In Bruinduer, however, he did not have to worry about that problem. In the Vryheid world behind the Mahogany Door, his knee was perfect. He would not be denied that freedom he so longed for.
‘You can have anything in Bruinduer,’ rushed through JT’s head.
He heard a small rustle and thump behind him. He turned to discern that Kali had quickly mounted her horse. ‘Gabriel will be fast and true. He knows the way,’ stated the handler that had brought Kali’s horse.
The hooded man looked at JT who was still reluctant to jump on Joshua.
JT’s very large issue was that he had never learned to ride a horse. Would he be able to handle and control this powerful animal named Joshua? What if he did something wrong?
‘It will be OK,’ the hooded man said as he steadied the horse. ‘He will not leave you. We have put some items in the saddle bags in case you may need them. There is water and other things.’
JT had waited for this moment. One of his dreams would come true. He could have anything in Bruinduer. He concluded that he may not find his lost childhood from so long ago, but now, he at least would feel the wind in his hair. A feeling of assurance and skill swelled over him again as it had in the dungeon cell.
He placed his left foot in one of the stirrups and heaved himself onto Joshua. The large commanding horse did not move an inch as JT settled in the black, leather saddle. His hands went wet and his nerves were still on fire despite the surge of confidence. It was foreign to him that he was actually getting ready to go for a ride.
‘Go! May Kawaida be with you!’ the first hooded Triton man barked and Joshua and Gabriel kicked off running. Kali, JT, along with the horses flew off into the Bruinduer dawn.
The first acceleration JT felt as Joshua shot off was amazing. He felt his neck jerk back and the power of Joshua explode beneath him. They reached full speed in a matter of seconds.
JT briefly wondered who this, Kawaida -- kawasaki or whoever was, but the thought quickly dispersed in his brain as he found himself in a race with Kali.
They cut and bruised through the dunes and down the rest of the Triton hills and off to the flat lake of sand. They yelled, screamed, and laughed. The exhilaration was almost more than JT could take. He was free.
Joshua and Gabriel’s hooves beat the sand as they rushed and sped toward Godwin across the Bruinduer desert. The smell of the horrid, nauseous air disappeared as the breeze and adrenaline enveloped Kali and JT.
The sun poked its first born rays of the day over the distant Godwin hills and the desert turned to bright yellow. It was a new day in Bruinduer and the fear of war vanished from Kali and JT’s minds as they soared to their destination to meet Michael.
Hours seemed like minutes as they grinded their way through the Triton side of the Desert of Share. The sun climbed higher in the sky and the Bridge of Common became closer and closer. The horses, Joshua and Gabriel, were truer than the Triton handlers had promised. Their endurance and determination did not falter for one moment and JT rubbed Joshua behind his ears as they carved through the sand.
As the Bridge of Common became clearer and larger, the mood of the morning changed very quickly. Dread penetrated the air and deflated the excited enthusiasm Kali and JT felt on the gallop to freedom. JT pulled back on Joshua’s reins. The horse halted immediately and Kali and Gabriel blew by at breakneck speed. A few moments later Kali realized she was alone. She stopped Gabriel and trotted back to JT and Joshua.
‘What’s wrong? We’re just about there,’ Kali said confusingly resting beside JT.
‘Don’t know. I feel something strange. Something’s not
right,’ JT explained as he rocked back and forth on Joshua who let out a thunderous sneeze.
‘You really think Billy’s out here somewhere wanting to help you?’ Kali said with exasperation. ‘You have got to be kidding me.’
With disapproving eyes, JT gazed at Kali. ‘Look, I didn’t say it was Billy making me stop but I just got a feeling; a feeling that if we keep going, something bad is going to happen.’
‘Well, keep your creepy thoughts to yourself,’ Kali began. ‘We’re almost to the bridge. There we can cross, go warn Michael, defeat Charlie, and then leave this horrible place.’
‘So now it’s that easy, huh?’ JT said now circling with Joshua. ‘The way you’ve been acting, I’ve began to wonder if you were even paying attention.’
‘Well, let’s just say I hope it’s that easy,’ retorted Kali, ‘Can we continue on now?’ Kali kicked Gabriel and off they went. In a flash, they were at full speed.
Ever so closer as they approached the Bridge of Common, JT’s feelings of uneasiness became more intense; its aura as thick as the smell of the Triton morning.
The duo and their horses dramatically slowed their pace and began to trot toward the massive steel structure. Just as the day before, hundreds if not thousands of people were crossing and trading across the Bridge of Common, and just as the day before more of the travelers were crossing from Triton into Godwin. Large caravans of carriages and horses crisscrossed the bridge, and the ominous sound of the creaking, turning wheels of the carriages and the thumping of iron horseshoes on steel, echoed through the valley of the empty ravine beneath the bridge.
‘What’s up with this?’ JT asked as they trotted their way through the long lines to cross the bridge and stopped at the edge of the enormous structure. ‘I don’t see any water.’
‘It was King Charlie,’ a familiar black, hooded figure stated in the high, calming voice of a woman. ‘He has shut off the water to Godwin.’
JT remembered Charlie standing outside the dungeon cell stating that he was going to shut the water off to Godwin. He just didn’t believe he’d do it. The gesture only reinforced in JT that when he heard Charlie say he wanted to kill everyone, he would probably try to keep that promise as well. He then saw the hooded figure with a satchel on her back begin the long, daunting trek over the bridge. He then scoped out the other crowds and carriages that were trudging their goods over to Godwin. Many hooded figures crossed the Bridge of Common. Everywhere he looked he saw the long black robes glide across the metal suspension and hang from the sides of massive transports carving paths to Michael’s kingdom. Could this many people really not want to be subjects of Triton anymore? Certainly there were those that still supported Charlie in the mix. His feelings of apprehension became even more prominent and animated.
‘We really need to get back over to Godwin. I don’t like this. I have a bad feeling.’ JT urged Joshua to cross by digging his heels into the horse’s sides.
‘I think I have to agree with you,’ Kali answered with a gentle but deliberate nudge on Gabriel’s reins. The cautious duo with their dedicated guides crossed the Bridge of Common.
The trek across the bridge was happily uneventful. The air changed almost instantly as JT and Kali got halfway across the structure. The smell of mold and gagging stench gave way to the sweet smell of lavender and lilies. JT felt as though it was like holding his hand over his nose for a couple of minutes being choked off from fresh air, and then suddenly removing his hand to inhale.
With but one momentary delay, JT, Kali, and their two companions, Joshua and Gabriel, easily trotted across the bridge to the Godwin side. After eight hooves touched sand, the two horses galloped at a nice clip toward the hills of Michael’s gold and ivory castle. Just as JT’s nerves calmed about his uneasy feelings, pandemonium broke loose behind them.
JT and Kali yanked on the horses’ reins and both pivoted around toward the Bridge of Common.
A loud commotion began to build on and around the metal structure no more than a hundred yards away from them. People began to run toward JT and Kali as fast as their legs would carry them. It reminded JT of the start of a marathon; still and then fast. Men, women, and children jumped from their carriages and horses and sprinted across the bridge. The hoods of these people crossing the bridge flipped from the top of their heads to their shoulders exposing expressions of terror and fright. People stampeded over others with no regard for life but their own in an effort to get away from something that was headed toward them from the Triton side of the bridge.
JT was paralyzed at the actions of all the people running toward him and Kali. They had no idea what to do. They sat still on top of Joshua and Gabriel wide-eyed, arms tightening, and hearts pounding.
The people scattered as quickly as they could, but there were still hundreds, if not thousands still on the massive metal structure that joined the two kingdoms across the River of Share.
There is something to be said at the very fraction of a second before an event, good or bad. It is the very last moment in the history of the people involved in that moment, because after it, their lives will never be the same. There was a flash in the corner of JT’s eye and then an odd compression of sound where JT could only feel the beat of his heart. An explosion rocked the bridge. KA_BLAM!!
The force was tremendous. A huge plume of black smoke mixed with a burst of fire engulfed the structure in a swift moment, and the shock wave from the blast blazed across the desert blowing Kali and JT off of Joshua and Gabriel.
JT then lie on the ground, his head spinning, and his wits depleted. He felt as though he were in a tunnel. The screams of the people still running about him and the cries of others who were injured were muted and everything around him progressed in slow motion. Dust and debris rained from the sky choking JT; filling his lungs with burning gas. As he struggled to catch his breath, all he could think about was Kali. He had promised her he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He had gotten them out of the cell in Triton’s dungeon, but was there anything he could do now? What in the world had just happened - and why?
With abated effort, JT tried to get to his feet but could only climb to his knees. The dust, sand, and metal parts from the bridge that exploded made the air more intense from the already hot environment of the desert. His eyes burned from the smothering soot and he was suddenly blinded. He reached into space around him not knowing why but maybe someone passing would help him. Maybe Kali would be standing right there ready to pull him to his feet. Or maybe, if he had had his choice, Gregory would wake him up and he would be back at the farm in his bed and Louise would be there ready to put a cold rag on his forehead with a large glass of cold milk -- neither happened.
JT tried to yell out for Kali, but his head was perplexed and in pain. All he could hear were the still, muffled screams of confusion from people running by him, plowing over him almost throwing him to the ground.
‘Kawaida help us!’ pleaded some of the voices. ‘Kawaida, please help us all!’
‘Kali?!’ JT tried to yell out into the chaos. More people ran by shoving him in his shoulders.
Nothing.
‘Kali?!’ He tried yelling again. There was no answer. He wished he would have told her how beautiful she was.
‘Kali?!’ He tried again but not quite as loud. His energy faded. Still there was no answer. He then wished he could have asked her why she grabbed his hand during tense moments in the last couple of days. He could see her burning blue eyes. She was all he could think about and hope for.
‘Kali.’ He couldn’t scream anymore. His voice was done. He fell forward and buried his cheek in the hot, burning, black sand. He might as well surrender. Bruinduer had probably collapsed. It was over. He had failed.
A light breeze then blew gently in the air as even the sounds of muffled excited confusion went silent around JT. He heard a soft voice ring in his ears just as he had heard in the great hall of the Triton Pyramid while trapped in the dungeon. It had to have been Billy. ‘Ge
t to your feet,’ the voice kept repeating. ‘Get to your feet, you are all right. Everyone who enters Bruinduer must leave Bruinduer.’ It was very comforting. It was not over. There was apparently, more for him to do. Bruinduer did not collapse.
JT tried again to get to his feet. He struggled, but with only now the will to live and Billy’s comforting words, he finally was able to stand on his feet as straight as he could. He opened his eyes; this time the scene was blurry. He shook the dust and metal off of his hands and rubbed away most of the caked on soot from his face and hair. Shapes slowly came into focus, and he stumbled toward the ravine. After a few moments, the last bit of debris from the explosion trickled to the sand. He could not believe his stinging red eyes.
There was once a brilliant bridge crossing over the River of Share that connected Godwin and Triton. It was majestic in its sheer magnitude and the last bastion of goodwill between the two kingdoms. Now, there was only needless waste and a huge unforgiving hole; only destruction and bodies remained. Heaps of steel lay at the bottom of the ravine and a thin coat of metallic dust covered the desert for at least a mile on either side of the dry ravine. JT started to cry.
The young man from Athens Eden was knocked to his knees as the extent of the horrific damage hit him like a ton of bricks. He felt totally and absolutely helpless. Who would do something like this?
He panned past where the Bridge of Common once stood to the Triton side and noticed red flags snapping in the distance. Hundreds of Triton soldiers stood ready at attention. It seemed that war had been declared on Godwin. JT did not need any more proof that Charlie was serious about killing them all.
JT reached to the ground and clutched the sand and metal debris in his fists. Rage burned in him and he felt the tortured weight of regret rest on his shoulders. His angered thoughts turned to revenge. In hindsight, he felt he should have jumped down the dune and killed Charlie when he had had the chance. Maybe the destruction of the bridge wouldn’t have happened if he would have been braver. He may have died, but he knew Charlie would be dead too.
He threw the tainted sand to the ground and labored to his feet; he seized his fists and screamed at the top of his voice. Adrenaline, rage, hate, and vengeance scorched his veins and he felt as though he could take on the entire Triton army and Charlie by himself. This was going to end. The torment and games had to end.
‘J...T...?’ a soft voice rang through the air and JT whirled around. His thoughts shifted quickly back to Kali. He rummaged around on the ground amongst the dead bodies and rubble.
‘J...T...’ He heard again, this time he flung himself to the ground on all fours and scrambled about shifting through mangled limbs and junk. He grabbed a metal beam and threw it to one side as though he were tossing an empty aluminum can into the garbage. Lying in front of him with a gash on her forehead spewing blood was the delightful Kimberly Abigail Logan.
‘You’re alive!’ JT rejoiced with gladness and grabbed her close to his body.
‘I’m still breathing.’ Kali coughed and spit out the dust in her lungs. ‘And I was just getting used to the sweet smell over here.’ She cracked a cordial smile. JT laughed with trepidation.
‘I thought I had lost you. I thought Bruinduer had collapsed,’ JT explained rocking Kali back and forth.
‘What happened?’ asked Kali as she struggled to breathe.
‘From the looks of it, Triton blew up the Bridge of Common and killed a lot of people,’ JT answered in a soft, cracking, watery voice.
‘Really? Triton? Charlie?’ Kali was perplexed and coughed up some more dust and wiped blood from her eye.
‘Yes.’ JT kept his rage at bay. She was more important than any animosity he felt toward Charlie and Triton at that moment. ‘But I’m not worried about that right now. You’re still here.’ JT stared into Kali’s sapphire blue eyes. This time, he let himself get lost.
Her face was battered but even in her state, she managed to smile back at him; this time more meaningfully. ‘You came back for me.’
JT lowered his head and kissed Kali gently on her lips.
Kali grabbed his hand, but this time, she did it on purpose.”
“Whew!” a little blonde-haired boy yelped from the back of the huddled group of children. “I sure am glad they got out of that.”
The rest of the children responded with an enthusiastic cheer. I too was happy Kali and JT escaped from the Triton Pyramid.
“I’m glad about something else though,” my little friend still perched in my lap stated as she tugged on my shirt collar.
“And what might that be?” I whispered in a very calm voice.
“I like that Billy’s back.” The girl’s round face beamed with joy. “I was hoping he would show up,” I replied and smiled back at her very politely.
“You know my little friend? I wonder, maybe, if he was always there.” I returned in an even lower tone and the little girl reacted with a surprised gasp and revealed her pearly teeth. If the fire had doused out at that moment, her grin would have lit the great hall all by itself. “But,” I continued in a very bewildering tone, “there is one thing that I have always wondered about, and have never found out or received a very clear answer.”
All the children’s heads popped up and their eyes bulged with enthusiasm ready to ask me what it was that I was so curious about. I looked down not sure I wanted to tell them, but had already posed the thought, and I gave in just the same. “I always wondered what JT did with all those little creepy crawlies that were squirming around in his boots.”
“EW!” the children screeched. I thought it was a relevant question, but I suppose it would have to remain one of life’s great mysteries. I continued with the story just the same.
“JT and Kali ran as hard as they could away from the Triton Pyramid; their legs pumped, and their hearts pounded. They did not turn around once, not even for a second, to see if anyone was chasing them. They kept their eyes straight forward wanting to get as far away from Charlie as quickly as possible.
The night air was cold and misty. The smell of mildew and stink permeated the air and Kali wanted to gag as her breath became deeper and stronger with every running stride. The air didn’t bother JT in the least. To him, the rotten air was the smell of freedom. Intense, strained minutes passed and the former prisoners found a large outcropping of sand dunes down the long, winding hill of Triton. They climbed behind a couple of the larger sand mounds, plopped to the ground, and took a much needed break.
Kali heaved deep breaths, but JT did not breathe hard at all. Instead his thoughts changed to another subject.
‘I just can’t believe all of this,’ JT stated as Kali continued catching her breath coughing up phlegm and trying without success to get used to the smell.
‘Can’t believe what?’ Kali answered finally able to breathe with a calmer rhythm, ‘That Triton guards came to attack us and that this is real, because I told you; even in the rules - If you bleed in Bruin-’
JT interrupted. ‘No. None of that. I can’t believe that Michael wanted to kill us.’ He tightened his fists then released them in disgust. ‘I might be able to understand why Charlie wants us dead, but not Michael.’ JT searched his feelings. He knew that Michael was obsessed in getting back to Bruinduer, but he had no idea that the power and allure the Vryheid world had, was that strong.
‘He didn’t have anything, JT. I told you that,’ Kali interrupted JT’s thoughts. ‘You had it all. You had a loving family and he wanted that. He wanted a crazy, old granddad that had a big old house that you could get lost in or travel to a different world. He wanted control of everything he did. He wanted the power that it seemed only you - or even that monster Billy could give him.’ Kali sighed because she knew her next words were true. ‘Charlie and this place can give him what he wants now. I told you this back at Warhead Dale. This is his chance to return to a time when he thought everything was good; a time when there were no worries. I’m just sorry to see that Bruinduer and what it can give him means more to him than I would have hoped. You’re right. He is willing to kill his friends for it.’ Kali shuffled beside JT. Her eyes were glassy from the putrid smell, but she could see that JT was still confused. She wanted him to have his memory back.
‘Well, he might not get that chance, now will he,’ JT broke the silence. ‘I mean Charlie said he was going to kill us all.’ He hung his head. He could sense an uneasy feeling edging up his spine. He had no idea what to do. Gregory would have known how to handle this situation. He bet his grandfather would have known too.
‘That’s why we have to go warn him, JT. We have to go tell Michael that Charlie is forming his army and ready to attack,’ said Kali placing her hand on JT’s shoulder and squeezing it gently.
‘What?’ JT’s head darted toward Kali. ‘And get killed? No I don’t think so. This may be a trap. For all I know, Charlie and Michael planned all of this. I mean they had a war for fun, remember, to split up Bruinduer?’
Kali didn’t know how to answer JT’s concern. Everything was confusing to her too. She knew Michael and just couldn’t believe deep down that he would kill them.
JT thought as hard as he could. Maybe if they chose to just hide there, no one would miss them and all would be well. Then, after everyone dies in Charlie’s war, they would at least survive. His thoughts then strayed to Billy.
Billy had to be somewhere in Bruinduer. JT couldn’t understand why he just didn’t make himself appear and resolve the situation. Certainly Billy could just take care of Charlie with one punch or use some kind of magic to destroy him. From how the Essence emerged from Warhead Dale, and how much contempt he showed Michael in his dreams, it seemed that the spirit guide of Bruinduer was angry, capable, and powerful enough to remedy himself rid of the young, dangerous Triton monarch. Even if that power was not 100 percent. And where was the big brut now? JT knew that Billy had sent the rat to save and guide him and Kali out of the pyramid. Why did he just leave them alone now? ‘Where are you?’ the thought swam through JT’s mind.
A gentle breeze puffed and JT’s cheek turned his head upward to the crest of the tallest dune that he and Kali sat beneath. JT crawled delicately up the side of the dune and Kali crept behind him without hesitation. As the pair peered over the top, JT’s eyes swelled with intense horror and Kali struggled for breath as she sucked in more moldy air than she could handle and began to wheeze and choke.
Below, it was obvious to JT that this was not a ruse thought up by Charlie and Michael to trap and kill him and Kali. This was something much more serious. The Triton army, under their red flags, gathered at the base of the hill shadowed by the great pyramid. Their multitude outlined in mortifying silhouette from the pale start of the Bruinduer sunrise and the blaze of thousands of hot torches.
Soldiers prepared for battle, shining and inspecting their swords and spears on foot. Others mounted great black stallions that rocked back and forth, ready to explode into battle; large streams of white mist circled the beasts’ heads as they exhaled the musty, cold, stinking Triton air.
‘This doesn’t look good,’ JT whispered to Kali who was still trying to calm herself. ‘This doesn’t look good at all.’
‘I told you. We need to go and warn Michael,’ Kali said with fright and deep, rhythmic nervous breaths. She grabbed JT’s hand.
JT thought for a few minutes as he watched the Triton soldiers preparing to go to war. He knew he had to act quickly but could not help pondering his predicament philosophically. He couldn’t believe that the Vryheid would create a world that could be so volatile and full of violence, especially since it was designed for people to fulfill their destinies.
He gazed up at the Triton Pyramid and saw even larger pieces of its walls crumble to the ground and he noticed that the air began to get thicker and more opaque. He had to end this. Did he want to take the chance and just jump down the dune and confront Charlie right here, right now, or should he go back to the Godwin side and tell Michael that he and Bruinduer were in serious danger? ‘I know I can take him,’ thought JT, but he was smart enough to know that he couldn’t take the thousands of hardened soldiers ready to do battle.
‘Fine,’ JT answered Kali as he released her hand. ‘We’ll go back to Michael and tell him what’s going on. We’ll tell him that Charlie’s crazy and wants to kill us all.’ JT had made his decision. ‘It’s probably the only way to stop Bruinduer from collapsing. We’ll fight him, take him, and then finally get out of here.’ JT stood and brushed the sand off of his extremely soiled clothes in futility. ‘I hope Michael has a big enough army. How are we going to get there in ti—’
JT felt a presence behind him and was startled as he stared over the Triton army. With mustered courage, he spun around and a human wearing a long black robe with a hood blocking his face stood looking at them in total silence. JT jumped into a quick fighting stance dropping the prison guard’s sword he had stolen, but the hooded person stood in still study of JT and was noncombative; his hands hidden by his draping sleeves.
As JT rocked in his crouched position with his fists raised, the person revealed and elevated an old, wrinkled pale hand slowly and methodically in JT’s direction. JT scanned the hooded person from head to foot baffled, and the pasty, cold, crooked fingers of the person’s hand delicately grabbed JT’s arm, tugged gently, and led him down the dune. Kali subsequently, just as confused as JT, followed behind the descending pair.
The long, black robe glided and led them off the sand hill, but maintained large dunes between them and the gathering Triton army so they would not be detected. After ten minutes, the silent robed person led JT and Kali to another gathering of robed persons standing in a circle holding baskets, sacks, and cases of goods.
‘Do not be afraid of us,’ the robed person who led JT and Kali to the group stated and slung a satchel of clothes and food over his shoulder. ‘Please.’ He then reached up and de-hooded himself and revealed a pallid face with sunken, dark eyes.
JT recognized the man as one of Charlie’s subjects in the great hall of the Triton Pyramid. He was the first person he noticed as he walked through the great doors behind Tickler. His black eyes were mesmerizing. ‘What’s this about?’ asked JT befuddled.
‘We are subjects of Triton,’ the man began. ‘We are subjects of Triton who wish to be no more.’
‘How did you know we were –?’ JT began but was interrupted by the man.
‘Word travels fast in Triton, plus there is a greater power at work here. You see we have come to believe again what we were so longed denied.’ The man placed his hood back over his head. ‘We believe in what you just recently found to be true. Kawaida is here.’
‘Who? But -’ JT tried to begin again, but the man raised his crooked porcelain hand and hushed him.
‘There is no time for this. You must go to Godwin as your companion has suggested and warn young King Michael about Triton’s intentions.’ Kali appeared perplexed but was caught up in the moment. ‘We will not be far behind you,’ the man stated, ‘and hopefully we will cross the great ravine to Godwin before war breaks out across the land.’ The man motioned over his head with his hand. Immediately, two hooded people came from behind the sand dunes leading two majestic, large, strong black horses.
The animals were the most graceful and elegant JT had ever seen. The horses’ shiny black coats glistened in the morning dawn and their breaths were a steaming mist. Their bright yellow eyes sparkled with a hint of care and urgency. As they bellowed, their teeth flashed white.
JT’s jaw hung open and he became nervous. Every step the horses took closer to him and Kali, his heart hammered his ribs. As he watched the graceful animals approach, his thoughts turned to the Shorts’ farm. He didn’t want to think that any horse could be more magnificent than his pal George, but he concluded that even George would have been impressed by the elegance of these animals.
‘Really? I’m going to ride this?’ JT mumbled to himself. He couldn’t quite get the words out of his mouth. He was still trembling at the animals’ presence. ‘Could it be true?’ he thought to himself.
‘Yes,’ the hooded Tritonian leading the horse announced to JT as he settled beside him. ‘Joshua is most able and honorable. He will run like the wind.’
JT’s hand quivered as he placed his palm against the horse’s chest. It moved up and down with every deep breath Joshua took. He had so much wanted to ride George on the farm. The thought danced in his head every time he went to clean the horse barn. He knew his injured knee wouldn’t let him enjoy that freedom. In Bruinduer, however, he did not have to worry about that problem. In the Vryheid world behind the Mahogany Door, his knee was perfect. He would not be denied that freedom he so longed for.
‘You can have anything in Bruinduer,’ rushed through JT’s head.
He heard a small rustle and thump behind him. He turned to discern that Kali had quickly mounted her horse. ‘Gabriel will be fast and true. He knows the way,’ stated the handler that had brought Kali’s horse.
The hooded man looked at JT who was still reluctant to jump on Joshua.
JT’s very large issue was that he had never learned to ride a horse. Would he be able to handle and control this powerful animal named Joshua? What if he did something wrong?
‘It will be OK,’ the hooded man said as he steadied the horse. ‘He will not leave you. We have put some items in the saddle bags in case you may need them. There is water and other things.’
JT had waited for this moment. One of his dreams would come true. He could have anything in Bruinduer. He concluded that he may not find his lost childhood from so long ago, but now, he at least would feel the wind in his hair. A feeling of assurance and skill swelled over him again as it had in the dungeon cell.
He placed his left foot in one of the stirrups and heaved himself onto Joshua. The large commanding horse did not move an inch as JT settled in the black, leather saddle. His hands went wet and his nerves were still on fire despite the surge of confidence. It was foreign to him that he was actually getting ready to go for a ride.
‘Go! May Kawaida be with you!’ the first hooded Triton man barked and Joshua and Gabriel kicked off running. Kali, JT, along with the horses flew off into the Bruinduer dawn.
The first acceleration JT felt as Joshua shot off was amazing. He felt his neck jerk back and the power of Joshua explode beneath him. They reached full speed in a matter of seconds.
JT briefly wondered who this, Kawaida -- kawasaki or whoever was, but the thought quickly dispersed in his brain as he found himself in a race with Kali.
They cut and bruised through the dunes and down the rest of the Triton hills and off to the flat lake of sand. They yelled, screamed, and laughed. The exhilaration was almost more than JT could take. He was free.
Joshua and Gabriel’s hooves beat the sand as they rushed and sped toward Godwin across the Bruinduer desert. The smell of the horrid, nauseous air disappeared as the breeze and adrenaline enveloped Kali and JT.
The sun poked its first born rays of the day over the distant Godwin hills and the desert turned to bright yellow. It was a new day in Bruinduer and the fear of war vanished from Kali and JT’s minds as they soared to their destination to meet Michael.
Hours seemed like minutes as they grinded their way through the Triton side of the Desert of Share. The sun climbed higher in the sky and the Bridge of Common became closer and closer. The horses, Joshua and Gabriel, were truer than the Triton handlers had promised. Their endurance and determination did not falter for one moment and JT rubbed Joshua behind his ears as they carved through the sand.
As the Bridge of Common became clearer and larger, the mood of the morning changed very quickly. Dread penetrated the air and deflated the excited enthusiasm Kali and JT felt on the gallop to freedom. JT pulled back on Joshua’s reins. The horse halted immediately and Kali and Gabriel blew by at breakneck speed. A few moments later Kali realized she was alone. She stopped Gabriel and trotted back to JT and Joshua.
‘What’s wrong? We’re just about there,’ Kali said confusingly resting beside JT.
‘Don’t know. I feel something strange. Something’s not
‘You really think Billy’s out here somewhere wanting to help you?’ Kali said with exasperation. ‘You have got to be kidding me.’
With disapproving eyes, JT gazed at Kali. ‘Look, I didn’t say it was Billy making me stop but I just got a feeling; a feeling that if we keep going, something bad is going to happen.’
‘Well, keep your creepy thoughts to yourself,’ Kali began. ‘We’re almost to the bridge. There we can cross, go warn Michael, defeat Charlie, and then leave this horrible place.’
‘So now it’s that easy, huh?’ JT said now circling with Joshua. ‘The way you’ve been acting, I’ve began to wonder if you were even paying attention.’
‘Well, let’s just say I hope it’s that easy,’ retorted Kali, ‘Can we continue on now?’ Kali kicked Gabriel and off they went. In a flash, they were at full speed.
Ever so closer as they approached the Bridge of Common, JT’s feelings of uneasiness became more intense; its aura as thick as the smell of the Triton morning.
The duo and their horses dramatically slowed their pace and began to trot toward the massive steel structure. Just as the day before, hundreds if not thousands of people were crossing and trading across the Bridge of Common, and just as the day before more of the travelers were crossing from Triton into Godwin. Large caravans of carriages and horses crisscrossed the bridge, and the ominous sound of the creaking, turning wheels of the carriages and the thumping of iron horseshoes on steel, echoed through the valley of the empty ravine beneath the bridge.
‘What’s up with this?’ JT asked as they trotted their way through the long lines to cross the bridge and stopped at the edge of the enormous structure. ‘I don’t see any water.’
‘It was King Charlie,’ a familiar black, hooded figure stated in the high, calming voice of a woman. ‘He has shut off the water to Godwin.’
JT remembered Charlie standing outside the dungeon cell stating that he was going to shut the water off to Godwin. He just didn’t believe he’d do it. The gesture only reinforced in JT that when he heard Charlie say he wanted to kill everyone, he would probably try to keep that promise as well. He then saw the hooded figure with a satchel on her back begin the long, daunting trek over the bridge. He then scoped out the other crowds and carriages that were trudging their goods over to Godwin. Many hooded figures crossed the Bridge of Common. Everywhere he looked he saw the long black robes glide across the metal suspension and hang from the sides of massive transports carving paths to Michael’s kingdom. Could this many people really not want to be subjects of Triton anymore? Certainly there were those that still supported Charlie in the mix. His feelings of apprehension became even more prominent and animated.
‘We really need to get back over to Godwin. I don’t like this. I have a bad feeling.’ JT urged Joshua to cross by digging his heels into the horse’s sides.
‘I think I have to agree with you,’ Kali answered with a gentle but deliberate nudge on Gabriel’s reins. The cautious duo with their dedicated guides crossed the Bridge of Common.
The trek across the bridge was happily uneventful. The air changed almost instantly as JT and Kali got halfway across the structure. The smell of mold and gagging stench gave way to the sweet smell of lavender and lilies. JT felt as though it was like holding his hand over his nose for a couple of minutes being choked off from fresh air, and then suddenly removing his hand to inhale.
With but one momentary delay, JT, Kali, and their two companions, Joshua and Gabriel, easily trotted across the bridge to the Godwin side. After eight hooves touched sand, the two horses galloped at a nice clip toward the hills of Michael’s gold and ivory castle. Just as JT’s nerves calmed about his uneasy feelings, pandemonium broke loose behind them.
JT and Kali yanked on the horses’ reins and both pivoted around toward the Bridge of Common.
A loud commotion began to build on and around the metal structure no more than a hundred yards away from them. People began to run toward JT and Kali as fast as their legs would carry them. It reminded JT of the start of a marathon; still and then fast. Men, women, and children jumped from their carriages and horses and sprinted across the bridge. The hoods of these people crossing the bridge flipped from the top of their heads to their shoulders exposing expressions of terror and fright. People stampeded over others with no regard for life but their own in an effort to get away from something that was headed toward them from the Triton side of the bridge.
JT was paralyzed at the actions of all the people running toward him and Kali. They had no idea what to do. They sat still on top of Joshua and Gabriel wide-eyed, arms tightening, and hearts pounding.
The people scattered as quickly as they could, but there were still hundreds, if not thousands still on the massive metal structure that joined the two kingdoms across the River of Share.
There is something to be said at the very fraction of a second before an event, good or bad. It is the very last moment in the history of the people involved in that moment, because after it, their lives will never be the same. There was a flash in the corner of JT’s eye and then an odd compression of sound where JT could only feel the beat of his heart. An explosion rocked the bridge. KA_BLAM!!
The force was tremendous. A huge plume of black smoke mixed with a burst of fire engulfed the structure in a swift moment, and the shock wave from the blast blazed across the desert blowing Kali and JT off of Joshua and Gabriel.
JT then lie on the ground, his head spinning, and his wits depleted. He felt as though he were in a tunnel. The screams of the people still running about him and the cries of others who were injured were muted and everything around him progressed in slow motion. Dust and debris rained from the sky choking JT; filling his lungs with burning gas. As he struggled to catch his breath, all he could think about was Kali. He had promised her he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He had gotten them out of the cell in Triton’s dungeon, but was there anything he could do now? What in the world had just happened - and why?
With abated effort, JT tried to get to his feet but could only climb to his knees. The dust, sand, and metal parts from the bridge that exploded made the air more intense from the already hot environment of the desert. His eyes burned from the smothering soot and he was suddenly blinded. He reached into space around him not knowing why but maybe someone passing would help him. Maybe Kali would be standing right there ready to pull him to his feet. Or maybe, if he had had his choice, Gregory would wake him up and he would be back at the farm in his bed and Louise would be there ready to put a cold rag on his forehead with a large glass of cold milk -- neither happened.
JT tried to yell out for Kali, but his head was perplexed and in pain. All he could hear were the still, muffled screams of confusion from people running by him, plowing over him almost throwing him to the ground.
‘Kawaida help us!’ pleaded some of the voices. ‘Kawaida, please help us all!’
‘Kali?!’ JT tried to yell out into the chaos. More people ran by shoving him in his shoulders.
Nothing.
‘Kali?!’ He tried yelling again. There was no answer. He wished he would have told her how beautiful she was.
‘Kali?!’ He tried again but not quite as loud. His energy faded. Still there was no answer. He then wished he could have asked her why she grabbed his hand during tense moments in the last couple of days. He could see her burning blue eyes. She was all he could think about and hope for.
‘Kali.’ He couldn’t scream anymore. His voice was done. He fell forward and buried his cheek in the hot, burning, black sand. He might as well surrender. Bruinduer had probably collapsed. It was over. He had failed.
A light breeze then blew gently in the air as even the sounds of muffled excited confusion went silent around JT. He heard a soft voice ring in his ears just as he had heard in the great hall of the Triton Pyramid while trapped in the dungeon. It had to have been Billy. ‘Ge
JT tried again to get to his feet. He struggled, but with only now the will to live and Billy’s comforting words, he finally was able to stand on his feet as straight as he could. He opened his eyes; this time the scene was blurry. He shook the dust and metal off of his hands and rubbed away most of the caked on soot from his face and hair. Shapes slowly came into focus, and he stumbled toward the ravine. After a few moments, the last bit of debris from the explosion trickled to the sand. He could not believe his stinging red eyes.
There was once a brilliant bridge crossing over the River of Share that connected Godwin and Triton. It was majestic in its sheer magnitude and the last bastion of goodwill between the two kingdoms. Now, there was only needless waste and a huge unforgiving hole; only destruction and bodies remained. Heaps of steel lay at the bottom of the ravine and a thin coat of metallic dust covered the desert for at least a mile on either side of the dry ravine. JT started to cry.
The young man from Athens Eden was knocked to his knees as the extent of the horrific damage hit him like a ton of bricks. He felt totally and absolutely helpless. Who would do something like this?
He panned past where the Bridge of Common once stood to the Triton side and noticed red flags snapping in the distance. Hundreds of Triton soldiers stood ready at attention. It seemed that war had been declared on Godwin. JT did not need any more proof that Charlie was serious about killing them all.
JT reached to the ground and clutched the sand and metal debris in his fists. Rage burned in him and he felt the tortured weight of regret rest on his shoulders. His angered thoughts turned to revenge. In hindsight, he felt he should have jumped down the dune and killed Charlie when he had had the chance. Maybe the destruction of the bridge wouldn’t have happened if he would have been braver. He may have died, but he knew Charlie would be dead too.
He threw the tainted sand to the ground and labored to his feet; he seized his fists and screamed at the top of his voice. Adrenaline, rage, hate, and vengeance scorched his veins and he felt as though he could take on the entire Triton army and Charlie by himself. This was going to end. The torment and games had to end.
‘J...T...?’ a soft voice rang through the air and JT whirled around. His thoughts shifted quickly back to Kali. He rummaged around on the ground amongst the dead bodies and rubble.
‘J...T...’ He heard again, this time he flung himself to the ground on all fours and scrambled about shifting through mangled limbs and junk. He grabbed a metal beam and threw it to one side as though he were tossing an empty aluminum can into the garbage. Lying in front of him with a gash on her forehead spewing blood was the delightful Kimberly Abigail Logan.
‘You’re alive!’ JT rejoiced with gladness and grabbed her close to his body.
‘I’m still breathing.’ Kali coughed and spit out the dust in her lungs. ‘And I was just getting used to the sweet smell over here.’ She cracked a cordial smile. JT laughed with trepidation.
‘I thought I had lost you. I thought Bruinduer had collapsed,’ JT explained rocking Kali back and forth.
‘What happened?’ asked Kali as she struggled to breathe.
‘From the looks of it, Triton blew up the Bridge of Common and killed a lot of people,’ JT answered in a soft, cracking, watery voice.
‘Really? Triton? Charlie?’ Kali was perplexed and coughed up some more dust and wiped blood from her eye.
‘Yes.’ JT kept his rage at bay. She was more important than any animosity he felt toward Charlie and Triton at that moment. ‘But I’m not worried about that right now. You’re still here.’ JT stared into Kali’s sapphire blue eyes. This time, he let himself get lost.
Her face was battered but even in her state, she managed to smile back at him; this time more meaningfully. ‘You came back for me.’
JT lowered his head and kissed Kali gently on her lips.
Kali grabbed his hand, but this time, she did it on purpose.”