Bridgeworlds: Deep Flux (27 page)

Older Tyree turned and looked his younger self in the eyes.
"Thanks to Dr. Metzger and Jack you will never have to live through what I
have been through. The place where I am from... it is no longer true earth
as the timeline has been changed."

Younger Tyree shivered, "Ok, that's a lot weirder than I expected it
to be. Hearing my own voice back at me but looking into those eyes and
seeing a different person... ok, I’m good."

Younger Tyree started to walk away and Older Tyree called after
him, "Hey! We are rich now! Your welcome!"

 

Younger Tyree either didn’t hear him or pretended not to.

 

Tyree turned back to Jack and just laughed, "Was I really that
awkward?"

 

Jack nodded.

 

"Alright Jack," said Tyree, "It’s you and me. Let's get some things
and go back in."
14
Absolute Power

Myles still lay in the snow in ecstasy of all of the emotion he was
just fed by Catalina. They argued around him. They fought for the throne...
his throne.

"You brought him to us as our King knowing what he was. You
knew he was not one of us," said Carn towering menacingly over his sister.

"It was just that which led me to do so, what he is... you still do not
know what he is. Your mind can not comprehend the depth of it. But at
least he is one of us now, can’t you accept that? Father chose him and he is
now one of us," Catalina replied.

Mullach picked Myles up with one arm. Myles felt an anger stir in
him that he had not felt before. How dare this idiot handle me in such a
way? How dare they try to take my throne?

Mullach said, "He is not one of us. He is a corpse. Or at least he will
be soon."

Myles could tell Catalina was reading his mind, but she didn’t need
to. Myles was sure she could see the fierce look in his eyes.
I’m tired of this
game. I’m tired of things not going my way. I've been imprisoned, I’ve been
attacked, and now I’ve been shot and left for dead.

Myles knew the feeling now, the feeling that was boiling up inside
of him was vengeance.

 

Myles didn’t think it but said it, "My skin is the hardest substance
in existence."

 

Mullach looked back at him and said, "Oh yeah, we will see about
that."

Mullach drew back and punched Myles in the face with such force
he was positive it could have broken his neck and killed him right there.
Instead he felt the bones in Mullach's fist crumble to dust.

Mullach and Carn backed away as Myles floated toward them
slowly and said aloud, "I am living fire."

His body exploded and all that was left was his form in flames. He
saw the fear in their eyes. He fed off of their fear. "The snow falls upwards,"
he said as he kept approaching them. And it happened. The snow on the
ground began rising defying gravity and the laws of physics. Myles didn’t so
much as get a nose bleed.

Carne stared at him, “What… are… you…?”

Myles spoke and magnified his voice to the level that it shook the
ground. “I have been telling you. My wife has been telling you. I… AM…
YOUR… KING…”

Myles felt her there. Catalina. Her presence was soothing. The
snow began to fall in the right direction. He was no longer fire. Carn and
Mullach were kneeling, cowering on the ground before him. Myles bent
over and helped them up. “Now, we are family. We should not fight and
squabble. This is a time of celebration.” Myles turned around and Catalina
was gone. He thought about it and it was odd that he was able to affect
that much of his surroundings. Maybe it was that he was a vampire. Maybe
it was the raw emotion of the masses of vampires gathered for the
wedding. In all of this time he had not realized that he had stopped
breathing. He gasped for air when he realized but his lungs didn’t work. It
took him a moment to realize he was ok
. I’m dead, but alive.

Suddenly Myles felt nothing. He was detached from the world and
everything felt gray and drab. Where in one moment he was full of life, he
felt dead. He felt as though his soul had slipped away from him while he
was not watching.

After some time Catalina came back. Myles called Carn who
hurried to him at his call. Carn looked at him expectantly. “You are in
charge of the Kingdom while I am gone. Try not to get too used to it. But we
must be off to our honeymoon.”

Myles put both arms around his wife, looked her in the eyes with a
smile, and then he had the winds carry them into the air. Together they
floated over the vast lands of their Northern winter Kingdom. They had to
stop until night came so Myles stopped and formed an igloo for them in the
snow. He built a fire for a camp where he made her ice sculptures. When
the last sun set Myles teleported them over the Brugmos Sea where they
flew over Captain Burgess’ beautiful ship. Then he teleported them to
Caelsis where he introduced her to Queen Ariana. She threw a faerie ball
for them. It was a thing of beauty. Castle Enigma alone enchanted Catalina.
They explored the castle together for most of the night and when the night
was over. Kleis who Myles knew was posing as Omar from the start gave
them a beautiful room in the Tower of the Magi. Catalina poked fun at
Myles for the statues of him calling him “Master Callaghan”. There in the
tower they fell asleep in each other’s arms. The next evening Myles
teleported them to Loefel Meren where he introduced Catalina to the
Queen. Each night Myles took her to a new place she had never been
before until they had been gone for a week. He explained to her that he
would even take her into Musterion but he was afraid that too much time
would pass while they were gone.

They returned to Pathos well rested and well acquainted having
spent every waking moment of the adventure together. But they returned
to find the castle under attack by the Broken. As Myles flew them into the
castle he asked for a report. They said that two nights prior the Broken had
started a siege on the castle but Carn had held them back. Myles looked out
at the army of hundreds and teleported himself there.

“Where is your leader,” he cried out.

 

“We need no leader”, several of them said. “And we want no King.”

At those words Myles closed his eyes and lit the very air all around
him on fire. It was a white hot flame, then he set out at killing the Broken’s
force making himself into a one man army. They ran from him in fear as he
hunted them down and killed them in the night. Myles killed them all,
blood lust had hit him in battle and he had gone out of control. He fed on
their fear and as he did so he felt alive in those brief moments.
They
deserve to die. They are all murderers.
Several of his own men had tried to
stop him but he was drunk on the emotions of all of the dying Broken ones.
It took Catalina to bring him back to sanity.

Myles could feel himself slipping. He was losing his humanity. After
the battle he felt empty and hollow again. But there were none who could
defeat him. Forget Haylale, he had become the most powerful creature on
Soterion. He was a force to be reckoned with.

That night was the first night he had spent without his new wife.
He sat on the throne handling Kingly matters. Carn was getting him spun up
on local events.

"Your Majesty. We suffered casualties against the Broken but we
were winning. I believe it best if we concentrate our soldiers on the battle
and let you live safe behind the walls of the castle," said Carn with
hesitance in his voice.

Myles gave Carn a stone faced look, "Fear and humility are
unbecoming of you. You are a Prince. I expect you to act the part and not
cower before me when we meet."

Carn's eyes got big, he seemed taken aback with the candidness
with which Myles was speaking of his fear of him. "Yes, your Majesty. I just
wanted to voice that the Kingdom needs a King and we cannot risk losing
you."

Myles shook his head, "I will not have my subjects dying
unnecessarily. I will fight until you are given instructions otherwise. I have
nothing to fear on the battle field."

"Yes, your Majesty." Carn bowed and left the King to sit on his
throne alone.

CHARLI HAD FOUND HER WAY to the Kingdom of Pathos. It was a
small city built beneath a castle. It looked like there had once been a wide
mote surrounding the castle with three brides leading across the water.
However, where the water might have once been there was a city below.
The city had been divided into three baronies: North Pathos, East Pathos,
and West Pathos. These baronies were divided by the South, Northeast,
and Northwest bridges above the city.

Charli knew about the tracking devices in the different weapons.
She waited and hoped her team would find her. She had been in Pathos for
a week and though she was the only walking talking cat there it seemed the
locals welcomed her visit. She had arrived three nights ago and after only
one day the city and castle had been under attack by a crazed group called
"The Broken". All citizens of the capital were urged to stay on the castle
grounds during the battle as it was a last line of defense. Charli along with
several hundred natives were escorted to the castle.

During the battle she had found her way to a tower where she
used her telekinetic abilities to help gain a victory from afar. With the use
of a telescope that natives had been passing around to observe the battle
she was able to see into the ranks of the Broken and cause much chaos. It
started with her forcing the arm of a soldier holding a sword to stab
another soldier within their ranks. She did this in a few key places within
their ranks causing confusion and dissention in the ranks allowing the
Kingdom of Pathos to have a great advantage on the battle field.

CALEB AND OWEN ARRIVED at the castle in Pathos just after the
battle. They had seen the carnage caused in the battle and were disturbed
by the brutality of war. As they entered the city they heard rumors that the
King had unimaginable powers and had defeated the armies of the enemy
by himself.

The tracking device they had led them straight to the castle. As
they walked the South Bridge to the palace they made plans for what they
would do.

"Look kid, I have military training and some foreign dignitary
training along with it. Let me do all of the talking. One miss-step and we
could end up dead," said Owen.

Caleb nodded. "I just want to get in there, get my cousin, and get
out. I'm not interested in talking to a King."

 

Owen smiled and asked, "No love for royalty?"
Caleb shook his head, "I just don’t want to complicate things."

They arrived at the portcullis where they told a guard that they
were visitors to see the King. The guard didn’t hesitate to let them in, in
fact he seemed pleased at their presence. "It is not often that we get
visitors from the South. Please, go in and one of the servants will lead you
to the throne room where you may speak to the King."

Owen cocked his head, "Really? So any stranger can gain an
audience with the King?"

The guard shook his head, "You really don’t know Pathos do you?
There are only a few mortals who would dare travel here or stay here for
that matter. We welcome mortals, the King is invincible, and he should be
the first to know if mortals are here."

Owen looked at Caleb and shrugged. "I just wasn’t expecting it to
be that easy."

 

Caleb laughed as they walked onto the castle grounds and found
the nearest servant.

MYLES COULD HEAR FOOTSTEPS DOWN THE HALL to the throne
room. He waited and then saw a Yaarma and a Daqad being led by one if
his servants. They were led to the center of the throne room and then the
servant hurried off.

The Yaarma looked to be a typical Yaarma with brown eyes and
dark skin but the bags he carried were manufactured. The Daqad had stone
clusters at his joins which was not typical on Soterion. He too had bags that
looked to be manufactured. They both wore a necklace with Omar's auto
audio translator on it around their necks.

They approached the throne. The Daqad first kneeled and then the
Yaarma. He could feel the fear of the Daqad and the determination of the
Yaarma. He fed off of it. They were intense emotions which always helped
him to feel alive.
Time to add confusion.

"How is Earth?" he asked as if he was asking how the weather was.

The Daqad blinked in surprise and confusion. But the Yaarma only
smiled in amusement. The Daqad began to stammer not able to form an
answer. Myles looked at the Yaarma and pointed a finger at him, "Answer
me."

The Yaarma stood, "I am Caleb. Earth was fine when we left it."

 

"Why have you come here?" asked Myles in a flat tone.

 

Caleb cleared his throat, "We believe my sister is in your castle. She
is... cat-like."

"I took notice of her. I believe my servants can help you find her
but I wanted to know why you have come to Soterion. I recognize the
device around your neck. What business do you have with Master
Metzger," he said giving them a judging look.

The Daqad looked down not making eye contact. He spoke in a low
rumbling tone as all Daqad from Musterion did. "May I speak, your Grace?"
he asked.

He has been trained in diplomacy.
"You may."

 

"My name is Owen we are here with a team of people to rescue Dr.
Omar Metzger."

Myles let out a hysterical laugh. He felt the fear welling up in Owen
again, it made him feel alive. Caleb was a stone of serenity. He had good
control over his emotions. "Omar Metzger does not need rescuing but
Soterion may need rescuing from Master Metzger, have you even ever met
the man? Who is leading this project? Are you the only ones?"

Owen shook his head, "Jack Raven leads it and there were eight of
us including Tyree who was not with us starting out on Earth."

 

Myles gave them a dangerous look, "I owe Tyree a lump on the
head."

Myles paused remembering his last run-in with Tyree when he
knocked Myles out from behind and dropped him and Gannan in
Musterion.