Everville: The City of Worms (6 page)

Chapter 9:

Traitor

In the underground catacombs on the edge of the land of the giants, the Fwaylan and the giants had made no movement in their position. Oldrik and his followers remained under the protection of a shield, but were trapped and unable to move.

“I’m scared, master, I’m scared,” Elmer whined, his voice trembling.

“Shut up, you worthless little creature,” Oldrik shouted in a shrill, stern tone. “What good are you to me now?”

“I’m sorry, master. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I said shut up,” Oldrik spat as he struck Elmer in the face, knocking him down to the ground.

Elmer did the best he could to keep from crying, but at that moment he started to think about whether or not he’d made a big mistake in joining Oldrik in the first place.

A short distance away, General Varrick had returned to his study and was pondering what strategy to use against the Fwaylan, when The Keeper’s image appeared.

“Varrick, I want you to hold your position. I have a possible solution to our problem, but I need you to hold your position for a while longer.”

“I think we can hold down the fort here. It doesn’t look like we’re going to be moving anytime soon anyway, so that should be an easy task. Just let us know what needs to be done when you’re ready and I’ll have my men take care of it.”

The Keeper’s image vanished from the general’s view, and then The Keeper once again turned his attention to Brackenbone. There was still no sign of progress outside the walls of Vermogen, and through the portal The Keeper watched Toe waiting outside the walls for the return of Kearney and Sako, who were still searching for answers with the Ubaloo in the secret cave.

As Toe waited, Grenmar proceeded to jump up and down, and with each jump, Felix was thrown higher and higher into the air until he lost his balance and slipped off of Grenmar and landed on the ground. Despite Felix’s muscular physique, his small size allowed him to recover his feet in no apparent pain.

“I hope they hurry,” Toe said to Felix.

“Don’t worry ,Toe. Asher and Faine know the caves well. I’m sure they’ll find the source soon.”

“I hope so, but is there any food nearby, just in case it takes a while longer?”

“There are some fruit trees down the way, but I think we should stay here. Asher and the others said they were going to meet us here, so we should probably just wait.”

Toe looked disappointed, and then he put his hands in his pockets, and as he did, an expression of relief came over his face. He pulled out his hand; in it was a large sandwich.

“There you are,” Toe said before he started stuffing his face with layered multi-grain bread and an assortment of thinly-sliced meats and vegetables that were crammed into the middle.

Toe took a corner of the sandwich and handed it to Grenmar, who retrieved the portion of the sandwich with his tongue and licked the remaining crumbs off his face. The other marmooks looked at Toe with their pouty golf ball-sized eyes protruding from their heads.

“All right, all right,” Toe said as he divided the rest of the sandwich between himself and the other marmooks. Each creature eagerly lapped up their small portions.

Meanwhile, Asher and Faine had led the Fron and Ubaloo that remained behind the walls of Vermogen deeper into the secret cave. They came upon a larger expanse within the cave that was buried well within the side of the mountain and below the falls.

The walls of the enclosure shimmered, just like the underground catacombs of Everville, but they were much brighter. Sako then noticed that the four corners of the room had what appeared to be a constant stream of liquid dripping down their vertical sides. A small pool of liquid oozed towards one corner, that fed into the pool of the element on the cave wall on the other side. One corner, however, did not. The liquid element appeared to vanish into the ground where it met the floor.

“Ah, see, over there,” Asher said, pointing towards the corner.

Kearney, Sako, and Faine approached the pool to get a better look. Asher proceeded to use a stick to try and dig away some of the dirt around the spot where the liquid was vanishing.

“Look, what’s that?” Kearney asked.

“It looks like some kind of large beetle or something,” Asher replied.

Next to the translucent, six-inch creature was a similar creature that appeared half there and half someplace else, like a ghost that hadn’t completely materialized.

“I see what’s going on,” Faine said.

“Those beetles are being used to transport the element to a collector. One beetle is here, and the other one is across time and space, but they are joined together. Alone, they cannot transport the element, but used together, they can send the element someplace else,” Faine said.

“Stand back,” Asher warned, as he reached into his bag and pulled out a dagger made from the same material that was used in the construction of the walls of Vermogen. It had a crooked wooden and marble handle with a sharp, four-inch metal blade. Asher lifted the dagger high above his head, and with all his might stabbed the beetle, twisting the dagger between the blades of its armor the moment it made impact. The beetle sparkled and made a loud crackling sound, collapsed inward, and vanished with a
POP
.

“Our work is done here. We should return and inform The Keeper of the other beetle. With only one beetle being used to transfer the element, things may get a little interesting,” Asher said.

“What do you mean?” Sako asked.

Asher replied, “Well, even with two there are consequences, but with just one, it’s hard to say. The element may get stuck in an in-between place, not quite here and not quite there.”

“We better get moving then,” Kearney said quickly.

The Keeper had continued to keep watch over the walls of Vermogen and saw no change, but he felt it. He sensed that one of the beetles had been destroyed; he also knew what that meant.

In the land of the giants, Oldrik sensed it too.

“No!” Oldrik shouted angrily. The shield protecting him flashed and crackled.

“Hey, look,” Borak said in a deep baritone voice. “His shield, it’s collapsing!”

Borak lunged towards Oldrik, and Oldrik picked up his rod and repeatedly tapped it on the ground in an attempt to stabilize the shield.

“You’re mine now,” Borak bellowed triumphantly as he threw his arm in Oldrik’s direction.

Several of the Fwaylan jumped towards Borak as he approached.

“Now!” General Varrick hollered, signaling to the Archers to resume their firing. Thousands of arrows pierced the flesh of the Fwaylan that had come close to Borak, which kept the path between Borak and Oldrik clear.

Just as Borak’s fist was about to make contact with Oldrik’s now-decaying chin, the shield was restored and Borak was thrown several feet back as it expanded outward forcefully.

“Not just yet, you stupid giant,” Oldrik gloated with an evil grin on his face.

Borak stood on his feet, which took some time due to his massive size, and then turned to Oldrik and said, “We’ll get you before all is said and done. You’d be wise to wipe that grin off your face.”

The collector that Oldrik possessed could no longer maintain the shield without depleting itself. Oldrik made the decision to use the remaining power to fortify the shield, but it couldn’t hold forever; he knew it and so did his followers.

“I’m scared, Oldrik. What do we do now?” Elmer asked.

Oldrik turned to Elmer and struck his face again, knocking him down to the ground. Blood started pouring from Elmer’s slimy, bald head. This time, he was too hurt to cry. Oldrik stared at his other follower, Calvin, who shrank back in terror, fearing Oldrik would strike him as well.

General Varrick walked towards Oldrik. The Fwaylan circled the area and watched intently as the general approached.

“Look at you, Oldrik. To what evil have you given yourself over? You were a Keeper. Now what are you, one of Them? How is it that someone who has seen one of The Pillars of Truth has given in to such deceit?”

Oldrik replied, “You stupid fool! Don’t lecture me about The Pillars of Truth. You’re so naïve, just like the rest of The Keepers and the Fron. I used to think just like you, but now I have seen what I need to know. There is no right or wrong, no good or bad; there are only winners and losers. There are only the weak and the strong. We take what we want or we let others take it from us. That is the only truth. The Pillars of Truth are like any other source of power, and when I find them, I’ll take their power, too.”

“Oldrik, I see The Keeper was right. You have given yourself over to the great lie. I am no worshiper of logic, but even logic and reason contradict what you are saying. You have allowed the pursuit of power to corrupt you. Your actions today have proven that.”

Elmer watched and listened intently, now convinced that he had made a grave mistake.

“We
will
defeat you, Oldrik. It’s true that there is a constant struggle between good and evil, but in case you haven’t noticed, evil has never completely won out in the end. The laws of the universe cannot be changed, but you seem intent on trying to do so. You may win a few battles here and there, but in the end, the sickness, the lies, and the darkness that infects all evil prevents it from ever winning the war.

“The battles that we fight are not against the greater evil or the greater good that exists in the multiverse; those battles have already been decided, like the rise and fall of tides in a great ocean. The real battles are the ones we fight from within. The real battles are the choices we make every day and what we learn from those choices. As a Keeper you were entrusted with a great power because you demonstrated great wisdom, but no one is immune to arrogance, not even a Keeper, and arrogance will be your downfall.”

Chapter 10:

The Fallout

“Clear!” the doctor shouted. She pressed the paddles down over Dante’s chest, and Dante’s body shook in place on the hospital bed as the charge was released into his body.

The doctor looked at the EKG machine to see if Dante’s heart had responded—nothing—flatline.

“Charge—Clear!”

The process repeated a few more times, and then finally—

“Clear!

“We’ve got a pulse!” the nurse shouted as he watched the green line tick up on the electronic screen attached to the EKG.

The doctor and several nurses rushed to check Dante’s status, administering various drugs and taking notes of different measurements of heart and brain activity.

Jack, Anika, and Owen had been waiting in the hospital lobby. Anika paced back and forth as she waited to get word back from the doctor. After about fifteen minutes had passed, Jack and Owen took notice of the approach of the person wearing a white coat walking towards them in the hall.

“Which of you are Dante’s family?” the doctor said as all three approached her.

“I am, but they are more than welcome to listen,” Jack said.

“It was touch and go there for a while, but we’ve stabilized him. He’s still in serious condition, though, and I’m a little concerned about his brain activity. Dante is still well within the range where a return to normal functioning is possible, but the activity has decreased with this latest episode. I don’t anticipate any immediate change, but the hospital will contact you in the event that there is.”

Anika turned to Owen and started crying on his shoulder. As she did, Drusilla and Zee walked into the waiting room.

“Is everything okay?” Zee asked.

“He’s okay for now,” Jack replied.

“Thanks for coming, guys,” Owen said to Drusilla and Zee.

“Don’t mention it,” Drusilla said.

“I’m sorry to hear about your father, Zee,” Owen said.

“Yeah. Me, too,” Anika said after she lifted her head off of Owen’s shoulder.

“Thank you, and I know everything’s crazy right now, but we need to talk,” Zee said, looking at Anika and Owen.

This was not the moment that Owen wanted to be pulled away to Everville, but he felt himself drifting and knew it would be just seconds before he arrived.

“Owen, I’m sorry to bring you back at this moment, but I had no choice,” The Keeper said.

“There were two objects used to transfer the element to Oldrik’s collector. One was in the secret cave behind the walls of Vermogen, and it’s been destroyed. The other object is somewhere in the earthly realm. You need to find it, and soon. With only one object transferring the element, it’s unclear what the consequences will be, and Dante’s condition is likely to get worse if we don’t find the other object and destroy it as quickly as possible. The object you are looking for is in the form of a beetle.

“Zee and Drusilla have become aware of our realm, and Zee can point you in the right direction,” The Keeper told Owen.

“Are you sure we can trust them?”

“Owen, I know you sense some darkness in them, but they have yet to determine their own fate. At the moment, Zee can help you. He has seen a truth that will help reveal the location of the other object. Find it, and destroy it at all costs.”

There was no time for niceties. Owen was thrust back into the waiting room, and Anika could tell where he had been.

“Is everything okay, Owen?” she asked.

“Everything is fine.”

Owen turned to Zee. “You’re right, we need to talk. Let’s do that while we walk back to my dorm.”

Anika turned to Jack. “Thanks for calling us. Please let us know if anything changes.”

“I will, Anika. You guys take care now. And Zee … you have my condolences.”

“Thanks, Jack.” And with that, they left the hospital and started walking back to Easton Falls University.

Roughly twenty minutes passed and they were about halfway back to the university and walking through the center of the art district in downtown Easton Falls. By that time it was early evening and darkness had just settled in. Owen and Zee were in the most important part of their conversion, as Zee had just mentioned the name Jacob.

At the moment Zee uttered that word, Anika and Drusilla saw a pair of eyes lurking in the shadows of one of the more elaborate art galleries downtown. They turned to get a closer look, but the eyes had vanished.

“I think we’re being watched,” Drusilla murmured.

“I think you’re right,” Anika replied.

They quickened their pace as they continued walking back towards campus. After another ten minutes had passed, they decided to stop in the campus café, which had just reopened that morning.

Anika and Owen bought their usual drinks, and Zee bought a regular cup of coffee, black. They sat down and took a few moments to sip their coffee, then Owen took notice of the Egyptian scarab carved into the wall.

“Hey guys, you see that?”

“See what?” Zee asked.

“That beetle,” Owen replied.

“You mean the scarab,” Drusilla said.

“Yeah, that thing. Well, The Keeper said that the object we’re looking for looks something like a beetle.”

“You know something, Owen, now that I think about it, there may be another beetle I’ve seen. The symbol on the map of The Other In Between is remarkably similar to a beetle. More than that, the symbol of The Other In Between is the symbol that’s carved into Jacob’s bo staff.

“When the images were flashing in my mind, I got the sense that Jacob was aware of what was going on and that he was somehow working with Them. If the object we’re looking for is a beetle, I think we should start by looking at Jacob’s house, and I know the perfect time we should go.”

“When is that, Zee?” Owen questioned.

“At my father’s funeral. I know Jacob is going to be there. I’ve already spoken to him. Before the funeral is over, maybe halfway through, you and Drusilla could sneak into Jacob’s house and search his room. His adoptive parents will be there and you can tell the butler that Jacob asked you to wait there for him. Then, Drusilla can distract the butler, who I know has a weakness for beautiful young women. While Drusilla is talking with the butler, Owen can search Jacob’s room.”

“Sounds like as good a plan as any,” Anika remarked.

“You don’t think it will look too obvious if we leave halfway through the service?” Owen said.

“Just stay in the back behind everyone else. No one will be paying that much attention,” Zee replied.

“I guess it’s settled then. Now, it’s time for me to get back to my dorm. I have a new roommate who is supposed to arrive today, so I’d better go get acquainted before I crash for the night.”

“I’ll walk with you, Owen,” Anika said.

“Okay, guys. I’ll see you at the funeral Sunday morning. Good luck,” Zee said as Owen and Anika left the café.

“Do you think it’s such a good idea, Owen? What if you get caught?”

“Well, I guess it’s a risk I’ll have to take, but I think we don’t have much of a choice. If Jacob’s working with Them, and if he has the object, it’s going to be the only time we know that he won’t be there. Not to mention the fact that we’re running out of time, and so is Dante.”

“Yeah. You know, you’re right. Screw it. Let’s find that beetle and bring Dante home. I hope your roommate’s nice, by the way. I’ve heard tons of horror stories about roommates.”

“Thanks, but I’m sure he’ll be fine. I’ll catch up with you Sunday morning before the funeral.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”

Owen continued walking to his dorm and opened his door. A few extra boxes were neatly stacked on the floor, ready to be unpacked, and then he saw his new roommate standing there, putting some clothes in one of the three drawers on his side of the dresser. He was tall and thin with bushy eyebrows, brown eyes, and jet-black hair.

Owen stuck out his hand and said, “Hi, I’m Owen.”

“So far, this place is great. It’s nice to meet you, Owen. My name is Adamo.”

Owen and Adamo chatted for a while, talking mostly about the usual history and introductions before Owen started fighting back fatigue.

“All right, I’m gonna go to sleep. I’m exhausted,” Owen said.

“Okay, then. I’ll turn off the light pretty soon. I won’t be up much longer.”

About ten minutes later, Adamo had turned out the lights.