torg 02 - The Dark Realm (22 page)

Hundreds of glistening eyes swiveled to find the source of irritation, fixing on Praktix where she hung on for dear life. The worm raised itself even higher, slashing toward the dwarf with the tangle of tentacles that dripped from its head. The wriggling mass rained a violent storm upon Praktix, striking and pulling away in a wash of blood.

Tolwyn saw all of this on the move, taking it in as she rushed to the dwarf's aid. Braxon was beside her, keeping up with her long strides through sheer force of will.

Praktix endured another lashing from the abrasive tentacles, then released her grip on the spike. Tolwyn heard Braxon cry out as Praktix fell. The worm writhed and pulsed obscenely above them all, and Tolwyn felt the bile rise in her throat. She sought an opening, a weakness to strike at. But the creature was too huge. What could her blows do to one such as that?

Bryce pushed his way between Tolwyn and Braxon, placing restraining hands upon them both. "We must leave," he pleaded. "We can't hope to defeat this creature!"

She barely acknowledged him as she searched for Praktix. The dwarf lay unmoving at the base of the beast, crumpled upon the broken ground next to the steaming fissure. A fury built inside her.

"This is not right, Christopher," she said. "Praktix..."

"We must help my sister," Braxon shouted as tears streamed down his face. "Lead us, paladin," he pleaded to Tolwyn. "Show us how to kill the beast."

"No," Bryce tried to reason with the dwarf, "we've got to leave now."

"Leave?" Pluppa asked outraged. "We can't leave! Praktix might still be alive!"

"Could be!" called Gutterby, swinging his battle spike.

Tolwyn saw that they entire group had gathered around them: the dwarves, Kurst, Mara, Djil and Tom. The horses and carriage must be out of danger, she thought absently.

Bryce looked around dubiously. "What can we do against that?"

"It would take every drop of energy in my weapon just to get the thing's attention," Mara yelled above the rumbling ground.

"We must get to Praktix. We must at least try," Pluppa said.

The other dwarves added, "Ho!"

There was silence for a moment, then Bryce snapped out, "All right. But what do we do?"

Mara strode forward, clutching Tolwyn's arm. "Provide me with a distraction," she said seriously. "I have the fastest reflexes. I'll go in there and get her out."

"Fastest, eh?" growled Kurst, and even as he spoke his arm flashed out toward Mara's face. Her own hand was as fast and she grasped the hunter's wrist before he could touch her. His other hand shot out, but she caught that as well. Mara grinned.

"We'll both go," he conceded.

Without another word, the dwarves began trotting forward in single file, moving around to the worm's other side. A tremor ran through the beast's body from front to back as it moved to follow their motion. Mara and Kurst walked catlike, in the opposite direction, waiting for the proper moment to make their attempt.

Bryce held Tolwyn's shoulder. "Stay in reserve," he suggested.

Tom agreed. "They look like they know what they're doing."

Djil simply watched the spectacle that was about to unfold without saying a word.

"What can the dwarves do to distract it?" Tolwyn asked, uneasy about staying out of the fray.

No one answered her, but she saw the dwarf named Grim step forward. He pulled a small amount of pitch from a pouch on his belt. With a wave of his hand, he spoke words that Tolwyn recognized as magical in nature. Then he lit the pitch, blew on it once to fan the flame to life, pulled a small piece from the burning mass, and heaved the larger portion with all his might at the looming worm.

The other dwarves covered their eyes and ducked in a single motion that looked to have come with long years of practice. Tolwyn watched, amazed, as Grim seemed to guide the flaming ball by mimicking its motion with the small piece in his hand. It flew at the worm, striking into the mass of tentacles at the beast's head the same moment Grim struck his open palm with the smaller piece. There was a simultaneous explosion of fire where the ball hit, and a cry of pain from Grim.

"Ouch!" he shouted. "I always burn my finger when I use that spell!"

Mara and Kurst darted in with rapid, precise strides at the moment of impact. They hefted the fallen dwarf and started back toward Tolwyn. The worm, meanwhile, its upper body engulfed in fire, began to fall toward the ground. It smashed into the jungle with a loud crash, its coiled body flailing in death throes.

"That was some distraction," Mara gasped as she gently lowered Praktix to the soft grass. Braxon pushed his way through the crowd to reach his sister.

"Distraction?" Grim said in embarrassment. "I thought you said destruction!"

Bryce stood aside as the dwarves and Mara leaned over Praktix's still form. He knew some first aid techniques, but Mara was definitely better suited to treat the dwarf's wounds. He turned to the aborigine standing beside him, hoping to strike up a conversation and learn more about the man. But Djil was looking blankly into the distance, as though he was seeing something far away. His hands, meanwhile, had clutched around the fifth knot on his rope.

"What is it?" Bryce asked, beginning to take such events as commonplace among this group.

"Decker," Djil said softly. "He needs help."

"Of course," Bryce said impatiently. "That's why we're here."

But Djil didn't stay to listen to what Bryce said. He was walking down the path. Bryce ran over to him.

"What are you doing?" the priest asked.

"Going to the Dream Time," Djil replied, and then he disappeared into the thick foliage.

Julie Boot hesitated. She remembered what happened when Monroe had tried to remove the staves from Decker's chest. She didn't want to be subjected to something like that. But she felt that if she touched the staves... what? That Decker would open his eyes and sit up? That was ridiculous. But what if ...?

She grasped the staves.

And suddenly Julie was no longer in Decker's room. She wasn't even in the hospital anymore. She was ...
somewhere else.
She was on a sandy beach, beside an ocean of red

(blood)

water that constantly splashed against the shore. Dozens of doors stood along the beach, held upright even though there were no walls to support them. Where was she? How had she gotten here. It was like some crazy

(nightmare)

dream come to life. Had she gone insane? Or had she touched the staves and been killed by the same force of energy that almost fried Monroe? All she knew was that she didn't like this place. But something here needed her. She started toward the doors.

"So, Decker has help," a voice said, startling her.. "Maybe I made this trip for nothing."

Julie looked around, spinning wildly at the sound. A short black man was standing a few yards down the beach. He was impossibly old, with a tangle of stark white hair atop his head, and a matching white beard hanging from his chin. She felt no malice in this man, no threat.

"Decker?" Julie asked. "You know Decker?"

The black man nodded. "We have to help him. He's reached the final door, but he can't get it to open. The Gaunt Man's a tough one. Very strong."

Julie spun around frantically. "Which door? There are so many of them!"

"Look again, woman," the black man smiled. "Things

in the Dream Time aren't always what they seem."

He was right. When she looked again there was only one door. She approached it cautiously, carefully reaching out to touch it. The door buckled out and she pulled her hand back. She turned again to the black man.

"Decker bangs on the door, but it will not open," he said. "He needs your support to finish his journey."

Julie swallowed hard, watching the door shake as something on the other side pounded into it. What if the black man was wrong? she asked herself. What if that isn't Ace on the other side of the door? What if it's

(a monster)

something else? She shook the thoughts away and grasped the door knob with both hands. Using all her strength, Julie pulled.

The door swung open with no effort, and the sudden release when she was expecting resistance caused her to lose her balance and fall. A form fell from the open doorway, landing in the sand beside her.

"Ace?" she asked. The form, clearly a man lying facedown in the sand, offered no response. But a bellowing cry of rage emerged from the doorway. The beach literally shook with the sound of it.

"Be on your way, woman," the black man said leaning over her. He closed her eyelids with his fingers. "Be on your way."

And Julie was back in the hospital, her hands releasing the glowing staves in Decker's chest.

"Weird," she said aloud.

"Who are you?" The voice was rough, scratchy. It sounded like Dr. Monroe, but it came from the man lying on the bed. It came from Decker.

"Ace?" she inquired, not caring that excitement made her voice sound higher.

"I haven't been called that in a long time," the man on the bed said. "But I am Andrew Decker."

92

James Monroe watched the sentimental scene from the hallway, refusing to enter his brother's room. They were all in there: Coyote, Rat, Tal Tu — even Julie and the damn cat. They were all laughing and congratulating Andrew Jackson Decker on his miraculous recovery. How typical! His brother the wonder kid comes out of a coma and they want to give him a medal! The whole scene made him want to throw up.

Worse of all was the look Julie was giving Ace. It was the look of a woman in love, not the look of a nurse to her patient. How do you do it, Ace? How do you make them fall for you even when you're flat on your back unconscious? Monroe felt the jealousy rise within him, and he welcomed it. It was warm and thick, something to hang onto that was all his.

He noticed that the staves were still embedded in his brother's chest. He wondered if they hurt him. Monroe smiled wickedly. He hoped they hurt like hell.

He looked once more at Julie Boot, remembering the few fantastic nights they had together. Part of him wept for the loss he knew had already occurred, even if she didn't realize it yet. But another part of him was glad to be rid of the bitch. She was just in his way, trying to block out his memories of Tolwyn of House Tancred. Coyote had told him all about the woman warrior and her travels across the country. He couldn't believe that he had missed her by only a few days. But he would find her again. She was his destiny. That's why he had brought her back to life, so that the two of them could be together forever. That's why fate led him here.

With a final glance at Julie Boot, and a sneer at his brother, Monroe turned and walked toward the stairs. He had a quest now, a mission in life. His brother's return was his signal to get on with it.

So Dr. James Monroe, once of the famed Deckers of Pennsylvania, began the next portion of his life. And all he took with him was his hate for his brother, and his obsession with a woman who had come back from the dead.

93

Andrew Jackson Decker looked up at the faces around him. The teens were there, young Rat and Coyote. The edeinos named Tal Tu was there, holding his gray cat in scaly hands. And the nurse, Major Julie Boot, who had been with him when he awakened, sat in the chair beside his bed. He felt he owed her something, but he didn't know why.

He glanced at himself, examining the staves that jutted from his chest. They didn't hurt, but there was a draining sensation associated with them that seemed to sap his strength.

"So the others have moved on?" Decker asked.

"Yeah, they went to Australia," Coyote offered. "They said they had to get to Orrorsh so they could save you."

"Did they take the Heart of Coyote with them?"

"Yes," Rat chimed in. "Father Bryce is carrying it."

"Good, they might need it," Decker said, thinking of his own confrontations with the Gaunt Man. But already those memories were fading with each waking moment, dissolving like dreams in the light of day.

"I'm glad to see you're better, Ace my boy," said a friendly voice from the doorway.

Decker recognized it immediately. President John

Wells was standing there, surrounded by a few security types.

"Well, are you going to invite me in?"

"Of course, Mr. President," Decker smiled.

"What did I tell you about formality, congressman?"

Decker laughed, especially when he saw the looks on Rat and Coyote's faces. He thought that laughing might hurt, but it actually made him feel better, stronger. Julie, too, seemed stunned to see the President of the United States in her hospital. Decker quickly introduced everyone, and Wells seemed genuinely pleased to meet them.

But then he became serious. "We need to talk, Ace."

Decker nodded. "Could you give us some time alone?" he asked, and his visitors exited.

Wells motioned for the security men to wait outside, and they reluctantly closed the door behind them.

"So tell me, Ace," the President began, "what in the world is going on?"