Enemy Revealed Page 2

  “I’m an old man now,” William replied. “I have needs.

  She laughed, “Okay, Mr. Needs.” She tossed him his empty backpack on the table. “If it fits in this bag, you can take it.” Her laugh took on a faux, evil-overlord tone. “After years of vacation packing tyranny, at last, I take my revenge! Muhahaha!”

  Her father grinned.

  An hour later, the three adventurers were gathered in Alex’s living room with Jennifer, Sara, and Oliver. There was a sudden burst of light, no more than a camera flash, and Matt and Willow were standing in the doorway. Everyone rose to their feet.

  “Right on time, Matt,” said Alex, clapping his son on the back in greeting. “Has anything changed in Alinn, or can we spare a bit of time?”

  “Hello, Dad,” Matt said, slipping the grimoire back into its bag at his side. “No, everything is the same. The ships haven’t done anything noteworthy and fewer people are coming in sick.”

  “Good. We’ll get busy soon, but for now… Matt, here’s your mother and sister.”

  The three stared at each other awkwardly for a long moment and then Jennifer and Sara tackled Matt in a warm embrace.

  “Come on to the backyard with me,” Alex beckoned to the others. “Let’s leave them a bit of privacy to get acquainted.”

  Once they stepped outside, Lacey hugged Willow and then made the other introductions. “Dad, Oliver, this is my birth mother, Willow.”

  “Pleased to meet you both! Lacey told me all about you,” Willow smiled.

  Sheepishly, William slowly lowered to one knee. “Your Majesty.” Oliver followed suit.

  Willow waved away the honorific and shook hands warmly with each man as he rose. “Oh, I’m not a Queen anymore. The kingdom did just fine without royalty for eighteen years; why start up again now? If they need our support or our leadership, we help as best we can, but Ravi and I don’t need titles for that. Ric and Moira are great natural leaders as well.”

  “How is Moira?” Lacey asked anxiously. “I should have asked about her before, but there’s been so much going on since all this started. Can you tell if she is any better after that sleep spell Matt cast on the sick?”

  “It seems so, as best we can tell without waking her. Her fever went away abruptly and her breathing evened out. It looks like she is getting some real rest now; I’m hoping the rest itself will be a big help.”

  “I hope so too,” Lacey said. “I’ll go see her as soon as I can.”

  “Let’s make that sooner rather than later,” Alex suggested. “We should get some of these supplies transferred while Matt talks with his mother and sister. It’ll take a few trips, I think.”

  “Why?” Willow asked. “What kind of supplies are you bringing?”

  Alex nodded a few feet away toward a pallet stacked waist high with ten-liter jugs.

  “What’s that?”

  “Drinking water,” Alex replied. “With any luck, this should be enough to serve until the river clears. If not, we can come back for more. We’ve also got some simple clothing to replace what was contaminated, machines to test radiation levels, books and pamphlets about radiation poisoning and how to treat it, and some over-the-counter medications to help with some of the symptoms. A lot of this was William’s idea.”

  “How wonderful! Thank you!” Willow beamed. William blushed crimson.

  “Oliver,” Alex said, “you’ll be our focal point for getting back, so if you can hang out here for a few minutes, that’d be great. Unless you changed your mind, and you want to go visit a different dimension?” Alex teased.

  “Eh, not in the mood to have my mind blown today,” Oliver quipped. “Besides, I wouldn’t get to see much right now. Maybe later, Sara and I can go there for our honeymoon.” He grinned.

  Alex went very still, staring sternly, but Oliver didn’t flinch. Lacey sniggered. Finally, Alex nodded curtly. “Later. Several years from now. I see.” Everyone laughed. “All right now, let’s get going. There’s no telling when those spaceships will decide to do something.”

  Awkwardly, Alex, Lacey, Willow, and William gathered around the large pallet of water and locked arms. They slipped their toes under the edges of the pallet and grabbed the packing straps.

  “This feels like an epic game of Twister,” William said, chortling nervously.

  “Game of what?” Lacey asked?

  “Twister. You know…” He bobbled his head, being the only body part that he could move at the moment. Then his face fell. “You don’t know, do you? God, I’m old.”

  “No, you’re not,” said the other three simultaneously, and they all smiled. William blushed again.

  “Ready?” Alex asked. They all nodded. From memory, he began to chant the spell for transfer. Again, Lacey felt herself falling into the rhythm of his words. Around Willow’s neck, the riviere started to glow. Lacey realized she hadn’t ever seen the riviere in action with someone else wearing it, and she was a little envious. Even from across their tangled circle, she could feel the power building to a fever pitch. Beside her, William tensed with mingled excitement and fear.

  Without warning, she was in darkness, falling through a black void. Lacey was very familiar with the feeling by now. Still, the position they stood in was rather uncomfortable to hold when gravity no longer meant anything. At least this was their bulkiest package, and the rest of the trips would be easier.

  She blinked. A panicked yelling filled her ears. As her eyes and mind cleared, she realized it was coming from her father. Quickly, she let go of her hold and grabbed her father’s shoulders. “Dad! Dad, open your eyes. It’s over.”

  He blinked, gasping. “Oh. Okay, then.” Shakily, he let go of the straps and stepped back. “Where are we?

  Lacey looked around. “We’re in the Great Hall, Dad. That’s the Stone Cup, right here next to us.” Her breath caught as she saw row after row of cots and pallets, filled with sleeping people. Logically, she knew that they were sleeping so that they wouldn’t suffer from the effects of radiation sickness. Still, the silence was eerie.

  Suddenly she heard a joyful call from the floor, and two of the men in healer’s robes ran up the steps of the dais. “Emmon and Deen!” Lacey cried, returning their hug. She remembered the twins from her days at the orphanage the last time she was in Alinn. “It’s good to see you… though I wish it were for a happier reason.”

  “I’m sure things will get better, now that you’re here…. princess,” Deen teased.

  “Oh, stop!” Lacey protested playfully.

  Willow interrupted, “Emmon, can you please get some help getting these supplies put away? We’ve got more coming. This is drinking water, so keep what you need up here and put the rest in the storeroom.

  “Great! We badly need it! I’ll get a crew to sort through everything.” Emmon replied gratefully. The twins left the dais, promising Lacey they would catch up when there was time.

  William whispered to Willow, “How could you tell which was which?”

  “There’s a trick to it,” she whispered back.

  “Next load, you ready?” Alex called. He smiled sympathetically as William visibly tensed at the idea of traveling again so soon. “I have an idea. Willow, can Lacey borrow the riviere? She and I can go back for the other supplies and pick up Matt while you take William and figure out a plan of action. There’s a lot we need to accomplish, and those spaceships may make a move at any minute.”

  Willow returned Alex’s smile, having seen William’s reaction as well. “That’s a great idea, Alex.” Taking off the riviere, she placed it around Willow’s neck and kissed her cheek. “Come on, William. I’ll show you around.” She beckoned him to follow and moved toward the side stairs of the dais.

  William looked at his daughter with a bashful grin as he began to trail behind her.

  “Daa-aaad!” Lacey singsong in an almost whisper. “She’s married!”

  “I know, I know…” he whispered back, “but… She’s the Queen!” He followed her away as if she were the l
ead singer of his favorite band.

  Watching his friend go, Alex rolled his eyes. “Hopeless,” he remarked to Lacey. “Your father is hopeless.”

  “Thanks for sparing him the extra trips, though,” Lacey commented. “I did pack his blood pressure medication, but I was worried there for a minute.”

  “Nah,” Alex replied, “I think this will be good for him. Carrying on and doing normal things without your mom was really hard for him. This is something new, something completely different.”

  “And extremely dangerous,” Lacey added, her brow furrowing.

  “Which will remind him to keep on living,” Alex answered. “Come on; let’s get back to work.”

  They made several more trips, with a few minutes for breaks to get over the disorientation of the void. The three travelers from Earth had decided to bring anything essential to aiding this crisis without considering it might have undue influence on the dark dimension. They could carry the Geiger counters back with them, and their friends could hide any other items within the castle if needed. However, they tried to be careful about packaging and luxury items. There was little choice about the plastic jugs for drinking water, but they put new clothing and other items into cloth bags. Coffee was on the “no” list, so they would have to cope with the Alinn equivalent. Sadly, Lacey’s favorite candy bar also didn’t make the cut.

  On their final trip, they went back inside to gather up Matt and say goodbyes. Once Matt had finally met his family, he didn’t want to leave them. When the crisis was over, he promised to make frequent visits.

  Lacey, Oliver, and Sara shared a fierce, three-way hug. “Take care of yourselves here, okay?” Lacey said. “I am going to need some serious ‘normal’ time when I get back.”

  “You just make sure you do come back,” ordered Oliver. “We’ll be here.”

  “Take care of our dads,” said Sara, sniffling. “And Matt. And yourself.”

  “I’ll do my best,” agreed Lacey.

  Matt and Alex hugged Jennifer tightly. Moving away, they grabbed the last bags of supplies and joined arms with Lacey. Alex offered, “Matt, would you like to do the honors?”

  Alex shrugged since his arms were busy. “I still need the grimoire to cast, and holding it would be a bit awkward right now. Can you do it one last time today?”

  “Certainly,” Alex smiled. Once again, his words swirled, dancing around the image of the Stone Cup that Lacey held in her mind. Darkness. Void. Falling.

  Lacey blinked, and they were back on the dais next to the Stone Cup. Approaching hurriedly from the side stairs were Willow, William, and Isa. Joyously, Isa hugged Lacey and then planted a loud kiss on Matt’s cheek. Lacey and Alex shot him a bemused, questioning look, eyebrows high. Matt shrugged again, but this time, he grinned.

  “Come with us, quickly,” Willow urged. “Moira is awake!”

  Chapter Three

  “Physically, she seems healthy,” Emmon diagnosed. “Her temperature is normal, and the headache and nausea were no longer present when she woke. She’s slightly weak, about as much as one would expect if she were getting over a virus. However, it seems that her mind has been damaged somewhat by the prolonged fever. She has fits of incoherent speech, lasting a few minutes at a time.”

  “What he means is that I’m going crazy,” Moira said from her place in bed, leaning back on several pillows. “Hello, Lacey, Alexander. I’m sorry to greet you from bed, but Emmon is using his new healer status to order me around and he won’t let me get up.” She raised an eyebrow at the grinning twin, but there was no heat in her words.

  “Not a problem!” Lacey said, and she crawled onto the large bed to give Moira a gentle but meaningful hug. Ric was sitting beside Moira on the opposite side, and he and Lacey squeezed hands in greeting as well. “How do you feel, Moira?”

  “Good. Hungry. The headache and nausea are totally gone. I understand Emmon’s advice to take it easy, and I will, but except for these weird fits, I feel perfectly fine.”

  “It looks pretty creepy, I think,” said Isa, standing nearby. “She’s herself, and then suddenly, she isn’t. A little while ago, we were talking, and Moira started telling me something about the garden. In the middle of a sentence, she stopped and squinched her eyes shut, frowning. She wiggled around uncomfortably and said in a weird voice, ‘Why is this so hard?’ At first, I thought she was talking about the bed and I asked if she needed more pillows. She said, ‘You can hear me? Good, I must be getting the hang of this.’ Then without warning, she opened her eyes and continued talking about the garden, as if she never stopped.”

  “Hmmm,” said Emmon. “Moira, what do these fits feel like on the inside when they happen? Does it hurt?”

  Moira shrugged. “Not a bit. Everything is normal, and then suddenly, I realize my mouth is saying something, and I have no control over my body. I can see and feel like I usually do, and I can even hear what is being said. I think to myself, ‘wow, that’s interesting.’ Then abruptly, it’s over, and I have control again. Afterward, I don’t really remember the details, kind of like a dream that slips away within a few minutes after you wake.”

  “That’s odd,” Matt frowned. “It sounds like an effect of magic, but the only spell I cast for you was ‘sleep.’ Which shouldn’t have suddenly stopped working, by the way; I wonder what that is about. Everyone else is still asleep, right?”

  “Yes, every one of them, sleeping deeply, if not painlessly. The patients didn’t even rouse when we gave them the decontamination baths you suggested. In a way, that made the bathing easier because they didn’t fuss and complain about it like Ravi did,” Emmon teased.

  “It was humiliating. I could have washed myself,” complained Ravi grumpily from a deep armchair nearby. “You didn’t have to do it for me.”

  “Sir,” chided Emmon, “if you will remember, when we bathed you, you were too weak to stand.”

  Ravi huffed and grumbled as a response. He massaged his forehead with his fingertips, his palm shielding the light from his eyes. Willow sat on the arm of the chair, holding her husband’s free hand. Quietly, William slid over to the former king and offered him a pain reliever from one of the bottles they had brought from home. Ravi took it gratefully.

  Emmon continued. “Here’s another strange thing about Moira. Ravi, you stopped getting worse, but you are obviously still feeling unwell. So are the others that fell ill but remained awake. Moira here felt instantly better as soon as she woke. If it weren’t for these fits of incoherent speech, I would say all she needed was a good meal, and she’d be right as rain.”

  “That does sound curious,” Alex admitted. Perhaps we should wake up a few of the sleepers and see if they still have symptoms. With the medicines we brought, we can ease headache, nausea, and fever, so if they do still feel sick, we can help.”

  “What can we do about Moira?” Ric asked, his speech tinged with worry.

  Emmon shook his head. “I just don’t know yet. We may be able to tell in time if there’s pressure on her brain, but at the moment, she seems the picture of health.”

  “Well, thanks for your help, Emmon,” said Willow. “Perhaps it’s just a side effect of the sleep spell, or something.”

  “Let’s hope so,” agreed Emmon. “Moira, I’ll check back in on you later. Let me know if it happens again, okay?”

  “Thanks, Emmon,” smiled Moira. Then she added with mock sternness, “Hey, don’t let this ‘being in charge of me’ business get to your head. You know I could still wrestle you to the ground.”

  Emmon raised his hands in submission. “No contest!” He winked. “See you later, Moira.” Waving goodbye to the others, he left the room and closed the door behind him.

  Looking at the group, Isa asked, “Any non-medicinal ideas? Wizards, any thoughts?”

  “This is a new one on me,” commented Alex.

  “I haven’t a clue,” agreed Matt. “I suppose I could use the ‘reveal’ spell to see what the problem is, but since it’s inside her body, I don
’t know what that would do. Plus, since she somehow shrugged off the ‘sleep’ spell, what’s to guarantee that ‘reveal’ would even work on her?”

  William spoke up. “From what I have read in the last few days, radiation poisoning can indeed cause brain damage. However, the effects tend to manifest years after exposure. If brain damage was the problem, I think you would still feel pretty awful, Moira. Thank goodness you don’t, but it does make for a difficult conundrum.”

  Lacey sighed, then said quietly, “It’s times like this that we will miss the Voice the most.” The others nodded sadly and murmured their agreement. “Her visions might have been fragmented, but she could always give us a clue, or a little bit of hope. Or just make us laugh. I’d give anything if she could … magically appear here in the room with us.” A mournful silence fell as everyone grieved the loss of their wise, quirky mountain spirit.

  After a few moments, there was a strange, breathy noise in the room. It sounded a bit like a cough, but sharper and more deliberate. Ric gasped, and Lacey turned in alarm to find that the sound was coming from Moira. Her head was down, and her shoulders were shaking with the strange wheezing that afflicted her. The wheezing intensified, punctuating the air with quick “heh” sounds, and Moira waved a feeble hand in the air for a moment before slapping it down on her own leg.

  The penny dropped. Finally, Lacey realized what was happening: Moira was laughing. It was far from her usual laugh, but it was a laugh, nonetheless. Lacey touched Moira’s leg, and Moira squeezed her hand and patted it. The gesture seemed oddly old and frail. Still laughing this strange, wheezy laugh, Moira raised her head and looked intently at Lacey, holding her gaze meaningfully.

  Lacey boggled. While Moira’s eyes were usually walnut-brown, Moira now stared at her with eyes as blue as a mountain stream, twinkling and dancing like crisp water bubbling over stones. Lacey knew those eyes well, and the realization made her mouth fall open in shock.

  “Child, I knew you would be the first to winkle out the secret,” Moira said, smiling anciently and impishly at the same time.