Beginning

"Alex, you have to come see this!" Shouted Donald. "I’m coming, hold on." As Alexandra emerged from the creek, and exasperated look crossed her face. How had her friends talked her into coming on another one of their escapades? She only prayed that this time, they wouldn’t get into trouble. "What is it now Ron?" The words were barley out of her mouth, when she saw what Charles, and Donald were looking at. A small, triangular, piece of metal was sticking out of the ground. "What is it?" Charles said, wonderment sounding in his voice. He said it more to himself than to anyone else. "Don’t touch it!" Alex couldn’t explain it, but the hair on the back of her neck began to stand on end, and a cold chill ran down her back. Charles looked up at her from his position in the dirt, giving her the ‘stop nagging’ look. "It’s just a piece of plain, old, metal Alex, calm down. It can’t hurt you." Grabbing up the shard, he began to clean off the dirt that clung to it. "What do you think these symbols mean?" Curiosity claimed her at last. Reaching for the shard, while rolling her eyes, she said, "Let me see." It was becoming clear to both Charles, and Donald, that Alexandra was growing uneasy. Charles began to think it had been a bad idea to bring her. As he stood, he noticed the expression of interest, and what he thought might be worry on her face. "Oh, let me look to." Wined Donald. "It’s probably just a piece of plain, old, metal. Nothing important." Charles said, trying to say something that would ease her mind. Alexandra soon knew that something was indeed not right. As the tips of her fingers touched the cold metal, a small electrical current seemed to flow from her fingertips, down to her toes. Turning the metal shard over in her hands, she tried to wipe off more of the dirt. Then she noticed one of the symbols. "This symbol here," she said pointing to the top of the shard. "Looks like an eye. I've seen it before." As she continued trying to wipe off the remaining dirt, she took a closer look. "These other two symbols, I'm not sure. I can't tell what they are without..." Before she could finish, they heard a voice from further down the small hill. "Hey, what are you doing up their?" They all turned to look in the direction of the voice. A soldier had spotted them. He was heading up the hill towards them. Alexandra shoved the metal shard into her pocket. Then the three of them ran back towards the creek, and under the fence. They knew that if they had been caught, they would be taken and questioned about their presence on the military base. Once back on the citizens side of the fence, Alex stopped and turned back to look at the soldier. He was squatting down, examining the spot they had dug up the metal shard from. Then he looked up in the direction of the fence. For a moment their eyes locked. Only for a moment. Alexandra could get lost so easily in those dark eyes she thought. They looked so sad, so lost. "Come on, let’s go." Charles was saying, as he grabbed Alexandras’ shoulder, and pulled her back to reality. "Yea." came Donald, "I want to look at that thing. You both had a chance. It’s my turn now." The three of them ran back into the safety of the woods along the creek. They knew exactly where they were going. If that soldier had alerted anyone to their presence on the base, it would be easy for them to loose anyone trying to follow, or find them. They had grown up in this land. The soldiers were the outsiders. © DripkaCartwright 12/13/04

Sgt. Logan W. Johnson

Sgt. Logan W. Johnson had no idea what those kids were doing. All he knew was something had been dug up. Those eyes. Those haunting eyes. He had seen them before, in his dreams. She had visited him so many times. Always in the form of a wolf. She had been his spirit guide, since he was a child. He had come to rely on her. What was she doing in the form of a human? Not just any human, but the most beautiful human he had ever seen. He had to follow her. He had to know why she had come to him in the waking hours. Let alone what she was doing at Redstone Arsenal. Logan had been five years old the first time he had seen his lady wolf. He had fallen asleep under the oak tree near his house. His parents hadn’t worried about him, because they knew he would not wonder far from the reservation. Once sleep had overtaken him, he found himself in a strange forest. Their was a rippling stream near him to the right, and a grove of trees to the left, and straight in front of him. He saw the wolf then. She was just standing in front of him, only a few feet off. Then, the forest went dark. Clouds covered every inch of the sky, and he felt a storm heading his way. If he could just get across the stream, and into the field, he would be safe from falling branches. Slowly, he started wading through the stream. When he thought he would have been about half way across, he noticed he was no longer in the water. He was back where he started. Jolting awake, he realized it had only been a dream. Thinking no more of it, he headed home, going through the day as usual. That night, in his own bed, he found himself back in that strange forest. Again he saw his wolf standing in the forest in front of him. The stream looking inviting. She just stood their, looking at him. Once again, the sky started turning dark. The clouds covering every inch of the sky. As he had the night before, he tried to cross the stream, only to find himself back at the starting point, and awakening. Many nights went by. Logan was now used to going to sleep, and finding himself in the now familure forest. Each night he would try a different path to try to cross the stream, only to find himself thrown to the begining of his dream, and waking. Discuraged after months of this dream, Logan finally told his father about it. Wayne Blackbear looked at his son, with understanding eyes. "Ahh, your spirit animal has come to you my son." "Spirit Animal?" "Yes my son, in every mans life, he has a special totem animal that is his guide. My only sugestion to you, is that you follow this wolf. Let it guide you to where it wants you to go." Falling asleep that night, Logan thought of the words his father had told him. When once again, he found himself in that familure forest, we looked at his wolf, waved his hand and said "Let's go." To his amazement, the wolf took off into the woods. She had never moved before. Always just standing their proud as could be. Doing as his father had instructed, he took a few steps in the direction the wolf had taken off. The clouds started rolling in, and it began to grow dark. "Are you sure of this?" He heard himself say allowed. As if his wolf was answering him, he heard a howl. "I'm comming, i'm comming." Deep inside the forest, he would see a hint of the wolf here and their. Just out of his reach, but allways where he needed her to be. Finally, the darkness was lessening, and he was starting to see more clearly now. Or were his eyes just becoming accustomed to the darkness? It seemed that many days had gone by, when the wolf finally brought him to a beautiful clearing. It was a site that he could have never imagined existed. She had brought him out of the forest, and into the light. When he woke that morning, he realized that he had been to a place that few had ever dared to venture. She had lead him through the dangers of the forest, and had kept him safe. Many times his wolf had returned to him in his dreams. Each time takeing him somewhere new. He saw things he never drempt could exist. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that these were nothing more than dreams. The thought of these places actually ever truly existing was beyond fathom. Even for a child. Then his world changed. The Mexican Rebels came, and destroyed the reservation. He had few memories of what happened, except that he was crying near the oak tree, when he saw a wolf out of the cornor of his eye. She had come from out of his dreams. He knew what he had to do. He had to follow her as he allways did. His life was in her hands. Logan and the wolf made it eight miles from the reservation, into Watonga, where the Red Cross took him in. He vowed that day that he would find a way to destroy the Mexican Rebels. Once the treaty of the States was signed, and life was picked back up, an old tribe elder named WhisperingHawk took him in untill his eighteenth birthday. Army life came easy for Logan, and he assended the ranks easily. Scout training seemed to go far in this field. Soon, he was an even more skilled warrior than anyone could have imagined he would be. Now, here at Redstone Arsonal, he was seeing his wolf again. He knew exactly what he had to do. He had to follow her. © DripkaCartwright 12/14/04

The Meeting Place

When they got to the tree that served as their meeting place, Alex pulled out the metal shard. Turning it over in her hand, she could again feel the small electrical current flow through her body. What was this strange thing? Charles looked around to make sure they had not been followed. When he felt they were secure enough, he turned to Alex. "Looks like we’re safe." "Good, now let me have a look at that thing. You two got a chance. It’s my turn now!" Donalds voice had that way of irritating a person with even trying. "Fine Ron, here. Just stop whining. You sound more like a three year old, than a seventeen year old." Alex said with disgust as she thrust the shard at Donalds greedy hands. "I bet you think you’re my mommy right?" Donald nagged. Charles eyes lit up. "Well Ron, if she’s your mommy, then I wouldn’t mind being your daddy." It had never been a secret that he had been in love with Alexandra from the moment he had seen her as a child. Twelve years had not changed that. The half starved, dirty, little girl had come to live with her aunt and uncle when her parents had died at the hands of the rebel army taking over Oklahoma. Everyone had thought that once Texas was overtaken, the Mexicans would have been satisfied. The war had started over land. Senor Varga lead his people into the uprising. He claimed that the United States had illegally purchased the land they called ‘Tierra Seca’ from them. They demanded that President Peterson relinquish all holds of the land immediately. When he refused, the Mexican army began pushing its way across the boarder. With most of the US military over seas fighting the Germans, the Mexicans easily took over Texas. The Mexicans were not satisfied with that. They soon headed into Oklahoma. Alexandras’ parents hadn’t listened to her when the nightmares had started. The dreams of smoke and fire. "It’s just a nightmare darling. Mommy won’t let anything happen to you." Her mother had all intentions of protecting her daughter from all the evils of the world. If she only knew what lay before them, she would have prepared more for the upcoming battle. The shooting could be heard a few blocks away. The smell of smoke, and the stench of death soaked the air. No one noticed a little girl sneak down to the tornado shelter. The grass had been in need of mowing for some time, so the door to the cellar was well hidden from any that didn’t know it existed. When she finally emerged, what was left of the smoldering house was her parents grave. Everyone, and everything she had known was gone. A few survivors found her and took her to the Red Cross Station. One of the nurses their took her in under her wing. It wasn’t long before they found that she had an aunt and uncle living in Alabama. So it was that Alexandra boarded a train and took her first trip. That was the last she knew of the land she was born in. Oklahoma was taken over by the Mexican government a few weeks latter. Then they marched on New Mexico, where they were finally stopped, and shoved back into Texas. President Peterson said that Texas was a small loss compared to the large mass of deaths the States had taken. He then signed another treaty with Mexico giving them the lands of Texas and part of Oklahoma if they agreed never to rise up against them again. When Alexandra stepped off the train, her aunt and uncle were waiting for her. They had never been able to have children of their own, so Alex was an answer to an unspoken prayer. George and Maria lived on a small cattle farm where they produced milk for the local companies. It was a decent job, with decent pay. Having only the clothes on her back when she arrived, her aunt wanted to lavish her with new things. So, Alexandra went on her first, of many, trips to town. That was where Charles first saw her. She was tall for her age. Long auburn hair, and the greyest eyes he had ever seen. Her skin had been freshly washed and glowed pink. He had thought her eyes looked like that of a wild animal caught in a hunters trap. Or an angel condemned to earth for some atrocity she had done. He had no doubt she knew not what she had done to deserve the exile from heaven. He vowed then and their to make her stay on this earth as pleasant as possible. If she would only give him the chance. He even introduced her to his best friend Ron. Soon they were inseparable. The three musketeers. People often wondered how the three of them had been able to pass the years so closely, when their ages should have drawn them apart. The town figured they would soon grow old of each other, and turn to kids their own ages. It never happened. The bonds of that early friendship grew past their age differences, and finally the town conceded and left them alone. It was their immense ability to get into trouble that concerned everyone. At first the town had accused Alexandra of being the ring leader. She was, after all, the ‘new person’. Only time had cleared her of the charge. Charles, with his charismatic ways hid the fact that he had a way of manipulating people to do what he wanted. He had a way of taking control of a situation, and turn it to his benefit that soon fingered him as the brains of the operation. It didn’t matter to Alex or Ron. They went of their own free will. A will that was often taken away from them by being grounded for this or that they would do. That was when they were children. Alexandra was nineteen now. Though her aunt and uncle still berated her on a daily bases for hanging out with the ‘wrong crowed’. Alexandra knew she would never betray, or give up her friendship. She knew that her aunt and uncle only had her best intentions at heart when they scolded her. "Wow, this looks so cool!" Donalds words brought her back to the present. "Yea, now what were you saying about those pictures on it Alex?" Charles said as he grabbed the shard from Donalds hands. The effect causing the edge to cut into his hand, and blood pooled in his palm. "Shit Charlie, what the fuck did you do that for?" Donald shouted as he waved his hand in Charlies face, causing the blood to fling everywhere. "Stop it, hold still." Alex demanded grabbing her handkerchief from her pocket and wrapping it around Rons hand. "That hurts!" Donald again started muttering another stream of obscenities flowing from his mouth. "Shhh, quiet!" Alex said suddenly. All mouths closed, and they were instantly alert. Alex grabbed the metal shard and shoved it back into her pocket. The now familiar electrical shock going through her body. Slowly they started hearing footsteps of someone coming towards them. © DripkaCartwright 1/1/2005

Footsteps

The footsteps were heading straight for them. Donald threw himself to the ground. He began covering himself with the dry leaves around him untill he looked like just another patch of ground. Charles jumped up, grabbing a low lying branch, and pulled himself up in the tree closest to him. Alexandra looked at the fallen, hollow log that would have normally served as her hiding place. They had maped out their hiding places long ago, for just such an occasion. She willed herself to move. Her feet seemed frozen in place. "Alex, hide!" hissed Charles from his loft in the trees. Alexandra didn't seem to hear him though. Her heart was pounding in her ears. It seemed to her that her heart beet in rhythum to the footsteps comming closer. Then she saw him. It was the soldier from the base. Logan knew he was getting closer. He could now smell the familure sent of lavendar in the air. Then he saw her. She was standing their waiting on him, as she had done countless times in the past. Their eyes locked once more, as he slowly walked up to her. He couldn't explain it, but he felt like touching her. He had never felt the urge to touch her in the past. Maby because she had always been in wolf form. Standing their in font of him now, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. He wanted to know if she was reall. He had to know if he was dreaming. Alex saw him streatch out his hand. Her hand was still in her pocket. She was holding the metal shard. It seemed to radiate more heat then she had ever felt before, but it was not burning her. "Are you reall?" she heard him say. At that moment, Charles flung himself out of the tree right onto the soldiers back. As if timed, Donald grabbed his feet, and the three began rolling around in the dirt. "Stop!" screamed Alexandra, "Stop it!" They all looked up at her. She was standing with her hands on her hips, feet slightly apart, in that 'If you do that again I am going to send you to your room with no supper' look on her face. She was discusted at the display she was watching. They immediatly got to their feet, brushing off the dirt and dead leaves that had lauged themselves in their hair. Alexandras' eyes went to a cut above the soldiers right eye. "Your bleeding." she said, and reached for her handkerchief. As she pulled it from her pocket, a clinking sound hit the ground, and all eyes went to the metal shard that had falloen from her pocket. The soldier reached down to pick it up for her, at the same moment Alexandra bent down to scoop it up. She barley heard Charles, and Donald yell "No!" as the four of them grabbed for the shard. The moment her fingertips touched it, the world seemed to start spinning. Then all went dark. © DripkaCartwright 3/21/2005

Into The Land Of Shimmer

Logan stirred. What was that smell? As he opened his eyes, a ransid smell hit him like a brick wall. What the hell had happened? One minute he was standing in the forest, stairing at the wolf, next he was...Where was he exactly? He tried to sit up, but the effect only increased the swimming sensation in his head. "Lord Biron, your awake." The voice didn't sound familure. Nor did the name. Maby someone here could answer a few questions. Turning his head, he quickly scanned the room; or was it a room? It looked more like a cave then a room. He noticed two pallets on the ground. Each with a sleeping body upon it. A little further away he could see what he could only suspect was another bed. Calling the streatched skin he was lying on a bed was a far cry from the traditional cot he slept on while at the base, but a bed none the less was what he and the other body appeared to be sleeping on. Turning his head in the other direction, he found both the source of the smell, and the voice. A crude table with a few chairs stood near a wall, with a fire pit close by. A big, black, pot was propped up over the fire, and the smell was definitly worfing out of it. A young man sat in one of the chairs. As the young man stood, Logan began to wounder if he had simply been knocked unconscious, and was laying somewhere on the ground in the forest. this had to be some kind of halusination. The man, or was he really a boy? Logan tried to focus his eyes more clearly, trying to give himself time to adjust to the light being emmited by the flames of the fire. Faydrin was indeed a young man. He was nineteen terrels old! The blond haired, blue eyed, pale looking figure was wearing a white robe. At least it had been white at one time. Now it was a dingy greyish color, and was in need of many washings. "Lord Biron, Sir, are you well enough to be sitting?" Yes, the voice was comming from the young man. Who was he talking to though? Logan again scanned the pallets, and other bed. Maby he had missed someone at first glance. No, the three other bodies had indeed not moved. "Are..."Logan coughed, and tried again. "Are you talking to me?" He asked. His voice sounded far away, and not all intirely his own. Drugged maby. Yes, he sounded grogy, and drugged to himself. The young man looked startled, but only for a moment. Then he smiled. "You have no need to hide your identity from me your Lordship. I am Faydrin. Loyal servent to his 'True' King." Yes, this was definitly some kind of halusination. Logan began to mentally chastise himself for not telling anyone where he was going, or that he had discovered intruders at the base. How long would it be before someone discovered he was even gone? Let alone, find his unconcious body on the forest floor. Movement caught his eye. © DripkaCartwright 3/21/2005

Magick?

A tall, bronze, muscular female seemed to apear near the crude table. The word Amazon came to mind. She was beautiful, he would give her that. Long dark hair, and dark eyes that matched his own. She had jumped out of a television show, he was sure. Zena, or Herculese, or something similar. She was wearing the tight, skimpy, leather, which only covered the essential parts of her body. A bow, and quiver of arrows hung over her back. Again Logans' mind thought he was surley unconscious on the ground. This woman was his subconscious mind playing through pictures in his mind. "Bess, you're back." The young man said with a smile. "Shhh" The amazon said quickly. "I saw knarles not far away. Maby fifteen tonks." Logan heard the words, and even wanted to ask what a knarel was, but sleep overcame him again. The same darkness seemed to surround him once again. © DripkaCartwright 3/21/2005

A Secret Best Kept

Faydrin walked over to his sister. Bess was his counterpart. To look at them, you would see no resemblance. Faydrin's blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin in contrast to Bess' dark hair, dark hair, and dark skin. Faydrin relied on his mind and wit where she on her brute strengths and cunning. They were twins and were born of the same mother and father. The people of Shimmer believed twins to be a curse, rather than a blessing. It was said that a woman was most vulnerable in early pregnancy. That in some cases a semen would enter the womb, and try to steal the child's soul. If the demon succeeded, the pregnancy would end in a tragic miscarriage. If the demon failed, the soul of the child would split, causing two individual children. Many mothers would even kill the child that fussed, or cried more; fearing that part of a demon might still reside in the child. As Faydrin reached his sisters side, he moved his hand in a dramatic gesture. Slowly, the entrance to the room sealed itself. Bess had seen him seal off the entrance many times. Never with knarles so close. Usually, enough time would pass, and any remants of magic would have faded long before the magic sniffing hounds could detect them. "I hate when you do that." She muttered. Faydrin just smiled. He knew his sister worried not just for her safety, but his. The scars that bound them, blood, body, and soul caused each to worry more about the other than normal siblings. "It is no more than I worry each time you hunt." Was his only reply. This conversation had been played out many times before. She would rebuttal that she was a skilled hunter, and he would in turn, argue about the possible animal attacks, traps, or other hunters. But now was not the time to argue, so she only sighed. "Lord Byron has been awake then?" She inquired. In her haste to tell Faydrin what she had seen, she had only had a small glance of the king falling back into slumber. "Yes, he was awake only for a moment. He seemed confused, not sure of himself. This worries me." Faydrin sat back in his chair, while Bess took up residence in the other. "Was he not to regain his memory upon manhood?" She asked. "Yes." Came the saddened reply. "Some things have gone wrong. I can feel it." The look on his face told Bess he was truly worried. "Well," she said as she rose from the chair, and began walking over to Logan's bed. "It would certainly look as if he reached manhood." "Bess!" Faydrin chided. "He is your king. Let not your eyes betray you least he awaken and see you." Bess threw him a disgusted look. "As if I would think him anything but my king, dear brother." Scanning the room, she decided to voice the concern she had had when they found the unconscious traveler. "Who do you think they are?" Faydrin shook his head. "I have no clues yet. I hope they awaken soon." They had found the four travelers on the road not far from the passage. Each touching the triscone lightly. The marking clearly read passage for queen and king earth to shimmer. Triscones have been outlawed since the reign of the Baron Black. Triscones had not been the only thing, anything and everything that had to do with magic had been outlawed. The decree had come about six perrels ago. Exactly one year, to the day, that Lord Byron should have regained his memory. Faydrin, sitting in his chair, began to wonder if somehow that had not affected the magic users sent to earth as well. Just as he was about to voice this query, to Bess, the knarles cry could be heard. "Three tonks away, I would say." Bess said as she crouched lower, and closer to the door. She had no fear of knarles as she had no magic ability. The half razorback, half wild coyote, looking beast could only sense magic. They wouldn't know that she even existed. Bess had seen more than one knarle these past six years. Once, she even tried to explain one to Faydrin. "They are as tall as a wild dog. covered in fur, and have padded feet. They have the head of a wild boar. Piggish snout, sharp teeth, tusks, and beady red eyes. Razor ridges, protruding down the length of its spine. Ending with a tail that is small and wiry like a pig." Faydrin had shuddered at the image his sisters words had given him. Now, he stood and walked to the furthest part of the room. The further the better. He did not believe his wards would be broken by a simple knarle, but why take the chance? Bess could hear the muffled of the knarle trainers. She so feared for her brother. It had been said that if by chance, a magic user lived through an attack from a knarle, they were taken to the lowest dungeon and tortured until they begged for the mercy of death. She knew that her will to live would flow into her brother. He would suffer more than most. She silently cursed the scars that bound them. They had been about eight terrels old when this revelation had come upon them. Faydrin had been inside with his mother and father, while Bess had set herself to climbing the tallest tree she could find. Even back then their differences were very clear. Faydrin had begun screaming for what seemed no apparent reason. Clutching his left arm, and falling to the floor. His arm had been broken. As his father carried him into their sleeping room, Bess staggered in. She was holding her left arm lightly. Fear had shown in their mothers eyes that night as Bess regalled them with the tale of falling from the tree, yet somehow she hadn't felt much pain. It seemed that part of her pain had transferred to Faydrin, for indeed he shared a broken arm. Ever since that day, when one felt pain, so did the other. It was a safe bet that death would be the same. They had never spoken of these times to anyone outside their family. Such a connection would certainly have its consequences. © D.RipkaCartwright Typed by: Alicia Moser during a phone conversation with the author D. Ripka-Cartwright, May 2, 2oo5.

Strangers Awaken Part 1

Bess heard more of the muffled voices on the other side of the entrance. The knarles and their trainers hadn't been far. She assumed that the howl they had heard was sparce particles of the triscone being detected. It took a lot of magic for a triscone to teleport to people. This one has somehow teleported four. Charles and Donald both began to stir. Bess worried that one or both would be loud enough to alert the knarles, or their trainers, that they were hiding close by. In what seemed a split second, Bess was at Charle's bedside on the floor. She perfectly positioned herself between the two strangers, ready to slice their throats if the need arose. Then she heard the knarles cry again. This time further away. Had she missed a second search party? She mentally answered her question by shaking her head no. She was a skilled hunter and tracker. Knarles and their trainers were clumsy and loud. They didn't care who heard them. There was no way she had missed a second search party. "They seemed to be leaving?" Faydrin said more as a question than a statement. Bess gave him a quizative look but said nothing. Another howl, this one was farther away than the first two. Bess was about to ask her brother, if he was expecting someone when Charles eyes flew open. The scene laid out before him was staggering. A beautiful woman crouched over him, a blade in her hand. She was staring across the room at a young man who was about his age. There was a look of fear in his eyes. As if he had been trained his whole life, he jumped to his feet. He grabbed the woman's wrist that held the blade. As if by instinct, he lifted his right knee in succession to slamming her wrist down upon it. As her hand hit his knee, it had just the reaction he had planned. The knife flew from her hand, and scooted across the floor to land at Faydrin's feet. Bess had not expected an attack. She had been unprepared, and caught off guard. This had never happened before. "Grab that knife!" Charles shouted in the direction of Faydrin. Bess now swung into action. She had to keep this fool quiet. All their lives depended on it. She instinctively kickswepted the feet of her attacker. Since she still had a firm grip on her wrist, they both went down.Bess allighted herself on top of Charles, covering his mouth with her hands. She silently prayed he would understand. "Shhh." Charles was pinned by this beautiful woman's powerful legs. He once again let instinct take over. Wrapping his legs around hers, he forcefully rolled her over. He was now in control. Her hand was still over his mouth, as she hissed, "Quiet you fool, or you will get us all killed.". Charles cocked his head over to one side. A questioning look on his face. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Before Bess could answer, he heard a low moan near his feet. He unwrapped his legs from hers, and shook her hand loose from his mouth. "Ron, are you ok?" He asked as he pulled the blanket back revealing Donald thrashing as if caught up in a terrible nightmare. "What did you do to him?" He demanded in a loud voice. Bess and Faydrin visibly grimaced. "Please, if they find us here they will kill us. You must stay quiet." Bess implored. "Who will kill us?" Charles next demanded. "My young friend,all will be explained as soon as we know that the king and queen will be safe." The knife still sat motionless at Faydrin's feet. He had not touched it, nor spoken till now. Charles had assumed this woman had been the reason for the fear in his eyes. It was becoming clear to him now that he was in cahoots with the woman,and something quite odd was going on.Before Charles could continue to fathom the possibilities of these two people, he again heard Donald moaning. Releasing his grip of the woman, he threw her aside as if she weighed nothing.Bess sat stunned for the second time that day. Who was this man who beseemingly over powered her so easily? Donalds eyes slowly opened, as he tossed his head from side to side. Blinking repeatedly, Donald tried to regain his vision. "Charles," Donald murmured. "I am here." Charles said reassuringly. A faraway howl could be heard.Faydrin sighed a deep sigh of relief. The howls meant they were many tonks away, and everyone in the passage was safe.Donald's eyes closed again,and his breathing became soft and even. "Ron," Charles shook Donald lightly. "Ron!" He said a little louder, while shaking harder. Standing up, he glared at the woman. "What's wrong with him? What did you do to us? Where the fuck are we?" © D.RipkaCartwright Typed by: Alicia Moser during a phone conversation with the author DRipka-Cartwright Wednesday May 11, 2005

Strangers Awaken Part 2

"My young friend, all will be explained as soon as we know that the king and queen will be safe." The knife still sat motionless at Faydrin's feet. He had not touched it, nor spoken till now. Charles had assumed this woman had been the reason for the fear in his eyes. It was becoming clear to him now that he was in cahoots with the woman,and something quite odd was going on. Before Charles could continue to fathom the possibilities of these two people, he again heard Donald moaning. Releasing his grip of the woman, he threw her aside as if she weighed nothing.Bess sat stunned for the second time that day. Who was this man who beseemingly over powered her so easily? Donald eyes slowly opened, as he tossed his head from side to side. Blinking repeatedly, Donald tried to regain his vision. "Charles," Donald murmured. "I am here." Charles said reassuringly. A faraway howl could be heard. Faydrin sighed a deep sigh of relief. The howls meant they were many tonks away, and everyone in the passage was safe. Donald's eyes closed again,and his breathing became soft and even. "Ron," Charles shook Donald lightly. "Ron!" He said a little louder, while shaking harder. Standing up, he glared at the woman. "What's wrong with him? What did you do to us? Where the fuck are we?" © D.RipkaCartwright Typed by: Alicia Moser during a phone conversation with the author D. Ripka-Cartwright Wednesday May 11, 2005

A Fools Answer

The questions were asked so fast that neither Bess, nor Faydrin had time to even begin to answer the first question before the second and third were asked. Faydrin slowly walked across the room to the crude table near the entrance. Pulling out the seat that Bess had previously been sitting in, he gestured for Charles to take it. “Please, if you will but sit, I will try to explain what I know.”Relentlessly, Charles walked to the side of the chair. It seemed to Bess that neither man would sit before the other. Faydrin decided the stale mate was not worth the fight, and finally sat down. Charles eyed them both suspiciously, but accepted the seat he had been offered. His head was beginning to spin, and sitting down would at least cover the pain he was now feeling deep in his stomach. Bess propped herself upon the table since both seats were now being occupied. This earned her a scowl from her brother, but she simply ignored him. Faydrin figured the direct approach would be the best. ”As to where you are, you are in what is known as the ‘secret passage’. It is an underground system that runs from Finaria, to Shimmer.” ”So were in England?” Charles asked, trying to get the whole picture. ”England?” Bess was curious about what this word England was. This stranger had caught her off guard twice in such a short time that she felt she needed to learn more about him. Who he was, where he came from, who had trained him. Faydrin moved his hand to silence his sister. Shaking his head ‘no’, he tried again. “No. You were brought here by a triscone.” He paused for a moment, and reached into his pocket. “A teleporter of sorts.” He pulled out the metal shard that had begun it all, and placed it on the crude table. Charles eyes widened. “So you’re trying to tell me that this thing we found teleported us here? Where exactly is here anyway?” Faydrin nodded his head. “Well, from what studies I was able to do before they burned the monastery, Earth is about three paces from Shimmer.” ”Paces?” Charles asked. “You mean three planets away? Three dimensions away? What exactly are we talking about here?” ”Oh No, if Earth was that close, we would be able to see it in the night sky.” Faydrin paused again. He was trying to remember the right word Earth people used. It was just so hard. He wished he had spent more time learning other languages while he was at the monastery, but languages had not been one of his best subjects. If he had known then what he knew now, he would have taken extra care in what he chose to learn. “ Paces.” ‘Think’ he told himself. “I’m sorry, I can not recall the right word. It has been too long since I have had need for your language, that I just do not remember.” ”Okay, so we aren’t on earth anymore is what you’re telling me. That we have traveled through time and space using that piece of metal?” Faydrin thought he had finally said the right words, and this man now understood. He smiled and boldly nodded his head. “Yes.” He said to Charles who jumped up from the chair, and began looking around. Bess looked over at Faydrin as if to ask what he was doing. Faydrin only shrugged. Maybe this man was insane, and he should not have taken the time to begin to explain anything? ”Where is it?” Charles asked. “Okay guys, you can get up, the jokes over. Where are the cameras?” No one stirred. ”Cameras?” Bess asked. This was yet another new word. She was beginning to become more and more intrigued with this stranger. ”So what is this? Some kind of reality show, where you try to make a fool out of someone. Which one of these jerks set me up? Well, it won’t work!” Charles was yelling now. He couldn’t believe that one of his friends had actually tried to make him look like a jackass. How dare they. Faydrin was beginning to worry. “Please, sit back down. I assure you there are no ‘cameras’.” He paused to look at his sister, then back at the man who now seemed truly touched in the head. Charles was becoming more confused as the man spoke. His stomach pains were worsening, and he just wanted to go home. As the pain sharpened, he doubled over. Bess was immediately at his side. ‘No’, he told himself. He would never let a woman pity him. He tried to straighten up. If he could just reach the chair and sit back down, he would feel better. Putting his head in his hands to stop the spinning in his head, he heard Bess gasp. He tried to look at her to see what was wrong, but he could not even lift his head. “What’s…” Was all her could say before his head hit the table, and he was unconscious again. Faydrin stared at his sister. What had caused her to be so shocked? Bess had been looking at the now unconscious man. All she could do was point.”What is it Bess?” Faydrin asked in concern. It was not often that something made his sister show her emotions. He walked to her side hopeing he could see what she was looking at. “The four leaf clover.” He half whispered and quickly covered his mouth. Sure enough, a small four leaf clover was burned into the side of the unconscious mans neck. “No wonder he caught me off guard.” Bess began. Faydrin was trying to life Charles from his position in the chair. He was not a strong man physically. His strengths had always run in the magic department. Bess quickly lifted the sleeping guard, and carried him back to the pallet. Turning to her brother, she gave him a look that he knew meant…’What should we do? © D. RipkaCartwright 6/01/05

Newe Question.

Faydrin sat back for a moment. He needed time to digest everything that had happened the last twenty-four hours.It had started with an odd feeling. He had been out looking for worms root, when he knew, more than felt that he should head to the pass. Being one to always follow his instincts, he had headed towards the pass.That’s when he had found the four strangers. Each unconscious, and each touching a bit of a triscone. He had not seen a triscone in many years. Not since the outlaw of magic. Rushing to the strangers, he first checked upon their condition. Each appeared stable, and well enough to move. Then, slowly he approached the triscone. Reading the incantation upon it, he visibly shook. Calling upon his sister, he got the four strangers moved, and each in turn had awoken. All accept the queen. She had not even stirred. This bothered him more then he was willing to let on to his sister. “Faydrin.” His sisters’ words interrupted his thoughts. “Huh? What?” He said. “What are we going to do? The guard was not to return. What is going on, and who is the other one?” She asked. He had been wondering the same questions his sister now spoke allowed for some time now. What were they going to do with the guard? And just who was this other mysterious person, and what roll did he have to play in this odd game of chance? © D. RipkaCartwright 6/13/05

Time Will Tell

Faydrin and Bess sat and waited for the re awkening. They knew that the triscones' affects would be wearing off at last. When the first sign of restlessness showed, They stood and waited patently. Logan and Charles both sat up instantly, as if ready to fight. Bess wanted to run between the two. She wasn't sure what was going on, but one thing was for sure, she could feel the animosity thickening in the air each breath they took. When Donald started to wake, she was relieved to see that the guards attention was turned away from her king. Logan jumped off the cot he had occupied. He had to find out what was going on, and just where the hell he was. He had hoped that he would awaken and find himself in the Med Hospital on the base. To find himself still in this cave was disturbing to him. Donald looked up from his space on the floor. Charles could tell the confusion and pain in his eyes. He was slowly woundering if he had been to eager to jump to conclusions that his friends were trying to play a joke on him. "Charlie?" Donalds voice was weak, and he sounded far away, and unsure of himself. Charles woundered if he had sounded just that way himself when he first woke. "It's okay, I'm here." Charles couldn't help feel attached to Donald. Donald was like the little brother he had allways wanted. Putting his hand on Donalds arm, he turned to Logan. "Where the hell are we?" Logan was asking. He was now standing, and pacing the floor. "Ask them." Charles said as he pointed his hand at Faydrin and Bess who were still standing patiently, and quietly waiting for everyone to loose the effects of the triscone. "Well?" Logan was becoming more agitated and impatient as the seconds flew by. Faydrin walked back over to his chair. He had spent so many nights fantasizing that he would be the one to recover them, that now that the time had come, he was left woundering why he had been chosen. "I would prefer," He started. "No, please don't start that dribble about paralel universe or whatever crap. Just give it to us straight." Charles cut in. Bess was amused. She had learned from an early age, just as all people in Shimmer had, that Guards had a temper. They were quick witted, and over anxious. This one seemed to be no different. "Paralel demention?" Donald said in that voice he allways had when he had just finished learning a new fact in one of the thousands of books Charles saw thrown around his bedroom back at home. Back in Donalds room. Back to the safty of Alabama. "As I was saying," Fadrin began again. "I would prefer to waite for everyone to be awake before I try to explain what has happened." Instantly all heads began to turn and all eyes fell on the sleeping Queen. "The wolf." Logan said breathlessly. "Alex" Charles and Donald said in unison. All three scrambled to the occupied cot on the far wall. Bess and Faydrin looked at each other in that instant. Both seemed to know what was comming. As Logan reached the cot, Charles tried to shove him out of the way to get to Alex. Logan in turn grabbed Charles wrist. Forcing him to take a step back. His eyes on the wolf, he didn't notice that Charles had hooked his foot around his, and down they both went. In that next instant, two things happened. Bess started laughing, and thunder sounded in the cave. The noise reverberated in the cave, and each person had to cover their ears for fear of going deaf. Charles, Donald, and Logan all looked up to see Faydrin. Hands streatched to the sky, and eyes the color of dark purple. He was stairing at each person, yet all at the same time. Stairing into their very souls. Logan released Charles, and Charles released Logan. Donald just stood their dumbstruck stairing back at the strange guy who seemed to him, to be in controll of everything going on at the moment. "Now that I have your attention." Faydrin said. "I would like you all to have a seat. You must be very hungry after the long ride." His arms now came back down to his side. Bess was still laughing. "Bess, if you would please?" He continued. Bess did her best to stifle the laughing. Two grown men fighting over one helpless female. Who would have thought such things would ever happen here in Shimmer. Even if she was the Queen. Walking over to the black cauldron, she took the few wooden bowles and spoons they had created, and began dishing out food for the travelers. "Bess makes a very decent hind." Faydrin was saying as she was placing the bowles on the table. "Decent." she scoffed, but let the remark go. They would taste her cooking, and know she was an excellent cook. Donald walked over to the table, and realized his stumache was growling. Taking a seat, he started spooning the hind soup mix into his mouth. "This is good." He said with his mouth full. Charles and Logan looked at each other in silent contempt. Each was very hungry, but neither wanted to leave Alexandras side. Bess was getting tired of this. Walking over to the two standing men, she grabbed each by the arm, and pulled them to the table. "If you don't want to sit, at least you could do was not be rude, and eat what I cooked." Charles gave her a sheepish grin, and politly accepted the bowl and spoon she was shoving in his hands. Logan accepted the bowl as well. His face remained expessionless. He had practiced this face in many nights of poker. No one was going to get the best of him. As Charles began to eat, he looked back at Alex. She was sleeping so peacefully, that he was woundering how she had slept through the thunder. Logan must have been thinking the same thing because he had not even taken one bite, yet was stairing at the sleeping girl on the cot that had been next to his. © DripkaCartwright 6/21/05

Thoughts and Questions

Alexandra was in that peaceful place between awake and asleep. She heard thunder in the nearby pasture. Uncle George would be bringing in the cows soon. He allways took good care of his livestock. She loved the sound of the rain and thunder. She felt it was natures way of playing it's music for her. Who was talking to Uncle George and Aunt Maria? She was sure she knew everyone they knew. These voices though, she knew they were not the normal neighbors that would stop in for a cup pf coffee, or some of the blueberry pie that Aunt Maria was so fawned of making. Why had the rain not started? Why had no more thunder sounded off in the field? Alexandras' sence of smell finally kicked in. Why was Uncle George using terpintine? He had used it once when she had been very young, and the memory of the foul smell had stayed with her. To the best of her knowledge he had never used it again. Silence again. She had this overwelming sensation of someone watching her before she fell back into that oblivian that sleeps brings. Bess had seen the eyes moving rapidly under the queens eyelids. She knew Faydrin had seen them as well. She woundered if any of the others had seen the small sign of movement. She knew that the royal guards had been bread and trained to detect even the slightest movement of breath, yet this one seemed not to have noticed. Or was it simply that he did not wish anyone to know just what his abilities were. They were strangers to him. He was only bound to his queen. Not to anyone else. She only questioned his abilities because he had spent to much time on earth. A warrior who did not use his bow, could miss an easy shot. Whereas if he used his skill daily then he would not miss an easy shot. Would having spent so much time on earth enhanced or detrimented his skills? Faydrin seemed to be thinking along the same lines. He was staring intently at the guard who was still eatting. "Can I help you?" Charles was getting just a little annoyed with being stared at. Why was he being stared at? No one had moved. The soldier had stoped eating, and had just looked at him. The zena warrior princess had not flinched, and the man in the white didn't even blink. "Can I help you?" He said again, only this time a little louder. Faydrin just shook his head, and looked in another direction still obviously deep in thought. His mind was still on the four companions whom were now, it seemed, in his care. The knarles were miles away, and his guest were slowly awakening. He had feared for his queen untill he had seen the small eye movement that told him all was fine. The next time she would awaken, the sleep induced spell that was a reaction to the triscone would be long past. He doubted that she would have any more memories then his King, or her guard. © D. RipkaCartwright 12/05/05