THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, CHAPTER 6, Part 1
A story of Necromantra
By Aladdin
Edited by Christopher Leeson
THE VORTEX, Chapter 6, Part 1
The death of so many super beings across the killing field was feeding me all the bio-energy I could absorb. I continued my flight, scanning the battlefield for Captain Arielle. I saw that few of the human battle groups below were continuing with the fight, now that it was being waged by aliens using weapons beyond the ken of Ulik’s medieval-level warriors. I was hoping to see the familiar serpentine coat of arms that belonged to Captain Arielle and I soon spotted it, fluttering above the helmeted heads of her iron-shod soldiers.
With a force-field raised for my protection, I landed amongst the men of the unit, causing a minor stir, one that brought Captain Arielle forward almost at once. She was looking drained and uncertain, which didn’t surprise me, given the surrounding confusion. To her credit, most of her warriors appeared to be no better off.
I stepped toward her. “I've taken your cousin out of harm's way. I'll take you to her,” I said.
She grimaced and called an officer to her side. "Take command while I'm gone," she told him. Then to me she said, “I need to talk to Arielle.”
Agreeably, I put my arms around her and levitated her armored mass until she became less weighty than a sack of goose down. Seeing us rising aloft brought cries of amazement from her soldiers.
The wind I summoned carried us speedily to the dome of rock where, I hoped, the princess still waited. Happily, she hurried from behind a boulder as soon as we’d touched down.
The captain received the younger Arielle into her gauntleted arms. “Will you come with me to my home world," I asked, "or do you have a better refuge in mind?”
“Why must we go to some strange new world?” the princess asked.
“To save your life!” I answered. “I don’t know how they do it, but the Tradesmen seem able to locate anyone they want to. The Godwheel is their own world and their power is greatest here. Remember, they restored you to life on the condition that I remain their slave for the rest of my life. I've had my fill of slavery, but if I abscond, I’m sure they will carry out their threat and kill you.”
“What will happen if we both stay here at Ulik?” the teen asked.
With a sigh I said, “I think that the captain can tell you as well as I.”
The soldier said to her cousin, “You can expect to remain a political pawn, just as you were with Erhan and Armand. Worse, now that the Aerwa are involved, there's the threat of a larger war. No one knows what is going to shake out of this, but the Darkur might strike back with a very large force force. And they might choose to send it through Ulik.”
“But if I stay here, can’t I at least do a little good for the people?” the younger woman asked.
The captain shook her head. “How much good have you been able to do for them so far? It's the size of the army that makes the difference. Many people pity you, but there is no one expounding the idea that you are the leader that these terrible times call for.”
At that, the princess shifted my way. “Marinna, if I go to you world, will I ever be be able see my home again?”
“Possibly,” I said, “especially since your cousin possesses a magic sword that's able to carry people across the gulfs between worlds.”
The soldier drew the blade as soon as I mentioned it. “I’m not sure how far we can depend on this demon steel. Sometimes it forces me to do things that I have no liking for.”
I grinned mirthlessly. "At least you have some ideas about what I deal with every day," I said.
Just then, I heard faint cries, like ghosts from a tomb. The sounds had to be coming from the sword. “My God! Are the souls of the sacrificed men still trapped in that hell blade?” I asked. “Why do you keep it? Doesn’t the wailing drive you mad?”
The knight shook her head. “Every enemy the blade slays is swallowed by it. I would gladly be rid of the thing, but in the hands of the wrong person it could do great evil. Regardless, I'm hoping for the opportunity to free its captives. Unfortunately, I'm not a witch like you and I don't know what to do. Can you do something to help?”
I regarded the gleaming metal. This was a deadly piece of work, too be sure. It made the Sword of Fangs come off like a Cracker Jacks prize. “Well, girl, I can't know that until I've studied it some.”
Her eyes flashed and she snarled, “Don’t call me a girl!”
I shrugged. “I get it. A lot of Earth women don’t like being called girls, either. You’ll fit in just fine if you travel to my world.” Then I pivoted toward her younger double. “Well, what’s your decision, Princess?” I asked. “If I leave this world and you stay behind, the Tradesmen will slay you. If we both stay, it won't be much better. If I ever misbehave, the Tradesmen will slay you. If I stay, the Tradesmen will continue to use me as a weapon. I've killed hundreds for the Darkur, and in time the death toll will be thousands. Necromantra likes to kill, but I don't. Worse, killing makes the demon inside of me grow stronger, and that's the last thing I want.”
The princess shifted in appeal toward the captain. “There’s been enough death, I think, and I can't be responsible for any more of it. I have little choice but to go to that different world she talks about. But please understand, Cousin, that I am neither ordering nor requesting that you to come with me.”
The older woman shook her head. “I have had my fill of this power struggle. And I can’t let you to explore a new world alone, especially not under the guidance of the very madwoman who killed you once already. By your leave, Princess, I will open the way for the three of us to Marinna’s world.”
Young Arielle gave an assenting nod, but it was a gesture of resignation, not hope.
Turning, the knight took a deep breath and, holding the blade like a spear, hurled it into a boulder near to us. It struck deep, sinking inches into solid rock -- a trick that was worthy of the Sword of Fangs itself. It released a fountain of energy upon impact, in the form of a dazzling vortex. When the warrior stepped up to retrieve the sword, the vortex yet remained, as if waiting. The captain was not surprised by this. And why should she be? This would not be her first crossing between worlds.
“Come with me,” the elder Arielle said, wrapping her arms around both her cousin and me. Like a six-legged beast, we guided ourselves into the gullet of the whirling light.
#
The next thing we knew, we were standing in a fetid ally behind what had to be a butcher shop. Black flies bounced off our faces, very much at home amid the pervasive pungency of rotting meat.
The captain looked warily at this ugly corner of the new world that she had briefly visited before. The younger Arielle’s face was alight with amazement. I looked about, trying to figure out what country we were in. From where we stood, the alley ended at the crowded sidewalk of a busy street.
“There is no use standing here,” I said. I led them into the throng of pedestrians. When a pair of college-age girls sashayed by, the captain regarded them with consternation. “Are these maidens harlots?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, lots of women dress provocatively here.”
“Who forces them to do so?
“Nothing except vanity, I think. The customs we have will be new to you. Wherever men have their way socially, they insist that women comport themselves modestly. But whenever a society liberates women, some will choose to attract attention by wearing very little.”
“You’re joking!”
“Not at all. You'll soon get used to the idea. I’d wager that you ladies will be wearing clothes just like theirs by this time next year.”
“Never!” the knight stated emphatically.
Actually, the knight might very well look fetching wearing a tight mini-dress. “On the subject of clothes," I cautioned, "you have to expect Earth people to judge you on the basis of unimportant things, such as what you wear. Dressed for Ulik, we look suspicious and out of place. Ankle-length gowns, steel plate, and dragon tattoos are going to attract attention that won't be at all helpful.”
As if to affirm my warning, a police officer stepped up to us at that juncture. “Lady,” he addressed the captain. “Is that sword real?”
To my surprise, Arielle understood his speech and replied in English, “Of course!”
I spoke up. “She means of course not. The assistant costumer just handed her that sword along with the rest of the costume. Joan of Arc is being filmed a few blocks from here.”
“From here?” the officer echoed. He stared suspiciously at the sparing cut my sorceress outfit. “Is it a porno version? That’s the only kind of movie they ever make around Van Nuys. Wandering the streets wearing wacky costumes is going to get you into trouble. This isn't a nice part of town.”
Having warned us, he continued with his patrol. That was for the good. If he had he caused us any real trouble, I would have had to be rough with him.
But our brief conversation had told me where we were. I knew that Van Nuys was a suburb on the north side of L.A. Ominously, it was within walking distance of Canoga Park, where another knight of Archimage, Mantra, lived. If she laid eyes on me, her first reaction would be homicidal. And, more the pity, I couldn’t have blamed her.
“Who was that man?” the princess asked.
“A police officer,” I explained.
There were very many things that two Arielles needed to know to be able to get along safely on the Planet Earth. Unfortunately, for their own good I would have to leave them soon.
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 6, Part 2.
