Reunited...

Chapter Four

By Douglas E. Gogerty

Prince William had spoken to most of King Jonathan's staff. They were fairly evenly split on whether Princess Angelina ran away or whether she was abducted. However, they were almost unanimous on their belief that no one would go purposely into the Forbidden Zone.

Nonetheless, Prince William would follow the trail where it led. Thus, if it went into this foreboding area, he would need to be prepared for it. Therefore, he put several water containers into his suncar as he set off following Princess Angelina's trail.

The ancient roadway was quite a bit west of the castle complex. It was once a busy north/south road for travelers; however, now it was just an little used trail. Prince William double checked the track he was following. Both he and King Jonathan's trackers concluded that the suncar headed south. He checked the trail and was certain that is the direction to go.

This ancient road south led to the ruins of a city. It was once a major metropolitan area, but it was now little more than rubble. The many conflicts hit this mountain city hard. What made it an excellent place for a city also made it a place where people fought. This was the way of many of the old cities.

Because of its location, there were several roads which the ancients had constructed that led into and out of this major metropolitan area. These roads went off in all directions. Anyone going this direction would be difficult to track. Once again, it was an excellent choice to hide the destination of any traveling vehicle.

While this ancient city was about an hour from King Jonathan's residential complex by suncar, it was going to take Prince William a while to determine the exact path. Prince William's suncar had little difficulty traveling over the ancient roads. That is, until it got nearer to the ruined city. The battles had taken their toll on these roads.

Nonetheless, it made it somewhat easier to track. There were places where there was debris in the roads where tire tracks could be seen. There were broken plants. There were many clues to follow. However, it was a time consuming task for Prince William. There could be other vehicles traveling along this route.

As he suspected, the trail led to the west. This did not mean that they were headed directly into the Forbidden Zone. The ancient road headed to the west through the mountains and towards the Monoran desert. However, the ancient road had a split where a suncar could head north, continue west, or even loop back. It was clear to Prince William that the route chosen was very good one for concealing the final destination.

However, now that Prince William knew that the trail headed west, it would be easier to track. With the mountainous terrain, there were few options until the next split. Thus, once he left the ruined city, he could make pretty good time.

The tracking took its toll on Prince William, and he camped at one of the few intersections in the mountains for the night. He felt he was making good time, and hoped to reach the next major intersection of the ancient roadway by midday. Nevertheless, it was still going to take him a while to catch up with Princess Angelina at this rate. Although, it would take even longer if he missed her trail. Thus, he was being very methodical.

In any event, if King Jonathan's trackers were to be believed, they would have the Princess back before he reached the next split in the road. It would be at this point when Prince William would know for certain if the suncar went into the forbidden area. If it did, then the Princess could be in great distress.

With first light, Prince William was back on the trail. He could tell he was getting closer to the desert as it was becoming increasingly dry. He did cross a minor trickle of a river, and he wondered if there were more like it.

The sun was hot and high in the sky when he reached the crossroads. A blockade had been constructed to prevent southward travel. However, it had been removed. Thus, it was clear to Prince William that the Princess was in the Forbidden Zone.

He double and triple checked the trail, but it was unmistakable. The suncar clearly entered the forbidden area. Thus, the prince had no choice but to follow the track. He turned his suncar south and headed into the hot desert.

The road was rough. Sections of the road had seen great battles. Some of the ancient attack vehicles still sat there slowly being covered in sand. They were once great metal beasts, but now just hunks of scrap. Sand slowly wearing them smooth in places and rough in others.

The track he was following was clear in the sand. He could easily follow it as it led into the desert. So few had come this way, that the track looked fresh even though it could have been days or even weeks old. He thought he would catch up to the Princess in no time.

Suddenly, a huge cloud of sand blew across his path. The sand storm blocked out the sun, and his suncar lost power. The sand blasted against the side of his car. He could almost feel the sand tearing the solar panels off the car. His car sat there motionless as the sand ripped across his path. The roar of the sand and wind was almost deafening.

Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The roar ceased and all was silent again. The sun returned. Prince William let out a huge sigh. He took a small drink of water from his stores and stepped out of his car.

Some of the panels were damaged, but he quickly repaired them. His car had survived with little damage. Then he realized it. The trail he was following was gone. The wind had erased the easy trail that had led him to this spot. What was he going to do next? The Forbidden Zone was beginning to live up to its name.

The God Wars

Chapter Twenty-eight:

Observations

By Dwayne MacInnes

Ares was on the march again. This time he had a more formidable army. Hades in his chariot drawn by two jet-black horses joined the god of war. His Necro-lords were at the head of a long line of undead warriors. There was Charon the boatman holding the leash belonging to the three-headed dog Cerebus whose jaws snapped and drooled in anticipation of the coming fight. There also was Thanatos, or as many referred to him as Death. The skeletal Necro-lord rode an emaciated black horse and carried a scythe ready for his grim reaping.

The large army also contained Hephaestus' ten-foot tall bronze warriors the Talos. As their legs moved, their metal joints groaned and creaked. The god of the anvil did not march south with the army for he was intent on extracting more information from the abducted scientist.

Ares scanned the skies near the Dragonspine Mountains. He was still waiting for Hermes and his Draco-lords to join the army. The long serpentine dragons and their riders would join Ares as they neared the Skalandos River. The wild and terrible griffins would also be available. No one else could control the part eagle and part lion monstrosity except Hermes. He could speak to the untamed animals and more importantly, they would listen.

From the seclusion of a wooded hillside, Hunter Running-Deer observed the latest army marching south towards the Skalandos River. They were near the headwaters and many fords across the wild river were available for the huge army to cross.

Hunter was a Cherokee Indian who grew up on a reservation in Oklahoma. His family raised him to learn their traditional ways such as hunting and tracking. Naturally, he also was versed in their native language and other customs. Hunter learned English when he went to school and joined the military like many of his tribal brothers when the war broke out.

Right now, his skills, like those of the other few dozen American Indian soldiers, were in high demand. His commanding officers sent him ahead of Ares' latest army in order to observe the huge army without them noticing him

Even though there were small hamlets and villages around the area, Hunter‘s instructions were to bypass them. He would need to scout out the land without even friendly citizens knowing of his existence just in case Ares decided to interrogate a local. He could live off the land and move quickly and quietly with his horse that the Atlantean army issued him.

Hunter put the field glasses to his eyes again. He was careful not to let the sunlight reflect off the lenses. Even if Ares and his army did not know someone was observing them, a flash of light could still tell them that there was something or someone out there they may want to investigate.

When Hunter first started watching the army, he was shocked at its makeup. The giant metal statues moving across the land was one thing, and the shambling dead warriors were another. However, something about the Necro-lords really made shivers run up Hunter's spine.

Hunter had faithfully followed and observed the army for days. He made one report with his field radio each day. Even a tenderfoot back at the Alamo could tell that Ares latest army contained thousands and thousands of troops. However, what Ares' game was no one knew and that was where Hunter came in.

Hunter found it strange how it took the transportation to a strange world for people to treat him and the other minorities like equals. The Atlanteans did not seem to find that skin color mattered to one's status, as the white man did on earth. Even the Negro troops the Atlanteans regarded as equals despite the lingering racism still found amongst some of the Americans.

Hunter watched the army cross the river and was about to pack up and make his daily report when he saw a speck in the sky above the jagged tops of the Dragonspine Mountains grow into a large swarm as it neared Ares' army. Hunter took in a deep breath when he trained his glasses upon the flying horde.

Black scaled dragons with men in black armor flew towards the army. A strange half eagle/half lion beast flew alongside. Hunter remembered them from a textbook in one of his childhood schools as griffins. By the way the beast flew circles around the army below Hunter realized that Ares just added a new element to his forces.

Colonel Farnsworth at the Alamo listened as his scout reported in. On another world in another time, Colonel Farnsworth would have had the man brought up on report for drinking. However, nothing surprised the colonel anymore. Therefore, when Hunter reported in about the addition of dragons and griffins to Ares' forces Farnsworth merely wrote it down and passed it on back to headquarters back in Zakrostas.

According to General Crist, another army was currently attacking Fort Knopso and a heavy rainstorm was keeping Crist from sending reinforcements. The latter, Farnsworth had figured out himself. The dark thunderclouds to the west were visible even to those at the Alamo. The ground would instantly turn to a mire of mud and anyone or anything moving through it would become stuck.

The worst thing was that the heavy rains also kept the Hercules fighters grounded. Even though the USS Kiska with its compliment of aircraft headed for the open sea, the aircraft onboard still would not be able to penetrate the storm.

Therefore, Hunter was the best hope Farnsworth and Crist had of learning what Ares intended to do with his force.

Hunter rode his horse hard, it was night and the large silver half-moon provided the only light the Indian needed to navigate the landscape. He was surprised that Ares had turned his army southwest after crossing the Skalandos River. Hunter figured either that Ares was going to try to circle around and hit Zakrostas from the south in a surprise move, or that he may have another target in mind.

From the local map given him, Hunter knew that the only other object worth Ares' time and effort was the city of Atlantis. The god of war was already in the Kingdom of Atlantis so attacking the weaker and more primitive city would be a hard object to resist.

The only way Hunter could determine Ares' next move was for him to again race ahead of the army and try to ascertain what Ares had in mind. It was a decision that Hunter would have to make shortly so that General Crist could make the correct decision as to where to send the army. However, if Hunter guessed wrong the army would be in the wrong place and it would mean the destruction of both the Republic and Kingdom of Atlantis.

Reunited...

Chapter Three

By Douglas E. Gogerty

King Jonathan was called the "Cattle King" by the neighboring kingdoms. His lands were very dry, but they were highly suited to raising livestock. He had vast herds of bison grazing his lands. Deer, moose, and wild cow also thrived there. Much of the wild game on his lands was hunted for sport in his kingdom. He got his power and influence from the wealth he obtained in the meat trade.

After the water wars of Calmondak's southern neighbors, King Jonathan's father expanded the kingdom farther south. This land was also arid, but it too was suitable to livestock grazing. The people working these lands fit right in to how their neighbors to the north ran things.

However, there was a large desert in the southwestern portion of these southern kingdoms. With the irrigation practices of the former kingdoms -- and before -- the Great Monoran Desert had grown substantially. The aquifer had nearly vanished allowing the desert to expand.

This desert was a dangerous and foreboding place where numerous explorers had never returned. It was hot and dry. Very little could survive there. After an exploratory party entered the desert and did not return, King Jonathan forbade anyone from entering. It was labeled the "Forbidden Zone."

When King Jonathan was a fairly young man, he wed Princess Marcellina. With the marriage and its arrangements, the Calmondak kingdom gained some timberland and some orchards in the northwest. There were also some fine vineyards that complemented the ones in Calmondak. Thus, King Jonathan could slightly diversify where his wealth was being generated.

Other than from the vines and from fruit trees, very little food could be grown in Calmondak without irrigation. It was this aridness that resulted in the water wars of these southern kingdoms. The lack of water had caused destruction of the previous civilization living on the land as well. It was simply not something with which King Jonathan wanted to get involved. Thus, he would continue to import most of his required grains from Lakeland.

The acquisition of the treaty land would not change this. However, it would extend Calmondak's border to the Misery River to the west. This would be more preferable to the current border with the Lakeland Kingdom. This border was determined more arbitrarily when one of the southern kingdom negotiated for it. With the river as the border, it would prevent any disputes over land rights. In this way, friendly trade would continue between the neighbors.

Furthermore, the land of this treaty was mostly similar to the much of the southern lands that were already part of Calmondak. There was a small mountain range and some swamps, but a majority of the land was similar. Most of it could be used as grazing lands. The big difference was that it also gave Calmondak access to an oceanic gulf which could also open up trade with more eastern kingdoms.

Nonetheless, all of this was for not with Princess Angelina's disappearance. A new treaty was discussed giving Prince William and Princess Angelina control over the land should they marry. However, it would likely revert to Lakeland should anything happen to the pair. Further, there was the prophecy proclaimed by King Thorbjorn.

While King Jonathan was completely willing to allow Prince William to search for his daughter, the marriage of the pair would be considered at another time. The benefits of this union would be far less than the previous arrangement. Further, he did not particularly believe in prophecies, so anyone looking for his daughter would be welcome.

Princess Angelina was not an only child. She had an older brother, Prince James. He was the heir to the Calmondak throne. He was a tall statuesque young man. He was also quite striking in appearance. However, like Princess Angelina, he took after his mother more than his father. Thus, many thought him a bit effeminate. Of this, Princess Angelina took much offense.

There was talk in some circles that Princess Angelina was the much stronger of the pair. She was much more suited to be heir to the throne than the -- in their opinion -- much weaker prince. While the princess would agree that she was stronger, again she took offense to the sentiment.

The two children were educated along side each other. While there was a few years difference in their ages, Angelina did act much more mature for her age. Further, she had a voracious appetite for learning. She just did not seem to be able to get enough.

Perhaps this was the big difference between the two. Prince James accepted his role in the scheme of things, but Princess Angelina felt that there was always something that could be done. She was not afraid to take action. She was not afraid to step outside her role as princess and see the world differently. This made her appear strong and made James appear weak.

The two siblings were quite close due to their situation. In fact, they had spent many hours discussing the upcoming wedding. However, Prince James did not know what the princess could or would do about stopping the upcoming nuptials.

She had asked Prince James about driving the suncars. He gave her a few pointers and lessons, but he did not think she would be able to drive away by herself. He felt that she would need assistance. Thus, he was under the impression that she had been abducted.

He had been questioned thoroughly. It was apparent that despite his confession of teacher her the rudiments of the sun car, he did not know where she was. In fact, because they were very close, if she had run away, she may have wanted him to not know where she was going. Thus, he was in the dark about the events of the day of her disappearance.

Prince William of Lakeland asked Prince James some questions about the Forbidden Zone and if she knew anything about it. Prince James told him what he told everyone.

"It is the most dangerous place in Calmondak, and no one would go there on purpose. Certainly my sister knows that! If she ran away, she certainly would not head there!"

Twilight Zone

A Halloween Story

By Dwayne MacInnes

The moon hung high in the night sky its soft glow competing with the various city lights reflecting off the wet slick concrete of the city below. Tall buildings thrust proudly into the night air with their multitude of lights dampening out the low flicker of the stars above. The sounds of traffic and sirens floated through the atmosphere. It was just another night in New York City.

Maciste slunk down a dark lonely alley. Mist and trash obscured the rough surface of the dead-end that housed overflowing dumpsters filled with the every day debris a city like this discards. The lithe man pulled the hood of his black hoodie jacket over his pale bald head.

A casual observer would notice that Maciste was very slim, maybe even claim he was emaciated. His eyes were like dead pools of darkness, reflecting no life set in a cadaver gray face. His nose was long and hooked much like his fingers that ended in long stiletto-like nails. Even his ears were long and pointed, as one would expect to see on some fairytale elf.

Maciste, however would never lower himself to help some cobbler. No, Maciste was a vampire. A damned soul doomed to roam earth eternally hungry for blood. Most people in the 21st century did not believe in vampires. Movies and books distorted and romanticized what for thousands of years even an uneducated peasant would know and could take the proper precautions.

Maciste stooped down and picked up a scrap of the front page of a local newspaper. Its black and white headline emblazoned the words: Twilight Killer Strikes Again. The nosferatu chuckled to himself. The police were helpless in their pursuit of the "Twilight Killer" as the newspapers had dubbed Maciste. They did not know they were up against a vampire.

Nicodemus, an old friend, had bestowed this gift upon Maciste some time past. Nicodemus claimed that the famous Mordecai (at least famous in the vampire circle) in turn transformed him. The rumor ran that Mordecai was careful in his selections only choosing those that would be cautious. For another rumor stated that there were still a dedicated few mortals out there that acted as vampire hunters.

However, Maciste and Nicodemus were friends when they were still mortal. Both were outcasts even amongst the fringe groups of young adults. They used to challenge each other on vampire lore and fiction. They both started to adopt vampire customs like the drinking of blood.

Suddenly one day Nicodemus vanished. His house was vacant. His few friends knew nothing of his disappearance. Even his blog had shutdown. Of course, there was the standard police search but after awhile they gave up filing Nicodemus's vanishing to the cold case unit.

It was shortly after all the excitement finally died down that Maciste awoke one dark night to see a slim bald man sitting at the foot of his bed. The smell of decay and freshly turned earth hung on the apparition's breath. Before Maciste could scream, a slender boney hand shot out and covered Maciste's mouth.

"Quiet," the man said in a familiar voice, "it is I, Nicodemus and I have finally become what we have always desired."

Maciste's eyes opened wide in recognition of Nicodemus's voice. Even though he wanted to, Maciste could not respond through the strong fingers squeezing his mouth.

"I have chosen you to enjoy this gift if you desire," the vampire said hoarsely. "However, you will find it does not bring the benefits we thought."

Maciste struggled to speak, but was only finally able to nod his head. His pleading eyes were enough to convince Nicodemus to release his grip.

"Good," Nicodemus smiled exposing his sharp and deadly teeth that glittered in the moonlight filtering through the bedroom's window.

The two had roamed the country together for some time. However, they soon parted ways. Maciste figured he could do better in a large city like New York. Nicodemus did not share his companion's enthusiasm.

Maciste's plan was simple. He used to be quite an avid blogger himself before the transformation. He also, like many mortals, believed more in the modern rendition of vampires than the old folklores. He soon learned that the reverse was true. So using these pieces of knowledge Maciste would charm and lure unsuspecting teens, mostly girls, to their doom.

It was too easy. Especially, with vampires being such a romantic figure to young teenage girls. The books and movies always got it wrong. Vampires could not expose themselves to sunlight. They did not merely "sparkle" in the sun's rays but would actually burn down to a fine ash to be scattered by any passing breeze. Nor did they desire the affections of a mortal. The mortal's blood was the only thing a vampire desired. However, the wooden stake in the heart would kill a vampire, which most books and movies kept in their stories unaltered.

Maciste in his hoodie disguise could enter any cybercafé and correspond to some mortal online. The building's cameras could never capture Maciste's image. This was one of the gifts of being undead. In addition, a slim man witnesses describe wearing a black hoodie nearly matched the description of about a few thousand users in a cybercafé late at night.

Maciste now awaited his latest victim. They were always so eager to meet with him. Even if that meeting was to take place late at night in some secluded area in New York City! One would think the headlines warning of a killer using the trend of teenage romantic vampire literature as a lure would alert people. Well, teenagers rarely paid attention to the news.

The soft click of woman's heels echoed from the sidewalk leading to the alley. Maciste pulled himself back further into the shadows. Shortly a small woman cautiously entered the alley.

"Hello?" a timid voice said softly. "Is there anyone down here?"

"Yes," Maciste stepped out into the dim light.

"Are you.the..." the girl stammered.

"Vampire?" Maciste smiled, his teeth reflecting the pale light. "Yes, it is I."

"Are you going to make me...you know?" the girl stammered some more.

Yes," Maciste replied stepping closer to his victim. It was all too easy he thought to himself.

As the vampire's arms reached out towards the girl, a hiss punctuated the night from behind the vampire. Maciste's sensitive ears picked up the new sound and as he spun to see the source of the noise, a fiery pain shot through his chest. A wooden arrow protruded from his torso. Maciste looked up in time to see the silhouette of a figure on the fire escape of a nearby building armed with a bow before the second arrow penetrated his lifeless heart.

Before Maciste could react, he fell forward onto the ground dead, truly dead.

The man jumped down from the fire escape and stood over the body of the vampire. The shy girl cautiously walked forward.

"Did you get him?" she said her voice no longer timid but now strong.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Cathy," the man said as he rummaged through a satchel slung over his shoulder. "I couldn't see too well and barely missed his heart with the first shot."

"Thank God you got him with the second, Father Theo," the girl replied as she pulled a vial out of her purse. "Let me do the honors."

She uncorked the small crystal bottle and started to sprinkle some water onto the vampire's body. Wherever the drops landed on the vampire a small fire started, soon a conflagration consumed the whole body in flames that burned high for a second before it finally died down revealing only a fine pile of ash.

"Holy water," Father Theo smiled as he pulled his vial from the satchel. "Never leave home without it."

"At least if you are a vampire hunter," Cathy laughed.

The God Wars

Chapter Twenty-seven:

Feint

By Dwayne MacInnes

Lt. Rogers marched down the corridor towards General Theena’s office. Fort Knopso was complete and fully manned. There were soldiers from the United States Army as well as from the new Republic of Atlantis.

Things were finally looking like they should. After months of waiting for production to begin the fort was finally beginning to get some newly manufactured M1 Garands, artillery and ammunition. It appeared that the production plants around Zakrostas were finally working.

The muzzle-loading rifles once used to train the recruits were now part of the Kingdom of Atlantis’s arsenal. The new president Greer was sharing some vital secrets to their southern neighbors so that they could defend themselves. However, he was cautious never to give them the top of the line goods, just in case the kingdom wanted its lands back.

Rogers knocked on the general’s door. The comely woman inside promptly bid the lieutenant to enter. Rogers started to hand Theena some of the latest reports when a great thunderous boom exploded over the fort.

Greer instinctively reached for his sidearm before realizing it was only a thunderclap followed by the relentless torrent of a cloudburst.

"The weather certainly changes around here pretty quickly," Rogers observed.

However, Theena had jumped from her desk and was running towards the door. "Sound the alarm!" she ordered to the stunned officer. "We are under attack!"

* * * * *

Corporal Daniels was in the one of the concrete pillboxes lining the fort’s wall. The rain reminded the corporal of being under a waterfall by the sheer volume falling from the heavens. It would not be long before the parade ground was flooded and the soil turned to the clinging clay-like mud that tended to steal your boots when walked through.

"Hey, corporal?" a private sharing the defensive redoubt asked. "Do you see what I see?"

Daniels looked out through the embrasure to see dark silhouettes moving through the watery veil. He quickly grabbed a pair of nearby field glasses and put them to his eyes. After a couple of seconds of focusing, Daniels could make out an army of beasts marching towards the fort.

"Private!" Daniels ordered. "Alert the fort we are under attack!"

However, before the private could reach the phone to call headquarters, the alarms around the fort started to blare into the soggy air.

* * * * *

Weeks had passed and still there was no sign of Reno. No one had seen the scientist leave the city and many speculated that he either was at the bottom of the harbor or abducted by one of the gods. The mere thought that a god could walk into the city and collect a person without being notice bothered Crist very much.

The general watched as the rain poured heavily down around the city. Lightning danced across the skies and thunder boomed in the air. He was grateful he had the foresight of having the carrier planes returned to the Kiska.

The seven new Hercules fighters should be enough to protect the city from any invaders. Moreover, if they could not the Kiska was at anchor in the harbor. All it had to do was build up steam and turn into the wind to launch the carrier planes.

Before Crist could muse much further on this, his phone started to ring. Crist walked over to his desk and picked up the black telephone.

"This is General Crist," the general said in an official voice.

"Sir!" the anxious voice of a soldier quivered on the other end. By the sound of the accent, Crist could tell it was an Atlantean. "Fort Knopso is under attack!"

"Damn," Crist burst out. He had hoped that after his latest victory Ares and the other gods would leave them alone. "How bad is it?"

"Reports say it may be those minotaurs and the cyclopes again. There is also a report that there are some men mixed in," the youth reported.

"How is the fort holding out?" the general pressed.

"They are doing well so far," agitated young man reported. "However, reports state that they are outnumbered."

Crist cursed mildly to himself before hanging up. The only roads outside the city so far were only dirt and that meant mud right now. The railroad had just laid some tracks but they did not extend very far. Therefore, he would not be able to send any tanks to support nor could he send up his planes.

Crist quickly dialed some numbers and started to give orders, "Send the Kiska out to sea and get ten tanks loaded on the LST immediately!"

* * * * *

Brian Mills was at the top the latest rig constructed on the oilfields outside Little Houston. The sun blazed down on the oilman born in the real Houston back on earth. He could see a great dark cloud on the western horizon. It stretched hundreds of miles across and would occasionally light up in bright flashes.

"Hell of a storm," Mills said to himself. "A little rain would be welcomed right now."

Mills looked towards the east. He could see the dark and forbidding Dragonspine Mountains forming the backdrop. In front of the jagged slopes another cloud was rising. However, this one originated from the ground up.

Brian Mills quickly scrambled down the oilrig and ran to the wooden shack. Several of his fellow oilmen watched in amazement as Mills ran passed them and rushed into the shack.

Jeb Korsky the foreman stared in dumb silence as Mills grabbed the phone off his desk and started to dial. Before he could ask Mills what he was doing, he heard the oilman yell, "Alamo! There is an army on the move to your east!"

Jeb’s jaw fell open in surprise. If there were an enemy force out there, the incomplete fort they called the Alamo would not be able to withstand it.

Reunited...

Chapter Two

By Douglas E. Gogerty

The monarchs of Lakeland had always been an ambitious bunch. King Thorbjorn's reign had been no exception. He was always looking at ways to increase the size of his kingdom. In fact, in the early part of his reign, he was at war with one of his neighbors. This seemed to be the way it was for them and they thought of no other way to expand their territory.

Lakeland had once been a smallish kingdom with lakes abound. It had a very large lake at its eastern border, and thousands of small lakes throughout the territory. Freshwater fish was an excellent moneymaker for them.

They also had some agricultural trade. However, being a northern territory, their growing season was very short. The farmers had to grow things that would produce quickly or they would not get anything. Needless to say, winters were harsh.

The first of King Thorbjorn's line was bent on expanding the territory. The kingdoms to the south were way too powerful for the small kingdom; thus, they warred with their northern neighbors.

Soon, they conquered all the lands to the northwest that did not belong to the Calmondak kingdom. This gave them access to saltwater fish as they gained access to the western ocean. Lakeland grew even more wealthy on the fish trade.

However, it was not enough. Thus, the kings began gradually pushing southward. They eventually expanded down to the southern gulf. There was lots of rich farmland in this region. Not to mention, there was access to more fishing.

During King Thorbjorn's reign, he attempted to push farther east. However, most of his borders were either lakes or rivers. Thus, there were some natural protections for his neighbors.

Nonetheless, King Thorbjorn was determined to expand his realm. However, he did not wish to upset his neighbor to the west. Thus, to assure King Jonathan that he was not interested in his lands, King Thorbjorn sent his son Prince William to stay in Calmondak. Hence, Prince William and Princess Angelina had played together in their youth.

King Thorbjorn attacked his neighbor in the gap between the great river and one of the large lakes. At first, he had some success. His plan caught his neighbor completely off guard. The army advanced to a river the southern border river of that kingdom.

However, he was in a difficult position, as he could advance no further. He attempted to negotiate a peace, but was unsuccessful. Eventually the easterners rallied and pushed him back. His five years of war came to nothing except strained relations.

Prince William was recalled, and the warring king considered attacking King Jonathan when his army had regained its strength. This would have been foolish with the eastern neighbors looking for a weakness. Hence, King Thorbjorn was forced to strengthen his ties with the west.

When King Thorbjorn's wife died, a new queen was needed. At first, he looked to the east. It would appease his eastern neighbors to wed one of their daughters, but he saw the beauty of Princess Angelina. Therefore, the succession of land idea was declared. This would cement the alliance of Lakeland and Calmondak, and King Thorbjorn could cast his eyes eastward without worry.

With the postponement of the wedding, the Lakeland King would wed a daughter of the east. This would force the king to set his sites elsewhere for land acquisition. It was not an ideal situation, but the king would cope. However, he still wished for a secure western border. Thus, granting Princess Angelina and his son the land was a strategic move.

There is also the prophecy to consider. The Lakeland's residents have always been one for prophecy. There had been a long standing one where a prince would rescue and princess and unite all of Morica. With this, the idea of the treaty lands was even more logical in the mind of the king. It would give an incentive to Prince William and allow King Jonathan to go along. However, the king should not have mentioned the prophecy to his fellow king, but what was done was done.

Early the next morning, Prince William met with King Jonathan's trackers. He looked at the signs the sun car left. It was obvious that the car went west.

"We think they are going northwest into the lands of Princess Angelina's mother," stated one of the trackers.

"Is there any reason to think she was taken by her kinsmen?" asked Prince William.

"The forbidden lands are very dangerous," replied the tracker. "Thus, it seems to reason that they would not head there. Thus, perhaps her kin are involved."

"Are the forbidden lands that treacherous?"

"No one has come back from an exploration of the forbidden lands. That is good enough for me."

"Would that not make an excellent place to hide?"

"Being killed is no way to hide."

"How bad can it be?"

"First off, there is no water to be found there. The fugitives did not steal any water from our stores, nor did they take any water storage vessels. Furthermore, there are the most poisonous insects and snakes living there. It is an awful place."

"If no one has survived a trip there, then how do you know this?"

"I know from the old time reports before the water wars. Do not treat me like some ignorant kid young man. I have been around."

"I was just asking..."

"It looks like they took the ancient trail west," stated the tracker. "We would have to follow the trail to know exactly where they went. Nevertheless, that would be an arduous task. Thus, we have scouts looking out for them in the northwest. We expect to find her soon."

"I think I am going to follow her trail," replied Prince William.

"Good luck," replied the tracker. "It will be a long and hard trail to follow. We'll probably have her before you reach the trail split."

Prince William did not know if the tracker was telling the truth, or trying to lead him astray. It did make sense that whoever took the princess would avoid the Forbidden Zone, but it also made sense to hide there. What dangers did this place have? Was it just a legend to scare away strangers? What secrets did it hide? There were enough questions to keep him going. Besides, being king over all of Morica was very tempting situation.

The God Wars

Chapter Twenty-six:

Harsh Interrogations

By Dwayne MacInnes

Zeus could see that Hermes was very pleased with himself. The god of thieves not only returned with information, but with one of the men responsible for the creation of the machines the Otherworlders loved. Hephaestus was interrogating him now.

"So these iron chariots are called tanks?" Zeus asked.

"Yes," Hermes replied, "and their metal birds they call aircraft, or airplanes, or just planes for short."

"That is all well and good," Ares replied hotly. "But how does this help us out except to put proper names to the vehicles destroying us?"

"Calm, Ares," Hermes said. "These vehicles have limitations."

Zeus, Ares, Aphrodite and Hades all leaned closer to Hermes. Apollo and Hephaestus were busy with the prisoner. Just in case Hephaestus became too zealous, Apollo was on hand to heal any mortal wound Reno received.

"Ha!" laughed Hermes. "I thought that would gain your attention."

"Don't toy with us!" exclaimed Ares. "What are these limitations?"

"It appears that you, oh king are the key," Hermes replied.

"Enough with your games, Hermes," Zeus said with a thunderous voice.

"It has to do with the weather," Hermes smiled. "Their planes cannot operate in bad storms and deep mud will mire down their tanks."

"That is good, brother," Hades replied excitedly. "You can summon a storm the likes never seen and use it to our advantage."

"How will that help out," growled Ares. "Any troops I put in the field will also be adversely affected by such a storm."

"That is true," Hermes admitted. "However, what if we only hoped to keep those machines where they are?"

Zeus leaned even closer and glared at Hermes with a cunning look. "What do you propose?"

"We have attacked Zakrostas twice now with disastrous results," Hermes lectured. "So, if we can't get Zakrostas why not attack the next best target."

"What target would that be?" Hades asked.

"How about a target that does not benefit from all the gifts the Otherworlders brought," Hermes smiled. "What about attacking the city of Atlantis itself?"

Ares roared with laughter, "That will be a surprise! Those Otherworlders would be stuck in Zakrostas while we raze Atlantis. The Atlanteans would see that the Otherworlders cannot protect everyone at once and would begin to turn on them."

"Even if they did come out to attack," Zeus added, "their forces would be thinned out allowing us the choice of when and where to give battle."

The gods began to laugh.

"One question," Aphrodite interrupted the gods who had at this point forgotten that she was in the room. "Why did you not abduct their leader?"

The gods abruptly stopped laughing and stared at Hermes for an answer.

"My plans were not in readiness when the Otherworlders ejected me from Zakrostas," Hermes explained. "I did not even have a chance to meet their famed General Crist. However, I think I did quite well in nabbing the next best thing."

Reno never felt such agony in his life. Not even the electrical jolt he received from the machine compared to the torture the capable hands of Hephaestus administered. The god of the anvil knew his business with hot iron and steely blade.

Twice Reno felt his soul begin to slip away as inky darkness started to envelop him. However, each time the healing touch of Apollo revived him. Unlike Hephaestus, the god of poetry looked with pity upon the tortured man.

"Tell me how you construct your vehicle called tanks!" Hephaestus roared.

"That is not my field of expertise," Reno began to protest before a hot brand again seared itself into Reno's exposed chest. The black smoke curled up and found its way into the nostrils of Reno who struggled briefly between screaming in agony and retching from the overwhelming stench of the sickly sweet smell of his own scorched flesh. The scientist's cries died as he lost consciousness again.

"Don't you think you have learned all you are going to learn?" Apollo asked Hephaestus.

"No, I think I can still persuade him to remember a few more things," Hephaestus grinned evilly.

Apollo again placed his hand upon the still smoldering wound on Reno's chest. Under his touch, the charred flesh disappeared replaced by whole and healthy skin. Reno shortly revived. The scientist could still remember the agony he felt just a moment ago. He did not have to look to see that Apollo had removed all traces of the hot brand's handiwork.

"I think it is time for the blade again," Hephaestus said to Reno when his eyes focused on the blacksmith. The god had several mean looking blades laid out on an anvil next to the scientist. Reno begged again for the gods to spare him when he witnessed the particular vile blade that Hephaestus enjoyed using to flay away the skin of his victims.

"You better start remembering some things," Hephaestus taunted. "Or you may find yourself skinned like a rabbit.

Apollo's stomach for the cruel treatment was full. He only tentatively agreed to the war out of survival. He also refused to believe that the gods should show respect to the mortals. However, after witnessing the endless torturing of a poor soul for what had to be days on end without stop was sickening him. Apollo was beginning to believe that maybe the mortals would be better off without the gods.

Reno cried out in pain as the god of the anvil sliced a huge swath of skin above his stomach. The god tossed it aside where a growing mound of rotting flesh was accumulating. The open wound with the muscle laid bare burned in the open air. Hephaestus laughed in glee as Reno cried again in agony. Reno's blood flowed over the open wound painting his lower body red.

Hephaestus grabbed a goatskin flask at his waist and raised it to his lips. Before he began to take a long pull at the liquid inside, he smiled down at Reno.

"This is such thirsty work, is it not?" the god taunted before he began to drink lustfully from the bottle. Before he swallowed the last of the fluid in his mouth, he spat it over Reno's exposed stomach. A sensation of fire now competed with pain as the alcohol burned the exposed nerve endings.

Apollo turned his eyes away. He could not stand to watch this endless and needless display any further.

Reunited...

Chapter One

By Douglas E. Gogerty

It was a dark and stormy night, and King Jonathan was pacing frantically in his bedchamber. He was waiting impatiently for the return of one of his most trusted subjects. He had been sending him around all day and it was getting quite late. With every passing minute, the king became more restless. He went to the window for another look. The king stifled a frustrated shout.

"Sire?" a voice inquired meekly.

"What news?" asked King Jonathan in a voice attempting to stifle his anxiousness.

"We have looked everywhere -- at least twice. She is no where to be found."

"The wedding is tomorrow!"

"So you have reminded us. However, she did state that should would never marry that man."

"So you think she ran away..."

"Her betrothed is three times her age."

"He is only forty-two. You make him sound ancient."

"You arranged to marry her off to someone who was 7 years older than you -- her father."

"I understand that a fourteen year old girl would be too young to understand the benefits of this union. However, someone was supposed to be watching her."

"Princess Angelina ordered to be left alone when she went to the bathroom. There are no exits, so we did not post double guards at the door. Perhaps that was an oversight on our behalf. She must have simply slipped past her guardian."

"You are being kind to the woman. Should we hire a great detective from England to deduce how she managed to get out of that locked room?"

"No sire. The guardian has been thoroughly interrogated. Bribery is apparent."

"But we do not know who or why?"

"That is correct. The tracks are well covered."

"And it is your contention to make me believe that a teenager of fourteen bribed her guardian to escape, snuck through this entire complex alone and undetected, made her way to the garage, stole a suncar, and just drove away."

"Well..."

"I am flattered that you think my little girl is so resourceful."

"She is very intelligent and wise for her age."

"You forgot headstrong."

"I would never..."

"Of course not. In any event, which suncar is gone?"

"Number 135 sire."

"The newest one. The one we had not put the tracker on yet. Whoever did this is quite smart indeed."

"As you will sire. What are your orders?"

"Have King Thorbjorn meet me in the reception room in half an hour, and have the trackers look for traces on which direction my daughter and her abductors have headed."

"Yes sire."

King Jonathan had spent the entire day in his bed clothes. He directed the search with his subordinates from the early hours of the day, but to no effect. His daughter was not going to be retrieved in time to be wed to King Thorbjorn of Lakeland. The agreement the two men had made would have to wait. Nevertheless, the groom must be informed of the situation. This could only be done by the king and face to face.

However, to meet with his fellow king, he would have to be made presentable. He put on a pair of charcoal-gray pinstriped pants and a dark purple shirt. Over the shirt, he put on a vest and jacket that matched his pants. Over the suit he put on a purple ermine cape. He topped off the ensemble with his jewel encrusted crown.

He went down the 17 floors of the living quarters tower. At the lowest floor, he walked the long and twisting hallways to the back of the reception room. King Thorbjorn was there waiting.

"I am sorry to keep you waiting King Thorbjorn," began King Jonathan with a warm handshake.

"It must be very important to arouse me at this hour," replied the other king.

"It is about my daughter."

"What?" asked King Thorbjorn. "Is everything all right?"

"I wish I could say that it was, but I cannot."

"What happened?"

"My daughter has disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"We are not sure what happened, but we are looking into it."

"That is a convenient excuse to avoid this wedding ceremony."

"I assure you my good friend that this is no game and not an attempt at supplying an excuse for delay. She is gone. A suncar is missing, and we have made a thorough search of the grounds. She has not been found anywhere on the complex grounds."

"Perhaps the lovely thing does not wish to marry an old man like myself."

"There are many things that point to her being abducted rather than her just running away."

"Abducted? Have you received a ransom note?"

"We have not, but there are plenty of individuals who would be happy if this alliance falls through."

"That is certainly true."

"Never fear. We have trackers looking for clues to her whereabouts. This wedding will occur as soon as she is located."

"I am afraid that is not good enough," replied King Thorbjorn with a heavy sigh. "I went through a great deal of trouble to get here on this day, and I shall not wait around for you to track down the runaway bride. I have many things that need my attention."

"But..."

"I am afraid that my mind is made up in this matter. I will follow through with my original wedding plans."

"I am sorry to hear that."

"As am I. Your daughter is by far the most beautiful woman in the land. Needless to say, that is not enough of a reason for me to delay a moment longer. I must return home and attend to my affairs."

"Princess Olivia is a fair maiden in her own right."

"She will be a barer of children which is a fine thing, but the future queen cannot compare to the lovely Angelina. However, I will make an offer that you may find appealing."

"What is it?"

"I will grant the treaty lands, which were to be given to you, as a wedding gift to your daughter if she marries my son Prince William."

"That is a very generous offer."

"I have an ulterior motive. There is a prophesy in my kingdom that claims a young prince who rescues the fairest maiden in the land will unite the kingdoms of Morica. I must let William determine if this is his destiny."

"If the four kingdoms of Morica were united, they would be a very powerful force indeed. I am not sure how I feel about such an outcome."

"Nevertheless, my son will be tasked with finding the princess. It will happen with or without your permission."

"We will do what we can to aid Prince William in his quest."

The Adventures of Gaius Cornelius Ferrarius

The Blacksmith Incident - Part IV

By Douglas E. Gogerty

The group of citizens discussed their plans for the evening. Their assault on the inn was not going to be easy. Thus, they had to determine who was going to do what. While the group they were going after was not large, they were in a good safe place.

On the other hand, Gaius was on his own with the magistrate. Thus, he did not stay around for their discussions. He knew what his part was. He wanted to look over the magistrates house. He wanted to learn more about the magistrate's security. He leaned against a tree looking at the house for quite a while. It was about an hour before dawn, when Gaius went into action.

The local magistrate awoke from his sound slumber when Gaius sat on his chest. The man struggled against Gaius's weight, but he was completely restrained. Gaius's dagger sat on the magistrate's chest and glimmered in the faint light. The magistrate saw it and struggled more furiously. However, Gaius had him fully under control. Further, Gaius had the magistrate's mouth covered with his hand, so he could not cry out.

"Some citizens of this town are rising up against its bad elements," Gaius whispered into the ear of the restrained magistrate.

The magistrate attempted to say something, but Gaius continued to cover his mouth.

"Apparently, there was a gang of thieves working out of the local inn, and a group of citizens are taking up arms against them. They had to take this action because the local magistrate took bribes rather than doing his job."

"Hmmmph hmmmph," replied the magistrate.

"They discussed what to do about the magistrate's fate, and I volunteered to speak with you about it."

"Mmm mmm," answered the restrained man.

"If you call out, it will immediately seal your fate -- not that it would do you any good. Do you understand?"

The magistrate nodded, so Gaius removed his hands from the mouth of his prisoner.

"I... I..." muttered the magistrate.

"Do you know why I am here?"

"You believe that I have not been doing my job," sobbed the magistrate.

"It has nothing to do with what I believe. You have not been doing your job. That has already been established. This is why these people are taking the law into their own hands."

"I can explain..."

"I am not here to hear your explanations. Some people are going to get hurt and some are probably going to die tonight. Do you want to try to explain that?"

"That was not my intent."

"Of course not. However, the results tonight are all your doing. You had a job to keep the peace and order. You did not do your job."

"But..."

"I have heard enough," stated Gaius as he picked up the dagger from the man's chest.

"Wait!" cried the magistrate.

"Say your piece," replied Gaius.

"I did not mean to hurt anyone."

"Travelers throughout the Republic came here and were robbed by a mountain of a man. You did nothing. How is that not hurting anyone?"

"No one was really hurt -- they just lost some property."

"So, you did not want anyone to be hurt physically, but they could be hurt financially. Is that it?"

"Well -- that is not what I meant...."

"Go on."

"The offenders made reparations to the government," the magistrate said with an excited glow.

"And the government helped the victims in what way?"

"By providing services!"

"Such as a magistrate that would punish bandits?"

"Exactly -- wait."

"You see the lack of law and order hurts everyone. The merchants lose patrons. The citizens may live in fear. Most of the town feels the effect of a crooked legal system."

"Others do it."

"The last argument of a guilty fool," laughed Gaius.

"But nobody complained."

"Does a slave complain as her master beats another slave?"

"It was all small stuff. If they moved onto bigger things I would have stepped in. I would have drawn the line."

"Now I have heard more than enough!"

"Wait! Please do not kill me! I have children to look after."

"No you do not."

"What?"

"You have no worries left in this life. Do you have any last words?"

"I -- I -- I do not. I am sorry, and now must face my punishment."

"Good words," replied Gaius as he covered up the magistrate's mouth before he could scream. "However, actions speak louder than words."

Gaius plunged his dagger into the again struggling man's throat. The magistrate continued to struggle until his life was gone. Gaius left him there on the bed and walked out into the house's atrium. He cleaned himself up in the impluvium. He stepped over a few dead guards on his way out of the house.

As he passed a couple more dead people in front of the house, Gaius turned back and looked at the house. A once lively household was not lifeless. Gaius felt a little sad that it had to turn out that way. However, Gaius believed that is what the fates wanted. Thus, it had to be done.

It all put Gaius in a reflective mood. He thought of all the people he killed on this trip. There was a trail of dead bodies all the way back to Rome. Death and destruction followed Gaius not matter where he went.

He had hoped to find somewhere where that did not happen. He had hoped that perhaps Sinuessa would be the place where it all ended. This could have been the place where he could have been at peace. However, he had to move on now. He would be blamed for all of the killing that night. That was fine with him, but it did not have to be that way.

Nonetheless, it was time to move on. Gaius went to the tree where his tunic hung, and walked to the stables. Gaius did not say goodbye to his old friend or to anyone. He just mounted his horse and rode away in the dawn's early light. He did not know where he was going, but sure as anything there would be trouble there.

The God Wars

Chapter Twenty-five:

Information

By Dwayne MacInnes

The trip to Mount Olympus passed in a blur to Reno. His old friend Hyrtios -- he discovered -- was actually Hermes, messenger of the gods and god of thieves. The Olympian had no problem abducting the scientist and whisking him away to the jagged heights of Mount Olympus.

Hermes quickly tossed the poor mortal into a dark, hot, cavernous room. Sulfur and smoke filled the air. The only light came from the many red fires burning from the big pits scattered around the dark basalt floor.

Reno offered no resistance as Hermes shackled the scientist's hands and feet to a nearby rock wall. The god then stood back and stared at the poor man. Hermes smiled and crossed his arms.

"What are you going to do with me?" Reno asked for the hundredth time since his abduction.

"We are waiting for a friend," Hermes smiled.

Reno could tell from the sinister look on Hermes face that he did not want to meet this so-called friend. However, Reno did not have long to wait until a giant of a man walked into the cavern. His legs were in braces much like those Reno saw on kids who suffered the paralyzing effects of polio.

"Ah, Hephaestus," Hermes laughed. "I have a gift for you."

The god of the anvil stared at the shackled man. Hephaestus could see that this was no beefy hero or scrawny farmer. It could only be one of those Otherworlders. The god smiled.

"I need you to help Reno here, to remember some things," Hermes continued.

Reno watched in horror as Hephaestus wandered over to one of the flaming pits. He pulled out a long, red-hot iron and slowly approached the scientist. Reno's eyes focused on the smoking, yellow-white hot tip of the brand as it neared his flesh. The eyes of the gods sparkled malignantly on their smiling faces in the red light of the cavern.

General Crist was in his office interviewing one of the local militia. It took some time searching but he was finally able to locate the only surviving militia member from Knopso other than Theena.

"Your name is Teukros?" General Crist asked the teenager.

"Yes sir," the youth replied. His English was actually pretty good. He could understand Crist with few explanations and Crist could understand him.

"You and Theena were the only survivors from the Knopso militia, is that correct?" Crist asked.

"No," Teukros replied to the utter shock of General Crist.

"I thought there weren't others. If there are please tell me," General Crist began.

"I'm sorry sir," Teukros corrected himself. "I meant to say that I am the only survivor from the Knopso militia."

General Crist was slightly confused and took a few seconds to ponder the puzzle before him before he asked his next question. "Are you saying Theena was not part of the militia?"

"I don't know, sir," Teukros said. "She may have been in a militia but she is not from Knopso."

"Please explain," Crist urged.

"There were several people fleeing south from the fringe villages. Theena arrived with some of them," Teukro began. "She instantly joined up and rallied the local farmers into the militia. We were armed with pitchforks, hunting bows, and rakes. Only a few actually had spears or swords.

"When Ares' horde attacked our village she fought hard and we were inspired by her gallantry. She said we had to slow them down to buy time for the villagers to flee south. We fought until there were only seven of us counting Theena.

"We fled southward as the army torched and plundered our village. I was sent to warn Thelos while Theena and my comrades remained to ambush Ares' scouts in the pass."

"So, before Ares raided your village you never saw Theena before?" Crist pressed.

"That is correct, sir," Teukros responded. "I figured she must have led another militia much like ours and was the sole survivor. She is a born leader."

General Crist smiled and nodded his head. "Thank you, son. You may return to duty."

The teenager stood up, saluted the general, and exited the room. General Crist walked over to his wooden chair behind his desk and sat down. He rubbed his temples in deep thought. The general did not like going behind Theena's back to gather information about her, but he found that it was as Reno stated, it would be difficult to vouch for the locals.

Before Crist could give further thought to the subject two military policemen burst into his office. Crist stood up quickly and glared at the men.

"Sorry sir," a sergeant said. "This is of dire importance. Reno has disappeared."

"What?" General Crist blurted.

"We looked all over," the private added. "But he has simply disappeared."

"Have you checked with the sentries at the gate?" Crist asked.

"Yes, sir," the sergeant continued. "They have not seen him. The night sentries have not seen him. In fact, the last people to see him say he entered his apartment last night and never left it."

General Crist frowned, this was not good, somehow Reno ran away or someone abducted him. There was always the possibility that he was murdered and his body hidden. Nevertheless, something told Crist that this was not the case.

The God Wars

Chapter Twenty-four:

Thief

By Dwayne MacInnes

After two grueling days of interrogation, the military allowed Hyrtios to leave the city. Hermes smiled inwardly, they were not able to ascertain if he was indeed a spy or not. However, they still had doubts, and the military told him to leave and never return. It was sooner than he expected, but he believed he had some useful information to share with the other Olympians.

Nonetheless, Hermes still had one job to do. If he accomplished it, he could very well swing the balance of power overwhelmingly back towards the gods. He just needed to wait until nightfall then he could follow his plan.

Dr. Reno sat in General Crist's office. If he thought his previous visits were uncomfortable, it was nothing compared to today. The general was visibly angry and barely controlled his rage.

"Who was this man you've been seen with?" General Crist growled.

"His name is Hyrtios, he's a merchant from Hellekos," Reno replied.

"How do you know he is who he claims to be?" Crist countered.

"He said so, just as I believe that you are General Crist," Reno said getting a little hot.

"Don't give me any smart answers," yelled Crist. "You may be in a lot of hot water mister."

"I'm sorry I did not know I had to clear all my acquaintances with you first. How much time did you take in checking out your General Theena?" Reno fired back

General Crist calmed himself down before he continued. It is true he never did tell any of the men to do a clearance check on their Atlantean friends. Even if he did what could they do, other than ask other Atlanteans to vouch for them.

Reno also had a point about Theena. Although, the two had been dating for some days now, Crist had to ask himself how much did he know about her? He had seen her in combat, but other than that, he did not have anything concrete.

The general rubbed his temple. "Okay, fine," Crist acknowledged. "But you are a highly valuable person. You know things and you may say things."

Reno relaxed a bit. It appeared that he had scored against the general. A thing few could boast. Yet, the general did not stop pacing back and forth in front of the scientist.

"I also have it on good authority that you have been getting drunk lately," the general stated.

"I've been under a lot of stress. I like to unwind after a hard days work," Reno said, his face turning slightly red. He was not a drinking man and to have the general insinuate he was a drunkard, embarrassed the scientist.

"I also know that you have been drinking with your new friend, Hyrtios," the general continued. "In fact, I know that he tends to buy the drinks and you do the lion's share of drinking."

Reno could not deny it. It was true even though he never really realized it until now. Dr. Reno started to have his own doubts about the merchant. All Hyrtios ever drank was a glass of wine while he downed shot after shot of whiskey.

The scientist nodded his head in affirmation while he kept his eyes on the floor in shame.

"In addition, I have heard that you like to talk when you are drunk," the general further added. "What do you talk about?"

Reno shot his head up and stared at the grim looking general. Crist's face was stern and his eyes still flashed in rage.

"I...I don't remember everything," Reno started. "Maybe stuff about the machine."

The general's eyes narrowed in a tight slit as he approached the scientist in the chair. Crist lowered his face until he was just inches away from Reno's face.

"You are telling me that you shared classified information with a local?" the general said in a tight cold voice barely above a whisper. A chill ran down Reno's spine, there was no denying he messed up big time.

"Y...yeah," Reno stammered.

"I should have you shot," Crist continued in the same cold whisper. Cold sweat broke out on Reno's face. The general straightened his back and walked to the window overlooking the city. He stared out on the darkening city; many of the electric lights were beginning to shine.

"Relax," Crist finally said, "this is as much my fault as yours. I have been putting a lot of stress on you, and I did not issue any orders about fraternizing with the locals."

General Crist turned back towards Reno. He could see that he had put the fear of God into the scientist. That was good; it would be a long time before he accepted drinks from a stranger again.

"I tell you what," General Crist finally said in a friendly voice. "Take some time off. See a movie or a play. The locals have done well adapting Shakespeare into Minoan."

"But sir," Reno protested. "The work...your timetable. I can't just stop."

"Sure you can," Crist replied. "In fact, this is an order. You are to take two weeks off. You can go anywhere in the city, but you are not to discuss any of your work with the locals."

Reno returned home to his apartment. He unlocked the door and stepped into the black interior. He instinctively flicked the light switch but nothing happened.

"Damn, electricity is out again," Reno cursed. There were still some problems with the power grid. However, a quick glance out his window told him that from the lights in the neighboring buildings that it was not the electricity.

"Hello old friend," said a familiar voice in the darkness.

"Is that you Hyrtios?" Reno inquired. "I thought you were kicked out of the city."

"What are city walls," Hyritos said bringing his face into the ambient light emanating from outside. His face was familiar to Reno, but there were subtle changes, "to Hermes, the god of thieves?"

"What do you mean?" Reno began. "Are you here to rob me?"

"Not exactly," Hermes laughed, "I am here to rob you...."

The Adventures of Gaius Cornelius Ferrarius

The Blacksmith Incident - Part III

By Douglas E. Gogerty

Discovering that Porcius was not in the blacksmith shop after sunset was not particular surprise to Gaius. Most towns restricted business traffic during daylight hours. Thus, shops in those towns had to obtain their supplies at night. Thus, Gaius would have to wait in the shop; however, he did not want to be seen there. Therefore, he sat in a dark corner of the shop.

Gaius sat there for quite a while. It was sometimes a struggle for him to not fall asleep. However, after some time had passed, a group of a dozen men entered the shop. Gaius froze. He could not tell if his old friend was among the men. He just sat there in his dark corner and hoped no one would notice him.

"Part of our job has been done for us," said one of the men after they all entered the shop.

"What do you mean?" asked another.

"Have you not heard?" replied a third

"Yeah! That thieving beast tackled with the wrong man. He was killed this afternoon."

"Really?"

"I saw the body myself."

"Apollodorus," Gaius heard a familiar voice mutter.

"What?" asked another man.

"Nothing," was the reply.

"We should move quickly on the rest of them."

"Agreed," most of them replied.

"What will we do about the magistrate?"

"If we work quickly and quietly, he would not need to be involved at all."

"Should we not have a bribe ready?"

"If we come across their ill gotten booty, we will use that to ensure justice is served."

"Are we going to move tonight?"

"The blame may fall on our benefactor if we do."

"All the more reason..."

"He helped us greatly in our plan," came the same familiar voice. "It would be wrong to saddle him with the blame for our deeds."

"You are right. He did take care of the worst of them for us."

"That beast could have taken two or three of us down," explained one of the men. "This man must be a formidable fighter."

"We do not want to get on that person's wrong side," added another.

"However, he was taken into custody. Therefore, he should be in the clear as far as blame goes."

"There are still going to be questions."

"They may think our man was hired to take care of the monster, so we could take care of the rest."

"Everyone in the area knows that these people were preying upon travelers."

"Yeah! They should be happy that they are gone."

"The magistrate is not going to be happy."

"He has been paid well to look the other way on their activities."

"He is going to lose a good source of income."

"Do not worry about the magistrate," came a voice in the darkness.

"Who said that?"

"Is there someone one in here?"

"I will take care of the magistrate," replied Gaius.

"Who are you?" asked one man.

"Apollodorus," Porcius responded.

"I am Gaius Cornelius Ferrarius," corrected Gaius. "If you take care of the rest of the bad elements in town, I will take care of the magistrate."

"How do we know we can trust you?"

"I killed your so-called beast. Thus, the blame will fall on me anyhow."

"How did you escape from the magistrate?"

"We came to an understanding."

"But, what are you doing hiding in here?"

"I need Porcius to fix my weapon. The magistrate let me out to take care of this business. However, I was given the strict order to not be seen."

"Is this true Porcius?"

"We made some arrangements to meet today," replied Porcius. "I did not expect it to be this late."

"I ran into some trouble," explained Gaius with a understanding nod.

"No more than usual," replied Porcius.

"Most importantly," added another conspirator. "Can we trust him?"

"We fought in the Servile War together," replied Porcius. "I trust him completely."

"You will handle the magistrate?"

"I will," replied Gaius. "But you must promise to keep this town clean. You must fight corruption because I will not be here to fight it for you."

"Agreed!" the group replied.

"What about my shamshir?" asked Gaius.

"Are you going to need it tonight?" asked Porcius.

"It would be nice," replied Gaius. "I feel slightly vulnerable without it."

"Vulnerable? You?"

"Perhaps that is the wrong word. It is just that it has become a part of me. I just feel strange without it."

"It has been a while since I worked in the dark, but I could still repair the damage for you tonight."

Porcius stoked his forge and added some more fuel. When it got to working temperature, he took the sword from Gaius. Under the light of the glowing embers, Porcius looked at the damaged scimitar. He observed the huge nicks in the once sharp blade.

"What were you fighting -- a stone giant?" asked Porcius.

"A person along the road got a hold of it and was striking it upon the stones in the road."

"I assume he will never do that again."

"You assume correctly."

"It is damaged pretty badly, but I think it is not damaged beyond repair."

"That is good to hear."

"If I had time, I would forge you an entirely new one."

"You cannot replace an old friend like that."

"I understand," replied Porcius as he stuck the sword into the forge. "I will handle it with care."

When the sword blade was red hot, Porcius pounded upon it on his anvil. The blade went back and forth between the forge and the anvil. Occasionally Porcius would inspect it closely by glow of the forge.

Gaius felt nervous as he watched the smith pound on his sword. He almost could not watch as Porcius went back and forth with his prized weapon. Eventually, Gaius's faithful friend was plunged into a bucket and the water roared.

"Once it has cooled a bit more, I will take a stone to it to sharpen it. It should be serviceable again."

"I do not know how difficult it will to be to finish my part of this bargain, but it will be nice to have my trusty shamshir should I need it."

"I do not know how you are going to manage it. His place is pretty well fortified."

"We will find out when the time comes."

The God Wars

Chapter Twenty-three:

Of Whiskey and Spies

By Dwayne MacInnes

"I betcha dind't know that yer -- your planet has a .01% weaker gravity than ours," Reno said drunkenly to his friend Hyrtios. The two have been hitting the same bar every night for two weeks now. Usually it ended with Reno staggering home drunk with Hyrtios holding one arm to steady the inebriated scientist.

"It...it doesn't mean too much for weight, but it is impertinent -- um --important rather -- to long range ballistics," Reno continued to lecture his Atlantean friend. "Also your magnetic pole is in the south unlike ours in the north. Luckillily, we can just read our compasses upside-down now. You know, just read the white part instead of the red so it still points north to us."

Hermes in his disguise as Hyrtios a merchant from Hellekos had patiently listened to Reno's ramblings for a fortnight now. Some information was proving to be useful; most of it just sailed right over his head.

"Plus, did ya know that your days are .001 a second longer than ours?" the drunken scientist stated splashing some whiskey out of his glass and onto his friend. "Sho shorry," Reno apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Hyrtios said dabbing at his wet tunic with a cloth.

"We've been trying for months to get the Cloaking Device to work and it won't work," Reno said suddenly changing the subject, a subject that Reno brings up at least once a night. It was the same problem and Hermes knew it by heart, if even he did not understand it. "It is called the Rainbow Project by the bigwigs in Washington, we call it the Cloaking Device, and most of the uneducated call it ‘The Machine', including Gen'ral Crist."

"That is remarkable," Hyrtios comforted. "I am amazed by how many machines you build."

"Yesh, we can build a lot of different macheens," slurred Reno.

"How many of those iron chariots do you have?" Hyrtios/Hermes asked.

"Wha...wha are you talking about?" Reno said with an exaggerated puzzled expression on his face. "Oh, I know what you mean," the scientist smiled wagging an unsteady finger. "Tanks, we call ‘em tanks. The were first introduced in World War I and were shipped over to the continent in boxes marked ‘tanks' like in water tanks. Get it?"

Hermes did not get it other than the correct name. He decided to press the issue with the drunken man. "Okay, tanks. How many do you think you have?"

Reno motioned Hyrtios closer as if to divulge a secret. Hermes leaned in close to the inebriated scientist with his breath full of the stench of whiskey. Hermes promised to bring some back to Olympus for Dionysus to sample.

"You know what?" Reno looked at Hyrtios with bleary eyes. "I don't know."

Theena stood in Crist's office again. She usually arrived before the sunrise and left after it set. The two generals were becoming very close friends. General Crist was amazed to find a person so readily adaptable to the concept of modern warfare on this primitive world. He loved the fact that Theena drank it in and could sometimes offer her own insightful suggestions. Her enthusiasm and ability to soak in new material utterly astonished Crist.

Even though the Amazon of Knopso appeared to be in her late twenties and thirty years younger, Crist could not help starting to have feelings for the woman. It was obviously a mutual feeling. Theena found the man's ability to organize an entire primitive society and bring it millennia into the future simply amazing. His mind could quickly switch gears. He could go from planning the latest advancements in agriculture, such as steel plows or crop rotation, to strategizing a war. A campaign like the one he organized months before at the Battle of the Trenches

"We have currently constructed five Hercules fighters," Crist stated to Theena. "They are almost exact replicas of a fighter we have on earth that we called the Hawker Hurricane."

Theena smiled. These Otherworlders called it Hercules after the mortal son sired by Zeus thousands of years before on their world. His actual name was Heracles, the poor king of the gods thought he could diminish Hera's wrath for his infidelity if he named his son after her. According to legend, it did not work.

"I plan to add an airfield to Fort Knopso and when we have enough fighters and pilots available we'll ship them up there," Crist continued.

Theena nodded her head. It would help a lot to have an advanced airfield in order to keep a closer eye on Mount Olympus. General Crist sheepishly looked at Theena and cleared his throat. The woman knew that the general, a man always in control was nervous about something.

"I know this may not be proper, but maybe we could catch a movie sometime," Crist asked slightly turning red in the face. Theena smiled, a man who could strategize and organize entire armies, conduct wars, and fight pitched battles was ill at ease courting a woman.

"Yes, I would actually like that," Theena replied. She laughed to see the obvious relief on the general's face. "However, I would not think too much about what others may say. You are the general after all."

"Good perhaps tonight?"

"Yes, that would be nice."

Theena walked over to the large window overlooking the city. The building was ten stories tall and Crist's office was on the top floor. Looking down on the city below was a breathtaking experience.

Theena peered down onto the streets below the window and could see people walking up and down the steps to the building as well as the sidewalk. She could see that a vendor had parked his cart next to the steps and was hawking his wares.

"General," Theena said. "Do you have your field glasses?"

"Yes," the general said with a slightly puzzled frown on his face.

"May I borrow them," Theena said holding out her hand while never breaking her gaze below.

Crist slapped the binoculars into Theena's hand. The young general put them to her eyes and focused them. She studied the scene for a few seconds. She saw that most people walked by the merchant; however, the scientist called Reno stopped and exchanged words with the vendor.

"What is it?" Crist asked walking up next to the woman.

Theena handed the glasses to Crist and pointed down to the street. "Do you see that merchant there?"

"Yes," Crist said.

"Have you noticed that Reno appears to be on friendly terms with him?"

"Yes," Crist acknowledged.

"If you were a spy, where would you put your base of operation?" Theena asked.

Crist quickly looked up at Theena. He never thought about the gods having spies in his city. Mortals universally feared and loathed the gods. Even the mercenaries only served out of fear and when given an opportunity they would defect to the Atlanteans. He also never thought that King Podaistas would need spies. After all, he was sharing most of the technological advances with the Kingdom of Atlantis.

"My God!" Crist replied. "It never occurred to me."

In a flash, the general was at his desk screaming into his phone.

The Adventures of Gaius Cornelius Ferrarius

The Blacksmith Incident - Part II

By Douglas E. Gogerty

Gaius went quietly as the local magistrate took him into custody. While he considered fighting, he would likely have to fight the entire town. Without his scimitar in working order, he just did not think that would be the best course of action. Thus, he handed over his things and went peacefully. After all, it was not the first time he was in trouble with the authorities.

He was also hoping that his old friend Porcius would be able to help him out with his weaponry. Porcius was skilled at sword repair when the two of them were on the run with Spartacus. He was the primary smith for weapons, and highly respected. However, that had been quite a while ago but he was still a blacksmith. Thus, Gaius hoped that Porcius would not be too rusty. Nevertheless, Gaius felt he could trust him.

However, first he was going to have to clear up the trouble in town. If the innkeeper was powerful and no one had trouble with the -- now dead -- robber, then he could be in for quite a long stay. Certainly someone had trouble with this enormous man. You do not go around threatening people for money just on a whim.

"Why did you kill him?" asked the magistrate.

"I have said this numerous times before," sighed Gaius. "He threatened me with his sword and asked for money. I was defending myself."

"This man has never caused any problems before..."

"I highly doubt that," responded Gaius. "I gave him every opportunity to move along. He refused."

"He would not get out of your way, so you stabbed him."

"He had a sword and he came at me. It was either him or me, and I was quicker."

"The innkeeper wants to see you dead."

"I do not doubt that, but I was defending myself against that big brute. It was either him or me."

"Do you have any character witnesses?"

"I have not been in town long, but I would guess there are plenty of people glad to see that man dead."

"So you killed him as part of some vendetta..."

"If that were true, I would likely have killed the innkeeper as well. Rather, I explained what had happened to that man, and he summoned you."

"You think you are pretty smart don't you!"

"Hardly. I just have been in a few scrapes. That is all."

"Just how many people have you killed between here and Rome?"

"It has been a fairly quiet trip," Gaius replied.

"You lie!" shouted the magistrate. "You have left a string of corpses all along the Appian Way."

"Does my reputation proceed me?"

"A man was through here speaking of someone leaving dead bodies all along the road."

"You mean a liar or a coward was passing through town."

"What do you mean?"

"If someone left bodies all along the road, and there was someone bragging about it, that person obviously ran away from a fight or is making the entire thing up."

"I never thought of it that way."

"After all, why would this dangerous man let anyone live?"

"You have a point there."

"Thus, either this man is telling stories, or he deserted his friends as they fought for their lives."

"You talk a good game there stranger."

"As I said, I have been in a few scrapes."

"To be honest, I am glad that brute is dead."

"What?"

"I was just making sure you were telling the truth earlier."

"I see...."

"However, I thought you may have been some hired thug from out of town."

"I am an ordinary guild owner. I am simply on my way to Campania to obtain a few slaves to work in my trade."

"There was a man passing through telling stories of an incredible fighter leaving bodies all along the road. Have you seen or heard anything?" asked the magistrate in a confidential tone.

"I try to avoid trouble as much as possible; however, some days you just cannot side step it."

"I hear you there," said the magistrate in an exasperated voice.

"The man pulled his sword and demanded money. There was nothing I could do. Is it my fault I was faster?"

"No. I understand your situation. However, I am still going to have to hold you for a while."

"When will the trial happen?"

"I am the magistrate, so it will happen when I say."

"I just have some minor business to take care in town."

"You cannot rush justice."

"I do not intend to, but my business may take a couple of days. I would rather not have to stay where I am not wanted for those days."

"What is it? Perhaps I could help."

"A family heirloom has been damaged in my travels. I was hoping to have a smith look at it."

"What kind of heirloom."

"As you are probably aware, I am not a born Roman. This item may not sit well with you as a natural born Roman."

"Say no more."

"I had arranged to meet with a smith this afternoon. However, this detainment has prevented me from making that meeting.

"I cannot just let you go," explained the magistrate.

"You have my horse and I swear by the gods and on my honor that I will return."

"You will have to do better than that. You have to make sure no one sees you."

"I could travel after sundown."

"Very well, but I will be forced to punish I hear any reports of you."

"Fair enough."

Thus, after the sun had gone down, Gaius made his way to Porcius's shop. He went as stealthily as he could. He was somewhat practiced as this type of thing, but he wanted to be extra cautious. He finally made it to the shop, and crept inside. However, Porcius was not there.