Chapter 81 * Fantasmal Mountain *

“This is a general map of all the access points to the different sections of the mountain,” Gamdon said as he shared a large piece of parchment with Davron and Jansdimion. “We found it here in the fort, and Master Foy marked what we needed to know. This late at night, the governance and libraries will mostly be empty, as well as the underground facilities. We should still search everywhere, but we need to lockdown Teedmount from the very beginning; that’s where the majority of the staff live. We should also send a large contingent to the residency; any high-level staff still in the mountain would be there.”

“Over half a million people live in Teedmount. Even if a good portion are gone, that could still be a protracted battle all on its own,” Jansdimion said.

“Not necessarily,” Davron said pensively. “We know most of the soldiers and guards are gone and there’s a finite number of access points that connect the city to the rest of the mountain. Send all of the sleep crawlers into the city with a contingent of pogs to take control of all access points. Then we can send in our soldiers to comb the city. By the time they wake up in the morning, we’ll already have complete control of the mountain.”

Jansdimion nodded. “And the people in the rest of the mountain?”

“Kill any who resist, throw the rest into Teedmount. Keeping everyone in one place will make things easy, and the city sector is self-contained.”

Jansdimion nodded. “I’ll make the necessary deployments once all of our forces have arrived.”

The trio were conferring just outside of one of the massive translifts in the fort as soldiers and creatures alike poured out and made their way to the staging area. Thousands had already arrived, and it seemed that there was no end in sight.

“Where is Master Foy by the way?” Davron asked. “I wanted to thank him for his hard work.”

“He’s disabling access from the other fort translifts,” Gamdon said.

Davron thought about this. “Before he does that, I think we need to send the Fantasmal Forces a little gift,” he gave a nod to Jansdimion.

Jansdimion looked uncertain. “I don’t think I could do one that big. The Cirinian Valley translift was one thing, but I’m still not as skilled as you.”

“I think Lady Ellonous could handle it,” Gamdon said.

Davron raised an eyebrow at this. “Oh really?”

“Yes.” Gamdon nodded seriously. “From what I’ve seen, I think she’s ready. Her control has gotten very precise.”

“Glad to see you two getting along.” Davron smirked. “Well, when she gets here—"

“I’m already here!” came a sing-song voice.

They turned to see Tabatha walking casually across the parade ground, carrying a large brown bag almost the same size as her. As soon as she reached them, she set the bag down gingerly and then flung herself exuberantly into Davron’s arms, kissing him passionately.

Jansdimion and Gamdon turned away awkwardly from the display of affection, which went on for several long seconds.

“I’ve missed you,” Davron said as he lowered her to the ground.

“Of course you did,” she said teasingly. “I’m just glad you didn’t go getting yourself killed while I was gone. I was worried about you.”

“When you left… there were moments when I thought you might not come back,” Davron admitted. “After all, I’m the one who—”

“I was never angry with you about that,” Tabatha said. “The Davron I know and fell in love with is the one I met on Mendala three years ago, not the one I never even saw in that cave on Earth. Neither of us knew that I’d been thrown back in time, and besides, I like to think that means it was destiny that we meet. We’re supposed to be together.”

Davron let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “I feel the same way.”

She kissed him again, this time briefly but still with a lot of meaning. “I left because I needed closure. I understand now that they didn’t intentionally abandon me, but that still doesn’t change anything. I don’t belong with them; I belong with you. You’re the first person that’s ever made me feel that way. I always planned to come back, I just wanted to try to get them to go to Earth first, but I finally just gave up on convincing them. We’re going to have to force them instead.”

Gamdon cleared his throat significantly. “So does that mean you were successful?”

“Yeah, I was,” Tabatha nodded. “They’re trapped in the libraries.”

Davron looked confused. “What’s going on?”

Tabatha beamed. “I have a surprise for you since I’ve been gone for so long. You’ll get it after you take over the mountain. You don’t have to worry about the libraries or the transportation corridor; I’ve already taken care of both areas.”

Davron smirked. “Very well, I look forward to it. For now, I need you to set a trap for the Fantasmal Forces through the remaining translifts. Do you think you can do it without destroying this side?”

Tabatha rolled her eyes. “Who do you think taught me?” She playfully tweaked his nose. “But before I do that, Gamdon, I need your help with this.” She pointed to the brown bag which looked like it held something almost as large as her.

“What is that?” Gamdon asked. The bag was lined with quartz so he couldn’t see inside mentantly.

“Just something I want out of the mountain,” Tabatha said vaguely. “I want to take it somewhere far away. Do you still have a connection to Zohare?”

“I do.”

“Then come with me.” Tabatha easily picked up the bag and headed for one of the quickener caves in the fort.

Gamdon followed without question.

Davron turned back to Jansdimion. “It looks like we’ve almost finished transporting everyone from Gilmore. We can get Foy to help link the other translifts to the rest of our troops around the world. For now, let’s get ready to deploy. After all, we said we would attack when midnight reaches Gilmore. We shouldn’t keep Fantasma waiting,” he said with a chuckle.

***

It was quiet in Teedmount. Though the town was contained at the base of the mountain, its artificial sky perfectly reflected the clear night sky outside, where the yellow and red moons hung at opposite ends.

A cool breeze blew down the empty, torch-lit city streets. It was late, so there were no stores open, and almost everyone was asleep, but in a small park in the northwest corner of the city, there was one person wide awake. Her long sleek black hair barely moved as she walked quietly down the white-brick path. Her white robe was open to reveal a pair of dark blue leggings and a long, flowy, purple shirt. Her name was Violet Ashton, and like the vast majority of the residents, she worked for the Fantasmal Government.

As she approached the edge of the park, she heard a faint rustling. She turned, her brown eyes narrowing sharply as she scanned the area both visually and mentantly. She then relaxed when she realized what it was.

A guard approached from her right. He was tall, lanky, and wearing the trademark uniform of Teedmount guards: black slacks, and a purple, button-up, short-sleeved shirt. His blonde hair was cut short and neat, which was common among the guards and military even though it wasn’t strictly required.

She smiled in recognition. “Oster, hey.”

“What are you doing up so late, Vi?” he asked.

“Couldn’t sleep; I just threw my robe on and decided to take a walk,” she replied. “Why are you on duty so late?”

“Had to shuffle around the schedules last minute. They took over half our normal force on some deployment outside the mountain.”

“What?” Violet said in shock. “When?”

He gave her a confused look but answered with a shrug. “A couple of hours ago.”

“That’s so weird. First the transportation corridor is shut down for some military exercise, now this. Something’s going on, and what’s scaring me is they’re not saying anything.”

“It probably has to do with all those attacks on small towns, you know, the monster reports and everything.”

“Yeah, see that’s the thing,” Violet said in a conspiratorial tone. “My department’s been looking into that for months, but then suddenly a few days ago, word comes down from the top that we’re to cease all investigations. It makes no sense.”

“Well, maybe it’s just a military thing,” Oster shrugged.

Violet shook her head. “I doubt it. We have both military and civilian access. We have to in order to do our job. Whatever this is, it’s something above even the highest security levels.”

“Is that why you can’t sleep?”

“Well, either that or something I ate,” Violet quipped. “It’s a nice night out, I thought I’d take a…”

She trailed off. Something caught her eye. It looked like a dense fog was rolling in, but that made absolutely no sense. Teedmount didn’t have fog, or really any weather at all.

Oster turned to see what she was looking at. “What in Alaman’s name…”

“I don’t know what that is,” Violet said, “but something tells me it’s dangerous. We need to get out of here, fast”

Oster heeded her words and the two took off into the park, but it was too late. The dense grey fog permeated everywhere, every street, every building, every corner of the city. No one could escape its reach, and soon Violet and Oster were passed out in a deep sleep, along with anyone else who was awake in Teedmount.

***

There were screams from many of the people in the Fantasmal Residency as pogs rampaged throughout the myriad of corridors and soldiers burst into each room, rounding up anyone unlucky enough to still be in the mountain. Of course, most people put up a resistance. The Fantasmal Staff had a diverse group of talented people from trained soldiers to powerful mind mages, and not all of them had been deployed to stop the fake invasion of Davron’s forces around the world.

However, because the attack was sudden, almost everyone was caught off guard and alone. Plus, the small rooms and narrow hallways were terrible battle grounds for lone fighters trying to make an escape. Even the most skilled could only put up a meager defense against the overwhelming might of the creatures of the Book of War. Some were slain within minutes, others surrendered immediately; either way, no one resisted for long.

Jansdimion was leading a systematic raid, floor by floor, gathering up all of the survivors to send them down to Teedmount.

“Search every room thoroughly,” he told his troops. “We can’t afford to miss anyone.”

With the vast majority of the fighting force gone, including Fantasma himself, the purging of the mountain was going more smoothly than anyone could have imagine.

***

“It’s no use, whatever she did to seal this room, not even we can break it,” Alice said as the guardian trio stepped away from the double doors.

Ace, Daniel, Ben, and even Amber had also tried to use various skills and abilities to force their way out of the research room they were trapped in, but after almost an hour of failed attempts, they were still stuck. Most of the group were gathered around the doors while a few were seated farther back to stay out of the way.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Pathos said. “How can this barrier be negating our mandamus?”

“It’s likely because she sucked all of the latent energy out of this room before sealing us in,” Ace said. “This barrier is different than any mentus barrier I’ve ever seen; I don’t understand how it was made, but I’m guessing she used her melder skills.”

“And if we can’t understand it, we can’t manipulate it,” Alice said. “It seems like it’s just raw energy, but I can’t tell what’s maintaining it. Every time I try to break it, it just reinforces itself.”

“So, this is the power of a melder?” Karmandrian said in awe, looking utterly defeated.

“If Tabatha trapped us in here, what does she want?” Jandor asked the group at large.

“Well, she took the seal,” Franklin said.

“We know she’s been trying to get us to leave, but why would she go this far?” Wayne asked.

“Maybe she’s trying to keep us from joining the fight tonight,” Derrick offered.

“I suspect,” Mrs. Guardman said from her seat at one of the only unbroken tables, “that Tabatha has decided, like her father, to take matters into her own hands.”

“What does that mean?” Becky asked.

“If we won’t go back to Earth on our own, then she’ll force our hand.” Mrs. Guardman said. “She’s desperate, and even the most docile of animals will act irrationally if backed into a corner.”

“And no one has ever accused Tabatha of being docile,” Becky said wryly.

“So, are we just trapped here until Fantasma gets back?” Ashley asked from her seat next to Mrs. Guardman.

Mrs. Guardman was about to answer but then the double doors suddenly rumbled to life as they were pushed open. The few people still at the doors backed away in trepidation. Standing in the threshold were Davron, Gamdon, and Tabatha. Behind them were over a dozen giga pogs.

“Sorry to keep you all waiting,” Davron said cordially. “I was just a little busy taking over the rest of the mountain.”

Everyone was stunned silent. It was clear that no one was expecting this, and the general confusion on their faces only served to amuse Davron as his group stepped inside.

Mrs. Guardman was the first among them to find her voice. “Tabatha, what have you done?” She stood, stepping forward to join the group near the door.

Tabatha gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay Mrs. Guardman, everything’s going to be fine. I told you I was going to get you home. That’s what’s going to happen. Gamdon is going to send you all home. You won’t have to fight for Fantasma; it’s all over.”

“What do you mean it’s over?” Ace barked. “You’re betraying us?”

Tabatha rolled her eyes. “Betraying you? I was never with you. I’m not a seal bearer, I’m not the Daughter of the Sun, and I’ve never really been a part of your group. I shouldn’t have been down in that basement, but I got thrown to Mendala anyway, just like the rest of you, except I didn’t have some grand purpose. I didn’t meet epouranals or end up in just the right place at the right time or find friends to help me cope. I had nothing…until I met him.” She gestured to Davron. “He gave me hope and a purpose and a destiny.”

Ace had a look of anguish on his face. “Tabatha, I get that you’re angry about getting stuck here, but that doesn’t mean—”

“This isn’t about me being mad,” Tabatha said. “The only reason why I even tried to find you guys was so I could convince you to go home and not fight Davron because I knew he’d kill you if you did, and I don’t want you to die if I can help it. You guys don’t know the truth about this world. There’s a reason why all of this is happening. If you stay here, you’ll only end up sacrificing your lives for no reason. That’s why you need to go. Davron is the one with a destiny to fulfill, and I have to help him do that…as his wife”

“His what?” Ace said, hardly daring to believe what he heard.

“Oh, yes, I’m sorry, where are my manners,” Davron interrupted. “I never formally introduced you. This is Lady Tabatha Ellonous, my wife.” He snaked an arm around her waist, and she allowed herself to be pulled close, a warm smile on her face, despite the seriousness of the moment.

“Lady…Ellonous?” Ace was numb from the shock of this revelation.

Tabatha shrugged indifferently. “You weren’t the only one who moved on.”

“This day just keeps getting weirder,” Derrick said in a half whisper that nevertheless carried.

Jandor, who seemed the least jarred out of everyone by this latest revelation, stepped forward to take control of the conversation. “Tabatha, you can’t just force us to go home. Just because this is what you’ve chosen, doesn’t mean we won’t still fight.” He held his staff resolutely as if at any moment he might lash out.

Tabatha nodded, looking equally resolved. “I know, which is why I made it so you can’t fight. I knew the only way to stop you is to make sure you didn’t have any choice.”

“What are you—"

“Look at your hand, Jandor,” Tabatha said sharply.

Jandor looked at the hand that usually held the glowing mark of the seal, but it wasn’t there. The others in the group looked as well, and they too saw that the mark was conspicuously absent despite the fact that they were surrounded by creatures from the Book of War.

Jandor faltered for the first time. “How did you—"

“I destroyed the seal,” Tabatha revealed.

“No!” Ace’s eyes went wide with shock and fear. “You can’t have; it’s not possible.”

Tabatha pulled out the remaining piece of the seal, so small it could easily fit in her hand, and tossed it to Ace, who caught it reflexively. He stared down numbly at the small fragment of tablet. The only thing on it was the same symbol that normally appeared on the back of their hands: a cross in a circle.

“No…” was all Ace could say.

“It’s over,” Tabatha said sternly. “It’s time to stop playing hero and go home.”

No one could say anything, and Tabatha seemed pleased as she stepped away from Davron to address the crowd.

“None of you are a part of this. You have a home you can go back to on Earth. Gamdon will get you there. He’s an excellent quickener with dimensional sense, and once you get back to Earth, we’ll close the rift for good. Even though it’s been years for some of you, only a few days have passed on Earth, you can just go back to your normal lives and forget Mendala.”

There was silence for a moment before Mrs. Guardman spoke again. “And what about you?”

Tabatha frowned slightly. “I’m staying here. This is where I belong now. Besides, I doubt you guys want to see me again after all this.” She shrugged.

“Oi, what about the rest of us who ain’t from your world? What’cha gonna do wit’ us?” Lori asked from the back of the crowd where she stood with Franklin and Sherrilynn.

“As long as you don’t resist, we’ll just put you in Teedmount with everyone else,” Tabatha said. “No one has to die. Only people who resist Davron’s rule and continue to fight get killed. That doesn’t have to be you.”

“So, submit or die,” Ben said. “Those are the only choices?”

“No, you guys don’t get a choice. Like I said: it’s over; you’re going home. There’s nothing you can do about it. These pogs are more than enough to subdue you, and there are hundreds more that can be summoned here in an instant, so don’t get any ideas about escaping,” Tabatha added with a knowing look to the three guardians. She turned back to Davron. “The stone.”

Davron reached into his blue robe’s inner pocket and pulled out the Sun Stone. It pulsed a faint golden-yellow light.

“Ashley, come here!” Tabatha called.

Ashley stood nervously and made her way to the door, stopping beside Wayne and slipping her hand in his. “What?” she asked timidly.

“This is the Sun Stone,” Davron explained. “Right now, it’s linked to your power as the Daughter of the Sun. All you need to do is release your hold over it so that we can use it. Once you do that, we’ll send you and all of your friends back to your home world.”

Ashley looked between Tabatha and Davron and then to Wayne, who tried to give her a reassuring smile, though he was clearly worried.

“Don’t look at Wayne; he can’t help you,” Tabatha snapped. “This is easy. All you have to do is release the Sun Stone’s power to us. Just come over here and do it.”

“If I do,” Ashley said. “What will you do with it?”

“We know the Sun Stone and the Book of War are linked,” Davron said vaguely. “Once we have control over it, we’ll be able to assert our rule over the rest of the world with ease and fewer people will have to die in a long, drawn-out war.”

His words were half bluff. Though he knew that there was some link between the Sun Stone and the Book of War, he had no idea what it was. The stone might enhance the book, or it could be a means to repress or destroy it. They wouldn’t know until they could actually use it, but he would not share that with Ashley. Her ignorance of the stone’s abilities was his best leverage.

For her part, Ashley’s mind was racing with everything she’d been told about the Sun Stone. At no point had Ester said anything about there being a link between it and the Book of War, though she said it was possible the stone had powers she didn’t know, but if that was the case, how would Davron know?

“Ashley, this isn’t up for debate,” Tabatha barked. “Get over here and do it already. It’s not like you ever wanted to be the Daughter of the Sun anyway. With Davron in power, he’ll take care of the world, so you won’t have to.”

Ashley thought about everything that happened that day. All the work she did to help the orphans, everything she’d learned about the problems that plagued Mendala, and all that Ester told her about what being the Daughter of the Sun meant. She replayed it all in her head as she took a hesitant step forward.

The Sun Stone was a powerful, and potentially dangerous artifact. Even a small fraction of its power embedded in the Weaver’s Road core restored an entire section of the city. There was no telling what Davron could do if he had access to it.

Her mind raced through her options as she moved slowly toward Tabatha and Davron.

The sun stone belonged to her. Even though Davron physically had the stone, it was completely useless to him. She could refuse, and there would be nothing they could do about it, except perhaps kill her to try and gain control of the stone that way. It seemed that they were willing to bet that she didn’t want to die, and they were right.

As she stood in front of an impatient Tabatha and expectant Davron, Ashley knew that she wasn’t strong enough to refuse them. She knew doing what they asked could be potentially dangerous to a lot of other people, but she also didn’t want to die or possibly risk her friends lives if she resisted. There seemed to be only one choice.

Ashley placed her hands on the stone, and it immediately started to glow as if happy to be reunited with its master.

She looked at Davron, his expression almost hungry with anticipation, then to Tabatha, her face emotionless, and then back to Wayne, who gave her a small smile. She smiled back, tears in her eyes. She knew that no matter what happened, he would stand by her, protect her, and fight for her, and this fact gave her strength.

In that moment, she knew what she had to do.

Ashley gave a brief glance to the others behind her and saw the mixture of looks on their faces: fear, worry, anger, and sadness. “I’m sorry everyone,” she turned back to Davron and gripped the stone tightly, concentrating hard, “but I won’t do it.”

Before Tabatha, Davron, or anyone could react, there was a flash of golden-yellow light and everyone being held captive in the room disappeared, along with Ashley and the Sun Stone itself.