Return of the Elves... War

By Thom Nichols

Aaron's wife and family are murdered, his family betrays him, and he learns that he is the catalyst to genocide. Rage and vengence are all he lives for now. Everything he learned in fairy tales is reversed. Aligning himself with the goblins, Aaron fights against the elves who killed his family. To win the war, all he has to do is let the elf die. But, the elf is an unborn baby. Can he do it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thom Nichols
• Release date: Oct 23, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452352428

Thom Nichols

Thom L. Nichols was born under a mountain in Mt. Shasta California. He grew up in Arizona, but has lived all over the United States. Starting out in the Marine Corps, he has had a multitude of jobs ranging from overnight security guard to UNIX Senior Specialist and everything in between. He married his wife of nineteen years (So far) two weeks after meeting her. He has three children and one granddaughter (So far). He has been writing since he was born, but always for fun. He wanted to get his degree in English so that he could become a writer, but with a family he decided to go the safe way and went into computers. Now that the kids are pretty much grown and moving out, he decided to follow his dream.

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Return of the Elves - War

Thom Nichols

Published by Thom Nichols at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 Thom Nichols

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

01. Harbinger

There were more than a thousand pictures taken of it from space, a hundred times that many from the ground. Some speculated that it was God, some the Devil. Some even thought that it was an alien life form from another planet. It was, in fact, a cloud. It was in the shape of a man’s face. It traveled the length of the country keeping its shape perfectly. It moved slowly, taking the entire day to complete its nationwide trek.

News helicopters kept a continuous feed piped to every television in the world. By late morning, the military and local authorities kept the news reporters at a safe distance, but the cloud was so big and so high up they couldn’t stop the broadcasts. People either huddled in their homes terrified or clogged the streets gawking as it passed their towns and cities.

It flew over the upper portion of the United States, beginning in Maine it passed over the Great Lakes and the lower part of Canada. It continued along the US border to Washington. As it passed over each state, everyone in that state could see it, even those near the southern borders. When it reached the Pacific Ocean, it dissipated into nothingness.

For the next few weeks, everyone watched the skies. Footage of the cloud replayed over and over. Everyone had their own opinion as to what it was. Television talk shows interviewed scientists, political figures, and religious leaders. Everyone had something to say about it. The official consensus was that it was some kind of natural occurrence. Yes, the odds are against a cloud keeping its shape as it traveled across the country, Security Directory King said in an interview toward the end of the second week. Especially one in such a detailed and familiar shape, but it is more feasible than aliens from outer space or some kind of secret super-weapon or spy satellite like the tabloids are suggesting.

When it happened again, no one believed that it was a natural occurrence. This time, it appeared over the upper mid portion of the United States. All of the mid to upper states could see it. The government was more prepared this time. Teams of scientists were assembled, and dispatched. The military kept everyone else away. News crews traveling in high altitude planes and charter aircraft were not allowed within several miles of it.

Before it reached the Mississippi River, attempts to communicate with it were proving fruitless. Using the most sophisticated equipment, teams of scientists determined that there wasn’t anything substantial concealed inside the cloud. It was, just a cloud, a cloud in the shape of a man’s face. It was the exact same face as before.

It looked very peaceful. Its fluffy white folds gave it the appearance of long flowing hair. Its expression was one of indifference or casual laziness, and every once in a while, the face’s mouth opened as if yawning. This cloud also drifted across the country until it reached Oregon and then it also dissipated.

A month went by before the next face appeared. This one was exactly the same as the first two, with the exception of where it traveled. It flowed over the lower middle of the United States. This time, the military and scientific teams were out in force, but there was barely any news coverage. When the face appeared the fourth time over the southern United States, even the science teams didn’t fly up to investigate. They sent up balloons with sensors. The fourth cloud followed the same pattern. It stripped the country as casually as its predecessors, taking all day for its casual journey. It didn’t vary in any way until it reached Arizona.

In the late afternoon, over the center of the state, the cloud suddenly stopped. It took more than three hours before anyone noticed. When it was reported, the sudden change in the cloud’s movement spiked nationwide curiosity again. The news teams broke into their regular television programming to show the feed live. The military reinforced the country’s perimeter, and the scientists rechecked all of their equipment.

For another long hour, nothing happened. Then, without warning two more faces appeared on either side of the original. The faces formed from other clouds off in the distance. They flew in beside the first with amazing speed as they transformed into the small group. Taking on a Mount Rushmore style appearance, their cloud hair merged together. They all stared down toward the state. Due to their size, no one could accurately tell where in Arizona they were looking. But, the best guess was that they were staring at the city of Prescott.

Before Phoenix assumed the role of state capital, Prescott held the responsibility. It was actually the state capital twice, once during the years of eighteen sixty-four to eighteen sixty-seven and then between eighteen seventy-seven to eighteen eighty-nine. It wasn’t capital long, but it developed a very rich heritage. It was a small city snuggled high in the mountains surrounded by a forest of trees. The city boasted of more than six hundred building on the National Register of Historic Places. The homes were old Victorian with peaked roofs, contrasting the adobe structures more common in the southwest.

The three faces watched the small city for more than a full day. Finally, they turned to each other as if talking. This went on for hours. During that time the cloud faces began to shrink. It was difficult to see at first, due to their initial size. But, they became significantly smaller, and began to change color. As if they were going to rain, the bottoms of the clouds darkened. Several bolts of lightning exploded in various directions. As the thunder rolled, millions of people swore that they heard voices hidden in the crackling explosions.

One of the faces suddenly disappeared. It didn’t fade away or drift apart at the whim of the winds. It vanished completely as if it were never there. It only took seconds. The other two faces turned away from each other. They, again, looked toward Arizona. Rain began pouring from their cloud beards. Sheets of rain forced people to take cover. Flooding began almost instantly in the dry desert. The wind picked up and forced the helicopters out of the air. The storm became so intense that even the scientist planes were forced to land.

The lightning intensified. It shot around the outskirts of the cloud faces in a circular pattern. It looked like the lightning was creating an electrostatic barrier around them. The lightning was so intense that the roar of the thunder became a constant cacophony of explosions, like the barrage of naval batteries from a warship. The noise was almost unbearable.

Even though the cloud faces shrank, the storm still covered most of the state. All of the other clouds in the state were absorbed into a huge thunderhead encircling the faces. They didn’t merge with the two but they joined in on the downpour. Within an hour the entire state was in a state of emergency.

Several reporters braved the onslaught to capture the spectacle on film. The best shots came from Phoenix. The pictures there showed an angled view of the Prescott bombardment. Strangely, no pictures escaped from Prescott itself, even though there were more than a hundred crews on site. A cameraman filming the clouds from Tucson noticed that the clouds were not only shrinking, but lowering as well. It looked like the clouds were going to settle on top of the city itself, like a fogbank.

Another face appeared.

It could have been the evening light or the distortion from the storms, but this face looked different. This face didn’t look like it was made from a cloud. It looked completely human except for its enormous size. In the darkness, it took on a slightly spectral appearance, but it still seemed more real. It was the face of an old woman, and it appeared on top of the other two. No one in the city of Prescott could see her through the storm, but news footage from Albuquerque, Los Angeles, and even Denver recorded her very clearly.

The woman’s expression wasn’t indifferent like the others. It was stern. Lines of fury dug deep into her features, aging her. She had long dark hair that disappeared into the night sky as if floating out into space. She was five times the size of the cloud faces before they started shrinking. As she looked down upon them, she looked as if she could open her mouth and swallow them whole. Instead, however, her eyes turned skyward and an object that looked like a star appeared above her.

The star shone so brightly it was blinding. The light moved as the giant woman moved her eyes. She fixed her gaze on the cloud face looking to the west and the star zipped forward. It streaked from the sky in an arc. It moved so fast, that there wasn’t anything anyone could do. The star struck the face where his ear appeared to be. It passed through and struck the other face.

The two cloud faces contorted in agony. The rain suddenly stopped. The roar of thunder echoed away as the lightning no longer flashed through the air. Another star appeared above the woman. It was not as bright as the first, but it was building up in strength and brilliance as if growing. The two cloud faces, turned toward their attacker. They looked horrified. Whoever they were, they were not expecting to see the woman. One of them disappeared leaving only the original.

The cloud face and the woman stared at each other for a very long time. They seemed to be communicating, even though no one could hear any words being spoken. Again, an hour passed without either of them moving. Then, without warning, the second star rushed forward. The cloud face disappeared just in time. The star did not or could not stop. It flew through the void left by the cloud and struck the Earth.

Like a nuclear bomb, a flash of light burst from the crash site. A wave of force destroyed everything in a ten mile radius. Luckily, the star wasn’t aimed straight down. It flew over the city, missing it completely. It crashed fifty miles away, in the desert. There was no loss of life, but a gash was torn into the Earth between Wickenburg and Congress. It was more than fifty feet deep and left a trench nearly a mile long.

The woman’s face waited in the air for several minutes after the destructive force waned. It didn’t look like she did anything further, but the skies turned the tap back on. Rain began to pour once again. Finally, as if satisfied that the cloud faces would not return, she surveyed the city and disappeared. The evening sky returned to normal.

Congress didn’t have a fire department, so the Wickenburg and Yarnell fire departments were dispatched to fight the blaze where the force wave ignited the desert. The rains had sufficiently saturated the area so that the fire was out before they even arrived. If not for the gash and scorched Earth, no one would have known anything had happened. There wasn’t any sign or residue of the star or weapon that created the explosion.

In Prescott, on Whisky Row, at a patio bar with peanut shells on the floor, Aaron Meffert, along with twenty strangers, stared at the sky. There was no electricity and no sound for a long time except the constant drumming of the rain on the awning and sidewalk. For the most part, as the woman was fighting the cloud faces, they couldn’t see anything due to the storm. Every once in a while, however, the lightning would light up the sky giving them brief glimpses. The lightning display themselves were breathtaking.

Everyone waited in terrified anticipation whatever was to come next. They were frozen in a mixture of fear and incredulity. Finally Aaron took several steps backward away from the railing. His feet crunched on the empty peanut shells that littered the floor several inches deep. Half a dozen people turned to stare at him. Aaron froze, then shrugged and sat down at the nearest table. The rest of the patronage broke into instant conversation or rushed out to hurry home to check on loved ones. Aaron squeezed his beer bottle. He had forgotten he was holding it. He didn’t know any of these people, but it was his birthday and he was supposed to stay out until eight o’clock so that his family could startle him with a surprise party.

He took a long pull and swallowed hard. More and more people left in a rush. The storm was waning. The raindrops were still coming down, but not as furiously. For some reason, he wasn’t afraid. There were other people in the bar that also didn’t seem concerned. It was just a storm. He thought to himself ignoring the cloud faces. I wonder if this constitutes a party cancellation. He swallowed the last of the beer and then looked at his watch. It wasn’t quite Seven thirty.

Looking around for a waitress or the bartender, Aaron tapped his empty beer bottle. There were two waitresses still at the railing. They were talking to a small group of customers. They were very animated and anxious looking. Should I be worried? Aaron thought to himself. Maybe I better go home, just to check. He looked up at the empty bar. The stools were empty and no one was behind the counter to mix the drinks. Well, I guess that settles it. He chuckled.

A river was running down the street as he stepped out onto the sidewalk. Aaron looked up at the sky. It was dark, but there was nothing weird. The rain was now drizzling. He stuffed his hands in his Diamondbacks jacket pockets and pressed his arms close to his body for warmth. It was a little chilly. He made his way to his car without incident and there were very few drivers on the road home. There were no streetlights or lights from any of the stores or houses until he reached Prescott Valley. It must have just been the city. He snickered, thinking about the power outage. The rest of the way home, he wondered how many people would be at the party.

Aaron led an average life. He was upper middle-class. He had a nice house and an even nicer family. His wife Maureen was still stunningly beautiful. She was six years younger than he was and only rubbed in how young she was during his birthday. Aaron also had four children and several pets. The two children in the middle were girls, seven and eleven. His boys were on the ends, one thirteen and the other four. The family also consisted of two dogs, a cat, a parakeet, four fish, two gerbils, and a turtle. Aaron worked nine to five as a dentist. He employed four assistants, two were nurses, one was a receptionist, and the other a bookkeeper.

Aaron spent most of his life in Prescott. The only time he ever left was during college in Phoenix. He was an orphan and never wanted to know about or find his natural parents. At nine, he was adopted by Mary and Peter Meffert. Unfortunately Peter died that same year, and he was raised by Mary. Aaron had a normal childhood. He made friends easily, and achieved above average grades. During his school years, he never got in a fight, and whenever he broke up with a girlfriend, it was always consensual. He even became close friends with several of his ex-girlfriends and brought them on as patients. After college, he met his wife. She was also patient. He bought his house, mowed his lawn, and took out his trash. Everything in his life was absolutely normal.

The lights were on when he pulled into the driveway. There were more than a dozen cars on the street. He recognized most of them. I guess the party is still on. He sighed. Aaron wasn’t dreading the party. He complained about it to Maureen, but secretly he liked them. He liked pretending to be surprised, and people making a fuss. He especially liked the joke gifts, the more embarrassing the better. He liked the innuendoes that came with the sexy underwear, and the stories that would last for weeks afterward. He even liked the over-the-hill trophies and t-shirts. He would wear the shirts without fail to every barbeque and picnic for the rest of the year.

Aaron flashed the lights before he turned off the car. He didn’t want to surprise them by showing up early and ruining the celebration. He also made a noisy fuss at the door. He dropped his keys twice, and bumped his briefcase against the door several times. I’m here! He finally announced as he opened the door and entered the house.

Hi daddy. Amy said hurrying to the door. She was waiting in the hallway. She was his youngest daughter. She hugged Aaron tightly. Guess what? She said loudly as she took his hand and started to lead him toward the living room, which was dark.

Seven! Aaron said excitedly.

Amy stopped and gave Aaron an exasperated look. He always said the same thing whenever she asked ‘Guess what’. No. She sighed, playing along pretending not to be annoyed.

Blue! Aaron continued.

No. Amy said putting her hands on her hips and waiting to get the third response over with.

Asparagus. Aaron smiled.

No. Amy said resolved to wait for her father to stop trying to be funny.

I give up, what? He finally asked.

Amy smiled. Aaron thought she was going to give away the surprise party. But she didn’t. There was this storm, and this cloud, and the thunder went on forever. She explained excitedly, as she took his hand again and led him toward the living room.

Surprise! Thirty people standing in the dark shouted. The light suddenly came on, and Aaron pretended to hold back a fake heart attack. The party lasted for hours. Everyone had a great time. Aaron made a point to speak to all of them. He told jokes and poured drinks. He even began dancing with some of the ladies. Although the storm and the faces in the clouds were thoroughly talked out, with the party atmosphere, it was as if it had happened last week. No one was upset or scared.

Around one o’clock in the morning, the last of the guests left. As they were leaving, a car drove up. It was Aaron’s stepmother. She was an elderly woman. She never told Aaron her true age, even on her birthday. But, he believed her to be at least eighty. Aaron was forty today, and Mary Meffert had three children before she adopted him. They had all grown up and moved out of the house to live abroad. Aaron didn’t like them. He had never met or even spoken to any of them. They never visited and the few times they called, he was out. He thought that she was a wonderful woman, and didn’t like the way they treated her. Aaron made a point to spend as much time with her as he could. He even offered to have her move in with him, but she wouldn’t leave her house.

Aaron was very disappointed that his mom wasn’t at the party. But it was late, and she was getting old. She wasn’t able to get around as well as she used too. He assumed the party was too much for her. But, he did sneak away when he noticed she wasn’t there to call her. She wasn’t home. At that time, he assumed that she was on the way. Then, he lost track of time and of her.

As Aaron’s mother pulled to a stop, she jumped out of the car almost before the engine was turned off. Aaron was surprised to see how spry she seemed. Mom? He asked reaching out for her. She hugged him quickly, but then swept him inside hurriedly.

The two eldest children, Johnny and Darla, were still up. Grandma! They exclaimed in unison, jumping to their feet and racing to her. She hugged them, but her eyes seemed to be elsewhere. The whole time, she didn’t look down at her grandchildren. After the quick hug, she herded them all into the living room. Maureen began picking up glasses, but Mary Meffert touched her hand and asked her to sit with Aaron.

You need to leave! Mary said anxiously as she paced. Her eyes still seemed glassy.

What? Aaron laughed quizzically. Mom, please. Sit down. Why weren’t you at my birthday party?

Mary’s attention seemed to focus, and her eyes lost the faraway look. Your birthday… She whispered as something seemed to occur to her. Yes, She turned to Aaron. She had a determined look on her face. It’s your birthday, happy birthday. She paused for a moment. Aaron was about to thank her, but she cut him off. I was out getting your birthday present. She reached into her handbag. A tiny flash of light flickered inside as if she accidentally pressed the button to take a picture on a camera. Ignoring the flash, she pulled out an envelope. I bought you a vacation. But, you have to leave right now. You don’t even have time to pack."

What? Aaron said taking the envelope. He opened it. There were two tickets inside. England! He exclaimed showing the tickets to Maureen.

Yes. Mary continued, the faraway look returned to her eyes. You fly from Phoenix to New York, and then from there to England. But, you have to go now. The flight from Phoenix leaves in two hours.

It’s after midnight. Maureen laughed looking at the tickets. We’ll never make it to the airport in time.

You will if you leave now. Mary argued pulling Aaron to his feet. You can buy clothing and toiletries along the way. Come on, you have to hurry.

We can’t go now. Aaron objected. I have patients Monday.

I’ll have Patty rearrange your schedule.

What about the kids? Maureen said shaking her head as Mary reached down taking her hand to help her to her feet. They have school and…

I’ll take care of them. Mary assured her. She began pushing them toward the door.

Wait, we can’t go to England. Aaron smiled. We don’t have passports.

There’s a layover in New York, you can get them there. Mary said literally pushing him toward the door.

Mom, come on, we can’t just leave in the middle of the night. Aaron said stopping. We’ll wait for morning, pack, I’ll buy the kids tickets, and we’ll all go together.

No! Mary said forcefully. You have to go now. Everyone froze in surprise at her insistence. Her eyes returned from a thousand miles away and she sighed. I just don’t want you to miss your flight. She said more calmly. It’s my birthday present to you. I just wanted you to have some time to yourself, and have a real vacation. She worked a sad expression on her face that melted Aaron. He turned to his wife. She shrugged. Good, it’s settled then. Mary continued quickly. She began pushing them toward the door again.

Ok. Aaron said. Johnny, you’re in charge of your brother and sisters. You listen to Grandma and do what she tells you too. Seconds later, they were in the car and barreling toward Phoenix.

02. Invasion

Aaron and Maureen did not make it to the airport on time. Their left rear tire took a nail on the outskirts of Phoenix. It took Aaron nearly an hour to change it in the rain. He wasn’t very adept mechanically at the best of times. In the rain, he didn’t even want to get out of the car. They were both tired, and it was very late. They decided to just stay the night and try to change their flight in the morning. We can even try to get an early evening flight. Maureen suggested. Then we can do a little shopping so we’re not going over there empty handed.

Or, Aaron said slyly. We could just forget about England, and spend the week doing whatever we want. We could even stay here and order room service all day. It would be like second honeymoon. From the motel’s mini-bar Aaron produced a few small bottles. He poured a glass for each of them. They didn’t finish drinking it.

The next morning, Aaron and Maureen awoke late. It was nearly ten before they roused. Slightly hung over, they didn’t even turn on the television as they showered and dressed. Their clothing smelled of cigarettes and spilled alcohol, but they didn’t have anything else to change into. I’m going to call the airport. Aaron said as he sat down on the side of the bed. He stretched as he dialed. The curtains were open and it looked like a beautiful day.

What do you mean everything has been canceled? He asked incredulously a few moments later. How can all flights on all airlines be canceled? Maureen stopped brushing her hair and looked over at her husband from the small sink area. California? He shouted.

What is it? Maureen asked as Aaron set the phone back in the cradle.

The FAA grounded all air travel today indefinitely. I guess there is some kind of terrorist thing going on in California.

Turn on the news. Maureen said nodding toward the television. She turned back to the mirror to finish her hair. Aaron complied and swung his feet onto the bed and propped his head against his and Maureen’s pillows. The news broadcast was in the middle of a replay of the morning’s events. Now, if you look closely to the right of the main ship, The anchorman said as a small white line erased the picture to the right of a ship that looked like it was from a museum. It was very large, and bore several huge sails. It reminded Aaron of a movie about Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian. He couldn’t think of the title at the moment. The image was not close enough to see the people onboard, because they wanted to show what was going to happen beside it. Aaron watched intently.

To the right of the large ship, the sea was relatively calm. The day was clear, and the sun was shining brightly. There was nothing there except the line that someone had drawn on the screen. Here it comes. The anchorman said, and instantly, a second boat appeared from thin air. It was almost identical to the first. The person that was holding the camera jerked his hand, so the picture moved awkwardly. Then, he steadied himself and panned the length of the horizon. Hundreds of ships were just appearing from nothingness.

A moment later, the picture switched to a different scene. A helicopter was now being displayed as it flew overhead. The helicopter flew toward the main ship. As it neared, there was a much better view of the huge first ship. There were people that were not men lining the railings. They had weapons, old weapons, swords, crossbows, long bows, and spears.

Without any warning, a small projectile sailed from the middle of the ship. It struck the helicopter’s Plexiglas. The bubble didn’t shatter, but the shaft did penetrate. The camera zoomed in quickly to reveal a long arrow protruding from the center of the helicopter’s windshield. The pilot lost control as a second arrow hurtled toward the helicopter. Then, it plunged into the ocean. The anchorman said remorsefully. There weren’t any survivors.

The scene changed again. This time, they showed images from the helicopter’s point of view. The first image was a close up picture of the crew as they stood on the deck. Beginning at the bow, they showed the captain. Honey! Aaron said incredulously. He gasped. Come here. Look at this. Maureen was already looking at the set from the sink area. But, she moved toward her husband at the sound of his voice.

The captain was a beautiful person. He had long flowing blonde hair and light blue eyes. Compared to the others on the ship, he was very small. He seemed to stand only three feet tall. His frame was slender and he