The Nemesis, The Wizard and The Waterfall. Book Three.

By Albert Benson

Elijah and Worlyn separate, and Worlyn becomes trapped underground with Worlydia, Muppy and Twinkle. Zanatos' forces arrive to invade Havenwest. The slave armies are on the march.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Benson
• Release date: Jul 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301310302

Book preview

The Nemesis

The Wizard

And

The Waterfall

Book Three

Part of The Chronicles of the Tralatisis.

By

Albert and Matthew Benson

Copyright 2012 Albert and Matthew Benson

Smashwords Edition, Licence 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 recipient. 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.

All the characters in this story are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Chapter One

Elijah faces the Aesir.

Elijah unslung the shield and slid his left arm into the straps, then unsheathed the scimitars and swooshed them around, they sang to him in voices as beautiful as always.

‘Be careful Elijah,’ Phoebe spoke, ‘I will try to cloak you, but Raphael’s presence is interfering. Look out, here they come.

The armies materialised and surged forward, the rotrobbers, the warriors and the Ni-Di warriors. The ground exploded, and out of it sprang Twanguines and all kinds of other magical creatures, with only one intent, to kill Elijah.

Raphael clicked his beautiful fingers together. The sound was like a thunderclap, then everything was still and silent. Elijah saw that everyone had stopped, except the gods, even Darknesse was frozen in mid air.

‘What creature are you?’

Raphael stepped forward, ‘I am Raphael. The Angel of Death.’

‘You have no dominion over us.’

‘Not at this moment Odin, but you can only cheat me for so long.’

‘Death.’

‘Ah Mithras, another cheater of death.’

‘Now,’ shouted Odin.

As one the twelve gods threw out their hands and twenty-four superheated fireballs whooshed towards Elijah and Raphael.

Elijah held up the shield to protect his head and body.

Raphael did nothing.

The enormous fireballs were only steps away when they seemed to be deflected in all directions, exploding into the rotrobbers and instantly incinerating hundreds of them, crashing into the Ni-Di warriors also with the same effect, burning up Twanguines and all manner of magical creatures.

The gods stopped and stared at Elijah and Raphael.

‘What sorcery is this?’ spat Mithras.

‘A superior one than yours Mithras. Stay by my side Elijah. Now gods, you will feel the touch of the Nemesis. Come Elijah, now is the time to show them the true power of the Nemesis. Absorb their magic.

Raphael stepped forward and Elijah kept pace with him.

Each of the twelve gods rained spells down on them, firebolts, powerbolts, flashes of lightning, boulders the size of houses were flung at them, none hit, all were deflected into the surrounding armies, causing death and devastation amongst the frozen masses.

Elijah and Raphael kept walking up the steps, impervious to the awesome power of the twelve gods.

‘We are close enough Elijah,’ Raphael said, stepping behind Elijah and putting his beautiful hands on Elijah’s shoulders. ‘Show them your magic.’

Elijah concentrated, willing the magic of the gods to disappear. Suddenly, one god, Loki, screamed and seemed to implode, shrivelling into nothing and vanishing without a trace.

Another god, Utu, did the same.

The ten remaining gods vanished.

Elijah stared at the place where they’d been standing, he was confused. ‘I didn’t do that, I know I didn’t.’

‘No Elijah, they’ve fled, it was a combination of our powers, they cannot harm you while I’m here. But be warned, they can kill you when I’m not, and that would mess up all my records.’

‘You’re not staying with me then?’

‘I cannot, my primary function is to help all the souls on, and as you can see,’ Raphael waved his arm around at the carnage, ‘there are a lot of souls, plus the souls of two gods. I will stay until you have the book, but do not go into the Great Hall of the gods on your own, wait for me. Come, the sacred book awaits us.’ Raphael stepped away from Elijah and began walking up the steps.

Elijah didn’t follow, instead he turned and surveyed the frozen scene of destruction below them. ‘Why?’

Raphael stopped and turned, ‘Why what?’

‘Why do so many have to die?’

‘Because that is the way of the order, death and regeneration, death and birth, without death is stagnation, the universe would grind to a halt, and be destroyed. As there is death, so there is birth. That is the way. The Order. Anyway, you didn’t kill them, the gods did.’

‘But why?’

‘I suggest when you die, and I help your soul on, you ask the Supreme One that question.’

‘And will he tell me?’

‘Of course, he loves answering questions. He loves philosophical conceptual debates. His favourite is free will and determination, second favourite is the nature of evil.’

‘It’s hard to understand.’

‘Yes, that should give you some comprehension of what I’ve had to put up with for the past eternity. I think we should move ourselves, the gods are watching from a distance, the third mountain on the left to be precise.’

Elijah began walking up the steps toward the massive bronze doors, but his head was down, watching his feet. ‘Why does it all have to be so complicated? Why can’t the Supreme One just fix it all himself? I mean, if he’s so powerful he could just fix it.’

‘Which billions have already asked him, but unfortunately, the answers I’m not privy to. But, seeing as he gave me independent thought, I’ve developed a theory.’

‘Yes?’

‘Sorry, can’t tell you, you’re a human, you haven’t died. To have such knowledge would be catastrophic, and beside he’d probably do away with me and give the job to someone else.’

‘So, you’re not going to tell me?’

‘I thought I just said that. Enough questions, the book awaits.’

They continued up the steps until they stood in front of the huge bronze doors. Raphael waved his elegant hand, expecting the doors to swing open, but they didn’t.

‘Hmmm.’

‘What?’

‘Something isn’t right here.’

‘Oh, so, right, is twelve gods trying to blast us into infinity, an army trying to kill me, right?’

‘Elijah, your sarcasm is wasted upon me. I am immune.’

‘You also cannot open the doors.’

‘No, I cannot, and this suggests something more to me.’

‘What?

‘Do not try to enter, I will be back shortly.’

And Raphael vanished, leaving Elijah staring apprehensively towards the mountain, where Raphael said the gods were watching. Then it was all noise, screaming, shouting, yelling as thousands upon thousands were unfrozen from time. Hundreds stopped as they realised Elijah and the other figure had disappeared, but thousand more saw Elijah at the top of the stairs in front of the enormous bronze doors. There was panic as more thousands screamed in agony with their burns and injuries.

The flowing blackness of Darknesse appeared at Elijah’s side, ‘What happened, where’s Raphael?’

Elijah couldn’t answer, he could only face the yelling hordes of rotrobbers and Ni Di warriors swarming up the steps towards them, brandishing every conceivable type of weapon.

‘Looks like we’ve got to fight.’

Almira and Worlyn were finishing off their meal with some nice smelly, blue stippled, cheese and wafer thin crackers when the door opened and Worlydia entered followed by Muppy, with Twinkle perched on her left shoulder. ‘Your bath’s ready Grandad.’

‘Bath?’

‘Yes, Cynthia ordered a bath to be run for you, she said you’re a bit stinky.’

‘Stinky, me?’ he asked, looking at Almira.

Almira nodded, ‘Yes, didn’t like to say anything because it’s not really your fault, it’s all those spells you were hit with. Don’t worry though I couldn’t smell anything, lost my sense of smell about two thousand years ago.’

‘Right, hence the stinky cheese?’

‘Come on Grandad before the water goes cold.’

Worlyn stood, yawned and stretched, then said, ‘Doesn’t really matter, can use magic to heat it up again. Lead on, where is it?’

‘Only in the next room.’

Ten minutes later Worlyn lay back and let the hot scented water caress his old and aching limbs. Half an hour later the water was going cool and he decided to use a bit of magic to heat it back up. He twiddled his fingers, wafted his hands over the water, and a thin layer of ice formed across the surface leaving him shivering. ‘By the gods, my magic’s gone skew-whiff.’ Again he moved his hands, but this time every last drop disappeared. ‘Oh great.’

Suddenly, the floor directly beneath the bath vanished, and Worlyn and the bath plunged into the darkness.

‘Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhh.’

After what seemed to take an age of him falling and screaming and gripping the metal sides of the bath so tightly that he left slight indentations where his fingers had gripped so hard. He hit something, cracked the back of his head and knocked himself unconscious.

Worlyn awoke and found himself in the bath, bobbing up and down in what appeared to be a raging, fast flowing, underground river. The bath hit submerged rocks and boulders, once again making him scream for help. He twirled around, going backward for a while until he hit another boulder and the bath swivelled around. Not that it did him much good, because it was so dark he couldn’t see anything. Then the rushing sounds of the waters became louder, as if the water was being channelled into a narrow stream. The bath went faster, he could feel the spray and the wind hitting his face.

‘Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhh.’

Again he was falling, his stomach rose into his mouth, his hands gripped the bath harder than before, his scream was louder. Then he hit the bottom, a lake of clear blue water, and the bath bobbed along, carried by a gentle current.

Worlyn looked around, and could hardly believe his eyes, it was the same as his cave, his waterfall, the same type of light, the same jewels stuck in the walls, and over there, white eunicons, watching his bath bobbing along. He turned around to see the waterfall, and it looked exactly the same height as his, exactly the same width, exactly the same splashes, nonsense. But it wasn’t, there were twin waterfalls, on opposite side of the planet.

Then, he realised something was different as he was caught in another fast flowing current, this one had an exit, but to where?

‘What do you want, the magical creatures, or the warriors?’

Elijah readied the scimitars and shouted above the screaming and yelling, ‘Does it make much difference? Those Twanguines are eating the rotrobbers anyway, and the dragons seemed to have taken a liking to werewolves.’

‘Yes, but the Ni-Di warriors seem to be focussed enough. They have swords like yours.’

‘Scimitars, they’re scimitars. I’ll deal with them.’

‘Right, scimitars, very sorry. I’ll just go and create some mayhem.’ Darknesse became a giant black, oily, spinning top that scythed through the ranks of the warriors and certain magical creatures.

Elijah watched as thousands of Ni-Di warriors slowed on the temple steps, but didn’t stop, their scimitars ready in front of them. Movement caught his eye as two medium sized dragons tore a werewolf in half and swallowed their half without chewing. A pair of rotrobber’s legs were sticking out of a Twanguine’s mouth. It was chaos, a Twanguine attacked a dragon, seizing it by its throat, but another dragon attacked the Twanguine, biting into its neck. The wizards had run away, with the warriors close behind them. Only the Ni-Di warriors seemed to hold their ground, chopping at anything that came near them.

‘There’s something wrong in the temple Elijah,’ Phoebe said, ‘there’s another presence beside Aphrodite, a powerful one.’

‘Can’t worry about that now.’

At least a thousand Ni-Di warriors surrounded Elijah, but they held back, and without warning five attacked, coming at Elijah from all sides, their scimitars aiming for different parts of his body. Elijah quickly realised these were skilled warriors, a hundred times better trained than anything or anybody he’d fought before. They parried his blows effectively, using their scimitars as slanting shields rather than offensive weapons, so that his most powerful strikes went into the ground. But they didn’t realise that the essence of two gods were contained within those two scimitars, and they were a thousand times more powerful and skilful than the Ni-Di warriors. Elijah went on the offensive, instantly disarming the five warriors, who fell back, only to be replaced by ten more experienced warriors.

The scimitars stepped up a gear, channelled more energy into Elijah, and he quickly disarmed the ten warriors.

Then he was attacked by hundreds; scimitars trying to slice into every inch of his body, and he became a whirlwind of death, lopping off heads, arms and legs, the scimitars taking over him, guiding and commanding, and he was a blur, a typhoon of destruction, an angel of chaos. The air seemed to contain one long continuous scream, many voices crying out in pain, for mercy, for death. And the red blood flowed down the temple steps like a flood, until he was the only one standing on the wide plateau before the giant bronze doors, the remaining Ni-Di warriors having retreated. A small, panting, deformed, figure, covered in red and gore, surrounded by mutilated bodies and bits of limbs, with sticky congealing blood nearly up to his ankles. The scimitars were humming in his hands, as if they’d had an adrenalin rush from all the killing, and Elijah knew they wanted more. He lowered them; that was enough.

Darknesse was as good as his word, creating mayhem among the rotrobbers and magical creatures.

Thousands of the Ni-Di warriors just stood at the bottom of the steps staring at Elijah with awe, each knew this was some sort of magic beyond their understanding.

‘Where did you get your power from boy?’

Elijah quickly turned to see the god Raphael had called Odin standing some distance away, he was a colossal god, with long, impossibly white hair that seemed to shimmer with stardust. Over his dark leather armour he wore a bearskin cloak, clasped in front of his chest with a large, exquisitely cast, golden seal. In his right hand he held a tall glimmering spear, and he only had one eye, the other was closed and hollow. Elijah brought up the scimitars.

‘I asked you a question.’

Darknesse consolidated next to Elijah. ‘Do not trust him an inch Elijah, he only wants your destruction.’

‘Be wary of his spear Elijah,’ Phoebe whispered, ‘it contains great power.’

‘Begone black foul creature before you feel my wrath.’

Elijah was shaking, the scimitars were quivering in his hands, but he wasn’t afraid. ‘Odin, is that your name?’

‘It is boy. Now answer my question.’

‘No, the gods have demanded too much. Where are you from, I’ve never heard of a god called Odin before?’

‘I am leader of the Aesir.’

‘And why have you come here?’

‘To fight alongside the Titans, the Vanir, the Ennead, the Ogdoad, and the Mesopotamians, to stop our destruction. We are the gods, we should rule.’

The scimitars quivered in his hands, he glanced at them, they were as clean and shiny as if they’d just been made. He looked back at Odin. ‘Gods have ruled long enough, you’ve stolen magic from their natural sources, everything you do interferes with the natural order.’

‘We’ll create our own Order.’

‘You don’t understand do you? For all your god-like power, you’re stupid.’

Odin’s voice echoed across the plains. ‘You dare to insult me?’

‘Yes, I dare, because if I don’t this planet will be destroyed.’

‘Nonsense.’

Elijah took a deep breath, gripped the scimitars harder and began walking towards Odin.

‘Elijah,’ Darknesse whispered, ‘I don’t think walking towards this god is a good idea, the others are probably right behind him.’

Elijah continued, calmly walking, ‘I will take your magic and you will be mortal again, then you will have to answer for your crimes against humanity.’

Odin gave a great bellow of rage, ‘I have helped humanity more than you could ever guess mortal.’

‘No, you think you have, but all the time you’re been stealing magic; magic that should have remained where it was, in its natural setting, creating natural life, natural plants, not these obscenities,’ Elijah waved his scimitar at the thousands spread out on the plain before them, looking up at a god and a deformed human defying him, ‘that only exist to do the gods’ bidding.’

Odin shouted in rage and the skies, the temple and the plains seemed to shake with his anger. The rotrobber and warriors began running away so fast hundreds were trampled. The Ni-Di warriors also turned tail, running into many magical creatures that were too stupid to heed the warnings. The Kentauros saw the danger signs and fled. Panic battles began, warriors killing warriors, magical creatures killing magical creatures, and visa versa.

Odin abruptly ceased his enraged bellow and pointed his spear at Elijah. ‘Now foolish mortal, feel the power of gungnir.’

Instantly, Elijah brought up the shield, and Darknesse shrunk into a black bobbing ball and hid behind him.

Fireball after fireball exploded from Odin’s spear and whooshed towards Elijah, striking the shield and cascading in all directions. Elijah felt as though a demented blacksmith was hitting his shield with a sledgehammer over and over again, the bangs were forcing him to the ground. The blazing fireballs erupted indiscriminately into everything, sand, rock, the temple, the pillars of the temple, the massive bronze doors of the temple, magical creatures, warriors and rotrobbers, instantly incinerating everything they touched.

Behind the shield Elijah concentrated, willing Odin’s magic to come to him.

The intensity of the fireballs lessened, the bangs on the shield stopped, Elijah stood and lowered the shield, Odin was still in the same position as when he attacked him, looking completely spent.

Odin barred his teeth with anger. ‘What are you?’

All around them was carnage.

‘Finish him Elijah, before he regains his strength.’

‘Quiet Darknesse.’

‘Where did you get your power from mortal?’

‘That would be telling.’ In truth Elijah realised he didn’t know where this power came from.

‘You have bested me, something that has never happened before. I surrender Gungnir to you.’ Odin placed the spear upon the ground. ‘My life is yours to do as you will.’

Thoughts flashed through Elijah’s mind, how could he turn this to his advantage?

‘Don’t listen to him Elijah,’ Darknesse whispered, ‘finish him off, he’s too dangerous.’

‘Shut up,’ Elijah whispered fiercely from the side of his mouth. ‘Odin, listen to me, look around, thousand of lives have been lost here today, because you, a god, in your arrogance cared nothing for them.’

‘I cannot bring them back to life.’

‘I know you can’t, but did you even think of them when you were firing off your magic?’

‘No, because humans, rotrobbers and magical creatures are beneath us. Cannon fodder.’

‘Arrogance again Elijah.’

‘Well Odin, you’re about to relearn that all life is sacred, all life must be respected.’

‘How did you take away my magic?’

‘That is immaterial now. Pick up your spear.’

‘Are you demented, he’ll attack again.’

‘Do not even contemplate resuming the battle, because next time I will remove all your magic, and you will be destroyed.’

‘The spear is no longer mine. What do you want of me?’

‘I will only take your godly magic, I will spare your life, you will become human once more, able to live your allotted human years, then you will die, and Raphael, the Angel of Death will help you on, but only if you promise to join forces with me.’

‘Are you insane, this is a god, he would destroy you without blinking his eyes?’

‘I’m yours to command.’

Elijah took a deep breath, he knew he was taking such a risk. ‘Go back to the other gods, tell them what is happening. The Order cannot be changed, to attempt to do so will bring the destruction of everything. You have a choice, ask the gods to join me, indeed press upon the gods the choices they face, give up their godhood, or face destruction.’

‘I will do as you order.’ Odin’s form shimmered a pale blue then vanished.

‘That was a mistake, but look, he’s left his spear, might come in handy, nothing like a god’s weapon to give you extra power.’

Elijah looked around, the plain was deserted, all that was left was bloody remains and the dead. He walked slowly to the spear and stood staring at it, then tightened his right grip on the scimitar.

‘I hope you’re not going to do what I think you’re going to do.’

Suddenly Elijah raised the right scimitar and brought it down on gungnir, cleaving the shaft in two. A bright blue light escaped and flared up into the sky before dissolving into the blue.

‘Another mistake.’

‘Well done Elijah.’

Again Elijah hacked at the spear, and again, many times, until it was nothing more than splinters.

‘That was the right thing to do Elijah, the spear was too powerful.’

Elijah slid the right scimitar into its scabbard, picked up the spear head and examined it. Nothing, it was devoid of all magic. Turning, he surveyed the death and destruction all around, thousands dead, thousands more injured, magical creatures in their final death convulsions. The two prominent colours were red and black, blood and charred remains. In the distance he could hear pitiful cries for help, could see a badly injured warrior trying to crawl away, and felt an overwhelming sadness, at this moment he wanted to throw the shield and scimitars down into a deep pit and walk away, he wanted nothing more than to walk in the wilds near the waterfall and feed the birds and animals, to pick the herbs, to eat the wild berries. Selfish he knew, as thousands were suffering in agony. He’d never asked for any of this, he didn’t even want to be the Nemesis, as far as he was concerned the gods could please themselves. He was weighed down with the enormity of it all. Perhaps he could, just throw the shield and scimitars down, and walk away.

Phoebe broke into his thoughts, ‘And who would save this planet then Elijah?’

‘Elijah, look, the doors have been blasted open.’

Chapter Two

The altar was in sight, and, also something unexpected.

Worlyn clung on for dear life as his bath raced down the fast flowing underground river, he could see a little circle of light further ahead, that was becoming larger all the time. Suddenly, he shot out into the air and screamed as the bath plummeted down into the blue ocean.

Splash, he hit the water with a jar that thudded through his naked body, then he was bobbing along, being carried out to the open sea.

‘Oh ye gods, this isn’t good.’ He thought about using magic to turn the bath around and propel himself back to the shore, but decided against it, the way his magic was going he’d probably make the bath disappear.

Then he saw the large arching fins circling around the bath, at least four of them, sharks.

‘Great, blinkin’ great. Help,’ he whispered, ‘help,’ louder, ‘help,’ louder still, ‘help,’ shouting.

More fins began appearing, tens and tens of them, great big black curved things, menacing in their silence, as they ploughed through the bobbing blue waters with ease. He felt a bump, and the bath wobbled and swayed dangerously, another bump, then another, and another, and the bath was in imminent danger of being swamped.

He had no other option, he had to try magic, he didn’t fancy being eaten by sharks, especially naked, no telling what they’d bite off first, being clothed wouldn’t be too bad, least he’d have some decency.

He yelled, the bath was being hit from all sides, there seemed to be thousands of fins now, crowding in the waters, practically swimming on top of one another.

Fireball, fireball, he thought, shot out his hands and sent two large fireballs at the nearest fins. All they succeeded in doing was sending up huge amounts of steam.

‘Dozy idiot. Fireballs in water.’

‘Powerballs, powerballs, huge powerballs.’ Sending out his hands again two round blue, crackling balls of energy, flashed from his hands into the water causing a mini tidal wave that almost swamped the bath.

Nothing else for it, he would have to use magic to power the boat back.

Then something strange happened, the bumping stopped, and all the fins were swimming around him in large circles, thousands of them, all going clockwise, swimming faster and faster until the bath began to turn, slowly at first, but increasing in speed.

He had to use magic now. He waved his fingers, concentrating on escaping this impending whirlpool.

Without warning the plug rocketed fifty steps into the air and splashed some twenty steps away. Water began gushing up through the plughole, he scrambled and put both hands over the plughole, but the water continued to gush in.

Stupid, he’d need his hands for the magic.

He was starting to feel a little dizzy, but managed to turn around and put the ball of his heel into the plug-hole. It wasn’t enough, he was too weak, the water kept bubbling up, it was sloshing up to his hips now, making him feel shivering cold. He needed something heavier, but also noticed the bath was lower in the water. Quickly, he slid himself around and sat on the plughole, positioning the centre of his right buttock directly over, and began cupping handfuls of water and throwing them over the side.

No, no, no, I need my hands for the magic.

Once again he twiddled his fingers, making more complicated gestures, shutting his eyes to blot out the dizziness that was threatening to overcome him.

It was the cracking that made him spring his eyes open, even over the noise of the swirling waters, the cracking was loud. Large cracks were appearing in the bath, water was seeping in, the bath suddenly began to fracture and fragment, big triangular bits fell off, huge quantities of water began shooting through all sorts of places.

‘Help! Help! Heeeeeelp!’ cried Worlyn, his hair flowing behind him as the bath was spinning faster. Suddenly, a violent wind tossed the crumbling bath up into the air and back down again.

‘Stay still,’ whispered a soft, female voice.

Oh, great, now I’m being attacked by supernatural entities, this is my worst nightmare.

‘Oh Worlyn kind, oh Worlyn fair, do not move, do not struggle, are you here, or are you there, or are you in a muddle?’ sang the sweet voice, as the bath turned over and disintegrated