Stones in Play

By Robert Willgren

The next part of the story continues with Dale deciding to return to the place where he befriended a special wolf called Tala. The stones are far from done with him. He feels the desire to complete a journey seemingly started by accident. Follow Dale and Tala as they go into an area that few venture into and even fewer return. The boy and his wolf will be tested by forces created during a time of darkness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert Willgren
• Release date: Mar 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311144539

Robert Willgren

Robert Willgren’s working life has varied from construction to computers. A couple of those positions allowed travel through North America and Europe getting a boots on the ground world outlook. His travel highlights were castles in England, climbing Uluru and snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. Robert had always wanted to write one novel. When that goal was accomplished, the writing continued.

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Stones in Play

By Robert Willgren

Copyright 2014 Robert Willgren

Smashwords Edition

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 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.

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank Bren for her inspiration to the making this work and it’s editing.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – Willowcreek

Chapter 2 – Gateway

Chapter 3 – Barbarians

Chapter 4 – Swarm Mountains

Chapter 5 – Lost City

Chapter 6 – Mountains in Dispute

Chapter 7 – Taking the Forest

Chapter 8 – Crystal of Knowledge

Chapter 9 – Visitors

Chapter 10 – Bent Cube

Chapter 11 – Ships

Chapter 12 – Invasions

Chapter 13 – Reclaiming Valleys

Chapter 14 – Black Stone

Chapter 15 – Stones at Battle

Chapter 16 – Stones at Rest

Chapter 1 – Willowcreek

I was deep in thought when I heard the shout.

You’ll get yours! Marty yelled from across the street. He had his two usual minions with him but no dog. I looked over to see him strutting along, very confident. He came out of nowhere, surprising me. I decided against responding. He was an idiot and not worth my time.

"Yes, I was tracking them," Tala said.

"Why didn’t you warn me?" I sent to her in my mind. We shared a telepathic communication that I didn’t understand, other than it worked. Tala was my she-wolf companion from another place and time. We had become very close and I was glad she returned with me from her place. It was the reason I didn’t notice the bully, Marty. Her senses were very acute and left me to my thoughts. Going back to the other place was decided and I wanted to take my parents with me. The problem was how to tell them, knowing they wouldn’t believe me. Taking them without their consent was something I didn’t want to do. No one likes being deceived. For me it was a dilemma. And this fool was back out bothering me despite assurances from the local police that he would not. It was two weeks since our last encounter when Tala and I flattened him and one of his friends in a fight. Bullies never learned, it appeared.

"You were deep in thought," she said.

You and that mutt of yours can’t talk, he shouted directly across from us.

"What is a mutt?" Tala asked. I considered not answering, not wanting to make Tala mad. In the other place she was revered as an ancient one. I knew her as one of fiercest creatures to ever exist.

"It’s a dog of mixed breeds, I paused, and meant as an insult." There, I said it, and watched her intently in case she ripped across the street.

"I’m neither dog or mixed breed, she said with a low deep growl. I may have to make a late visit." I rubbed my forehead and looked down at the sidewalk, shaking my head. There was no stopping her once she decided something. We were out for an after school stroll before dinner. I had to make a decision on when to go and finding it tough. Tala didn’t like this place and considered it primitive. She had told me one evening that the people of this time depending far too much on their technology to make them feel better. They were hiding from life by being busy, which she did not understand. It was difficult to argue her point of view. I liked the modern conveniences and I also liked the freedom in the other place. At my young age, the world around me hadn’t affected me as much as someone older. It was my parents that held my attention here.

Marty and his pack still kept pace with us. At the next cross street I was going left to head home and I wondered what the thugs were going to do.

"Dale, you worry so much about what to tell your parents," Tala said.

"What do you suggest?" I sent to her.

"Simply tell them the stones are a gateway and show them," she said.

"Just take them there and say hang onto your hat?" I sent to her.

"What do hats have to do with it?" she said.

"It’s just an expression," I sent.

"You people and your sayings, she said, no wonder everyone is confused." I snickered at her comment.

"Okay, we’ll do it your way," I sent, then began to wonder what stuff I should bring.

"That is easy, she said, nothing but what you’re wearing and a backpack."

"What about school work and learning?" I sent.

"How many schools did you notice in my time?" she said.

"Well, none." Her statement made me wonder.

"So much for the learning of this time, she said. I will teach you in the ways of the wolf."

"There is so much I don’t know yet, I sent. What about learning different languages?"

"I know hundreds of languages. Never went to school," she said. As usual, there was no point in arguing with her.

"Now you’re learning," she said and looked up at me. I was certain she had a smirk on her face and that made me smile. We both turned the sidewalks' corner, ignoring the taunts by Marty.

Run on chicken-shit! Marty yelled from behind us. He was one that I wouldn’t miss.

"A lot of slang is used here," Tala said.

"I know," I sent.

"They are going the other way, perhaps looking for chickens," she said. I laughed. We arrived a few moments before dinner. Dad was home.

How’s my boy and his wolf? Dad said.

Oh, Tom, Tala’s not a wolf, my mom said.

"I was the last time I looked," she said and I had to fake a cough in order to not break out laughing.

Catching a cold, dear? Mom said.

I don’t think so.

Good, she said. Joe is coming for dinner.

Cool, I said. Joe ran a trading post selling gifts and artifacts.

And bringing Tala fresh meat, Dad said.

That’s good, I don’t want her going-- I stopped.

Going where? Mom asked. I had to think fast.

Going shopping, I threw it out and smiled.

Nice one, dear, Mom said.

"Nice save, Tala said. The game is getting scarce around here." Upon hearing that, I dropped my head slightly thinking, was she joking or serious about that? Thoughts of a werewolf running through Willowcreek were sobering.

"What is a werewolf?" she asked.

"I’ll explain it later," I sent quickly not wanting to get into a long conversation about it.

"You better, otherwise I might change into a ferocious beast and attack," she said. I gave her a hip bump for playing with me.

"You knew all along," I sent.

"And you did not?" she said and bumped me back, causing me to stumble.

Careful dear, you don’t want to fall down, Mom said. All I could do was smile at Mom. When she turned around briefly, I used two fingers to point at my eyes and then back to Tala. She let out a low growl and front claws started to dig in for a pounce. I placed both open hands up in peace. She relaxed and I pounced, grabbing around her body, trying to move her. She was like a rock with claws dug in and increased in size a little. Her muscles oozed strength and I gave up, hugging her instead.

An hour later Joe arrived. Seeing him was great plus getting the latest unpublished news in our community. Marty's dad was busy finding witness’s to back up his son’s version of things. It would appear that the thug's family was intimidating the area residents into saying what they wanted.

What does that mean, Joe? Mom asked.

Simply that the police will be tied up talking to these people and ignore what they are doing, Joe said.

More nonsense, I said. My parents looked at me while Joe smiled.

Dale is right, Joe said. This family has been a pain to Willowcreek for as long as I can remember. That Marty boy's grandfather was the same.

Oh great, Mom said, as if we need more trouble.

What should we do? Dad asked.

We keep an eye out for young Dale, Joe said. And like all things, they will move on to someone else eventually.

That doesn’t sound promising, Mom said. Someone else will get terrorized. Joe nodded.

They technically don’t break any laws, Joe said, at least none that anyone will testify to.

It’s still wrong, Mom said.

"We should take them with us, Tala said, They would soon lose this attitude."

"How so?" I sent.

"Chief Achak would not tolerate it, she said, nor would any of the other peoples."

"Even the barbarians?" I sent.

"They don’t like outsiders and would likely throw them off a cliff," she said. Well that would do it. We finished up dinner. While Mom and Dad cleaned up, Joe, Tala, and I went to sit the couch. He leaned toward me

Have you decided? he asked.

Soon. I scratched the back of my neck, feeling anxious about it.

How are you going to do it? he asked.

Tala simply said to show them the stones and say we’re going on a trip.

Sounds simple enough, Joe said. I will accompany you, if that’s alright.

I would like that very much. I felt relief knowing that Joe would go with us.

What are you two planning now? Mom asked from the kitchen.

Wouldn’t you like to know, I said, giving Joe a wink.

Yeah, I would like to know, she said back.

Joe is going to sell me his truck.

What? she asked, surprised.

It’s a model, I gave her a smirk and got the mom look in return. The rest of the evening flew by and since it was a school night, bedtime soon came. Tala mentioned that having a rule for bedtime was too much. People should know when to rest and if one stayed up too late, then one had better not complain about being tired.

"Where will I stay in your place? I sent.

"You will stay with me," she said. I patted her soft fur. She was comfortable to snuggle against.

"I mean, stay with Achak at this camp, a cave, someplace else?" I sent.

"We stay wherever we want depending on where we are," she said. That made sense, especially if we were away from camp.

"My parents may have a tough time adjusting," I sent.

"They will be amongst friends," she said. That was true, still, they were in for a shock. Sleep quickly overtook me. The dream world found me and I felt the sensation of flying. The flying dreams in Tala's place were more than dreams. They were visions of actual events. In the dream it was a sun filled day and far below was the temporary encampment of Achak’s people. They had constructed more dwellings and it looked like they were building a new lodge, a replacement for the one the barbarians had burned down. I flew past them and out over the wide channel toward the looming cliffs on the far side. This place I remembered from other dreams and the natural rock face was a barrier into a jungle type area. It dawned on me that the plains and this area had different ecosystems. This place was full of surprises. The stone structures were visible and I noticed the large hairy creatures were all over. There was a large stone structure atop a hill and tall, dark creatures were everywhere. It was inside this stone structure where I first encountered one of the creatures. From the dark movements, there were hundreds of them about. The further I flew over the area, the more I saw of them. It appeared they were gathering for something. I circled once to find out what it was. They were milling about in an unorganized manner. This was a dangerous place for outsiders. A shinning flicker caught my eye and I swooped down in that direction. The sparkle came from a flat area within of the overgrown city. Vegetation grew sparely in this section barely covering something reflective in the sunlight. A few of the dark creatures loomed around, keeping their distance from the shininess. A closer look revealed that it might be a glass surface that had metre-sized pyramids covering a rectangular area. I had no idea what this was and flew further into the overburdened city. The city was huge and went on for several kilometres. In the distance on the lost city's outskirts, mountain ranges rose to vast white peaks. They were huge, the largest range of high mountains I had seen in here. The closer I flew toward the snow peaked mountains, the larger it became. To the right the jungle turned into wet marshland that went on for as far as I could see. On the left was jungle mixed in with rough rocky cliffs and deep crevices. The ground was split apart like some great ripping had occurred. These creatures had natural boundaries on every side, either protecting them or keeping them in. Perhaps the outside world was being protected from them. I did remember Achak saying the barbarians had made a venture into this area long ago that did not go well. During my visit, I used the power of my white battle stone to move to the front of the structure. This stone that had power to move other stones of different sizes in battle to crush the enemy.

I began to ascend to clear the mountains, curious to see what was beyond. The looming mountains were huge and I had to adjust my upward angle. The higher I got, the more of the surrounding land I could see. This place was spectacular and breathtaking. My wings flapped powerfully to gain height to make it over the snow-covered top. In spite of the effort of flapping and the height, I felt neither tired nor cold. The last few hundred metres of pure whiteness seemed endless until the view changed. It went from white to green in the sprawling valley beyond. There was a vast collection of grassy plains and lush forests with a meandering river. Mixed in the area were campfires scattered across the huge valley. What peoples lived here, I wondered. After flying over the crest of the jagged mountaintop, I soared down. My descending down the mountain shifted me in my bed and I thought I was going to fall out.

"You are not falling," Tala said, nudging me over, and then pulling me back.

I take it from your large size, I said in a half sleep whisper, that you’ve been on the prowl.

"I go out most nights," she said. I blinked my eyes a few times, noticing that my room was dark. She had the fall coolness from the outside air on the surface of her fur. Soon the heat from her massive body filtered through and I was warm once again. The dream did not come back and I slept until a knock on my door announced the beginning of the school day. School was something I wouldn’t miss.

Morning, dear, Mom said, time to rise. I groaned, not wanting to cooperate. Tala had returned to her normal size and a sudden shift propelled me out of the bed. I stumbled and managed to recover to stop from falling onto the floor.

Hey, I said out loud, that wasn’t nice. Mom snickered at the door and left.

"You’re getting flabby and out of shape, Tala said, something that we will correct in my world."

"I’m not flabby," I sent, protesting.

"All the people do is look forward to sleeping, she said, sitting up. If you had to run someplace, you would not make it out the front door,"

Would too, I said out loud with a strong crankiness.

"Cranky are we?" I had about a second to change the course of where this was going or be attacked. Her back arched and she enlarged, showing menacing teeth.

"No, I’m better--." Too late as she launched from the bed and bowled me over. I prepared for the floor crunch I was about to get. At the last instance, she curled her huge front paw behind my back and stopped the fall. I expected a soft landing and she let me drop the rest of the way, bumping my head on the carpeted floor.

Ouch, I said.

"See, flabby and out of shape."

"You’re an experienced fighter and much stronger."

"Grow stronger." She flipped me back up onto my feet with a quick flick of her paw. Instinctively, she moved to my other side to stop me from falling in the other direction. My hands went out pretending to fall and seized her fur in an attempt to knock her down. She was solid and I didn’t budge her.

"Why is it that every day is an adventure with you?" I sent.

"Forget that, she said, lets get to that building where they teach nothing." I decided against arguing under the risk getting attacked again. As I moved around her, she enlarged and towered over me. As fast as lightening, she darted her head toward mine and I cringed at the incoming bite. Instead, she licked the side of my face and shimmered to her normal size. It tickled and I snickered, then without warning I flung my arms around her furry head. Then I attempted a take down using a twist and pressing my weight against her. She was solid again.

"Good try," she said. I gave up trying to knock her over and instead hugged her.

I’m glad you’re on my side, I whispered into her ear and she snuggled closer to me.

Mom popped open the door again, okay, lets go. I released her and made haste to get ready. It was Thursday and I was looking forward to the weekend. Then I remembered Marty strutting around the previous evening and sighed, not wanting to deal with him. The day suddenly had a dark cloud hovering over it. Mom was pouring milk into a bowl of cereal for me and I glanced at the kitchen clock to realize that I didn’t have much time.

Sorry, dear, my alarm didn’t go off after your dad left. I sat down quickly and gobbled my breakfast. Thoughts of Marty returned, as I was certain that he was going to bother me today.

"Marty will not be at school today," Tala said.

"What happened?" I sighed as if I didn’t know.

"He may have sprained an ankle," she said.

"Its best I don’t know."

"I agree," she said as Mom brought out a large piece of meat.

I think Tala eats better than we do, Mom said as Tala ripped into the red chunk. I nodded in agreement.

"I’ll hear about it later," I sent. Tala ignored me and finished her portion.

Have a good day, kiddo, Mom said as she prepared to leave for work. She was a nurse at an assisted living centre. We were now alone.

"Should I worry?" I sent her, getting ready myself.

"Worry about what?" she said. I shook my head knowing there was little I could do. Tala did her own thing with a certain amount of discretion, most times. I left Tala and headed off to school. Sometimes she walked with me except Mom didn’t like her wandering by herself back home. She didn’t want calls from the pound as our lives were under a microscope already.

The school day dragged on. Martys' minions attempted to get under my skin by dropping comments here and there. It fell flat and one of them got a detention for his antics. They weren’t as good at it without their leader. On the way home where the houses were further apart, I kept hearing rustling from the trees between properties. If I had to guess, a ferocious beast was stalking me. I sensed her presence nearby. When a house broke the solace of the trees, I felt her bolt to the next section of trees and I knew she was ready to pounce. I pretended to look the other way, distracted by something and oblivious to her. As expected, she vaulted from behind some bushes at lightening speed. I kept looking the other way, anticipating her lunge and preparing for my counter attack. Timing must be exact and