Band of Misfits

By Michael John Weber

The Sisters continue to protect Humanity from the Dark forces of Yfel, while life goes on in the Maggirdym. Little do they know, one of the Ten Mystic Dragons is en route to destroy the Realm of Hope. Thankfully, a small band of misfits is on the case...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael John Weber
• Release date: Apr 24, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224696680

Michael John Weber

I live at the Sungoma Arts Centre, on Vancouver Island. It's quiet and peaceful, and surprisingly comfortable, especially in the forgiving winters, here. There, I write novels, short stories, screenplays, and essays; I make music as well, under the moniker DJ Stoa, which I publish all over the Internets; I also design board-games, card-games, and pen & paper role-playing games, for children and adults alike.

Book preview

Chapter One

~ The Wayward Balward ~

Logic dictates that nothing exists beyond the known Universe, and indeed is that statement true, for outside that fast-expanding explosion of 'reality' lies a place where no thing is. That place is called, the Between. Devoid of light, and life, infinitely larger than our Universe, it is home to those Dark entities referred to, throughout history, as Demons, and to the Infernal Domain commonly known as 'Hell'. It is an ever-growing bubble of Darkness that threatens to consume the Living Light of Onward.

It is in that vast and infinite no-thing-ness through which a strange object soars, in aspect of a sphere of silver metal, about the size of a Human head, what rushes with such alacrity as to leave a fast-fading trail of blurred light in its wake, in its efforts to flee the dimming of Demons who give chase. Each one seeming as some horrid amalgamation of hippopotamus, praying mantis, and octopus, their house-sized, vantablack bodies limned with a dark, scarlet light, the fiends in that rampaging horde roar forth from their savage maws quavering torrents of hellfire, and witherburn, and humming rays of compressed light, what split the darkness, and set off colossal explosions in the nothingness, as they chase down their chosen prey. As that roaring, snarling, screeching legion of Demons continues to harry, the rage of their mawfire washing over it, the fast-moving sphere lets out a short series of tinkling chimes, lost in the din, whereupon its surface begins to ripple and flow, as though suddenly transmuted into mercury, and an aura of vibrant blue energy suddenly blooms about it. Then, only a heartbeat later, the sphere flashes with blinding, blue-white light, in a trice tearing open a jagged hole in the interminable darkness, a hole seemingly filled with stars, into which the sphere hurtles…

~ ~ ~

Fort George Island, Florida, USA; 1974 AD

High above that blue-white world called Earth does a jagged hole appear in the fabric of space-time, it seemingly filled with a darkness blacker than night, from which a gleaming silver orb blasts forth, going of an incredible speed. Upon a flash of blue-white light does that impossible rend seem to vanish, while the sphere, so caught by the planet's gravity, hurtles towards the surface, borne upon an arc of smoke and flame. With a booming, fiery explosion does the sphere crash to the ground, in the middle of the night, there at the edge of a sparse forest, rather near a small house, the impact sending a tonne of dirt and stone spraying high into the air, and setting alight the slender trees, and undergrowth. For several hours does that wildfire burn, growing to consume some three acres of scrubland, and trees, before the many firefighters called to the emergency manage to control the blaze, and finally snuff it out. With the residents of that nearby house joining the few firefighters left on the scene in keeping an eye on hot spots, in case they flare up, that silver sphere lays unnoticed, in the shallow crater made of its landing, covered by a layer of dirt, and wood ash.

As the wan light of early morning filters through the charred and still-smoking trees, the matron of that nearby home, one Cynthia Wager, moves to that burnt forest, her teenaged son, Jeremy, at her side, she with tired eyes from such a sleepless night, and he still bearing the soot stains made by his efforts to help fight the blaze. With Mrs. Wager wanting to view the damage firsthand, now that it is relatively safe to do so, the two slowly wander about the smouldering ash field, careful to avoid those places still glowing with heat; it is during their aimless wanderings when the steel toe of Jeremy's work boot happens to find that silvery sphere, laying hidden in the ash, causing him to stumble, and drawing his attention to that unexpected find. For a moment do he and Cynthia ponder over that odd sphere, quickly freeing it from the earth, putting forth ideas as to what it is, and how it got there, and whether or not it was responsible for setting the fire, before they return to their home, bringing the sphere with them…

~ ~ ~

A fortnight later, Alec Mandel, an investigative reporter for the Jacksonville Tribune, arrives at the Wagner home, there at the family's behest, to conduct an interview with them, and photograph the strange sphere. First meeting the family at their door, Mr. Mandel then follows them away from the house, to that once wooded area; after taking a handful of pictures of the charred trees, and the small crater in which the orb was found, he then joins the family in the living room of their small home, where he immediately sets his eyes upon the item in question, it simply sitting on the glass-top coffee table, seeming as some example of Art Deco bric-a-brac. With Cynthia moving to the kitchen, as to fetch coffee, and Jeremy filling a chair, nearby, Alec takes up space upon the sofa, and offhandedly gesturing to the sphere, before him, he says,That's it, obviously.

To which, young Jeremy nods, Yeah, that's it. We've been calling it 'Edward'.

Wow, smiles the reporter, shifting forward in his seat, leaning his face close to the sphere, would you look at that. Then, from that close distance scrutinizing the worn surface of the steely orb, Alec retrieves a tape recorder from his briefcase, and sets it upon the table, pressing its 'Play' and 'Record' buttons at the same time, so at to set its gears in motion. And, when Cynthia returns from the kitchen, coffee in hand, Alec accepts the cup she offers, asking: When you found it, was it just laying flat on top of the ground?

It was, nods she, just laying on the ground in like, a wooded area.

Right, says Alec, giving an allowing nod of his own.

And, we didn't think too much about it, continues Cynthia, adding: We had it for two weeks.

Mm-hmm.

And – then, we noticed that it kept quivering. About the best description is that it's a giant gyroscope. Sits there, and keeps vibrating and quivering, even when it's sitting on a flat surface.

With a nod, still scrutinizing the sphere, Alec says, Mm-hmm, I see.

And, Cynthia goes on, we have been receiving calls from all over the country.

I can imagine you would, Alec again nods, aiming a wry look her way, before asking: Would it be all right if I held it? And, when she offhandedly gestures to the head-sized orb, as to grant that permission, Alec takes the sphere in both hands, and lifts it from the table. Wow, remarks he, brows lifting, it's heavier than I expected. It's got to weigh twenty pounds, at least. It's rougher than I thought, too; not as smooth as I was imagining. And, you said it vibrates?

Again gesturing with a hand, this time in Jeremy's direction, Cynthia explains, My son had it kept in his room, and one day he started playing his guitar, and the sphere started to vibrate, and made a sort of tinkling, chiming sound. After, he said he could hear it even when he wasn't playing guitar. And – then, we took a lid from an old mayonnaise jar, I think it was, and when we touched it to the ball, it would stick in some places, like it was a magnet, but in other places, it wouldn't stick.

To which, Alec nods, Right. Then, with a small frown regarding the heavy sphere he holds, turning it about, as he considers, he carefully sets it back down upon the coffee table, and says: Well, I want to get a few pictures of it, if that's okay. Uh, would you mind if we took it outside? It's a sunny day, and I'd like to photograph it under natural light.

With a nod, Cynthia agrees to that idea, whereupon the three do rise to their feet, and move to the front door of the house, so as to find a suitable location for the photo shoot, outside. And, as they together cross the living room, they hear a soft and tinkling chime, whereupon they all look to see that steely sphere slowly rolling its way across the coffee table, coming to a halt when it reaches the edge. For a silent moment do Alec and the others stare at the sphere, before he clears his throat, and quietly admits, That gave me goosebumps. Does it do that often?

Yeah, nods Cynthia, adding: Watch this. Then, she moves back into the living room, and lifts the ponderous sphere from the table, carefully bending to set it upon the carpet. And, as she purposely walks passed the odd orb, it begins to roll, seemingly under its own power, apparently following her across the room of a speed to match her own, it turning, and coming to a halt, when she does.

Alec, eyes wide and staring, slowly places a hand against his forehead, and whispers, My god…

~ ~ ~

One week later, an article appears in the local newspaper, what reads: 'A steel ball named Edward rolled mysteriously around a table, Wednesday, in apparent defiance of gravity, which scientists waited to determine whether it may have come from space. A strange metal sphere which the Wager family found on their property, and the US Navy says is just a big ball bearing, was flown by helicopter to the offices of Navy metallurgist, Fred Thomas, of the Naval Air Rework Facility, at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, who issued his report after conducting spectrographic and x-ray tests on the shiny metal ball. Thomas says the ball weighs twenty-one point three-four pounds, and was composed of stainless steel alloy, and had three or four other objects inside it, which you can hear rattling around. The Navy tests showed the ball was magnetic, and that it was neither radioactive, nor explosive…'

~ ~ ~

Yet another week later, on page three of a national newspaper, appears the headline, 'Mystery Sphere Hidden Away', as the article below it reads: 'Despite their repeated insistence that the Wager Sphere is nothing more than a large ball bearing, likely fallen from the back of a passing truck, the Navy has nevertheless taken permanent possession of the object. Sources say the sphere was shipped to an undisclosed location, in the interest of public safety. This has fuelled speculation that the sphere may be a component of a top secret Russian satellite, while others believe it to be hard evidence for the existence of UFOs, and life on other planets. While the Wager family maintains they willingly handed the Sphere over to the Navy, and that they no longer wish to be involved with the matter, there are some who claim the family was paid for their cooperation, and silence, while others believe the Wager Sphere to be nothing more than a hoax, perpetrated by the family for financial