Chapter Ten of A Reporters Nightmare

By the time morning rolled around all the crates and all the spilled diamonds had been recovered and taken to the police station. Officer Hardly looked over the damage to Aragon’s pickup. “The man that was behind this all will pay for the damage to your pickup.” He said.

     Aragon shrugged. “He’ll have to replace the ignition to. Smoky lost my keys.”

     Officer Hardly looked into the pickup and saw something that appeared to catch his interest. “They left blanks all over.” He said. “Along with the pistol, but not a single bullet with live ammunition.”

     Aragon looked over his pickup and came up with the same thing. Officer Hardly gestured at his police cruiser. “I’ll give you a ride back to Salina until we can get your pickup fixed.”

     Aragon was relieved. “Thanks.” He said. “But don’t ask me for my ID or anything, I forgot my wallet at my house.”

     “Good thing you didn’t get pulled over then.” Officer Hardly said.

     By the time Aragon was back at his house the word had spread to Salina that he had been kidnapped and helped the police recover stolen diamonds.

     By the end of the week Aragon had been interviewed by a dozen different reporters and he began to have a better understanding of why so many people veered away from cameras and microphones.

     His pickup was returned along with his keys and a new window and paint job. The robber was caught and put in prison before anyone caught wind of it and Officer Hardly offered Aragon the job of being bait for other robbers that were avoiding the police.

     Aragon politely declined.  

Chapter Nine of A Reporters Nightmare

Aragon helped the officer open the doors, one of the bicycles fell over and a table leg broke. The officer cast an inquisitive glance Aragon’s way.

     Aragon grabbed one of the shovels that had been left and moved a table and bike out of the way and dug some dirt away. In the dark it was hard to make much out but Aragon soon found a crate and pulled it out.

     The officer came over and tugged his flashlight free. Aragon pried the top free and both of the men stared. At least a hundred packets of hundred dollar bills carefully wrapped in plastic stared back at them.

     The officer pulled a radio out of his pouch and rattled off the discovery to whomever he was calling.

     When he was done he sat back. “I can’t believe it, after all this time of searching and we couldn’t find a thing an actor finds everything.”

     “I’m not an actor.” Aragon said. “I’m a reporter from Salina.”

     The officer extended his hand. “I’m sure glad to meet you. I’m Officer Hardly.”

     Aragon shook his hand. “Aragon Gates.”

     Officer Hardly scratched his head. “I’ve got a question.” He said. “If you’re from Salina, how did you find those men and all these crates?”

     Aragon told Officer Hardly everything since he had been looking for a story. “I needed a story.” He said. “I followed everyone of interest, even two girls arguing over what they were going to buy at the mall, but until I saw Smoky and Baxter I didn’t have a story.”

     Officer Hardly shook his head in wonder. “I couldn’t have done a half of what you did.” He said and pulled a notebook out. “But I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you, I don’t think you’ll ever get a chance to write a real story on this, I think everyone will be to busy writing a story about you.”

     A thought occurred to Aragon. “But what about the man that’s behind it all?”

     “The three men that are headed to jail seem very talkative, they really don’t want to go to jail, I’m sure they’ll tell us everything we want to know.”

     Aragon nodded, relieved. “How did you know to come here?” He asked.

     “The man that’s behind it all happens to own these storage units, we found out that he started the fire to hold us off. It took us a little bit but we figured out what was going on.” Officer Hardly stretched one arm from his side. “We got over here as fast as we could to find you surrounded by those three men.”

     Aragon wanted to ask more but just then several more police cruisers pulled in and six officers came into the unit, armed with shovels. Without saying anything they began to dig at where the crates had been buried.

Chapter Eight of A Reporters Nightmare

Smoky stared at Aragon; finally he broke out of his stupor and pointed at Aragon. “Get him!”  Baxter ignored the command but Tate charged Aragon.

     Aragon played the pitiful part he had done in the pickup. He scrambled backwards and tripped over an unseen rock. He pushed himself up against a unit and raised his hands to protect himself.

     “Please don’t hit me.” He cried. “I never used to be a model and I don’t want to ruin my non existent reputation of never getting hit.”

     It didn’t help, Tate continued to charge him.

     Aragon began to shake. “Please!” he wailed loudly. “I don’t have kids that’ll never know or care what happened to me!”

     Just as Tate was in range and getting ready to throw a kick his way, Aragon leapt up and kicked the man in his shin. The kick didn’t slow Tate down but did make him stumble. Aragon jabbed two fingers stiffly into Tate’s throat.

     Tate’s eyes bulged and he wheezed. Smoky ran up to help him out but was to slow.

     A police car tore into the parking lot and two officers jumped out, running to overtake the three men.

     Smoky saw the officers and veered away from Aragon, running to a gap between the units. Aragon fell to the side, landing hard on the ground, but his plan worked. Smoky tripped over him and fell down.

     Aragon scrambled over to him and held him down. The officers caught Baxter, which wasn’t hard with his injured foot, they tased Tate and cuffed both of them.

     An officer came over to where Aragon was holding Smoky down and slapped cuffs on Smoky. Once all three men were in the police car one of the officers came over to Aragon.

     “Good job with the shouting.” He said. “If you hadn’t been making all that noise we would’ve locked you up to.”

     Aragon shrugged. “Do you have warrants out for their arrest?” he asked.

     The officer shrugged. “Not really, just some grounds that might be something in court.”

     Aragon stuffed his hands into his pocket. “Are you looking for any stolen diamonds?”

     The officer rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Now that it’s been mentioned again, yes. A man broke into several houses and stole a lot of jewels, later the same man robbed four banks, but we never caught him or recovered the money and jewels.”

     Aragon pointed at the unit behind him. “Those three men were burying a bunch of crates and one of them had diamonds in it.”

     The officer looked interested and walked over to the unit. He jiggled the lock, the rust that Aragon had thought been fake crumbled and fell off, taking the lock with it.

Chapter IX of Lands Beyond

     Later that evening, Sialkot summoned me to his office. With trepidation dogging my steps, I obeyed. Inviting me to sit down, he leaned back in his chair and studied me. “Tell me, Miss Von Schonhausen, everything that you have been doing in my absence, particularly everything that has to do with my daughter. And please, leave nothing out.”

     Taking a deep breath, I did so, speaking as calmly as I could. At the end of my narrative, I went silent, waiting for him to speak. He did not say anything immediately. Instead, he ran a finger in circles on his desktop, deep in thought. I fidgeted slightly, but remained silent.

     At last he looked up. “It seems that I owe you a debt of gratitude. Is there anything that I can do to repay you?”

     “No sire. I have done nothing that would merit being repaid. Please think nothing of it.”

     “On the contrary, my dear. You have done much for me.”

     Ducking my head, I ran my hands down my skirt, drying my palms, which had begun to sweat a little. “Actually, there is something. If it pleases you, I would like to take my shuttle and leave Adena. I wish to try and find my way back home.”

     “Is this place so awful that you no longer wish to stay?”

     “No, it is not that. I am afraid that I would cause discord and strife if I remained.”

     “Would you care to explain yourself?”

     “Commander Makkedah seems to think that I am throwing myself at him. I do not know why he believes this. I think it would be best if I removed myself from the picture, for everyone’s sake.”

     Sialkot steepled his hands together and peered at me thoughtfully. “I assume that you are unaware of our relationship to each other.”

     At my nod, he continued. “My first wife was a princess among her people. Very few people know this, and even fewer know that we had a son together. Those few who do know are ignorant of his identity. Only I, my son, and my daughter know the truth.

     “Commander Leuven Rhys Makkedah is all that a man could wish for in a son, and I am proud of him, but there are times when he is mistaken about something and does not wish to admit it. At these times, he becomes rather hardheaded and opinionated.”

     Stunned by this revelation, I could only stare. At last, I found my voice. “I am afraid that this only strengthens my resolve to leave. I respect both of you too much to be the cause of what would only be trouble between you.”

     “Very well, if that is your wish, I won’t stop you. I do have one request though. Take Daniela with you.”

     “What? I cannot take her with me. There might be danger along the way, and I would not risk her safety for anything. Besides, if I got lost, she would be lost along with me and you may never see her again.”

     “Brunhilda, I have considered my request carefully and I have talked to Daniela about it. I am convinced that it would be best if she went with you. She knows several languages that would benefit you. You are a good influence on her and I want her to learn as much as she can from you.”

     I was dumbfounded by his request. I thought about trying to dissuade him from it, but I knew that it would be virtually impossible and foolhardy. And so I stood and gave my best curtsy. “It shall be as you say, Your Majesty.”

     Preparations for our departure began immediately, although we did not leave until the next morning. Sialkot came out to see us off. He was the only one, for Leuven had not been informed of our plans. At the bottom of the ramp, Daniela paused to hug her father. He held tightly to her, and then gave her a kiss on the forehead and released her.

     She darted up the ramp and I pushed the button to raise it. Moving up to the cockpit, I settled into the pilot seat and engaged the engine. Slowly lifting off, I spun the craft around to face Sialkot. I raised my hand in a final salute, as did he. Turning to face the empty sky, I engaged the thrusters and we shot forward, leaving Adena behind us.

Chapter Seven of A Reporters Nightmare

      The man called Baxter took the shovel and began digging. Smoky stepped past the wall Aragon was hiding behind and walked stiffly to the pickup. Baxter slammed the shovel towards the ground and hit his foot instead. He yelled and started hopping on one foot while holding the other in his hand.

     The other man jumped at the sudden sound and dropped the crate he was toting. It split open and diamonds spilled out. A shout came from the pickup and Smoky came running back. “Gates is gone!”

     The other men didn’t notice and Smoky gaped at the scene in front of him. And then his phone rang. He snapped it open and answered sharply. His eyes grew wide as he listened and his hand began to shake. When he hung up his face was white.

     “Get those crates buried!” he shouted. “The fire isn’t doing the trick; the police are on their way!”

     Baxter, Smoky and Tate flew to their jobs, Baxter limping due to his foot injury. The hole was big enough to bury at least three men side by side and stacked up by three.

     The men dropped the crates into the hole and hurriedly dropped the spilled diamonds around the crates; there was no time to put them back in an extra crate.

     Aragon watched as they threw dirt over the crates. It was then that he noticed that there were several trunks lining the edges of the unit and a truck load of antique junk, old wheelbarrows, tricycles, chairs, tables and other antique junk.

     Finally Baxter and Tate finished covering the hole and began lining the storage unit with the junk. By the time they had finished Aragon could hear the sirens and see the lights. The men ran out of the unit and slid the door down, locking it with an antique lock that was probably brand new.

     Just as they began to run to his pickup Aragon called to them. “Hey, over here!” he called.

     The men turned to look at him and he snapped a picture on his phone. The picture was slightly fuzzy but clear enough that the police would be able to identify them.

Chapter VIII of Lands Beyond

     My glorified imprisonment might have lasted indefinitely if not for an unusual occurrence that earned the gratitude of the ruler, whose name was Sialkot. It seemed that he had a daughter who was always running away and throwing tantrums. Leuven was the only one who could reason with her, but he was not always successful.

     On this particular day, he had been sent on a short mission and I was confined to the palace grounds. I had never met the young princess, only heard about her, so I did not recognize the little brat when I saw her.

     She was dressed plainly and even had dirt on her face. I would not have paid any attention to her if she had not been bullying two little children. She was laughing at their fright and was waving a stick to frighten them even more.

     I might have let it be and gone on my way if she had not involved me. I was passing rather close by and she moved quickly. Hitting me squarely on the back with her stick, she began to yell and scream, berating me for ignoring her.

     I continued on my way, but she jammed the stick between my legs, tripping me. I landed hard, for it was unexpected. The ensuing attack was also unexpected.

     Raising my arms to protect my head, I shoved off of my knees, ramming her in the middle. I can only describe what happened next as a cat fight. She used her teeth and nails and had no inhibitions about fighting dirty.

     With my face and shoulders scratched up and several places sore where she had hit me with rocks, I decided that enough was enough. She was not going to get away with this!

     Pinning her arms to her sides, I picked her up and sat down on a barrel, where I laid her across my knees and removed my belt. She was still screaming angrily, unaware of what was about to happen. She found that out with no further delay.

     After giving her ten solid whacks, I set her on her feet and stood up. She immediately ran to three guards who had just come up, demanding shrilly that they arrest me. One of them I knew, for I had whipped him aboard ship. He took one look at me and backed up a step.

     With a start, I realized that I was still holding my belt, and that I was tapping my leg with it. Knowing me as he did, he knew that I was mad clear through, and that I could hold my own in an altercation. He wisely decided that he wanted no part of it.

     Turning to the girl, he said, “I think that you will not get your way this time. If I were you, I would leave this lady alone. You are no match for her, and you know it.”

      Astonished at this blunt refusal, the girl stared at him, and then at me. I gave the belt a little shake and her eyes grew round. Without another word, she turned and ran. Without really meaning to, I laughed. The guard stared at me. I shook my head and slipped the belt back around my waist.

     It happened that Leuven was delayed in getting back by several days and Sialkot left suddenly on urgent business. Therefore, neither of them knew about the fight. The girl involved me in several more such fights, and she always came out on the losing end, with a solid spanking to top it off.

     With a healthy dose of newfound fear after the last one, she obeyed me promptly when I ordered her to clean herself up. She presented herself to me an hour later wearing a clean and neat dress, her hair combed, and her face and hands scrubbed. Realizing that I could now influence her, I praised her for cleaning up and complimented her on her choice of dress.

     Deciding to test her, I invited her to eat with me. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she had good table manners. Finding that I was not completely overbearing, she pushed it a little to find out how much she could get away with. I promptly put her in her place with a move towards my belt.

     By the time Sialkot and Leuven returned, I had the girl acting like a perfect lady. She still tried to act like her old self whenever she was away from me, but since I had nothing else to do, I trailed her. Consequently, I knew whenever she did something and confronted her about it later. She found that she could hide nothing from me and gave in to my leadership.

     Her name was Daniela, and she had just turned thirteen. Leuven arrived home before Sialkot did. He noticed the difference in Daniela, and was surprised, but made no comment. By this time, I had learned of her relation to Sialkot, but I did not let that change my behavior towards her. Both Daniela and Leuven noticed this fact, although it seemed to irritate him for some reason. Maybe I wasn’t showing her enough respect or something. I don’t know, but I ignored it.

     The day that Sialkot returned, Leuven was teaching us to dance. Their style of dancing was much different than the basic waltz that I knew. It included several leaps and spins that required careful timing. As a result, I found myself tripping and falling into Leuven on more than one occasion.

     He was not amused with my lack of coordination and ordered me to sit on the sidelines while he taught Daniela. She was not much better at it than I was. He did not seem to mind this however, and kept on patiently explaining the steps to her. To my surprise, it was Daniela who scolded him for being more patient with her than he was with me.

     Unbeknownst to all of us, Sialkot had been watching us the entire time. He now strode forward, a stern line slashed across his mouth. “What is this?” He demanded. “What have you done to my daughter?”

     Daniela, her eyes wide, grabbed my hand and pressed close to me. “Please father, do not be angry with her.”

     Sialkot stopped, shock flitting across his face briefly before he smiled gently at her. “Of course not, darling. Whatever she has done has improved you greatly. I dare not be angry about that.”

     After dismissing Leuven and I, Sialkot led his daughter away, speaking quietly and listening intently to whatever she had to say. Once they were out of earshot, Leuven whirled around and glared at me, his golden brown eyes flashing.

     Growling angrily, he said, “Do not think that you can get away with throwing yourself at me. It won’t work.”

     This accusation astonished and confused me. “What do you mean? Why would I want to throw myself at you?”

     “Don’t play innocent with me, Brunhilda. I know better than that.”

     Giving me no time to reply, he stalked away, his back rigid. I stared after him. I had begun to like him, and even considered him a friend, the first and only one that I had ever had. Now however, I began to think that I had made a very poor choice.

Chapter Six of A Reporters Nightmare

    

     Aragon woke up to find that his pickup was empty and that he had been tied to everything that couldn’t move. When he had fallen forward he had cracked his head and knocked himself out.

     He tried to wiggle himself free of the ropes but they were tied to tightly. Aragon saw that some of the glass from the broken window had fallen onto the seat, only a few small chips but hopefully enough to cut the rope.

     Moving carefully he grabbed a shard of glass and winced as it sliced his hand. He maneuvered the sharp end to the rope and began sawing. The rope was very thick and it was strong. Unfortunately, it had come from the back of his pickup and he preferred only the best of ropes.

     Finally he cut through the rope and yanked his hands apart. The rope loosened enough for him to slip his hands out. He started to open his door but it was locked and if he opened it the lights would turn on.

     The hole in the back window was rather large and it had been enlarged with the bumps on the road. Aragon carefully removed the glass shards until he was able to crawl out.

     A dim light shown from somewhere and muted voices echoed. Aragon knew the best thing to do would be to start his pickup and get away, but Smoky had his keys.

     So Aragon moved to the danger.

     He heard the men saying stuff and yelping in pain. Aragon moved quietly until he was just outside the unit. He saw Smoky was shoveling dirt at a frantic pace while the other two men carried crates to the edge of the hole. Aragon wondered why the floor to the storage unit was dirt.

     Smoky stopped and stretched. “Baxter you take over the shovel, I’ll go check on Gates.”

Chapter Five of A Reporters Nightmare

     Smoky stared at the pitiful excuse for a man. His wailing had gotten on Smokey’s nerves but the mixed up story was wound together rather skillfully. He shook his head. “Maybe we should just dump him off somewhere, he’ll be likely to drop the crates and break or scatter everything inside of them.”

     Baxter nodded in agreement. “The way he is if he woke up in the middle of nowhere he’d waste all his energy wailing about it.” 

     Tate, the man in the back, rubbed his ears theatrically. “I can’t stand this Gates; whoever he is he isn’t worth a lot unless he works on the stage.”

     Smoky studied Gates again. “Okay, we’ll make him unload a few crates but if he even wobbles a little bit we’ll drop him somewhere where he’ll most likely kill himself trying to get out of.”

     Each of the men agreed. Just then Smokey’s phone rang. He snatched it up. “Wilson here.”

     “Where are you men at?” Came a bellowing voice that made Smoky hold the phone away from his ear.

     “We had a problem but we’ll be over there in fifteen minutes or less.”

     “Well hurry it up, I’ve changed the delivery time to twelve at night, that gives you less then four hours to get the storage unit ready.” The man on the other side yelled and hung up.

    Smoky turned to Baxter and Tate. “Boss says he changed the delivery time to twelve tonight, we only have four hours to get the storage unit set up.”

     The other men groaned. Their boss had stolen some diamonds from several people and had robbed several other banks. The storage unit would be the hide out for the money and diamonds until the police had calmed down their search a little bit.

     Then the money would be recovered and the four men would leave to live their lives in style and comfort. That is, if they could keep the police and reporters away from what they were doing.

    

Chapter VII of Lands Beyond

     The commander was waiting for me at my cabin when I arrived later. He carried a small leather pouch which appeared to be stuffed full. I glanced at it curiously. He smiled and held the door open for me, following me inside. I sat down on the couch and waited to see what he was doing here. It did not take long.

     Leuven sat down next to me and began to pull books out of his bag. He sorted through them until he found the one he wanted. It was like a child’s picture book, only bigger. It had a picture for nearly everything, with a word next to it. He pointed to one of the words and said it slowly and clearly. I repeated it back to him, careful to get the pronunciation just right.

     I had already learned a little bit about the language from my ship, so I was able to understand it fairly well. The syntax was different from English, but it went together in an understandable fashion. I suppose the best way to describe it would be archaic. If translated directly, with no concessions for modern usage, it would sound very old fashioned.

     The commander seemed determined for me to learn as much as possible in one sitting. There was no way I could remember that many words at once. When I saw that he would not stop unless I did something, I closed the book and shook my head. He frowned and reopened it. I closed it again, more firmly this time. This time, he got the message.

     He stood and bowed slightly before leaving the cabin. I went and lay down on the bed, my head swimming with all of the new words that I had learned that day. I fell asleep rehearsing them in my mind.

     Commander Makkedah came often, staying for several hours as he taught me his language. Sometimes we walked around the ship and talked to a few people here and there. Whenever we needed to talk about something that was beyond my grasp, we went to my shuttle.

     With such a persistent and thorough teacher, it did not take long for me to become fairly fluent. In the process, I managed to teach him some English. He claimed that it was a difficult and backwards language. I laughed and told him that everyone thought so when they first learned it.

     By the time we reached his home planet, we were on a friendly footing. I had learned much about him, some of which he did not know that I knew. It would take a very long time before I knew everything about him, and perhaps not even then, for he was a very complex and puzzling man. From a few of his comments, I gathered that he thought the same thing about me.

     When we reached the planet, Leuven escorted me to a viewing window so that I could see it. I have seen Earth from space before, but there was something about this planet that drew me to it. I stared in rapt amazement until a touch on my arm drew me back to reality.

     “What do you think of it?”

     “I love it. I have never seen anything so beautiful before. What is its name?”

     Leuven looked out the window, a gentle smile playing across his face. “It is commonly called Hespides, but we who live there call it Adena.”

     “A beautiful name for a beautiful world.”

     “Yes it is. Wait until you see it up close on the ground. You only think you love it now. When you see it up close, you really will fall in love with it.”

     I did not doubt him for an instant.

     It turned out that I did not get to see anything of the planet for several days. The ruler of Adena was a suspicious man and believed my story to be a preposterous tale. I had to tell my story to five people, at different times and under severe questioning. When they finally decided that I must be telling the truth, they released me into the care of Commander Makkedah.

     We were not allowed to go far, and were under surveillance the entire time, but he did show me several landmarks and other sites that proved his claim. I fell in love with Adena at first glance.

     My shuttle was left aboard the Burning Starlight. The commander forbade anyone to go near it and a guard was posted to make sure his order was followed. Even I was not allowed to go near it. Of course, if it had been up to Leuven, I could have gone anytime I wished.

     This order was from the ruler, who was still suspicious of me and feared that I would attempt to escape. His fears were not entirely ungrounded, as I later confessed to Leuven. Even though I was treated as a guest for the most part, I was still a prisoner, and felt like one too. I might have tried to escape if they had been less than courteous.

     As it was, however, the novelty and excitement were enough to keep me satisfied. The fine company was a plus. (Leuven stuttered slightly when I told him this. I loved catching him off guard.)

Chapter VI of Lands Beyond

     By the time a guard came to escort me back to my cabin, my head was swimming with everything that I had learned. It was still a mystery as to why the shuttle now had a defense mechanism and somewhat independent intelligence, but I now knew that the foreign computer systems had reacted to the current system in a strange and unpredictable manner.

     The engines, as well, had reacted strangely to the new additions. The engine, of course, was the energy source of the force-field. According to the computer’s calculations, the engines now had five times their original speed, as well as a higher fuel capacity and far lower fuel consumption.

     The new metal sheeting was of an extremely strong and durable alloy, specially designed for craft that would be constantly entering and exiting atmospheres. It was also designed to withstand under severe enemy fire with minimal damage. This alone made it quite valuable, and it was in high demand and hard to get hold of if you were not rich.

     Of course, this begged the question of who exactly was Leuven Rhys Makkedah, and what was his part in all of this?

     The guard showed up before I could research this, however, and I decided that it was probably for the best. If my captors were criminals on the run, then I would find out sooner or later. The same if they were a military escort or patrol, or even pirates. There was nothing I could do about it if they were any of these, and besides, surely I was smart enough to draw accurate conclusions from my own observations.

     Three days later, as I was inspecting the fuel lines, a warning klaxon began to sound. I carefully put everything back in place before turning to see what was going on. Several guards and pilots were running everywhere, speaking into little handsets as they ran. My guard motioned me inside so that we could talk.

     As soon as we were inside, he said, “We need to move your ship into a corner and line the fighters up in front of it.”

     “Why?”

     “Just get it moved and I’ll explain.”

     Sensing the urgency of the situation, I did as I was told. I underestimated the power that my shuttle now had, and we shot forward frighteningly fast. I had to bank hard to avoid hitting the wall. Slowing down, I managed to ease it gently into a corner. The guard exhaled in relief as the pilots began to maneuver the fighters into position in front of us.

     I turned to him for an explanation. He obliged as soon as he had made a report to the commander.

     “There is a foreign government dignitary coming aboard. We are currently very near their territory, and if they caught sight of this strange contraption, they may try to confiscate it from us. They are just touchy enough to start a war over it, even if there is no reason for it.”

     “Ah, I understand. Where I come from, we have had a civil war started over a disagreement. Even though it happened a very long time ago, there is still a line separating one side from the other.”

     “That is sort of what happened here. I believe that they are still trying to fight a war that ended centuries ago.”

     Nothing more was said as we sat and waited for the dignitary to arrive. When he did, I was surprised to find that he was a very young man, and from the looks of him, very petty, sullen, and highly disagreeable. My lip curled involuntarily. The guard smiled.

     “I see that you share my opinion of our distinguished visitor.”

     I turned to him. “Was he chosen for this position because of his rank, family influence, or personal ability?”

     “I believe that the answer would be family influence. They have no rank to speak of, but they are very rich and own a large number of businesses and are in control of at least two shipping companies and three mines. They are powerful enough that even Commander Makkedah is wary of upsetting them.”

     This was something to think on and I said nothing more.

     I do not know how long we sat there, but it was a very long time. I was beginning to wonder if we would have to stay the night in the shuttle when I saw the dignitary appear in the landing bay. He appeared to be very upset about something. The commander followed closely, apparently contrite and trying to appease and satisfy the boy. I frowned in distaste at the unseemly display.

     When the foreign ship was safely away, Commander Makkedah straightened and began to bark orders. Soldiers and crewmen alike scattered to do his bidding. One crewman came forward with a mop bucket and appeared to ask him something. The commander laughed heartily, nodding to signify his acceptance. At once, the crewman began to meticulously clean everywhere the ship and dignitary had touched.

     I would have laughed, but the situation was far too serious to be taken so lightly. I know very little of politics, especially foreign politics, but even I knew that this could be dangerous and possibly even foolhardy. It is never a good idea to make fun of those in power. Especially if they are touchy and eager for a fight.

Chapter V of Lands Beyond

     A mellow light flickered on, amply illuminating the space before me. I was amazed at the difference. Where there had once been merely a couple chairs and a bench, there was now an entire living area. A comfortable sofa sat where the bench had been, with two arm chairs across from it with a low table between them.

     On the other side sat a small dining table with a few stools shoved underneath it. Next to it was a small cooling unit, a sink, cupboards, and a stove. At least, it sure looked like one and probably worked about the same way.

     A ladder next to me caught my eye and I climbed up it. I could almost stand upright in this new cargo space. A door stood partially open at the other end and I crossed over and pushed it open the rest of the way. This was the bedroom. It even had a small bathroom connected to it, which was quite a blessing.

     I climbed back down and went to investigate the cockpit.

     It looked much the same, but I could tell that the level of sophistication had been raised astonishingly high. I sat down in the pilot’s seat and pulled up the schematics of the shuttle. As I had suspected, quite a bit had been changed. The computer helpfully pulled up before and after design sheets of the operating systems. Surprised, I stammered out a thank you.

     “You are welcome.” The computer replied.

     I was soon engrossed in my study and did not notice the arrival of the commander. I was firing questions at the computer when I heard him clear his throat behind me. I spun around and stared up at him. He was frowning, as usual. He growled something and jerked his head towards the outer door.

     “He said, ‘Come on.’” The computer supplied.

     I folded my arms. “I don’t think so, buster. Not until you have told me what you did to my ship.”

     The computer translated this to him. From the surprised look that he shot towards the control panel, I figured that he had not known about this ability that the computer had somehow acquired.

     “Your systems were extremely outdated.” He said slowly.

     I nodded. “I know that. I had limited resources and little real knowledge of what I was doing.”

     He quirked an eyebrow, but made no comment. “We were… curious, and decided to take a closer look. We could understand very little of it, however. I wanted to see how you felt towards this creation of yours. I must admit that you surprised me with the depth of your feelings.

     “I instructed my mechanics to put it back together and improve it if they could. They finished it yesterday. I did not know what had been done until this morning when they told me of this defense mechanism.”

     “You mean the force-field?” I asked.

     “Yes. I assumed that you had set something in place and that is why I was so upset with you.”

     “No offense, but you seem to be upset with me all of the time.”

     His only response to this was a grunt. I continued. “Furthermore, while my ship does hold great sentimental value to me, my main concern was being able to find my way back to where I came from. I do not know what has been done to this shuttle, and I do not know why it has these new capabilities. I am just relieved to know that there is now a way that we can communicate with each other, although I would like to learn your language.”

     At first, it seemed as if he would not reply, and then he turned to me. “Brunhilda. Is that your name?”

     “Yes, it is.”

     “Ah, I see. Well then, I suppose it is only right that I give you my name in return. I am Leuven Rhys Makkedah, commander of the Burning Starlight.”

     I smiled and held out my hand. “It is a pleasure to formally meet you, Commander Makkedah.”

     We shook hands and he rose to go, mentioning that I could stay as long as I liked. I thanked him, waiting until he was gone before I went back to learning more about the upgrades on the ship.

Chewing on Deception

     Draven spent the next few days avoiding the knights until he could put it off no longer. He was taking wood into the dining area when he heard Bard talking to Sir Daivi, one of the knights.

    “Aye, I know a guide.” He said. “One of the best around. He knows these mountains like the back of his hand, ifin anyone can find this castle then he can. Ah, here he is now.” He turned to Draven and gestured him over. “This is Draven, the best tracker around.”

     Draven stepped over and bowed to Sir Daivi. “I am at your service, my lord.” As he stood up he noticed that the knight didn’t take his eyes off of him. He shook it off and nodded to Bard as he pulling his hood further over his face and stepped out into the cold morning air.

     “I’m not a tracker!” He whispered to Bard when he caught him in the kitchen later. “And I don’t know these mountains at all.”

     Bard grinned. “But they don’t need to know that. Here let me show you something.” He took an old book out from under his cloak and set it on the table. He flipped it open to reveal a map of the Melltith Mountains. At the far bottom corner was Nazov. “That Pellaus fellow wasn’t the only one who had an ancestor who kept track of what happened. This map will lead you straight to the castle.”

     Draven picked up the thousand year old map and studied it. “I suppose it can’t be that hard to find.”

     “That’s the spirit!” Bard said cheerfully. “Oh, you should probably know, they believe you’re a mage.”

     The next morning the five knights mounted their chargers and left with much fanfare. Draven followed behind them some distance on his quiet, sure footed, mountain pony. He soon found that the knights were quite terrified of him, believing that he would curse them if they made him angry. Most of this was due to his unwillingness to engage any of them in conversation. None of this bothered him, however, since he preferred to travel on his own. He had found from his travels that while knighthood looked glamorous most knights weren’t very bright.

     It took them six days of steady traveling before they came upon an old village. The stone walls were crumbling and the thatched roofs had all but disintegrated. Draven’s pony snorted and eyeballed the buildings warily.  

     “This looks as good a place as any.” Sir Pellaus declared. “We shall make camp here and depart on the marrow.”

     A shiver ran up Draven’s spine as he scanned the buildings. His eyes came to rest on the charred remains of a wagon that lay on its side next to what used to be the church. “Innocent people died here.” He said. “We should move on.”

     Sir Pellaus opened his mouth to protest but Sir Davai shot him a look. “We should do as the mage says lest he curse us all.” He not so quietly whispered.

     Sir Pellaus grunted. “Very well then, we shall continue on.” He briskly spun his horse around and galloped out of the village.

     Draven scanned the village once more before following them. But he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had settled in the pit of his stomach.

A bite of Deception

 “What do you make of ‘em?” Tom asked as they scooped hay down to the horses.

     “Well, they’re different that’s for sure.” Draven said. “But by the looks of ‘em they’ll pay good an’ I bet ‘ole Bard is already spinning new tales of their daring deeds.”

     And so he was. When Draven and Tom came back in they found the five knights sitting in front of the fire, drinking ale and laughing gaily. At least half of the town sat in the small dining area of the inn listening with rapt attention to the handsome knight as he told a tale of how he single handedly slew a dragon with nothing but a broken sword and his wits to protect him.

    “If he had just his wits to protect him then I’m surprised that he’s still alive.” Someone said. Draven turned to see Astrid standing next to him with another round of ale in her hands. “They’ve been at it for hours and I fear there’s no chance of them stopping until morning.”

     “Aye, they do seem to like to talk.” Draven said.

     “Still, he is rather handsome. Don’t you think?” Astrid asked as she gazed at the tall knight dreamily.

     Draven resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “A handsome face does you no good if you have nothing to back it up.”

      “Aye, that be true enough.” Astrid said as she glided into the dining room and set the ale on the table next to the knights. Draven scanned the room until he saw Bard sitting in the corner and hanging onto every word that was being said. Draven sat next to him and listened with half hearted interest to more of the knights’ fantastic tales.

    “What brings you to these mountains?” The innkeeper asked later that night when things had settled down some.

     Sir Pellaus leaned back in his chair and stared into the fire for several minutes before he spoke. “Let me tell one final tale this night.” He said in a low voice. “Long ago, in these very mountains, there lived a great king. He ruled over a peaceful kingdom and for many years they lived in happiness; but happiness is never meant to last. For the peace of this kingdom was hard won with many a sacrifice. The king made many enemies, especially in a king from the south.

     “Now this king had heard about the fairness and beauty of the mountain kings daughter and wanted her for his own. He offered half of his kingdoms riches as well as never ending trade between the two countries in exchange for the girls hand in marriage. But the mountain king refused, for she was already engaged to a prince from the lowlands.  

     “Angered, the southern king sent his mightiest sorceress to lay a curse on the princess and her father. The sorceress set them and the whole castle into a deep sleep from which they would never awaken, except by true loves first kiss; for true love, she believed, didn’t exist.

     “And so, with the gates of the castle sealed tight, the people from the surrounding towns and villages left to seek their fortunes in the lower lands. And no one has dared venture near there in hundreds of years. In fact many have forgotten that it even exists. However there still is one family that remembers. My ancestor was the prince that was betrothed to the princess and the story has been passed down from generation to generation in the hopes that someday someone will be able to rescue the princess and restore honor to the family’s name. Now it has come my turn to search for this lost kingdom and reclaim my rightful inheritance.” Upon finishing Sir Pellaus declared that they would stay in Nazov for three more days before resuming their quest. They soon retired to their rooms and the dining area slowly emptied as everyone headed back to their homes.

     “What do you make of it, lad?” Bard asked when they were alone.

     “I think they’re fantastic tales made to make them sound brave when in fact they’re all selfish cowards.” Draven said.

     “Of course they are, lad, that’s what all the old heroes were. See, its bards like me who make them great.” He pulled on his pipe then blew smoke rings to the ceiling. “But alas, this is one adventure that I am unable to go on. Nay, I need someone young and strong to go for me and tell me exactly what happens.” He glanced at Draven out of the corner of his eye. “You wouldn’t know anyone willing to help an old friend out, would you?” He casually leaned forward and dumped the ashes from his pipe into the fire.

     Draven sighed. “Very well. I’ll go, even though I believe it to be a fool’s quest.”

     Bard grinned and leaned back in his chair. “Aren’t they all, lad? Aren’t they all.”

Chapter Four of A Reporters Nightmare

     Aragon felt himself being dumped onto the floorboards and wished that he had spent longer cleaning his pickup out. He landed on his metal Yeti cup and it dug into his side.

     The men threw their wet coats over him and the man in the back propped his feet up in a casual manner on Aragon’s back.

     Smoky stopped the pickup. Aragon could only hear what was going on. The police officer came forward and Smoky rolled his window down.

    “Mr. Gates I hate to te-.” The officer broke off. “Who are you?”

     “I’m Gates friend, Smoky Wilson.” Smoky said. “My pickup is being fixed and he said I could use it.”

     “I don’t remember Gates having any friends, with his job as a reporter he hardly ever hangs out with anybody.” The officer said. Aragon could imagine him scratching his head. “Anyway, I’ll just let you off with a warning; this pickup has been caught speeding at least a dozen times a day, sometimes we just ignore it but we’ve been told to lay down the law a bit harder. You might want to tell your friend that he needs to be a bit more careful.”

     “I will officer.” Smoky said charmingly.

     The sound of ripping paper was muffled by the coats around Aragon’s head but he heard it anyway. After a moment the sirens were silenced and the pickup started forward again, although slower.

     “Find his wallet.” Smoky said angrily. “And make sure he’s still asleep.”

     The men ripped the coats off and searched everywhere for Aragon’s wallet. He felt a bit of satisfaction at the fact that he had left his wallet at his house. “We can’t find it.”

     Smoky growled. “Wake him up then, and load the gun with blanks. I don’t want to accidentally shoot him.”

     The men jostled Aragon to no avail; finally they tossed some ice cold water in his face. Aragon found it rather hard to ignore that.

     Once he was awake and sitting up, Aragon looked out the window. They were in the boonies and it was getting dark. Smoky slammed on the brakes and turned to glare at Aragon. “Alright Gates, who are you really.”

     Aragon hung his head weakly and squeezed tears into his eyes, trying to make himself look pitiful. “I’m a nobody.” He said and sniffed. “I lied about working at the pet shop. I can’t hold down a job anywhere, I’ve worked as a cashier and a clerk, I’ve been a screen starer and a cab driver, not to mention other things but I just can’t seem to hold a job.” By the end of his speech Aragon had managed to have tears streaming down his cheeks.

     “Please don’t kill me, I’ve got a dog that I gave away and two fish that died last week but I haven’t found the time to throw them out and I’ve got parents that are in the grave that I’m sure will miss me plus a girl friend that doesn’t exist.”

     The men stared at Aragon in wonder at how he managed to fit all those words skillfully together and still be wailing.

     Finally Smoky rubbed an ear. “Stop your caterwaulin’.” He said and reached for the gun that now held blanks. “Tell me everything about you and quick and stop lying.”

     Aragon sniffed dramatically and then hiccupped, much to his annoyance. “I’ve told you everything that isn’t true about myself.” He said and slurred the words together somewhat.

     Smoky cocked the gun, his finger twitched on the trigger and the gun went off, blasting a hole in the window behind Aragon. “I thought this gun was full of blanks!” he bellowed.

     The man next to him cringed. “Sorry.”

     Aragon stared at the gun and hiccupped again, and then he let his eyes roll up in his head and he fell forward

Chapter IV of Lands Beyond

     Somehow, he seemed to know what I was going to do, for he was waiting for me outside the door. When I came up beside him, he held out his elbow in an unmistakable gesture. Surprised, I looped my arm through his and we walked through the ship together.

     The few people that we saw looked as surprised as I felt at the sight of us. I guessed that this was not a common sight. Just how uncommon, I did not yet know.

     Our first stop was the landing bay, again. We watched as the fighters landed and were guided to the side to allow others to come in and land. Some of them had to be brought in via remote-control. These pilots were either incapacitated, or dead. The injured ones were taken directly to the infirmary, our next destination.

     I waited near the door while the commander walked among his men, patting a shoulder here, adjusting a blanket there, and speaking a word or two to all of them. I was amazed at this difference in him. He seemed to be an entirely different person.

     Outside of the infirmary however, he reverted back to his usual self. I suspected that only the injured were allowed a peek at his other side. Why he allowed me to see it as well, I do not know. Perhaps… but I refuse to speculate. That would only lead to trouble.

     The walk back to my cabin was a quiet one. There was no one about, and the guards had been assigned elsewhere, leaving the commander and me alone together. I was surprised by this, as everything else this man did surprised me. I suppose that it proves the saying to expect the unexpected.

     At the door to the cabin, the commander turned to leave. I stopped him with a hand on his arm. If any progress was to be made, someone had to make the first move, so I tapped my chest and said, “Brunhilda Von Schonhausen.”

     He only stared, so I repeated the motion and said my name again. Slowly, he repeated the words back to me. I smiled and nodded. He grunted and frowned. What was it with him and frowning? He was especially good at glaring, as I have reason to know.

     Anyway, he did not seem to be in a hurry to tell his name, so I pointed to myself, said, “Brunhilda.” and then pointed to him with a questioning shrug and a raised eyebrow. (Those eyebrows are pretty useful, don’t you think?)

     The commander folded his arms and stared at me. It was pretty obvious that he either wouldn’t, or couldn’t, tell me his name, so I shrugged and stepped into the cabin, closing the door firmly behind myself.

     I was left alone for several days after that, my only visitors being a pair of guards who addressed me respectfully and never stayed longer than it took to execute their duties, namely that of bringing me food and fresh clothing. I had no desire to draw all of the time; so consequently, I had plenty of spare time.

     There is only so much sleeping, pacing, calisthenics, or sitting around doing nothing that you can do before you get bored out of your gourd. Even if there had been books or something in the room, I would not have been able to read them. There was not even an instrument that I could play.

     I think it was about a week that I was locked up, although it was hard to tell, so it could have been longer. And I was locked in, as there was nothing on my side of the door that would allow me to open it. So I am sure that you can imagine my state of mind by the time the commander graced my doorway with his hostile presence.

     And man, was he hostile! I thought that we had made some progress in our rocky relationship, but apparently that was not the case. He was definitely steamed about something, and I don’t think it had anything to do with my choice of hairstyle, either. He stalked over to me and planted himself right in front of me.

     “Brunhilda.” He growled angrily.

     I nodded stiffly and replied coldly, “Commander.”

     For some reason, this seemed to aggravate him just a tiny bit. He grabbed my arm and forcefully pulled me from the room. I had to trot just to keep up, which was not easy in the narrow dress that I was currently wearing.

     I was at a loss to understand why he was upset with me, until I saw what awaited us in the landing bay. I could not keep myself from gasping in shock at the sight that lay before me. My shuttle had been put back together, but it was not the same.

     It looked as if every piece had been re-manufactured to be larger, thicker, and far shinier than it had been before. In fact, the total size of the shuttle was nearly twice what it had been. I also noticed that everyone was keeping a respectful distance away from it, as if they were afraid of it somehow. I almost laughed, until I saw why.

     Part of what made the shuttle shiny seemed to be a sort of electrical force-field. Whenever anyone ventured to close, a current arced out and gave them a shock. I was afraid to get to close, but I had to see what the source was of this strange transformation. None of what I had in the shuttle could have caused this, so I knew that they had done something to it. Just what, I did not know, but I was going to find out.

     I shook off the commander’s grip and began to walk around the shuttle, giving it a visual inspection from a distance, just to be safe.

     Some of the basic design had been altered, to accommodate its larger size. It also appeared as if the engines had been redesigned. I ventured closer, fascinated by the changes. I was so intent on this, that I did not realize just how close I was getting until I heard a soft voice.

     “Welcome, Brunhilda Von Schonhausen.”

     I yelped and stumbled back, nearly falling. “Who said that?”

     The shuttle vibrated slightly. “I did, my lady. I am at your command.”

     Regaining my composure, I slowly made my way closer. In response, the boarding ramp lowered. I paused at the foot of it, afraid to go further. Something my father was fond of saying ran through my head. No pain, no gain. With that thought in my mind, I stepped onto the ramp and began to walk into the shuttle.