In Harmony We Trust by Ryan Matthew Harker (chromebook ebook reader .TXT) 📕

The war began and the delicate peace of two worlds was abruptly and brutally shattered…

Jeshux had traveled far throughout AnEerth before he sent Farewethor back to the Midnight Monastery and returned through the Harashna, farther and for longer than he had intended. The scene that greeted him back on Earth was one of chaos and devastation. As he stepped from the swirling mess of color that was the earthen wormhole Jeshux found himself automatically steeling his body as the horror around him almost brought him to his knees.
The main building was hardly a ruin but all the same was pocked and scarred from enduring the destructive forces generated by battle. Some portions were destroyed while others had received minor damage. Bullets had riddled most of the buildings outer façade along with a few splashes of char here and there from laser fire. Some sections had resisted the heat but others had caught and burned righteously, completely gutting them of anything they may have contained. Jeshux wandered forward and gazed about at the madness. His personnel ran around in an attempt to restore some semblance of order, some of them gave orders while others obeyed them.
Jeshux reached out and snatched a young corporal as he rushed by. “What happened here?” He barked at the man and regained some of his grasp on the situation.
Recognition dawned almost instantly in the soldier’s eyes and he snapped to attention at once. “Oh thank the heavens you’re here, sir,” the corporal gasped. “We’ve been terribly overwrought.”
Apparently. “What happened?” Jeshux barked again.
The corporal visibly gathered himself and began calmly, “It was Harmony, sir. The bastard has gathered one hell of an army and he’s trying to take control of the Harashna. His foul creatures are accompanied by legions of men and they’ve attacked four times in the last thirty-seven hours. Mr. McAriicoys expects another barrage within the hour.”
Jeshux sighed inwardly at the corporal’s account. So it’s started, he thought. A little sooner than I’d expected but at least McAriicoys has survived and from what I can tell is holding things together.
“And where’s McAriicoys?” He quizzed the soldier.
“He’s in the main building, sir, in the central observation room.”
“Thank you,” Jeshux saluted the man. “Be about your business.”
The corporal returned his commander’s salute and hurried off so Jeshux made his way to the front entrance of the main building. The building was on the opposite side of the Complex from the wormhole and the further he got from the trans-dimensional gateway the worse the scene around him became.
Soldiers were busy dragging the mutilated corpses of friend and foe alike into piles around the outer perimeter of the Complex. If the enemy was successfully driven off, graves would have to be dug for the fallen; individual ones for the brave souls of Jeshux forces while mass graves would suffice for the slaves of the dark sorcerer. More likely than not fire would be the ultimate end for the werewolves and goblins. They were piled the furthest away from the Complex in preparation to be set ablaze.
Reaching the front of the main building Jeshux noted the excessive damage to that side of it. He pushed his way through the double swinging doors and into the near solitude of the Complex interior. Harmony had obviously concentrated his attacks there, probably in an attempt to take possession of the observation room which he must know controlled the entire Complex, including the wormhole. He also noted that McAriicoys had not placed any guards in the building and wondered why.
Jeshux reached the control room just as the door blew open and McAriicoys stormed out.
“Jeshux!” McAriicoys exclaimed. “Am I glad to see you.”
Jeshux grabbed McAriicoys by the shoulder. “I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long my friend,” he apologized. “Business overran my estimates some.”
McAriicoys grinned and patted him on his back. “No need, sir. No need, though it would seem that you’ve arrived just in time to have some fun.”
“Oh,” Jeshux eyebrows rose. “I suppose that has something to do with where you were going.”
“As a matter of fact, you’re right,” McAriicoys answered. “You had better come with me.” And he started purposefully down the hall.
With Jeshux close behind him McAriicoys related the events that had transpired since his commanding officers departure through the wormhole. “As you ordered I sent six spies into Harmony’s demesne in New York, only one came back. You can read the full report later.” He smiled grimly, “If there’s time.”
As they turned down another corridor Jeshux pondered those words and McAriicoys continued. “He returned with reports of a massive army, uncountable hordes made up not only of werewolves and goblins but humans as well. It seems that Harmony has been able to enlist natives from all over Earth. It also appears he’s been able to develop some sort of brainwashing technique, a combination of hypnosis, torture, and sorcery that has perverted to his cause those that wouldn’t join willingly. We’ve since come up with some rough estimates that are putting their numbers over a couple million.”
“For Death’s sake,” Jeshux muttered.
McAriicoys grimaced. “Sir, I’m afraid that’s barely the worst of it. The spies that you ordered and the subsequent ones I’ve sent also reported Harmony to be in possession of new weaponry. Quite a few pieces of what they all agree to be strange hardware. Like nothing we’ve ever seen before, ranging from small handheld to destructive long-range canons. And there’s at least one new bomb. We were lucky enough to have been eavesdropping on the site of its test detonation. It’s no bigger than a large ball but its thermal generating capability is greater than any nuclear or atomic device yet invented.” With this he stopped and looked Jeshux straight in the eyes. “Sir, this thing is capable of taking out an area the size of a small country.”
Jeshux groaned. “McAriicoys, my old friend we have to send word to the King.”
“Aye sir, that’s what I intended to do when I ran into you. I’m afraid we’re not going to be able to hold the Complex through another assault.”
“I believe you’re right,” Jeshux agreed. “It’s a miracle you’ve held out as long as you have.”
“No, sir,” McAriicoys contradicted. “Not a miracle at all. Harmony could have overrun us at the first attack. The devil's been toying with us from the start. He wants us to understand what we’re up against and he wants us to suffer.”
“I’m ordering a retreat,” Jeshux announced. “We’ll have a better chance of defending the wormhole from atop the Dark Tower. Harmony can only send so many troops through at a time and any who do slip past will be filtered down the stairs.”
“And the king sir?”
“Yes McAriicoys and the king.”
“I’ll sound a retreat then?” McAriicoys asked. “And send a messenger to the king.”
“Yes,” Jeshux confirmed. “The sooner the better.”
“Aye sir!” McAriicoys saluted and turned to carry out Jeshux command.
“One more thing,” Jeshux words stopped McAriicoys in his tracks. “I want explosives rigged in the wormholes control room. At this point it might be futile but if we blow up the controls than maybe the whole thing will shut down.”
“Aye sir, it will be done.” And then McAriicoys was gone.


The forest calm was shattered by the sound of steel on steel. The air was muggy and humid and inspired sweat to spring forth from the brows of the combatants. Their booted feet tore up the turf as their struggles carried them across the sunlit glade. Neither man spoke as they breathed too hard. In a desperate attempt one of them parried the others sword stroke and pressing an attack managed to drive the other fellow backwards. The retreating man concentrated on defending himself from the others blows, snagged his heel on a protruding root and stumbled. The attacker took advantage of his opponent’s misfortune and redoubled his efforts. Caught off guard the stumbling man was disarmed and fell flat on his back with a sword point to his neck.
The victor laughed and withdrew his blade. He clasped arms with the fallen man and drew him to his feet. “Well fought Candlelite,” he told the younger man. “But do you know where you went awry?”
“Yeah Vohrmint,” Candlelite grimaced and brushed himself off. “I shouldn’t have agreed to duel with you in the first place.”
Vohrmint Raspenmort, High Lieutenant and presently in command of the squad of mercenaries left by Commander General Jeshux to guard over the Chosen Ones during their stay at the Midnight Monastery, laughed uproariously at Candlelite’s sarcasm.
“Right you may be my young friend,” the mercenary conceded. “But that’s not why you lost. You could have had me.”
“But I didn’t,” Candlelite sheathed his sword in the scabbard at his left hip.
“Not for lack of trying,” Vohrmint reminded him. “Your fault lies not in a lack of skill with a blade. As a matter of fact I’ve not seen the like of which you’ve mastered the blade exhibited by anyone. No, your fault doesn’t lie there but where it does lie is in a lack of awareness.”
“Awareness?” Candlelite queried as he helped himself to some water. “And what’s that suppose to mean?”
Vohrmint guffawed. “Awareness son, awareness of your surroundings, I suppose the beast within supplies you with instinct aplenty but instinct can only take you so far. What you need is awareness, awareness of yourself, awareness of your opponent, and- as in this case- awareness of your surroundings.”
“My surroundings,” Candlelite mused.
“Aye lad, take that root you tripped on for instance. I had it spotted out from almost the first step I took in this clearing, along with that hole over there.” Vohrmint pointed. “And that rock over there.” He pointed again.
“What hole?” Candlelite asked after easily spotting the rock.
“Over there,” Vohrmint gestured vaguely.
Candlelite wandered over in the direction indicated and let out a startled cry as he almost stepped into a hole that was hidden by grass and brush.
“Oh,” Candlelite mumbled. “That hole.”
“Ha, ha, ha!” Vohrmint laughed brusquely. “You see. It was no accident you stumbled over that root.