Witch Clan: Warriors! by John Stormm (good book club books txt) 📕

for the most part, the woods didn’t look any different until he came to where the trail cut along the side of a small cliff side. From there, he looked out over what should have been the city of Rochester. But there were only treetops as far as the eye could see and no city to be seen at all. In the distance, he could make out a pair of bright colored zeppelins, one red and one blue with strange glyphs on the sides, flying high above the endless canopy of trees. The faint sound of gas powered props droned from the distant aircraft.

“I wonder if those might be our wizards,” Willard pondered aloud.

“I don’t know,” Leona replied. “A couple years ago, me Grams and Johnny saw a green and white one with symbols something like those, but that was long before we heard anything about Logres. So maybe they’re somebody else who lives out here. Grams says that there are as many worlds as there are possible decisions that could change history, made by every person who ever lived.”

“Eagle Eye, do you copy?” Willard called, testing his radio. The hiss of white noise was all he that could pick up from the set. For all the good reception that came with being on a hilltop, there was not the slightest suggestion of any kind of radio signal coming from anywhere.

“Maybe we should be making our ways back,” he suggested.

“We can go back towards the center of the oaks or we can continue on down the trail and just see what other rift we might just pop out into our own world through.” Leona pointed out.

“There’s more of these things?” he asked.

“Every once in a while we stumble onto a new one,” Leona said. “Either way, we don’t resonate on the same frequency as these worlds, so we’re never there very long before we’re back in our forest again.”

“Since we have no idea where our wizards might come through,” Willard decided, “we’ll hike on down this trail and see where it takes us.”

Another twenty minutes of strolling and they felt the slightest disorientation, almost like the briefest dizzy spell and then they noticed some backyards bordering the wooded park not far from where Elvyra used to live.

“Looks like we’re back home again,” Willard said.

“It could be,” Leona replied. “I could never be sure about that as these houses could be just a part of a plane that is a lot closer to our own. Sometimes I find myself wondering if my mom is really still the mom I left behind or if I’ve come back to a place only slightly different than my own where another Leona and Mom and Dad lives and if maybe she skipped off to some other world with her Grams and little cousin, Johnny.”

“Your cousin’s not so little anymore, kiddo,” Willard said with a gruff chuckle. “But that’s a lot of uncertainty for one young lady to carry around. Doesn’t it give you nightmares or anything?”

“Taken with the fact that several times a year, in school,” Leona replied, “we have to all go down into the fallout shelter and practice what to do in case the Soviets nuke the bejeebers out of us. I’d have to say it ranks with the smaller problems that just about any kid in the world has to carry with them now-a-days.”

“I’m sorry for how the world turned out, sweetie,” Willard said. “I’m wonderin’, when you guys all spent all that time in Annwn, a couple years back, why didn’t you all just pop back here after an hour or so, instead of spending so long away?”

“With Johnny,” she replied, “there’s no telling how long he’ll stay or how he’ll effect the rest of us. But there used to be a portal in a fence at Elvyra’s house that had runes and charms all over it, and I’m sure that had some sort of magick that made that difference since the Vough was using it to send things across this way to do mischief. It got destroyed when her house burned down.” She unconsciously rubbed at the faint scar on her hand where her grandmother had burned her with a flaming stick to give her the sensation she needed to scare off the giant rats that were stalking them as they slept that first night in that nightmare world. She wondered what kind of world her Grams and Johnny would be sleeping in tonight. She hadn’t wondered very long when a distraught middle aged man approached them on the trail.

“Hey, you haven’t seen an overly friendly pair of Dobermans gallivanting about here, have you?” He asked.

“Can’t say that we have,” Willard replied. “We’re just out for a hike. We can split up and help you look. What are their names, in case we find them?”

“Rex and Lady,” he said, “and my name’s Howard, by the way.”

Pleased to meet you, Mr. Bidahway,” Willard joked, stretching forth a large hand for a friendly shake. “My name is Willard and this is my granddaughter, Leona. Allow me to check in with our pal, Whitey and we’ll see if we can split up and help you find your dogs.”

To his relief, Whitey responded right away and he and Leona took opposite directions on the trail staying in radio contact and searched for the pair of playful Dobermans. He wasn’t far from the section of park where giant water storage tanks squatted among the trees when he heard barking, a sharp crack and a yelp. Running ahead he met a lone Doberman that nearly bowled him over trying to hide behind his legs.

“Easy boy,” Willard said, scratching behind the dog’s ears. “You must be Rex. C’mon fella and let’s see if we can find that girlfriend of yours.”

“Papa Bear to Goldilocks,” Willard called on the radio.

“Goldilocks here,” Leona responded.

“I found Rex over near the big storage tanks,” he explained. “I haven’t seen Lady yet, but something certainly has Rex scared silly, so keep your eyes peeled for a very nervous dog.”

“Ten four,” Leona returned. “I’ll be coming up the northern trail from the other side and should either see the dog or see you within a few minutes.”

Willard slid off his belt and looped it through the dog’s collar. Fortunately, he was in the habit of wearing suspenders in addition to his belt. It made for a fine short leash. Rex heeled very well and seemed to prefer to stay slightly behind him. Something had certainly scared the daylights out of this mutt and he hadn’t gotten too far up the trail when the smell of burnt hair and flesh reached his nostrils and he spotted something smoldering on the trail ahead of him. It was the charred remains of Lady. Rex whimpered and tried to pull away from him.

“Papa Bear to everyone,” he called again on the radio. “I found the female, and it ain’t pretty. It looks like we might be having some anticipated company on the hill with us today. Keep your eyes peeled for anyone dressed strangely. Take no action as they may be armed and dangerous but don’t let them out of your sight and stay in radio contact.”

“Ten four, “ Leona replied. “I can see you from here, but nobody else yet. Howard should be coming up on you soon from the service road.”

“Ten four,” Whitey replied. “I’m on the job here in the parking lot. I’m enjoying a shady tree and a lemonade and watching a few young school fellers out for a graduation party. Nothing unusual to report here. Eagle Eye out.”

Being that it was late June, there were bound to be countless graduation parties going on all over town, but something about that statement left the hair ruffled on the back of his neck. He didn’t get to ponder it too long before a very excited Howard burst onto the scene.

“Rexy!” he called, “You found my Rex. And where is your mate, Lady wandering off to? You naughty hound,” He clipped the dog’s leash on its collar and handed Willard back his belt when he noticed the smoldering ruin that was once Lady.

“Oh my God!” he cried, “What happened to Lady? What could do this to her?”

“I really don’t know,” Willard gently lied. “It looks like she was struck by lightning, but it’s a sunny day and we didn’t hear any thunder. Maybe it was one of those freak occurrences we read about in the supermarket tabloids. I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m glad I was able to find Rex here for you. He and I met back there a ways and since he was coming from this way, I brought him back up here in hopes of finding Lady. I’m really sorry. I don’t know what else I can say.”

“Thanks,” Howard mumbled, teary eyed and stunned by the carnage.

“I’m thinking,” Willard offered gently, “that it might be a good idea if we all got off the hill until we know what caused this, just in case it might happen again to one of us.”

“Good idea,” Howard replied, looking about wildly and hastening down the trail with his remaining Doberman in tow.

Leona’s eyes widened as she walked up from the opposite end of the trail to see the smoldering remains of the dog.

“What the heck did this?” She asked, indicating the corpse.

“I’ve seen this before,” he replied. “In your grandma’s gazing bowl. Our wizards are here and some where’s in this park We need to be watching for some guys dressed in matching robes.”

“Criminy Gramps,” Leona exclaimed, “It’s graduation time and there will be guys and gals in robes just about everywhere this time of year.”