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

children looking for careers in government someday. After all, you are their heroes, you know.”

“Why we’d be honored,” Dauntless said, motioning to Rumsdon over his shoulder to step out into the camera lights. “I take it this group is majoring in political science and the likes?”

“Why, yes sir,” Mr. Gwynn agreed. “they’ve been studying the Logren political system in the greatest of detail all year. We had met the Matriarch outside, and she assured us that you were such friends that you would not be averse to sharing a bit of your wisdom for some of tomorrow’s leaders here today.”

“Certainly,” Rumsdon stepped forward to join in. “We can take a few questions, but then we must return back to work. You understand.”

“How about it kids,” Mr. Gwynn said with a wink. “One at a time please and make them quick so that our leaders may get back to work.”

The cameras flashed and whined and microphones lowered from every direction as the men posed and smiled.

“Isn’t it true that the war on the Forest Devils is just a sham,” Charm asked, “and that two of the people listed as victims, in fact never existed?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Dauntless glibly countered, “the media probably just misspelled their names and that’s why you can’t find them.”

“Why is it,” Jolt asked, that the only victims we can verify, without exception, are known political opponents of Mordred’s policies and the Warlock party line?”

“Mere coincidence,” Rumsdon cut in. “They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could happen to anyone. Even you or I.”

“Is it true,” Jinx added, “That you and the Vizier were planning to disrupt the Solstice Ceremony with what amounts to an act of terror?”

“Nonsense!” Rumsdon shouted.

“Then what of those sigils,” Hex spoke up for the cameras, “on your robes to protect you from Faschysto-stinkus?”

“That’s Faschystostarchus,” Dauntless roared.

“You idiot!” Rumsdon yelled, pushing Dauntless out of the way to try and claw his way back into the office to hide.

The smell of brimstone and rotten eggs filled the room as the towering demon took form in their midst. Cameras kept rolling. This was indeed news. Not what anyone anticipated, but real news. Dauntless raged and grabbed Hex in a strangle hold as Mr. Gwynn tried to coral the kids away from the threat, but they were trying to rally to help Hector. The commotion of reporters all blocking his retreat, Rumsdon attempted to bolt down the hall but a mighty taloned hand snatched him up and crammed him into a large maw with entirely too many teeth to be a feasible evolutionary design. Grabbing the throttling pair of Hex and Dauntless, the clawed fingers pulled Hex away by the neck and tossed him limply aside and popped the plumper and more satisfying Vizier into its mouth and chewed noisily. It started to reach for the children who were trying to help Hector when Emma remembered the power of command in her tiara that she wore under her hat today.

“Leave those children be!” she commanded the hulking monstrosity.

It paused in mid-reach and considered the reporters instead. She stepped forward and shouted again.

“Leave off from this plane entirely and return to your own!”

Well, it did manage a light snack of two master warlocks. The trip wasn’t a total loss. It returned to its own dark realm with its gullet a little fuller than it was when it arrived. Besides, magic users can be such a nasty lot once they’re riled. It just seemed like a good idea to quit while ahead. The stench remained a while, but the beast was gone.

Mr. Gwynn took over trying to rouse Hex. The boy’s neck was hopelessly broken and already his skin was paling from blood loss as his sister, Jinx wailed piteously. The reporters stop recording out of respect and assisted the ambulance crew in finding the remaining victim. Dodger approached Little Fox from the crowd of milling children.

“Where’s Stormy?” Dodger asked, “Did he get free of Mordred?”

“I almost forgot in all the ruckus,” Little Fox exclaimed. “The entrance to the Tower should be down at the end of the hall.” He hastened Emma towards the doors as the guards stepped in the way blocking them. The reporters, hearing another story in all of this began recording again.

“My grandson is in that tower, boys,” Emma said levelly. “Obviously, there’s some ill magick afoot in this place and I, for one, certainly don’t want my child mixed up in it. You can let me in while you can still operate under your own steam, or I can call back your leaders’ minion to move you. The choice is yours.”

The guards looked about for a moment. The reporters scanned the room for signs of any apparition, but it was unnecessary. Stepping aside, the Elites let Little Fox and Emma walk through the doors into the corridor leading up into Mordred’s tower. The smell of night air, mustiness and exotic fungi greeted them, but the office was as vacant as the workroom beyond it. Emma knew this smell all too well. She shuddered at the thought.

“They’ve gone,” Little Fox noted, “Let’s try some of the other offices that join to this tower.”

“Save your breath, John,” Emma replied. “They’re not in this world anymore. Johnny took him somewhere and chances are that neither will ever return.”

“Can you get us there?”

“No.”

“Can the Sidhe get us there?”

“Perhaps, but everything in Annwn is hostile to them.”

“And Johnny is part ‘them’.”

“Exactly.”
Ivory To Ebon Tower

Books, ancient and modern, astrolabes, crystal balls, cauldrons, vials of odd colored liquids and ground glittering crystals and a plethora of odd gadgets, gizmos and things a boy like Johnny could spend days looking over and figuring out. He scanned the office and the wizard’s work room beyond it in fascination as Mordred wound up his small talk and got to the point of why he had called him here.

“Something was taken from us,” Mordred said, rounding a globe to look him in the eyes, “and I think you can tell me how to find it.”

“Do you think I took it?” he asked, cocking his head to one side to gaze back.

“No, I don’t,” Mordred replied, “I know precisely where the three of you were when this happened, but I know Atlanteans were involved in this. Your people are here, somewhere and you are going to take us to them.”

“There are no other Atlanteans in Logres,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“Then I will have a squad of Elite Shadows flash fry your grandmother’s valet from a safe distance until one of you tells me how to get the Orb back.” Mordred countered.

“I’m the one you want,” Johnny said, looking deep into the warlock’s eyes to reinforce his words with feeling. “Of the three of us, I am the only one with the talent to rift to where the treasures are kept.”

“So, you’re how you all got here?” Mordred asked.

“No,” he replied truthfully, “I could never have made a jump this far on my best day, and certainly not with two adults in tow. But the treasures I speak of, and your Orb, are not so far away that I can’t get you to them.”

“So your compatriots there can jump me?” Mordred said with a smirk, “I don’t think so.”

“Bring weapons, if you will,” Johnny replied, tossing him a heavily modified force lash from a collection of weapons on a bench. “There are no Atlanteans in the place I speak of. It is too dark and dangerous to live in. It’s just a neat place to store things you don’t want others finding. But if you‘ve got your heart all set on killing Little Fox and my grandmother, go ahead. Because in the end, it will come down to just you and me and the only thing that will keep you alive and richer, is my hope that I might get you to spare their lives by cooperating with you.”

“How many people can you cross over with? Mordred asked, putting down the lash for a model he better favored.

“I’ve never tried it with more than two besides myself,” he answered truthfully. “I’m still just a kid and I’m not so sure I can hang onto two full sized adults for a jump like this, from this world. I’ve never done that at all.”

The comm unit on the desk began flashing and Mordred picked up the handset to answer it.

“What?” Mordred asked the unknown speaker. “And they’re likely to be heading this way? I’ll take this into consideration. We’re in no danger here.”
Putting down the set, Mordred grabbed a flashlight and a few odds and ends from his collections.

“A dark and dangerous place, you say?” Mordred said, conversationally, “a