

### HIDDEN EARTH Volume I Maycly

### Book Two "The Battle of Trust and Treachery"

Copyright 2011 by Janet Beasley

Illustrations by Dar Bagby

_HIDDEN EARTH Volume I Maycly Book Two "The Battle of Trust and Treachery"_ is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events, establishments, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Text copyright 2011 by Janet Beasley.

Illustrations and cover art copyright 2011 by Dar Bagby.

Design, layout, and formatting by Connie M. Thompson: http://www.ridgeroadenter.com • graphicsetc@hughes.net

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, scanning, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN-10: 098488131X

ISBN-978-0-9848813-2-1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

**Part Two** _"The Battle of Trust and Treachery"_

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Other Scribblings by Author Janet Beasley

Map

Prologue

Chapter 18 – Charleo's Assignment

Chapter 19 – Home Is Where the Heart Is

Chapter 20 – Finding the Other Two

Chapter 21 – To and Through The Vinewall

Chapter 22 – Welcome, Warrior Leaders!

Chapter 23 – Let the Recruiting Begin

Chapter 24 – This Be a-Givin' Me the Creeps

Chapter 25 – Who and What Are They?

Chapter 26 – Warriors Unprepared

Chapter 27 – United Army of Chukkon Warriors

Chapter 28 – Being Ushered In

Chapter 29 – A Close Call

Chapter 30 – Marlen Pays a Surprise Visit

Chapter 31 – Pomp & Circumstance, and Mixed Emotions

Chapter 32 – The Binding

Chapter 33 – The Day of Reckoning

Chapter 34 – Adventures of the Terrain Masters

Chapter 35 – The Dreadful Demise

EXTRAS

Buttons-n-Blocks: How to Play/Rules

Terrain Masters

Terrain Masters Groups/Badges

Recipe: Farmhouse Smoothie

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my husband, Don, who has been and always will be my essence of life. I wish that the wind may catch our sails and carry us to a new sea together where we will float on the waves of achievement, prosperity, and wellness.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to my husband, my parents, my in-laws, and my outlaws. Thank you to my social network of friends, readers, and fellow authors. Thank you to the Creek '79ers, Picture This Photography & Design, and to author Steve Hamilton, who was my inspiration, and who provided me with my first autographed copy of a book. Thank you to Connie T. for making _Maycly_ come to life in a very professional way. Without the encouragement and support of all of these people, the world would have been deprived of _Maycly._

OTHER SCRIBBLINGS BY AUTHOR JANET BEASLEY

Janet has been published in several trade-specific magazines. Her articles dealt with theatrical productions from conception to completion, technical theater, and how to survive live productions on half-a-shoestring budget. She currently has two self-help books regarding theatrical productions and theater applications available on Kindle, _Production P.A.R.T.Y._ and _Theatrical Fudge._

Other things Janet has written include award-winning poetry, greeting cards, inspirational photo captions, and an autobiography.

Someday she hopes to create a coffee table book combining her talents of inspirational words and her scenic nature photographs.

_HIDDEN EARTH Volume I Maycly_ has been released as three separate ebooks _(Book One "Two Altered Worlds," Book Two "The Battle of Trust and Treachery,"_ and _Book Three "The Queen")_ and as a collector's edition paperback version containing all three parts.

"... _And when we find ourselves in the place just right,_

'Twill be in the Valley of Love and Delight."

**Simple Gifts,** Shaker Elder Joseph Brackett, Jr. 1848

PROLOGUE

As he wrapped his gaunt and disfigured wings around the Grand Wizard–his own Creator–his burning saliva dripped into the Wizard's open wounds, sizzling and popping on contact. He clearly held no remorse for his deeds. "You are a fool to think You would be the final conqueror. You forget that I was one of Your creations. Not only did You endow me with everlasting life, You saw fit to give me all the wisdom and power You Yourself possess...a blatant error on Your part. Now I harbor not only that which You bestowed upon me, but also that which I found deep within me, that which was not put there by You.

"Ironically Your early acts of kindness toward me prepared me for what I have become. It was through Your well intended efforts that I recognized the pitiable existence You had bestowed upon Your lowly followers. You pampered them using the excuse that Evil must show its face and be overcome so that Good can prevail for eternity, when in fact, You must certainly know that, despite Your efforts, Evil has become far stronger than You ever anticipated.

"Now You cower before me. You are nothing more than a pathetic replication of one of Your most hapless creations–a mere wightling, old and decrepit. My delight in Your demise is indescribable. There will be no more pampering of Your miserable chukkons and wightlings. Instead I will take great joy in watching them suffer endless servitude to me and my kind. My chest swells with pride knowing that what You prophesied will _not_ come to pass. It is I who will rule all of Maycly, I and my minions of Evil. As I watch Your life slowly draining away, I take pleasure thinking that You feel the disgrace You so deserve at Your failure. Your time has come to an end. Mine begins."

His wings slowly unfurled, exposing his Creator's battered and abused body.

Chapter 18

Charleo's Assignment

The curtains rustled softly, and a slight breeze danced across Charleo's face. The air became sweet with mixed scents of plumerias and cotton candy, the distinct aromas that caused him to open his eyes. Looking in through the open window hovered SUL's personal messenger, the illuminated etherealian, Carbreyghal. He floated with dignity, his wings gently fanning the air, creating the balmy aromatic breeze. Multicolored pinpoints of light glittering through the pale feathers of his wings enhanced the twilight.

Charleo glanced at Marlen in a deep sleep lying next to him then looked back toward Carbreyghal and smiled. Carbreyghal did not hesitate to return a comforting smile. Charleo got out of bed and tiptoed to the window. "And what've I done ta deserve a visit from SUL's personal messenger?"

"I have been sent with a message from SUL." Carbreyghal's voice was soft and calm. Still, Charleo's eyes widened as both fear and excitement set in. "The situation with Tarnnin has grown worse. He plans to overthrow SUL in the near future. SUL needs a chukkon with seasoned wisdom, knowledge, and a strong constitution to lead the battle to defend the Good that Maycly stands for."

Charleo's expression became somber, and his mind raced. _I've seen this in me heart. The prophecy from_ The Book of Good and Evil _be a-comin' ta pass. Plus there be thin's SUL has told me that He dinna want in the book, but I couldna bring meself ta tell the family, or anyone fer that matter. Besides, I was certain SUL said not ta. I canna believe this be a-happenin'. What'll be next?_

"It is good you have spoken to no one about these things." Charleo was comforted knowing Carbreyghal was attuned to his every thought. "SUL has a promise to keep, and He requests your help. You are to gather an army of chukkons. Train them to fight for Good. You must trust the Grand Wizard and act accordingly. There are three specific recruits who will serve as leaders and travel together on this mission. You, dear Charleo, are one of the three. You are their leader, the general over all chukkon warriors. When you come face-to-face with those you believe to be the other two leaders, ask each of them, 'Did you ever have a heartfelt vision of a great and terrible day?' If they answer, 'Yes. I am one of three who received a call from SUL,' then you will know. If their answer is, 'No,' or if they offer no answer, simply thank them for their time and move on quickly before they ask questions."

Carbreyghal invited Charleo to gaze into his eyes. What Charleo saw was not what he was thinking, but what the future held for him. He watched until Carbreyghal's eyes returned to their normal color of a tranquil sea, then Carbreyghal spoke with intensity. "Do you understand your assignment?"

"Uh...um...well, I uh..." Charleo's hands shook and his heart raced. He bowed his head, stroked his beard, then licked his lips and clenched them between his teeth.

"Still do not speak of this to anyone, except those you recruit and gather. Do not be afraid, for SUL is with you. He would not instruct you to do anything He believes you cannot handle. Doubt not, nor waiver. Stay strong in knowing that what I have said is true. And above all, trust SUL."

Charleo responded with honor. "This has all come so fast. I saw in yer eyes what must be done, and I be the one responsible fer a-bringin' our queen ta Maycly. Tis a lot of responsibility." Overwhelmed by the appearance of Carbreyghal's beauty, Charleo held his stare. His fingers wove together, as did a mix of emotions. He blinked and shook his head to clear his negative thoughts.

Carbreyghal rose and spread his wings to their full potential, and they shone three times brighter. He smiled proudly at Charleo.

When the smile reached Charleo's eyes he felt himself fill with a confidence only SUL could deliver. "I'll be a-doin' what our Creator has asked." With that he bowed before Carbreyghal.

"Do not bow unto me; I am simply the messenger. Arise and return to your slumber, for you will need much rest." Raising his hands to his lips Carbreyghal blew sparkling dust into the air; it fell over Charleo, who was walking toward the bed and wondering how he was ever going to sleep. He fell into bed as his eyes became droopy. He wanted so badly to watch Carbreyghal make his exit, so he fought to keep them open.

Carbreyghal delivered the last bit of SUL's message for Charleo. "Your Creator, the Grand Wizard SUL, thanks you." Charleo broke into a dreamy smile and Carbreyghal disappeared into the moonlit sky, the pinpoints of light in his wings blending with the stars.

Charleo did not have any trouble finding sweet sleep. When he awoke the next morning he felt refreshed, but he was still unsettled at the previous twilight's event. From that day forward he spent much time in his wood shop, secretly preparing for the day recruiting would begin.

Chapter 19

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Since Carbreyghal's twilight visit, Charleo's role and tasks had become more apparent and less unsettling to him. This twilight, exactly seventy-five years after Charleo had traded his taggerts for his pipe from Jobi, Carbreyghal delivered another message from SUL: the next morning would be the one Charleo had been waiting for.

• • • •

After his last sip of coffee, Charleo loitered at the kitchen table thinking about Marlen and their boys, Denton (the older one, who had stopped aging at 16) and Dittle (the younger of the two, who had stopped aging at 11). But mostly his thoughts leaned toward Marlen this morning. He smiled as he watched her in the kitchen, being herself, a happy-go-lucky chukkon. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Marlen was the wife best suited for him and his antics.

DENTON AND DITTLE

Marlen loved to prepare meals for her family and sing songs with them after feasting. When no one else was around she would hum to herself, making up lyrics and tunes. Her garden was her prize, filled with flowers of many colors, dancing-daffodils being her favorite. She relished the task of tending it daily. She approached Charleo from behind. "Everythin' be all right m'dear?"

"Aye, and at the same time, nae."

"Whate'er do ye mean by that? That be a silly answer." She frowned and kissed his forehead.

"I canna speak of such. Please trust me, and most of all, keep a-trustin' SUL no matter what be a-happenin' in these next few years."

"Few years? We've been a-trustin' ye and SUL fer centuries; why would we e'er stop now? Ye be a-soundin' ridiculous. Snap out of it...where be me old Charleo?" Again she kissed his forehead. This time Charleo smiled, but not for long.

"Twill be revealed ta ye at the appointed time. Ye must let me do what I be a-havin' ta do."

Marlen chuckled as if Charleo were talking gibberish. "Ye've been a-spendin' too much time in yer wood shop. And I've been a-waitin' ta see what creations ye've crafted. When do I get ta sneak a peek?" She reached to pinch his cheek.

"NOT TILL I BE A-SAYIN' SO!"

She jerked her hand back. "Goodness...it must be very special. I'll not be askin' again. Sorry ta have gotten yer whiskers in such a fluster." She tugged on his beard as she shook her head.

Charleo stood up and pulled Marlen to him. "Oh m'dear. I be sorry fer a-snappin' at ye. Just be a-trustin' me...tis big. Bigger'n anythin' I e'er imagined. Tis great and terrible all at the same time. Please, no more questions. It pains me so not bein' allowed ta speak of the events ta come. I've spoken every night ta SUL, askin' Him ta watch o'er ye and the boys. I know He will–no matter the outcome." Charleo sat back down in his little chair and covered his face with his hands.

"The...outcome? Ye be a-talkin' like the Day of Reckonin' be at hand."

Charleo sat motionless and gave no answer.

"Just ne'er mind. Ye needna be answerin' any more of me questions." She leaned in close and pulled Charleo's hands from his face. "Look inta me eyes Charleo." His head raised; his eyes were slightly tearing. "I've loved ye and been with ye so many years, twould be silly fer me ta be a-questionin' yer wisdom. Fer that matter, twould be utterly ridiculous ta doubt SUL's wisdom now or e'er." She smiled, but only the left side of her mouth rose to the occasion.

"Thank ye m'love." Charleo stood, took her hands in his, pulled her to him, and gave her a reassuring kiss.

Marlen buried her head in his chest. "Ye be welcome m'love." Charleo heard crying in her voice. She squeezed him tighter for a moment then turned and walked outside to the back yard to tend her garden.

Charleo smiled when Denton and Dittle ran to her side. He watched Marlen don her gardening gloves, pick up her small tools, and head to her favorite flower bed. He returned to his seat to stall a little longer and said aloud, "Well, no one else be a-goin' ta do this, and it willna go away no matter how long I wait. So tis out the door and ta the first house ta see if there be any respective warriors awaitin' me arrival." He walked to the sink and dropped his coffee mug in the dishwater from the evening before. "Far be it from me ta complain about dirty dishes in a sink e'er again."

He moped out to his wood shop. There he opened the secret drawer of his tool chest and picked up a few things he had made, along with a tablet and a scribbling stick, and tucked them into his pocket. He went back into the house and proceeded to the bedroom to snap up a tablecloth filled with essentials tied to the end of a stick, which he had hidden under the bed. These were the only items SUL had instructed him to take.

Swinging the stick over his shoulder Charleo returned to the foyer. He flipped to the last page of the tablet and pulled from it the note he had written to Marlen. He laid it on the small table next to the door and placed a dancing-daffodil from her garden atop the note. He opened the front door and turned to take one last look at his home in its current state. Through the tiny window in the kitchen he could still see Marlen in the back yard. The boys skipped and jumped like boys do. He knew it would be a long time before he would ever see his home and family again...and he knew it would be different in the days to come on Maycly.

The door squeaked and latched behind Charleo as it always had. Rascally stood near the gate attached to the wagon. The horse pawed at the ground and whinnied low. Charleo approached him and gave him a quick pat on the nose. "Not this time big fella. I be a-goin' on foot. I'll be a-seein' ye again, but not fer a long time. Ye watch o'er Marlen and the boys fer me. Take 'em ta town by way of the scenic route, eh?" Rascally nickered softly and shook his mane so that it brushed Charleo's face. Charleo could not help but cry. Rascally rubbed his cheek on Charleo's and dried the tears.

Charleo removed his hat and bowed his head. "SUL, I be a-goin' by faith here, and by foot like Ye asked. I be a-trustin' Ye, Grand Wizard, but me home be where me heart'll be a-stayin'. A-leavin' it...well, tis not an easy thin'. But Ye've been so good ta us, tis the least I can do. So please be a-hearin' me heart when I be a-sayin' in this hard time that I be a-doin' it fer Ye, and fer the Good of Maycly. In return, I ask that Ye please tend ta both me and me family, just as Ye always have."

He stumbled forward with surprise when a wet nose bumped his bum. "All right...all right. I be a-goin' Rascally."

After about an hour Marlen and the boys returned inside. She called to Charleo but got no answer. _He must be back out in his wood shop._ She started in that direction when a Sprite caught her eye, buzzing and flitting about the entrance table where Charleo's letter lay. A lump swelled in her throat. She picked up the letter and unfolded it.

Me dearest Marlen,

Dunna read this aloud fer the boys ta hear.

Simply tell 'em I've gone fer a season ta help Maycly become

what it used ta be.

Tell 'em I love 'em very much, and ta trust that

I'll be a-seein' 'em again someday.

Go ta the top drawer in me dresser;

there ye'll find three necklaces.

Each has a strap, and each strap be adorned with

an inscribed stone.

These I made in me shop with me own hands,

one fer ye, one fer Denton, and one fer Dittle.

I already be a-wearin' mine.

Yer stone says LOVE, Denton's says STRENGTH,

Dittle's says COURAGE.

Ye needna know yet what mine be a-sayin'.

Wear 'em proud as I'll be a-wearin' mine.

Dunna remove 'em till ye be a-seein' me again.

At that point in time we'll hang 'em together on the

mantle of our home.

Kiss the stones each night we be apart so we can be together

in a sort of way.

Now remember, trust us both, me and SUL.

I love ye m'dear.

• _Yer beloved Charleo •_

Chapter 20

Finding the Other Two

Charleo chose Klondelkin as his first stop in the recruiting process. Approaching a white picket fence, he saw the familiar dirt and stone path leading up to the small cottage of his long time friend, Keegan, a hard worker and a wonderful husband and father.

KEEGAN

Keegan was a master at organization, he stood his ground for what was Good, and the welfare of others was always foremost on his mind.

Charleo was not certain if Keegan would find him alarming, crazy, or simply a long awaited answer. There was no way to find out except to knock and hope Keegan himself would come to the door.

"Why, Charleo, me friend! What a pleasant surprise. Come in. Come in."

"Shh, shh. I'd rather not. I prefer ta speak ta ye right here at the door, if ye dunna mind."

"Oh. Dunna mind a'tall. What be a-goin' on? Yer face...tis kinda droopy. And why be ye a-speakin' so soft?"

"Keegan, our families have been best friends fer a long time, and I be dependin' on that fact fer ye not ta be a-findin' me crazy." Keegan's brows rose.

Charleo cleared his throat. "I need ta be askin' ye somethin', and I dunna know fer sure how ye'll be a-takin' it, but here goes." He looked down at his feet, took a deep breath, and pulled himself up to his full height. Looking Keegan right in the eyes he asked, "Did ye e'er have a heartfelt vision of a great and terrible day?"

"Aye. I have. And the good news...I be a-comin' with ye!"

"Shh! Keep it down. We be s'posed ta keep our families from a-knowin'."

Keegan laughed at Charleo's seriousness. "Me family be on their way ta the Valley of Feastin' ta join in some celebrations. I told 'em I had a few thin's I wanted ta do around the cottage. I knew today was the day; SUL told me. So no need ta keep a-whisperin'. And by the way, me family be a-knowin' nothin' about any of this."

"Whew." Charleo wiped his forehead. "Thanks fer a-makin' me first recruit stop so simple. Now all we've ta do is find the third leader such as ourselves, eh?"

"That be the plan."

"Then I guess ye need ta be a-leavin' yer note and...and..."

"...and a-takin' care of thin's. C'mon in whilst I be a-gettin' ready." Keegan rushed to his secret drawer in his bedroom to get the note he had written for his family. He also grabbed a few photos he wanted to have on hand. Charleo felt tears well up in his eyes as he walked to the mantle and picked up a photo of Keegan and his family. He jumped, nearly dropping it, when Keegan shouted from the bedroom. "Carbreyghal spoke ta me one night and told me ta expect yer visit in the future. Plus he told me what ye'd be a-sayin' ta me. Since that evenin' I've been a-plannin' and a-preparin' ta make the journey with ye."

"Ye be a-soundin' mighty excited about all of this."

Keegan returned to the living room. "Aye. I've ne'er been asked ta train as a warrior before, so I figured it must be somethin' important if SUL sent Carbreyghal ta tell me."

Charleo smiled warmly. He realized Carbreyghal, at SUL's will, had spared Keegan the details and would reveal them as necessary.

Keegan placed his letter on the mantle beside the picture Charleo had held. "This adventure sounded easier than it be now." Charleo looked at Keegan and put his arm around his friend's trembling shoulders. After a few seconds Keegan nervously chuckled, trying to break the tension. "Let's get a-goin'. I've somethin' ta show ye!"

Charleo stood up straight, and genuine happiness spread over his face. Keegan had always looked up to Charleo. They stepped out onto the porch, and Keegan pulled the door shut behind him. Then he jumped from the porch and took off. He motioned to Charleo to follow him across the stony drive and into the tall crops on the other side. Charleo saw a narrow worn path. They came upon a mound of dried-up crops lying in a pile reaching high above their wee heads.

"Help me clear these dried crops away."

Keegan's excitement prompted Charleo. "Who am I ta argue with such an enthusiastic chukkon?" Charleo joined Keegan in flinging the dried crops off of the mound that was obviously hiding something. "What in all of Maycly be this? Tis a beautiful piece of work. I've ne'er seen such a wagon!" Charleo stood on his tiptoes and tried to see the driver's bench. Then he stepped back and looked up high toward the top of the wagon's cover.

Keegan led him to the front of the wagon. "Tis our means of transportation fer the gatherin' up...ye know...the recruitin'. I built it meself right down ta every detail, e'en the metal-strapped wooden-spoked wheels, just like Carbreyghal instructed!"

Charleo was in awe. "Tis such a grand size. Whate'er be a-goin' ta pull this amazin' wagon?"

Keegan made a click-clack sound with his tongue against his cheek, followed by a whistle, and a team of two huge golden brown draft horses with dark chocolate manes and long white fetlocks made their way through the thick crops. Charleo dived and rolled out of the way.

HALO AND SCEPTER

Keegan laughed. Already with their harnesses in place, the horses stopped by the tongue of the wagon, ready to be hitched. Keegan walked up between the two magnificent animals and stroked their legs. "I'd like ta introduce ye ta Halo and Scepter."Charleo stood up and brushed himself off, rather embarrassed at his stunt, and made his way between the horses' front legs. The two chukkons appeared miniaturized by their size. Charleo and Keegan looked up, and at the same time Halo and Scepter bowed their heads and bumped the two chukkons gently with their noses.

"WOO! Well good day." Charleo stumbled as he was knocked forward a smidgen. Each horse whinnied and scratched the dirt as if to say a big hello to Charleo.

In the meantime Keegan had untied the lacings of the wagon cover. He invited Charleo to join him at the back of the wagon. Then he pulled the canvas open.

"Where'd ye e'er get all of these thin's? There be coats, hats, mittens, socks, and boots. What be the wooden crates labeled _Essential Supplies?_

"Climb on in and take a look around!"

As Charleo strolled through the covered wagon he found large capped-off gourds that held water. There were small baskets with cloth linings that came to a twisted point. "What be these?"

"Those be magic outin' baskets! Go ahead, look inside one."

Charleo untwisted the top and saw breads, rolls, fruits, wine, and sweets of all kinds. He stepped back, and the basket twisted itself shut. Keegan saw Charleo's expression. "Pretty amazin', eh?"

"I be a-sayin' so. And lookie here. Pipe stuffin's! E'en me favorite–E'er So Sweet. SUL must be behind this." Charleo's insides felt warm at his obvious conclusion.

"Ye be right. Carbreyghal told me SUL would provide. The horses came ta me first, so I've been a-tendin' ta them in secret. Carbreyghal told me where SUL would put the wagon once I finished a-buildin' it, and He told me what SUL would be a-puttin' in it while it was hidden." Keegan could barely contain himself. "I'd often slip away and observe the pile of brush, a-wonderin' what that...I mean _this_ day would be like."

Charleo hesitated long before he spoke again. "Well then, be ye ready?"

"Aye!"

The two chukkons climbed aboard and took their seats on the driver's bench. Halo and Scepter whinnied with approval. Charleo grabbed the reins, much to Keegan's liking, and they laughed and sang together as they journeyed on to find the third and final leader of the chukkon warriors.

• • • •

When the wagon finally found the road, neither Charleo nor Keegan looked back. The road led them through Klondelkin to the village of Hawthborough. They parked on the side of the street in front of the next cottage on Charleo's list. Up the driveway they sauntered. Knock, knock, knock, Charleo rapped the heavy metal ring. Willie opened the door. Charleo gave his speech, but Willie looked at Charleo as though he had gone off the deep end and told Charleo he was not interested. The next fifty-three doors brought the same response. Charleo was ready to call it quits.

"We canna be a-doubtin' now," said Keegan.

"No one else in this village e'en understood us. They thought we'd gone daft." Charleo tossed the reins to the side in disgust.

"Aye, but that doesna mean there be not someone in another village a-waitin' fer us. We canna give up now. How would ye feel if ye were a-waitin' on a message and no one e'er showed up?"

Charleo knew Keegan was right. "Fine. We'll be a-travelin' on then." He sat there pouting, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Ye may be a-wantin' these back." Keegan handed Charleo the reins and smiled when his serious friend snatched them from him.

They stopped at a fork in the road and drank from a gwendelant basin just outside Hawthborough. Both thought it a good place to set up camp for the night and agreed that, in the morning, they would take the south fork to Baynooth.

• • • •

Baynooth held no one they were looking for, so it was on to Skibbergarry. No one there was looking for such a message either, so they pitched a camp for the twilight along the Up Ahead River. They awoke to the light from the stationary suns sending beautiful rays through the trees and could see the beams in the tiny wisps of smoke still rising from last twilight's campfire. Keegan took advantage of the still-hot coals and rekindled their fire.

"What be ye upta now me friend?" asked Charleo.

"Well, I dunna know about ye, but I be a-needin' some coffee ta get meself a-goin' this mornin'."

"Canna argue with ye on that. Uh, be there any chocolate ta add ta the mix?"

"Aye! I shoulda known." Keegan waddled to the wagon and pulled out a large container from the _Essential Supplies_ box, labeled HOT COCOA LUMPS. Charleo gleamed as Keegan began plopping chocolate cubes into Charleo's coffee mug. "Tell me when ta stop."

"Three be perfect fer me."

"Ye be a true chocolate freak if I e'er saw one!" Keegan added the standard one-half lump to his coffee. They drank and discussed their plan for the day, and when the chocolate coffee was gone and the fire put out, Keegan hooked up Halo and Scepter to pull the wagon on to Glammiswinde.

Upon their arrival they decided to start at the outskirts surrounding Wildflower Splash tucked away at the base of Balmy Domes. There was only one tiny chukkon cottage on the northern edge, situated within a short walk of a gwendelant basin. They could hear gruff humming and off-key singing coming from the back yard. They traipsed up the greeting walk and knocked on the door, but the door did not open. Artie snuck up behind them and..."BOO!"

Charleo and Keegan jumped, then they turned and just looked at Artie.

ARTIE

Charleo wanted to ask the important question, yet he was hesitant to do so. Artie broke the silence. "I was out back a-puttin' away supplies. Ah, that hike ta Meekershade Corners; the part in the center of the village that goes by the Gottagitmegoodes River, a-windin' through the trees..."

Charleo cut him short. "Aye, aye, aye, I know. Been on that road before meself. Tis beautiful." An awkward pause filled the air.

Artie fidgeted, looking from one to the other. Charleo was still reluctant to ask the question. He felt they had had enough humiliating rejection on this journey to last them a good long while.

"Dunna ye two have a question fer me? Hmmm?" Artie shrugged with exaggeration.

Charleo's heart lightened at the tone of Artie's voice, and he spoke up. "Uh-hmm...aye, we do, and here it be..."

Artie blurted, "Whadda ye be a-waitin' fer? A drum roll?" He then made a whirring noise and the motions as if playing a drum.

"Stop that!" huffed Charleo. Keegan could not help but laugh with Artie. Poor Charleo was trying to deliver a serious message, and he did not feel that his two friends were cooperating. "OK then! Did ye e'er have a heartfelt vision of a great and terrible day?" Neither had ever heard Charleo speak so fast.

Laughing loudly through his answer Artie replied, "Of course! Let's get a-goin'. I've nothin' here ta worry about."

"Ye dinna answer with the right answer!" Charleo was a by-the-book kind of chukkon and wanted to make certain everything was perfect.

"Easy there wee fella. Dunna be a-gettin' yer Lederhosen in a wad. I canna remember fer certain the exact words, but I dinna say no, and ye know I was a-waitin' fer ye ta ask, right?"

Charleo sighed. "Right. Me apologies fer a-questionin' ye. But ye see, Keegan and I here have been a-travelin'..."

Artie interrupted. "Aye, that be a-soundin' really interestin' and all, but just so ye know, I've already stopped a-listenin'." Keegan laughed right out loud. Charleo formed a fist and shook it at both of them.

"All right, all right." Artie motioned for them to settle down. "Do ye s'pose I can be a-leavin' ye two alone whilst I be a-gatherin' me stuff?" Charleo and Keegan nodded. Keegan continued snickering at the whole thing, and Charleo frowned at him over the top of his spectacles.

Artie lived alone by choice. He had a nice little cottage that was plain and simple. Without a wife's touch, though, the inside was somewhat haphazard. He was always up for adventure in the outdoors, and the fact that he was a bit bigger than most chukkons made Charleo and Keegan feel safer. Artie came out of his cottage. "Just a few thin's we may need." He bobbed his head toward the small tied napkin dangling from the wooden stick on his shoulder. "I dunna know if ye've noticed, but there be only enough room right now fer the three of us up front and the goods and supplies in the back. There be no room fer any recruits. What do ye s'pose we do now?"

Charleo and Keegan looked at each other with identical expressions of _We never thought of that. Then_ they looked at Artie.

"I dunna know...what?" asked Charleo.

Artie was noted for having the biggest belly laugh on Maycly. "Oh ho ha he he he! Ye two be quite a site! Ha ha he he!" He grabbed them both and hugged them like chukkonettes. "I be admirin' ye. Ye be such the brave ones, simply a-packin' up and a-leavin' yer homes and families ta recruit with no further instructions than what ye were a-given by Carbreyghal, from SUL. Ye two should be commended fer yer trust and courage." He set them down and spun them around to face him. "SUL has revealed ta me our place of learnin' and trainin'. Until now ye dinna know where we were a-headin, did ye?"

"Nae, nae we dinna," answered Keegan, hoping Artie knew.

"Well then–let's be a-hoppin' aboard the wagon, and I'll be a-takin' ye there, fer this be me duty." He gave them a hand climbing aboard. "Once we arrive we can off-load all of these thin's ta make room fer the other recruits. We can set up the new dwellin's and be a-gettin' some shut-eye fer certain. The gatherin' of warriors'll begin soon enough. I be yer first...AND LAST...recruit fer the day!" Artie waved a fist of victory in the air and broke into a big smile.

Halo and Scepter reared with pride. Charleo, Keegan, and Artie stood arm-in-arm in front of the driver's bench and, in unison, made the click-clack sound to signal giddyup. When the team of horses eagerly gave their initial tug on the wagon, the three were involuntarily seated, and the reins flipped up in the air and landed smack dab in Artie's hands.

A calmness filled each of their spirits as they headed toward Meekershade Corners and veered onto the northern fork out of the village. Avoiding Tahqrusalom, so Charleo's family would not see them, they took an unmarked path around the north tip of Glider Sound and picked up the regular cart path to the north. Carefree and happy they moved onward, Charleo and Keegan confident Artie knew where they were headed.

Chapter 21

To and Through The Vinewall

Charleo, Keegan, and Artie watched the suns dim and the moons brighten. The three swung off the designated cart path and found a relaxing place to stop near Raffedary Lick, a small pond filled with clear fresh water and an ever-spritzing fountain in the center. The vibrant colors of several flowering puddle-jumpers and toucanthiae dotted the top of the water and glistened with the colors of the early twilight sky.

FLOWERING PUDDLE-JUMPERS

The water's edge was lined with illuminated lavendaria, and the branches of small trees were adorned with tydyed whodeys singing their songs in a combination of meadowlark, whippoorwill, and canary calls.

TOUCANTHIAS

TYDYED WHODEYS

Raffedaries grazed in the distance, and in a fun game of chase, Sprites rode equinarchs flitting about the scattered low shrubbery. Halo and Scepter went to the water to drink then staked their claim on a patch of soft grass under a singing tree next to their three weary passengers. All rested well.

Keegan awakened from his long nap and went to the back of the wagon. Charleo began to stir from the noises coming from inside the wagon's canvas. Keegan returned with a tasseled fleece blanket over his shoulder and a magic outing basket.

"I guess it be time fer some feastin', eh? Here. Let me be of some help ta ye." Charleo stretched, then he helped spread the oversized tasseled blanket. Artie kept snoring until Keegan untied the cloth on the basket, which unfolded perfectly to the ground, and the smell of food hit Artie's nose.

"Be ye ready fer some good eatin' me friend?" Charleo asked Artie.

"Ye betcha pal!"

RAFFEDARY

They dived in like male chukkons prefer to do when their wives and families are not present. There were crackers of many flavors, cheeses, fruits, a loaf of bread, and a bottle of wine. Pushing the realm of gluttony, Charleo and Keegan rested again on the blanket. Artie, now fully awake, gazed and enjoyed the beauty of their surroundings with his mouth full.

"Where be we a-headin'?" asked Charleo.

"Aye, where _be_ we a-headin' Artie?"

Artie, in an attempt to build suspense (because that's what Artie liked to do), took one more bite and a swig of wine, wiped his mouth on his shirt sleeve, and belched. "We be a-headin' north, through Timberland Forest North, where we'll be a-seein' The Vinewall outlinin' Timberland's northern edge." Charleo and Keegan straightened at his words. "SUL spoke ta me of a secret land behind The Vinewall. Tis called Chennin'ton Greens."

"WOW-eee..." Charleo's voice faded and he did not budge.

"Go on! Go on!" coaxed Keegan. "I ne'er knew there be anythin' on the other side of The Vinewall in the north. Doesna the cart path just loop around Pine Lake and head back ta the south?"

"Aye, but just like the hidden cart path around Glider Sound, there be a path hidden at the tip of the loop that leads on ta The Vinewall. And ohhhh, The Vinewall. Tis a grand size up north. Carbreyghal told me that SUL said He made it that way on purpose. And nary a single chukkon nor wightlin' has e'er seen o'er it, tis so tall."

"Then how'll we be a-goin' through it?" Keegan was not shy when it came to asking questions.

Artie became overly dramatic with his hand gestures. "First, we'll be enterin' the southern edge of the forest and be led by Sprites ta the northern edge. They'll be a-lightin' the way because...because..." Artie was drawing it out, loving their expressions filled with suspense.

"BECAUSE?..." Charleo was serious with a bit of harassment thrown in as well.

"...because, wee fellas, the forest be a-havin' a few spots not well lit. There be pathlight ivy, but the Sprites'll be a comfortin' sight in those places." He readjusted himself. "But when we come ta the northern edge of the forest, ye'll be a-seein' The Vinewall. The one where all the Sprites nest when they be a-restin'. Starlight snuggerbugs add ta the Sprite sparkles, and at twilight tis a most impressive sight, I might add."

"I LOVE snuggerbugs. And I've ne'er been through Timberland Forest North. I canna imagine..."

STARLIGHT SNUGGERBUGS

Charleo stopped Keegan in mid sentence. "Me too, and nor I. But...shh. Be a-lettin' Artie finish."

Artie leaned in close and cupped his hand to his mouth for an added secretive effect. "Then before ye know it, we'll be a-passin' through the secret door of The Vinewall." Charleo and Keegan gasped. Artie leaned in even further, looked around, and whispered, "SUL...well Carbreyghal...told me that through the secret door'll be a village where we'll be a-trainin' the warriors. We'll be a-goin' ta a place called...THE TRAININ' VILLAGE!" Charleo and Keegan jumped when Artie stopped whispering and shouted the name of the place. Artie broke into a smile.

Keegan's mouth scrunched at what seemed to him to be quite the dilemma. "That be a-soundin' great. But where and when'll we be a-pickin' up the other warriors? Carbreyghal told _me_ we'd be a-goin' ta pick up more warriors."

Artie squirmed because he did not have an answer.

Charleo stood, poked out his chest, and spoke like a general, "Leave that ta me!"

Artie and Keegan laughed out loud.

"What? I be serious."

That made them laugh even harder. Sometimes Charleo had a way of not knowing when to lighten up. They knew he was telling the truth, but it was his tone and delivery that set off their laughter.

Artie did his best Charleo impersonation. "Leave that ta me!" He stood and walked proudly with his thumbs in his overall straps. "Leave that ta me...have I got it, Keegan?"

"Oh aye! Ye be a-nailin' it!" Keegan fell back laughing.

Charleo said again, "Seriously, I be serious!" which caused uncontrollable laughter, but he finally gave in to their contagious giggles and laughed with them, at himself. They all took a place on the blanket and added a good twilight snooze to the mix.

• • • •

"Hey, that be a-ticklin'." Charleo awoke the next morning to the horses nibbling his toes. The commotion awakened the others. They opened the magic outing basket; it had restocked itself just as SUL had promised. They threw down a quick breakfast, did a few stretches, then put the basket and blanket into the back of the wagon. After hooking up Halo and Scepter they took their seats–of their own accord this time–then click-clacked the giddyup sound.

It was late morning when the southern edge of Timberland Forest North came into view. First sight of the dark thick forest's size made Charleo and Keegan leery about entering, but they trusted what Artie had said and tried to show no fear, though that worked better for Charleo than Keegan. Halo and Scepter brought added comfort with the confidence they displayed as they pulled the cart right to the edge.

"We'll be a-waitin' here fer a second or two...and here they be!" Artie grinned from ear to ear when hundreds of Sprites appeared to help guide the way, along with the pathlight ivy. Charleo's and Keegan's mouths dropped open. "Uh, ye may wanna close yer cupcake traps so ye dunna get a Sprite stuck in yer teeth while we be a-travelin'." Artie winked then laughed, not only at the sight of their faces, but also at his own joke. "Giddyup! Be a-followin' those Sprites!" Artie gave the reins a shake. Halo and Scepter high stepped in beautiful fashion. Artie started what he thought was singing. Charleo and Keegan looked at each other, then at the Sprites. Then they all joined Artie in song, and all of the voices together created a range of pitches from highest notes to lowest notes, making for a joyful ride. Within the hour they were a few yards from the forest's northern edge and set their sights upon The Vinewall.

"I've ne'er been all the way ta The Vinewall on any edge of Maycly. Tis beautiful!" Charleo shouted.

"Me neither. And look at it. It be huge, just like Artie said. Far huger than I e'er expected. It must be twenty feet tall!"

"Dinna know 'huger' was actually a word there Keegan." Artie jested.

"Hey guys, look at me." Charleo giggled and looked cross-eyed at the snuggerbug that had landed on his nose.

"Now there be a memory I'll want ta be a-keepin'." Keegan was gasping with laughter. Artie could not keep a straight face either when Charleo pooched out his lower lip and tried to blow it away.

"I'll get him for you," said a kind Sprite. She flew to Charleo's nose and tickled the snuggerbug's antennae. Up came its propeller, and the humming bug headed back to The Vinewall.

The Sprites continued to lead the three eastwardly, parallel to The Vinewall. The Sprite in charge flew into view. "This is it. Attennnn...tion!" The other Sprites flew together and landed in a group on The Vinewall. "Square it up!" The Sprites formed a rectangular outline on the vines then shook their booties to create their famous sparkling dust, and The Vinewall's pass-through door was illuminated. "Please, Charleo sir. Come with me and touch the vines." The Sprite in charge picked up Charleo's finger and started to fly, pulling him in the direction of the lighted pass-through. Charleo proceeded to hop off the wagon. He let the Sprite take his finger to the right spot and gave a slight push in the center of the outlined door.

"Well I'll be." The vines drew back, and a grand opening appeared. The three travelers were speechless; even Artie's jaw dropped at the sight. "I canna believe what we be a-seein' here." More Sprites, these being from Chennington Greens, had rushed the wagon.

"Well what are you waiting for?" an excited Sprite cheered. "C'mon in, welcome to our land of Chennington Greens, home of The Training Village!"

The horses pulled the cart into the newly discovered land. Artie muttered, "Ahhhh, so this be Chennin'ton Greens. Tis spectacular."

Charleo, too, was in awe. "I'd ne'er heard of this land till this mornin' when Artie spoke of it."

"Nor I." Keegan's eyes were combing the green beauty.

"Be this a new land SUL just created?" Charleo was still in a daze as he questioned the Sprites.

"It's only new to you, but not to us. We've lived here since creation, planning and preparing for this day. SUL sealed The Vinewall and told us we could open it when the warrior leaders arrived. And here you are! You are the first–please excuse the expression–'strangers' who have stepped foot here in The Training Village." All of the Sprites at The Vinewall gathered and buzzed about doing flips and gainers (both full and half), cheering and singing.

Charleo, Keegan, and Artie had entered the new territory at the bottom of a deep canyon on a cobblestone cart path. "Whose names be these engraved in the cobblestones?" asked Charleo.

"They're the names of chukkons and their loved ones who dwell in The Training Village," answered the Sprite leader. "Look! Above the path, coming over the hill, it's the aerialoceroses! They're coming to lead you into The Training Village."

Charleo, Keegan, and Artie looked at the horizon where they saw aerialoceroses flying toward them, bellowing their calls. There were hundreds of them.

• • • •

The three chukkons marveled at the approaching flying creatures. Even though their numbers were intimidating, the aerialoceroses were quite docile.

AERIALOCEROS

After the brief welcoming just inside The Vinewall, it was time to make their way farther north to The Training Village. As they followed the aerialoceroses, they took in the scenery. The valley floor was covered in plush grass dotted with floral patches. Large pine trees lined the cobblestone path, and every so many feet plump lamp posts with miniature stars atop them gave extra light at twilight. The tops of the canyon walls were flat rather than peaked, which caused rays of light from the three suns to bounce off them and shoot up into the clouds. Etherealians could be seen sliding forwards or backwards, sitting or lying down, either singly or in groups, as they playfully tobogganed down the glowing beams.

"Be those waterfalls actually a-fallin'...UP ta the sky?" asked Keegan.

"They canna be," exclaimed Charleo. He took a closer look. "But they surely be!"

"And look at the bubbles a-floatin' down. Each one seems ta be alive."

"Artie, I believe ye be right, as I can see fish a-swimmin' in every one of 'em. And their colors...they be so different from our homeland." The three were mesmerized by the sea-life-filled spheres floating freely to the ponds of their choice in the valley, lowering themselves gently down to the water surfaces.

"Stop fer a moment, so we can watch." Keegan reached over and pulled on the reins in Artie's hands. Halo and Scepter let out a few whinnies causing the aerialoceroses to stop and hover above.

"Keegan, come back here," shouted Charleo, being too serious again.

"Ah...lighten up a tad. It's all right. Let him take a closer look," said a Sprite. Artie could not help but chuckle at how the Sprite had only known Charleo for a few moments and already seemed to have him figured out.

"OK, sorry about that." Charleo's face went pink.

"Hey! Ye two need ta c'mere," shouted Keegan from a pond's edge.

Artie and Charleo hopped from the wagon and waddled toward Keegan.

"Have ye e're seen anythin' like it? Watch that one." Keegan pointed to a bubble. The water seeped in as the fish swam out into the pond. Charleo laughed when the last fish freed itself from the bubble, and they were astonished that the pearly bubble did not decrease in size. They all laughed when the bubble popped and splashed them.

All of the ponds in the land of Chennington Greens eventually emptied into main rivers which led to the streams that led to the upward waterfalls. The fish knew the route, how to catch the upward-moving water, ride to the top, and do it all over again.

The aerialoceroses called out their unique sound, and the three chukkons returned to the wagon.

"Onward," shouted a Sprite. Halo and Scepter whinnied their response and began to high step once again, following the lead of the aerialoceroses. Not having to constantly guide the horses allowed Artie to get a good look at the many new sights around them as well.

"The wildlife, tis quite different here. So many unrecognizable, enchanted creatures," said Artie.

"I know what ye be a-sayin'. Tis far more abundant than..."

"...and exotic," Keegan cut in on Charleo.

"Aye, _and_ exotic, than the ones we be used ta seein'."

Unfamiliar timbers were thick with many winged creatures, all chirping, chattering, and whistling their wondrous sounds in song.

"Those unusual trees...what be they full of?" Artie asked the Sprite leader, who was more than happy to share the information.

"They're clovery fig trees, a favorite of many of Chennington Greens' exclusive winged creatures. Those on the highest branches are the colorful crested elbeejays; their favorite food is the figs that grow in bunches on the upper branches. About halfway down you'll see some gliding mocha mice–but you'll have to look really hard, because they blend in with the tree's grow-back bark. And on the heavy bottom branches are some masked waxwing creepers. They can fly, but they mostly prefer to climb up and down as they snack on the grow-back bark."

CLOVERY FIG TREE

MASKED WAXWING CREEPER

COLORFUL CRESTED ELBEEJAY

GLIDING MOCHA MOUSE

Much of the ground cover was separated by flowering herbal clusters that twinkled with miniature star-like dots. The herbs were used to season the food in The Training Village, which the three chukkons would soon find out.

The Training Village came into view, and before long Charleo, Keegan, and Artie were heading down Main Street. Smiles, with teeth showing, graced their faces when they recognized the Trees of the Blue Sleep filled with shoppes and dwellings. They noticed that the shoppes were also different than those in their villages back home in Bailiwick. The Training Village had a Candle Shoppe, a Greeting Card Shoppe, a High-Wheeler Shoppe, a Nuts and Berries Shoppe, and an Apron Shoppe, just to name a few. "Oh thank goodness..." all three shouted in unison, "...a PUB!"

The three of them stared hard as they approached the Transportation Shoppe with an unusual looking cart out front. Through the windows they could see many different kinds of carts; small ones, tall ones, long ones, short ones, some with enclosed drivers' benches. There seemed to be a mode of transportation for anyone, for any reason.

"What be that smell?" asked Keegan.

"If ye ask me, it be a-smellin' like..."

Charleo quickly cut Artie off. "It be a-comin' from out back of the Transportation Shoppe. And look at those unusual carts."

Keegan spotted something else. "Ferget the carts. Look at all those horses...and oxen...and...and...other animals!"

"Well now, _that'd_ be the fine aroma ye'd be a-smellin'!" The three laughed at Artie's conclusion. None of the three recognized all of the animals but were impressed with them nevertheless. The aerialoceroses that had led them to the village veered away, still bellowing a welcome. When the graceful animals landed behind the barns in pastures of their own and began to graze, the three warrior leaders applauded.

Chapter 22

Welcome, Warrior Leaders!

Halo and Scepter came to a halt, not by any request from Artie, but because the chukkon residents of The Training Village were bolting to the covered wagon, cheering as they caught their first glimpse of the newbies.

Artie pointed to the chukkon in a tuxedo with tails and a top hat, smiling, and standing in front of the horses. "I'll betcha he be somebody important." He whispered from behind his hand.

"Important? Nae. Not I. No one here be more important than another...perhaps some of us be a little rounder than others though." The chukkon twisted to try and see his own backside while he rubbed his belly. "I just be the one they chose ta lead the village. And me clothin' just happens ta be what me family created with the frippery feather at me birth." He tapped his lips with his index finger. "Hmm. Come ta think of it, tis probably why me momma and papa gave me the name, The Mayor." The tuxedoed chukkon belted a contagious laugh. The crowd continued their loud celebration.

Charleo did not laugh long before his serious side took over; he questioned The Mayor. "But if ye came from the Birthin' Waters, which I assume ye did..."

"Aye."

"...then how come none of us knew that ye, or any of this, be here? When did yer celebration take place in the Valley of Feastin'? Somebody surely must've seen that?"

"Oh Charleo, Charleo." The Mayor climbed Halo's harness and sat backwards on him facing the three on the wagon. "We be one of SUL's secrets not found in _The Book of Good and Evil._ Twas a few days _after_ yer momma, Rachana, and yer papa, Ensio, watched creation from the star, and a few days _before_ yer papa went ta scribble _The Book of Good and Evil;_ that be when SUL created us. We were given a very different set of instructions. But rest assured, SUL's prophecy be the same fer us here in Chennin'ton Greens, and one day He'll bring us all together here on Maycly." Charleo's expression said it all. Keegan put his arm around Charleo and pulled him in tight like a proud father would do with his son. Charleo looked at Keegan's warm smile, then leaned forward and glanced at Artie, who was also smiling.

Artie gave a wink. "That be a pretty good history lesson, eh?" Charleo and Keegan nodded and smiled.

The Mayor jumped down and shouted to the three of them over the crowd noise. "C'mon down from there and be a-sayin' hello." When their feet hit the ground Charleo, Keegan, and Artie were greeted with numerous kisses and hugs, and so many leis that their eyes were all that could be seen peeking over the floral rings heaped up around their necks.

The villagers quieted when The Mayor's voice boomed out. "Hear ye, hear ye!" He faced Charleo, Keegan, and Artie. Artie spit out a couple of flower petals. The Mayor continued. "We welcome ye with open arms. We've been a-buildin' fer many years, a-preparin' this place fer ye and yer warriors. The work was completed a short while ago; twas fer that very reason we knew yer arrival be a-comin'!" The large crowd roared with excitement at the The Mayor's public address.

Right on cue the band began to play and march to the stage where the action was set to take place. Some of the villagers lifted the three leaders back up onto the wagon. Halo and Scepter proudly pulled them to the stage with the crowd following, tossing bushels of confetti into the air and singing along with the band music. Artie waved to the crowd, Keegan clapped to the music, and Charleo, embarrassed by all the attention, tried to clap and wave but his motions were rather stiff and not quite with the beat.

When the wagon reached the stage in the center of town, they were guided to special chairs on a decorated platform. Their little bottoms had barely touched the seats when a horn sounded and the crowd separated, creating a path from the other side of the street to their chairs. The Mayor waddled his way across the street carrying a rolled-up scribbling tied with twine. When he arrived at their chairs he raised his hand, and the crowd became quiet.

"Hear ye! Hear ye!" The Mayor unrolled the scribbling. "SUL has penned these words ta the scroll that I be about ta read ta ye. No one has e'er read or heard these words till now." The crowd gasped with astonishment; a few gags followed, as the gasping had caused some to inhale confetti. The Mayor raised his hand again, and not one sound could be heard, not even the cry of a chukkonette. He took in a deep breath and began to read in his best orator's voice:

" _I, SUL, say this:_

_At the completion of the writing of_ The Book of Good and Evil _I spoke to Ensio,_

the first chukkon created on Maycly,

and he wrote for Me this scribbling,

which I Myself delivered firsthand to The Mayor."

With a beaming smile and a thumb jab to his own chest, The Mayor added, "That be me!" Then, clearing his throat, he continued.

" _If you three leaders are hearing this message,_

you have been obedient to My commands.

I take pride in knowing you have trusted Me.

Let this be confirmation to you and to those in

The Training Village

that what you have thought and spoken about amongst yourselves

regarding the beginning of the end is true.

Continue your journey with boldness.

Fear not, for I am with you always."

The band played a grand response to authenticate the message. Charleo, Keegan, and Artie looked at each other, then at the crowd, and waved. This time Charleo was a little more at ease while being in the spotlight.

Carbreyghal appeared on the stage. The crowd oohed and ahhed. He did not speak publicly, only to the three warrior leaders as he graciously hugged them and deemed each one worthy. When Carbreyghal had finished he turned and gave a helping of visual and aromatic joy to the crowd, then he flew out of their view into the heights of Maycly.

The Mayor, who favored punctuality, gave a quick signal, and a chukkon graciously honored his beckoning and arrived on stage holding a decorated purple velvet pillow with three gold keys lying on it. With one hand The Mayor grasped the lapel of his tuxedo, and with the other he gestured with exaggeration to the keys as he bowed to the three. "I present ta ye the keys ta yer new homes." Cheers followed, and each of the three took the key with his name engraved on it. "Please be allowin' us ta accompany ye there."

When the three boarded the wagon, Halo and Scepter held their heads high and swaggered with approval. The Mayor joined them, scrunching in between Charleo and Artie. He gestured for a few chukkons to take their places beside Halo and Scepter and assist in guiding the wagon to the new homes. The rest of the crowd followed. Charleo, Keegan, and Artie enjoyed the sights as they traveled down the street. The Mayor treasured their expressions.

"Here we be," said The Mayor. The wagon stopped in front of a high-rise building at the north end of the street. The Mayor hailed four etherealians. Without further instruction each etherealian lifted one of the four from the wagon and began to ascend to the top floor. The three etherealians who held Charleo, Keegan, and Artie rose just above and over the highest floor's railing then lowered each of the warrior leaders to his own porch. The Mayor remained in the hands of his appointed etherealian, hovering in front of them.

Artie leaned into Charleo and Keegan and whispered, "I was told by SUL the names'll be appearin' on the door plate once a warrior be arrivin' at his new home." Keegan and Charleo looked at Artie then elbowed each other. Keegan barely squealed, "I canna believe this...me and ye? Ye and me? Here?"

The Mayor waited for the jousting to stop. "Welcome home." He bowed with honor. The etherealians responded with a nod then flew off.

Charleo, Keegan, and Artie expressed their gratitude to The Mayor, and the crowd below cheered and applauded. The three warrior leaders waved and blew kisses between their leis in appreciation to all in the village.

The Mayor raised his hands to silence the excited crowd then spoke for all to hear. "We'll be a-leavin' ye now ta yer privacy so ye can get accustomed ta yer new dwellins'. Once ye get unpacked ye can park the wagon out back where there be a stable warm and cozy a-waitin' fer Halo and Scepter."

"Thank ye," shouted Charleo over the crowd. Keegan and Artie were already trying to get their keys in the locks.

Before his descent to the street The Mayor relayed a message to the three. "Oh. And just so ye know...the etherealian trip up was only fer this once. From now on ye'll be a-needin' ta use one of the raise-n-lower machines."

"Understood."

The Mayor winked, his red nose twitched, and he encouraged the crowd to cheer yet again. On that note the etherealian lowered The Mayor back down to the street.

The three leaders looked around and saw that the closest raise-n-lower machine was on the outside of the building between Charleo's and Keegan's rooms. Artie dashed to inspect every working piece of it with detail. "These be some pretty nice contraptions, dunna ye think?"

"And I'll be a-bettin' they present quite the view of Main Street when ye be a-ridin'," said Charleo.

"Aye. Whether ye be a-goin' up or a-comin' down," added Keegan.

"But ye must admit, the etherealian excursion was premium." Charleo smiled a broad smile. The other two fully agreed.

They opened the doors to their dwellings and were captivated by what they saw. Each place was the perfect home-away-from-home inside. There was a couch, a chair, a rug, a table, a bed, linens, pillows, a sink, and a couple of small lamps. In each flat was a wood stove for warmth, a small fire to cook over, a kettle, a cup, fresh-cut flowers, plates and eating utensils. There was a necessary room stocked with soaps, towels, and a round wooden tub for bathing. The most appreciated items were the photos of their families and friends hanging on the walls, compliments of SUL.

They rested for a spell in their new surroundings, but Artie had never been much for sitting still, and things had not changed in that respect. He felt that idle minds and hands were cause for temptation. He became antsy and wanted to unload the wagon, so he went out to the front porch and banged on the others' doors, as only Artie could do. Mimicking a drill sergeant, he shouted, "All right ye lazy bones, let's be a-gettin' ourselves moved in! Shuteye'll come later!" Charleo and Keegan recognized Artie's enthusiasm, so they participated as good friends would. The three met at the raise-n-lower machine, and down to the wagon they went. Charleo and Keegan climbed inside the covered area and started off-loading the crates and supplies to Artie, assembly-line style.

"I'll be a-leavin' this miraculous outin' basket in the back, fer obvious reasons," shouted Charleo.

The other two looked at each other, as Charleo had stated the obvious, but Keegan could not help himself. He side-punched Artie and whispered, "Watch this." He cleared his throat and tried not to smile when he spoke. "Sorry me friend, but we be not a-seein' the obvious there."

"The recruits! The recruits! They'll be eatin' along with us...willna they?"

"Ohhhh, aye. Fergot we've actually a purpose on this journey." Artie jested.

"Well fergettin' the obvious be like... well, like fergettin' yer heads!" snapped Charleo out of frustration. Artie and Keegan snorted, satisfied they had riled Charleo again. Charleo sighed, shook his head, flung his arms as if to shoo the two of them, then tossed down more supplies.

Up rose Artie to the porch. He dropped off the first load and made certain all of the belongings were at the correct doors. At the finish of a few more trips on the raise-n-lower machine it was time for each to put his belongings away and settle into his new home. Before Artie started on his place, however, he made one last down-and-up in order to guide Halo and Scepter to their comfortable stalls.

The three leaders tidied up then made their way to Pub Pearl's. Charleo, Keegan, and Artie were generously welcomed with cheers and "drinks on the house." Pub Pearl was the only wightling chosen to serve in The Training Village. She was not gorgeous by any means, but she was not ugly either. She was quite buxom and big-boned. Her shiny red-orange hair separated into two long braids with colorful ribbons woven in. Her eyes were green, her smile was heartwarming, and her voice was kind. Her pub was almost identical to Pub Pete's back in Tahqrusalom, but the decorating had a little more of a woman's touch, and her specialty drinks leaned more toward sweet fruit flavors. Regardless of the differences, Pub Pearl's was the place to be in The Training Village, and it felt like home to the three leaders.

Seating themselves at a table, they chatted briefly about the day's events. They overheard many others in the background talking about them, and in no time the three had a table full of new-found friends. Many also stood around the table to hear their stories about the other side of The Vinewall. This was Artie's cue, as he was, without a doubt, the best storyteller.

It was getting late, but the crowd had not diminished. Charleo gave a big yawn with a squeak; Keegan and Artie could not help but copy the action. "We be sorry me friends. But Keegan, Artie, and meself have had quite a day. We probably should be a-headin' back ta our cozy new homes ta get some sleep." The faces of the crowd dropped in disappointment. "Nae, nae, nae...we've already takin' a likin' ta all of ye. Ye be a fine and dandy bunch. Wouldna be a-tradin' ye fer nothin'...not a one of ye." Charleo was overly apologetic. Artie and Keegan laughed; it was Charleo's "serious thing" again.

"They be not a-thinkin' we be a-leavin' because we dunna like 'em...they just be sad that our stories'll be a-stoppin' fer the night." Artie put a gentle hand on Charleo's shoulder.

"Oh, well then, sorry fer the wrong interpretation. How about we all meet back here tomorrow early twilight so Artie here can be a-tellin' ye more stories?" The crowd's expression spun 180 degrees. Good twilight wishes and hugs were abundant, and the three finally inched through the crowd and headed to their comfy dwellings. They offered their day's end greetings to each other and entered their new homes.

Charleo had unpacked most of his boxes but had not gotten everything put away. "Marlen, I dunna know how ta set up a home without ye. I mean, I've got all the right thin's, but ye'd put 'em just where they need ta be." He placed Marlen's picture–the one he had brought with him–next to the bed and walked to the window. He looked at the two moons and whispered into the twilight sky, "I hope ye and the boys be a-kissin' yer necklace stones right about now. I certainly wish ye could see me new place. I love all of ye and miss ye terribly already...and it's only been a few days, not months or years." Charleo kissed the stone at the end of his necklace, went out onto his porch, and enjoyed his pipe while he took in the new view. After a bit he felt he would have to pry his hands from the porch railing because he really did not want to leave the sights and sounds. But he walked back inside and placed his pipe in the holder on the table. He tossed himself into the overstuffed chair and sank into its comfort; within ten seconds he was snoring.

Keegan took his time unfolding the linens and making a bed fit for a king. He opened his knapsack and pulled from it the small sleeping gown his wife, Mitzy, had sewn for him years ago. It still held the scent of home. He changed from his day clothes into the sleeping gown and went to the necessary room to wash his face and brush his teeth. After smiling big at himself in the mirror he headed for his porch. He stared at the stars and took in the calm of the motionless treetops that glowed from the snuggerbugs, and he sighed at the shadows on the ground being cast by the illuminated lavendaria. The faint soothing melodies of the tydyed whodeys in the distance filled his ears. His eyes grew heavy, so he waddled back inside and climbed the small set of stairs at the side of his fluffy bed. He made a leap onto the puffy comforter; the last thing he remembered before dozing off was tapping his feet to the sounds of frogs who sang their twilight arias.

Artie was too hyped-up from the journey's events even to think about unpacking or going to sleep just yet. He pulled a book from his knapsack and perched himself in the grapevine porch swing on his back deck. When his blinks began lasting about two minutes at a time, he closed his book and moved to the bedroom where he attempted to make his bed (he had never been much of homemaker). Once the linens were somewhat arranged on the high bed's mattress, he stripped down to his boxers and let himself fall with a flop, face first, from the step-stool. He landed with a bounce, his head on the pillow and one foot dangling over the edge. He awoke the next morning in the same position (but his pillow was wet; Artie was always embarrassed at the fact that he drooled in his sleep).

Their first twilight in The Training Village would go down in history.

Chapter 23

Let the Recruiting Begin

Charleo had slept all night in his chair. He awoke to find The Training Village calm and quiet. He shuffled to his front door, swung it open, and gave a big stretch and a squeaking yawn. "Must be mighty early. Only the shoppe owners seem ta be about their business." Charleo thought he was talking to himself.

"Aye, tis early. I couldna sleep any longer meself," answered Keegan, who was standing on the porch in front of his own dwelling.

"Ah, those wondrous smells of that coffee a-brewin', hot chocolate a-frothin', and fresh sweet rolls a-bakin' be a-makin' me hungry. Be ye hungry?" Charleo felt his sides cave in, the breath escape from him, his eyes pop, and his feet rise from the ground.

"Thank ye fer askin', because I be very hungry." Keegan laughed at Charleo dangling in Artie's arms. Artie swung Charleo back and forth like a rag doll then returned him to his feet.

Charleo turned and gave Artie a friendly punch in the arm. "I think that be a-makin' three of us. Right Keegan?"

"Aye! Let's be a-gettin' some of the freshest breakfast around."

After breakfast they went to the stable to fetch Halo and Scepter. The stall doors opened, and the horses proudly pranced to their spot for hitching. Charleo, Keegan, and Artie hopped aboard the wagon to start their first day out gathering new recruits.

Artie grabbed the reins. "Ready me friends?"

"Ready as we'll e'er be, I s'pose," answered Charleo. Keegan only nodded; he was still busy licking the cinnamon roll icing from his fingers.

Artie gave the click-clack sound. Down through town and back through The Vinewall they went, guided by their trust in SUL. It was Charleo's moment, his time to shine, his time to be the general. His hands shook from nerves as he looked down at the list of names of the recruits on the list SUL had left for him in his new apartment. He was hoping to figure out where the first stop should be, but he did a double-take. "What in Maycly's name?"

"Whoa." Artie tugged on the reins.

"What? What?" It did not take much to worry Keegan.

"Would ye fancy that? SUL ne'er leaves us a-hangin'...not fer e'en a moment. Tis grand magic." Charleo held the map in front of Keegan. Halo and Scepter felt Artie struggling with the reins to see too, but they graciously held their stance.

Keegan panicked. "All of the names, they disappeared! Oh, what be we a-goin' ta do?"

"Aye, they have. But take it easy me friend." Charleo spun the paper top to bottom. "There be the names. Now watch again." He turned the paper over and a map appeared.

"Did ye know about this?" asked Artie.

"Nae, I dinna. It just now happened."

"What be it a-tellin' us?" Keegan ran his finger across the map.

Artie leaned in close and pointed. "There! What be these scribblins' at the bottom?"

"Directions of some sort maybe? Whate'er it be, tis written like a poem."

"Well, dunna dawdle, read it. Read it!" Keegan's worry had changed to curiosity.

"OK." Charleo began reading to himself.

"So we can all hear, please," said Artie with a grin.

"Oh, oh, aye, aye. Here goes:

Ye've traveled Far.

Ye've traveled Near.

Ye've traveled Back,

And ye be Here.

Follow the Road

Around the Edge

Marked in Yellow

Outside the Hedge.

They be ready ta Go

And standin' in Groups.

Stop at the Stars

Ta gather yer Troops."

The map and the poem both faded and disappeared. Charleo tried spinning the paper top-to-bottom several times, but nothing happened. The three studied the paper trying to figure it out. Halo whinnied to get their attention.

"Greetings brave warriors!"

They looked up and responded in unison. "Greetin's Carbreyghal!"

"I see you are right where you are supposed to be."

Charleo stammered. "That be good! I mean, at least we thought we be. I mean, be we?"

"We be a bit confused on the recruitin' procedure." Keegan was uncomfortable when things were not in order, and he was downright flustered when they were not what he expected. "Be we not s'posed ta travel ta each individual's cottage and gather those whose names be appearin' on Charleo's list?"

"Now be still and let Carbreyghal be a-speakin'."

Carbreyghal smiled at them. "Ah, Charleo. Never wanting to create chaos. Look at the paper again." Carbreyghal reached out and touched Charleo's shoulder to calm his shaking hands so all could focus on the map.

"But the map be blank." Keegan was nearing panic again.

"Look again."

Artie was first to see it happen. "The whole thin' be reappearin'!"

Charleo turned the paper over. "And there be the names, too!"

"The task before you is enormous, but SUL is certain He has chosen the correct three to handle the load." Charleo elbowed Keegan, Keegan elbowed Artie, and Artie elbowed–no one was there. "Each chukkon warrior-in-training received a letter from SUL asking him to travel in secret, just like you three. Each was given a certain day and an assigned place to wait for pickup. The list of warriors-in-training is divided into sections, each section rendering twelve chukkons. Each section also has been given a number. You will make a total of 300 pickups. There are three different pickup locations: 280 stops will be made at the gwendelant basin just north of Sentinel Marsh in Bailiwick. Twenty will be in Chennington Greens, ten at the gwendelant basin between Nookery Shallows and Tarry Lake, and 10 at the gwendelant basin north of Tuttleyworth. A star will appear on the map showing you where the pickups will be made when it's time." The three watched the magical map and waited for the first star to appear.

"Looks like we be a-startin' here in Bailiwick!" Artie was excited about again being the first one to see something happen on the map.

Charleo's confidence had returned. "We be a-thankin' ye, kind Carbreyghal, fer yer assistance in the matter." Carbreyghal nodded. The three watched him melt back into the sky and blend with the stars. "Ne'er a dull sight ta behold, that Carbreyghal, when he be a-comin' and a-goin'. Tis as if..." Charleo was interrupted.

"Aye. But we need ta be a-focusin' on the map," said Artie.

"Uh...OK." Charleo and Keegan were shocked that Artie was now the one being serious.

As the wagon approached the first pickup destination north of Sentinel Marsh, Keegan cupped his hand over his ear. "Listen! Do ye two be a-hearin' that?" Charleo and Artie bobbled their heads.

"THEY BE A-COMIN'!" shouted a future chukkon warrior as he pointed. "Tis just as we were told. See the two high-steppin' horses a-pullin' that wagon? I be a-bettin' those be Halo and Scepter! And there be three chukkons seated across the bench; hasta be Charleo, Keegan, and Artie! I canna believe me own strength and courage ta do this so willin'ly."

The others in the group lifted their leader, Ron, high up on their shoulders. "OK, OK. Now everyone be a-quietin' down so we can be a-gettin' our instructions when they arrive."

"There they be! Group number one," shouted Keegan. Halo and Scepter picked up their pace at Artie's gentle command. The three on the wagon were just as eager to meet their first group of recruits as the first recruits were to meet their leaders. The wagon came to a halt and everyone stared in awe at each other.

"C'mon aboard!" Even though Charleo was their general, the tone of his command offered a friendly invitation.

The eleven dropped Ron into the covered wagon first then nearly knocked each other down trying to get onto the wagon themselves. Artie and Keegan jumped down and went to the back to assist them.

This same excitement never dwindled for the next 299 pickups.

Chapter 24

This Be a-Givin' Me the Creeps

Charleo, Keegan, and Artie had become pros at recruiting. They made their preparations and headed through The Vinewall for pickup number 48. The route had become so familiar, Halo and Scepter hardly needed the reins. Group 48 reacted the same as the previous 47 groups; they were filled with excitement and ready to see what life held for them as chukkon warriors.

When they reached the southern edge of Timberland Forest North, Artie could tell by the feel in the reins that Halo and Scepter were uneasy. "Whoa big fellas, easy there." Even though Artie's voice was low and soothing, the horses remained skittish. He stroked their haunches trying to sooth their nerves. "There, there. Ye be a-knowin' the route–tis the same a-comin' or a-goin'. What's gotten inta ye?"

Charleo and Keegan were too busy talking to notice the situation. Besides, they were used to Artie's stops and starts. So as not to worry Charleo and Keegan, Artie kept his composure and gently shook the reins, but Halo and Scepter were not willing to proceed. They began to back up, snorting and huffing.

Charleo and Keegan took notice when Artie spoke with authority in hopes of making believers out of his riders in the back. "We'll be a-stoppin' here fer a very short time. Been a long day fer us up front, eh? I be a-needin' ta stretch me legs before we head on. Everyone stay on the wagon. I willna be long."

Charleo and Keegan were now concerned, so Artie gathered them to him and whispered, "Seems the horses be spooked about somethin'. No need ta be alarmed. We've always made it through these woods unscathed." Keegan looked into the woods, and Artie saw fear come over his face. Artie reached behind Keegan, tapped Charleo on the shoulder, then spoke while tilting his head toward Keegan, "Isn't that right, Charleo?"

Charleo glanced at Keegan's face and caught on quickly. "Uh - Aye. Nae, we've ne'er had a problem. All should be OK."

Artie climbed down from the wagon; Keegan inched closer to Charleo. Artie walked around to Halo and Scepter and consoled them, rubbing their soft noses. He used a very low voice. "There, there. Halo, what be a-goin' on big fella? Scepter, we be a-needin' ta get these recruits ta their new homes. Certainly I can handle whate'er be a-waitin' fer us in the forest. Right?" Scepter's ears laid back; Halo grunted. "Well, I be a-goin' inta the forest a little ways ta check things out. Ye've got me back, right big fellas?" Artie stroked their cheeks. The horses whinnied low, pawed at the ground, and shook their harnesses. "Please fellas, calm down. I'll be a-comin' back in no time." Halo and Scepter held their positions.

Artie gave a nod to Charleo and Keegan when he saw Homer, the lead chukkon of group 48, poke his head through the front slit. Homer waved his hand behind him at the other riders to quiet down, then he pulled the canvas tight around his face. "What be a-goin' on me friends?"

"Nothin', really. Artie just be a-lettin' the horses rest, and he be a-stretchin' his own legs. He stops with nearly every group. Right Keegan?" Charleo elbowed him in the side.

Keegan's response was shaky. "Uh, aye, aye. That be right. Ye know, his legs be bigger'n most of ours, and they get kinda cramped up."

"Aye, his legs be long fer a chukkon." Charleo gave a courtesy laugh.

They were uncertain as to whether Homer believed them, but he let go of the canvas. "OK. I'll be a-lettin' the others know." He ducked back into the wagon. Charleo and Keegan were relieved when they heard Homer telling the others what had been said, and they motioned to Artie to get going.

Artie spoke loud enough for all to hear as he walked into the forest. "Just a-stretchin' me legs. Yep, that be all. Just a-stretchin' me legs." He thought to himself, _Hmm. I wonder where all the Sprites be? The horses must've frightened 'em with their actions._ He walked on cautiously. _Well there be one._ He followed the falling sparkles as the Sprite darted behind a tree. Artie found the Sprite hiding in a knothole. "Hey there wee one. What be yer name?" The Sprite looked around and did not answer. "Ye wee ones ne'er stop a-sparklin'. I be not a-goin' ta hurt ye. What be yer name?" Artie could not have whispered any softer.

The Sprite poked his head out of the hole and looked around. Then he whispered, "Bopper. My name is Bopper."

"Well Bopper, where be all of yer friends?"

Bopper frowned at Artie. His intentions were to drop only enough sparkles so that Artie would follow him to the tree. He had wanted to tell Artie what was waiting for them, but he was so afraid for his own well being, he choked on the deal, flying out of the hole. "I must go. I cannot stay here. I _cannot_ get caught talking to you."

"But why? Sprites always be a-talkin' ta us chukkons. We be pals. All of us." Artie reached for Bopper, but Bopper flew back so Artie could not catch him. "OK. I willna take ye in me hand. Tis OK. Just tell me why ye be so nervous. Please?" Artie's whispering squeaked.

"I know we're pals, everywhere on Maycly. But not right now, not here, not now. I cannot be here with you. I have to go. I can't talk to you any longer." Bopper's eyes cut from right to left, then he darted off. Artie saw the trail of sparkles disappearing high in the tree tops.

"Wait!" Artie shouted in a whisper and waddled after him, but Bopper was gone. _There must be somethin' in these woods. Between Halo and Scepter, and now Bopper._ "Oh fer Maycly's sake! I can be a-handlin' whate're be in here." Artie thought he had gone far enough into the denseness so as not to be seen or heard by those back at the wagon. He shouted, "Tis I, Artie!" All he heard was a fading echo of his name traveling into the northern depths. He loitered in hopes of hearing an answer but got nothing. He shouted again, "Who be a-bringin' me horses grief?" The chilling echo of his final word vanished again in the distance with no reply.

Charleo became fidgety. His unblinking eyes were deadlocked on the place where Artie had entered the forest. Keegan's skin was jittery from fright. He had his hands over his eyes, but he was not completely hiding his vision. A few inside the wagon tried desperately to hear what was going on outside; the others carried on a hushed discussion.

When Artie felt he did not need–or want–to take another step, he glanced from side to side. He took a deep breath when he saw nothing out of the ordinary, other than no Sprites, but before he could turn to head back to the wagon, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He had that horrible numb feeling that something or someone was watching him. He turned and saw nothing. _Me nerves just be a-messin' with me now._ Within a few more steps he could have sworn he felt hot, steamy breath crawl down his neck. He stopped. Taking his time, he pulled out his whittling knife. Prepared to stab whatever menace was behind him, he spun, swinging the knife with an act of courage. Again, nothing was there. _Whew, that be a relief._

As Artie proceeded back to the wagon his tense innards drove him to paranoia. _What if this evil thin' has moved ta position itself behind me now...which woulda been in front of me a few seconds ago. This be a-givin' me the creeps._ He picked up the pace as confusion melded with paranoia, causing fear to begin its journey under his skin, covering him with a cold and clammy sensation. He was convinced the breathing was gaining on him. He made a bold turn to catch "it" in the act, but again "it" was not there. He put his knife away and slowed his pace at the welcomed sight of the wagon.

Not wanting to drag the others into his imagination's worst creation, Artie reminded himself he had just been out stretching his legs. He was glad to find Charleo standing between the horses keeping them at ease. "I be back! Me legs be a-feelin' a whole lot better now!"

At the sound of Artie's voice Homer pulled the front canvas slit wide open. The recruits were happy to see Artie. They had no idea the terror he was covering up. The other recruits joined Homer and watched as Artie and Charleo climbed back onto the wagon.

"Ah, always be a-feelin' so good ta stretch me legs. Yep. Nothin' like a good old stretch of the legs. Everyone ready ta be a-movin' on?"

A resounding "aye" followed from all but Charleo and Keegan; they knew him well enough to recognize that something was not right.

Artie thought it best to give the battle cry they had taught the new recruits when they first boarded the wagon. "If we be warriors..."

"...then all we have ta fear be fear itself!" The recruits completed the battle cry. Believing Artie was trying to get them excited about the rest of the journey, they settled back into their seats, encouraging one another.

Charleo and Keegan stared at Artie. They wanted the truth, but Artie ignored them and coaxed Halo and Scepter to move on into the forest. The sound of the wooden crates banging together in the back nearly drowned out Keegan's whispering. "What did ye really see in here Artie? I be a-seein' no Sprites."

Charleo backed up Keegan's rightful worrying. "Aye. Me neither. How be that normal?"

"I saw nothin' but no Sprites either. But I swore I heard and felt the breath escapin' from somethin' I'll be _not_ a-discussin'." Charleo and Keegan knew he meant business. All three kept a watchful eye in all directions as the wagon moved on.

Early twilight fog was setting in, and the colors of the early twilight sky produced a cookie-cutter effect through the trees. The recruiting wagon and its riders had managed to travel halfway through the forest without incident, but that was about to change.

Chapter 25

Who and What Are They?

"GRRRROOOWWWLLLL!"

Dirt flew. Halo and Scepter squealed, grunted, and reared up. Artie jerked the reins. Charleo and Keegan grabbed the bench and hung on as the wagon began to thrust upward. Leaves shot up from the ground all around them, and within seconds the wagon was surrounded with never-before-seen creatures pacing, snapping their teeth, and darting at the horses. Artie felt something enter his beard near his ear and heard a tiny whisper. "They're grumners! They'll eat you! You've got to run! There's more Evil coming! Go!"

Confused, Artie looked hard to his left. Bopper sped from his beard and out of sight.

Charleo and Keegan were sliding from the bench. Artie grabbed Keegan.

"HEEELLLPP!" Charleo screamed.

Keegan did his best to grab Charleo, who was hanging from the driver's bench, dangling face-to-face with the grumners.

Halo and Scepter reared up again, and the front of the cart shot into the air with Charleo scrambling to reclaim his seat. The horses' front feet hit the ground, causing the wagon to slam down. Artie saw his chance and looped the reins around him then around the other two. Charleo and Keegan helped him pull on the reins to try and settle the horses.

"Whoa!" Artie hollered time and again to Halo and Scepter, but their fright made them uncontrollable. They reared yet again, and as they dropped to the ground they bashed the grumners with their hooves. The recruits in the back were being tossed recklessly about.

"Whoa! Whoa! Halo! Scepter!"

"What be these hideous thin's?" shouted Charleo.

"They be...they be grumners!" Artie hoped he had correctly repeated what Bopper had told him.

GRUMNER

"GRUMNERS?" Charleo yelled over the atrociously escalating noise, then thought, _This be not good. I canna believe that what SUL revealed ta Denton and me in secret years ago now be a-comin' ta pass._

"AYE! BOPPER JUST TOLD ME!"

"BOPPER? WHO BE BOPPER?" shouted Keegan.

"NO TIME TA BE EXPLAININ' NOW...JUST KEEP A-PULLIN' THE REINS! WHOA! WHOA!"

The sight of the grumners was intimidating. Their viper-green eyes with deep red blood vessels and yellow pupils pierced the eyes of Charleo, Keegan, and Artie from every side.

The grumners ceased their violent movements for no reason that was apparent to the three leaders, but the ugly beasts continued to growl. There were enough of them to make a complete circle around the wagon, spacing themselves about one foot apart. Halo and Scepter steadied themselves with their ears laid back, their eyes wide, their breathing fast and shallow, and their front feet marching in place as they continued their low-pitched whinnying.

When the dust had settled, a silhouette advanced over the crest of the hill. Imps scurried about the silhouette's legs as it strutted awkwardly using a crooked staff for balance. It approached Charleo's side of the wagon.

Charleo remained confident and never flinched when it breathed its foul hot breath in his direction.

Artie's heart skipped a beat when he recognized the stench he had smelled during his solo journey into the woods.

Keegan...well, he peed his pants. He desperately wanted to be brave but still needed a lot of work on that technique.

The hideous silhouette gagged, coughed, then coarsely spoke while simultaneously giving a hand signal. "You may back away." The grumners quieted and submitted to their master with faint whimpers and whines as they moved away from the wagon.

The silhouette turned its attention from Charleo to the back of the wagon. "Tsk, tsk. What have we here?" A rasping, wheezing voice came from where a face should be.

The creature again zeroed in on Charleo and raised its head into the crimson light coming from the lava ball perched atop its staff. Charleo could now see its facial features in vivid detail. Its eyes were devilish red, its pale pink lips were distinctly outlined in contrast to its ghostly skin. It wore a regal deep burgundy robe with an oversized hood protruding from a wide fur-lined collar. Charleo's eyes dropped to the creature's chest and noticed its necklace holding many bizarre charms that magically faded, changed, and reappeared time and again. Its fingers were adorned with gaudy rings doing the same.

The raspy sound returned as the creature inhaled and spoke to Charleo. "I am Lucasphair. Do you know of me?"

"Aye."

The recognition made pride swell in Lucasphair, but Charleo's failure to show fear angered him. " _What_ do you know of me?"

Charleo stared long and hard before he answered. "I know that ye be a changelin'. Ye be Evil's messenger, a counterpart ta SUL's Carbreyghal." Lucasphair grimaced at the sound of Carbreyghal's name.

Artie and Keegan were stunned at their friend's wisdom and insight.

"Ye've been released from a very damnable place fer such a time as this. Nary a one in this land shall be a-favorin' ye, once they know of ye. And I know that Tarnnin be a-watchin' yer every move." Charleo felt another ounce of bravery come over him, and he spoke with a general's commanding tone. " _I_ be a-trustin' SUL ta cause _yer_ efforts ta fail mis'rably."

Demeaning Charleo, Lucasphair threw his hood back and laughed. Keegan could not help grabbing Artie's leg, making Lucasphair laugh even harder. When Lucasphair caught his breath, he spoke. "We'll see about that!"

Keegan spotted an unwanted glimpse of Lucasphair's lip-curled expression, so he closed his eyes tight and kept them shut, still clutching Artie's leg.

Lucasphair's laughter had driven Charleo to respond on an angry impulse. " _And_ I know yer fate as prophesied by SUL in _The Book of Good and Evil."_ When he saw Lucasphair's posture sag ever so slightly, Charleo sensed that his words had momentarily subdued Lucasphair's cockiness.

Gasps from inside the back of the wagon erased the thoughts of Charleo's last statement from Lucasphair's memory. He snapped his head toward the wagon's cover. This time it was Charleo's shoulders that sagged; he had hoped the recruits would stay quiet.

Chapter 26

Warriors Unprepared

Lucasphair strolled to the back of the wagon and pulled open one side of the canvas to confirm his suspicion. "Lookie, lookie, lookie. A wagon full of chukkons." He stamped his staff on the ground and tried to laugh, but the only sound he made was a wheezy croak. His tone changed. "Easy prey!" He threw the canvas shut, his sickening confidence building as he returned to Charleo, who appeared to be under control.

But Charleo had lost his patience. He made a bold move, standing and pushing Lucasphair on the chest. "Ye leave 'em alone! Tis me ye be a-wantin' anyway, fer I be the gen'rl of the chukkon army." Charleo stared briefly into the forest to suggest that there was an entire army hiding there; he was satisfied to see Lucasphair's eyes shift away for a moment. Then Charleo nodded toward the back of the wagon. "They be but mere untrained recruits. Of what value would they be ta ye?" Charleo braved up one more notch and spit on Lucasphair. That move even scared Artie.

Lucasphair let Charleo's spit roll down his cheek. "Value? Value you ask?" He laughed and leaned into Charleo's face. " _They_ are free game. I can take them back to Tarnnin for a rich reward. That, my friend, is their value. They would become servants to Tarnnin instead of your pathetic army."

Charleo's eyes began to water from Lucasphair's sour breath, but he held his position. Lucasphair snorted, and a snotty substance splattered onto Charleo's face. Charleo did not budge. He glared as he spoke. "First off, dunna ye E'ER be a-callin' me yer friend. And just how do ye plan on a-doin' this when ye, the grumners, and these little imps are all ye have ta perform the task?" Then he wiped the snotty substance and flung it back in Lucasphair's face.

Charleo's ploy seemed to be working, as Lucasphair did another quick scan of the hilltops before he mocked Charleo. "Hmmff! Such big words from such a little being." He dragged one of his bony fingers cunningly under Charleo's chin. Charleo slapped Lucasphair's hand away and sat back down.

Lucasphair passed in front of the horses on his way to the back of the wagon. Halo's and Scepter's ears twitched at Lucasphair's sight. Artie watched Lucasphair's cloak drag through the dirt. With each step the changeling leaned heavier on his staff.

Homer heard the uneven footsteps and tried to be braver than his team.

Keegan still had his face covered. Charleo and Artie stopped moving for a few seconds, dumbfounded. When they snapped out of it, their eyes met, and Artie made a special gesture indicating that SUL had just spoken to him inwardly. Charleo gave a hand sign back to Artie confirming he had just heard the same. Both were thankful for SUL's intervention and were glad that He had shared Lucasphair's weakness with them.

Artie whispered, "Wait here." He climbed down from the wagon as quietly as he could and grabbed his bow and quiver full of arrows from under the bench. He set an arrow on his bow then tip-toed to the back of the wagon. "Stop right there!" Lucasphair jumped. Artie stood with his bow and arrow poised, aimed at Lucasphair's chest.

"Don't you realize that with one small command from me the grumners would devour you?"

"That _might_ be. But I be a-knowin' fer _certain_ that one release of an arrow, which pierces ye in the right place'll turn ye ta dust fer a bit, along with yer imps and grumners." Artie displayed immense confidence.

"Then I suppose we have a dilemma. Should I command the grumners to kill you and your recruits, or should you shoot the arrow and send me and my friends away–temporarily?"

The chukkon recruits came charging out of the wagon.

"NAE! NAE!" shouted Charleo when he heard them. He jumped from the wagon and ran to the back. "Get back in the wagon! NOW!"

Lucasphair commanded the grumners. "Seize them!" The chukkon recruits' eyes grew wide. They held tightly to their weapons and scattered in all directions, each pursued by a pair of grumners and several imps.

Artie, now feeling helpless, watched the chaos unfold.

Keegan threw his hands from his face, screamed in terror, jumped from the wagon, and ran as fast as he could. Two grumners took off after him, leaving their assigned imps in a whirling disarray. Keegan crawled into a small hole created by rocks around the roots at the base of a large tree. It was big enough for him but not for a grumner. The grumners snarled and growled as they took turns fiercely shoving their snouts into the hole, snapping at Keegan. Keegan grabbed a stick in each hand from the debris beneath him to beat the grumners away. The dirt around the roots and rocks began to crumble under the grumners' force. It was an encounter of terror like none Keegan had ever experienced. He realized the only way out was the way he had entered. He kept swinging the sticks, screaming hysterically. With each scream his own frothy saliva landed on his face, chest, and hands. Each grumner yelped in pain with every strike of the sticks. Thick mauve blood ran from their faces and gums. Keegan continued to put up a fight.

The recruits, fleeing in all directions, were now being attacked by imps. The demonic pursuers, though small, were able to move fast enough to catch up to their prey and begin their incessant blood thirsty feasting on the ankles of the fleeing chukkons.

IMPS

Levi was not a sprinter. He tried his best to escape the predators closing in on him, but the hungry creatures caught up fast. Levi felt his face slam hard into the ground when the grumners clenched his hips from behind and dragged him down. He felt their piercing claws and cried for help as their fangs shredded and ripped his flesh. But no one could bring relief, as each had to contend with his own battle. Levi pulled himself to the closest tree and tried to climb. He desperately dug his nails into the bark, but Lucasphair's "pets" proved to be stronger. The branch Levi so needed to grasp was just out of his reach. He hollered even louder when he felt the gnawing move from his calves to his thighs, then from his thighs to his hips. His cries began to dwindle when the pain moved from his hips to his belly. He fell limp, and the pain was no more, for Levi was no more.

The grumners continued to tear Levi's body apart. The imps joined in, crunching on exposed bones and licking each others faces, savoring every last drop of marrow. Rings of smeared blood stained their mouths where there were no lips. Levi's flesh hung from their teeth.

Other chukkons who had scattered throughout the forest continued to shoot their arrows and loft their spears at the grumners and imps. They had no idea their attempts would be futile.

• • • •

Back at the wagon Artie was the first to regain his composure. He made an attempt to catch Lucasphair off guard, but by the time he had taken aim, Lucasphair was already peering into his eyes. Without hesitation Artie let the first arrow rip toward Lucasphair. It went right through his shoulder with no effect. Lucasphair laughed.

"Too high! Too high!" shouted Charleo from beneath the thick ferns, out of sight behind Artie.

"I know, I know!" Artie scrambled for another arrow while Lucasphair's laughter reverberated through the trees. Charleo was shaking too much to get an arrow on his bowstring. He decided to stay hidden and continue to coach Artie.

Artie let his next arrow fly. Once again it went right through Lucasphair.

"Aim fer the shiny spot!" Charleo wanted to take a shot. He again tried to load an arrow, but his fumbling fingers got in the way. "Ah, ferget it!" He threw his weapon down in frustration. When he looked through the ferns, he saw that the imps were gnawing their way to the bones in Artie's ankles.

"OUCH!! Get 'em off me! Get 'em off me!" Artie beat at the imps with his bow.

"Just be a-concentratin'! Take aim and shoot!"

By now Lucasphair was laughing hysterically, and he had let his guard down.

"Shoot now! His head be tilted back! Shoot now!"

Artie gritted his teeth, pulled on the bowstring, set his anchor, and let the arrow slip from his fingers.

"It be a direct hit! I got him! I got him! WOW! Did ye see that?"

"AYE!" Charleo grabbed his bow and quiver and came running. Artie had collapsed.

Those who had been chased and tormented watched in disbelief as their predators crumbled to dust. Confused but relieved, they stood unmoving. The only sounds were their breaths of exhaustion that could be seen in the chilly twilight air. Each one felt alone. They began calling to one another, following each others' voices. Once they met, they headed back to the wagon in teams. All of the recruits believed they had won their first battle, defeating Evil, though they had no idea how. Charleo and Artie knew this was only the beginning.

Charleo ran to gather salveleaves. He rushed to Artie's side with the healing foliage and wrapped his ankles tightly.

SALVELEAVES

Both silently asked the Grand Wizard, SUL, to help them. Charleo's adrenaline was running high, so without a second thought, he was able to pick Artie up and carry him as he climbed Scepter's harness to get to the driver's bench. "Wait fer me ta return." He climbed down to go look for the others but heard Artie's blurting voice.

"I canna be a-waitin' here! We've future warriors out and about. We be responsible fer 'em. I've got ta be a-helpin' ye on the search. And where be Keegan? Oh Keegan...he be not ready fer this kind of action. What be..." Artie ended sobbing with his head in his hands.

"SHUT - UP! Be a-snappin' out of it!" Charleo climbed back up to the driver's bench and pulled Artie's hands from his face. "Get aholda yerself. Ye be a-ramblin'. Now stay put and wait fer me ta return." Artie slumped into Charleo's arms then swayed and fell to his back; he had passed out. In an odd way, Charleo was glad.

Charleo climbed back down and went a few hundred yards, pulled a shell horn from the pouch on his hip, and blew the "all be safe" sound. His eyes lit up when he saw the first couple of recruits come into view.

"Keep a-blowin' the shell horn! The others'll be a-hearin' it, I be certain. We did and followed the sound just like ye taught us at the pickup location."

Relieved, Charleo continued to blow the horn. All but two returned.

• • • •

Those with only minor injuries tended to the wagon and made certain all was back in order. A recruit gathered more salveleaves and wrapped the horses' wounds. Halo and Scepter had held up tough in the midst, coming away with only a few scrapes and shallow gashes.

Worried, Earl called out. "Levi...where be Levi?"

"Levi? I dunna know. And I still be not a-seein' Keegan." Charleo ordered Earl to take Danny with him and search the woods fer Levi. "I'll go a-lookin' fer Keegan."

Earl and Danny tried to retrace Levi's tracks. Their first attempt took them in circles. Finally Earl spotted and pointed out a trail of blood. They held their breath and did not say a word. The trail of blood led them over a few stumps and rocks, then to a stream. The blood trail became thicker, and they followed it to the base of a large tree where Levi's makeshift weapon was lying, caked with dirt and bark. The claw marks from where Levi had tried feverishly to climb made them shiver. Earl crept around the base of the tree. Sickened at what he saw, he held up his hand in Danny's direction. "DUNNA BE A-COMIN' AROUND HERE!" But he had spoken too late; Danny was already there. Neither was prepared for such a sight. They were glad SUL had called them to be warriors, but they never expected to have to handle something like this.

Levi's death was the first ever on Maycly.

Once the vomiting was over, Earl and Danny washed their hands, feet, and faces in the nearby stream. The cool water felt good to them, but it did not erase the brutal vision now scorched on their retinas. They returned to the gruesome scene and gathered the few belongings they could find–Levi's makeshift weapon, one small shoe, and a ring he had always worn. The news would be devastating to his wife and family and those who called him friend, but none of them would know of the tragedy for a long time.

"What be we ta do with...his... his...parts?" Earl did not even know what to call Levi's remains.

"I dunna know fer certain, but _The Book of Good and Evil_ says that on Earth, when a human's heart stops a-beatin', they plant the body in the ground, then magic be occurin'. That be how the wightlin's come ta be on Maycly."

"Aye. Then we should be a-plantin' what be left of Levi and a-hopin' fer some magic."

They topped the tiny grave with a stone, picked some lavendarias where the Sprites had been hiding, and replanted the flowers on the grave where Levi's head should have been. The lavendaria glowed a tad brighter when they added some water from the stream. The Sprites gathered to comfort Earl and Danny at Levi's grave. They removed their tiny hats and watched and listened as Earl recited a short dedication.

"So be it," said Earl as he closed his speech. Danny and the Sprites acknowledged the planting and repeated Earl's words, "So be it."

Earl fell to his knees and wept uncontrollably. Danny knelt beside Earl and put his arm around him. Both cried to SUL from their hearts with grief, still hoping for some magic. The Sprites dried Earl and Danny's tears.

A voice spoke from behind them. "'You have fought well My warriors,' says SUL unto you." They turned and saw Carbreyghal standing there in his luminous glory. The Sprites remained with Earl and Danny. "Rise and continue on, for your friend lives and shall return to you whole at an appointed time."

Levi's spirit appeared next to Carbreyghal. The Sprites oohed and ahhed with reverence at the sight. Peace filled Earl and Danny like warm rippling honey when they experienced SUL's magic. Levi's spirit spoke. "SUL has taken care of me. He'll be a-takin' care of ye too. Now stop yer grievin' and be a-helpin' the others; they be in need of ye. Me heart'll be with ye."

Earl and Danny wept again, now a mixture of grief and joy. They gathered Levi's belongings, bid their farewells to Carbreyghal and the Sprites, and rushed back to the wagon to tell the tragic, yet glorious, tale.

• • • •

Artie hobbled as fast as he could. "Charleo! Charrrleooo!"

"O'er here Artie!" Artie ran quicker, the salveleaves still clinging to his ankles. "I know ye be not in the best of shape, but I sure be glad ta see ye! I followed the noises that led me here."

"Ye know I couldna let ye be out here a-roamin' about by yerself ta find Keegan." Desperate cries came from directly in front of them. "And from those sounds, ye may just be onta somethin'." Artie pointed at a hole beneath the roots of a tree. Leaning down, they heard grunting, but they had to duck when froth and dirt came flying from the hole. Artie pulled some rocks away.

It was Keegan. He was sitting amidst a bunch of rubble, swinging the sticks, throwing mud, and spitting. He was apparently fighting off the grumners he thought were still attacking him.

At first Charleo and Artie laughed, as the sight was humorously pathetic. But when Keegan did not let up at the sight of them, compassion filled their hearts; they realized something was very wrong. With caution they lowered themselves into the hole in an attempt to calm him. They ducked every swing but were unable to stay out of the way of the flying spit and dirt.

Charleo inched toward Keegan. "Shh, shh, shh. It be OK. Tis us...Charleo and Artie. We be here ta help ye now. Ye be safe. The beasts be gone."

Keegan stopped the hysteria and looked at them. His eyes opened wide, filled with fear and disbelief. Then he returned to his stick swinging, dirt throwing, and spitting.

"Hey buddy, calm down. Tis all o'er. Ye be OK." Artie tried to restrain Keegan and take the sticks from him.

Keegan dropped the sticks as he wrestled to get free from Artie's tight hold. Still not convinced the danger was over, yet thoroughly exhausted, Keegan stopped struggling. Artie loosened his hold, and Keegan looked into Charleo's and Artie's eyes. When he recognized who they were he burst into tears. He grabbed Charleo and wept on his chest, soaking his shirt. Charleo did not even notice the sogginess; he held Keegan and rocked him gently as he gave thanks to SUL.

"Oh, Keegan, what would we e'er do without ye?" said Artie, wiping Keegan's spit and mud from his own face.

Keegan looked up and answered, "Well, ye wouldna have ta worry about bein' spit on and hit with a stick by yer deranged friend!"

It took Charleo and Artie a moment to realize Keegan had made a funny. Their nervous laughter changed to belly busters that filled the air as Keegan's joke brought relief. They all scooped each other up arm-in-arm, climbed out of the open hole, and made the trip back to the wagon.

Earl and Danny had delivered the news.

"Where be our friend Levi?" Charleo asked Homer.

"Tis a story we'll tell ye whilst we be a-travelin'."

Charleo checked on Halo and Scepter to make certain the salveleaves had done their job. Keegan and Artie returned to the wagon's bench, and Charleo joined them. While about half of the recruits finished packing their weapons and such, Homer gave Artie some wine. Artie guzzled it right down and asked for more. Apparently with nothing else in his stomach other than nerves, it did not take much to lay Artie flat across Charleo's and Keegan's laps.

"Psst. Artie. We really be a-needin' ye ta drive the horses here." Charleo thumped Artie on the head with his finger. "Artie, we be a-needin' ye."

Artie sat straight up from his unconscious state. "GOO' MORNIN' ERRYBODY!" He picked up the jug Homer had last given him, took another swig of wine, belched, and passed out again. Keegan convinced Charleo it was probably better this way, so Charleo grabbed the reins, and their journey continued.

Never had there been a more welcoming sight than the one before them now; the Sprites were creating their outline of the pass-through on The Vinewall. Charleo, Keegan, Artie, and the recruits were very tired, but that was soon replaced with the enthusiasm that always accompanied the joyous arrivals.

Even though it was late, they all went to Pub Pearl's to unwind. Diverse stories–some scary, some joyful, some sorrowful–filled the air that twilight. But most importantly, all put the day's events behind them as they danced and listened to three instruments–a harp, a flute, and a drum–being played by The Training Village's own musical group known as "A Harp, A Flute, and A Drum."

Twilight was nearing morning, and Pub Pearl's gatherers headed for their apartments for a few hours of sleep.

It had been long enough that their apartments had finally become home to Charleo, Keegan, and Artie, and they slept better than they ever had.

• • • •

No other incidents occurred during the remaining trips, but that did not mean the memories of group 48's dreadful day were not present each time Charleo, Keegan, and Artie approached the southern edge of Timberland Forest North with their new recruits. The three leaders had learned a painful lesson and remained alert at all times.

Chapter 27

United Army of Chukkon Warriors

Chukkon warrior recruiting was finally completed after two years, and training was to start in two days. SUL had sent Carbreyghal during the night to leave letters on Charleo's, Keegan's, and Artie's kitchen tables explaining their particular duties regarding the training. The three met together early in the morning to discuss the letters, create schedules, and coordinate the responsibilities each of them faced. It was a full day's project. The final schedule was demanding, but they had done a good job, and it was well organized.

Keegan sounded his first bugle call to wake the sleeping recruits. Following breakfast, the bugle called them to assemble in the main gathering hall in town.

"Good mornin' mighty recruits!" Charleo's voice sounded from the podium at the front of the hall.

"Good mornin' Gen'rl!" The answer roared from 3599 chukkons.

"Welcome. We be a-welcomin' one and all. What ye be about ta endure has ne'er been done by any chukkon. Each of ye has been selected by SUL because of the warrior spirit He hid in ye at the Birthin' Waters whilst ye were in the mermaids' arms. So dunna think fer one minute ye be incapable of bein' a warrior. Have courage, uplift one another as fella warriors, and think of yer loved ones often. Their love fer ye'll be a-givin' ye the strength ye'll be a-needin' ta continue in what we be a-fightin' fer. And just ta remind ye, we be a-fightin' fer Good." Stately applause filled the room. Everyone gained a new respect for Charleo from that moment on.

"Any questions before I be a-continuin'?" No hands rose. "Then I'll be a-movin' on. Our orders come from SUL. The first order be as follows: all trainin'll be done in units consistin' of thirty-six warriors each, with the exception of the unit containin' pickup #48; they'll only be a-havin' thirty-five in honor of Levi." Charleo removed his hat. The others did the same, and all observed a moment of silence. "Yer pickup numbers have been entered inta this hat. When ye be a-hearin' yer pickup number called, please proceed ta Keegan." Charleo motioned toward Keegan, and Keegan raised his hand. "Keegan'll be a-givin' ye further instructions. He'll also be a-presentin' ye with a flagpole, and the flag of Maycly'll be a-flyin' at the top. In addition ye'll be a-gettin' another smaller flag with yer unit number ta be flown below the flag of Maycly. Ye'll proudly carry yer unit's flagpole where e're ye go, whether durin' trainin' or in battle. Understood?"

"Understood Gen'rl!" Charleo heard the respect in their voices as the 3599 answered in unison.

FLAG OF MAYCLY

"Very well then, let's be a-startin' the drawin'." Artie reached into the hat Charleo held above his head and pulled out three chips. "Artie's drawn the pickup numbers 3, 122, and 17!" Charleo turned to the large slate beside the podium and wrote the numbers under "Unit #1." Thirty-six recruits made their way to Keegan's table where he appointed a sergeant, attached their unit-number flag, and then handed them their flagpole.

Unit #1 held their flagpole high and waved it with big swooping motions causing the flags to flutter. Everyone responded with grand approval. And so this continued until all 100 Units had been assigned.

"Great job everyone. From this moment forward ye'll ne'er be called recruits again; ye'll be called warriors, and ye'll be known as warriors of Good!" Charleo, Keegan, and Artie applauded the new warriors. In turn they applauded their leaders.

Charleo raised his hand, and the warriors quieted. "Ye'll each be given a map and a rotation schedule. Keegan and Artie'll be a-handin' 'em out."

"All have their maps sir!" shouted Artie from the back of the room.

"Very well. First, ye need ta be a-findin' yer unit number on the map. Beside that number'll be yer first trainin' location, along with yer rotation schedule." The units talked amongst themselves as they searched the maps.

"Be there any unit who hasna found their unit number?"

"Aye! We be Unit #79. We be not a-seein' a #79 on the map." Keegan dashed to the unit and showed them their number.

"Anyone else be a-needin' assistance?" Receiving no more requests, he continued. "There be three main locations. Ye'll be a-startin' at the location yer unit be listed under, then ye'll rotate ta the next location in alphabetical order each new day. Location 'A' be mine. I'll be a-teachin' ye the master plan and design of the battles ta be fought."

Charleo stepped back, and Keegan stepped to the podium. "I'll be a-headin' up Location 'B'. I be in charge of yer personal hygiene, yer personal needs, and physical trainin'."

Artie stepped up beside Keegan. "And I be Artie! Hi everybody!"

"Hi Artie!" The warriors' enthusiastic response brought smiles to Artie and Keegan, but of course Charleo rolled his eyes at the non-military greeting. "I'll be at Location 'C'. I be yer weapons design-and-build-and-use instructor as well as...me favorite...the battle animal trainin' master! Woohoo!"

Charleo jumped when the spunky warriors responded with their own resounding woohoos. He parted Keegan and Artie and stepped back up to the podium. "All right, be a-settlin' down. I've got one more thin' ta be a-tellin' ye. Ye'll be a-respondin' ta calls when Keegan here be a-blowin' the shell horn. There be seven calls total. We be a-goin' ta demonstrate all seven now, e'en though ye already know a couple. Now pay attention because ye'll need ta begin a-memorizin' the ones ye dunna know. Keegan'll be a-soundin' a call, then I'll be a-tellin' ye what it be fer." The demonstration was a success.

"Now one last time, be there any questions?" The chukkon warriors were quiet; everyone understood. "All right then, ye'll be arrivin' at yer initial assigned location at 0600–SHARP–ta begin yer trainin'!" Charleo scrunched his face at the warriors' laughing response. He turned to see what was going on behind him. Artie smiled a sheepish grin, as he had been aping Charleo for fun. "I shoulda known," Charleo muttered under his breath. Keegan and Artie lifted Charleo high into the air.

"Hip! Hip!" shouted Keegan and Artie as they bounced Charleo.

"Hooray!"

"Hip! Hip!"

"Hooray!"

Artie sounded off, "If we be warriors..."

"..then all we have ta fear be fear itself!" The crowd went wild.

"Dismissed!" shouted Charleo in a general's tone, but with a smile.

The warriors left the gathering hall cheering and talking amongst themselves. The enthusiasm of the morning prevailed, all eager to begin the training.

Charleo, Keegan, and Artie huddled together once again to discuss a few last-minute things then split up to prepare their individual locations. They knew it would take every bit of the time remaining in the day to have things in order for the next morning.

• • • •

Special Trees of The Blue Sleep, shorter and broader than the ones found on the main street of every village, lined the path of the training area. A copy of _The Book of Good and Evil_ was under glass at the door of Charleo's headquarters. When he walked through the door, the sight was overwhelming. "This place be grand–in both size and furnishin's. It be precisely laid out fer me task. But what else should I have expected since SUL has had all of our new-found friends a-workin' on this place since creation?" He walked to his desk and took a seat in the stately chair. "This desk be bigger'n me workbench back home! And just look at all its extras." He opened the drawers and doors. When he finished going through his new personal desk he moved on to the next room, a small kitchen. "Tis perfect fer me." _Coffee and pastries'll be a-makin' their appearance soon, if I've anythin' ta do with it._ "Oh, here be a table fer visitors, and o'er here a nice fluffy couch."

His eyes lifted to the door behind the couch and he read the engraved plaque aloud, "'Because The Gen'rl Says So.' Now that be an interestin' plaque." He stroked his beard and wrinkled his forehead then opened the door. His face beamed. "I canna believe me eyes! Every chair and desk be in its proper place." His eyes carried to the front of the room, and he walked with his hands stretched out in front of him. "That map of Maycly...it be as high as the high ceilin' and as low as the floor. And as wide as the entire wall! But how am I ta reach the top when I be a-teachin'?" With his finger Charleo began to follow the road from Aubry Acres to Toban Meadows.

Sprite sparkles exploded from the opposite corner of the map.

"Jit! Whate'er be ye a-doin' here? Ah! I see. Ye be a-hoverin' by a ladder on the rail at that far end of the map! That be explainin' how I can get ta the top. Hey, how did ye know about this place? Pardon me manners, how be ye me li'l friend?" Charleo waddled quickly to greet him.

Jit flew to Charleo and stopped in front of his nose. He spoke with a very excited Sprite voice. "I was wondering if I'd ever get to see you again. As you know, SUL released us from being on duty with Tarnnin a long time ago, so I asked him where you were. He not only told me where to find you but said to come to you right away."

"So if SUL sent ye ta me...does that be a-meanin'..."

"Yes! Yes! I have been assigned to you as your _personal_ Sprite!" Jit did a full gainer. "But, there is one thing I asked SUL for, and He said it was OK–that is, if it's OK with you."

"And what might that be, me li'l flyin' friend?"

Jit took his hat off and rolled the brim in his hands. "I asked SUL if Giddy could come too, since we're best friends and all, and Tarnnin doesn't even want Sprites any longer, unless he needs new 'candle holders' in his dining hall lamps..."

"Aye. Giddy be welcome too."

"YIPPEE!" Giddy popped out of the map with a plink.

"Hey li'l guy! Where were ye a-hidin'?"

"Back here! Jit, help me outline a door." Charleo watched as the two Sprites outlined a rectangle on the map, which created a twinkling pattern just like the Sprites had created on The Vinewall. "Well, what are you waiting for Charleo? We can't hold this door open all day." Jit cracked up at Giddy's words.

"I s'pose ye canna." Charleo pushed inside the rectangle, and the outlined door on the map opened. "HOLY WHAH! Oh, sorry." _That was so Artie right there._ "But I canna help meself; this be beyond amazin'!"

Jit and Giddy gave Charleo a tour of the room behind the map. There were desks and chairs, a chalkboard, books, and other classroom supplies. "And _this_...this is a Sprite-sized 3D model of the battlefield. And look at these. This one is you!" Jit was hovering over the model of Charleo. "At your command it all goes into action. When you want to see how one of your strategies will come together in real life, you just give the orders, and the figures will follow your instructions. Just be sure and address the model first so it knows you're ready. Go ahead. Say something."

"Uh, OK." Charleo cleared his throat. "Model of Maycly." Charleo leaned in a little closer when all of the tiny characters–animals, etherealians, and warriors–came to life. He cleared his throat again. "Uh, troops in the north march five steps south." And they did. "At ease," and the model's figurines became immobile. "Well I'll be jiggered. That really be somethin' else, eh?"

Jit and Giddy flew over the battlefield. They did somersaults through the air then landed simultaneously in a wagon with their arms held high in a "V" to symbolize the perfect landing after their athletic stunts. "Model of Maycly," said Jit. All the miniatures snapped to attention. Jit flew from the wagon and went to join its puller.

Charleo was beside himself with fascination. "SUL thought of everythin', dinna He? These livin' models be tremendous. The little bitty flyin' etherealians be simply brilliant." He ran his finger across the top of the tiny western ridge on the battlefield.

"Ah, yuck!" Jit shook his wings and Giddy just laughed. The animal harnessed to the cart had sneezed from the breeze caused by Charleo's hand.

"And what be a-pullin' yer cart? Be it a miniature towdoceros?"

TOWDOCEROS

"It is! _And_ his name is Barthalamew. And SUL's given us a new song to teach Artie, to teach the others to sing to these gentle giants, especially before heading into battle. Would you like to hear it now?" Jit was ecstatic.

"I canna fellas. I really need ta be a-plannin' and a-preparin' fer tomorrow's first class."

Jit's ears drooped and a pouty look sprouted on his face.

Giddy plea-bargained for his friend. "Oh, come on, it's really great and you'll really love it, and if you don't hear us sing it first you'll NEVER know how it's supposed to sound because you'll have to hear Artie sing it first."

"OK. Ye made yer point. Wouldna want ta disappoint me new personal Sprites. Go ahead."

Jit and Giddy perked right back up and vocalized a couple of "mee-mee-mee's" to find their pitch. "We proudly present...'The Towdie Song'...as performed by Jit and Giddy." They both bowed.

When they started singing to little Barthalamew he began to grunt and croak as he tried to sing along. The sound was not pleasing to anyone's ears (except the towdie's), but once he closed his eyes, raised his head, and began swaying back and forth to the rhythm, their three hearts melted at the adorable sight. Jit and Giddy sang all five verses...accompanied by Barthalamew.

THE TOWDIE SONG

Lyrics

Verse 1

The towdie, he am a queer bird.

He ain't got no tail almost hardly.

He leap and he jump,

But he land on he rump

Where he ain't got no tail almost hardly.

Verse 2

The towdie, he am a queer bird.

He croak, but he think he be singing.

It sound bad and loud,

But he face, it be proud

When he croak, 'cause he think he be singing.

Verse 3

The towdie, he am a queer bird,

With two rhino horn on he front face.

He poke and he jab,

Evil ones he do stab

With the two rhino horn on he front face.

Verse 4

The towdie, he am a queer bird.

He tow chukkon war cart in battle.

He skin, it be rough,

But it also be tough,

So he pull chukkon war cart in battle.

Verse 5

The towdie, he am a queer bird.

He love all the Good what in Maycly.

He life he live gently,

Almost sentiment'ly,

And love all the Good what in Maycly.

"That be wonderful! I applaud ye, all of ye, Barthalamew included." Charleo put his hand to his mouth and whispered to the Sprites, "And I s'pose the towdie's vocals'll fit in better with Artie's musical ability?" All three laughed, but Barthalamew had overheard them and sat with a thud. His ears flattened back against his head and his floppy top lip curled under with a bit of embarrassment. Jit scritched under his chin to comfort him and let him know his singing was not all that bad. He reassured Barthalamew that his singing was _nothing_ like Artie's unique musical talent (or lack thereof). Barthalamew uncurled his lip and, with his wet squishy nose, nudged Jit. "Thanks...I think." Jit wiped himself off, again.

• • • •

Keegan approached the door of his office located in the special Tree of the Blue Sleep next to Charleo's headquarters. He paid his respects to his copy of _The Book of Good and Evil_ under glass at his doorstep.

Entering his office he saw a desk and chair, book shelves, and ample office supplies. On the wall behind his desk and chair he saw three wooden doors with plaques. The first door's plaque read "Ye Shall Ne'er Go Hungry." He opened the door with anticipation. "Me eyes have ne'er been filled with so many bushels and baskets of food. There be fruits and vegetables and grains. And just look at all the breads, crackers, cheese, and wine. Their numbers be sufficient fer thirty-five hundred and ninety-nine...plus three leaders." He smiled at his own humor. "And it surely be enough ta last a long, long time." He could hardly bring himself to shut that door and move on.

"What be this?" Keegan read the second plaque aloud, "'Ye Shall Always Find Comfort and Cleanliness'." When he opened this door his nose overloaded with the pleasant aroma. "Ahhhh. That be a-smellin' as fragrant as Mitzy's hand-washed laundry in the breeze." _The linens–all of 'em so white and clean–be stacked so neatly from the floor ta the ceilin'. And I be certain there be enough ta go around...more'n once._ He closed his eyes and took in the aroma several more times, every inhale reminding him of home.

He really did not want to, but he closed the door and went to the third one. "Hmmm. This plaque be a-sayin', 'Ye Shall Ne'er Lack fer Essential Goods'." He opened the door. "Silverware, thread and needles, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes..." He stood with his mouth hanging open, trying to take in the plethora of supplies.

When he left that room he noticed a door on either side of his office. Both plaques read the same, "Ye Shall Ready Yerselves and Clothe Yerselves With Full Armor." He chose the door to the left and entered a locker room filled with showers, changing booths, hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, heated soft stone loungers, and mirrors. There were even a few massage rooms where, after a hard day's training, the warriors (and leaders) could enjoy a rubdown of their tired and aching muscles. He stepped into one of the many changing booths and found it stocked with a battle outfit and armor neatly tucked away, complete with footwear.

"Wow! This'll be where they'll be a-preparin' and a-dressin' before and after trainin'...or before the battle." His excitement ebbed a bit at the sound of his own words.

Something at the back of the locker room caught his eye. "I wonder where that door be a-leadin'?" He opened it. "This be amazin'. Trainin' apparatuses, obstacle courses, exercise areas. Our warriors'll be fitter'n any others!" As the enormity of the task before him overwhelmed him, he ran back to his desk and started to prepare for the first day of training.

Artie's office lay next in line in a Tree of the Blue Sleep, complete with his very own copy of _The Book of Good and Evil_ under glass at the front door. When he opened his door he saw two doors at the back. He ran right through his office, without even stopping to check out his desk and chair, and opened one of the two doors. "I canna believe me eyes...three different rooms in one!" Artie found himself feeling like a chukkonette in a candy shoppe as he stared at the contents in the room titled "Weapons Warehouse," the second titled "Weapon Crafting," and the third titled "Weaponry Classroom." He walked and talked at the same time. "Look at these desks...the chairs be attached right to 'em! How handy be that? And I've a chalkboard of me own...with fluorescent chalk!" He turned and faced the empty desks and practiced teaching for a moment.

His imaginary lesson ended when he saw something that caused him to run to the next room. "These work benches, these tools, and these blueprints. They be outstandin'!" A note was thumb-tacked to a cork board above his instructor's workbench. Artie took the liberty of reading it aloud.

" _Artie, I hope ye find the blueprints_

– _the ones SUL gave me before I left Tahqrusalom–_

ta be sufficient fer a-craftin' the tools.

If ye be a-havin' any questions,

dunna hesitate ta be a-givin' me a shout.

Sincerely, Charleo."

Artie took a closer look at all of the different blueprints hanging above every work bench. He was flabbergasted at the detail and precision Charleo had given to each.

Artie moved on to the third room where he found another note.

" _Artie, we be a-hopin' ye find these weapons_

ta be of good use when ye begin the hands-on trainin'

whilst the new weapons from

Charleo's blueprints are a-bein' crafted.

Sincerely, The Mayor."

Artie smiled. He laid the note down and did a check of the pre-crafted weapons; all exceeded his approval for training purposes.

He returned to his office and sat down. He grabbed some chiller leaves, made a goblet, then drank the gwendelant he took from the miniature chukkon-made basin beside his desk.

Then he remembered the second door. He approached it and read the plaque. "'AEBBs'." His brows furrowed in thought. _AEBBs. Now what could that be a-standin' fer? Tis familiar ta me._ He snapped his fingers. "I know. I remember. AEBBs–All Element Beasts of Battle. That be a-meanin' there be land, water, and sky creatures I've ne'er seen on the other side of this door. Magnificent species they're s'posed ta be...or at least I've read so in _The Book of Good and Evil."_ He swung the door open. Before him was a large green lea sectioned off with corrals, pens, and barns. Large ponds were dotted about. Enormous trees held the twelve fiery castle sentinels that had been residing in The Training Village since the disappearance of the castle.

Artie found out from the letter he had received two nights ago that he was responsible for "critter-care" and for training the chukkon warriors how to ride and maneuver on the AEBBs. As he waddled toward the animals he realized the ground beneath his feet was flat, and the grass was very short. "Whoa, hold on here. What be I a-walkin' on?" Artie made a mad dash, following the wide flat expanse all the way to the end, and arrived at a certain corral. "HOLY WHAH! Ye must be. Ye hafta be! Ye _are_! I've dreamed many a dream about ridin' such a beast as ye." The large, horned, winged, quilled feline purred a friendly purr, so loud it made Artie's nose tickle. "How can I be a-denyin' an invitation from an icataras?" He believed the icataras was coaxing him to take a ride, so he opened the gate, climbed aboard, and strapped himself into the seat already in position on her back.

ICATARUS

The icataras walked out to the flat grass strip and stopped.

Artie thought hard about the icataras's action. "Oh! I be a-gettin' it. Ye be a-wantin' ta go fer a run, which be fine by me, so let's go!"

The icataras just stood there.

"Well, if ye want ta go, then let's go! Let's get a-goin'!" Artie wiggled back and forth in his seat.

Still no movement.

"OK. Let me be a-thinkin' this through."

The icataras looked over her shoulder and stared at Artie.

"Um...I know. How about this? Giddyup! H'yah!" He ended with the click-clack sound, and swore the icataras's expression was saying, _"What do you think I am? A horse?"_ She shifted her eyes and leaned her head toward a slit in the front of the saddle.

"Ye be a-wantin' me ta see what be in there?" He was certain the icataras nodded. Artie jumped when she gave a shrill meow ending with a cat-style hiss that blew his hat off, making a mess of his hair...messier than usual.

"OK. I'll be a-doin' that then." Artie reached into the slit and drew out a small flat stone. It was so smooth he could not help but rub it between his thumb and fingers. On the third rub the icataras took off at 100 miles per hour down the grassy strip.

"Whoa! Whoa!" The icataras and Artie sped high into the air. Artie hung on as best he could. When they reached a mountain top the icataras came close enough to push off then dive straight down, head first, her wings tucked in, spiraling through the clouds.

"YYYYIIIKKKEEEESSSS!" cried Artie as they raced perpendicular to the horizon.

Charleo and Keegan broke away from their preparations and ran outside to see what the commotion was all about. Artie saw them come waddling down the grass strip.

"Fellas! Heeeellllp meeee!"

When Artie and the flying feline came bursting through the clouds, Charleo's and Keegan's mouths dropped open. About fifty feet above the ground the icataras did two quick barrel rolls then extended her wings, caught the air perfectly, and came in for a spot-on landing. Charleo and Keegan got out of the way as the icataras trotted to her pen, Artie's entire body bobbing in time to her stride. She gave a shrill meow in confidence and hopped directly to her food bowl, demanding a reward.

Charleo followed Artie and the cat into the pen. "What in Maycly's name did ye think ye were a-doin', ye big oaf!"

"I...dunna...know."

"Well pry yer fingers off that saddle horn and get down from there!"

Artie did not question Charleo's order.

Keegan ran to the storage shed inside the pen and gathered up a slushy pile of fishy-smelling treats. A few of the slimy treats slipped from his hands as he tossed them into the very happy icataras's bowl then joined Charleo and Artie, who were making their way out the gate.

"What happened?" asked Charleo.

Artie blinked a few times, trying to stop his surroundings from spinning. "Well, I'd read of these wonderful creatures in _The Book of Good and Evil,_ and I've dreamed many a dream of a-ridin' one someday, and I guess I was a-thinkin' today be the day. I couldna get her ta take off, then I pulled a flat stone outta the slit in the saddle and..."

Keegan picked up for Artie. "...and it be a-sayin' right here, on the instruction plaque nailed ta the pen:

' _He who pulls the smooth stone from the slit_

and rubs it three times will soar

with the icataras to the heights and return,

making him the sole rider of that

icataras'."

"Musta missed that part, eh?" Artie's face went red.

"Ye think?" Charleo's eyebrows raised and he peered over his spectacles.

It went quiet for a moment. Then they all laughed, breaking the tension. Nothing more needed to be said; all three knew Artie was not one for reading instructions, and every once in a while that practice backfired.

Artie felt a forceful prickly bump from behind. It was his icataras rubbing her giant head against him in feline fashion. "There, that be me girl." He turned and caressed the soft under-wings of his now very own icataras.

"Did ye miss this?" Keegan handed Artie his hat.

"Oh. Thanks." Artie took his hat and put it on then tried to straighten his hair that was sticking out from underneath it.

Charleo and Keegan smiled, shook their heads, and returned to their preparations.

Artie finished checking out all of the pens of the battle-ready animals–some familiar, some new. He saw spotted hopcats, wolven gliders, aerialoceroses, and towdies. The last two large pens he visited housed scale-feathered garrotts and raffedaries. And yes, Artie read all of the individual instructions posted on every different critter's corral.

SPOTTED HOPCAT

At the end of the row of pens was a very large barn. No evidence of foot tracks or activity was present. Artie read the posted instructions which stated that this particular barn was for use in a distant time, far in the future. Another sign was neatly nailed to the doors: "Only The One Who Can Communicate With These Shall Enter At The Appointed Time." He was confident the message was from SUL.

Far off in the distance, away from the training area, Artie saw even larger barns and decided to check them out. As he approached he heard some very familiar sounds.

"COMING IN!"

Artie looked up. "Well, I'll be jiggered. So this be where the skyships and the mandibleron gryphons be a-stayin'."

WOLVEN GLIDERS

SCALE-FEATHERED GARROTT

He ran to greet the etherealians and pet the mandibs. The etherealian driver told Artie that they used to reside in a grassy area inside the castle before the great change, but they had been forced to move into Timberland Forest North's far western corner. Artie's high spirits were squelched when the etherealian proceeded to tell him some of the skyships and mandibs had been stolen by Tarnnin while living there, so SUL allowed them to enter Chennington Greens, where they currently resided. This was shocking news to Artie.

Realizing the day was getting away from him, Artie returned to his office and finally became familiar with his desk and chair.

• • • •

Training was rough going for some at first; others took to it with ease. But in the end, no one had failed. The training had lasted three years and three hundred days. The next sixty four days were spent socializing and banding together as SUL's United Army of Chukkon Warriors.

Chapter 28

Being Ushered In

Since creation SUL-trusting humans who arrived on Maycly from Earth took an oath of service to all Good. When they disembarked the skyships they were escorted across a small bridge that spanned a flowing stream surrounding the one-of-a-kind tree known as the Ushering Tree. Upon entry each received his or her own personal welcome to Maycly by a wightling couple who had lived there for hundreds of years.

For a while now, however, the tenants of the Ushering Tree had been Grampa Lawrence and Gramma Hilda, the biological parents of Ann (Iona's mother) on Earth. They had never found a reason not to enjoy life. Grampa Lawrence, a distinguished gentleman, was the new greeter and sorter of the humans who arrived on Maycly from Earth and entered the Ushering Tree. All who had had the opportunity to meet Lawrence on Earth and Maycly remarked that he was "such a nice man." His appearance was stately–tall and stout with impeccable posture–dark black hair, hazel eyes, and shiny white teeth. Visually he was no match to the average man, unbeknownst to himself. He was a humble man, always willing and ready to work. He knew more about places and things on both Earth and Maycly than any other human or wightling. He was on Maycly for a very special purpose.

USHERING TREE

To date he was the only human who had stepped foot on Maycly without first being buried on Earth. Grampa Lawrence's story was unique: he had been walking home from work one day and simply rose into the sky and out of sight, right in mid step. The few witnesses, when asked what they saw, always said the same thing, "He was, and then he was not." Just like that, Grampa Lawrence was on Maycly.

His wife, Gramma Hilda, was a jolly sort. She had always done good deeds on Earth. Her hands were never idle. She was a master of baking, an animal lover, and always had a kind word for those she met. Her day of passing came soon after Grampa Lawrence had left Earth.

When Grampa Lawrence and Gramma Hilda were reunited on Maycly it was quite the celebration. Gramma Hilda exhibited the happy-go-lucky traits of a chukkon, and many were surprised she was actually a wightling.

• • • •

An escort led the next gentleman up the stairs to the vestibule and pulled on the tassel where a door bell should be. Inside, the rope above the door wiggled, the signal for the roosting scarlet tanagers, nightingales, and indigo buntings to tweet their cheerful songs.

"I'll get it!" Gramma Hilda answered the door. "Welcome!" She offered a friendly smile to the gentleman. "And what is your name?"

"Philip Roberts. And you are?"

"Hilda, my name's Hilda, but everyone calls me Gramma Hilda around here. Please come in." She reached out to Philip, who took her hand, and they traded a gentle handshake. The escort nodded, saluted Gramma Hilda, then made his way down the stairs to wait for the next human.

"Please come in." Gramma Hilda waited while the gentleman used his manners and wiped his feet on the rag-rug. "Follow me this way. I always make certain to pass through the kitchen with a new guest." She gave a wink.

"WOW! Look at all of this! Cookies, cakes, muffins, and pies. Even triple layer cupcakes!"

"Pick one, if you will. It's your welcome home gift from me personally. I bake everything in that seasoned brick oven right over there."

Philip inched toward the pie counter (pie was his favorite), but the cookies in his peripheral vision were calling his name too. Gramma Hilda watched as his head went from pies to cookies and back several times. Then he stepped left, closer to the triple layer cupcakes.

"Why don't we get you a piece of pie with a cookie on top. Then you can have a cupcake for dessert?"

"I'd be allowed to do that?"

"Of course, and I'll be glad to get it for you. Now which flavor pie suits your fancy?"

"Pecan. Definitely pecan."

"All right." Gramma Hilda slid the spatula under the biggest piece and put it on a tangerine-colored plate. "Now which cookie is your favorite?"

"That would have to be the butterscotch gingerbread man with the thick white icing and the chocolate chip buttons!" Philip was noticeably excited.

"Wise choice." Gramma Hilda pulled the tray from the glass showcase and held it before him. "Why don't you pick the one you want?"

Philip's eyes lit up, and he pointed to the closest one. Gramma Hilda laid the cookie on top of his piece of pie.

"Ah, the most perfect combination of pie and cookie anyone has ever created." Gramma Hilda put on her finishing touches, consisting of a few delicate white chocolate shavings, a light drizzle of homemade caramel sauce, and a few chopped pecans. Then she handed him the plate. "Now for dessert. Which triple layer cupcake looks the best to you?"

"Oh, I forgot I get dessert." Philip gave a quick chuckle then zeroed in on the sour cream donut cupcake with a hint of red raspberry jelly swirled throughout each layer, held together and topped with pure white butter cream marshmallow icing.

"Sprinkles?" asked Gramma Hilda.

"Well, yeah. Rainbow please." Philip was thrilled at the sight of the two Sprites who flew to the sprinkles bowl, each carrying two tiny buckets. He watched them fill their buckets then make a few passes over the cupcake, scattering the sprinkles just so.

Gramma Hilda carried the cupcake and led Philip to the kitchen table. "Now how about some cold milk to drink? You won't be sorry. The milk from Maycly cows far surpasses the milk of Earth cows."

"Yes please! I'll most certainly have a glass of milk."

Gramma Hilda opened the magic coldbox, pulled from it a glass bottle filled with milk, and peeled off the paper top.

"Did I just see what I think I saw? Another milk bottle; it...it..."

"Yep, another milk bottle just appeared. One shows up in the empty place every time. I'll let you in on a little secret...the magic coldbox in the Ushering Tree is one of a kind." Gramma Hilda winked then double checked the sweet creation on the plate. "Oh my goodness gracious, I almost forgot. Did you want this a'la mode?"

"I would, but I'm not much of a vanilla flavor kind of person, thank you just the same."
"I know what you mean. Vanilla is so overrated. Here's the list of our homemade, hand dipped ice creams." Gramma Hilda put her hand to her mouth. "All of them are exclusive flavors to this tree." She handed him the list.

"Bouncing Gum Ball Berry, Chocked Full of Cherries & White Chocolate, Dripping Butterscotch and Marshmallow Goo, Peanut Buttery Treasures, Coconut and Butter Bits...this list is endless! Amazing!" Philip read the entire list then made his decision. "I'll have a scoop of the...of the...Sugary Praline and Caramel Bits with Brownie Chunks."

"Good enough then." Gramma Hilda went to the freezer, which was kept cold by its covering of chiller leaves, and brought back a tub of the chosen flavor. She dipped a large scoop and plopped it atop the cookie. She could not recall anyone's eyes ever looking so big.

"I don't want to hurry you in any way; I just want you to know that, when you finish your treats, I'll take you to Grampa Lawrence, and he will complete your ushering ceremony."

Philip and Gramma Hilda carried on a nice conversation as he ate. He took his time finishing his plate full of Gramma Hilda's Delights. He drank his last gulp of milk and wiped his mouth. "I'm ready."

Gramma Hilda reached out her hand once more, and Philip eagerly took it. She led him into a red-carpeted hallway that spiraled to the top of the tree. As they climbed Philip admired the artwork on the walls and enjoyed the beautiful scenery he saw through the tiny windows. When they reached the top they came to a carved wooden door on which hung an elegant golden sign with the words "Room of Decision."

Gramma Hilda patted Philip's hand. "Here we are. Grampa Lawrence will help you from here. Knock two times and say, 'It is I, Philip Roberts,' then wait for him let you in. I've more guests to greet, so I'll be leaving you now. Again Philip, welcome to Maycly." She hugged him, and he watched her disappear back down the spiral hallway.

Philip took a deep breath, knocked twice, and recited "It is I, Philip Roberts." He heard the sound of footsteps coming to the door. It opened.

"Welcome home," said Grampa Lawrence.

"Thank you sir."

Grampa Lawrence smiled at Philip. He could tell Philip was very special. "Come in, won't you please?"

Philip entered the cozy room. He gazed through a window which held the view of one of Maycly's most treasured sights, the Skygem Alps.

"Please, have a seat at my table." Philip chose one of two spectacularly hand-carved chairs. The chairs and table were made of zebra wood. Grampa Lawrence explained that the two colors of the zebra wood were a symbolic reminder that there is no middle ground, only pure Good (represented by the lighter wood grain) or pure Evil (represented by the dark wood grain).

Grampa Lawrence walked toward an overly large book resting on a podium made of lead crystal, filled with brilliant turquoise water. "The dancing kelp and multicolored water creatures swimming from top to bottom are unique to this podium."

"Those are some of the strangest, yet most beautiful creatures I've ever seen." A smile unfolded from Philip's mouth as he watched their tiny fins fan and stop repeatedly. The fanning fins served as generators, which made the creatures glow. When their light began to dim, they fanned their fins and lit up again.

"It is time for the opening of _The Book of Decision_." At Grampa Lawrence's words the brown leather book began to glow gold. He now had Philip's full attention. "Come, my Sprites, and release the buckle." Grampa Lawrence stepped back.

Philip watched in awe as a set of "Sprite-sized" double doors opened in the tree's trunk, and five Sprites flew in from the outside. The last one pulled the little doors shut behind him. All five gathered around the book's strap.

"Align yourselves!" said the commander Sprite to the others.

"We are aligned sir!" shouted the tiny voices in unison.

"Then release the buckle!"

Philip could not take his eyes from the sight. When the buckle was undone the Sprites flew to him and encircled his head, staying in constant flight. The book trembled, and the golden glow changed to a swirl of metallic purple, red, orange, blue, and pink. Small, well defined yellow rays of light shot upward, spinning in a cone formation. They came together and created one single beam approximately three feet tall. Diamond dust erupted from the top of the ray and lingered for several seconds then dropped and re-entered the book. A thin trail of silver seeped from the book and ran around the outer edge of one of the pages.

Grampa Lawrence opened the book to that page. The entire page illuminated and dimmed, leaving one name still glowing in silver. "The book has found your name: Philip Preston Roberts. No one can erase it, no one can remove it, no one can change it. Your name is now permanently bonded to _The Book of Decision._ The piece of your heart that SUL kept from you at your birth now glows eternally in Him." Philip was speechless. He had always trusted the Grand Wizard. He had read _The Book of Good and Evil_ several times and knew he would arrive on Maycly someday, but he had no idea how simultaneously spectacular and humbling the event would be.

Grampa Lawrence allowed Philip ample time to absorb what he had just been told. "And now, Philip Preston Roberts, the book shall reveal whether you will serve as a keeper of the calm or a wightling warrior." Grampa Lawrence waited for the title to appear. A miniature rainbow leapt from the page. "It has been revealed."

Philip held his breath.

"You shall serve as a wightling warrior." Philip's eyes widened. Grampa Lawrence closed the book, and all of the bling extinguished. The five Sprites fastened the buckle and left the room.

"Me? But I'm nothing more than an old worn out feeble man from Earth."

"Philip, my humble warrior, arise and look at yourself in the Mirror of Maycly. Tell me, what do you see?"

"I see a feeble old man. An old, retired, forgotten soldier who was wounded in war."

"That's what _you_ see." Grampa Lawrence waited for his cue. "Now look in the mirror, and you will see what SUL sees."

Philip watched his medal of honor appear on his chest in the mirror. He looked away from the mirror, down at his shirt, but he did not see the medal. When he returned his gaze to his reflection, the medal was there, along with some changes. Grampa Lawrence took notice of Philip's new expression.

"This is how SUL sees me? But I look so muscular, so courageous, like I used to. And my clothing, it looks like a warrior's. The mail vest is impressive, and my pants look tailor-made." Philip felt a bit of confidence creeping into his demeanor. "Look at me. I'm carrying a sword at my side and a shield on my back. And where did those medals on my coat come from? I don't remember having _all_ of those, only the one." His eyes moved downward over his shoulder. "My shoes, they're tall leather boots, and the boot straps are...are...I have no words to describe them. And the helmet covers my wrinkled, bald...wait...I have thick hair on my head? This is not me, is it?" Philip stared and pointed at his reflection.

"Turn away from the mirror and look down at yourself."

Philip did. "But, but I was just a mere old man from Earth when I arrived. And now I look like a warrior. And oddly enough, I feel like a warrior. But when did these clothes and weapons appear? And where did these biceps come from?" Philip flexed an arm and squeezed it with his other hand.

"You spoke them into being as you saw yourself the way SUL sees you. You've been chosen as a warrior by SUL because of your dedication in defending what was right on Earth; therefore, you already know how to use your weapons and require no further training on Maycly. Because of the many trials you handled well on Earth, and because you trusted SUL in times of both peace and terror, you shall fight the fight of Good here on Maycly when the time comes. Now I ask you to kneel so that I may knight you into service."

Philip knelt, removed his helmet, and lowered his head. He was so overwhelmed, he shed tears.

"Rise, Sir Philip of Maycly. Your personal etherealian awaits you at our back door. He will fly you to your place of dwelling in Trote Waters. Once there, you'll be reunited with family and friends who are already on Maycly, and you'll remain in Trote Waters until SUL calls you into battle."

Philip thanked Grampa Lawrence and exited down the spiral hallway. The five Sprites met him at the bottom and showed him to the back door.

The etherealian gave Philip a tour of the entire land of Trote Waters from the air. Philip's first impression of the area made him feel right at home, reminding him of summertime in Midland Terrain on Earth. They stopped for snacks in Waterberry then flew on to Ethelwynne, the village closest to Philip's new home. He met wightling warriors who had no family or friends on Maycly and were being housed, in secret, by keepers of the calm who dwelt in the villages and suburban areas throughout Trote Waters.

WIGHTLING HOUSE

Philip went to sleep that twilight thinking about the day's happenings. For as long as he had lived on Earth, he always felt as though he was looking for something he could not find. Now, resting in his new feather bed with the softest of sheets, the smell of sweetly flavored coffee brewing, and overhearing the kind words coming from those in the living room, he knew he had found what he had been looking for all that time–a place to call home.

Chapter 29

A Close Call

It was not easy for Marlen, Denton, and Dittle to face life without Charleo. He had disappeared for a reason they did not understand, but they continued to trust SUL and believed that someday Charleo would come home. As Marlen sat thinking about her beloved Charleo and hoping for his return, there came a knock at the door. _Could it be?_ She dashed through the cottage, fixing her hair and bonnet, and flung the door open.

Ugly faces rushed toward her. Before she had time to comprehend what was happening, a black cloth bag was thrown over her head, and she felt a string being tied tightly around her neck to hold the bag closed. She put up a fight, but someone grabbed her hands and tied them behind her. Denton and Dittle raced from the back yard when they heard her hysterical screams, but their fighting strength was no match for those they faced, and the boys too became victims. Because they lived on the outskirts of Tahqrusalom no one saw or heard anything.

The three of them struggled constantly as they were dragged then tossed into a hard wooden cart with solid walls and a roof. They heard the door slam shut. When the cart began to move, the sudden jerk sent them tumbling. They were rolling around like pieces of fruit in an open crate, slamming against the walls.

"Momma! Momma! Be ye here?" cried Denton.

"Aye. I be here! Dittle? Dittle?"

There was a groan, then a faint reply. "Aye. I be here too. But me hands be tied together behind me back. I...canna...keep...sti...ugh...still." Marlen not only felt, but also heard the bouncing with Dittle's every word.

"Aye. Me hands be tied too, and I be sure Denton's be tied as well."

"Aye. They be tied too Momma."

"Scoot ta where ye best figure the center ta be, and we'll try ta untie each other," said Marlen. They all grunted and groaned as they moved in the bouncing cart. "Who've I got?"

"Tis me...Denton. I be scared Momma."

"Not ta worry Denton. Dittle, follow our voices."

"I just...keep...eep...a-...a-bouncin' and dunna know which way be which. I be a-tryin' ta scoot on me bottom. Keep a-talkin'."

"There. Tis me leg yer hands be on. Spin around and ye'll feel Denton. Denton, lean forward." The two boys bumped heads. They nuzzled together on Marlen's chest seeking safety; both were crying.

"I love ye both, but listen ta me. Ye must be strong boys. No more snifflin'. Be strong fer Papa. OK?" Marlen felt the boys nod with their heads still glued to her body. Their sniffles subsided. "Very good, both of ye. Now. Can either of ye see anythin', anythin' a'tall?"

"Nothin' but darkness. Me entire head be in a bag," said Denton.

"Dittle, what about ye?"

"Nothin'. Me head be in a bag as well."

Determined to remove the bags, an idea came to Marlen. "I know, let's all..." A faint, blurry light flashed before her. She shook her head and blinked.

"What Momma, what? Let's all what?" asked Denton.

"Shhh. I be a-seein' somethin'." Marlen tried to focus on another set of flashes that quickly came and went. A tiny voice whispered in her ear. "My name is Jit. I'm Charleo's personally appointed Sprite. SUL sent word to me of your unfortunate happening, so I'm here to help you as best I can."

"Momma! What be a-goin' on?" asked Dittle.

"Say no more. I mean it." The boys recognized their momma's stern tone and sat as motionless as they could despite the pounding of the wagon.

Jit tried to untie the knot on Marlen's hood string, but it was too much for just one Sprite. "I'll return with help. Trust me. Do you understand? I _will_ return."

"Aye. But please hurry."

"I will. But while I'm gone, softly tell your sons who I am, what I'm doing, and most importantly...stay quiet. The journey's long to where they're taking you. That gives me some time to go get others to help before it's too late. So don't struggle anymore. I promise I'll be back." And with that, Jit was off.

"Whoe'er be ye a-talkin' ta Momma?" asked Dittle.

"Twas Jit."

"Who be Jit?"

Denton was thinking the same thing.

"Jit be yer papa's appointed Sprite. We be a-needin' ta stay quiet and make no more movements. Jit'll be back ta help us. He promised. And ye know Sprites ne'er break a promise." Marlen leaned hard into the boys with motherly love and bravery, boosted by the fact that she now knew for sure that Charleo was all right, wherever he was.

They waited for what seemed an eternity before Marlen heard a buzzing sound. "Boys, I believe Jit's returned as promised and brought many others with him."

"I'm back, and yes I've brought many others to help. Hopefully our strength in numbers can untie your hood string. Fellow Sprites, over here."

Marlen heard the buzzing increase. Small grunts filled the air, and she felt the cord around her neck begin to move. Finally the knot loosened, and the Sprites pulled the hood from Marlen's head. Jit pulled her hair out of her eyes and mouth, and the others straightened her bonnet.

"Now for your hands. Fellows, down here!" Jit dived and the others followed.

"Momma! What be a-goin' on?"

"Quiet Dittle. Ye'll know in a very short time."

Jit and crew finished untying the thick rope on Marlen's wrists then tugged on the rope as hard as they could. Jit flew into Marlen's view. "We can't pull any harder. Can you get your hands the rest of the way out?"

Marlen thrashed and shook her hands free of the loosened rope. She hugged her boys. "Boys, I be free. Ye be next." She looked at Jit. "Thank ye so much."

"There's no time for admiration right now. We must leave you to do the rest, to free your sons. SUL has allowed us this time to help you without getting caught, but our time is now up. SUL wants you to know that Charleo is well." Marlen's thoughts were confirmed.

Jit went to the side wall, motioned to the other Sprites, and one at a time they flew out the same small hole through which they had entered.

"OK. Keep still now. Ye hear me?" Denton and Dittle knew their momma meant business. She untied their hoods and pulled them from their heads. She freed them from the ropes that bound their hands. The boys hugged and thanked her. Marlen was touched, but on edge. She bounced forward on her hands and knees and placed her ear against the front wall. "I canna hear a thin'. The wall must be too thick, not ta mention the path noise, so I guess we still be in limbo as far as knowin' much of anythin'."

"We be a-needin' ta get outta here!" shout-whispered Dittle.

"Well no kiddin'!"

Dittle made a mean face. He did not like it when Denton was sarcastic.

"All right ye two. Tis no time ta act like brothers!"

Dittle moved to the back of the cart and began to inspect the door.

Denton shuffled through what little straw was on the cart's floor in search of something...anything...that might help them escape. Much to his surprise, he uncovered a floorboard with writing carved into it:

Should any escape this tragedy,

tell me family I love 'em, especially me dear

big brother, Ron.

Eggard."

Eggard had been a dear, longtime friend of Charleo's family.

"Momma, come look at this."

Marlen steadied herself and read Eggard's message.

Dittle was busy trying to create an escape, so he knew nothing of the sad news. Both Denton and Marlen thought it best to keep it that way.

"Just open, ye crazy door!" Dittle's teeth were clenched as he kicked the back of the cart again and again. The doors moved out a smidgen farther with each kick. His next blow caused a hinge to loosen.

Marlen shout-whispered, "QUIET! Dunna make the cart jostle so much!"

Dittle was embarrassed at his panicked state. "I be afraid Momma! I just want out! I dunna like this!" He dropped to his knees.

Denton bounced to his brother's rescue and held his younger sibling in his arms. "There, there me brother. We all be in this together. We mustna lose sight of what we be a-needin' ta do. Now let's make a plan before we arrive where e'er they be a-takin' us.

The faint aroma of brimstone filled the cart. It got warmer inside, and steam began to rise from the damp straw. The cart tipped drastically as it scaled a very steep incline. They tumbled to the back and bumped against the door. Marlen grabbed one boy under each arm.

The cart leveled out, and the sound of the path changed from wooden wheels on dirt to wooden wheels on stone. Dittle broke loose and pushed Marlen and Denton to the front. He gave the back door a hard swift kick. The bottom hinge broke away, and splinters scattered as the door flew open and dangled.

"I dunna be a-likin' the looks of this," Denton muttered as he crawled to the back.

"Nor I. It be so foggy in spots. And mist be a-dampenin' everythin' in view." Dittle scooted back away from the open door.

"And it stinks." Denton had his father's knack at stating the obvious.

"Look ta the sides of the cart. Whadda ye see Denton?"

"It be walls. Seems we be quite high up, like we be on a bridge."

Marlen's heart sank. She looked at Denton, and he thought the same thing. Marlen jumped first. With a thud, she hit the bridge floor and quickly stood to her feet. "C'mon Denton! Jump! Jump ta me. Dunna ye leave me! Be brave!"

"Ugh! Ouch!" Denton hit the ground with a thunk and rolled to Marlen's feet. He stood, a bit dazed.

"Ye OK?"

Denton did a quick check for any broken bones. "Aye. Dittle, buddy, c'mon! Dunna ye be a-leavin' me and Momma out here alone! We need ya buddy! C'mon!"

"I've an idea. Come with me." Marlen took off, and Denton stood watching the cart pull away. "Denton. Now!" He caught up to Marlen, and they kept pace with the slow-moving cart. Making a basket with their arms held together, they coaxed Dittle again. He was leery. Reluctantly he closed his eyes, jumped, and landed square in their makeshift basket.

"Way ta go big guy!" They set him down gently, and Denton roughed Dittle's hair.

All three watched the cart slug along, being pulled by two animals that were nothing but skin and bones.

An unpleasant sound guided their eyes to the northwest. Dittle pointed and spoke solemnly. "Do ye see what I be a-seein'?" Marlen gasped. Denton was without words. Dittle filled in for them. "It be the castle a-peekin' through the mist. See the outline of it on top of that black fiery mountain?" It was the first time any chukkon had laid eyes upon the hellish sight of the castle since it had disappeared.

Marlen muttered, "The Bridge of Revealin'. We be on the southern pass o'er the Skygem Alps. That's where we be. Yer papa and I used ta come here ta relax and look out upon SUL's quiet place." Her face drained at her next recollection. "But fer all these years, yer papa was not just a-tellin' us tales, he was a-speakin' truth from _The Book of Good and Evil._ I just ne'er wanted ta believe the day would _really_ come when Evil would try ta take over Maycly."

BRIDGE OF REVEALING

"What be that?" Dittle was the first to ask when they felt their feet starting to vibrate to the same rhythm as the rumbling from the direction of the castle.

Denton looked over the edge. "Let's jump!"

"Dunna be ridiculous! It be several hundred feet down. "Run boys. RIGHT NOW!"

The three ran back to the beginning of the bridge, hoping they would not be seen. They ducked into the woods and found the comforting sight of pathlight ivy lining a very narrow path. They turned to view the castle one more time, but it was no longer visible from their current vantage point. "Tis best ta stay in the woods and not on the path. But we need ta be a-goin' deeper inta the woods." Marlen pushed the boys. "Now go...go!" The boys bolted through and under the thick brush then waited for Marlen to catch up.

Denton sized up the situation. "Let's be a-walkin' on the other side of the tree line so we dunna leave foot tracks. We can still be a-seein' the pathlight ivy through the trees, and that'll be a-keepin' us on course." Marlen and Dittle agreed. "Besides, Dittle and I've been a-campin' in Timberland Forest South several times with the Terrain Masters, so we be a-knowin' which direction ta go ta get back home." Dittle beamed; he was thrilled Denton had given him so much credit.

BOGBERRY BUSH

They walked for hours. Dittle had held up far longer than Marlen had anticipated, though she could hear the weariness in his voice. "Tis a-gettin' ta be evenin' Momma." They decided to stop and make camp. Even though they had no supplies, Marlen was comfortable knowing her sons' Terrain Masters skills would pull it together. Luckily the bushes hid their campsite. There was a stream of cool fresh water nearby, and the surrounding area bore plenty of berries for eating. "Remember, dunna be a-pickin' any bogberries. They be only for the spotted hopcats, ye know."

"Thank ye m'dear. It ne'er hurts ta remind us."

Denton and Dittle made a bed of pine needles, large enough for the three of them, and gathered giant leaves from other plants and trees to use as blankets. Marlen was proud of her boys' knowledge of the outdoors. At first the three shivered from the dampness–and a bit of leftover fear–but they snuggled together for warmth and finally drifted into a light sleep.

In mid twilight Marlen sat straight up. Her hearing and eyesight were sharp. Dittle and Denton were sleeping beside her. She could hear the rustling of leaves on the ground. She thought to herself, _Must be snuggerbugs a-playin' around. And there must be a bunch of 'em._ The sound grew. Marlen stiffened. Not convinced that it was just snuggerbugs, she combed the horizon. Unrecognizable shapes slunk along the crest of the hillside.

She jostled the boys. "Get up! We be a-needin' ta move." Dittle and Denton rubbed their eyes. "Watch the hillcrest."

The boys focused on the creeping shadows. They heard and watched the leaves sail into the air behind the dark figures. "What be they Momma?" asked Denton.

"Not sure, but somethin' be a-tellin' me they be up ta no good." Slowly the three stood, huddled together, and stepped backwards, keeping an eye on the ridge. Their breathing stopped when they bumped into something that should not have been there. They all turned and looked up into the face of a stout male wightling. Their fears vanished. They had heard stories about the wightlings of the woods, gentle folk who requested not to have a cottage on Maycly, but simply live amongst nature. Denton and Dittle laughed with embarrassment and dropped their guard, and Marlen smiled with relief.

The wightling looked down at them shaking his head. "Tsk, tsk. You should not be out here. There are dangerous things lurking about."

All three chukkons began talking at the same time. "We dinna know!" "We dunna e'en know what those thin's be that we saw on the ridge." "Dangerous thin's you say?" "What be they?" "How dangerous be they?" "Ye see, this scary cart was a-takin' us..."

Cutting them off, the wightling spoke. "It's all right now. No need to keep rehashing the dramatic event. You're off the cart that was taking you to...somewhere I guess you didn't want to go. And now here I am to help you. I was sent by SUL to save you from the jaws of the moving shadows." The wightling wheezed and coughed.

Marlen, attempting to keep the mood from changing, said, "Must be the damp air, eh?"

"The damp air?"

Starting to doubt the wightling, Denton spoke. "Yer coughin' fit there. Could be the damp air is all she be a-sayin'."

"Ah, yes. The damp air. I see what you're saying now." He stroked Denton's head, but at his touch Denton shivered and politely stepped away from the man. "Now if you follow me, I'll lead you to a safe haven."

The wightling's voice was now strangely repulsive to Denton. Marlen and Dittle did not yet recognize Denton's suspicion. They believed this charming woodsy wightling had truly been sent by SUL, just like he had said, to help them get back home.

"Why should we be a-trustin' ye?"

"I apologize fer Denton. He be a bit shook up from the whole thin'. He'll be a-warmin' up ta ye in no time." Marlen glared at Denton as if he were disrespecting their only hope of getting home.

"He's just a boy being a boy. My feelings are not hurt," said the wightling. Denton exhaled in disgust. The wightling smiled at Marlen.

Denton stood his ground and did not budge. Keeping a watchful eye, he noticed they were not actually following a path. Instead, as the wightling walked, the path appeared wherever the wightling wanted it to. Denton stooped, picked up a pointed stick, and tucked it in his pocket.

Dittle looked back. "C'mon me big brother. This nice wightlin' of the woods surely must know the way. Remember a-learnin' about the wightlin's of the woods at Terrain Masters camp? Artie said they be harmless, plus this one be a-sayin' that SUL sent him." Dittle begged Denton to move. Marlen followed up with a mother's reassuring nod.

Denton chewed the inside of his cheek. Unwillingly he started the trek with them. He put his hand inside his pocket and reassured himself the pointed stick he had picked up was still there. He did not remove his hand once the stick was firmly in his grip.

The shadows they had seen before the appearance of the wightling came back into view in the distance, but the wightling waved his hand in a slick motion causing them to fade.

"That be somethin'! How'd ye do that?" asked Dittle.

"Do what?"

Denton thought the wightling sounded a bit nervous, but Dittle had not noticed.

"How ye made the scary shadows run away. I saw ye make a motion with yer hand, and they all disappeared. That must be a 'way of the woods' thin' that ye wightlin's out here be a-knowin' how ta do, eh?" Dittle's voice held a young boy's excitement.

Only Denton had seen the pathlight ivy subtly change directions while Marlen and Dittle were focused on the hill-crest.

The old wightling paused a little too long for Denton's liking before he spoke. "Yes, it is a 'way of the woods' thing we like to use in certain circumstances out here."

"I knew it! Me brother thinks ye be creepy, but I think ye be splackin'!"

Dittle's enthusiasm and questions were wearing on the wightling's nerves. "Splackin?"

"Yeah, it be a-meanin' really out of the ordinary and weird." Dittle considered how that had sounded and added, "But all in a good way. It be chukkonette slang."

Time passed and Marlen grew thirsty. She saw a gwendelant basin and took the initiative to stray. The others followed her to quench their thirsts as well. Denton, still wary, grabbed Dittle by the arm and pulled him to the side.

"Ouch! Be a-lightenin' up, will ye?"

Denton held his grip and whispered, "I dunna be a-trustin' this one. There be somethin' very strange about him. I think we be a-makin' a big circle, and now we be a-headin' right back ta whate'er evil place they were a-takin' us in that cart."

"That be just plain silly Denton. What's gotten inta ye anyway? I think ye be knocked stupid from all that bouncin' we did in the cart."

"Shhh! I dunna want him ta be a-suspectin' anythin'." Denton tightened his grip on both Dittle and the pointed stick in his pocket at the same time.

"Hey! Easy on the arm. And besides, what be a nice wightlin' a-goin' ta suspect about two brothers a-talkin' as their momma be a-drinkin' a gwendelant?"

"I don't know...is there something I should be suspecting?" The wightling's dull voice came from over their shoulders. He pointed to Denton. "You. They call you Denton. Is that correct?"

"Aye." Denton gritted his teeth and stared at the wightling.

The wightling spoke cunningly, siding with Dittle. "Let go of the little one, please."

Denton pursed his lips then threw Dittle's arm from his grasp. Dittle smirked as if he'd won that battle.

"I've news for you Denton." He turned his back on Dittle and roughly clenched the back of Denton's neck, walking him away from Dittle, who was paying no attention to them; he was busy rubbing the sore red spot Denton had made on his arm. The old wightling spun Denton around to meet him face-to-face. "You, Denton, are much smarter and more observant than the others. I need to keep my eye on you." The wightling tightened his grip on the back of Denton's neck and, at the same moment, showed his true face.

Denton knew this wightling was a far cry from being a true wightling of the woods. He stared in horror. Fire raged inside, but he maintained a calm facade. He now knew they were in grave danger and realized this was the wightling SUL had warned him and his papa about in secret, years ago.

Dittle accidentally stepped on a mocha mouse's tail, and it let out a squeak. The wightling whirled around at the noise, his motion causing Dittle to look straight at him. The wightling had not yet changed his face back to that of a wightling of the woods; instead, he still appeared as his true self–Lucasphair. Dittle went bug-eyed and screamed.

Denton jerked loose of Lucasphair's clutch, drew out the pointed stick, and began to swing it like a dagger. Lucasphair ducked each potential stab. Dittle hesitated for only a moment before joining the fight.

Marlen had caught the boys' actions and scolded them from a distance. "Stop! Stop it! Stop it this instant! What be wrong with ye two?" She came running.

Lucasphair gave a shrill whistle. Marlen screamed as the shadows–Lucasphair's grumners and imps–emerged over the hillside. She knew Denton had been right all along. _Oh, why dinna I heed the warnin's from me eldest?_ She turned and ran in the opposite direction.

Dittle climbed the tree directly behind Lucasphair. Denton picked up on Dittle's plan and steered Lucasphair so his back was to the tree.

Marlen screamed again in terror as the grumners closed in on her. Denton saw the gnarly beasts heading toward her. "Momma! Climb the rocks beside ye! Twill slow 'em down!"

The grumners tried their best to follow her, but their lack of agility caused them to lose their footing on the loose rocks, allowing Marlen to move further up and away from them. A few of the smaller grumners scaled a little higher than the others. Marlen threw rocks at them. They slid again on the loose rocks and tumbled down. Yelps of pain filled the air as they banged into the others, knocking them all from the rock pile. They stood, shook themselves off, and repeated their attempt, growling, snarling, and drooling in anger with every step.

"Hurry boys! I be a-needin' yer help!" Marlen picked up more rocks around her and hurled them at the grumners, angering them further. The fallen rocks, now packed hard together, gave them sturdier ground for climbing. Marlen jumped from the top of the pile to the top of a stone pillar then leapt over a small gap onto higher ground. She turned and kicked at the pillar in hopes of knocking it over on them.

Not taking their eyes off Lucasphair, yet hearing their momma's every cry, Denton and Dittle finally coordinated their strategies. Dittle jumped from the high branch where he had been crouching and landed on Lucasphair's head. Imps attacked Denton's ankles and began their gnawing process in hopes of quickly finding bone and marrow to feast on.

Lucasphair tried to use his changeling powers, but Dittle's maneuver had rendered them useless. Dittle ran his hand over Lucasphair's face, found what he was looking for, and drove his fingers deep into Lucasphair's eye sockets. Lucasphair flailed and screamed. He tried to change into something that could kill them, but nothing worked. The sight was hideous as he repeatedly shifted from one contorted figure to another, all mixed with evil creatures. Nothing would take form as long as Dittle kept gouging his eyes. "Hurry Denton! I canna hold him off much longer!"

The grumners continued up the rocks toward Marlen. "Please boys! Hurry! I dunna want ta be a feast! Please hurry! Help me!" Her voice was breathy from exhaustion, but she was still throwing rocks.

The imps were now climbing Lucasphair's body, heading toward Dittle. Sharp pains hit Dittle's ankles. "Now Denton! Now!" The imps moved up. They bit and tore at Dittle's elbows and shoulders.

Denton, imps still chewing his ankles, bucked up and focused on Lucasphair's chest where he thought his heart should be, not knowing the real significance of what a direct hit in that spot would do. He blinked his eyes fast to certain his aim then spun the dagger-like stick to adjust it in his hand. The stick went spinning through the air.

"AHHHGGG!" Lucasphair bellowed as he clutched his chest where the improvised dagger had penetrated. His head snapped back, throwing Dittle to the ground. Lightning bolts shot from Lucasphair's body, leaving him no strength to remove the stick. His skin smoldered then burst into flames. Within the flame Denton and Dittle saw Lucasphair fully naked as himself just before he turned into a heap of dust. Denton's weapon lay unscathed in the pile of ashes. He hobbled to retrieve it, blood dripping from his ankles.

Marlen kicked too hard, and the ledge she was on gave way. She shrieked as she tumbled back down to the top of the rock pile knowing she would be eaten alive. She curled into a ball and waited. The noises stopped. She uncovered her eyes and collapsed in total relief, along with some disbelief, when she saw that the grumners and imps had exploded into dust. All three watched the charred and powdered remains before them gather together and flee in the direction of the castle.

Dittle remained seated on the ground, wiping his wounds.

"Ye were spectacular Dittle. Ye be the best li'l brother anyone could e'er want."

"Really? Ye mean that?" Dittle smiled big.

"Really." Denton gave him a brotherly punch on the chin. "Can ye handle yerself alone fer a few moments while I go and get Momma?"

"Aye. I'll be fine. Go and get her."

Denton's eyes met his momma's, and he ran to the bottom of the rocks. Marlen scaled part way down and spent the last portion of her descent in the air as she purposefully fell with confidence into Denton's strong arms.

"Oh Momma. I be so glad ye be OK."

"And Denton, I be so sorry I dinna listen ta ye. Sorry fer a-scoldin' ye. It just be that..."

"Be a-sayin' no more about it Momma."

"Aye. What've ye done with Dittle?"

"Not ta worry. He be fine. Come with me." Denton's answer soothed his momma. They ran to Dittle and grabbed one another in a group hug.

"Ow. That kind of be a-hurtin' right there Momma," said Dittle.

Marlen pulled her hands away and saw the bite marks on Dittle. "Oh, son!" Then she looked down at Denton's bloodied ankles and gasped.

"I'll be fine Momma," said Denton.

With a mother's natural instinct Marlen ran to gather salveleaves. She returned and wrapped both Denton's and Dittle's lacerations.

Denton remained brave. "Now...let's be a-findin' our way back home before we come across any other unpleasant thin's."

Dittle and Marlen were more than ready to get out of that place. They looked around, trying to get their bearings. Marlen spoke what they were all thinking. "How'll we e'er find our way back now?"

"We dunna want ta follow the path we were on. Lucasphair made it appear as we walked, so it most likely leads back ta trouble." Marlen and Dittle appreciated Denton's insight this time but were curious.

"How be ye a-knowin' that creature's name?" Marlen asked. Dittle was ready to chime in.

"Dunna be askin'. That be a secret between SUL and me." From his tone Marlen and Dittle knew they had no choice but to accept his answer.

"Psst! Hey guys!"

All three heads jerked to see who was hailing them.

"Psst! Down here."

They caught a glimpse of some sparkling dust. "Jit!" shouted Marlen, and she dived headfirst into the thick brush. Denton and Dittle shrugged their shoulders at each other. With her top half engulfed in the leaves, she pulled back the branches before her. There hovered Jit, pointing at a compass that hung on one of the bush's branches.

"Take this compass. When you open it you'll see the way home." He flew over to Marlen with the navigational device. She started to speak, but Jit cut her off. "No, no. Don't thank me, thank SUL." He smiled and took off.

"Uh, boys? Could ye be a-givin' me a hand here?" Marlen was stuck. The boys grinned and pulled her from the thicket. "Thank ye muchly." Before Marlen had a chance to readjust her bonnet Dittle asked, "What be that in yer hand?"

"Be a-givin' her a second Dittle."

"Jit was in the brush and gave me this compass. It be from SUL, and tis s'posed ta guide us home."

"Open it Momma!"

Marlen pushed the latch, and the hinged cover sprang open. A small light leaped from inside the compass then fell back onto the dial and made an arrow. It did not point north, south, east, or west. It merely pointed to the word "HOME."

They kept the lighted arrow on the word and soon found themselves emerging from the woods onto a familiar road. Smiles burst through blank expressions. Within a few rounds of the clock they saw more familiar ground and knew their home was close by.

They made their way through the front door. Without stopping for anything, not even changing into their sleeping gowns, they waddled to their own snug beds and melted into the puffy linens as they held their necklaces. Thanks to Jit, they knew for sure Charleo was doing the same.

Sounds of peaceful sleep filled the cottage.

Chapter 30

Marlen Pays a Surprise Visit

Marlen took off her apron (a rare occasion except at bedtime) then made certain her bonnet and hair looked presentable. She marched to the front door. "Ye boys are ta be a-stayin' here at the house. I be a-goin' inta the village and'll be back in a bit. Stay here! Ye hear me?"

Denton and Dittle nodded but did not look right at her. They were involved in reading the latest newsletter from Terrain Masters.

Marlen took one last look at herself in the mirror by the door. _I can be a-doin' this._ She stood up straight, mustering her confidence, and left the cottage. The boys looked up when they heard Rascally and the sound of the cart pulling away. They watched the cart go over the hill and out of sight.

• • • •

Heads turned, sounds of bewilderment filled the room, customers pointed, and a low buzz began when Marlen came through the log door of Pub Pete's. She had never set foot in the place before. She had nothing against the pub; she was just a home body. She proceeded boldly past the comments to the bar all the way across the room. Pub Pete stood with his mouth gaping open.

Marlen did not miss a beat. "Ye may wanna be a-closin' yer mouth. Ye be a-slobberin' down yer chin. And I be a-needin' a sturdy step stool please."

He did not respond instantly, but after blinking a few times he said, "OK," wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and walked to the end of the bar where he picked up the step stool he used for reaching bottles on the top shelf.

"Thank ye kindly," said Marlen. She took the step stool from him and placed it on the floor halfway down the bar. No one was talking any longer, but everyone was watching.

"S'cuse me please." Those sitting in the middle section of the bar moved without question; this was something they did not want to miss.

Marlen climbed the stool, turned, and sat on the bar. Then, completely out of character, she pulled her feet under her and stood up. She did not have to wait to get the patrons' attention; she had it from the moment she walked in. "I've a story ta tell."

"Well it must be some kind of story for you to be in here...and speaking publicly!" A wightling patron was trying to be funny. A few laughed, but most were annoyed by his heckling. Pub Pete stepped to the heckler's side, and the patron did not say another word.

Marlen gazed into the sea of eyes fixed upon her. All that could be heard were the hums of the snuggerbugs outside, flying from tree to tree. "I be here ta warn ye. Warn ye about thin's we dinna know of till a short while ago." A full dose of seriousness was evident in her voice. She told the entire story of what had happened to her and the boys. After an hour and a little more, her story was finished. She had not added or taken away any details.

"How do we know you're not making that up because...just maybe...you're delusional from Charleo being gone so long?" The wightling woman did not want to believe what she had just heard.

Before Marlen could answer, Carbreyghal appeared beside her at the bar. He knelt, as he was too tall to stand without hitting his head and wings on the ceiling. Chairs and benches screeched across the floor to get away from the etherealian. Some cowered under the tables. Since things were no longer like they used to be on Maycly, and now, especially after hearing Marlen's story, no one wanted to take a chance.

"Please. Do not be alarmed." Carbreyghal's voice was calming. "I am not here to harm you. I am here to confirm Marlen's tale."

Marlen, also skeptical following the previous events, walked down the bar to Carbreyghal's face. She rose to her toes and looked him square in the eyes. She saw just what she was envisioning: Charleo–and he was safe. "Tis the real Carbreyghal." Marlen proudly sat back down on the bar right there. Carbreyghal was impressed with her brave attempt at confirmation.

"What Marlen has spoken is true. Lucasphair _did_ mislead her and the boys. Because he is a changeling and a deceiver, you must be on your guard. He attempted to capture and hold them hostage. He planned to send word to Charleo that his family was in danger, knowing full well Charleo would come looking for them. Tarnnin could then capture Charleo and take over our chukkon army."

"Our chukkon... _army_?" This was the first any had heard of such.

"Yes, my dear friends, a chukkon army. Your families and friends have been away training for what is to come. There is also a wightling army tucked away in a secret location on Maycly." Several patrons either choked while gulping or spit their drinks.

When the crowd quieted, Carbreyghal continued. "A time is coming soon when you will reunite with your families and friends. Because of Marlen's story, SUL has sent me to prepare your hearts and minds. All of you, wightlings and chukkons alike, will witness a battle, one that will change the tides of Maycly for a season, just as prophesied in _The Book of Good and Evil._ SUL sends this message: 'Be not afraid. More will be revealed to you on that day.'" Carbreyghal glowed with immense authority. "Spread the news to your fellow Mayclysians, for the armies are no longer a secret."

One clap, then two, and finally the entire pub was in an uproar with applause and cheers. They now had answers to so many questions they had been asking each other over the past several years.

Carbreyghal's strong voice doused the crowd noise. "Now I must go. Carry on, make merry. Keep a watch out for one another."

Many went to the window to watch him fade into the stars. Jobi, on the front row at the window, looked down and was surprised at what he saw. "What be _they_ a-doin' here?"

" _Who_ be _they_?"

"Denton and Dittle. They be here on a stack of boxes below this very window."

"Let me be a-seein' out that window!" The crowd parted. The tone of Marlen's voice made them glad they were not Denton and Dittle.

The boys had sped out of the cottage a few moments after Marlen left and had been peering through Pub Pete's window the entire time. They now had their backs to the window watching Carbreyghal's blending technique and were not keen to the fact they had been caught.

"Ohhh boyyys..." shouted Jobi.

They turned to the window, and their eyes grew big when they saw their momma staring at them. Fearing "the wrath of Momma," they jumped from the top crate and headed straight for home. Marlen stomped to the door and flung it open. No one had ever seen her climb up Rascally's harness so fast to the driver's bench. With one "H'yah" the wagon was off.

"You can bet they're gonna get an earful from Momma when she catches up with them!" shouted Pub Pete. His laughter broke the silence, and the rest joined in as they returned to their tables. In no time, it was back to business in the pub. Everyone talked about Marlen's story and the things Carbreyghal had spoken to them. The pub's atmosphere had taken quite a turn from its opening hour. Pub Pete realized his patrons needed some extra time together, so he stayed open a little later that evening.

Chapter 31

Pomp & Circumstance, and Mixed Emotions

On the sixty-fifth day after training, everyone in The Training Village was awakened by Keegan playing Reveille at 0500. Main Street filled with hustle-bustle. Keegan sounded Assembly at 0600 in the gathering hall and everyone took their seats, Charleo, Keegan, and Artie in the front row as usual.

"Tis a-goin' ta be a long day me friend. Be ye up ta the challenge?" Charleo whispered to Keegan.

"Aye. I be ready."

"I be so proud of ye Keegan." Keegan's face beamed at Charleo's compliment. Artie gave Keegan a wink.

The Mayor stepped to the podium on the stage. "Hear ye! Hear ye! Good mornin' everyone, warriors and non-warriors alike!" The crowd responded. When he had finished welcoming the gatherers and making announcements and such, he shifted gears. "Charleo, Keegan, and Artie, please be a-comin' forward ta address yer fella warriors and friends of the village."

Artie looked at Keegan, Keegan at Artie then both turned to Charleo with looks of surprise. "Sorry fellas. I fergot ta tell ye The Mayor asked that we all speak at the departure meetin' this mornin'." Charleo stood and nudged Keegan and Artie. "C'mon." Charleo waddled as general-like as he could. Keegan simply played follow-the-leader while trying to think of what he was going to say, and Artie tried to pick all of the straw out of his hair; he had slept in the pen with his icataras the night before.

"Please be a-welcomin' yer leaders," said The Mayor. Charleo smiled at the guests in the hall, and Keegan nervously waved. Artie was still picking straw.

"Keegan, please step forward and address your community." The Mayor motioned toward the podium.

Keegan stepped up and spoke. Then The Mayor asked for Artie. Each gave his ad libbed speech. Artie would have gone on all morning if The Mayor had not interrupted and thanked him for his entertaining stories then discreetly informed him that time was of the essence. Grand applause rang through the air for Keegan and Artie as they returned to their seats.

The Mayor gave the signal for Charleo to take his turn. The room fell silent before Charleo even reached the podium. He cleared his throat and arranged his note cards. "It's been six years ta the day since the first warriors were brought ta The Trainin' Village. Meself, Keegan, and Artie couldna be prouder of yer accomplishments." He tipped his hat to the warriors then glanced at the next note card. "SUL says, 'Go forth inta battle with courage, fer I will be with ye'." The crowd applauded the words of SUL. "And ye chukkons of Chennin'ton Greens, whose very existence was kept secret until six years ago, ye have the hearts of true chukkons, filled with love, hospitality, and kindness. Ye know how ta be a-makin' one smile, always. Thank ye, from the bottom of me heart, fer a-bein' our family-away-from-family and our friends-away-from-friends, and fer providin' our homes-away-from-home. I can only be a-hopin' that our deepened relationship'll continue." Warm applause followed; Charleo waited and let everyone talk amongst themselves for the next few seconds.

He changed note cards and looked at Keegan and Artie to help build his confidence so he was able to speak what was written before him. "Tis with mixed feelin's I be a-bringin' ye this next part. A battle must be fought and won fer Good." The atmosphere became heavy. Charleo choked back tears. "Warriors, we'll be a-travelin' ta the Valley of Battles today where we'll be a-meetin' with our fella wightlin' warriors. Together with them, we'll prepare the final plan consistin' of our combined strategies. In the very near future we'll be a-fightin' our first-ever battle against Evil." When Charleo actually heard his own words his heart skipped a beat. But as befits a general, he finished his speech. "Lives'll be lost, but SUL has asked us ta continue ta trust Him, e'en in death, just as we witnessed with Levi in the forest." The heaviness of the atmosphere thickened. "I know tis neither the news nor the happy gatherin' ye may have been expectin' this mornin', but we can rejoice in the fact that it be the beginnin' of the end of Evil on Maycly." The entire crowd responded with a standing ovation for their general. Charleo could no longer keep his tears from streaming down his rosy cheeks. Jit and Giddy flew swiftly to him and blotted his face with their tiny handkerchiefs.

Charleo had more to say. "Thank ye, each and every one of ye. Please, please be seated." There was a slight pause as the room quieted. "SUL has spoken secrets ta me through Carbreyghal, thin's I be not at liberty ta repeat. Tis hard fer me, but I must be obedient ta the Grand Wizard. I _can_ tell ye this, howe'er: the secrets'll be revealed ta ye at the appropriate time." Charleo put his hand to his face and spoke from the side of his mouth in hopes of lightening the mood. "I s'pose a-havin' ta keep these big secrets be one of the rewards of bein' a gen'rl." The crowd responded as he had hoped; the weight hanging over the room became a little less dense, at least for a moment.

A concerned chukkon shouted from the middle of the crowd, "What about our queen? Will she e'er come ta Maycly? And if so, when?" The rest in the room were just as eager for the answers.

"If SUL prophesied it, twill be so, though _when_ be not our concern."

The chukkon sat back down, and the crowd began to murmur.

Again, Charleo waited for them to quiet down before he spoke. "Now let us rise and be a-singin' songs of joy together before we depart."

The band began an impressive cadence and marched from the back, utilizing all four aisles. They came together on the stage and went from their cadence straight into the anthem of Maycly, followed by many joyous songs, and ending with a repeat of the anthem.

Keegan was standing next to Artie, who was singing his heart out, off-key, right into Keegan's ear. Charleo smiled at Keegan's scrunched up face.

MAYCLY ANTHEM

Lyrics

Verse 1

Ye shining land of mountains high,

Ye valleys deep between,

Ye waters clear and skies of blue,

Ye forests cool and green,

Meadows rich with SUL's great gifts,

Three suns forever bright,

We hail ye, Maycly, land so fair,

The home of our delight.

Verse 2

With jubilation sing we now,

Our hearts all beat as one.

In SUL's protective hands we join

And offer praise in song.

Sing we all, whate'er befall

On every creed and race.

All spirits trusting in SUL's love

Shall find an equal place.

When the medley stopped, Charleo returned to the podium. "Warriors, yer wagons be a-waitin' fer ye. Don yer armor, grab yer weapons and yer flags, and tuck yer loved ones' pictures in yer chest pieces. Keep yer courage and yer strength on high. All the rest of yer belongin's here in The Trainin' Village be no longer important. Tis time ta go, ye worthy battlers of Evil!" Charleo stepped back, bowed, and came down from the stage. Keegan and Artie greeted him with open arms. The crowd paid a prolonged tribute to their leaders before they began to exit.

Artie scooped up Charleo and gave him a bear hug. "I wouldna want anyone else fer a gen'rl sir." He put Charleo down, backed away, stood at attention, and saluted Charleo. Keegan did the same.

"I couldna have done it without ye two, and dunna ye e'er be a-fergettin' that. Ye both mean so much ta me. I consider ye both more than friends; ye be family now; we be brothers." Humbled, Charleo honored them with a return salute.

Keegan and Artie were next to last to step out the door of the gathering hall and onto Main Street, and the cheering rose a level. They received hugs, flowers, chocolates, and more than ample support. They made their way through the consuming crowd and climbed aboard the wagon where Halo and Scepter were proudly waiting.

When Charleo stepped out the door, he could not even hear himself think over the noise level as the crowd's approval peaked. He took his time going to the wagon, making certain he shook as many hands as possible and verbally thanking those he met eye-to-eye. When he had worked his way through the crowd, he climbed aboard the wagon and took his seat.

A trail of sparkles came into view and circled around the three leaders several times. Jit and Giddy took their seats on Halo's and Scepter's heads. The Sprites remaining behind cheered wildly for their friends. Jit and Giddy felt like the "Sprites of the Hour" and bowed and waved, holding onto Halo's and Scepter's ears for balance.

Three hundred flags flew proudly. All of the battle-ready animals were released. Aerialoceroses, icatarases, fiery castle sentinels, and scale-feathered garrotts arrived overhead. Towdies pulling battle carts, spotted hopcats, and raffedaries carrying supplies and weapons were all led by chukkon land warriors. Brown and black Belgian horses high-stepped their approach along with wolven gliders, rider-baskets strapped to each.

The band, now outside, played military drum and bugle selections with a piccolo thrown in the musical mix for flavor. Phydeaux phlyers provided entertainment, outdoing one another with their aerial acrobatics. The adults in the crowd waved miniature Maycly flags and blew party horns while the chukkonettes held spinning pinwheels that reflected bright colors in the light of the stationary suns. The unity being displayed was a wondrous sight, and the hoopla helped Charleo, Keegan, Artie, and the chukkon warriors to forget, for a bit, the horrific drama that lay ahead.

The Mayor stepped in front of Halo and Scepter and shouted, "H'yah!" The army began their journey. Much of the crowd followed them to The Vinewall where the Sprites created an extra large door through which the army exited from Chennington Greens. When the last wolven glider disappeared through the opening, the crowd and the Sprites waved to their army then allowed the door on The Vinewall to close. At that moment, to Charleo, Keegan, and Artie, the event went into slow motion and became surreal.

"Look!" shouted several of the warriors pointing south. There stood Carbreyghal and the spirit of Levi next to the cart path, cheering them on into battle.

Charleo's confidence doubled. "We'll be a-comin' back soon!" Charleo hoped those who remained on the other side of The Vinewall had heard him. They had.

• • • •

A similar gathering in Ethelwynne took place that same morning celebrating the 3600 wightling warriors of Trote Waters. Philip Roberts stepped up onto the stage of a large gazebo and began to pump up the crowd. "It is time for battle! We shall go forth as fighting wightlings and return as victors of Good!" The troops, along with the keepers of the calm, cheered loudly in agreement. Philip finished his pep talk and took his place on his pure white giant Andalusian horse. SUL had created the Andalusians on both Earth and Maycly. The ones on Earth were normally 15-16 hands high. Those He created for battle on Maycly stood a towering 23-25 hands high and were proportioned accordingly, each sporting manes and tails of multicolored feathers.

GIANT ANDALUSIAN

Following the ceremony several wightling warriors led raffedaries carrying battle supplies and small weapons; other wightling warriors rode on extremely large battle-ready horses, oxen, elephants, llamas, zebras, and elk. Small food wagons were pulled by donkeys. Larger wagons stocked with medical supplies were pulled by teams of six horses or mules each, and the grand weaponry wagons were pulled by teams of Kodiak bears, every wagon flying the flag of Maycly. Flower petals had been tossed onto the cart path and were nearly three inches deep. Streamers from ribbon candy fizzler plants were shot into the air and tumbled gracefully downward. Everyone did their utmost to catch and eat the sweet tasty ribbons before they hit the ground. Many youngsters held pinwheels and threw beads to the wightling warriors. Others flew finger kites with Maycly's symbol on them, all adding wondrous colors to the event.

RIBBON CANDY FIZZLERS

The wightling warriors were met by Sprites at The Vinewall who created a wider exit door to accommodate the army. As the parade left Trote Waters the crowd watched it disappear over the hill on its way to the Valley of Battles. The warriors could still hear the faint cheers of their families and friends in the distance.

Chapter 32

The Binding

The armies arrived in the Valley of Battles. The chukkon army pitched camp in the northern caverns of the Rivalry Mountains, the wightling warriors in the southern caverns. Once camps had been set up, all were to travel to the middle of the valley to gather together for the first time. Introductions were made, and manly hugs were abundant as chukkon and wightling armies merged for their designated purpose.

Charleo called them to order. "Welcome, one and all. Chukkon and wightlin' warriors please be a-seatin' yerselves on the hillside. Philip, would ye be so kind as ta join me down here? We've all become friends in an instant because of our common goal of..." Charleo felt a calming hand on his shoulder, and another hand gently squeezed Philip's.

"Good morning My warriors." Charleo and Philip turned, and their eyes met SUL's. "It is a wonderful thing that you have come together in unity through our common goal, to restore Good to Maycly." The warriors beamed with excitement and gave the Grand Wizard a standing ovation. "I've come to enlighten you, to encourage you, and to bring you confidence. We are three indestructible ribbons of Good: chukkon warriors, wightling warriors, and Myself. When woven together we become a three-strand cord, an entity that is impossible to be torn apart."

SUL called to Jit and Giddy. They brought Him a small silver bucket of gollshish nuts.

GOLLSHISH NUTS

"As you know, these gollshish nuts are very rare and only available for picking when I call for them to be harvested. As My trusting companions, you also know that I shall name their purpose at the time of serving, and magically the gollshish nuts will be filled with My wish, which shall become a part of you when you partake of them." SUL gave Jit and Giddy the command to fly the bucket to the first warrior. "Take only one gollshish nut from the bucket when Jit and Giddy stop before you. Hold it in your hand and await My invitation."

Each warrior waited patiently for the magical bucket of never-ending gollshish nuts to come before them. When every warrior was holding a gollshish nut, SUL asked, "Please bow your heads and meditate silently to yourselves on the Good things that were, that are, and that shall be." SUL paused in silence with the warriors. "Eat now the gollshish nuts; they represent the best qualities a warrior can possess. Accept these qualities in fullness, and use them to your best abilities."

SUL sent Jit and Giddy over the hillside to retrieve the special gwendelant goblet. They returned to SUL with the filled goblet. SUL took the magical gwendelant goblet from them and raised it high above His head. "As you know, this particular goblet only accompanies the serving of gollshish nuts. It never runs dry. And just as I infused the gollshish nuts with a special purpose, I do so with this gwendelant. Today My wish is for the quenching liquid to become the gwendelant of battles. Drink from the goblet when the Sprites bring it to you. As you drink, be reminded of the blood that will be spilled in the name of Good. But know that, because you drink from the special goblet, you will be restored at the appointed time should you fall in battle." SUL handed the goblet back to Jit and Giddy who delivered it to the first warrior, then the second, and so on. All drank the goodness from the goblet and remained subdued until the last warrior took his drink. After the last warrior drank, Jit and Giddy took hold of his wrist and flew upward, raising the goblet above his head. "The infusions are complete!" SUL's voice thundered, and cheers erupted.

SUL hugged Charleo and Philip and kissed them on each cheek. He stepped to Keegan and Artie and shared with them His appreciation for being so dedicated to Charleo. Then He addressed His entire army of Good. "I must leave you now, but I will see you soon My warriors, My friends." All watched in awe as their Creator walked into the valley and disappeared through a tunnel in the southern base of the Rivalry Mountains.

The anxious warriors began to prepare for battle. Charleo and Philip discussed their attack and retreat tactics. The animal keepers went to the makeshift pens and tended the battle animals. Artie and the wightling weapons master explained and demonstrated the different weaponry to familiarize each side with what was available to them. Those assigned to KP duty were busy building cooking fires and preparing huge pots of "Battle Stew"–plenty of fresh vegetables, noodles, and spices in a red broth. When served up with a stout slice of sweet bread it made for a hearty meal. The caves for bodily repairs were designated and prepared deep within the eastern side of the Rivalry Mountains, protected behind the rolling hills of the Western Ridge. The masters of medicine, all of them wightlings, had been trained to tend to their own as well as the chukkons and the battle animals. They too were busy setting up treatment zones with supplies and makeshift beds, triage sites, and temporary sterile operating arenas.

That evening Charleo called the chukkon warriors together for a briefing. "Fella warriors, ye've been brought together ta receive the information as promised regardin' death in battle. As ye know, the wightlin's have already seen, on Earth, what many of us'll be a-facin' fer the first time. Ye were taught durin' yer trainin' that, in any battle, there be death. And since we've ne'er been exposed ta it here on Maycly, except fer Levi..." Charleo removed his hat, the warriors did the same, and they had a moment of silence. Charleo returned his hat to his head. "...I be a-turnin' thin's over ta Philip so ye can be a-gettin' answers ta the questions I know be a-fillin' yer heads. Philip, the floor be yers."

"Thank you Charleo." The chukkon army fell silent. "My fellow chukkon warriors, let me preface this by saying, no matter what happens on the battlefield, always... _always_ trust SUL. Death on Earth is often painful for those who are dying. And it is devastating to their loved ones who continue living; for them, the grief is nearly unbearable." The chukkon warriors gasped and were now on edge. "But we who trusted SUL could face our losses with a newly found courage and comforting strength knowing the deceased would be reunited with their spirits on Maycly before the morning after their planting." Philip allowed time for this to sink in before he continued. "Should you take a hit, you _will_ feel pain. Should the hit bring the taste of death, your spirit shall rise from your body, just like Levi's did. Your body will be placed in the ground at the base of the Rivalry Mountains. Carbreyghal and his fellow etherealians will escort your spirit to its hiding place where it will remain until the completion of the final battle. The harsh truth of the matter is this: should we lose our final battle, whenever it may be, your spirit will wither away to nothing, your body will rot, and those of you who remain will be forced to serve Evil for all eternity."

Such news was devastating to the chukkon warriors, but at the same time, it allowed Philip to see the intense vigilance with which SUL was filling their souls.

"Should we conquer Evil in that final battle for Good, however, your spirit will be reunited with your body, and you shall never experience death again. So trust that our queen will come and accept her duty. She is the only one who can help us during the final battle. The destruction of this dreaded Evil that has come into our midst rests in her hands, but only if we win the battle we _now_ face. Let SUL's words from this morning be encouraging to you."

The week was coming to a close. Emotions ran high. Time was rocketing forward. There was no stopping the approach of the great and terrible day.

• • • •

Tarnnin had watched past events–the failed attempt to capture the chukkon recruits in the forest, the failed attempt to capture Charleo's family, Marlen's story-telling episode at Pub Pete's–via his archaic hologram system that sat on the table beside his throne. Now, watching the meeting on the hillside, he sighed in disgust. "Their end will come." He beat his fist on the table in angst.

SUL's voice filled the room. "Forget not that there is one who will come at an appointed time to destroy Evil forever."

Tarnnin frantically searched the room but could not see SUL.

"You will not see Me now, Tarnnin, but you _will_ see Me in the Valley of Battles. I will bore open a hole in your lair. This will be your sign that the time of battle is here."

As though he were completely mad, Tarnnin bolted from his throne, grabbed his head, and screamed. In his insanity he collapsed to the floor and wept.

"I leave you now to wallow in your self pity." SUL's words did not come easy to Him.

Tarnnin had never experienced such cold, harsh loneliness as he did when he felt SUL's presence leave the room. He curled his wings, encasing his entire body, and trembled. None of his followers knew he was such a coward.

After an hour Tarnnin unfurled his wings and rose to his feet. With pride he looked in the mirror. "I _am_ the thief of the hidden scribblings. And for that reason, I have absolutely no use for SUL. SUL will die!"

He rushed to alert his cohorts to ready themselves for battle. He had placed his confidence in numbers; he believed they could overthrow Good simply because he had brainwashed and beaten his followers into submission. He had driven them to the point of harboring an obscene amount of anger with the drive to kill, as opposed to devising strategies and techniques, which in his estimation, would have been a waste of his time.

Chapter 33

The Day of Reckoning

SUL bowed His head and whispered in a language only He knew, and in that He found comfort. He entered His backyard garden where the Sprites rode equinarchs that flitted about the flowers. Subtle purple light from lavendarias reflected off the rocks below their petals, and flowering puddle-jumpers floated by on their way to the next pond. The Grand Wizard slowly raised His arms out to His sides and bent at His knees. With an effortless burst of energy He shot upward making the sound of a mighty rushing wind. Chukkons and wightlings throughout Maycly heard the comforting sound, stopped what they were doing, and ran to watch. They had not seen the familiar colorful light beams shooting across the sky nor heard that particular sound since before Tarnnin had surrendered to Evil. SUL inhabited the highest mountains, the deepest waters, the densest forests, and the greenest meadows. He was in all places at one time.

The wind settled and SUL took in a deep breath that caused the treetops to bend down. Then He sang, just as He had during creation. "Hear Me now, all who dwell on Maycly, for the beginning of the end of Evil is at hand. I bring tidings of both elation and gloom."

SUL took in another breath, the clouds swirled, and His next song boomed louder than an angry 500-piece orchestra. "Tarnnin, I speak to you and those who have willfully chosen to follow you. The time is coming when every one of you shall be forever changed. A dreadful wickedness shall consume you and all of your Evil-mongers." Those of Good cringed at SUL's words.

Tarnnin and his dedicated followers had heard SUL but were still in denial regarding their prophesied destiny.

SUL sang to His trusted ones. "Mayclysians of Good, I request your presence in the Valley of Battles. Everyone in every village shall depart by twilight on this day. In seven days all of you will have reached the valley. Bring your tents and enough supplies for your travels to and from the valley. I shall provide a magic outing basket in each tent. Each basket will replenish itself according to your needs during your time spent there. Select your camping places on the western ridge facing the Skygem Alps: from there you shall watch the event. Keep your trust in Me. This Day of Reckoning shall be forever remembered and honored on Maycly." All responded with the traditional acknowledgment of reverence: their hands, placed palms out in front of their faces, were raised above their heads, then they "drew" a big circle and ended with their palms together beneath their chins.

SUL collected Himself atop the highest western peak in the middle of the Skygem Alps. There He patiently waited for all spectators to complete their journeys. The Mayclysians traveled by foot, by cart, and on animals. When they arrived they found that every spot on the western ridge offered a good view of the valley. Conversations built with anticipation and continued throughout days and twilights.

• • • •

Marlen, Denton, and Dittle pitched camp near the center of the western ridge next to Keegan's family. Jobi and his family, along with Ensio and Rachana, joined them. Pub Pete, who was also nearby, caught a glimpse of a female wightling he had not seen before. He had never believed in love at first sight, but something made his stomach do a flip when he set eyes on this particular unfamiliar wightling. Spontaneously he invited her to pitch her camp next to his. Knowing full well she would move on, his stomach flipped backwards when she said, "Thank you. I'd love to. My name is Pub Pearl. What's yours?"

"Mine? Oh, mine. My name. Is that what you're asking me for? My name? Let's see. My name is...uh...my name is Pub Pete."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Pub Pete. It's not that chukkons aren't friendly enough, but it's nice to meet one of my own kind. And especially such a good looking one. Oh, wow. That was really bold wasn't it? Sorry. It's just that your blue eyes are quite mesmerizing considering the rest of your body. Or, no, wait, that didn't come out right. I mean...I mean they compliment your body. I'll just stop right here, because there's no more room in my mouth for another foot." She giggled at her own joke. Pub Pearl thought to herself as she admired his broad smile, _Oh brother, how could I have bungled that up so badly? It's just the sight of him. He's so darn good looking._ Pub Pete blushed and smiled; he had never received compliments of any kind before from a woman. He did not have the nerve to ask her where she was from or what she had meant by the chukkon remark she had made. He only wanted to savor the moment. Jobi and Mitzy, Keegan's wife, had overheard the awkward love birds and were having a good chuckle.

Grampa Lawrence and Gramma Hilda joined other wightlings they had befriended on Maycly and set up camp with them on the southern end of the ridge. The tent pitched in a jiffy, and Grampa Lawrence went inside. He called to Gramma Hilda to come to him. She entered the tent and smiled at the sight; SUL had tucked a few special sweets in their magic outing basket... just because. They unrolled their bedding and fluffed their pillows. Grampa Lawrence gave Gramma Hilda a peck on the cheek then went to visit their neighbors. Hilda took the time to place two flower baskets at the opening of their tent in an attempt to make things seem as normal as possible, then she joined Grampa Lawrence and their friends.

Seven days after He had called the spectators to the Valley of Battles, SUL announced that the arrivals were complete and everyone should get some rest. He watched until the last lanterns went out then He, too, rested through the twilight.

• • • •

As the moons and suns traded their light and morning came upon the valley, movement began amongst the campers. Aromas of sweet rolls, fruit breads, hot chocolate, and coffee warming over wood fires wafted throughout the campsites. SUL returned to the stately appearance He had held before He left the castle. He glowed from the Alps, brightening the entire valley. Before breakfast was served, He greeted the spectators. "I welcome you who have traveled from near and far to witness this grand event. Enjoy the breakfasts I have provided. Eat well and nourish your bodies, for in one hour I shall call you to take your places." Everyone responded with the traditional acknowledgment of reverence and kept their hands in the prayerful position as they said a special blessing of thanks for their food.

As the smells of breakfast dwindled the busy sounds of tidying up were added to the chit chat. In exactly one hour SUL called the spectators to take their places on the edges of the western ridge. Once all were settled SUL addressed the crowd in song. "This is a day that I had hoped would never come. But this is a day that _had_ to come. Hold tight to My prophecy." The spectators applauded. "Chukkons of Maycly, I commend you for your strength in carrying on without your loved ones. It has been many years since you have seen your families and friends, but it has been for the sole purpose of preparing for the restoration and preservation of Good." Again the spectators performed the traditional acknowledgment.

SUL took in a deep breath, and His words rang out. "Behold! I present to you your chukkon army!" The sound of several hundred uilleann bagpipes and bodhran drums flooded the valley.

A spectator pointed to the north and shouted, "Look!" The message quickly rippled through the crowd, and all heads turned. Mighty cheers erupted from the ridge when the chukkon warriors came into view, marching to the impressive cadences. The front line carried the largest flag of Maycly anyone had ever seen.

Behind the chukkon warriors followed battle animals of all sorts, some walking and some flying, all in orderly fashion. Their behavior expressed dedicated obedience with respect for their trainers and grooms. They displayed hair-raising discipline, their ranks tight and their battle clothing neatly worn. Specially made armor covered the bodies of those animals that were the most vulnerable. Every creature's head and face was covered with protective gear that glistened with the pageantry of polished silver and rare gems found only in Tuttleyworth along the shores of Tuttley Splash. Dangling from the sides of facial guards were tassels of every color ever known; they swished back and forth with every step. The warrior baskets that were strapped to the aerial battle animals had been woven with sturdy branches and leaves from the Tree of Breathing and Being, a gift SUL had sent to them in The Training Village. Immense carts carrying the catapults were pulled by towdies whose snout horns had been decorated with vibrant patterns of rich colors of paint made from berries native to The Training Village and surrounding Mare's Tail Slopes.

"Momma, look...tis Papa!" Dittle could hardly contain himself at the sight. Marlen and Denton, seeing Charleo on the leaders' wagon, cheered even louder. Marlen, not able to hide her tears, took both boys by their hands and lifted them almost off the ground as she threw her arms up into the air with jubilation.

"Who be a-ridin' with Charleo?" shouted Jobi.

"Me Keegan! Me dear Keegan!" Mitzy lifted their two daughters, Maye and Karla, off their toes just like Marlen had done with Denton and Dittle. The four had a good laugh together as they bounced up and down at their mommas' wills.

"And Artie! Tis Artie!" Many of the young chukkons who had known Artie as the leader of the Terrain Masters, and others who had loved visiting him in Glammiswinde to play games and listen to him make up stories, cheered and whistled at the sight of him. Artie heard their voices and waved big to his small fans. The chukkon warriors came to a halt several hundred yards from the center of the battlefield. Etherealians arrived and hovered above the chukkon warriors.

SUL sang over the cheering. "Cast your sight to the south end of the valley. Behold! I present to you your wightling army!" The wightlings' cadence resounded with a colonial feel, and the spectators' responses spilled like a broad waterfall into the valley as their wightling army marched with confidence.

First came the wightling warriors carrying an enormous flag of Maycly, twin to the one the chukkons carried. They were followed by the wightling battle animal infantry. The stately mammals were harnessed with the finest materials provided by SUL. The heavy war horses wore chain mail caparisons covered with fabric caparisons boasting Maycly's colors. Solid gold chanfrons etched with intricate detail graced their muzzles presenting an intimidating sight. The tails of many were braided and adorned with colorful beaded garlands. Others' tails had been doubled and redoubled on themselves and were wrapped with bejeweled straps, while the tails of still others gracefully trailed behind them unembellished. Magnificent leopards wearing shiny brown harnesses studded with diamonds pulled the carts that carried the wightling riders of the aerial animals. Each rider was sporting his impressive great helm and suit of armor. Kodiak bears pulling the weaponry carts wore chanfrons fashioned from sterling silver and ankle cuffs of pewter. There was a large herd of winged horses, specific to Trote Waters, serving as additional aerial animals. During flight their shiny coats of white changed to black, and their long white manes, tails, and flowing fetlock hair glowed. Fiery castle sentinels, unattended, flew to the battlefield above the etherealians, riders permitted to mount them only at the leaders' commands.

The riders of the elephants, llamas, zebras, and elk were strapped into sturdy saddles. Each wielded a sharp lance, another gift from SUL. Each lance's hand-guard was inscribed with the warrior's surname. Each animal wore a custom chanfron and caparison, which coordinated with their rider's armor. The wightling army halted a few hundred yards from the center of the battlefield, opposite the chukkon warriors. More etherealians loomed gallantly over the wightling warriors' heads.

On SUL's command all of the etherealians combined and made a swooping circle over each battalion, then they rose to the ridge tops. As they passed from north to south, the spectators could feel the long silken etherealian robes gently slide across their heads. Eventually the etherealians came together and formed three rings above the center of the battlefield, rotating in the pattern that the three suns of Maycly once had.

SUL opened His mouth, and from His breath appeared a visible score of Maycly's anthem in the sky above the Alps. All joined SUL in singing the anthem. When it ended the score vaporized and the etherealians dispersed; one third landed behind the chukkon army, one third landed behind the wightling army, and the remaining third formed a border around the valley. As the etherealians glowed brilliantly their luminous appearance gave courage to all of the warriors.

Like a proud father SUL announced, "Behold your generals, Charleo and Philip!" Each waved to the crowd. "And with General Charleo ride Major Artie and Lieutenant Keegan." Keegan waved while Artie whistled through his fingers and whirled his other fist in the air like he had always done during a Terrain Masters outing. The young ones jumped up and down and whistled back.

"Look Hilda! Philip Roberts is the wightling general. I knew he could do it." Grampa Lawrence shouted praises to their wightling army leader.

Gramma Hilda's emotions seeped from her eyes. "Their faces, they hold such bravery. A level far above any I've ever seen. But I'm afraid for the warriors, Lawrence. I've never felt such fear as I do now, not only for our warriors, but for all of us."

Taking Gramma Hilda's hand, Grampa Lawrence pulled her close and whispered, "It'll all be fine Hilda. Remember what you've read in _The Book of Good and Evil._ The prophesied period of sorrow is upon us. But SUL promised that in time our joy will return. Cling to His promise. Uphold the truth of His prophecy." Grampa Lawrence pulled Gramma Hilda closer still.

• • • •

With His back toward the valley and His arms extended out and down in front of Him, SUL spoke a raging command. An enormous cracking explosion from the east jarred the ground. Everyone hushed, looked toward the Alps, and saw dark smoke rise from behind the snowy peaks. SUL had used a portion of His magical powers to blast a hole in the molten, charred outer crust of the volcanic mountain that housed Tarnnin's lair. He took aim, snapped His wrists, and caused a second blast to blow a tunnel through the base of the Alps. As the smoke cleared, the opening presented a frightening view of Targrum.

Tarnnin could not believe what he was hearing. He rushed to the window of his throne room and panicked when he realized that the blasts were the sign from SUL that it was time for battle. He immediately demanded his brood of Evil to hasten to the battlefield. In no certain fashion or order they began to ooze from the jagged opening in the lair. The chukkons-on-watch sounded their alpenhorns; tall spiral flames swirled upward from the horns' bells. The warriors now knew Evil was in sight. Chukkon and wightling warriors readied themselves. They stood at severe attention listening to the first round of Evil tramping to the tunnel from Targrum.

Marlen, Denton, and Dittle recognized the intensifying rumble of off-beat vibrations, the same vibrations they had experienced on the Bridge of Revealing. Marlen hugged Denton and Dittle to her as close as she could. She heard Dittle sniffle and felt his head turn into her side. "Remember how brave ye were that day on the bridge? And just how proud Denton and I were of ye?"

"Aye. But this...tis too much." Dittle clutched Marlen's dress a bit tighter as he looked up into her eyes for comfort.

Marlen smiled with love and confidence. "Tis no different. If we could beat 'em once, we can beat 'em again. Yer papa needs ta know ye were brave fer him. Can ye be?"

Dittle searched for any courage he could find. "Aye. I'll be a-doin' it fer Papa."

"That be me boy. Now be a-bringin' yer eyes back ta the happenin's. I've got ye tight ta me side, so ye've nothin' ta worry about." Dittle faced the battlefield but kept his arm around Marlen. His eyes were almost closed. Denton reached his arm behind Marlen far enough to hold Dittle's hand.

All of the chukkons from Bailiwick had shared stories about the Day of Reckoning, but very few had put together that today was that day. Word spread at the rapidly growing revelation of those few, and family by family the chukkons came to terms with the terrorizing fact that their loved ones, who had been gone for six years, had been building and training as part of the chukkon army SUL had had Ensio scribble about in _The Book of Good and Evil._

Evil etherealians broke over the Alps. They dropped and sped toward the western ridge, causing screams and shouts from the viewers.

"Hang on wee ones!" Jit and Giddy did as Charleo said and clenched Halo's and Scepter's ears with all their might. A foul wind ruffled their tiny wings.

Tarnnin's evil etherealians made several overly confident passes above the spectators. Their numbers blanketed the light of the three suns, darkening the Valley of Battles. Without warning, they scattered, and the instant flash of bright light from the suns was temporarily blinding. Instead of the pleasant aromas of cotton candy and sugar waffles as they flew by, the crowd smelled sulfur emitting from their wings.

As hard as he tried not to, Dittle could not help but shiver, and he was not the only one with quivering nerves on the western ridge. Nearly every chukkonette was hiding his or her face and crying.

Tarnnin's evil infantry skulked into view. Their shadowed appearances broke through the faint cloud of misty dust that vaguely lingered at the tunnel's entrance to the battlefield. First out was Evil's general, a stocky, bronze wightling clothed in the richest of battle armor. He rode in a chariot of mahogany wood trimmed with black onyx, pulled by a team of four wolven gliders that had been captured and trained to serve Evil. The general drew the attention of Marlen, Denton, and Dittle and made a subtle change, discreetly showing his true self to them, then he quickly faded back to his brawny character. Their hearts nearly stopped when they realized it was Lucasphair. His grumners followed behind his chariot, and his imps scurried about casting perverted gestures. Marlen wanted desperately to warn Charleo but spared herself the embarrassment of trying to shout above the noise, as she knew she would never be heard.

A portion of Tarnnin's evil wightlings lumbered behind Lucasphair's entourage. When Pub Pete fixed his eyes on those who had abandoned SUL on Earth, compassionate sorrow pushed away confidence, and helplessness flushed his face. He looked down at Charleo in the wagon almost directly below him but saw that Charleo's face offered no expressions of comfort.

Behind the front lines of evil wightlings were the brainwashed chukkons. Additional fiendish evil wightlings, gladiators, and wardens moved like sludge, kicking and lashing the mindless pack of chukkons in front of them. A caravan of repulsive land beasts appeared next, trudging haphazardly, their keepers continually having to chase them back into line.

Boulders began to tumble, and an avalanche soared down the Alps as unruly aerial beasts, too big to use the tunnel, leapt and climbed by foot to the top of the Alps from Targrum. The obnoxious aerial brutes were tethered and held down on their descent to the battlefield. Some had unkempt riding baskets heedlessly strapped on their backs, while the largest land beasts carried evil wightlings in crude baskets that swung from the undersides of their bellies or around their necks. It was a gruesome sight as the tethered beasts jerked, slinging their handlers into the air like rag dolls and dumping their basket riders. As the distorted animals crept down the Alps and littered the valley, it was apparent they were untrained. But that made them no less intimidating.

Echoes of restraining chains and iron clasps rattled from the tunnel. Like the aerial beast handlers, the land beast handlers were not strong enough to control their monstrosities. The attendants were thrust into the air with a head butt or trampled by gigantic feet. Restless beasts gored the dirt with their horns, snouts, and hooves. Grunts, snorts, and deep steamy wet sounds reverberated threateningly off the tunnel's side walls. Eventually all of the evil beasts were herded next to the ground assailants.

Charleo, Keegan, and Artie stiffened with uneasiness as Evil's ground troops divided. One section remained on the eastern side and stomped in place while the others barged on to the base of the western ridge directly below the frightened spectators. The mishmash of Evil's warriors turned to face their opponents, slammed their weapons to the ground (almost in unison), then ceased all motion. The evil etherealians stopped their ghostly flight and came to rest scattered about the valley floor.

Tarnnin was last. His twelve czars preceded him, ensuring his entrance was grandiose in every way. All Evil bowed. The air thickened as he slithered in lethargic flight. Blaring off-key Gothic music sizzled from his wings. He made certain the foul stench from the putrid tones that escaped the holes in his veins fell heavy over the warriors of Good below him. He came to a halt above Lucasphair's chariot. The arrivals were complete, and for the first time, Good was witnessing Evil in its entirety. Though highly unorganized, Evil's numbers still dominated Good's by the thousands, even after having lost as many as they had upon their entrance.

At the fall of silence, a faint breeze graced the ridges while a stronger breeze whistled through the valley, stirring the sounds of fluttering banners and spears clacking together. When the wind died, the quiet was broken by a few horses snorting and rearing prematurely, along with the added sounds of their riders adjusting in their reed-woven saddles.

Patience was growing thin amongst Evil. Anxious land animals made low noises and pawed the dirt. Aerial beasts grunted and continued tugging upward on their restraints, trying to take to the air. The evil handlers hollered and beat their animals with the ends of the tethers, huffing, spitting, and shouting cries of anger.

All Good stood with impeccable patience–chukkons, wightlings, animals, and spectators.

A stiff wind, building with volume and intensity, whipped through the valley; SUL had inhaled. He roared with a voice of cracking thunder, "LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

The chukkon and wightling warriors of Good awaited the commands from their generals. Charleo and Philip were tense as they held their positions. Lucasphair vainly watched for the signal from Tarnnin to order his grumners and imps into battle. Evil wightlings bayed while banging their bare chests, void of protection.

Charleo gave Artie a nod.

Artie leapt aboard his icataras and flew low, back and forth over the chukkon warriors. His face held fury as he delivered his pep talk with a conquering spirit. "Land troops! Tis OUR day! Ye've worked and trained hard fer such a day as this. Ye be the backbone of our troops. When ye go forth and fight, do so with a vengeance! Aerial troops! Tis OUR day! Ye be a special breed of strength and maneuverability. Wait and hover low with dignity till ye be given the command ta fight. And when ye fight, fight with accuracy. All of ye, both air and land, remember the plan our Gen'rl Charleo devised fer us and taught us in great detail. Fight not fer yer own life but fer the lives of yer families, yer friends, and yer fella warriors. Fight fer Levi! Fight fer SUL! Fight fer Good! Be brave! Fear nothin'!" He flew his icataras above the center of the warriors, waved his fist high, and shouted as loud as he could, "If we be warriors..." The chukkon army raised their weapons and fists and resounded, "...then all we have ta fear be fear itself!" Artie had aroused the fighting spirit he had striven for amongst the troops.

At the same time on the southern end of the battlefield Philip was riding back and forth, instilling an abundance of confidence and strength in the wightling troops of Good. "You were created by SUL! Your name was written in the _Book of Decision_ by the Grand Wizard Himself at your birth. On the day you proved yourself worthy on Earth as a protector of all that was Good, He wrote beside your name the word 'WARRIOR.' When it was revealed to you that you were indeed a warrior, you looked into the Mirror of Maycly and saw yourself as SUL sees you. Now look at yourselves. What do you see? Do you see the same physical strength and warrior spirit you saw in the Mirror of Maycly?"

"We do!"

"Look upon your fellow warriors. Do you see impenetrable armor?"

"We do!"

"Do you see acrimony for Evil in the eyes of those looking back at you?"

"We do!"

Philip rode faster, slapping his sword against the swords of the warriors on the front line. He shouted his portion of the wightling battle cry. "You - were - born - to - FIGHT - AND - PREVAIL - for - GOOD! What say you to this?"

"We will make our Creator proud!" Their vigilance was nearly visible, but the cheers of Good were finally drowned out by the thumping of Evil's large drums.

Lucasphair attempted a pep talk of his own, but no one listened; they were too busy boasting and bragging to each other about how tough they were. He snapped and pulled on the reins of his restless wolven gliders. "Hold steady!"

The revolting sounds of the edgy tyrants crescendoed. Impatience consumed Tarnnin. He motioned for the drums to increase in speed and volume then gave Lucasphair the signal.

Lucasphair's voice blasted over the noise. "All Evil–ATTACK!" He shook his staff rigorously.

Charleo and Philip's initial tactic had succeeded; they had wanted Evil to make the first move.

Lucasphair cracked his whip, and the wolven gliders loped into the air, pulling his heavy chariot above the battlefield and out of harm's way, next to Tarnnin.

The first evil beasts to be released were grotto cobb rollers. The wooly, twelve-foot tall, tusked behemoths thundered across the field shrieking and plowing up the ground, determined to annihilate whatever lay in their path.

Lucasphair yelled a command.

GROTTO COBB ROLLER

From clouds of dust came the grumners, running amok. Imps either rode on the grumners' backs or lurched behind them. Following were Evil's disorderly land troops. Bags filled with unfamiliar contents were tied around their misfit girths and seeped nasty slime with every pounding step.

The bones of the nearly indestructible hipposaurs rattled and banged together as each animate skeleton jockeyed for a front-row position.

HIPPOSAUR

Some evil warriors, carrying heavy wooden mallets, lay prostrate along the backs of razor-toothed lesardes, the warriors' low profiles making difficult targets.

RAZOR-TOOTHED LESARDE

The riders guided their big lizards in and out of the brainwashed chukkons, who marched to a chant they had been taught. With crooked spears and uneven shields the absentminded chukkons traipsed toward the center of the battlefield, their blank stares strangely hypnotic.

Tarnnin nodded to Lucasphair to give another command. Before Lucasphair could speak, several beasts lunged prematurely, snatching their handlers off the ground. The impatient creatures raced skyward, their handlers now having lost control and dangling from the chains. "Turn them loose!" shouted Lucasphair. The dragging chains wound together in the chaotic takeoff, flopping animals to the ground on top of one another, ending in treacherous fights. Other tethering chains clanged as the beasts scrabbled to take to the air.

Evil riders struggled to stay on the winged hydrurgas that were bucking their way into the sky, plowing through the tangled masses of flying serpentines. Evil etherealians did their best to create some sort of organized pattern but failed miserably, fighting amongst themselves over which of them was in charge.

WINGED HYDRURGA

Charleo, hesitating much longer than anyone thought he would have, finally shouted to Artie and Philip, "Call ta battle!" Charleo personally ordered Keegan to remain at his side on the wagon for protection throughout the battle.

"Land troops! CHARGE!" ordered Artie.

Philip commanded his wightlings. "Land troops! Divisions one and two! CHARGE!"

FLYING SERPENTINES

The warriors' bravery was immeasurable, and their tenacity filled the battlefield. They hollered their battle cries, rushing into the faces of their worst enemies. The overwhelming sight and ominous sound when Good collided with Evil brought untold numbers of spectators to their knees with shouts of desperation.

Artie gave the next command at Charleo's beckoning. "Aerial troops! TAKE TO THE AIR!" Artie led the way on his icataras.

"Aerial troops! TAKE TO THE AIR!" Philip watched the timely departure of his warriors astride their winged horses.

Following the icataras squadrons were aerialoceroses, each equipped with releasable boulders strapped to the underside of its wings. Baskets on their backs were filled with chukkon riders. The riders slid their toes under the stabilizer straps that were bolted to the basket floors and hung on. It was not long until the chukkon warriors took aim and loosened the ropes to drop the medieval-style bombs onto the cobb rollers. The high-pitched squeals of the large boars and sows were chilling as they were crushed to within an inch of death.

In the meantime the rest of the aerial and land troops headed for their assigned destinations. Charleo shouted when the designated warriors reached their slated coordinates. "DIVIDE AND COMBINE! DIVIDE AND COMBINE!" Artie and Philip echoed Charleo, and the troops followed the orders. Chukkon and wightling battalions split and merged together so as to utilize their varieties of sizes and strengths.

"MAKE HASTE!" Philip strongly waved his third and fourth land divisions on to fill in the gaps.

Earl, receiving the hand signal from Artie, blew his shell horn. The land troops, trained to listen for that specific warning, tuned into Earl's voice. "Eastern quarter, follow yer leader, Lee!" Lee repeated Earl's command. "Western quarter follow yer leader, Allan!" Allan waved his sword in the air for his group to see. "Southern quarter follow yer leader, Homer!" Homer sounded his shell horn, and his crew immediately gathered behind him. "Northern quarter, follow me! CHARGE!" Every quarter ran into the midst of Evil swinging their swords and chain maces.

Artie sounded his shell horn then called a command. "Air troops–designated first half–follow me!" His arm motions were sharp and distinct. "Designated second half–follow Ron!" Ron blew his shell horn to guide the aerial troops assigned to him.

Tarnnin's etherealians, still fighting amongst themselves, were nothing more than annoyances around which the aerial teams had to maneuver. The chukkon aerial warriors did some bumping and jostling but maintained their tight formations as they merged unscathed with their high-ranking fellow aerial wightling warriors, twelve guiding riders strapped into saddles onto fiery castle sentinels. The sentinels also carried heavy-duty baskets filled with wightling warriors of Good situated behind the guiding riders. The winds from the aerial attack were furious.

The towdoceroses created a wall of confidence behind the land troops. The towdies stolidly pulled their heavy battle carts, the riding chukkon warriors awaiting their orders to fire at will. The pounding of the towdies' leaps jarred the ground. "FIRE!" shouted Charleo to the back lines. The firing squads on the towdie carts released the catapults. The boulders flew high then dropped, smashing unsuspecting Evil into the hard-packed field.

Merely copying the tactics of Good, Lucasphair shouted, "FIRE!" Chukkon warriors of Good slammed to the dirt when arrows slit their organs deep within. Towdies wailed as Evil's boulders hit and broke their horns off at the bases. A few overturned their carts as they reared, swinging their front feet at Evil's flying ammunition. The spotted hopcats screamed as pieces of rock and dirt flew into their cages, embedding in their skin.

Grumners and imps split off in packs and bolted to attack the wightling land animals of Good. The wightling riders swung their swords and mallets in defense; the grumners and imps yelped in pain each time the weapons made contact. Scads of elephants, llamas, zebras, oxen, and elk keeled over when the grumners' claws penetrated their haunches. The riders were thrown from their saddles and left to fend for themselves. They hailed the aerial troops, several of whom swiftly flew their animals to the defenseless land riders and carried them into the air.

Shrill hysteria resounded from the western ridge as the chukkon spectators witnessed death for the first time. Some heaved their breakfast, some ran back into their tents, others hid their faces but remained where they could see, should their courage to watch return. Many grabbed their chukkonettes and hid them in tents or safe-holes in the ridge. Wightling spectators released curdling screams as their warriors were gashed open.

Evil wightling warriors untied the soggy pouches that hung from their waists and hurled the contents onto the chukkon warriors of Good. The snail-like sniggillorapiduses, with a taste only for chukkons, scaled their victims with uncanny swiftness.

SNIGGILLORAPIDUS

Slime burned trails on the chukkons' skin as the single foot of the wet creatures moved with swift undulating motion. Then they adhered to the faces of their enemies, slowly smothering them. Wightling warriors tried to rid their fellow chukkons of the sniggills, but even following complete annihilation of the creatures' shells, they could not be removed. Sadly, attempts to resuscitate the asphyxiated chukkons were futile.

• • • •

Evil's two-headed viper claws crept along snapping at the warriors' legs. One venomous bite brought a warrior to the ground in seconds. The vipers coiled themselves around their victims and crushed them. Body parts shot from sockets. Chukkons suffered life-stealing wounds, and wightling warriors of Good became comatose but did not die, as they had already experienced death on Earth.

TWO-HEADED VIPER CLAW

Evil's flying serpentines and winged hydrurgas proved to be ample competition to those defending Good, but were seldom victorious. Aerial battle animals shrieked as they tumbled out of control following the loss of their riders. They bashed against the cliffs and dropped to the valley floor.

Scale-feathered garrotts pulled two sleds tied together; the front sled carried masters of medicine and supplies to tend to the masses of injured warriors of Good, the rear sled carried the wounded back to the caves of bodily repair. The journey to reach the wounded was always intense. Besides dodging evil weapons, beasts, and warriors, dust hindered their vision and breathing. They could hear the snaps of breaking bones and feel the air disturbances created by aerial warriors plummeting from the sky just before they hit the ground with a muted whomp, often splattering the masters of medicine with blood. Wightlings of Good naturally suffered massive traumas but remained unconscious and did not die. Chukkons, however, met death.

When administering triage on the battlefield, the masters of medicine were inundated by other battered and bruised warriors in shock, still able to walk, seeking immediate attention. Being that the sleds held only so many, the masters of medicine were forced to make split-second decisions to prioritize the wounded based on the severity of their injuries. They had to load the chosen severely wounded ones onto the sled then set off, again dodging the obstacles on their return to the caves of bodily repair, listening to the fading disturbing cries of those who had been left behind.

"Momma, uncover yer eyes. Ye be a-missin' everythin'," said Denton. But Marlen could not bear to watch. She did not want to see–or even imagine–what might happen to her dear Charleo. Dittle decided that, if his momma was not watching, neither was he, so he buried his head again in her side.

Jit and Giddy, still hidden behind Halo's and Scepter's ears, had no idea it was going to be like this. With no other Sprites in the Valley of Battles to accompany them, they knew they did not stand a chance of helping their chukkon or wightling friends.

Artie found himself in aerial hand-to-hand combat with an evil wightling rider aboard a chameleon grizzly scudder. Their swords rang and sparked as they collided with each swing. The evil wightling boldly let go both hands and hurled two shurikens at Artie. Artie ducked but still felt the rush of the blades whizzing by. He quickly retaliated with the slinging of a dagger, sticking it deep into the evil wightling's arm. Artie's icataras hissed wildly at the grizzly scudder who snarled with a vigorous growl and a swipe of its giant paw in response.

CHAMELEON GRIZZLY SCUDDER

The two flying animals bit and batted at each other with their sharp teeth and claws. The evil wightling regained his footing and stood on the scudder's back then jumped and landed on Artie's icataras near the base of its tail, its painful quills jabbing into the wightling's calves. The chameleon grizzly scudder bellowed at the loss of its rider. It turned tail, its wings flashing random color changes as it flew away. Balance became difficult for the wounded evil wightling. Artie took a chance and flicked another dagger behind him. The big cat howled when her quills ripped from her hide as the evil wightling went tumbling and flailing toward the icy peaks with Artie's dagger stuck deep in his forehead. With his fist in the air, Artie shouted in victory. "YEAHHHH!" His icataras responded at the same time with a loud hiss and an ear-splitting "MMMMEEEOOOWWW!"

They sped toward the ground, landed, and Artie's icataras licked the sore follicles where the quills had been stripped. "There, there me big cat. Ye'll be fine." Artie sniffed hard then unstrapped himself and slid backwards on her quills so as not to stick himself. The icataras panted from pain but allowed Artie to sop up the blood and dress the wounds with the few salveleaves he had in his side pouch.

Artie looked up and saw that Lucasphair was leaving himself wide open. Artie returned to his saddle, and his icataras took to the air. He guided her toward the changeling, all the while placing an arrow on his bowstring. When they were within firing range Artie let the arrow take flight. It hit Lucasphair square on, right in the spot that should have dusted him, his grumners, and his imps. But the arrow bounced off and did not go through as Artie had seen before. He frowned; Lucasphair laughed. Artie set another arrow, took aim, and fired again. Overly confident, Lucasphair opened his arms and let the arrow hit on purpose with the same end result.

Lucasphair knew he could not be dusted during the battle. Laughing wildly, he pulled back his chest piece to expose a special protective plate. Artie had no idea what was happening but went to warn as many as he could.

"Advance yer troops ta their positions fer a-closin' in!" ordered Charleo.

Philip echoed the order.

Artie met Lee in the air and they coordinated their well practiced tactics. Aerial animals carrying evil warriors began to bang and collide into one another as the forces of Good closed in around them.

When ordered, Ron landed his aerialoceros and disembarked. He gave the verbal shout, and the beast sped back into the air with its remaining riders. Ron led the troops of supreme archers on the ground. They marched in two lines, firing arrows in rapid succession. The front line shot with unparalleled accuracy, taking out evil warriors and their beasts at pointblank range. The back row's arrows arched high into the air, their upward rush a fast-moving cloud of peril. Evil warriors and their beasts, hit by the mass of arrows, dropped to the ground.

When Artie saw that Lee had everything under control, he bulleted to the battle animal handlers and shouted, "Release the spotted hopcats!" Within seconds the cage doors flew open. The 1000-pound leaping felines, trained to eat only the limbs of evil wightlings during a battle, dashed to their feast. Artie called for aerial warriors to join him, and they followed overhead to thwart any attacks on the hopcats.

Artie wretched his breakfast at the sight of scores of deceased chukkons. They lay motionless, scattered ruthlessly across the valley, swollen like dead vermin on hot pavement. Their skin was tight, and their spilled blood was now black and coagulated. Their burning doom had singed off their lips and eyebrows and caused their armor to become fused to their flesh. Even Artie's icataras gagged at the thick stench rising from the burning bodies of the chukkons, wightlings, and animals.

"Begin the encircling of Evil!" was Charleo's next command to Ron and Artie. Ron's archers joined forces with the swordsmen on the ground to begin tightening the circle around Evil's lawless warriors. Artie instructed his aerial troops to assist with the flanking from above.

"Get down!" Keegan shouted, but Charleo did not move in time.

"Yer face! Ye've been hit with an arrow of Evil!" Keegan was a bundle of nerves.

Charleo put his hand to his cheek. But where the arrow had cut open his skin, he felt nothing; no blood was on his fingers when he looked at them. "Twill be fine Keegan."

"Yer cut...it be...it be...not a-bleedin' but a-turnin' gold." Keegan touched it.

"Tis SUL's doin'. Now keep yer eyes on the battle so ye can be a-warnin' me in case another evil arrow be a-comin' this way. I'll try ta be faster next time." Charleo glanced toward the Alps and nodded his thanks to SUL.

Tarnnin figured out what was happening to his army. He glared at Lucasphair. "They're closing in on us. Tell our troops to move out! NOW!"

Lucasphair guided his team of wolven gliders past his troops and shouted, "Move to the outer edges of the valley! Go! Go now!" Being the coward he was, he wasted no time in speeding back to his safety zone in the sky with Tarnnin. The evil warriors and their beasts attempted to run or fly to the outer realms of the valley, but it was too late. The army of Good was now the dominant force.

The sights and sounds of the battle had exhausted the spectators, and mercifully SUL called for the battle to come to an end. Inwardly He asked His warriors of Good to remain in their positions. With a wave of His hand, the evil etherealians who had chosen to follow Tarnnin dropped into the circle. Their wings broke on impact, and their high-pitched cries shot through the valley.

In a short time a thick hush loomed over the Valley of Battles. SUL instructed the etherealians of Good to fly about the valley gathering the brainwashed chukkons, dead or wounded, carrying them one at a time to the base of the western ridge. They separated the lifeless from the wounded.

Ron had taken a hit. He had fallen to the ground and been trampled in the heat of the archers' attack. He slowly sat up. In shock, he looked from north to south. What met his eyes was indescribable aftermath. Tears threatened his dust-filled eyes, his legs felt heavy. He was not certain he could breathe another breath, but he numbly continued to try and grasp the stifled mayhem he saw before him. In pain, he brought his arms forward, but his hands stopped against a body lying across his legs. His eyes widened, then squinted; he barely recognized who it was. Gently sliding his hands under the motionless body, he pulled his younger brother's face next to his own. "Eggard? Eggard? What has happened ta ye?" He stared into Eggard's burned eyes. "Ye were...ye were one who was captured." Ron held Eggard even tighter at his realization and sobbed. He faintly smelled cotton candy and looked up. "Please. Please help me li'l brother–he meant no wrong." Ron cried softly. With gentle compassion the etherealian took Eggard from Ron's arms and looked into his eyes. Ron saw his little brother and himself sitting on the porch, enjoying a gwendelant, and he knew the reflection was exactly what he was wishing for. The etherealian gave Ron a reassuring nod then took Eggard to be with the others.

SUL's voice rang from the top of the Skygem Alps. "Chukkons, you who were forced to serve Evil and still cling to life, I command you to lie upon the ground. There you shall die, for you must experience a cleansing death to rid yourselves of the Evil that now possesses you. Lie proud beside those warriors who gave their lives for the sake of Good, for I see you to be the same as they. Trust Me in your death as you once did in your life before you were forced to serve Tarnnin." The living and wounded chukkons who had been forced to serve Tarnnin slumped to the ground and lay face up. Their trust, which had been buried deep inside them following the brainwashing, reemerged. SUL, and anyone who served Good, wept as He tenderly and painlessly pulled from the chukkons their very breath of life.

"Carbreyghal, bring your fellow etherealians and release the spirits from the bodies of all the deceased chukkons." Everyone watched the etherealians fly to the base of the ridge and hover over all the lifeless chukkons. With their robes the etherealians covered the bodies of their personal chukkons for a few seconds. As their robes slid away, the chukkon warriors' living spirits lifted from their bodies and hovered near their personal etherealians. When all spirits had been released, Carbreyghal escorted them to the secret place where all of the chukkon spirits were hidden.

"My good etherealians, you who remain by your chukkons' bodies, gather and carry them with dignity to the northern and southern bases of the Rivalry Mountains. Bury them deep within. It is there I shall cause their bodies to remain in temporary sleep, resting peacefully, free from torment. Carve their names in gold on the outer rock walls of the mountain range so their friends and families will have a memorial to visit until the day their bodies shall be reunited with their spirits, after which they shall never taste death again." The tone in the valley was somber. SUL waited for the task to be completed before giving His next command.

"Again I ask your service, My etherealians of Good. Fly through the valley and gather the animals of Good who have met their deaths, and take them to the healing meadows in The Training Village. You will recognize these meadows by their thick carpeting of salveleaves. Lay them to rest. In this resting their lives shall be restored, and their deadly wounds will be healed. When the task is done, return to the valley." And so they did.

"Etherealians of Good fly again over the battlefield and collect the remaining maimed evil wightling warriors and their battle animals. Dump them into the encircled area. Then fly into the massive collection of Evil and strip the warriors of their weapons. Bring the weapons to Me."

When the collecting was complete, Carbreyghal summoned several to fly with him to make the delivery. He and his fellow etherealians laid the evil weaponry at SUL's feet. SUL spat upon the pile of broken swords, knives, shields, and more. When His saliva hit the pile, the evil weapons ignited, and fire surged into the sky. Within seconds all of the weapons had been completely destroyed; not even ash remained.

SUL turned His attention back to those in the valley. "Warriors of Good, step back and hold your positions." They did as SUL instructed, and even a few of the spectators, without thinking, snapped to attention at His command. His next words rang out, "The secrets I have asked Charleo to keep shall now be revealed to you." The Grand Wizard cupped His hands to His mouth. "I call forth that which I have prepared for the doers of Evil. Burning desires of Lust, Greed, Jealousy, Pride, Power, and Gluttony chase into the sky! When you fall, consume only those who are serving Evil; spare those who stand for Good." SUL drew His breath from the outermost edges of Maycly and beyond. With an angry cry, He gave a deafening lengthy exhale. Pellets of fire spewed to the sky from the mountains, the waters, the forests, and the meadows. The scorching upward rain reached its pinnacle, gathered into a large cloud of feverish globules, then bulleted downward as if each droplet had been given a specific target. The lava bits hit Lucasphair so hard it knocked him from his chariot, sending him plummeting to the ground, landing in the midst of the pile of Evil. His chariot burned in midair, and the plate that protected his heart disintegrated. "You did not fool Me when you appeared as Philip before the battle, begging for mercy to save you and protect you from Evil. And for the very reason you tried to deceive Me, I now call forth the magic arrow that I have hidden to pierce your vulnerable spot!" Artie was startled when the magic arrow shot out of the quiver on his back. It wasted no time cutting through the air with precision, deadlocked on Lucasphair, who never saw it coming. The magic arrow made a direct hit. Instantly Lucasphair, the grumners, and the imps turned to dust. Their ashes did not gather and return to the castle, however, but remained in the pile with the rest of Evil. The wolven gliders' shrill howls were gut-wrenching as they chomped at themselves trying to extinguish their fur as they helplessly dashed toward the ground.

Blistering droplets showed no mercy on Tarnnin. He curled his wings over his head. The molten rain smacked and embedded in his wings, setting them on fire. The momentum of larger scalding beads sent the smoldering Tarnnin toward the ground with a driving force.

The fire engulfing Tarnnin was hot enough to ignite the other Evil on the ground closest to him when he hit. The evil etherealians in the heap tried to fight, but they were completely helpless, their strength having been drained from them. Moans, groans, and screams of terror shrieked from the center of the valley. Any Evil that tried to escape the circle was skewered by the warriors of Good and flung back onto the pile of damaged beings.

The event was long and grueling. Those fighting for Good were worn down but found it within themselves to remain strong and not waiver. In the course of time the heated precipitation stopped, and the last flames reduced to an infant muck fire. SUL ordered that all Evil be taken to the edge of death, but never be given the relief of dying.

The spectators were aghast; the smell of all that burned was nauseating. Jobi sat near his tent, overwhelmed and weeping. Charleo's family knelt and silently asked SUL for help though they were uncertain as to what kind of help they even needed. Mitzy never blinked as she searched for Keegan. Her relief came when she saw his head rise over the edge of the battle wagon next to Charleo. Pub Pete, wearied and fatigued, took a seat on the grass, his mouth gaping open, Pub Pearl at his side. Grampa Lawrence took Gramma Hilda by the hand and dazedly led her closer to the edge of the ridge, hoping to gain a better perspective on what was happening. Screaming, Gramma Hilda pulled hard on Grampa Lawrence's hand, not wanting to get any closer.

Tarnnin lay gasping and writhing in pain. He begged SUL for mercy, but his desperate requests fell on deaf ears. He painstakingly lifted his face from the ground and propped himself up on his elbow. He looked around, seeing and hearing nothing but putrid despair.

SUL clapped His hands and thunder rolled, echoing until it evaporated into silence in the distance. The etherealians who had been forced to serve Evil rose from the burning pile and hung loosely in the air. SUL sang to them with dignity, "My dear etherealians, you who were forced to serve Evil, be returned to your state of beauty and your service of Good." He swiftly pointed all ten fingers at the seemingly lifeless etherealians. Lightning shot from His fingertips, and the brilliant change from Evil to Good began to take place.

Reeawn was elated that he experienced no pain during his restoration. He felt only Goodness, bringing with it a newly found joy and peace. He was certain, by the faces of his fellow etherealians, that they were experiencing the same.

The warriors and spectators cheered exceedingly loud when they saw their etherealians of Good change back to their original state. The only remnant of the battle SUL left upon them was scars of gold, like that of Charleo's. SUL requested that they join hands and form a circle; the formation of the etherealians was large enough to encircle the entire Valley of Battles. Then He created a lavendaria plant high above the center of the valley floor. He called to it, and it came to Him. He held it with both hands in front of His mouth and gently blew the petals, which burst from the plant and multiplied in midair. "Petals of lavender, mark My beings!" Each petal settled on its assigned etherealian's new robe. A metallic, illuminated embroidered lavendaria petal appeared where the real petal had landed. "These eternally glowing petals were placed upon My etherealians' robes to allow Mayclysians to recognize them with honor and respect." The Mayclysians made the traditional acknowledgment of reverence with joy and honor.

SUL reached deep into His soul, and from the same place He kept the pewter vial of free will nectar, He pulled out His hidden copper vial of crowns of recognition. Then He flew over each rejuvenated etherealian and allowed one full drop to fall. Just above the receiving etherealian's head, the drop stopped and formed into an illuminated hovering crown of solid gold strands braided with lavendaria. When the ceremony was complete, Reeawn and the others scattered to join their fellow etherealians. The crowd shouted and applauded.

Artie, walking beside his icataras, arrived at the wagon. He was limping from exhaustion, and his cat was limping from the festered sites of the missing quills. He tied her to the back of the wagon so she could lie down and rest. Charleo and Keegan helped Artie climb up onto the wagon, and he took his usual seat. Halo and Scepter whinnied with delight at his return.

"And I would never forget My wounded battle animals of Good. Creatures of stature and worth, I pronounce your wounds healed!" What a wondrous sight it was to see the animals of Good rise with a spring in their step and return to their handlers. Artie hustled as best he could to climb down from the wagon and waddle to his icataras. He found her standing with her wings fully spread, free of pain, no more open wounds at the base of her tail. In fact, new quills had already re-grown before he reached her. She purred softly and gave Artie a kitty-style rub, gently, so as not to knock him over. Artie returned to the wagon and delivered the good news to Charleo and Keegan.

Tarnnin felt hot breath chug down his neck, accompanied by a low grunt. When he turned he was met by the unnerving stare of a grizzly scudder, suffering, panting, and slobbering in shock. It jolted and seized as SUL delivered the punishment to all of the battle animals that He had created for this day, that being to remain in a continual state of burning, not from fire, but from Stinging Maddruss Oil (another of SUL's magical powers reserved for battle) that now filled their veins, replacing their life blood.

Charleo, Keegan, and Artie had a firsthand view of the evil creatures' transformations. It sickened Artie, who could only imagine what his icataras would be feeling if she had been forced to go through this. And though Tarnnin cringed at the nearby scudder's grunts and the smell of the Stinging Maddruss Oil seeping from its pores, he was, nevertheless, allayed that SUL had not done the same with him.

"Mayclysians, return your focus to the smoldering pile where you will see the evil etherealians who chose to serve Tarnnin now lying charred and naked, their robes in ashes." SUL pointed and rings of smoke seeped from His fingertips. "Rings of smoke, choose your evil etherealian." The smoke rings scurried without losing form, each sliding over an evil etherealian's wings. "Rings of smoke, I command you to tighten yourselves and burn." SUL paused to let them perform their task. "Cause the wings of those who chose to serve Evil to rip from the bodies they now adorn!" The sound of cracking bones and the smell of sizzling marrow brought shudders from all as the wings were torn from their sockets. New tattered wings exuded from the openings. They were weighted like soaked heavy fabric, too heavy to be held up except with the support of the etherealians' charred hands. A brownish green color washed over their bodies. Long bone spikes erupted from their spinal columns.

SUL scowled at the evil etherealians who were begging for relief. "Your once-tranquil faces shall now be forever marred!" Their eye color turned to a mixture of red and yellow. Brows pushed through their foreheads like mountains of sharp rock and crusted together in a uni-brow, small horns punching out of some. Snouts extended and formed from their once rose-petal-colored lips. Their teeth became crooked and pointed. Long fangs grew from the insides of their snouts, curving outward and downward.

Tarnnin dry heaved from terror. His body wanted to sweat, but he was too dehydrated. He turned his full attention to himself and saw only gray vapors coming from his pores. He tried to spread his wings, but they were ruined and shredded. His dried tongue scratched across his lips, and he was relieved that he felt no snout. He looked back at the other evil etherealians and gagged when he saw their arms and legs twisting and turning and their skin becoming the texture of lightning-stricken tree bark, resembling burnt branches. He saw their fingers and toes swell at every joint, making it impossible to straighten them. Tarnnin was still relieved that none of this was happening to him, but he was also fearful; he had not forgotten everything he and SUL used to discuss before he gave in to Evil.

SUL's volume increased tremendously. "And from now on, etherealians of Evil, you will be known as Vauhlpeezies, the wretched Evil of the sky." The crowd sharply drew breath. They had read about the Vauhlpeezies in _The Book of Good and Evil_ but were unaware that this was how they would come to be.

SUL pointed into the sky above Tarnnin. Tarnnin's eyes widened as a silky vapor crawled from SUL's fingertips down toward him. The vapor took the form of two large hooks that dug into Tarnnin's shoulders and pulled him into the air. He wailed in agony.

SUL expressed His grief, speaking over Tarnnin's cries. "Vauhlpeezies, it pains Me deeply that this had to be done. Let this be a lesson to all with free will. You held the choice, yet when you were lured and tempted you chose, by your own free will, to become Evil with Tarnnin instead of resisting. I ask you, why?" SUL waited for an answer while Tarnnin remained in the air, screaming, suspended by his flesh from the enchanted vaporous hooks.

"Even though none of you will answer Me, I have found it in My heart to put before you another choice. Might I suggest you use your free will wisely. Vauhlpeezies, listen to Me now. I give you one last chance to choose to return to Good. If you choose Good, speak to Me through your innermost being. I will not beg, but I will encourage you. I will change your hearts back to Good. Trust Me again as you once did, and I will accept your trust in My heart. If you sincerely return to trusting Me, I shall cause a piece of My secret golden ash–reserved for you on this day–to enter and lie dormant in your heart. Why must it lie dormant, you ask? Because the choice you made to serve Evil deserves punishment. Therefore, you will be prisoner to Evil, dwelling in cells in the depths of the lair; there you shall remain until Good is restored forever on Maycly. If you do not choose now, you will be an eternal slave to Evil and suffer Evil's destiny."

SUL allowed them time to commit, one way or the other. Small bits of purple light filled with golden glitter began to flash from the hearts of those who were now receiving the golden ash. Tarnnin tried frantically to send SUL the message that he wanted to return to Good, but Tarnnin's heart had been burned out when he was consumed by Evil, so his requests could not be sent.

When the last purple light flashed from a Vauhlpeezie's heart, SUL spoke sadly, "Let it be known, My offer is now closed for eternity. You will never be given another chance. My heart breaks for those of you who have chosen to remain with and follow Evil to its destiny." SUL wept. The Good of Maycly hung their heads in silence until SUL spoke again. "Those of you who have accepted My final invitation are now forever etched on My heart as Good, and I will return you to Good when the time comes."

Pub Pete could not have envisioned the evil wightlings looking any more pathetic than they had at their entrance onto the battlefield, but he watched as their grievous morphing took place. Some were only torsos with heads, some torsos had heads and a limb or two remaining, and others were whole, but all were still living. Backbones curved and swelled causing severe hunchbacks. Eyelids were violently removed, leaving eyes to burn and water constantly. Rasping wheezes turned mouths cottony white inside with the texture of steel wool. The evil wightlings were now destined to hiss with everlasting thirst. The skin covering their heads stretched until their ears sagged to their jowls. Pub Pete watched in horror as new unruly hair curled from their heads and became matted. He winced when their muscles and fat withered and their skin caved in, leaving a prominent skeletal outline. They had reached irreducibility. Pub Pete went rigid, barely capable of maintaining his sanity. Pub Pearl left his side, went into her tent, and cried.

The wounded wightling warriors of Good would heal; the separation and reunion of their bodies and spirits had already taken place, assuring them immortality.

The Good etherealians lowered themselves to comfort the spectators and warriors of Good. A peaceful calmness crept from east to west and north to south. Jit and Giddy uncovered their faces and leaned cautiously around Halo's and Scepter's ears to look out at the battlefield. Their tiny bellies filled with queasiness, and their ears and wings, now covered in soot and dust, drooped at what they saw. They rose to their feet and looked at the spectators whose faces showed evidence that none of them could have envisioned what now lay before them. The two Sprites turned to the three leaders. They saw on Charleo's face an expression that reinforced how his heart had never felt heavier in his chest. They saw Keegan, pale and close to fainting. And they watched as Artie removed his helmet, placed it over his heart, and wept rivers of dolefulness.

SUL's tears dried. When He returned His full attention to Tarnnin, His eyes glowed with burning anger. He raised His mighty hands, forming an arc above His head, then clapping them together in front of Him. He held them together and pointed them at Tarnnin. A fiery spray raced toward Tarnnin, moving too fast for Tarnnin to avoid. When it collided with him, Tarnnin's breath was forced from his lungs. He wanted to scream but could not. SUL waited.

Finally Tarnnin was able to take a breath. "SUL! What are You doing to me? I am Your favorite! Remember the words You spoke to me on the Creation Block?"

SUL ignored Tarnnin's chatter. He spat into His hands, then He clasped them together and blew between His thumbs. A transparent dome formed around the evil pile on the ground. "Warriors of Good, move to the bases of the ridges and wait there." The warriors of Good immediately turned and orderly proceeded. Excitement built on the ridges as the command brought families and friends closer to each other.

SUL raised His hands to the sky. "TARNNIN! BE TRANSFORMED!" Lightning shot from every peak of the Skygem Alps and thunder cracked. Tarnnin spiraled slowly, blue flames engulfing his body. His neck wrenched back as far as it would go, his arms and legs stiffened, and he began to convulse. SUL called for Tarnnin's lips to temporarily seal and the flames to expire. The few remaining threads of his charred garment combusted, and the ashes dissipated. He hung crusted and naked, growing in size. Unable to cry out, severe agony consumed his every nerve. At SUL's command his once-glorious, now tainted, musical wings spread beyond their limit of full expansion. They cracked and ripped violently from his back and plunged, scrawling a trail of cinders, their last macabre songs polluting the air until they smashed into the dirt and crumpled in on themselves. The impact brought sudden silence to the valley, magnifying the finality of what had once been a joy to behold. It took everything SUL had to restrain Himself from helping His once second in command, the one He had created to serve closest to Him.

The gaping hole in the middle of Tarnnin's back was outlined with a cauterized black rim. The exposed bleeding muscles and organs resembled singed gristle. A very large bone structure worked its way through the toasted opening and expanded into two wing frames. A shredded gossamer-like membrane crawled from the hole and stretched itself tightly over the frames. His new wings collapsed under the added weight. Tarnnin had no strength to keep his new wings outstretched; they hung dripping a gelatinous coating. They tried to play music, but the sounds were stifled.

The viewers could not take their eyes off the gruesome scene. Shrieks and cries came from the west when enormous thorns jutted in succession from each of Tarnnin's vertebra, starting at the base of his neck and continuing to his tailbone. A large whipping tail shot from the last thorn. The skin covering his body was overtaken by deep red scales. His fingers and toes elongated to ill-proportionate lengths, and thick black talons pushed away his fingernails.

Carbreyghal had returned from delivering the spirits of the good chukkons in time to watch his etherealian leader's face and head take on their new appearance. The transformation he witnessed was of a magnitude that was incomprehensible to Carbreyghal. The sights, sounds, and smells left him speechless. Out of instinctual love for a fellow etherealian, Carbreyghal sped toward Tarnnin to help him, but SUL stopped him in mid-flight with an invisible force and called for good etherealians to escort Carbreyghal back to be with them. Carbreyghal had not experienced tears in his eyes until now.

Tarnnin's head scabbed and swelled. Pus oozed from ugly abscesses. A snout, unlike those of the Vauhlpeezies, grew from his sealed ruby lips. It was much bigger and longer. His nose flattened on the squared-off end. His lips became hardened and chapped, and outlined his new snout, assuming a permanent snarl. When SUL unsealed Tarnnin's lips his mouth flew open and his enormous black forked tongue snapped outward, then recoiled. His sharp teeth appeared extremely white against his evil coloring. Clusters of leathery strands of skin covered with prickly bristles dangled from the bottom of his snout and wrinkled neck. Numerous jagged protrusions, mimicking dead swampy cypress roots, four to six feet long, crept and twisted out, down, up, and back from the sides of his blistering head. Putrid vapors and fiery red embers spewed from the ends of some of the blunt hollow roots. Other roots were coiled and tangled together, and still others tapered to sharp points. His charred ears broke off and fell, vanishing before they hit the ground. Two new ears pushed through the holes; they were cupped and pointed, sparsely covered with coarse black hair. Two enormous greenish-black horns formed out of the single root-shaped brow that stretched clear across his forehead. The silky smooth horns swooped forward and down under his chin, the points nearly touching. He could feel an aching sensation inside the horns and realized he had the ability to control their position. He could spread them apart and move them above his head for charging or bring them back to their normal position at will.

SUL spoke the next command for all to hear. "And finally, Tarnnin, your new full name will be **F** wathe' **A** rgonin **Z** elstoy, meaning (in My secret language) 'fire-breathing destroyer,' but all shall call you, FAZ. You now hold the power to breathe fire, but with every breath of flame you produce, a portion of your strength and power shall diminish for eternity."

SUL called for the vaporous hooks to be gone, and they magically disappeared. FAZ fell, forcing him to spread his new wings in an attempt to fly, but the effort was to no avail. Furiously he crashed through the transparent dome. The explosion shook snow from the Alps, but the dome instantly resealed itself, trapping all Evil inside.

FAZ

SUL spoke with the sound of a stormy sea. "Hear Me, doers of Evil! Your molten dwelling will continue to be your lair, but I shall cause the internal temperature to rise. Do not doubt that I am preparing an eternal place of torment for you. And may you never forget that it is prophesied by Me that when Maycly's queen appears from the clouds, a battle, to restore Good once and for all, will be fought. You, Evil, will have no place amongst anything that is Good." The crowd cheered in victory at SUL's prophecy as they watched the clustered Evil in the dome frantically try to escape.

A mighty rushing wind grew and sailed through the valley. SUL had again inhaled from the farthest points of creation. "My warriors of Good, you have fought valiantly. With you I am well pleased.

"And Mayclysians on the ridges, you have bravely witnessed an historical moment on Maycly. Tell this story time and again amongst yourselves, for this revolution must never be buried and forgotten. By no means should you welcome the telling and retelling of this necessary Evil, but neither dare you ever forget the things you have seen here today. Only by recalling the horrors of Evil will Good be forever treasured beyond measure."

Performing grand motions with His hands and arms He created a dark cloud around the evil beings inside the dome. At His next command the transparent dome exploded into shards of crystal that shot straight up into the sky then shattered into stardust and remained with the stars as a reminder to all. The dark cloud crept over, under, around, and through the evil beings and rose just above them. It spread and flattened, then the center of the cloud began to swirl, the rotation becoming tighter as it rose higher. When it was level with the peaks of the Alps, the top expanded and a massive cyclone loomed. Its point lowered toward the pile of evil beings that were now floating just above the ground, along with Lucasphair's, the grumners', and the imps' dust. The funnel cloud began to rip and suck the evil beings from the pile, swallowing them into its darkness. Body parts flailed in and out of the cyclone's wall as they were drawn from bottom to top. Lightning bolts sizzled and popped randomly outward from the tornado, and smaller cyclones could be seen dipping down and rising back up from the flat portion that was still high in the sky. Desperate shrieks and cries were bone-chilling to the ears of Good.

The point of the whirling twister ascended from the ground and merged with the black flatness. The flat cloud had created a very dark swirling ceiling of Evil over the entire valley. SUL guided the cloud of Evil with His hands, and all in the Valley of Battles watched it crawl overhead then settle heavily out of sight behind the Skygem Alps in Targrum. The cloud entered FAZ's lair through the hole SUL had caused, and thunder echoed off the Alps' cliffs. Flaming rocks and lava blew into the air, and lightening shot up from the backside of the Alps until the last sign of darkness disappeared.

SUL turned from Targrum and comforted His trusted ones. "The one I have prophesied in _The Book of Good and Evil_ will come. You will know her, as she will be a descendant of Grampa Lawrence and Gramma Hilda. She will be born on Earth in the second month on the twenty-sixth day. Her birth will come as a bright beginning to a very dark end." The crowd responded with the traditional acknowledgment and hesitated in silence.

SUL shot into the air and broke the silence with song. "To My warriors of Good...thank you! To My warriors' families and friends...thank you! Now return to your loved ones and be reunited!"

Whooping sounds of joy filled the Valley of Battles. Warriors and spectators ran feverishly toward one another and ended in the arms of their loved ones. Injured soldiers ran as best they could, while other warriors sat from exhaustion and waited for their families and friends to come to them. There was hugging and kissing, cheering and squealing. There were smiles so big it would have been impossible to count the teeth showing in the valley.

Sadly there were chukkon spectators who waited alone for their loved ones who never came to them. Carbreyghal gathered the etherealians, and together they flew immediately to those who were mourning their losses. The etherealians gently scooped them up into their loving arms and took the chukkons to the northern and southern bases of the Rivalry Mountains, showed them their loved ones' names carved in the rocks, and reassured them that in time they would live again.

• • • •

Artie began the enormous task of returning all of the living battle animals back to their places in The Training Village. He rode his icataras to lead the aerial animals. Earl took charge of Halo and Scepter's wagon and led other chukkon warriors who had volunteered to ride on the battle carts. The mandibleron gryphons were summoned to help pull the extra towdie carts that had been abandoned.

• • • •

Keegan had never run so fast. He met Mitzy and his girls halfway up the ridge. When they collided, they all fell and rolled down the soft grassy hill back to the valley floor, laughing all the way to the bottom. They gathered themselves together in each others' arms and climbed back to their campsite on the top of the ridge, singing joyous songs.

• • • •

Jit and Giddy stayed on Halo and Scepter and rode with the other warriors back to The Training Village to see if they could be of any assistance. When they arrived at The Vinewall, they were greeted in style by all the Sprites of Maycly who were eager to hear about the event. Jit and Giddy proudly told them about the etherealians', chukkons', and wightlings' great bravery.

• • • •

"Charleo!"

"Me dearest Marlen!"

They bumped together so hard they knocked each other backwards and landed on the ground.

"Ye two...be the...cutest site fer sore eyes! Ha ha ho ho hee hee!" Jobi breathed in and laughed again at the site of the chukkon general and his wife.

Denton and Dittle tackled Charleo. "Oh, Denton! Oh, Dittle! Me boys!"

Marlen sat up, shook her head, then jumped to her feet and ran to the family pile. She peeled back Denton and Dittle and threw herself atop Charleo's round belly, kissing his head, his rosy cheeks, and finally planting one right on his lips. Denton and Dittle tickled their momma and papa, who tickled them right back. The four of them laughed so hard that, instead of making noises, only jolly wheezing sounds could be heard.

"We've so many questions Papa!" Dittle was head-over-heels with excitement.

"And I've so many answers...and stories!"

"I'll be a-bettin' ye do!" Marlen planted another kiss on her honey's lips.

Denton was in a hurry to have a mystery revealed. "Our necklaces!"

"OH! Aye!" Marlen agreed. They each pulled their necklace from inside their clothing.

"Wait, wait! Don't kiss them yet. Let's be a-doin' it together. Ready? One...two...three!" They all kissed their stones at the same time.

"Now ye must be a-tellin' us what yer stone says Papa!" coaxed Denton.

"Aye! Ye must, ye must!" Dittle and Marlen shared the excitement.

"OK, here ye go." Charleo turned the stone so they could read it. They leaned in close and read out loud together.

" _SUL, protect me family day and night._

May Ye remember them each time

I kiss this bondin' stone of might."

They were greatly moved by the engraving. Charleo broke the solemn moment. "When we get home I'll fetch the decoration I crafted and hid in me workshop. We'll place the decoration on the mantle and be a-hangin' our necklaces on it. And from now on, whene'er one of us has ta go away, we'll all don our necklaces and ne'er remove 'em till we be together again." They all gladly agreed to the terms and did a family hug.

Marlen winked at Charleo. "I canna express how wonderful it be ta be back together as a family. I've missed yer manly tone when we be a-singin' at the dinner table." Denton and Dittle each took one of their papa's hands.

Charleo heard and felt the wind increasing. "Now it be time ta watch one last wonder fer the day." He pointed to the Alps. SUL burst from the peaks into brilliant rainbow-colored light beams. The beams gathered together in the sky and hesitated for a brief moment above the Valley of Battles while all performed the traditional acknowledgment of reverence. His slow well controlled rays gained speed and fled the valley. All waved as they watched His beams rocket toward the three suns. He resumed His frail wightling form and lowered Himself into the Balmy Domes where He casually strolled back to His cottage in the Valley of Villages.

Denton and Dittle helped Marlen strike camp. Charleo ran to Rascally and gave him a big hug and a few pats on the nose. "How've ye been me dear fella? How've ye been?" Rascally's eyes glistened, and he nudged Charleo several times as if hugging him in return.

Charleo loaded the last knapsack. Marlen and the boys gave Keegan, Mitzy, and their two girls a see-ye-later hug. Jobi and his family joined in. Charleo hollered from their wagon, "C'mon! Let's be a-goin' home! I canna wait ta see me old cottage again!"

Chapter 34

Adventures of the Terrain Masters

The battle was a few months in the past. Chukkons and wightlings now traveled new main roads to and from Bailiwick to the outer lands of Chennington Greens and Trote Waters. The Vinewall passages were gladly lit up by the tending Sprites. FAZ had not been seen nor heard, and no one on Maycly had traveled into Targrum. Chukkons and wightlings alike had gone back to spending their days dancing and celebrating during both daylight and twilight in the Valley of Feasting. Maycly seemed as normal as it ever had.

Charleo and Marlen had left early in the afternoon to join Jobi and his family who were celebrating their wedding anniversary in the Valley of Feasting. Earlier that morning Denton and Dittle had left on a Terrain Masters campout. Terrain Masters was an organization made up of several different groups for chukkons and wightlings ranging in ages from 8 to 17 years who enjoyed the outdoors. Denton and Dittle had chosen to become members of the Adventurers Group again, but this would be their first campout without their papa, who still practiced some fatherly worry about his sons, even though Denton, age 16, and Dittle, age 11, had been around for hundreds of years.

Artie was the overseer of all Terrain Masters. He was also the leader of the Adventurers Group, and this year Keegan, instead of Charleo, was Artie's helper for the slated adventures. "Whoa Windjammer, whoa boy. This be the perfect spot fer a-settin' up our camp!" Artie was always excited about camping, but a little more so on this, his first adventure since the battle. He climbed down from the wagon's seat, went around back, and threw open the canvas. "Here we be!"

Denton poked his head out first. "This be a splackin' place ta settle in! Look at the tree coverin'. I be a-hearin' tons of wildlife out there, and..."

"Let me look!" Dittle pushed Denton to get out of the way so he could take his first glance. "WOW! Tis definitely splackin'!"

Denton felt himself being pushed harder, so he jumped down out of the way, and the rest of the Adventurers tumbled out of the covered wagon to the ground on top of one another.

"Looks ta me as though ye all be splattin'!" The young ones, now all piled together, laughed along with Artie and his quick wit.

Keegan climbed down and tied Windjammer's reins to a nearby tree then started to untie the bags from the sides of the wagon.

Artie called for order. "All right then, be a-gettin' inta groups of no more'n four, either four boys or four girls. Keegan'll be a-handin' out tents ta each of ye. When ye get yer tent, get ta pitchin' it. Boys be a-pitchin' camp o'er there in that section of maples and birch trees, and girls, ye be a-pitchin' yers over there beneath those furry pines. Be a-keepin' yer tent circles kinda tight and orderly. I'll be a-diggin' the main campfire ring here between the boy and girl camps. Then I'll be a-pitchin' me own humble dwellin' next ta Keegan's right o'er there. Once yer tents be pitched and yer campfire rings dug, ye be free ta wander inta the forest a little ways and gather enough firewood and kindlin' fer the weekend. Be sure and stay with a campin' pal **AT - ALL - TIMES** when ye be a-hikin' the Timberland Forest South. Make sure yer food be marked with yer name, and keep it in the food lockers, which'll remain in the back of the wagon so's ta keep the critters outta yer tents. Now...if ye be a-needin' anythin', dunna hesitate ta come on over and ask me. That doesna mean I'll have an answer, but ye can be askin' me just the same!" He blurted out another contagious belly laugh. The Adventurers were so glad Artie was able to be "the old Artie" again.

"I canna wait till twilight and we sit around the main campfire and listen ta Artie a-tellin' us stories from the six years he was gone." Logan, an established chukkon Adventurer, now had the attention of a timid eight-year-old newbie wightling named Froaker.

Logan's seasoned pal, Shulzy, a wightling, joined right in with the mischief. "I know! He saw and did so much in the years he was gone, he never seems ta run outta stories about the evil things that would try to...OH–I've said too much."

"He doesn't tell scary stories...does he?" asked Froaker.

Logan's eyes got big. "Aye, but of course he does. He tells about big animals and their big teeth, ones who only eat wightlin's whose names be a-startin' with 'F'!" He scarily held his fingers up like fangs and snarled.

Shulzy chimed in. "And he tells tales of how boogers and guts were all they had to eat...for six straight years!"

Denton saw Froaker's eyes start to well up, so he stepped in front of Froaker to protect him. "Ah, guys, be a-stoppin' it now. Ye be a-gettin' Froaker all amiff."

Dittle attempted to calm Froaker's nerves. "Seriously, why would Artie be a-wantin' ta scare us with such nonsense?"

Denton jumped and Dittle pulled Froaker back when Logan and Shulzy growled and did a fast lunge toward them. Logan and Shulzy laughed at all three of them.

"Dunna ye be a-mindin' them. They just be the campsite bullies," said Denton. "If ye need somethin' or someone ta protect ye from their shenanigans, ye be a-comin' ta us fer help." He then spoke louder on purpose so Logan and Shulzy would be sure to hear. "We can beat 'em in any fight. We've fought off thin's they canna e'en begin ta imagine!"

Dittle puffed out his chest, daring the bullies to fight, and Denton glared them down. Logan and Shulzy laughed again, but it sounded a bit forced with nervous tension. They had both heard the stories about the day Denton and Dittle were abducted along with Marlen, so they took their cue to move on.

"Good one, Dittle."

"Mission accomplished, me big brother." Dittle gave Denton a wink then they gave each other a high and low five.

"Can I be one of you guys's pals?" asked Froaker.

"Sure ye can!" Charleo would have been proud of his boys.

Froaker became an instant friend to Denton and Dittle. He pitched his wee tent right next to theirs then showed them his pet frog he had gotten from SUL when he arrived on Maycly only a couple of weeks ago. Froaker's official name on Earth was Fredrick, and Fredrick loved frogs. He was always capturing them and keeping them as pets. When he was seven-and-a-half years old he caught a bullfrog that never stopped croaking day or night, and that's when his parents gave their youngest the nickname, Froaker. His parents kept his bullfrog in their pond when Froaker suddenly passed during a terrible accident. They believed as long as they continued to hear the frog croaking, they would be at peace knowing their little boy was well taken care of on Maycly. (SUL secretly made certain the bullfrog would continue croaking until it was their turn to come to Maycly.)

It was not long before all of the tents were arranged in almost perfect circles outlining their campfire rings. Artie held true to being burly and robust with not a lot of tact when it came to announcements. "Attention! I need ta speak! Keegan and I'll be a-goin' fer firewood fer the main campin' ring. If ye decide ta be a-wanderin' off by yerselves, remember...take yer compass, a weapon, **AND - A - PAL** with ye. If ye go north, ye'll soon come ta Quechin' Rest where ye'll be a-findin' numerous gwendelant basins. If ye venture south, ye'll be a-findin' nothin' but woods. I suggest, though, ye dunna travel southeast, as that terrain be ne'er traveled–lotsa underbrush, thick fern beds, and humongous trees too tall ta be a-climbin'. If ye travel west, ye'll eventually come ta the road that takes ye back home, and I be a-s'posin' none of ye be a-wantin' ta go back so soon!" Artie laughed again and slapped Keegan on the back causing him to stumble forward. Keegan coughed then smiled at Artie. All the youngsters were giggling. Artie winked at them then informed Keegan they needed to get going. They hiked off north into the trees, and the Adventurers took off in their own directions.

Froaker eagerly accepted Denton and Dittle's invitation to join them on their journey into the woods. Being of the curious nature, Denton and Dittle naturally headed southeast, Froaker right behind them.

"It's getting awfully hard to travel. Don't you guys think so?" asked Froaker.

"Nae me li'l friend. Just be a-stayin' behind us and we'll make certain ye always have a trail ta be a-walkin' on,"said Dittle.

"But I thought Artie said not to go this way." Froaker was uneasy looking at his compass pointing SE.

"He dinna say we couldna, he just said we may not wanna because there be nasty terrain ta cover. But if we be a-goin' ta call ourselves Adventurers, we be a-needin' ta adventure out, right?" Denton had become a pro at manipulating any situation with ease–much to his parents' dismay.

"I suppose so." Froaker was still not convinced.

A silvery shining star whizzed passed them, just slightly over their heads.

Dittle ducked. "What be...?"

"I dunna know," answered Denton.

"We're not gonna follow it are we?" Froaker looked at Denton and Dittle then replied with his own solemn answer, "Of course we are. Why wouldn't we? We're Adventurers." He half-heartedly punched his fist into the air. Denton and Dittle gave Froaker an enthusiastic thumbs up. They all took off at high speed, blazing a trail through the thick green ferns that stood chest high. They tried to follow the star, but it was moving too fast to keep up. They locked their vision on where they had last seen it.

A bright FLASH with a muffled BOOM lit up the space between the large trees and ferns about 300 yards ahead of them. Hacking and chopping the underbrush, they moved clumsily over small humps and into sunken holes until finally they saw where the star had landed. They instantly dropped into the thick ferns and watched.

"Be a-stayin' low. Dunna move. Dunna utter another sound," whispered Denton. Awestruck, Dittle and Froaker were already silent and motionless without Denton's orders.

They saw SUL glowing silvery white. He wore a white robe, and tied around His waist was a humble twine cord that held a sword's sheath, but no sword was present. He was wearing a necklace that held His sentimental charms of feathers, beads, and rocks. And He was standing before FAZ.

Chapter 35

The Dreadful Demise

"You heard my call and responded. I am impressed." said FAZ. He was accompanied by his twelve czars and Lucasphair.

"I shall be more impressed at your end," replied SUL.

"Do not speak!" FAZ's voice was bone-jolting. His assailants gurgled obnoxiously.

SUL ignored FAZ's order and spoke calmly and precisely. "You have chosen to erase the memories of Good that you once possessed. You have deceived yourself into thinking you are the one who has won and Evil shall reign over Maycly. If I am the Creator of all, do you not think I have put into place the tactics that will bring you and all Evil to its end? Allow Me to correct your thinking. Good is the chosen eternal state of being for Maycly, chosen by Me."

"Enough! I said...DO NOT SPEAK!" FAZ turned to his deteriorated sidekick. "Lucasphair, summon the two czars I have appointed for this task."

"As you wish My Lord." Lucasphair stomped his staff on the ground twice. The two czars trudged their way from the dark cloud that lingered about FAZ. They came to an abrupt halt and looked into SUL's eyes with a gripping stare. Lucasphair held two grumners on leashes. He allowed them to charge SUL, chomping and growling, but he pulled on their straps, stopping them just shy of SUL's face. SUL did not flinch.

SUL magically caused His voice to travel directly to the ears of Denton, Dittle, and Froaker while speaking to FAZ. "I have chosen three to witness this event. You will not see them, but they see you standing before Me."

The three Adventurers could not believe what they had just heard SUL say.

"Does He mean us?" asked Froaker.

Denton was quick to respond. "Shhh! Keep a-listenin'."

SUL communicated silently only to Denton, Dittle, and Froaker; FAZ heard nothing. _"Yes, you three ventured here by My guiding. You followed My flying star. When what must be done is done, come to where I now stand and retrieve the urn I will leave for you."_

The three did not question SUL's instructions, and Froaker was no longer the only one who was extremely frightened.

FAZ was beside himself with anticipation at what he was about to do. He shouted to Lucasphair. "Let the robbing of life begin!"

Lucasphair gave an order to Baddner, the Vauhlpeezie czar on his left. Baddner moved behind SUL. He pulled SUL's arms behind Him and tied His hands together with stinging nettle stems from Targrum. SUL did not fight back. The other ten Vauhlpeezie czars emerged from the dark cloud about FAZ and began to spit and hurl rocks at SUL.

With a tattered wing and mangled hand, Baddner made a sweeping circle in the air, and a woven circle of thorny vines formed and dropped into his hand. Lucasphair grumbled the next command, and Baddner made another circle using the thorny headpiece. At the completion of the violent motion, Baddner slammed the ring onto SUL's head. Blood spewed into the air and splattered down SUL's snow white beard. Instead of SUL's beautiful colors and wonderful songs, SUL cried a piercing scream, jolting the three Adventurers with a sound beyond anything they could have imagined.

SUL's knees buckled as His strength began to leave His body, but He stood strong. Poison from the tips of the thorns caused His eyelids to freeze open; He could not blink. His eyes rolled up and out of sight involuntarily trying to sooth the stinging sensation, and they watered uncontrollably. SUL's vocal cords began bleeding from His screams. The three Adventurers could hear SUL's crying weaken as His voice went raspy. FAZ's czars laughed dementedly at the pain Baddner had caused the Creator.

"SUL can do magic...why is He not doing any now...to save Himself?" Froaker had gone from frightened to terrified.

Denton whispered, "Shhh. We canna be found out."

Dittle looked at his older brother then back to Froaker and spilled the beans. "Our papa has only spoken of this event once, and when I heard it told, it scared me so bad I put it outta me thoughts. I dinna want ta believe it. All I know is, this be a-fittin' that tale. Right Denton?"

"Aye. It does. So this _hasta_ be done fer all thin's ta be made right."

"But I thought everything was OK now, since the battle and all. Everyone was telling me that when I first got to Maycly." Froaker's voice was hushed and shaky.

"Hide yer face in me side if ye canna bear ta watch." Along with Froaker, Dittle took Denton up on his offer. Denton held them tight and did his best to be as strong as his papa had been in battle.

FAZ raised his hand abruptly to silence the noises of his applauding companions then grumbled another command to Lucasphair, who boldly demanded the czar, Anakador, to take action. Anakador took SUL's head in his hands, turned it so He was facing Lucasphair, and held it there.

Lucasphair threw back his hood revealing to SUL the sickening vision of his mummified face, smirking with undeniable hatred.

Baddner, at FAZ's command, put his face mere inches from SUL's. Baddner's stare was penetrating, and his crusted eyebrows cracked with a downward motion to meet his wicked grin. Ooze seeped from his chapped lips but was quickly lapped up without breaking his expression. His teeth hammered together at his barbaric snap. Then he spoke the ordered command. "Bow before us!" SUL did not move.

Anakador released his grip on SUL's head and leaned down close to His ear. "Apparently you did not hear the command."

Baddner's foul breath steamed into SUL's opened eyes. "Bow before us, you pathetic, little, old wightling!" SUL, still standing, gave no indication that He would cooperate. He could hear the grumners' low growls. The czars both looked back at Lucasphair.

"Proceed just as we planned. I knew this would happen, and I will enjoy this next part."

Anakador circled his arm just as Baddner had done. A metal rod, the tip glowing white with intense heat, appeared in his hand. He crept around behind SUL. Placing his empty bony hand on SUL's shoulder, he pulled SUL closer to him, and whispered. "If I were you, I'd simply give in and bow. But the choice is yours."

A slight hesitation from SUL evolved into an enormous cry of frustration. He fought the urge to give in and did not bow. He regained His composure, and with what energy He had left in His weakened state, He spoke. "I will never bow by choice to Evil."

"All right then..." yelled FAZ, "...You will bow by OUR choice!"

Anakador shook the burning rod in the air, and the cloud of Evil rumbled with disgusting pleasure. Anakador and Baddner were encouraged by the crowd. Lifting his shredded wings into the air and shaking the rod even harder, Anakador beckoned with his hideous fanning wings, stirring the cloud into a frenzy. With added drama he slunk behind SUL, lifted the rod high into the air, and paused. SUL rolled His eyes back yet again and began to speak to Himself in His secret language.

FAZ motioned, and the cheering stopped. All that could be heard above the dripping ooze hitting the ground and rough tongues juicily licking lips was SUL's mumbling. He stopped and choked for breath. The anticipation of what was to come was nearly more than He could bear. He dropped His eyes just in time to see FAZ effortlessly floating out of the dark cloud toward Him.

"Look at You, Your unblinking eyes, Your mouth nearly dry as sand, pasty blood running down Your cheeks; You are the epitome of lameness." FAZ snaked his tail around SUL's shoulders and mocked SUL. "You poor, pitiful being." Using the triangular tip of his demonic tail he stroked SUL's face. "So You won't bow to me?" He uncoiled his tail, nodded to Lucasphair, and floated back into the cloud of Evil.

SUL was now hoarse, but that did not stop Him from letting FAZ know what He was thinking. "Never...will I...serve you," He gagged. Then, with His bloodshot eyes, He stared straight at FAZ, meeting his eyes.

FAZ felt a twinge as the love in SUL's eyes caught him off guard. FAZ immediately turned away with guilt and shook his head. Putting his hand to his ear in mockery, he continued with haughtiness. "What? What was that You said? I can't understand a word of your garbled talk." He laughed heinously. Lucasphair turned to Anakador and tilted his staff toward him, signaling the order.

The blistering rod made harsh contact with the backs of SUL's knees. His flesh sizzled on impact, blood boiled, and tendons snapped. SUL had no choice but to collapse to His knees at the intense burning strike.

FAZ shouted mercilessly. "OH...so You _do_ find me to be the greatest of all things! Certainly You do, as You are now... bowing before me!" He floated to SUL and stood over Him. SUL whimpered like a young boy lost and alone in the woods. The acidic slime drooled from FAZ's mouth. He let the stinging saliva drop into SUL's head wounds. It crawled its way to His eyes then burned its way to His mouth. It carried the combined smell of brimstone, sulfur, and charred flesh.

Denton, Dittle, and Froaker wanted to help SUL, but before they could devise a plan, they heard SUL's silent cry. _"You three in the woods, do not try to save Me. Just as Charleo told you, this must happen. Stay strong and trust Me like you always have."_ The three were weak with intimidation and helplessness. Even at their distance, FAZ appeared so big and SUL so small.

FAZ reached out and caressed SUL's smoldering beard with his chafing talons. Then as quickly as anything can move, he sliced open SUL's left cheek. Blood ran. FAZ spat more steaming saliva on SUL's face causing the new wound to burn even worse. The Evil onlookers gave shouts of approval.

SUL's voice gave out, but again He silently spoke to the three Adventurers. _"My dear brave boys, I have felt My voice leave. I am now vocally incapacitated. The end of Me is near. Remember to do just as I have instructed you when the time comes."_ The three were prompt to return their silent confirmations. SUL was pleased with their courage.

FAZ gave a command, and all Evil about him fell limp as if in a trance. He engulfed SUL in his wings of horror and spoke to Him, his words only audible to the two of them. It was a long while before FAZ's wings uncurled slowly, revealing SUL, and the evil spectators resumed their conscious state.

SUL fell forward from exhaustion and lay face down. Breath could still be seen rigidly entering and leaving His abused body as He struggled to stay alive. Because SUL was life itself, it was difficult for Him to give in to death, even though He knew He must. He cried to no one for help; His body spasmed several times. Evil fell quiet waiting for the moment they had longed for. SUL inhaled with a rattle then exhaled His final breath, smiling.

Immediately FAZ felt an electrifying sensation race through his corpse-like form. He became unaware of his surroundings. He saw something he had never wanted to see: at the exact moment SUL let life escape from Him on Maycly, the joyous sounds of a new life filled the delivery room of a hospital on Earth. Ann had just given birth to their new baby girl. They named her Iona and dedicated her to SUL. Upon the completion of their dedication, a uniquely shaped birthmark appeared on her chest just below her left collarbone. It became warm and glowed softly. Only a few moments old, Iona placed her tiny hand over the mark and smiled.

It was February 26.

FAZ came back to reality. Frightened, he commanded Lucasphair to release the grumners. They charged toward SUL's body.

Denton had seen enough. He knew his moment of destiny was upon him. As the grumners began to gnaw on SUL, Denton pulled an arrow from his quiver, anchored it on the bowstring, took precise aim, and shot. The arrow flew straight and pierced Lucasphair's heart. Lucasphair and his grumners turned to dust.

Before FAZ could turn to see who had shot the arrow, his attention spun toward SUL who was now glowing, blinding all Evil present. SUL's body rose into the air and began to sparkle like golden glitter. The dark dust remaining from Lucasphair and his grumners gathered and sped toward Targrum. Desperately FAZ made an attempt to change them back, even though he knew it could not be done until they returned to the lair. The Evil within the cloud that accompanied FAZ scattered toward Targrum as well, wailing, screeching, and fighting to escape the sight.

Denton, Dittle, and Froaker were shaking. They heard FAZ roar through the fire that sped from his snout. "SUL! You have angered me for the last time! I will surely destroy all that is Good. You are wrong! You are wrong!" FAZ fled to catch up with his Vauhlpeezies.

Once Evil was out of sight the three Adventurers moved toward SUL. When SUL reached the apex of His height, His appearance was glorious. He looked at the three youngsters and smiled at them graciously through the lavender aura that now encompassed Him where His body and spirit separated. He whispered to them, "Watch now, as you three shall be the only ones to see where both My body and My spirit will be hidden." SUL ignited into a fire of orange and red. Flames projected upward and outward then collected, dousing the lavender aura. SUL slowly disappeared from within the flames. The flames burst into minute pieces of metallic ash that swirled together. The ground broke open, and the ash sped into a wooden container that had been buried there since creation. The lid magically jumped atop the urn when the last piece of SUL's ash entered. The dirt tossed itself back over the urn, and leaves whirled about to disguise it. Spitting beetles scurried to clear the leaves away but found themselves unable to get near the fallen foliage.

Denton, Dittle, and Froaker waited for all to fall quiet. Then they ran to where SUL's urn was buried. In the silence, they heard SUL speak to them inwardly. _"Rest for one hour, then make certain no one is watching. Retrieve My urn, and deliver it to Artie. He will know what to do."_

Denton remained awake as the other two napped. He made sure no one came near, and after one hour he wakened Dittle and Froaker. Denton was confident they were alone. Eagerly they dug with their hands where the urn had been buried. Dittle carefully retrieved the wooden urn.

"Can I maybe touch it?" asked Froaker. Dittle looked at Denton, who nodded, and Froaker touched the urn; tears came to his eyes.

"I dunna know how much time we be a-havin' before FAZ returns, or if he will." Denton took the urn from Dittle and tucked it safely into his shirt. Retracing their freshly blazed trail, the three Adventurers raced back to camp.

"There he is, over there!" Froaker pointed. The three of them scrambled to Artie.

"Whoa fellas! Slow down. Ye three be a-lookin' like ye've seen a ghost!"

"Anyone else be a-watchin' this way?" asked Denton.

Artie did a quick check. "Uh, not that I be a-seein'. Everybody seems ta be busy a-doin' their own thin'."

"Perfect." Denton lifted his shirt, revealing the urn.

"What be that?" asked Artie in his normal fun loving tone.

"We dunna want ta speak of it out here. May we please go inta yer tent?"

Artie looked a might confused. "Aye, aye. Follow me. May Keegan be a-comin' too?"

"Aye."

Artie sent Froaker to get Keegan, and all headed for Artie's tent. They told their entire story to Keegan and Artie. Keegan went to a corner of the tent, weeping at the news. Denton held his own, Dittle and Froaker joined Keegan. Artie was sickened that what he had been told so long ago had actually come to pass, but as SUL had told the boys, Artie did know what to do. "We must be a-takin' the urn ta Charleo." Artie crawled across the tent. "Keegan, ye have ta be a-gettin' aholda yerself. I be a-needin' ye ta tend ta the youngin's here at the camp, keep 'em entertained and distracted, eh?"

Keegan wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Aye."

"And Dittle, I be a-needin ye ta make certain Froaker be OK. He doesna need anymore scarin' today, eh?"

"Aye."

"That be me boys! Now there's more ta be done." Artie wiped their tears with his handkerchief. They did not want to let Artie down, so they braved up and listened further to Artie's instructions. "Denton and I'll travel on foot. We'll be a-leavin' the wagon fer ye with all the supplies and food. Try ta enjoy yerselves. Dunna be a-talkin' about this ta any of 'em; they'll be a-learnin' about it soon enough from their families. Just keep 'em a-laughin'. We'll return tomorrow before twilight, so we'll be here ta help strike camp the twilight after."

"But where do we be a-tellin' 'em ye two've gone?" asked Keegan.

"I dunna know. Make up somethin' good, and then fill us in when we get back so our stories be a-matchin'." Artie had confidence in his pal. He looked at Denton. "Be ye ready?"

Denton took a deep breath. "Aye."

"Then let's be off."

• • • •

Artie and Denton arrived in Tahqrusalom at early twilight. They stopped at Pub Pete's to get a quick bite to eat and quench their thirst. Artie saw Denton raise his eyes and look past him.

"Uh-oh."

A hand landed on Artie's shoulder. "Artie. What be ye a-doin' here with me boy?"

Artie turned. "Whadda ye mean _me_? _Ye_ be not s'pose ta be here! What be ye a-doin' not celebratin' in the Valley of Feastin' with Jobi?"

"We left when Jobi and his family went ta the beach fer the rest of the weekend. Twas early afternoon. So, as almost always, I came ta the pub ta enjoy the evenin' with me friends and maybe play some Buttons-n-Blocks. But I be a-thinkin' tis not a-goin' ta be the case this evenin'. Now...why be ye two here? No fibbin'! I'll be a-knowin' if ye do." Charleo pointed his finger once at Denton and once at Artie.

"Well...we canna be a-tellin' ye here. We be a-needin' some privacy," said Artie, stroking his beard.

"Ye sure ye be all right? Ye be as pale as an equinarch wing."

"Aye, we be fine...right Denton?"

"Aye, we be fine." Denton cut his eyes to Charleo attempting to make it more believable.

"Hey, wait a minute. Where be Dittle? Oh no, dunna tell me Dittle's gotten inta trouble. Already? I knew I shoulda gone instead of Keegan ta keep ye two boys in line!" Charleo was getting louder, pointing his finger at Denton again.

Artie slapped Charleo's arm back to his side. "Quiet, ye crazed chukkon! Just be a-followin' me and Denton outside. We needna be a-causin' any ruckus right now."

Charleo looked at both of them and realized they were not joking around. "Aye. I'll be a-followin' ye then. Lead the way." Charleo capped off his statement with a harassed motion at the secrecy of it all. He followed Artie and Denton to the edge of town where they veered off the cart path into a small treed area.

Artie squeezed his forehead with one hand. "I dunna know where ta even be a-startin'." Denton gave Artie the urn.

"Well, how about we be a-startin' with what ye have in yer hands?" asked Charleo.

"Nae. First ye need ta be a-knowin' how this thin' in me hands got there."

"Aye." Denton agreed and told his story from beginning to end.

"And that be why I be a-holdin' the urn in me hands." Artie was shaking at his own words.

"Give me the urn, Artie." Artie handed it gently to Charleo.

Artie blubbered when Charleo took the urn. "SUL said ye would know what ta do from here."

"Aye. I do know what ta do." Charleo sat down on a log. "I just wasna ready fer this ta be a-happenin' right now." He sighed from the weight of the conversation. Hanging his head, he reached out for Denton to steady himself.

"I dunna s'pose any of us that knew about this would e'er be ready fer it," said Artie, sobbing.

Denton was puzzled. "And what about those who dunna know anythin' of what's about ta happen?"

"We must trust SUL ta bring the explanation," Charleo assured his boy. Then he opened the urn.

The metallic ash began to rise. SUL's spirit formed from the glittering ash, and His body's ashes remained in the urn. His spirit stood before them, His presence peaceful and comforting. "Charleo, My dear Charleo. Once again you have been trustworthy and not failed Me. And might I say the same for your boys. You have taught them well." Charleo's and Denton's faces both brightened at SUL's compliments.

SUL turned His focus to Artie. "And Artie, My burly Artie, why do you cry? I am alive." Artie felt his face blush ever so slightly causing SUL's spirit to smile. "Just like Levi, just like those of Good who were separated, body from spirit, during the battle, I am alive, and My spirit, which stands before you now, shall reunite with My body when Good returns to Maycly for eternity."

"But we be a-needin' our queen to seal Good fer e'er. Where be she? When be she a-comin'?"

"Watch and listen, and you will learn new things this day." SUL's spirit began to rise. Then it burst into the ever familiar rays of colored light. The sound was thunderous. Everyone on Maycly recognized the sound, even those of Evil. All Mayclysians came to a place where they could see the event. As His colorful beams streamed through the air, a bit of metallic ash fell from the light rays and landed on all who served Good. SUL's spirit's brilliant rays came together and rested atop the highest peak of the Skygem Alps. "As prophesied, the dark end came, and the bright beginning was born on the twenty-sixth day of the second month. My death was the necessary event to bring our queen to life. Stay prepared, watch over one another, and comfort one another through these times. For now, I must take My spirit to its hiding place. There it shall wait. Continue to trust Me. And I must now trust those of you who defend Good."

Mayclysians watched the colorful beams of SUL's spirit swirl boldly together then fly toward Maycly's three suns.

**CONTINUED IN** _HIDDEN EARTH Volume 1 Maycly_ ebook _Part Three_ _"The Queen"_

EXTRAS

BUTTONS-N-BLOCKS

HOW TO PLAY / RULES

Buttons-n-Blocks is a game that was developed by some of the first chukkons on Maycly and became the phenomenon game of the land. It quickly spread throughout Ensio's and Rachana's chukkonettes who, in turn, taught it to their chukkonettes and so on. It became so popular, the older chukkons began playing and wagering their taggerts for fun.

The object of Buttons-n-Blocks is for the Button Team to end up with at least one button left after both team members have completed three laps to win. If they are out of buttons by the end of the three laps, the Block Team wins.

The course is marked off using string and sticks. The game course can be easily created almost anywhere there is enough outdoor space to create a 20' x 20' square. The 20' x 20' square is outlined. Then a 10' x 10' square is outlined inside the 20' x 20'. Then a 3' neutral zone is designated from the edge of the 10' x 10'.

Inside the 10' x 10' there are 6 blocks–each a different height and each big enough for one chukkon to stand on. These blocks are placed by 6 blindfolded chukkons known as the block-setters (they are not the players). Each blindfolded chukkon is spun by his or her leading chukkon (also not a player) who is not blindfolded, then led about the 10' x 10' square carrying a standing block. When the blindfolded chukkons say "here" their leader sets the block they are carrying in that location. The Block Team must play from these blocks.

A button is tossed in the air by a player and heads or tails is called by an attending chukkonette. Whichever team wins the toss may select whether they want to be Buttons or Blocks.

Teams consist of 2 Button players and 2 Block players.

The Button Team plays from the path of the 20' x 20' square and the Block Team works from within the 10' x 10' square.

The Button players each have a string of 5 balloons tied around each calf and are given 10 buttons each.

The Block players are given 25 blocks each (50 total) filled with mystery items. These blocks open automatically after being tossed then landing on the ground. Twenty blocks hold one snuggerbug each, trained to pop one balloon with its propeller then immediately return to its homing jar. The other 30 blocks hold one Sprite each. When released they have been taught to heckle The Block team members for a few seconds by getting in their line of sight, tying shoelaces together, pulling hats over eyes, etc. then join the crowd members to finish watching the round. The Block Team has no idea which blocks are which as all are the same size and color.

The Block Team members may utilize all 6 stationary blocks and must be standing on a stationary block to toss a smaller filled block. Only one block may be tossed at a time by a player, and its contents must complete its mission before another block may be thrown by that player.

The Button Team members must make three laps around the 20' x 20' x 2' perimeter. If one of their balloons gets popped by a snuggerbug they must summon a Sprite to deliver one of their 10 buttons and drop it into one of the 4 large baskets placed randomly in the neutral zone.

If a player from either team enters the neutral zone (on purpose or not), the other team automatically wins.

TERRAIN MASTERS

...open to all chukkons and wightlings between the ages of 8 and 17. Even though a chukkon may have been around for hundreds of years, he or she is eligible to take part if aging stopped between 8 and 17. Wightlings who arrived on Maycly between those ages are eligible to join the group.

TERRAIN MASTERS GROUPS/BADGES

Adventurers Group...for those who love to camp out, tell stories, and learn the ways of the woods. Youngsters learn how to cook over an open fire, keep a tidy tent, and craft out-of-the-ordinary gwendelant mugs from chiller leaves. Members learn about different types of trees and friendly animals of the forests on Maycly. Each year the members go on a three-week outing during which they design, craft, and live in temporary tree houses built around the branches of the tallest trees. On the morning of departure members participate in a bonding ceremony between the temporary houses and the trees; the trees magically bond with the houses, the Horn of the Houses is sounded, and birds of the forest come to the dwellings and build their new nests within the natural dwellings.

In-and-On-the-Water Group...for those who love to swim and play in the water. Many get their first attempt at skiing behind scale-feathered garrotts. Youngsters learn how to properly feed toucanthiae and other waterfowl. Three levels of kayaking are available (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) using kayaks made of clear material, allowing members to see everything that swims below them without getting wet. Youngsters also learn how to snorkel and plant underwater gardens. Once a year the group attends "Swim with the Mermaids" in Lake Origin. They get to see the places where the mermaids retrieve the chukkonettes, and they get to assist with a pet birthing. The members work in teams all year crafting small boats and oars from different barks of shedding trees, and they set sail in their boats for the first time at the Grand Float on Gilder Sound at the end of the year, followed by a celebration in the Valley of Feasting.

Fisheries Group...for those who wish to learn the skill of "skiddering" for fish. Beginners enjoy learning and improving their techniques. Those who are already skidder masters help the rookies, as well as skidder on their own. Members also craft their own fishing poles, make several types of skidders, and learn how to make treats that will be given to their catches. At the end of the year all members meet in Chennington Greens on the southwest tip of Nookery Shallows and travel by boat to the fork of the Bogberry Bend and Branch in the Bogs Rivers where they participate in a skiddering tournament, testing their self-crafted skidders, poles, and treats for the fish.

Petals and Playtime Group...for those youngsters who relish working with flowers. Day outings take the members all over the land of Maycly throughout the year, introducing them to flowers specific to each region. Etherealians on skyships pulled by mandibleron gryphons pick up members at their cottages and transport them to a drop-off point in Samlee's Woodlot where teams of the prospective horticulturists travel by hot air balloons to their destinations for the day. Each team must plant and tend a flower garden in the yard of a family or friend. At the end of the year members design and create a beautiful flower arrangement using the flowers grown in the gardens they have tended. They present the arrangement to those who offered their yard for the garden. The recipient displays the arrangement for one year, after which the flowers in the arrangement are joyously replanted in the garden by the team and the recipient.

Ski-n-Skate-n-Snowboard Group (also known as the S3Gs)...for those who love the wintertime sports. Members learn to cross country ski, downhill ski, ice skate, and snowboard. All outings take place in the Skygem Alps directly above Skygem Springs. Each member's personal etherealian accompanies him/her on every outing, flying the member to the designated peak. All equipment is provided, but members must have their own winter clothing, goggles, and shoes (all available at Sunny's Outpost at the event location in the Alps and are made to grow with the members as–or if–they continue to age). Members work for an entire year crafting a pair of snowshoes. On the last day of the year members don their self-made snow shoes and circle the base of one of the peaks, starting and ending at Sunny's Outpost. Upon completion S3Gs are flown down to Skygem Hot Springs for a "youngsters-only night" with refreshments provided.

Animal Lovers Group (new group since the battle)...for those who love animals. An aerialoceros picks up members for each day-outing and takes them to the Valley of Animals where they learn about the different eating, sleeping, and playing habits of several animals in the valley. A hike up Creature Peaks brings youngsters closer to some of the higher dwelling animals. The members also learn to ride the animal of their choice. There is one overnight field trip each year to Chennington Greens where members tour The Training Village and its animals (members stay in the barracks).* Artie makes a guest appearance and demonstrates how to ride an icataras. He also teaches the members the history of the battle and presents a "show and tell" portion regarding the animals and how they were used in battle. Members get to ride a towdie cart, learn "The Towdie Song," and actually set off a catapult.

* Since the final battle, the overnight field trip takes place in Etherealian Glade. Members sleep wrapped in their personal etherealians' wings.

BONUS RECIPE

from Honky-Tonk Hurley's Farmhouse Tavern, a restaurant on Maycly

Farmhouse Smoothie

(*see recipe below for substitution on Earth)

1 cup gwendelant

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

Whipped cream

Orange zest

Combine gwendelant and yogurt in a chiller mug and stir well. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with orange zest.

*To make this on **Earth,** you will need the following ingredients:

1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

1/2 cup orange sherbet

1/4 cup peach nectar

2 Tbsp orange juice

1 Tbsp vanilla powder or 1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

Whipped cream

Orange zest

Combine first 6 ingredients in a blender and "liquify" till smooth. Pour into a glass, top with whipped cream, and sprinkle with orange zest.

This recipe is from the _HIDDEN EARTH Volume I Maycly_ companion cookbook, _More than Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup_ , which contains menus and recipes from five of the restaurants on Maycly, along with each restaurant's history and a multitude of captioned photos and drawings. It is available at http://www.AuthorJanetBeasley.com

Would you like to learn more about the characters, dwellings, flora, and fauna on Maycly? You can find in-depth descriptions and other information in the _HIDDEN EARTH Volume I Maycly_ companion book, _The Chukkons Say, "Ye Need ta Be a-Seein' Maycly."_ The book, in FULL COLOR with FULL-SIZED ILLUSTRATIONS, is available at http://www.AuthorJanetBeasley.com

