Paraworld Zero (13 page)

    Later that night, Simon, Thornapple, and Tonya decided to get some fresh air
before retiring to bed. The Troodles lived next door to the hospital, which was very convenient
for Dr. Troodle, since he served as the head physician for the facility. Consequently, their
backyard happened to be a large stretch of grass leading to the entrance of the north hospital
wing.

    The three children found a nice spot to lie down and gaze up at the stars.
Simon lay in the middle with Tonya to his right and Thorn to his left. A cool, night breeze
caressed their faces. The stars illuminated the sky to form a sea of tiny flickering dots.

    “It’s amazing,” Tonya said in awe.

    “What is?” asked Thorn.

    “That no matter what paraworld you’re on, there’s always one constant: the
stars.”

    “Oh, wow!” Simon said, pointing at the sky. “There’s the Big Dipper! I didn’t
realize the stars would be the same as they are back home.”

    “Yep,” Tonya said. “With each paraworld, the solar system changes, but
everything else in the universe stays the same. That’s one of the biggest indications that we’re
not actually traveling across the universe but into another
parallel
universe. I wish I had my paratransmitter. I’m sure it could give you a better
definition than I could.”

    “That’s all right. I think I understand,” Simon said. “You know, that kinda
makes sense.”

    “What do you mean by
Big Dipper?
” Thorn asked. “All I see is a poorly designed quadrilateral.”

    “Just imagine that it’s a cup, and those stars over there are the handle,”
Simon said.

    Thorn looked again in frustration. “I see an obtuse triangle.”

    “Look harder.”

    “I suppose it looks somewhat like an isosceles trapezoid.” The small boy
squinted for a while and then shouted with joy as if he’d just discovered the world was round and
not flat. “I see it! You’re right! It does look like a
big dipper!
Why didn’t I ever see that before?”

    Tonya answered, “Because you’ve been trained your whole life to think a
certain way. You’ve been taught to not be imaginative, so it’s no wonder the only thing you could
see was geometric shapes.”

    “Oh, I can’t believe it,” Thorn exclaimed again. “I found another one!”

    “That’s the Little Dipper,” Simon said. “You know, Thorn, if you want to be a
painter some day, you’re going to have to learn to see things in a different way.”

    “That’ll be the day,” Tonya snorted. “I haven’t seen a Pud yet with one ounce
of artistic creativity.”

    Simon swatted at a large fly buzzing around his face, but the insect kept
dodging his hand. Suddenly, Tonya lashed out her long tongue and snatched the bug out of the air.
She quickly brought it into her mouth.

    “Tonya!” Simon cried, shocked.

    “You don’t get many dates, do you?” Thorn said sarcastically.

    “Sorry. I’m not allowed to do that on Chamel. It was just too
tempting.”

    “You weren’t kidding when you said you had lizard DNA in you,” Simon
remarked. He realized there was still a lot about Tonya he didn’t know about.

    “What do you call that bright star over there?” Thorn asked.

    “Where I’m from, we call that the North Star,” Simon answered.

    Tonya answered as well. “On Chamel, we call it the Fulcrum of Life.”

    “Why do you call it that?” Simon asked.

    “Because it’s one of the most prominent stars, and it points the direction we
should navigate our lives towards.”

    “Which is?” Thorn pressed.

    “Heaven. The Elders of Chamel teach that if we live our lives so that we are
continually climbing upward in our personal progression, then some day we will reach the Fulcrum
of Life.”

    “Sounds silly,” Thorn said. “You do know that stars are just giant balls of
burning gas, don’t you?”

    “Of course I do,” Tonya said, annoyed.

    Simon noted, “On Earth, people traveling on the sea sometimes use the North
Star to help them find their bearings.”

    “Yeah, we also use the North Star, as you call it, to help us find our way,”
Tonya said. “I remember one time, when my parents were still together, we were going to this big
party where my dad was the guest of honor. We had to walk to the party because I was too young to
use magic to travel. The street was very busy, and my parents were in a hurry, and, somehow or
another, I got separated from them. I remember it was pretty dark outside, and the Fulcrum of
Life was shining especially bright that night. I had this feeling inside that if I just walked in
the direction of that star, I’d be okay. Well, by the time I found the party, it was over. My
parents were talking to some people, and when I walked up to them…” Tonya paused for a moment and
reflected on the memory, “…they didn’t even realize I had been missing.”

    “I’m sorry,” Simon said. “That’s terrible.”

    “It’s okay. I guess they had a lot on their minds, and I was so young at the
time. Maybe if I wasn’t such a—”

    At that very moment, something large and green jumped over them and scurried
away. Then, one by one, three huge men leapt over the children and chased after the giant
reptile.

    The body of the lizard stretched about seven feet long, and its spiny tail
extended another six feet. It had a long forked tongue and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. The
large, husky men stood at least eight feet tall, and each of them held a wooden club.

    One of the giants grabbed the lizard by the tail, but the reptile snapped at
him, so he quickly let go. As the men circled about, the creature opened its large mouth and
hissed like a cobra. The blood-curdling noise sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

    Abruptly, the lizard reared on its hind legs and sprang towards one of the
men. Falling back with the ferocious reptile on top of him, the man put his arms around the
lizard and held on tightly. The two rolled on the ground until they stopped right in front of
Tonya, who by this time was sitting up. The giant man squeezed with all his might until the
lizard’s body went limp.

    Tonya was so petrified with fear that her hair turned completely white. The
man looked up from his bear hug and said in a barbaric voice, “It OK—no be scared.”

    He loosened his viselike grip, and the lizard fell to the ground, lifeless.
The other two giants helped the injured man stand up. Still unable to move, Tonya stared at the
huge lizard. Suddenly, its small eyes opened quickly and made contact with her. Then it leapt
into the air towards the helpless girl, but just before it reached her, a club crashed down upon
the reptile with bone-shattering force. The horrible creature fell with a thud—this time, truly
dead.

    Before the children could say a word, the three men walked away into the
shadows, carrying their prize on their broad shoulders.

    When Simon, Thorn, and Tonya got back to the house, they told the adults
about what had just happened. Furious, Thorn’s father called the police and yelled at the person
on the other end.

    He said things like: “This is an outrage!” and “What are you idiots going to
do about this epidemic?” and “This is the third time this month!”

    Mrs. Troodle could see that her husband was going to be a while, so she sent
the children to bed. Tonya didn’t say a word as she left the room. Her hair was still
white.

    In Thorn’s bedroom, Simon rolled out of his hover chair and landed on the
soft mattress below. His feet reached the end of the makeshift bed that Thornapple had made for
him. The only light in the room came from the moon, which shone brightly from the open
window.

    Before Thorn got too comfortable, Simon asked, “What was that monster back
there?”

    “That was a draguno. Every once in a while they climb up the mountain and get
into the city, but lately, they’ve been showing up more and more.”

    “And who were those men that were chasing after it?”

    “Those were
big
Puds. Normally, they’re not allowed in the city after dark, but I bet the mayor let
them in so they could track down that draguno. Personally, I don’t know which one is the fouler
of the two: the draguno or the big Puds.”

    “Is Har a big Pud?” Simon asked.

    “Yeah, but he’s only twelve years old. When they’re young, they make good
house servants, but when they get older, they’re just too big to keep in the house. Usually,
they’re put to work outside of the city.”

    “Oh.” Simon thought it odd that Thorn referred to the big Puds as
servants.

    Thornapple yawned. “Hey, do you think I could ride your hover chair
tomorrow?”

    “Sure.”

    The tiny boy smiled in response and closed his eyes. Everything remained
quiet for a while, but then Thornapple broke the silence. “It’s good to have you here, Simon.
Good night.”

    “Good night.”

    Simon turned over in his bed and stared at the milky white moon. For a
moment, he almost forgot he wasn’t on Earth anymore.
Am I ever going to make it back home?
he wondered as he drifted off to sleep.
Probably not.

Chapter 9
    

    

    Councilor Bromwell, Lady Cassandra, and her younger brother, Lord Theobolt
Vaylen, were discussing serious matters of state when Tabatha burst into the room.

    “Sorry, my lady,” cried a guard, attempting to restrain the catlike woman,
“but this Enforcer insisted on seeing you immediately. I told her you were not to be disturbed,
but—”

    Cassandra raised her hand. “It’s all right. Let her pass.” The stately woman
wore a white gown with pearls and gold trim. A white tiara graced her forehead, and colorful
jewels sparkled in her hair.

    “Guardians of the Crown,” Tabatha addressed them, “I have grave news
concerning the Raiders.”

    “Tabatha, my dear, we haven’t heard from you in almost two months. We were
beginning to worry,” Lord Vaylen said in a kind voice. Tabatha scowled at the man. He had always
insisted on being addressed by his last name so that whenever somebody referred to the royal
family, he, Theobolt Vaylen, would be foremost in everyone’s mind. She disliked his political and
psychological tactics. He continued, “I see you are tired and hurt. We shall hear your report
when your wounds have been attended to.”

    “My welfare is of no concern,” she responded shortly. “I must speak now, for
what I have to say concerns us all.”

    “Speak then, child,” urged Councilor Bromwell.

    The ancient man’s voice was soothing yet wielded a strange power that only an
ultramage could possess. Many had said that Ezra Bromwell was the greatest sorcerer of all save
the king himself. His long white hair fell down from his gray, pointy hat—now drooping from
age—and his thin glasses seemed poised to fall off the end of his prominent nose. To an outsider,
he might have easily been mistaken as merely a feeble old man.

    “The Raiders have gathered their forces and are planning an attack,” Tabatha
said. “I don’t know where, and I don’t know when—”

    “What good is this information, then?” asked Lady Cassandra.

    “My lady, I lived with the Raiders for over eight months, and from that
dreary experience, I learned one important thing: The Raiders are willing to lay waste to the
entire paraverse in order to fulfill their evil cause.”

    “And what exactly is their
cause?
” asked Lord Vaylen.

    “Genocide,” Tabatha said. A moment of silence passed, but the Guardians of
the Crown remained speechless. “As you know, the Raiders feel that science should be the
governing factor in the paraverse, not magic, but their twisted views have become increasingly
strong. They now feel it is their destiny to kill everyone who uses the E.M. waves for magic.
They want to conserve the electro-magical energy for themselves and for their scientific
endeavors.”

    “This is grave news indeed,” said Councilor Bromwell. “There is more than
enough E.M. energy for both parties… Hmm, why do they need so much electro-magical power? I
wonder…”

    “That, I do not know,” Tabatha responded. “However, we now have another foe
to face. While on the space carrier, I stole a datachip from General Mayham that may have
contained the answers we are looking for. I faced an ultramage whose powers rival even yours,
Councilor Bromwell. He took the datachip from me and disappeared.”

    The old man raised his bushy eyebrows and scratched the stubble on his chin.
“How do you know he was an ultramage?”