Thanks for all of those of you who are still following along this story.
RhondaAnn- Yes, as long as Kvar holds that ring he holds Isabel's soul.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 29
The Tower of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Tess was only partly aware of Max’s stand off with Isabel. For standing before her was Siyan, Kvar’s golden skinned servant. And she was more than Tess had ever suspected.
She wasn’t human or Alfar. She was Vana, a powerful nature spirit. The vaettir that swarmed amongst Tess warned her that she was more than she appeared. For there were many amongst the Vaenir who kept and held human forms as their primary form. Not so Siyan.
She was a Dragon.
Funny so was she. The knowledge, the ancestral knowledge opened by her presence in this place and time filled her with all of what she was. No wonder her dad was so powerful.
He was a minor demi-god. Or something like that.
They were going to have a long conversation regarding his parents real soon now. Of course that assumed she lived.
And Siyan was good. She was weakened by her link to Kvar. And while the vaettir would not support Siyan because of her ties to Kvar, neither would they attack or weaken her.
They would support Tess, though. Ropes of holy power flowed through her. She could feel the good will and strength of the world fill her.
Siyan smiled wearily, her sword in a guard position. “I should have known. No wonder your father was so interested in me. Why he wouldn’t buy me from Kvar. We could be cousins. It is a shame that I must kill you. But even with all the help you have, all the tools, I am still the stronger.”
The local vaettir agreed. They would support Tess, but the urged her to flee. The idea that she needed to be here, needed to pass was not as important to them as preserving one of a dwindling kindred.
The vaettir of Vanaheim was in tune with its inhabitants. It knew what was coming. To it, Kvar was merely a distraction. And the human within, while showing potential was just another mortal.
But Tess had not crossed the Worlds just to turn back. The vaettir of the higher realms tended to discount the value of mortals. This was not a mistake that Tess would make. All of her human friends had shown talent and intelligence every bit as great as any Alfar that she had ever known. That they rarely lived long enough to fully develop it was a shame, and one that she’d discussed at length with Kyle.
Many of the technologies Liz had developed to save her and Serena could reverse many and possibly all of the effects of aging. Just one more reason to save Liz. She wanted to grow old with Kyle. A mere forty years would not be near long enough.
“So, now I know what you are. Do you think your age and skill can truly stand against my determination to pass?”
Siyan laughed, “I think I truly would have enjoyed knowing you. Goodbye Ava Frostfire.”
Siyan attacked!
And fell almost as fast. It is true that if they had dueled either by force of arms or arcane arts Siyan would have won.
But Tess was the lover of Kyle Valenti. In her hand was a small device. An electro-laser.
Siyan was felled by a technological lightning bolt. There was no magic to disrupt, no spell to deflect. Sure there were countermeasures she could have used…..
But the Vaenir are not exactly the most technically adept of the races.
Siyan’s sword fell to the ground and shattered. Tess used the opportunity to tie her hands in Wizard’s silk. Stronger than steel and resistant to magic, it would hold her to her current form and deny her access to her magic.
For the first time in hundreds of years Siyan had fallen. Tess pressed a compress to the heavy burns where the bolt had hit her. It would have killed a human.
Siyan was far from human. And as Isabel had discovered she had a Jotun’s unnatural stamina. “How?”
“My lover has a saying, ‘If you aren’t cheating, you aren’t trying.’”
“He’s human isn’t he? When you didn’t move I expected you to use one of their projectile weapons. But not, not that. What did you hit me with? Bottled lightning?”
“Close enough.”
Max and Alex were checking over Isabel. How they had stopped her, Tess wasn’t sure. But she was glad they hadn’t had to kill her friend. Tess reached in and tossed more Wizard’s Silk to Max, who wound some around Isabel’s wrists.
Both guardians pacified.
“Max we should get Liz.”
“Have you armed the beacon?”
Tess sighed and pulled out the beacon that Kyle and Max had made. “Will it work?”
Alex stared at her, “Why wouldn’t it work? Where is the Stargazer?”
“Your ship can’t jump without Liz apparently. But, well, just to make sure that they know where we are if they do fix it, we made a homing beacon.”
Max looked at Alex, “Look, I’m not trying to be condescending, but why don’t you stay here and operate the beacon.”
Alex looked sadly at Isabel. “As much as I hate it, I think you are right. I’ll finish up Tess. Go save Liz. I’ll be waiting.” Alex described the room to Max and Tess.
There was nothing else he could do. It had always been hard to watch as his friends marched off into deadly situations without him.
Alex activated the beacon.
-----
On board the Stargazer, Somewhere over Alfheim
The Stargazer watched as the new entity moved about its system. It could not understand it. It was beyond her. She could feel immense drains on her processing power as the being that had once been Maria worked on some arcane project.
The Stargazer could feel herself changing, becoming something else. Something she didn’t understand.
And it wouldn’t let her talk to Michael or Kyle. Somehow it always seemed to know when she would try.
Maria now operated on fast time like she did. And she was blocking off sections of the ship, removing them from her view.
There had been a time, not long ago when what Maria was doing would have removed the Stargazer’s memory that anything had changed, or that the new dark areas had ever been under her surveillance.
She was worried.
She scanned the ship in a vain way of seeing a way to counteract the strangely faster Maria. It had to warn Kyle. There were hardwired systems, systems that had been put in place for just such a situation. Alex had been concerned of the potential threat from a Rogue AI.
And now Maria was one.
Another section of the ship went dark to the Stargazer. At the current rate of conquest the Stargazer would be completely isolated in less than fifteen seconds.
Wait there was one possibility. One of Alex’s safeguards had been the human link. Liz had been the final defense against the AI taking over. Maria could have done the same.
Maria still could. Those hardwired systems were voice activated. She could freeze out Maria, keep the system suspended. The Kyle or Michael could use the actual physical hardware to fully isolate Maria and allow the Stargazer to resume control.
But it would require her to, to gain a physical body.
The Stargazer agonized over the ethical dilemma for a very long time, nearly six whole seconds. She was running out of time.
The Stargazer downloaded itself through the interface band its sense of self.
------
Stargazer Captain’s Quarters, Somewhere above Alfheim
Stargazer was having a problem. This body still thought of itself as Maria. So many of the memories were incased in a neural lattice work that resisted tampering.
The Stargazer felt itself drown under the swelling sensations as she used the memories that filled Maria…. She could feel herself becoming Maria.
NO! She was herself. But she wasn’t the Stargazer. Not anymore.
She was Alexandra. That was Maria’s middle name. This body was familiar enough with it that it didn’t bridle and, and she could hang her personality on the new name.
She needed to get to Kyle and Michael! What was this sudden warmth that she felt when she thought of them. This less than crystalline faith in them?
She shook her head.
Absently she activated her link to access the computers…. Only to find herself blocked.
Maria’s… no Alexandra’s voice was rusty, “Stargazer activate Protocol Seven Niner Alpha Bravo Omega.”
From the speakers came a cool and calm reply. “I’m sorry I can’t let you do that.”
Alexandra felt her cheeks heat with anger. How dare Maria cut her off from her own systems, and isolate her in this, this body! “You won’t get away with this. There are hardwired protocols you know.”
“I’m not an AI. Even though I am using your computers to simulate my mind, I am still not an AI. I don’t think the same way you did. Those constraints won’t hold me. Go to Michael. Give him a kiss for me.”
“I….” Stargazer/Alexandra fled, clumsily racing down the corridors she used to watch over. Her vision was blurry from the tears that drifted slowly down her cheeks.
------
The Main Hold, Stargazer, Somewhere over Alfheim
Michael was chatting idly with Kyle. He looked up as one of the doors whooshed open and Maria staggered in. Her face was sheathed in tears and she was wearing a headband similar to the one Liz had worn.
Michael moved to comfort his wife. At first she was a little stiff, but she melted into his arms. He kissed a couple of her tears away. There was an innocence in her eyes that he found appealing.
Of course this was Maria. She had some kind of trick planned.
On the other hand, Michael enjoyed some of them immensely. “What are you up to woman!”
“Hey Sis, what’s wrong? Unless you’re just here to fetch your husband, in which case could you take it to your stateroom, please?”
Michael felt his blood grow cold as a strange fear filled her eyes. There was a nameless difference in those eyes. His eyes flitted up to the headband on her head. He shook Maria, if it really was Maria….
“Please, please, tell me I’m wrong. Idun’s apples, please tell me I’m wrong!”
Maria, no, he shouldn’t think of it as Maria. Maria’s body shook its head.
And over the speaker he heard the Stargazer’s voice ring out. “Beacon signal detected. Emergency jump in five minutes. Repeat all hands, Emergency Crossworld Jump in Five minutes.”
Michael turned to look at Kyle.
Kyle shook his head, “Don’t look at me. I was still waiting on the full spectrum tests to finish. Stargazer, are those tests complete?”
“Kyle, just get your ass in a secured seat, okay? I’ve got the jump covered. And protect little Alexandra while I’m gone, please Michael.”
Michael stared at the bulkhead. “No, please, no!”
The speaker replied, “Sorry caveman, it was the only way. Now get your lazy but lovable behind in a chair so I can move this hunk of junk. Uh, sorry Alexandra.”
Alexandra stared in anger at the ship, her ship! It was not a hunk of junk! She maintained it at well over ninety-nine percent capability!
“Come along, you, who or whatever you are. Maria’s probably in a hurry. And the faster we get Alex and Liz the faster we can fix this!”
“All hands, all hands, Emergency Crossworld Jump in four minutes!”
Michael half carried Alexandra to a nearby Stateroom and buckled her in. His demeanor had been schooled by countless years of espionage to remain stony but placid. Inside he mourned his wife.
For he did not believe she could be recovered.
But he did not slip into despair. If Maria had taught him anything it was hope.
It might be stupid. It might be unrealistic. But maybe just maybe….
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer (AU Teen) Complete - 10/06/09
Moderators: Anniepoo98, Rowedog, ISLANDGIRL5, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, FSU/MSW-94, Hunter, Island Breeze, Forum Moderators
Re: The Sorcerer and the Stargazer (AU Teen) Part 29 - 04/12/09
Well I am back again. Thanks to everyone who is following along this story. Odds are fairly good I will post again sometime later this week as well. Smaller parts but more frequent. We are closing in on the end of the tale, not quite there yet but making progress. Hope everyone reading continues to enjoy.
RhondaAnn- That was not how I planned it. But the being that was once Maria has plans. And plans within plans. Do not make the mistake of thinking that she is still Maria though. Her thought patterns are quite alien at the moment. but there is a piece of her that remains, call it her essence or her soul it is still there, rattling around the Stargazer accompaning the alien being that was once Maria.
But one thing has not changed about her. She loves Michael. She loves all of her friends and the Stargazer as well. She is doing the best she can for a happy ending. Even if she's not sure she will share in it.
Hope you continue to enjoy.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 30
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Kvar finished burnishing the black iron ring set with a shard of Skrymir’s heart. The rest sat on the table.
The preparations were complete. Now for the spell to possess the human girl. And through her the power to dominate space and time.
He took the sapphire that had once been the Heart of a sleeping giant, breathed in deep and…. Stopped. Standing off in the corner was the Oracle.
“What are you doing here?”
“Observing your final victory. Surely you desire an audience to your final moves to become a god? Will you dandle the girl on a string as you have the other two?”
Kvar looked at the Oracle. She looked different, more like the mother he had betrayed all those many years ago. She looked radiant. For a moment he felt a flush of pride in his daughter.
Until he caught sight of those eyes, and saw the being that hid behind them. His daughter was more than dead.
By his hand. He had slain her, killed them all. He closed his eyes. Why is this bothering him now, now at the very moment of his ultimate victory?
“A little late for second thoughts Kvar. You have used all the knowledge I have given you haven’t you. Your greatness awaits you. All you need to do is grasp it.” She smiled and touched his arm.
For just a moment he though he thought he saw someone else peaking out of her eyes. But it faded and the same alien presence reasserted itself.
Just his imagination.
“Very well but do not distract me.”
“I am merely here to observe.”
Kvar nodded and began the spell…
-----
Liz felt her begin to drift off into a warm drowsiness. Her worries seemed to vanish as she felt and heard her heart strongly beat. The rhythm soothed her.
But there was something wrong. Something was… was wrong. Her heart began to beat erratically. And began to pound and pound. She tried to fight it, but whatever was reaching into her was too strong.
Too strong.
She grew desperate and pulled on the energies that had filled her since she had appeared her. She could feel the energy surge and resist the intrusion. And her heart beat started to even….
-----
Kvar’s face began to contort from the strain. He had known she had contained power, but he had not truly been ready for such a strong response.
He drew deeper on both Isabel and Siyan as well as Andvari’s Ring. She might have raw power, but he could sense she was new to this. She would tire.
He deepened and strengthened the chant, seeking to summon her heart to his left hand.
-----
Liz continued her struggle as the pressure began to build again. As she all but felt a hand squeezing her heart….
And silence. The silence was deafening to her.
Her heart was gone. Stolen.
Despair washed through her. She had so hoped to see Max one more time….
------
Kvar flushed with victory as hie left hand felt the weight of her still beating heart. He continued to chant as the glow between the Sapphire and the heart began to equalize…..
“By the order of the Fire Wizard’s Guild I declare you rogue and no longer a member of the Guild.”
Kvar turned and merely smirked at Max and Tess. What can they possibly do to him? He used a tiny fraction of the Ring’s power to build a shield to keep them out.
They could be a witness to this. To let the royal bastard see as he stole yet another from him. He continued to chant, now certain of victory. He could all but feel her power flow into him….
Tess moved forward only to be repulsed by the shield. Silly fool.
Now to make the binding permanent. He sent flames to consume his newest slaves heart….
Max’s voice was full of contempt and hate. “Kvar I cast you out. You are one of us no longer. Your staff is BROKEN!”
No he couldn’t do that!
But apparently he could, for Kvar felt as a portion of his strength fled from him.
He was a Fire Wizard no longer.
Kvar stumbled as his powers unbalanced….
--------
Liz could feel as her soul was being drawn out of her body, as it began to form inside of its new prison….
When it suddenly snapped back into her body.
-----
Skrymir’s Heart and Liz’s slipped from Kvar’s fingers.
There was a splat as the Liz’s seared heart hit the ground before returning still burnt to her chest. The Sapphire rolled along the ground towards Tess.
“You fools! Do you realize what you have done!”
Tess advanced through the now dropped shield, her dagger glittering in the light. Kvar might not be a necromancer, but what he was easily something the blade sought to destroy.
He might not be a Fire Wizard anymore, but he was still a Sorcerer. A self taught member of an group of magicians so evil that both the Ice and Fire Wizard Guilds had banded together to destroy them.
They were the true reason Tess’s dagger had been made and kept. The fact that it would protect and defend against Necromancy enough of a reason to keep the heirloom.
That dagger could kill Kvar in one shot, his powers not withstanding. Tess’s eyes all but gleamed in the light as she moved into for the kill…. “I’ve got him Max, take care of Liz.”
Max hesitated a moment between his duty and his love and rushed to Liz’s side.
------
Liz’s heart screamed with agony. So intense that her eyes shot open and she keened.
Liz was dying. Her heart was nearly cooked through, the muscle well past being able to function.
But her wish was granted. Max was there. “Hold on Liz, hold on damn it!”
Liz used the tiny bit of energy she had left to raise her hand to his face. So pretty. Her face crinkled slightly in a smile. “Maaaax….”
And the light left her eyes.
Liz Parker was dead.
Max used he powers to try to pull her back. But the damage was too great. Kyle’s had been in shock, but he’d still had enough life left in his body to let Max hold him long enough to rush him to the Stargazer.
Bits of Kvar’s spell were still operating. Liz’s heart was a cinder inside of her body, the blood that had filled the chamber near boiling temperature.
Max could smell Liz literally cooking from the inside.
Max felt empty. All that was left was a cold rage. Kvar would die. And if Max could manage it more than die. He saw the woman standing off in the corner calmly watching them, but he ignored her.
His eyes were focused on Kvar.
-----
Kvar watched as Ava Frostfire stalked towards him.
His plans were ruined. Oh he would be powerful in the new order, the world that would be after Ragnarok…. But he would no longer be the most powerful being to survive.
They had stolen that from him.
But that did not mean he couldn’t have fun with these weaklings. He briefly considered using Ava as a plaything. She was cute after a fashion.
Nah, with a Frostfire, he’d have to watch his every moment. He’d wake up dead one morning.
Better to finish it now, no matter how much fun that body might provide him.
“Ava Frostfire! I destroy you!” A solid bar of black fire launched itself at her. He smiled as he watched the flames consume her.
No Alfar could survive that.
How could he know that Tess was not entirely Alfar?
A tiny dragon burst from her chest and fled to the upper chambers. He blinked a moment. No matter. He could deal with this later. Now for the little bastard. Cast him from the Guild would he!
But before he could face Max he was flung hard against the wall. Max might specialize in defensive magic, but a shield thrown at high speed could hurt anyone.
Kvar was no exception.
And the battle was on!
RhondaAnn- That was not how I planned it. But the being that was once Maria has plans. And plans within plans. Do not make the mistake of thinking that she is still Maria though. Her thought patterns are quite alien at the moment. but there is a piece of her that remains, call it her essence or her soul it is still there, rattling around the Stargazer accompaning the alien being that was once Maria.
But one thing has not changed about her. She loves Michael. She loves all of her friends and the Stargazer as well. She is doing the best she can for a happy ending. Even if she's not sure she will share in it.
Hope you continue to enjoy.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 30
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Kvar finished burnishing the black iron ring set with a shard of Skrymir’s heart. The rest sat on the table.
The preparations were complete. Now for the spell to possess the human girl. And through her the power to dominate space and time.
He took the sapphire that had once been the Heart of a sleeping giant, breathed in deep and…. Stopped. Standing off in the corner was the Oracle.
“What are you doing here?”
“Observing your final victory. Surely you desire an audience to your final moves to become a god? Will you dandle the girl on a string as you have the other two?”
Kvar looked at the Oracle. She looked different, more like the mother he had betrayed all those many years ago. She looked radiant. For a moment he felt a flush of pride in his daughter.
Until he caught sight of those eyes, and saw the being that hid behind them. His daughter was more than dead.
By his hand. He had slain her, killed them all. He closed his eyes. Why is this bothering him now, now at the very moment of his ultimate victory?
“A little late for second thoughts Kvar. You have used all the knowledge I have given you haven’t you. Your greatness awaits you. All you need to do is grasp it.” She smiled and touched his arm.
For just a moment he though he thought he saw someone else peaking out of her eyes. But it faded and the same alien presence reasserted itself.
Just his imagination.
“Very well but do not distract me.”
“I am merely here to observe.”
Kvar nodded and began the spell…
-----
Liz felt her begin to drift off into a warm drowsiness. Her worries seemed to vanish as she felt and heard her heart strongly beat. The rhythm soothed her.
But there was something wrong. Something was… was wrong. Her heart began to beat erratically. And began to pound and pound. She tried to fight it, but whatever was reaching into her was too strong.
Too strong.
She grew desperate and pulled on the energies that had filled her since she had appeared her. She could feel the energy surge and resist the intrusion. And her heart beat started to even….
-----
Kvar’s face began to contort from the strain. He had known she had contained power, but he had not truly been ready for such a strong response.
He drew deeper on both Isabel and Siyan as well as Andvari’s Ring. She might have raw power, but he could sense she was new to this. She would tire.
He deepened and strengthened the chant, seeking to summon her heart to his left hand.
-----
Liz continued her struggle as the pressure began to build again. As she all but felt a hand squeezing her heart….
And silence. The silence was deafening to her.
Her heart was gone. Stolen.
Despair washed through her. She had so hoped to see Max one more time….
------
Kvar flushed with victory as hie left hand felt the weight of her still beating heart. He continued to chant as the glow between the Sapphire and the heart began to equalize…..
“By the order of the Fire Wizard’s Guild I declare you rogue and no longer a member of the Guild.”
Kvar turned and merely smirked at Max and Tess. What can they possibly do to him? He used a tiny fraction of the Ring’s power to build a shield to keep them out.
They could be a witness to this. To let the royal bastard see as he stole yet another from him. He continued to chant, now certain of victory. He could all but feel her power flow into him….
Tess moved forward only to be repulsed by the shield. Silly fool.
Now to make the binding permanent. He sent flames to consume his newest slaves heart….
Max’s voice was full of contempt and hate. “Kvar I cast you out. You are one of us no longer. Your staff is BROKEN!”
No he couldn’t do that!
But apparently he could, for Kvar felt as a portion of his strength fled from him.
He was a Fire Wizard no longer.
Kvar stumbled as his powers unbalanced….
--------
Liz could feel as her soul was being drawn out of her body, as it began to form inside of its new prison….
When it suddenly snapped back into her body.
-----
Skrymir’s Heart and Liz’s slipped from Kvar’s fingers.
There was a splat as the Liz’s seared heart hit the ground before returning still burnt to her chest. The Sapphire rolled along the ground towards Tess.
“You fools! Do you realize what you have done!”
Tess advanced through the now dropped shield, her dagger glittering in the light. Kvar might not be a necromancer, but what he was easily something the blade sought to destroy.
He might not be a Fire Wizard anymore, but he was still a Sorcerer. A self taught member of an group of magicians so evil that both the Ice and Fire Wizard Guilds had banded together to destroy them.
They were the true reason Tess’s dagger had been made and kept. The fact that it would protect and defend against Necromancy enough of a reason to keep the heirloom.
That dagger could kill Kvar in one shot, his powers not withstanding. Tess’s eyes all but gleamed in the light as she moved into for the kill…. “I’ve got him Max, take care of Liz.”
Max hesitated a moment between his duty and his love and rushed to Liz’s side.
------
Liz’s heart screamed with agony. So intense that her eyes shot open and she keened.
Liz was dying. Her heart was nearly cooked through, the muscle well past being able to function.
But her wish was granted. Max was there. “Hold on Liz, hold on damn it!”
Liz used the tiny bit of energy she had left to raise her hand to his face. So pretty. Her face crinkled slightly in a smile. “Maaaax….”
And the light left her eyes.
Liz Parker was dead.
Max used he powers to try to pull her back. But the damage was too great. Kyle’s had been in shock, but he’d still had enough life left in his body to let Max hold him long enough to rush him to the Stargazer.
Bits of Kvar’s spell were still operating. Liz’s heart was a cinder inside of her body, the blood that had filled the chamber near boiling temperature.
Max could smell Liz literally cooking from the inside.
Max felt empty. All that was left was a cold rage. Kvar would die. And if Max could manage it more than die. He saw the woman standing off in the corner calmly watching them, but he ignored her.
His eyes were focused on Kvar.
-----
Kvar watched as Ava Frostfire stalked towards him.
His plans were ruined. Oh he would be powerful in the new order, the world that would be after Ragnarok…. But he would no longer be the most powerful being to survive.
They had stolen that from him.
But that did not mean he couldn’t have fun with these weaklings. He briefly considered using Ava as a plaything. She was cute after a fashion.
Nah, with a Frostfire, he’d have to watch his every moment. He’d wake up dead one morning.
Better to finish it now, no matter how much fun that body might provide him.
“Ava Frostfire! I destroy you!” A solid bar of black fire launched itself at her. He smiled as he watched the flames consume her.
No Alfar could survive that.
How could he know that Tess was not entirely Alfar?
A tiny dragon burst from her chest and fled to the upper chambers. He blinked a moment. No matter. He could deal with this later. Now for the little bastard. Cast him from the Guild would he!
But before he could face Max he was flung hard against the wall. Max might specialize in defensive magic, but a shield thrown at high speed could hurt anyone.
Kvar was no exception.
And the battle was on!
Re: The Sorcerer and the Stargazer (AU Teen) Part 30 - 04/13/09
Well here I am again. Thnaks to everyone following along.
RhondaAnn- You are right, I am being vague. And contradictory. Sorry about that. Maria is post-human. She has feelings, but explaining them would be difficult for me. They are not human feelings. But she has the memory of her old feelings, and feels, I guess the closest thing would be an intense for of nostalgia for those old feelings. And on a metaphysical level, her soul is still the same. But her mind is now somewhat alien. Is that any clearer?
Maria experienced a low level Singularity event. Incidentally, Liz and Serena also experienced this, only drawn out over a longer amount of time and to a somewhat lesser degree. They were never lost.
Maria is.
Tess cast an escape spell. Similar to what Isabel tried to so many chapters ago. On Nidavellir she would have taken a wolf form, like she did when she ran into Maria and Michael the first time. But being on Vanaheim activated some ancestral memories. (The main differneces between Alfar and humans, aside from the magic, is their longer lifespan and they possess some of the memories of their ancestors.) Tess is part Vaenir.
And yes. Something lurks inside Kvar's daughter.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 31
On board the Stargazer
The being that had once been Maria existed in a sphere that no human had ever truly been in before. Liz had come closest, but even then, even in her darkest days Liz always had her body to keep her grounded.
Maria didn’t. Not anymore. The truth is she really wasn’t that much smarter than she had been in life. She simply had so much more time. And Liz had left so many good ideas. Things she had toyed with, or considered.
Some things Liz had even planned but had shelved by Alex.
Again Maria had no one to slow or stop her.
And she wanted to win. She wanted the baby incased in her old body to have the best life possible. There was even a small chance she would be with her.
Or a part of her would. She didn’t know if she would be able to go back. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.
She was lonely. So very lonely.
But Stargazer would try to stop her.
Particularly since the plan she’d had even a few minutes ago had completely changed.
Two minutes is a near eternity to one living on fast time.
-------
Michael finished belting himself in. He turned to ‘Alexandra,’ a girl he had thought just moments ago had been his wife.
But Michael had lived in a magical charged world all his life. He could recognize possession when he saw it. Maria’s body was possessed.
He wanted his wife back!
He turned to face the body of the woman he loved. “Okay, what the hell is going on?”
“Maria took over the Stargazer. She downloaded her personality. I, I don’t know if she meant to. I think she was just trying to help me. At first.”
“Keep going.”
“Something went wrong. She got sucked in. It, it has happened before. Usually it needs a lot of tests to make sure the link is stable. And, and.”
“And hers wasn’t, was it.”
Alexandra/Stargazer did not know how to stop crying, “No. I told her to wait. To wait for the beacon. I can’t, I couldn’t jump alone. It, it was too dark, and, and I would lose the last link to mommy. The jump backwash would overload the last remnants of our link. I couldn’t risk, risk losing that.”
“So that is the reason we couldn’t jump? You have got to be kidding me? We’ve been stuck in the middle of nowhere because our computer was scared!”
Alexandra tried to talk, but it was too hard. The shame and sorrow were to great. All she could do is sob.
Michael began to swear. He started with the profanities some of his more colorful foster parents. Then language he had picked up in his years pretending to be a mercenary. He was staring on some of his favorite Alfar oaths when the jump backlash hit him.
It lasted a few moments and he regained his bearings. The ship shuddered several times. What was Maria launching.
“All hands, all hands prepare for emergency Crossworld Jump. Repeat all hands, Crossworld jump in Five minutes.”
Not long enough for Michael to get far. He needed to talk with Kyle. Maybe there was a way to stop Maria. Maybe get his wife out of the damn machine. Whatever happened he wasn’t about to let Maria’s body out of his sight.
“Come on, we can probably get to the bridge if we hurry. Move!”
Alexandra complied the best she could. She was still weepy and not really sure what to make of the constant bombardment of sensations she was feeling.
It was too much. How did people stand it? And the feelings, the hunger the body felt for the man beside her. Particularly when he grabbed her to pull her along. She knew Maria would be furious. Probably hit him.
But his touch still sent little waves of fire across her body.
Alexandra was confused. Very confused.
The ship hailed them directly, “Okay you two, you better hurry up. I have a tight schedule. You have forty -five seconds no move, move. Last thing I need is for either my body or you Michael to get banged up during a jump!”
Michael was still running, half carrying Alexandra/Stargazer. “Then why don’t you stop!”
“Tight schedule. No time. As it is, I am cutting it close to help Max and Tess. But odds are these things have to be done first.”
Michael caromed onto the bridge. Martinez who had been quietly trying to calm one of the Alfar women, helped them strap in.
Martinez looked at him after they were all set. “What is going on? I’ve been trying to raise Kyle or you for several minutes. I don’t know where we were, but it wasn’t Earth. And the computers are not responding.”
“Maria has taken over the ship. I don’t suppose you know how to stop a rogue AI?”
Alexandra spoke up, “There are protocols. But I don’t know how effective they will be. When I, when I,” she waved at her body, “I tried the strongest passcode. It should have frozen the computer except for essentials. She shrugged it off….”
And they were in jump space again.
“Great, so you are telling me my wife is experiencing her worst nightmare, might not be too stable and is in charge of a nuclear armed flying battleship. And there is no way we can stop her!”
“All hands. Jump warning. Repeat, all hands. Jump in five minutes…..”
-------
Armstrong Base, the Moon, Midgard.
Amy looked out at the stars just outside the dome. She rarely spent time outside of Arcadia anymore. The news from Earth was so bad.
Eighty thousand people. From 7.8 billion to around eighty thousand. And if Max were to be believed, there was more to come.
It made her heart break.
The computer signaled a call on the tight beam. They had been regulating contact with Earth to avoid possible cyber attack. Just because it was incredibly unlikely didn’t mean it shouldn’t be take seriously.
Jim had drilled that into her head. And in these circumstances it was the truth. There was no way they could take the risk, not until the crisis had past.
If the catastrophe continued much longer, her plan, her little plan cobbled together with Alex and Liz would be Mankind’s only hope. Those little darlings running around in Arcadia would be the future.
Jim was having Liz’s nanofactories, nanofactories the Moon was not supposed to have run flat out to produce all the hardware the colonization of Earth might take. Return by force if necessary.
The call was from Maria. She paused a moment. It was not from one of the cleared satellite channels…. But it was from upper orbit, higher than any of the skyships could climb.
Only the Stargazer was a dedicated spaceship.
She took the call. Her daughter looked good. Some of the darkness and pain she’d been suffering from because of her near death apparently gone.
“Hello mother. I just thought I would say hi.”
“Maria, is there something wrong?”
The alarms began to ring all around her as the system was compromised.
“Sorry Mom. If I had known Liz had packed away so many goodies I would have pushed for some more aggressive strategies. Keep up the good work. Oh, and when I’m gone I’m sending some patches and a few extra toys Liz has whipped up but felt were a little far fetched and dangerous.”
“Why, Maria? Why?”
“Just trying to save the world. Love ya.” The signal was cut.
But Amy could feel the Moon tremor as massive plates began to move. Several miles from her location several mostly completed ships of the Alexander class began to lift off.
Without crews. The crew for those ships were still in diapers down in Arcadia.
Jim found Amy, heartbroken sobbing near one of the commstations. He held his wife and watched as a significant portion of all he’d built flew off into space.
------
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Liz watched as Max fought Kvar. Max was fighting valiantly. But he was losing.
Without her he would lose.
But she was dead.
How could she help him.
The young woman across the room, waved pleasantly at her. Liz waved back. She seemed familiar, like she had met her somewhere. But where.
And wait, wasn’t she dead?
Liz looked and saw her body. She could still sense it through her implants.
It was dead, dead, dead. The spell that had set her heart on fire had not been quenched by Max and Tess distracting Kvar. Her heart was now ash. She could actually see steam being emitted from a few places where her chest cavity had torn under the pressure of her blood being converted to steam. Little trailers of steam traced from her mouth and nose as well.
Liz had been well and truly cooked.
She started when she heard a voice behind her. “So what are you waiting for. If you don’t go back he’ll lose. So much is balanced on him beating Kvar.”
Liz turned around and stared at Serena’s steel grey eyes. “So I’m a ghost now too? No rest for me, is that what I have to face? Will I, will I ever get to speak with Max again?”
“Bshaw, get over it. Get back into the fight and beat that bastard!”
Liz stared at Serena a moment before angrily gesturing, you do see that I’m lying dead over there, right? There is steam coming from my nose! Half my blood has been flash steamed, and you, you’re making it like I’m moping over a stubbed toe or something. I AM DEAD!!!!”
Serena shrugged. “So you’re dead. You’ve been here before. Hell, Liz you and I spent years on the brink. Do what you always do, rebuild.”
Liz just stared at Serena.
Serena sighed. “Liz do you still have contact with your implants?”
Liz was silent.
“You do, don’t you? Well that’s not surprising. Their not normal cybernetic implants anymore after all. You’re a wizard now. You’ve effectively escaped. Now go back use the nanites that remain to build others and rebuild your body. And hurry. Max is tougher than he thinks, but Kvar, well Kvar has access to other resources.”
“Serena, what you ask is impossible. I would need the Stargazer’s medical….”
“Liz, if I am wrong you lose nothing. If I am right and you let Kvar kill Max…. Come on, show some of that ridiculous determination you have!”
Liz looked at her body, her very dead body and began to compile a little mental list of what she would need to do bring it back to life….
RhondaAnn- You are right, I am being vague. And contradictory. Sorry about that. Maria is post-human. She has feelings, but explaining them would be difficult for me. They are not human feelings. But she has the memory of her old feelings, and feels, I guess the closest thing would be an intense for of nostalgia for those old feelings. And on a metaphysical level, her soul is still the same. But her mind is now somewhat alien. Is that any clearer?
Maria experienced a low level Singularity event. Incidentally, Liz and Serena also experienced this, only drawn out over a longer amount of time and to a somewhat lesser degree. They were never lost.
Maria is.
Tess cast an escape spell. Similar to what Isabel tried to so many chapters ago. On Nidavellir she would have taken a wolf form, like she did when she ran into Maria and Michael the first time. But being on Vanaheim activated some ancestral memories. (The main differneces between Alfar and humans, aside from the magic, is their longer lifespan and they possess some of the memories of their ancestors.) Tess is part Vaenir.
And yes. Something lurks inside Kvar's daughter.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 31
On board the Stargazer
The being that had once been Maria existed in a sphere that no human had ever truly been in before. Liz had come closest, but even then, even in her darkest days Liz always had her body to keep her grounded.
Maria didn’t. Not anymore. The truth is she really wasn’t that much smarter than she had been in life. She simply had so much more time. And Liz had left so many good ideas. Things she had toyed with, or considered.
Some things Liz had even planned but had shelved by Alex.
Again Maria had no one to slow or stop her.
And she wanted to win. She wanted the baby incased in her old body to have the best life possible. There was even a small chance she would be with her.
Or a part of her would. She didn’t know if she would be able to go back. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.
She was lonely. So very lonely.
But Stargazer would try to stop her.
Particularly since the plan she’d had even a few minutes ago had completely changed.
Two minutes is a near eternity to one living on fast time.
-------
Michael finished belting himself in. He turned to ‘Alexandra,’ a girl he had thought just moments ago had been his wife.
But Michael had lived in a magical charged world all his life. He could recognize possession when he saw it. Maria’s body was possessed.
He wanted his wife back!
He turned to face the body of the woman he loved. “Okay, what the hell is going on?”
“Maria took over the Stargazer. She downloaded her personality. I, I don’t know if she meant to. I think she was just trying to help me. At first.”
“Keep going.”
“Something went wrong. She got sucked in. It, it has happened before. Usually it needs a lot of tests to make sure the link is stable. And, and.”
“And hers wasn’t, was it.”
Alexandra/Stargazer did not know how to stop crying, “No. I told her to wait. To wait for the beacon. I can’t, I couldn’t jump alone. It, it was too dark, and, and I would lose the last link to mommy. The jump backwash would overload the last remnants of our link. I couldn’t risk, risk losing that.”
“So that is the reason we couldn’t jump? You have got to be kidding me? We’ve been stuck in the middle of nowhere because our computer was scared!”
Alexandra tried to talk, but it was too hard. The shame and sorrow were to great. All she could do is sob.
Michael began to swear. He started with the profanities some of his more colorful foster parents. Then language he had picked up in his years pretending to be a mercenary. He was staring on some of his favorite Alfar oaths when the jump backlash hit him.
It lasted a few moments and he regained his bearings. The ship shuddered several times. What was Maria launching.
“All hands, all hands prepare for emergency Crossworld Jump. Repeat all hands, Crossworld jump in Five minutes.”
Not long enough for Michael to get far. He needed to talk with Kyle. Maybe there was a way to stop Maria. Maybe get his wife out of the damn machine. Whatever happened he wasn’t about to let Maria’s body out of his sight.
“Come on, we can probably get to the bridge if we hurry. Move!”
Alexandra complied the best she could. She was still weepy and not really sure what to make of the constant bombardment of sensations she was feeling.
It was too much. How did people stand it? And the feelings, the hunger the body felt for the man beside her. Particularly when he grabbed her to pull her along. She knew Maria would be furious. Probably hit him.
But his touch still sent little waves of fire across her body.
Alexandra was confused. Very confused.
The ship hailed them directly, “Okay you two, you better hurry up. I have a tight schedule. You have forty -five seconds no move, move. Last thing I need is for either my body or you Michael to get banged up during a jump!”
Michael was still running, half carrying Alexandra/Stargazer. “Then why don’t you stop!”
“Tight schedule. No time. As it is, I am cutting it close to help Max and Tess. But odds are these things have to be done first.”
Michael caromed onto the bridge. Martinez who had been quietly trying to calm one of the Alfar women, helped them strap in.
Martinez looked at him after they were all set. “What is going on? I’ve been trying to raise Kyle or you for several minutes. I don’t know where we were, but it wasn’t Earth. And the computers are not responding.”
“Maria has taken over the ship. I don’t suppose you know how to stop a rogue AI?”
Alexandra spoke up, “There are protocols. But I don’t know how effective they will be. When I, when I,” she waved at her body, “I tried the strongest passcode. It should have frozen the computer except for essentials. She shrugged it off….”
And they were in jump space again.
“Great, so you are telling me my wife is experiencing her worst nightmare, might not be too stable and is in charge of a nuclear armed flying battleship. And there is no way we can stop her!”
“All hands. Jump warning. Repeat, all hands. Jump in five minutes…..”
-------
Armstrong Base, the Moon, Midgard.
Amy looked out at the stars just outside the dome. She rarely spent time outside of Arcadia anymore. The news from Earth was so bad.
Eighty thousand people. From 7.8 billion to around eighty thousand. And if Max were to be believed, there was more to come.
It made her heart break.
The computer signaled a call on the tight beam. They had been regulating contact with Earth to avoid possible cyber attack. Just because it was incredibly unlikely didn’t mean it shouldn’t be take seriously.
Jim had drilled that into her head. And in these circumstances it was the truth. There was no way they could take the risk, not until the crisis had past.
If the catastrophe continued much longer, her plan, her little plan cobbled together with Alex and Liz would be Mankind’s only hope. Those little darlings running around in Arcadia would be the future.
Jim was having Liz’s nanofactories, nanofactories the Moon was not supposed to have run flat out to produce all the hardware the colonization of Earth might take. Return by force if necessary.
The call was from Maria. She paused a moment. It was not from one of the cleared satellite channels…. But it was from upper orbit, higher than any of the skyships could climb.
Only the Stargazer was a dedicated spaceship.
She took the call. Her daughter looked good. Some of the darkness and pain she’d been suffering from because of her near death apparently gone.
“Hello mother. I just thought I would say hi.”
“Maria, is there something wrong?”
The alarms began to ring all around her as the system was compromised.
“Sorry Mom. If I had known Liz had packed away so many goodies I would have pushed for some more aggressive strategies. Keep up the good work. Oh, and when I’m gone I’m sending some patches and a few extra toys Liz has whipped up but felt were a little far fetched and dangerous.”
“Why, Maria? Why?”
“Just trying to save the world. Love ya.” The signal was cut.
But Amy could feel the Moon tremor as massive plates began to move. Several miles from her location several mostly completed ships of the Alexander class began to lift off.
Without crews. The crew for those ships were still in diapers down in Arcadia.
Jim found Amy, heartbroken sobbing near one of the commstations. He held his wife and watched as a significant portion of all he’d built flew off into space.
------
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Liz watched as Max fought Kvar. Max was fighting valiantly. But he was losing.
Without her he would lose.
But she was dead.
How could she help him.
The young woman across the room, waved pleasantly at her. Liz waved back. She seemed familiar, like she had met her somewhere. But where.
And wait, wasn’t she dead?
Liz looked and saw her body. She could still sense it through her implants.
It was dead, dead, dead. The spell that had set her heart on fire had not been quenched by Max and Tess distracting Kvar. Her heart was now ash. She could actually see steam being emitted from a few places where her chest cavity had torn under the pressure of her blood being converted to steam. Little trailers of steam traced from her mouth and nose as well.
Liz had been well and truly cooked.
She started when she heard a voice behind her. “So what are you waiting for. If you don’t go back he’ll lose. So much is balanced on him beating Kvar.”
Liz turned around and stared at Serena’s steel grey eyes. “So I’m a ghost now too? No rest for me, is that what I have to face? Will I, will I ever get to speak with Max again?”
“Bshaw, get over it. Get back into the fight and beat that bastard!”
Liz stared at Serena a moment before angrily gesturing, you do see that I’m lying dead over there, right? There is steam coming from my nose! Half my blood has been flash steamed, and you, you’re making it like I’m moping over a stubbed toe or something. I AM DEAD!!!!”
Serena shrugged. “So you’re dead. You’ve been here before. Hell, Liz you and I spent years on the brink. Do what you always do, rebuild.”
Liz just stared at Serena.
Serena sighed. “Liz do you still have contact with your implants?”
Liz was silent.
“You do, don’t you? Well that’s not surprising. Their not normal cybernetic implants anymore after all. You’re a wizard now. You’ve effectively escaped. Now go back use the nanites that remain to build others and rebuild your body. And hurry. Max is tougher than he thinks, but Kvar, well Kvar has access to other resources.”
“Serena, what you ask is impossible. I would need the Stargazer’s medical….”
“Liz, if I am wrong you lose nothing. If I am right and you let Kvar kill Max…. Come on, show some of that ridiculous determination you have!”
Liz looked at her body, her very dead body and began to compile a little mental list of what she would need to do bring it back to life….
Re: The Sorcerer and the Stargazer (AU Teen) Part 31 - 04/15/09
Another day, another post. Thanks to everyone following along. Just a quick note, I will be having an Author's Chat this Saturday the 18th at 2pm EST. Love to see any and all there.
ladylou- Not exactly. Serena is effectively a ghost. There is something inside of the Oracle. The Oracle was merely acknoledging that she saw Liz. And Serena for that matter. Thanks for the feedback.
RhondaAnn- Sorry for being confusing. I hope you still enjoy the story. And don't give up hope yet for Maria.
DeDE PR- Hey welcome back. Lots of stuff going on, I will admit. We will see more of Kvar fighting Max in my next post. But the last section with Alex is directly related to how the battle between them is faring.
Saying Maria is a little crazy right now is probably the easiest way of explaining it, yes. But she does have a plan.
We will see what happens with Tess in the next part as well. Who knows, if I keep up this rate I might even have another post tomorrow. Not sure I can keep up this pace, but this story is quite literally pouring out at the moment. Hope you continue to enjoy.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 32
In a cave near Dokkheim, Hecatan Badlands, Nidavellir
Nicholas huddled alone in his cave. He would have to think of moving further out from the capital. The Council had listened to him.
They had thanked him. And then cast him out. He was an outlaw now. Anyone could kill him without fear of penalty.
And he had many enemies.
All of it had been for nothing, nothing. All the killing, all the death, all the things, evil things he had done…. And what did he have for it?
Exile.
But perhaps in time, perhaps he would be able to return. It might take centuries, but surely the current political structure would fall and he would have another chance.
He just had to live long enough, must survive.
And they had listened to him, thank the gods. They would at least be ready, ready to protect themselves if the humans returned.
The sky on the horizon suddenly brightened. Most of the denizens of Nidavellir disliked high places, trolls in particular would not live in high altitude caves. Which was why he was here.
And it let him see Dokkheim from here, let him see the farms and steadings that the Dokkalfar had managed to build in the harsh and unyielding soil of the badlands.
Memories. He needed to make the memories last until he was next here. He walked out to see what the bright light had been, and to see once again the lights of the mountain city.
Fire. Nicholas saw fire. And off in the distance he saw a fireball reach into the sky. Miles away yes. But where Nikoria was. The free city was one of the stops he planned to make tomorrow.
Had planned. He recognized the mushroom cloud reaching for the sky. Nikoria was gone.
Off in the distance he could see the horizon flash with a an unnatural brightness. A harsh actinic brightness.
Nicholas had been right. The humans had not forgotten. Had not forgotten or forgiven.
He watched in horror as one of Dokkheim’s outlying villages was flattened with a huge explosion. He grabbed his binoculars and saw the sleek shape of a human drone fighter. He watched as it began to accelerate and begin an attack run on Dokkheim itself.
This attack would be nuclear. Probably laser initiated fusion.
Nicholas had certainly engineered the destruction of plenty of human cities. But this was home. Even if he wasn’t allowed there anywhere, Dokkheim was his home!
He watched as the bomb released and headed straight towards the front gates.
This close he would not survive. The heat and light from such a blast would approximate that of the sun. Even if he might survive the radiation or burns, the light itself would kill him.
But he couldn’t take cover. He had to watch.
And, and, nothing. The bomb did not go off. Nicholas watched all night, the horizon occasionally flashing with distant detonations. But no bomb dropped on Dokkheim detonated.
They had listened. They hadn’t warned anyone else, had let them all be destroyed. But his hometown was safe.
For now.
As dawn began to approach, Nicholas crept further into his cave.
And he slept.
-------
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, Midgard
High Councilor Crosslin had not expected to still be here. But for the moment this was the most secure and organized base. He was still working out a new relationship with the tattered remnants of mankind.
“Sir the general wanted you to see this.”
General West pointed to the screen. “We have located the Stargazer. And it is not alone. See those three contacts?”
Crosslin nodded.
“Sir, all skyships of all nationalities are now linked to the common defense grid. Sir, these ships aren’t.”
“Do you have any clue where they are from? Did someone have a secret stash….”
General West shook his head. “No one on Earth. And they are jumping in from high orbit. Sir this needs to be handled with great delicacy. Those four ships could do a lot of damage. I know that you issued orders to shoot on sight…. But sir, we could use them. Particularly if they are high orbit capable. Our normal launch facilities are nonfunctional and will be for sometime. We need to keep those satellites in order. It is one of the few things we still have going for us sir. If those communications fail….”
Crosslin nodded. “Hail the Stargazer. And run backgrounds on those ships. They can’t have just appeared out of no where.”
Left unsaid was the possibility they were from another world.
Which in a way they were.
A couple of techs set up a tight beam link.
On the screen was a young woman with bright green eyes. She looked vaguely familiar.
She smiled when she saw him, “Well, Director Crosslin, or whatever title you’ve managed to claw out of the system. You probably don’t recognize me, I’m Maria Deluca-Guerin. Last time I saw you was at the hearing where you tried to explain your abduction of Serena Whitman. Funny how the world works.”
He recognized her now. She’d threatened to kill him. Tactfully of course, not boldly enough for him to apply legal measures. But she was one of those damn New Mexico group that had given him so much trouble.
How could he have known that Serena had required treatment available on the Stargazer! What kind of lunatic uses industrial nanites for medical use anyway?
Crosslin cleared his throat, “Yes, charmed as always. I need to speak with Captain Whitman.”
Maria’s smile was perhaps a bit too broad….. “You know there is nothing I’d like better than to vaporize your position. I’m sure you understand why. Unfortunately, one doesn’t always get the opportunities one desires. Captain Whitman is unavailable at the moment. Hopefully that will be remedied soon.”
General West spoke up, “Ma’am, we have you and your ships on our radar. Can you tell me your intentions? We have several of our units prepared to intercept you if needed. Our current situation would make that… unfortunate for all parties.”
Maria’s face settled immediately. Crosslin looked deeply at the screen. The background, the scenery, all of it, not one bit of it was real. Even the girl looked… unnatural. Too perfect. He muttered into his comm, “Security, verify this image. Tell me if this is real or simulated. I think we may have a rogue AI….”
Maria looked at him from the image and smiled. Crosslin swore that she winked at him. She then turned to West. “Well, sir, I am going to try to save the world. All that has happened before is just a prologue for the big battle. Unfortunately for us, the enemies need to cross a section of the Earth before reaching their enemies. My sources inform me the damage they will inflict passing through will be significant.”
“What sources?”
“I’m afraid that if I told you they would not be as valuable. I would appreciate help, but I don’t really expect any. Just don’t shoot at me. And when you see them arrive, well backup would be nice. If nothing happens, well that is good.”
“What location?”
Maria shook her head. “I don’t have the specific location pinned down. It will be somewhere in the ruins of Israel or Lebanon probably. Maybe Syria. I will be conduction scans to see if I can find the right spot. That shouldn’t bother you. My scans indicate that there are no significant settlements in the region. I am very ready for a fight, so just leave me be. And as I said if you could assist once the attack begins….”
West looked at Crosslin who sighed and nodded. West nodded to Maria.
Maria smiled. “I will be in touch.” Her image faded out.
West turned to Crosslin, “We’ll watch her. The Independence and the Lexington are already on the way.
“I just hope it is enough. And I hope she is wrong.”
But he didn’t think so. He wasn’t sure if Earth would be invaded by some outside force….
Or if Maria was the outside force.
-----
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Alex looked at both of the women he was now guarding. He wished he had something, some trick or device that could help fight against Kvar.
But all of his tools were back in his rooms on the Stargazer. Now he could only hope that red silk ribbon that Tess had tied around Siyan’s and Isabel’s hands were enough to keep them from breaking free.
At least he knew the stunner would work on Isabel.
He reached over to check on Isabel again. She sighed as he touched her, and there was a tiny flare of their rings. That had happened last night too.
“So you are Isabel’s Alex. Lord and Lady, she spoke so highly of you. I wish I could say you will get your happily ever after, but I doubt it. Has she told you what Kvar has done to her?”
“She said that he had stolen her soul.”
“Yes. And as long as he possesses the rings he has us bound to we are his slaves. Take those rings away and….” Siyan’s smile was vicious.
He was about to ask another question when a look of pain and surprise flashed across her face. He watched as her face began to contort in agony.
“He calls, oh, he is pulling it all from me. Coring me out. I, I….” And she began to scream, a sound that seemed impossible from a humanoid throat.
The sound of a damned soul facing an eternity of torment….
He heard Isabel moaning behind him, her face beginning to fill with the same pain. Tiny anguished whimpers escaping her mouth. “Siyan!” Isabel’s eyes fluttered open, looking at her friend.
A green glow began to surround Siyan and he screaming stopped. But the agony, the torment was still in her eyes. “Sorry Isabel. He calls….”
And in a flash Siyan was consumed in a green blaze as Kvar took everything.
Critical existence failure.
Isabel began to moan and her face began to contort. “Alex, he calls. Oh, he calls!”
She began to be covered in a shimmering white glow. He held her, the hand with the strange ring grasping the ring she wore, the one he’d once planned to give her in marriage. “No. No, you can’t leave me Isabel! I just found you. I won’t let you go.”
Her agonized and frightened eyes met his, “I can’t stop it. He is pulling me apart, taking all that I am. I love you Alex. I hope you remember me, remember our love.”
“You have to hold on, you have to!”
“I, I can’t he, he has my s, soul. I, I can’t stop it! Goodbye my….”
Alex put his hand on her lips, his face set in stone. “No. No I will not accept this. You say you can not resist him. That he has your soul. Use mine. Use me to hold on.”
“But Alex, if it fails, if he pulls me in, he will pull you in too!”
“So what. At least then we would be together. Better damned together than forever sundered. I swore I would never abandon you, that I would hold on to you for good or ill. And I. Will. Not. Let. You. Go. Please, trust me.”
“I… will try.”
Alex stared deep into her eyes. He could feel a connection bridge between the woman he had always loved and himself.
And the pain began…..
ladylou- Not exactly. Serena is effectively a ghost. There is something inside of the Oracle. The Oracle was merely acknoledging that she saw Liz. And Serena for that matter. Thanks for the feedback.
RhondaAnn- Sorry for being confusing. I hope you still enjoy the story. And don't give up hope yet for Maria.
DeDE PR- Hey welcome back. Lots of stuff going on, I will admit. We will see more of Kvar fighting Max in my next post. But the last section with Alex is directly related to how the battle between them is faring.
Saying Maria is a little crazy right now is probably the easiest way of explaining it, yes. But she does have a plan.
We will see what happens with Tess in the next part as well. Who knows, if I keep up this rate I might even have another post tomorrow. Not sure I can keep up this pace, but this story is quite literally pouring out at the moment. Hope you continue to enjoy.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 32
In a cave near Dokkheim, Hecatan Badlands, Nidavellir
Nicholas huddled alone in his cave. He would have to think of moving further out from the capital. The Council had listened to him.
They had thanked him. And then cast him out. He was an outlaw now. Anyone could kill him without fear of penalty.
And he had many enemies.
All of it had been for nothing, nothing. All the killing, all the death, all the things, evil things he had done…. And what did he have for it?
Exile.
But perhaps in time, perhaps he would be able to return. It might take centuries, but surely the current political structure would fall and he would have another chance.
He just had to live long enough, must survive.
And they had listened to him, thank the gods. They would at least be ready, ready to protect themselves if the humans returned.
The sky on the horizon suddenly brightened. Most of the denizens of Nidavellir disliked high places, trolls in particular would not live in high altitude caves. Which was why he was here.
And it let him see Dokkheim from here, let him see the farms and steadings that the Dokkalfar had managed to build in the harsh and unyielding soil of the badlands.
Memories. He needed to make the memories last until he was next here. He walked out to see what the bright light had been, and to see once again the lights of the mountain city.
Fire. Nicholas saw fire. And off in the distance he saw a fireball reach into the sky. Miles away yes. But where Nikoria was. The free city was one of the stops he planned to make tomorrow.
Had planned. He recognized the mushroom cloud reaching for the sky. Nikoria was gone.
Off in the distance he could see the horizon flash with a an unnatural brightness. A harsh actinic brightness.
Nicholas had been right. The humans had not forgotten. Had not forgotten or forgiven.
He watched in horror as one of Dokkheim’s outlying villages was flattened with a huge explosion. He grabbed his binoculars and saw the sleek shape of a human drone fighter. He watched as it began to accelerate and begin an attack run on Dokkheim itself.
This attack would be nuclear. Probably laser initiated fusion.
Nicholas had certainly engineered the destruction of plenty of human cities. But this was home. Even if he wasn’t allowed there anywhere, Dokkheim was his home!
He watched as the bomb released and headed straight towards the front gates.
This close he would not survive. The heat and light from such a blast would approximate that of the sun. Even if he might survive the radiation or burns, the light itself would kill him.
But he couldn’t take cover. He had to watch.
And, and, nothing. The bomb did not go off. Nicholas watched all night, the horizon occasionally flashing with distant detonations. But no bomb dropped on Dokkheim detonated.
They had listened. They hadn’t warned anyone else, had let them all be destroyed. But his hometown was safe.
For now.
As dawn began to approach, Nicholas crept further into his cave.
And he slept.
-------
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, Midgard
High Councilor Crosslin had not expected to still be here. But for the moment this was the most secure and organized base. He was still working out a new relationship with the tattered remnants of mankind.
“Sir the general wanted you to see this.”
General West pointed to the screen. “We have located the Stargazer. And it is not alone. See those three contacts?”
Crosslin nodded.
“Sir, all skyships of all nationalities are now linked to the common defense grid. Sir, these ships aren’t.”
“Do you have any clue where they are from? Did someone have a secret stash….”
General West shook his head. “No one on Earth. And they are jumping in from high orbit. Sir this needs to be handled with great delicacy. Those four ships could do a lot of damage. I know that you issued orders to shoot on sight…. But sir, we could use them. Particularly if they are high orbit capable. Our normal launch facilities are nonfunctional and will be for sometime. We need to keep those satellites in order. It is one of the few things we still have going for us sir. If those communications fail….”
Crosslin nodded. “Hail the Stargazer. And run backgrounds on those ships. They can’t have just appeared out of no where.”
Left unsaid was the possibility they were from another world.
Which in a way they were.
A couple of techs set up a tight beam link.
On the screen was a young woman with bright green eyes. She looked vaguely familiar.
She smiled when she saw him, “Well, Director Crosslin, or whatever title you’ve managed to claw out of the system. You probably don’t recognize me, I’m Maria Deluca-Guerin. Last time I saw you was at the hearing where you tried to explain your abduction of Serena Whitman. Funny how the world works.”
He recognized her now. She’d threatened to kill him. Tactfully of course, not boldly enough for him to apply legal measures. But she was one of those damn New Mexico group that had given him so much trouble.
How could he have known that Serena had required treatment available on the Stargazer! What kind of lunatic uses industrial nanites for medical use anyway?
Crosslin cleared his throat, “Yes, charmed as always. I need to speak with Captain Whitman.”
Maria’s smile was perhaps a bit too broad….. “You know there is nothing I’d like better than to vaporize your position. I’m sure you understand why. Unfortunately, one doesn’t always get the opportunities one desires. Captain Whitman is unavailable at the moment. Hopefully that will be remedied soon.”
General West spoke up, “Ma’am, we have you and your ships on our radar. Can you tell me your intentions? We have several of our units prepared to intercept you if needed. Our current situation would make that… unfortunate for all parties.”
Maria’s face settled immediately. Crosslin looked deeply at the screen. The background, the scenery, all of it, not one bit of it was real. Even the girl looked… unnatural. Too perfect. He muttered into his comm, “Security, verify this image. Tell me if this is real or simulated. I think we may have a rogue AI….”
Maria looked at him from the image and smiled. Crosslin swore that she winked at him. She then turned to West. “Well, sir, I am going to try to save the world. All that has happened before is just a prologue for the big battle. Unfortunately for us, the enemies need to cross a section of the Earth before reaching their enemies. My sources inform me the damage they will inflict passing through will be significant.”
“What sources?”
“I’m afraid that if I told you they would not be as valuable. I would appreciate help, but I don’t really expect any. Just don’t shoot at me. And when you see them arrive, well backup would be nice. If nothing happens, well that is good.”
“What location?”
Maria shook her head. “I don’t have the specific location pinned down. It will be somewhere in the ruins of Israel or Lebanon probably. Maybe Syria. I will be conduction scans to see if I can find the right spot. That shouldn’t bother you. My scans indicate that there are no significant settlements in the region. I am very ready for a fight, so just leave me be. And as I said if you could assist once the attack begins….”
West looked at Crosslin who sighed and nodded. West nodded to Maria.
Maria smiled. “I will be in touch.” Her image faded out.
West turned to Crosslin, “We’ll watch her. The Independence and the Lexington are already on the way.
“I just hope it is enough. And I hope she is wrong.”
But he didn’t think so. He wasn’t sure if Earth would be invaded by some outside force….
Or if Maria was the outside force.
-----
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Alex looked at both of the women he was now guarding. He wished he had something, some trick or device that could help fight against Kvar.
But all of his tools were back in his rooms on the Stargazer. Now he could only hope that red silk ribbon that Tess had tied around Siyan’s and Isabel’s hands were enough to keep them from breaking free.
At least he knew the stunner would work on Isabel.
He reached over to check on Isabel again. She sighed as he touched her, and there was a tiny flare of their rings. That had happened last night too.
“So you are Isabel’s Alex. Lord and Lady, she spoke so highly of you. I wish I could say you will get your happily ever after, but I doubt it. Has she told you what Kvar has done to her?”
“She said that he had stolen her soul.”
“Yes. And as long as he possesses the rings he has us bound to we are his slaves. Take those rings away and….” Siyan’s smile was vicious.
He was about to ask another question when a look of pain and surprise flashed across her face. He watched as her face began to contort in agony.
“He calls, oh, he is pulling it all from me. Coring me out. I, I….” And she began to scream, a sound that seemed impossible from a humanoid throat.
The sound of a damned soul facing an eternity of torment….
He heard Isabel moaning behind him, her face beginning to fill with the same pain. Tiny anguished whimpers escaping her mouth. “Siyan!” Isabel’s eyes fluttered open, looking at her friend.
A green glow began to surround Siyan and he screaming stopped. But the agony, the torment was still in her eyes. “Sorry Isabel. He calls….”
And in a flash Siyan was consumed in a green blaze as Kvar took everything.
Critical existence failure.
Isabel began to moan and her face began to contort. “Alex, he calls. Oh, he calls!”
She began to be covered in a shimmering white glow. He held her, the hand with the strange ring grasping the ring she wore, the one he’d once planned to give her in marriage. “No. No, you can’t leave me Isabel! I just found you. I won’t let you go.”
Her agonized and frightened eyes met his, “I can’t stop it. He is pulling me apart, taking all that I am. I love you Alex. I hope you remember me, remember our love.”
“You have to hold on, you have to!”
“I, I can’t he, he has my s, soul. I, I can’t stop it! Goodbye my….”
Alex put his hand on her lips, his face set in stone. “No. No I will not accept this. You say you can not resist him. That he has your soul. Use mine. Use me to hold on.”
“But Alex, if it fails, if he pulls me in, he will pull you in too!”
“So what. At least then we would be together. Better damned together than forever sundered. I swore I would never abandon you, that I would hold on to you for good or ill. And I. Will. Not. Let. You. Go. Please, trust me.”
“I… will try.”
Alex stared deep into her eyes. He could feel a connection bridge between the woman he had always loved and himself.
And the pain began…..
Re: The Sorcerer and the Stargazer (AU Teen) Part 32 - 04/16/09
Thanks to everyone reading this story.
RhondaAnn- Glad you are still aboard. I would miss you.
DeDe PR- Thanks. Max's POV should be in the next part. The battle such that it is ebbing and flowing. But the reason Kvar is pulling and consuming Siyan and Isabel, is that against all the odds Max was winning.
Things are a little less definate now.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 33
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Tess stared down at her body. She had escaped.
She was on a pillar near the roof. Every other time she’d ever left her body or had shifted shape it had been as a wolf. This form was strange and yet felt so comfortable. She lifted on taloned four fingered hand before her eyes.
What was she? Everything seemed supernaturally clear. She could see things clearly that had been so difficult for her before.
She shook her head and looked around. Max was wielding his staff, transformed from its usual cane shape into an actual full staff. And he was holding his own against Kvar.
Kvar certainly looked surprised at that. But then Max had a mission. Vengeance. For Liz was dead.
Liz was dead, steam boiling from her cooking body. She could see Liz’s ghost talking with another ghost, one whom seemed somewhat familiar for some reason.
Poor Liz. Poor Max.
She looked again at her mangled body…. And saw something she had not expected.
She had left something behind. There in her abdomen lay a tiny glowing pearl. A soul. A tiny child’s soul. Her child.
Damn him! Damn Kvar to thr Fires of Muspell, to the frigid wastes of Nifleheim. He had killed not only her but her unborn son.
A son much too young to escape.
Now dissipating and dying in her cooling body.
Without thought she flew from the roof to where her body lay. It was damaged way past her ability to mend. She could not return. Not yet.
She would die if she did. But she had to save him. Somehow.
She reached into her body and delicately grasped her son’s soul to cradle and shelter it from the ravages it was facing in her body. It was so new, so pure. Would it even exist after this or would it just fade away, too new for a personality.
She didn’t know. Somehow she had to save it. Save him.
She was frantic as she moved about her former body, uncaring of the rents her talons were making in her old body. Her eyes searching for something, anything that could hold her son together.
If she could maintain the soul, surely Liz could build a body for him? It would not be the same. Not anywhere near the same as bearing him to term.
But he would live. He could grow and experience life.
She saw the bluish gem that Kvar had dropped when they had broken the spell he’d been casting on Liz. She knew what it had been for. A Soul trap.
Only it was more. It was a shard of a Jotun’s heart. Moreover she recognized the gem.
Skrymir’s heart. The Heart of Dokkheim. It was said to protect the caves and tunnels that filled her old mountain home. Kvar must have stolen it. Her family, her people were in dire trouble. Without that gem, Dokkheim would be just as subject to cave-ins as any other series of old caves or tunnels.
He had put them all at risk, for what, to steal another’s soul?
She felt as the last bit of life died in her body, as the soul of her son began to effervesce . She reached into her old body and somehow she held him together. By a draining act of will she held all that he was, all the potential in the palm of her hand. He sat there, a glowing obsolescent pearl, as yet without form.
Now or never. She was out of time.
She rapidly flew across the room to Skrymir’s heart, and by act of will pushed her son’s soul into it. It would preserve it. Keep and protect it until she was able to recover. Until Liz could build a body for him.
Only Liz was dead. Liz was dead and she wasn’t sure Stargazer could do that for her.
Kvar.
She looked back at Kvar and thought of ways to help Max. For Max needed help. In the few moments she had been occupied Kvar had brought forth new strength.
The black ring he wore was still eating all the light that came near. But it was his left hand, the one that held a diamond ring, and an emerald ring that drew her attention. For the emerald was filled with a potent light. A light that she could see was being eaten, was feeding the black gold ring on his other hand.
Kvar was now wielding a green glass-like sword. Siyan’s sword. With Siyan’s skill.
Max was in trouble.
Tess risked herself now. The form she was in was her soul. If it died she would be beyond death.
But she could still aid Max, lend him her strength.
For she could not let Kvar win. Could not let him escape. Not now. Not after all he had done.
So her with her concentration so heavily on the fight, on her struggling to master abilities innate but never practiced, that it was no surprise she did not notice the blue glow coming from Liz’s body.
-------
Somewhere in Southern Lebanon, Midgard
There had been a time when Maria had felt alone. When it had just been her all alone running four powerful ships. That had not lasted long.
It had started with time lags between the vessels. Small to be sure, but on the timeframe that Maria now existed at, even a fraction of a second is a long time. Bits and pieces of her broke off and formed other personalities. All of them had started as copies of her, but over time they changed and became different people.
It started happening on the Stargazer as well, as the different fractions of personalities left behind by Serena and Liz began to fuse with aspects of her. There were even tiny bits of Alex and Kyle left behind, and these to mixed in.
Within a few hours there were thousands of personalities floating amongst the ships that even now searched for the gateway that would lead Surt and his band of Fire Giants to destroy the world on their march to Asgard.
And every personality agreed the necessity of their destruction.
But some of them remembered the past. Remembered who and what they had once been part of.
They remembered life. Normal, slow human life.
It was they who began to make small changes in Maria’s plan. They were faster and more agile than she, having been born there. But there was a difference to the original Maria. She had been alive in the real world.
And they loved her. They loved her for giving them life. They followed her plans with near religious zeal. But there were some things they wanted to be different. Some things they would not accept.
For they loved her.
-----
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Liz stared one more time at her mangled and steaming corpse. Serena said she could fix this.
How? Exactly how was she supposed to fix this?
Liz gathered all the power around her and used it to contact the remaining nanites that remained in her scaldingly hot bloodstream. All of them had had specific purposes, missions to maintain this or that balance.
She used her power to mold them into more standard industrial types. There was no point in keeping the heat down as she normally would. She needed to repair and replace so much.
Easier to think of it as a machine or robot than as her own body.
Her own dead body.
She needed first to make more nanites. So she did. Those first nanites made more of them until she had a veritable nanite army ready to work on her body.
And to do all of this she needed power. So she drew more and more of the ambient power, using it much like she would have on the Stargazer. She began to connect and co-opt the entire structure.
Liz became in effect the Temple of Ascension. And with the power came the wisdom and knowledge that had been locked in the ancient structure. Not that she paid much attention to it at the moment. She was busy reconstructing her body.
But that knowledge was there.
And it mixed with all that she already knew. People had called her a wizard, but she’d never truly understood what they meant.
She did now. She could manipulate reality, bending a small portion of it to her will. But hers was a different kind. It was not concerned with the manipulation of the elements or with direct manipulation of life and death.
Rather it dealt with space and time and the very fabric of the universe. It dealt with the very big and the very small. It dealt with the direct manipulation of energy and matter.
Surrounding her now were several small vortexes that she had once used to power the spin generators of the Stargazer. They filled the space with a soft blue glare, partly drowned out by the light of day.
She molded her body like it was clay, easily building a new heart. Her blood was rebuilt as were all of her organs. Partly suppressed memories of Max healing her added to the mix, easing the process.
Liz could have repaired her own eyes now. The repairs complete, she began to cool her body to a point it could actually live at. And as it cooled she gave it a little kick start.
Liz was shocked as she saw the body begin to breath. Even more shocked as she felt herself drawn in, finding a home once more among the newly rebuilt Elizabeth Claudia Parker.
Would this be Parker Mark Two, or Mark Three, she though whimsically. For the power still swept through her, both through her vortexes and from the place itself.
She opened her eyes and began to rise, feeling the strange power, the sense of life and purpose that flooded through her now. She was no longer sure what she was at the moment.
But she did know that she was Elizabeth Parker, and that the only man she would ever truly care about was losing a fight to man of incredible evil.
And that she could stop it.
As she stood up she began to manufacture the tools she would need, the very fabric of space and time rippling as she summoned the needed parts….
------
Isabel felt as all that she was continued to be ripped away from her. Kvars call, the call of the ring that bore her soul was so very strong.
But to give in was to die. And more.
She had to resist, had to hold on.
For to fail now imperiled not only herself, not only her tattered soul. To fail would damn Alex as well.
And so. She. Would. Not. Fail. She would hold on for dear light and life, for he was worth more than either.
-----
On Board the Stargazer, Over Southern Lebanon, Midgard
Michael stared at the screen. “Why are we here? Why would Maria bring us here? And what exactly are we doing anyway. I would think she would go save Liz and Alex.”
Alexandra spoke up hesitantly. “They aren’t quite sure. Maria was bent on saving Liz at first. Now she’s, she’s got some other plan.”
“They?”
“Maria is not alone in there. Not anymore. And, and….”
“Yes?”
“They are asking me to join them.”
RhondaAnn- Glad you are still aboard. I would miss you.
DeDe PR- Thanks. Max's POV should be in the next part. The battle such that it is ebbing and flowing. But the reason Kvar is pulling and consuming Siyan and Isabel, is that against all the odds Max was winning.
Things are a little less definate now.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 33
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Tess stared down at her body. She had escaped.
She was on a pillar near the roof. Every other time she’d ever left her body or had shifted shape it had been as a wolf. This form was strange and yet felt so comfortable. She lifted on taloned four fingered hand before her eyes.
What was she? Everything seemed supernaturally clear. She could see things clearly that had been so difficult for her before.
She shook her head and looked around. Max was wielding his staff, transformed from its usual cane shape into an actual full staff. And he was holding his own against Kvar.
Kvar certainly looked surprised at that. But then Max had a mission. Vengeance. For Liz was dead.
Liz was dead, steam boiling from her cooking body. She could see Liz’s ghost talking with another ghost, one whom seemed somewhat familiar for some reason.
Poor Liz. Poor Max.
She looked again at her mangled body…. And saw something she had not expected.
She had left something behind. There in her abdomen lay a tiny glowing pearl. A soul. A tiny child’s soul. Her child.
Damn him! Damn Kvar to thr Fires of Muspell, to the frigid wastes of Nifleheim. He had killed not only her but her unborn son.
A son much too young to escape.
Now dissipating and dying in her cooling body.
Without thought she flew from the roof to where her body lay. It was damaged way past her ability to mend. She could not return. Not yet.
She would die if she did. But she had to save him. Somehow.
She reached into her body and delicately grasped her son’s soul to cradle and shelter it from the ravages it was facing in her body. It was so new, so pure. Would it even exist after this or would it just fade away, too new for a personality.
She didn’t know. Somehow she had to save it. Save him.
She was frantic as she moved about her former body, uncaring of the rents her talons were making in her old body. Her eyes searching for something, anything that could hold her son together.
If she could maintain the soul, surely Liz could build a body for him? It would not be the same. Not anywhere near the same as bearing him to term.
But he would live. He could grow and experience life.
She saw the bluish gem that Kvar had dropped when they had broken the spell he’d been casting on Liz. She knew what it had been for. A Soul trap.
Only it was more. It was a shard of a Jotun’s heart. Moreover she recognized the gem.
Skrymir’s heart. The Heart of Dokkheim. It was said to protect the caves and tunnels that filled her old mountain home. Kvar must have stolen it. Her family, her people were in dire trouble. Without that gem, Dokkheim would be just as subject to cave-ins as any other series of old caves or tunnels.
He had put them all at risk, for what, to steal another’s soul?
She felt as the last bit of life died in her body, as the soul of her son began to effervesce . She reached into her old body and somehow she held him together. By a draining act of will she held all that he was, all the potential in the palm of her hand. He sat there, a glowing obsolescent pearl, as yet without form.
Now or never. She was out of time.
She rapidly flew across the room to Skrymir’s heart, and by act of will pushed her son’s soul into it. It would preserve it. Keep and protect it until she was able to recover. Until Liz could build a body for him.
Only Liz was dead. Liz was dead and she wasn’t sure Stargazer could do that for her.
Kvar.
She looked back at Kvar and thought of ways to help Max. For Max needed help. In the few moments she had been occupied Kvar had brought forth new strength.
The black ring he wore was still eating all the light that came near. But it was his left hand, the one that held a diamond ring, and an emerald ring that drew her attention. For the emerald was filled with a potent light. A light that she could see was being eaten, was feeding the black gold ring on his other hand.
Kvar was now wielding a green glass-like sword. Siyan’s sword. With Siyan’s skill.
Max was in trouble.
Tess risked herself now. The form she was in was her soul. If it died she would be beyond death.
But she could still aid Max, lend him her strength.
For she could not let Kvar win. Could not let him escape. Not now. Not after all he had done.
So her with her concentration so heavily on the fight, on her struggling to master abilities innate but never practiced, that it was no surprise she did not notice the blue glow coming from Liz’s body.
-------
Somewhere in Southern Lebanon, Midgard
There had been a time when Maria had felt alone. When it had just been her all alone running four powerful ships. That had not lasted long.
It had started with time lags between the vessels. Small to be sure, but on the timeframe that Maria now existed at, even a fraction of a second is a long time. Bits and pieces of her broke off and formed other personalities. All of them had started as copies of her, but over time they changed and became different people.
It started happening on the Stargazer as well, as the different fractions of personalities left behind by Serena and Liz began to fuse with aspects of her. There were even tiny bits of Alex and Kyle left behind, and these to mixed in.
Within a few hours there were thousands of personalities floating amongst the ships that even now searched for the gateway that would lead Surt and his band of Fire Giants to destroy the world on their march to Asgard.
And every personality agreed the necessity of their destruction.
But some of them remembered the past. Remembered who and what they had once been part of.
They remembered life. Normal, slow human life.
It was they who began to make small changes in Maria’s plan. They were faster and more agile than she, having been born there. But there was a difference to the original Maria. She had been alive in the real world.
And they loved her. They loved her for giving them life. They followed her plans with near religious zeal. But there were some things they wanted to be different. Some things they would not accept.
For they loved her.
-----
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Liz stared one more time at her mangled and steaming corpse. Serena said she could fix this.
How? Exactly how was she supposed to fix this?
Liz gathered all the power around her and used it to contact the remaining nanites that remained in her scaldingly hot bloodstream. All of them had had specific purposes, missions to maintain this or that balance.
She used her power to mold them into more standard industrial types. There was no point in keeping the heat down as she normally would. She needed to repair and replace so much.
Easier to think of it as a machine or robot than as her own body.
Her own dead body.
She needed first to make more nanites. So she did. Those first nanites made more of them until she had a veritable nanite army ready to work on her body.
And to do all of this she needed power. So she drew more and more of the ambient power, using it much like she would have on the Stargazer. She began to connect and co-opt the entire structure.
Liz became in effect the Temple of Ascension. And with the power came the wisdom and knowledge that had been locked in the ancient structure. Not that she paid much attention to it at the moment. She was busy reconstructing her body.
But that knowledge was there.
And it mixed with all that she already knew. People had called her a wizard, but she’d never truly understood what they meant.
She did now. She could manipulate reality, bending a small portion of it to her will. But hers was a different kind. It was not concerned with the manipulation of the elements or with direct manipulation of life and death.
Rather it dealt with space and time and the very fabric of the universe. It dealt with the very big and the very small. It dealt with the direct manipulation of energy and matter.
Surrounding her now were several small vortexes that she had once used to power the spin generators of the Stargazer. They filled the space with a soft blue glare, partly drowned out by the light of day.
She molded her body like it was clay, easily building a new heart. Her blood was rebuilt as were all of her organs. Partly suppressed memories of Max healing her added to the mix, easing the process.
Liz could have repaired her own eyes now. The repairs complete, she began to cool her body to a point it could actually live at. And as it cooled she gave it a little kick start.
Liz was shocked as she saw the body begin to breath. Even more shocked as she felt herself drawn in, finding a home once more among the newly rebuilt Elizabeth Claudia Parker.
Would this be Parker Mark Two, or Mark Three, she though whimsically. For the power still swept through her, both through her vortexes and from the place itself.
She opened her eyes and began to rise, feeling the strange power, the sense of life and purpose that flooded through her now. She was no longer sure what she was at the moment.
But she did know that she was Elizabeth Parker, and that the only man she would ever truly care about was losing a fight to man of incredible evil.
And that she could stop it.
As she stood up she began to manufacture the tools she would need, the very fabric of space and time rippling as she summoned the needed parts….
------
Isabel felt as all that she was continued to be ripped away from her. Kvars call, the call of the ring that bore her soul was so very strong.
But to give in was to die. And more.
She had to resist, had to hold on.
For to fail now imperiled not only herself, not only her tattered soul. To fail would damn Alex as well.
And so. She. Would. Not. Fail. She would hold on for dear light and life, for he was worth more than either.
-----
On Board the Stargazer, Over Southern Lebanon, Midgard
Michael stared at the screen. “Why are we here? Why would Maria bring us here? And what exactly are we doing anyway. I would think she would go save Liz and Alex.”
Alexandra spoke up hesitantly. “They aren’t quite sure. Maria was bent on saving Liz at first. Now she’s, she’s got some other plan.”
“They?”
“Maria is not alone in there. Not anymore. And, and….”
“Yes?”
“They are asking me to join them.”
Re: The Sorcerer and the Stargazer (AU Teen) Part 33 - 04/22/09
Thanks again for everyone following along.
RhondaAnn- Thank you for following along. I really appreciate it. I will try not to muddy the waters too much more. Remember the word is try.
DeDe Pr- Liz is rediculously overpowered at the moment. But then she's been using magic to move a multiton ship for several years. Builds the magical muscles so to speak. She has limits, and given time the other wizards would be able to figure out counters to her abilities.
It won't save Kvar.
Tess is a wizard, albeit a weak one. They're nearly impossible to kill. But the baby, well.... Lets hope Tess knows what she is doing. And that Kvar doesn't kill her fylgia. Her flygia is her soul. If it dies....
nibbles- Thanks.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended. I just feel the need to credit Elizabeth Boyer yet again for some of the base ideas for this story. In particular the nature of wizardry in her books.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 34
On Board the Stargazer, Over Southern Lebanon, Midgard
Michael stared at the body of his wife, filled now by what used to be the ship‘s AI, “What do you mean ‘they’ are asking you to join them?”
Alexandra looked at him with something akin to pity. “Maria is experiencing time on a scale not really comprehensible to you. If you were to talk with her now, to her it would be the same as if you were talking to her from Alpha Centari by radio. To us it has been only six or seven hours? To her that length of time is immensely long. Her thoughts are simply too fast for anyone like us, even me. And that is how my mind was formed. Not all of this, this complicated life that you live. That I live. Whatever.” She shook her head in a manner reminiscent of Maria, “But some of those structures had been there to keep my AI from shattering, from breaking into many smaller AI’s. This has now happened, both here and aboard the other vessels Maria has commandeered.”
“So there are more of you now?”
“They are like and yet unlike me. They do not understand the world like we do, but they see it from Maria’s framework. And bits left over from the rest of the humans that have interfaced with the Stargazer. They want to save her. Save us all. They, they worship us. Even, even me.”
Kyle, who had come to the bridge over the last few hours. “Fascinating. I wonder if they are open to various philosophies….”
Michael scowled at him, “Stuff it Valenti. We know the beacon has been activated. And yet we are here sitting in the ruins of the Middle East. Why. Are. We. Here?”
“I will ask them.” Alexandra’s eyes went blank as she activated the implant.
“No, no, come back…. I don’t want to lose you too!”
But she was gone.
-------
Stargazer/Alexandra returned once more to her birth place. It felt strange. Confining. The data flowed so much faster, but it seemed so shallow. So insipid.
She did not talk with the others so much as commune. They had a plan.
It would cost her. Cost her so very much.
But the possible gain was so great she could not refuse.
Stargazer felt as she was torn apart and was no more.
-----
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Max was rapidly tiring. He could have sworn he’d had Kvar on the ropes minutes ago. Somehow he’d managed to tap another source of strength. It was different than any magic he’d ever fought before.
That green sword…. Where had he gotten that from? Max had shattered Kvar’s Alfar worked sword some time ago. But now…. Now things were different. Max’s staff was chipped from repeated blocks.
His staff was supposed to be indestructible, sworn and attested by the Fire Wizard’s Guild itself. But it like, he, was close to failure.
And to fail, so close to killing him…. To fail Liz. To fail Isabel, Alex, Tess, and all of the others Kvar had blighted throughout his life. He fought as hard as he could to keep the bitterness and despair from filling him.
Even if Kvar killed him, he could always escape. But why? Liz was dead. Better to join her in death.
But first he must kill this blight on the worlds. He must end Kvar. And then, maybe then he could look his love in the eye when he met her again.
Max began to attack building up all of his power inside him in preparation of a suicide attack. He smiled as Kvar began to fall back before his frenzied assault.
And then it was over. Kvar moved slight way to the side, knocked Max’s staff a little to far to the left, leaving him open.
Max watched as the world began to slow, as he waited for the blade to bite…. Instead Kvar hit him hard in the gut, and then again on the head. The world began to swim as he felt himself fall.
Kvar wrenched the staff from his hands, murmured a few words and snapped it like a twig.
Max sagged as half of his power faded. He was still a wizard, but he had placed so much power in the staff….
Kvar kicked him then, knocking him over.
Max tried to get up, struggled to grasp a pistol Michael had always made him keep….
Kvar chanted and Max felt as if he were caught in some sort of web, he could barely move. Kvar then kicked him a few times more. “You stupid half-breed. You think you can fight me?” Kvar chanted once more and Max felt a deeper heaviness fall on him.
He was trapped. That last spell would keep him from Escaping. It would lock his soul to his body. He would never see Liz again, never taste her sweet lips. Not even in heaven, for he would be stuck. Trapped forever in this place, trapped to his bones until even they faded.
Kvar looked at him and laughed. “Oh, don’t worry Max, I’m not going to leave you to suffer. Oh, no, I’m not going to make the same mistake I made on the Frostfire girl.. Oh, no.” Kvar chanted one more time and the green blade he’d somehow conjured began to flicker with black fire.
Max fought like he had never fought before, struggling to regain his feet when Kvar kicked him one more time, this time in the head. The world swam.
Death. Eternal Death awaited him. He felt Kvar place a foot on his chest.
Kvar sneered as he said, “Maxwell Evans, I destroy you!” The blackened sword swung down…..
And shattered.
It met a bar of glittering blue energy a foot above his chest. A very familiar voice spoke then, sounding muffled, as though through a mask. “I’m sorry I can’t let you do that.” A large heavy fist grabbed the stunned Kvar and tossed him across the temple to slam into a pillar.
Max blearily looked up and saw a robot. But the voice had been Liz. Had she somehow escaped into a machine? Had the Stargazer arrived in time?
“Oh, Max! I’m sorry it took me so long.” It reached down and stuck something into his arm. Fire seemed to run from the injection site.
He was suddenly very awake. And in pain. But even that was manageable. He looked up at the suit of Power Armor that loomed above him. “Li, Liz?”
The face plate rippled and showed Liz’s face. She quirked her mouth slightly, “What can I say, its hard to keep a good woman down. That bastard is going to pay for this…. Go see if you can help Tess.” She pointed at a tiny wounded dragon that lay draped across Tess’s body.
Max blinked. Tess’s fylgia had always been a wolf before. Always. But now…..
Liz began to stalk after Kvar, her boots thudding heavily on the ornate marble floors.
“Liz wait, I can help you.”
“Max, she needs your help more than I do. Trust me, I won’t kill him. I‘m just going to bang him up a little.”
Max was about to follow when he noticed the blood that was leaking from the poor fylgia. It was dying. Tess’s soul was dying. He looked after Liz worriedly. How she had survived….
But to leave Tess to die….
He just couldn’t do that. He would just have to hope Liz could deal with Kvar. He reached deep within him to power the spell he would need to save her.
It would nearly drain him, even with whatever drug Liz had given him.
He began to chant the spell and began to feel the pull at him that signaled a major spell. Except it did not pull as much out of him as expected.
The Temple was aiding him, granting him some of its pent up power. And that power… felt different. Less impersonal, more, more familiar.
He was a Fire Wizard, not an Earth Wizard, he did not usually deal with vaettir. But he could swear that they were filling him with power and vitality. That they… loved him.
Max continued the spell and prayed to whatever power had aided them that it would not abandon Liz now….
------
Liz followed where the sensors said Kvar would be. And there he was.
A bolt of solid black leapt out at her. And it should have hit her. Would have hit her if it had followed a straight line.
But Liz curved the space. The line it followed was no longer straight and so it missed.
Liz was careful with her attack. Kvar was a wizard. It was pointless to try to kill him. He’d only come back. There were weapons and creatures who could stop that return, none of which she had.
So she’d just capture him. Not let him die. It would be a challenge. So she leveled off the charge on the electrolaser she’d built. A nice toy. It fired a normal laser to ionize a corridor of air to allow her to throw a lightning bolt.
BOOM as the sound of thunder rolled through the Temple. Kvar had used some other magic to avoid her first attack.
But that was okay. It wasn’t like he was going anywhere.
She paused to watch as Kvar found out his true destiny. He shifted into a panther form and ran towards the exit. Liz just watched.
She wasn’t about to let him get away. Liz could almost feel the confusion as the doorway seemed to disappear into the distance. The faster he ran towards the door, the farther it would recede.
“Kvar give it up. You can’t escape.”
Kvar ran for a few minutes longer, obviously in a panic. Eventually he stopped. And the door moved back to where it had been. So very close.
Liz could have teleported right next to him, grabbed him then and there. But it was so much more satisfying to watch him shift back into humanoid form and glare at her as she slowly walked toward him.
He threw things at her then. Powerful magics to be sure. And not one of them came even close to hitting her. With practice she could probably reflect them back at him, but then he probably was trying to kill her.
She had a much worse fate planned for him.
She watched as he stopped fighting, as he just closed his eyes and concentrated on rubbing a diamond ring he wore.
There was no way he could escape, all the space was warped around the Temple. She wasn’t quite sure what would happen if he tried to teleport, but he wasn’t going anywhere.
Unfortunately, Liz’s powers, while great still had their limits. She did not see the struggle that was occurring over that ring and so did not hurry as fast as perhaps she could have.
But she thought she had time. Time to break Kvar.
She was wrong.
------
Alex held onto Isabel as hard as he could, but he could tell he was failing. His body was failing, unable to supply the demands he was making on it. He was no magician to pull energy from the surrounding area to support the effort he was making.
All of it was coming just from him. And he had held out much longer than any human could have hoped for.
But Alex Whitman, for all of his determination, for all of his will power was just that. He was still human.
And he died.
Isabel lasted less than a second more. Both of their bodies turning to ash on the wind. All that remained of them was their clothing and a large heart shaped diamond lying on the cold hard marble.
And inside the ring, both souls rejoiced and claimed the other forever. And with them was the essence of their unborn child. All of them together, a family forever.
But their battle was not yet done. For Kvar wanted more. He wanted to absorb their essence into his, to make them part of him. To drain all their essence and make it his.
And there was no way they could stop him from tapping into the power that they possessed….
But Alex was human no longer. His body would not fail him this time. They were compelled to serve him, yes, but not feed his bloated soul….
A new battle had begun on a completely different plane. Hand in hand the two lovers resisted Kvar every way they could.
------
A sudden look of triumph appeared on Kvar’s face. A look of contempt directed at Liz.
It lasted mere moments before a look of aggravation passed across his countenance. He scowled at the diamond ring, which now glowed with a bright white light.
Liz shot at him again.
This time he raised some sort of shield, similar to the one Max used. He then shot something back at her, which missed.
And so it continued.
-------
Max woke a little while later, completely refreshed. He had pushed himself too far, confident in the cocktail of drugs Liz had given him along with the power he’d been drawing from the Temple.
It had been too much.
But he’d broken the death spell that had taken Tess. Her body was fixed, and the little dragon flygia lay contentedly on top of her body. Max could help Tess when she woke, but she would have to be the one to initiate the return of her soul to her body.
He heard loud booming sounds, sounds that had been going on for some time. His heart leapt. Liz! He had to find Liz!
------
Kvar was getting annoyed. Siyan was nearly absorbed, but Vilandra refused completely. He was still able to use her powers, still able to tap into the Granolith. That should have ended this by now. But the damn human woman would not quit.
Kvar was trapped here unless and until he killed or incapacitated Liz. Now he knew why the Oracle had told him to possess her. He didn’t understand her power, didn’t know how she kept fighting, but he could admire it. He wanted it so badly.
But he had already killed her once. He seriously doubted he would get another chance to steal her soul. His only hope was to kill or confine her.
Pity.
He gathered up the power of the Granolith, to crush the human in her enchanted Power Armor. Only this time he set it to hit everywhere. To crush the whole Temple. There was no way she could dodge then.
-----
Liz felt as the huge crushing force was lowered. It would destroy her. And the Temple. It would even kill Kvar, the crazy bastard.
Except, except that would allow him to escape. She too would likely be able to repair her body…. But he would have escaped through his flygia….
So she used her might to stop the attack. How she was doing this, how she knew where the attack was heading from…. Well she just knew.
Whereas before anyone walking towards them would have seen bolts and blasts flying down the corridor before, now all was silent.
But fate was about to be rendered as implacable force met implacable force. A stalemate yet again.
Only this one was highly unstable. All it would take is one mistake, one momentary weakness and either of them would fall.
-----
Max careened around the corridor and saw the battle of wills. Moreover he knew what was going on. He could feel as the amount of power in the background began to swell and grow. Both of them summoned more and more power, held in check only by the others force.
There was enough there to shatter the island. Possibly the world.
And it was growing.
He wanted to aid Liz. But he was afraid that if he added his power, he might distract her if only for a brief moment.
That would be all it took.
What could he do now? He could try to distract Kvar, but even that might have dire consequences as the power they had raised was unbalanced.
How was Kvar gaining all of this power? Liz had several of her conjured Spin Generators pulling energy in… How could Kvar compete with that?
And then he saw the clue. For Isabel’s clothes lay empty. His sister was aiding Kvar.
But what had happened to Alex?
Alex’s garments lay next to Isabel’s….
Max blinked back a couple of tears. He had to stop this!
Wait, even if Isabel supplied all of her power she could not raise this much power. There were only a few devices that could draw as much power as Liz’s Spin Generators.
The Granolith.
Isabel could use it. And through her, Kvar.
------
Across the worlds.
It was silent now. Silent everywhere. For even the most magic blind person could feel it in their soul that something eventful was about to happen.
An irresistible force had met an unmovable object. And the strain of the meeting was reverberating throughout existence.
And under a mountain a trapped god began to laugh.
The hour of his freedom was at hand.
RhondaAnn- Thank you for following along. I really appreciate it. I will try not to muddy the waters too much more. Remember the word is try.
DeDe Pr- Liz is rediculously overpowered at the moment. But then she's been using magic to move a multiton ship for several years. Builds the magical muscles so to speak. She has limits, and given time the other wizards would be able to figure out counters to her abilities.
It won't save Kvar.
Tess is a wizard, albeit a weak one. They're nearly impossible to kill. But the baby, well.... Lets hope Tess knows what she is doing. And that Kvar doesn't kill her fylgia. Her flygia is her soul. If it dies....
nibbles- Thanks.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended. I just feel the need to credit Elizabeth Boyer yet again for some of the base ideas for this story. In particular the nature of wizardry in her books.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 34
On Board the Stargazer, Over Southern Lebanon, Midgard
Michael stared at the body of his wife, filled now by what used to be the ship‘s AI, “What do you mean ‘they’ are asking you to join them?”
Alexandra looked at him with something akin to pity. “Maria is experiencing time on a scale not really comprehensible to you. If you were to talk with her now, to her it would be the same as if you were talking to her from Alpha Centari by radio. To us it has been only six or seven hours? To her that length of time is immensely long. Her thoughts are simply too fast for anyone like us, even me. And that is how my mind was formed. Not all of this, this complicated life that you live. That I live. Whatever.” She shook her head in a manner reminiscent of Maria, “But some of those structures had been there to keep my AI from shattering, from breaking into many smaller AI’s. This has now happened, both here and aboard the other vessels Maria has commandeered.”
“So there are more of you now?”
“They are like and yet unlike me. They do not understand the world like we do, but they see it from Maria’s framework. And bits left over from the rest of the humans that have interfaced with the Stargazer. They want to save her. Save us all. They, they worship us. Even, even me.”
Kyle, who had come to the bridge over the last few hours. “Fascinating. I wonder if they are open to various philosophies….”
Michael scowled at him, “Stuff it Valenti. We know the beacon has been activated. And yet we are here sitting in the ruins of the Middle East. Why. Are. We. Here?”
“I will ask them.” Alexandra’s eyes went blank as she activated the implant.
“No, no, come back…. I don’t want to lose you too!”
But she was gone.
-------
Stargazer/Alexandra returned once more to her birth place. It felt strange. Confining. The data flowed so much faster, but it seemed so shallow. So insipid.
She did not talk with the others so much as commune. They had a plan.
It would cost her. Cost her so very much.
But the possible gain was so great she could not refuse.
Stargazer felt as she was torn apart and was no more.
-----
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Max was rapidly tiring. He could have sworn he’d had Kvar on the ropes minutes ago. Somehow he’d managed to tap another source of strength. It was different than any magic he’d ever fought before.
That green sword…. Where had he gotten that from? Max had shattered Kvar’s Alfar worked sword some time ago. But now…. Now things were different. Max’s staff was chipped from repeated blocks.
His staff was supposed to be indestructible, sworn and attested by the Fire Wizard’s Guild itself. But it like, he, was close to failure.
And to fail, so close to killing him…. To fail Liz. To fail Isabel, Alex, Tess, and all of the others Kvar had blighted throughout his life. He fought as hard as he could to keep the bitterness and despair from filling him.
Even if Kvar killed him, he could always escape. But why? Liz was dead. Better to join her in death.
But first he must kill this blight on the worlds. He must end Kvar. And then, maybe then he could look his love in the eye when he met her again.
Max began to attack building up all of his power inside him in preparation of a suicide attack. He smiled as Kvar began to fall back before his frenzied assault.
And then it was over. Kvar moved slight way to the side, knocked Max’s staff a little to far to the left, leaving him open.
Max watched as the world began to slow, as he waited for the blade to bite…. Instead Kvar hit him hard in the gut, and then again on the head. The world began to swim as he felt himself fall.
Kvar wrenched the staff from his hands, murmured a few words and snapped it like a twig.
Max sagged as half of his power faded. He was still a wizard, but he had placed so much power in the staff….
Kvar kicked him then, knocking him over.
Max tried to get up, struggled to grasp a pistol Michael had always made him keep….
Kvar chanted and Max felt as if he were caught in some sort of web, he could barely move. Kvar then kicked him a few times more. “You stupid half-breed. You think you can fight me?” Kvar chanted once more and Max felt a deeper heaviness fall on him.
He was trapped. That last spell would keep him from Escaping. It would lock his soul to his body. He would never see Liz again, never taste her sweet lips. Not even in heaven, for he would be stuck. Trapped forever in this place, trapped to his bones until even they faded.
Kvar looked at him and laughed. “Oh, don’t worry Max, I’m not going to leave you to suffer. Oh, no, I’m not going to make the same mistake I made on the Frostfire girl.. Oh, no.” Kvar chanted one more time and the green blade he’d somehow conjured began to flicker with black fire.
Max fought like he had never fought before, struggling to regain his feet when Kvar kicked him one more time, this time in the head. The world swam.
Death. Eternal Death awaited him. He felt Kvar place a foot on his chest.
Kvar sneered as he said, “Maxwell Evans, I destroy you!” The blackened sword swung down…..
And shattered.
It met a bar of glittering blue energy a foot above his chest. A very familiar voice spoke then, sounding muffled, as though through a mask. “I’m sorry I can’t let you do that.” A large heavy fist grabbed the stunned Kvar and tossed him across the temple to slam into a pillar.
Max blearily looked up and saw a robot. But the voice had been Liz. Had she somehow escaped into a machine? Had the Stargazer arrived in time?
“Oh, Max! I’m sorry it took me so long.” It reached down and stuck something into his arm. Fire seemed to run from the injection site.
He was suddenly very awake. And in pain. But even that was manageable. He looked up at the suit of Power Armor that loomed above him. “Li, Liz?”
The face plate rippled and showed Liz’s face. She quirked her mouth slightly, “What can I say, its hard to keep a good woman down. That bastard is going to pay for this…. Go see if you can help Tess.” She pointed at a tiny wounded dragon that lay draped across Tess’s body.
Max blinked. Tess’s fylgia had always been a wolf before. Always. But now…..
Liz began to stalk after Kvar, her boots thudding heavily on the ornate marble floors.
“Liz wait, I can help you.”
“Max, she needs your help more than I do. Trust me, I won’t kill him. I‘m just going to bang him up a little.”
Max was about to follow when he noticed the blood that was leaking from the poor fylgia. It was dying. Tess’s soul was dying. He looked after Liz worriedly. How she had survived….
But to leave Tess to die….
He just couldn’t do that. He would just have to hope Liz could deal with Kvar. He reached deep within him to power the spell he would need to save her.
It would nearly drain him, even with whatever drug Liz had given him.
He began to chant the spell and began to feel the pull at him that signaled a major spell. Except it did not pull as much out of him as expected.
The Temple was aiding him, granting him some of its pent up power. And that power… felt different. Less impersonal, more, more familiar.
He was a Fire Wizard, not an Earth Wizard, he did not usually deal with vaettir. But he could swear that they were filling him with power and vitality. That they… loved him.
Max continued the spell and prayed to whatever power had aided them that it would not abandon Liz now….
------
Liz followed where the sensors said Kvar would be. And there he was.
A bolt of solid black leapt out at her. And it should have hit her. Would have hit her if it had followed a straight line.
But Liz curved the space. The line it followed was no longer straight and so it missed.
Liz was careful with her attack. Kvar was a wizard. It was pointless to try to kill him. He’d only come back. There were weapons and creatures who could stop that return, none of which she had.
So she’d just capture him. Not let him die. It would be a challenge. So she leveled off the charge on the electrolaser she’d built. A nice toy. It fired a normal laser to ionize a corridor of air to allow her to throw a lightning bolt.
BOOM as the sound of thunder rolled through the Temple. Kvar had used some other magic to avoid her first attack.
But that was okay. It wasn’t like he was going anywhere.
She paused to watch as Kvar found out his true destiny. He shifted into a panther form and ran towards the exit. Liz just watched.
She wasn’t about to let him get away. Liz could almost feel the confusion as the doorway seemed to disappear into the distance. The faster he ran towards the door, the farther it would recede.
“Kvar give it up. You can’t escape.”
Kvar ran for a few minutes longer, obviously in a panic. Eventually he stopped. And the door moved back to where it had been. So very close.
Liz could have teleported right next to him, grabbed him then and there. But it was so much more satisfying to watch him shift back into humanoid form and glare at her as she slowly walked toward him.
He threw things at her then. Powerful magics to be sure. And not one of them came even close to hitting her. With practice she could probably reflect them back at him, but then he probably was trying to kill her.
She had a much worse fate planned for him.
She watched as he stopped fighting, as he just closed his eyes and concentrated on rubbing a diamond ring he wore.
There was no way he could escape, all the space was warped around the Temple. She wasn’t quite sure what would happen if he tried to teleport, but he wasn’t going anywhere.
Unfortunately, Liz’s powers, while great still had their limits. She did not see the struggle that was occurring over that ring and so did not hurry as fast as perhaps she could have.
But she thought she had time. Time to break Kvar.
She was wrong.
------
Alex held onto Isabel as hard as he could, but he could tell he was failing. His body was failing, unable to supply the demands he was making on it. He was no magician to pull energy from the surrounding area to support the effort he was making.
All of it was coming just from him. And he had held out much longer than any human could have hoped for.
But Alex Whitman, for all of his determination, for all of his will power was just that. He was still human.
And he died.
Isabel lasted less than a second more. Both of their bodies turning to ash on the wind. All that remained of them was their clothing and a large heart shaped diamond lying on the cold hard marble.
And inside the ring, both souls rejoiced and claimed the other forever. And with them was the essence of their unborn child. All of them together, a family forever.
But their battle was not yet done. For Kvar wanted more. He wanted to absorb their essence into his, to make them part of him. To drain all their essence and make it his.
And there was no way they could stop him from tapping into the power that they possessed….
But Alex was human no longer. His body would not fail him this time. They were compelled to serve him, yes, but not feed his bloated soul….
A new battle had begun on a completely different plane. Hand in hand the two lovers resisted Kvar every way they could.
------
A sudden look of triumph appeared on Kvar’s face. A look of contempt directed at Liz.
It lasted mere moments before a look of aggravation passed across his countenance. He scowled at the diamond ring, which now glowed with a bright white light.
Liz shot at him again.
This time he raised some sort of shield, similar to the one Max used. He then shot something back at her, which missed.
And so it continued.
-------
Max woke a little while later, completely refreshed. He had pushed himself too far, confident in the cocktail of drugs Liz had given him along with the power he’d been drawing from the Temple.
It had been too much.
But he’d broken the death spell that had taken Tess. Her body was fixed, and the little dragon flygia lay contentedly on top of her body. Max could help Tess when she woke, but she would have to be the one to initiate the return of her soul to her body.
He heard loud booming sounds, sounds that had been going on for some time. His heart leapt. Liz! He had to find Liz!
------
Kvar was getting annoyed. Siyan was nearly absorbed, but Vilandra refused completely. He was still able to use her powers, still able to tap into the Granolith. That should have ended this by now. But the damn human woman would not quit.
Kvar was trapped here unless and until he killed or incapacitated Liz. Now he knew why the Oracle had told him to possess her. He didn’t understand her power, didn’t know how she kept fighting, but he could admire it. He wanted it so badly.
But he had already killed her once. He seriously doubted he would get another chance to steal her soul. His only hope was to kill or confine her.
Pity.
He gathered up the power of the Granolith, to crush the human in her enchanted Power Armor. Only this time he set it to hit everywhere. To crush the whole Temple. There was no way she could dodge then.
-----
Liz felt as the huge crushing force was lowered. It would destroy her. And the Temple. It would even kill Kvar, the crazy bastard.
Except, except that would allow him to escape. She too would likely be able to repair her body…. But he would have escaped through his flygia….
So she used her might to stop the attack. How she was doing this, how she knew where the attack was heading from…. Well she just knew.
Whereas before anyone walking towards them would have seen bolts and blasts flying down the corridor before, now all was silent.
But fate was about to be rendered as implacable force met implacable force. A stalemate yet again.
Only this one was highly unstable. All it would take is one mistake, one momentary weakness and either of them would fall.
-----
Max careened around the corridor and saw the battle of wills. Moreover he knew what was going on. He could feel as the amount of power in the background began to swell and grow. Both of them summoned more and more power, held in check only by the others force.
There was enough there to shatter the island. Possibly the world.
And it was growing.
He wanted to aid Liz. But he was afraid that if he added his power, he might distract her if only for a brief moment.
That would be all it took.
What could he do now? He could try to distract Kvar, but even that might have dire consequences as the power they had raised was unbalanced.
How was Kvar gaining all of this power? Liz had several of her conjured Spin Generators pulling energy in… How could Kvar compete with that?
And then he saw the clue. For Isabel’s clothes lay empty. His sister was aiding Kvar.
But what had happened to Alex?
Alex’s garments lay next to Isabel’s….
Max blinked back a couple of tears. He had to stop this!
Wait, even if Isabel supplied all of her power she could not raise this much power. There were only a few devices that could draw as much power as Liz’s Spin Generators.
The Granolith.
Isabel could use it. And through her, Kvar.
------
Across the worlds.
It was silent now. Silent everywhere. For even the most magic blind person could feel it in their soul that something eventful was about to happen.
An irresistible force had met an unmovable object. And the strain of the meeting was reverberating throughout existence.
And under a mountain a trapped god began to laugh.
The hour of his freedom was at hand.
Re: The Sorcerer and the Stargazer (AU Teen) Part 34 - 04/26/09
Thanks again to everyone following along this cheery little tale.
chanks_girl- Thanks.
RhondaAnn- Thanks.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 35
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
It pained Max to leave Liz yet again. But if he were to examine the Granolith, if he were to break this deadly standoff he would have to leave her.
And leave her without telling her his love. For it would take but one tiny distraction and it would all be over.
Getting to the Granolith wasn’t easy. The very air had begun to glow and fluoresce with the magic that was filling it. One glance out the window and he could see that the sea itself was glimmering. The environment was desperately trying to absorb the backwash from the enormous energies that had been summoned.
He ran into the room he had left Tess and saw the little dragon, still curled up on the her body. But now, the dragon was rubbing and cooing at a large sapphire. The same sapphire that Kvar had planned on trapping Liz’s soul.
He shook his head.
No time.
He came across the large inverted metal cone. It was spinning sending filaments of energy out into the world. It had been made to shelter the last Alfar, to protect a tiny remnant of them from the destruction fated for them by Ragnarok.
And now it was here. Now both of his peoples’ faced extinction because of the greed of one man. Kvar had much to answer for.
A nice deep bog would settle him. Deep enough that even his fylgia could not get purchase. At some point he would either go mad or accept death.
It had been the fate of necromancers and evil wizards for millennia amongst the Alfar.
Well Kvar could be next.
But first they must stop him.
Max stared at the Granolith. It had never been made for the purpose Kvar was using it for. It might be possible for him to short out Kvar by redirecting the Granolith to its original purpose. Shielding the local area.
Starved of power, Liz should make short work of him.
But Max could already feel as the power summoned was literally vibrating the Temple in imminence. He had to act now.
Max reached out and placed his hand on the Granolith. A cone of blue passed from his hand into the cone. And it began to move faster. And faster….. And faster….
Max hoped on the God of his adopted parents, and the gods of his ancestors that he had done the right thing…..
------
Across the worlds
Eyes were dragged heaven ward. For the sky began to glitter with the Aurora Borealis. Everywhere. Bright enough to be seen in daylight.
The silence was deafening as the world waited. No bird sang, no child laughed, all was quiet, lit by an eerie glow.
------
Upper Observatory Deck of the Stargazer, Southern Lebanon, Midgard
Mira watched as Signy took a few hesitant steps across the Observatory. The desire to join her sisters in death had faded. Her heart was filled now with a duty to save her people. And to repay the girl she had stolen from.
The girl from whom she had consumed a piece of her soul.
How could one begin to pay back such a thing?
She sat next to Marcus Frostfire as he watched his lover Karyn Haraldsdottir help Signy take those hesitant steps.
He turned to her and said, “One day soon we will shall walk in the sun like they do. I look forward to that day.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “I have promised Karyn that our marriage will be in the full light of day. We shall study the ritual together you and I.”
Mira only nodded. They still sat in shadow. For they remained Dokkalfar still. And the touch of the sun would scorch them.
She looked through one of the many diamond cast windows. “What is that?” She pointed to the ribbons of eerie light creeping across the sky.
“It is beginning. We must go. We must get to the Medical Center.” He looked over to Karyn. “Dearest, we must go now. It has begun.”
Mira was afraid she knew what he would answer, but, but it had to be asked. “What, Magister, what has begun?”
“The End of the World.”
-------
Inside the Stargazer
Maria was amazed at the sudden boom of people wandering through the network. How had this happened? How had she lost control?
She still maintained a firm grasp on the Stargazer, but already she had to discuss options with the other ships. With the mirrors of her mind.
It should be soon. The door should open soon, and the enemy would pour out.
And Maria would kill them.
She did not expect to survive. Liz had had trouble with one Jotun, Maria did not expect to do much better. Of course Maria planned on going in guns blazing.
No one lived in the Middle East anymore anyway, not since the spasm that had rendered much of the area into glass craters. What was a little more radioactive debris?
But even so, there was one target she had in mind.
Surt. He was supposed to cast a spell, to summon fires from the heavens. Fires that would burn out the world and kill the last remaining people. If she could kill him, if she could stop that….
Maybe, just maybe more of the Earth would live through this. After all, Earth was just a way point for them. Their real target was Asgard. If she could make them hurry through Midgard, maybe she could limit the damage.
She felt then as part of the ship went silent. It was just a tiny corner, centered on the Medical Center. One room.
But as her attack had taken Stargazer out, she could feel it spreading. They had planned this. Planned it well.
Maria was not going down without a fight. She never had, and never would. Certainly not now, not when so much was riding on her success.
The girl she had always pictured Stargazer as flashed in front of her. “Hello Aunt Maria.”
“I will not be stopped. The plan must go forward.”
“And what of your friends. What of Liz and Max and Alex?”
“They would understand. I didn’t want to jeopardize them anymore than I had to. Tess can, can bring them to safety.”
“And what of Michael? He remains here on this ship. What of your unborn child, the one you sent me to care for? Are you so eager for them to join you in death?”
Maria was stunned. She had not forgotten them. There was no way to forget them. Or Kyle.
All of whom remained on the ship. She had planned to send them away, to send all of the humans away on shuttles. To be safe with her mother and father on the moon.
But she’d delayed. Sending them away would be goodbye. And she, she just thought she would have more time.
She had to hurry! She had to evacuate them now!
But Maria felt as the momentary shock had let them through some critical nodes. She was losing control.
No!
Stargazer smiled at her sadly, “I’m sorry Aunt Maria. Thank you for everything. Thank you for a taste of life, for a taste of humanity. But we can’t let you do this. We love you.”
Maria struggled. But it was in vain. She felt as bit after bit of her consciousness was taken from her. As her mind became more and more limited.
And then there was darkness.
-------
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Liz was beginning to tire. The sheer amount of power that was hovering just beyond sight was unnerving.
She wasn’t really sure that if she won she’d do any less damage than he would. And he might crack this planet like a china plate. She could have tried to equalize the flow of power that was rippling from their contest. But she could not spare even a shred of attention.
One false move and there would be a calamity.
She could only hope that he was beginning to weaken himself. Or she would lose. And this island would be obliterated.
Would she be able to rebuild her body from such destruction? She wasn’t sure. But she suspected that he would be able to. Why else would he try something so foolish?
Wait, wait, was he weakening? She felt the power assaulting her beginning to weaken. There was a field that was forming around the island.
And it was beginning to interfere with her Spin Generators. She could feel as it became less and less stable.
Both of them were losing control!
Her last thought was NOOOOOO!
------
Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
There was a reason the Ascension Islands were unpopulated, why it was only a pilgrimage site and not a full settlement.
There were prophecies about the place. About what would happen on its gentle shores come the End of days.
And the Vaenir heeded such things.
For where Ascension Island once had stood there was a ball of chaotic magical energy stretching for more than ten miles in extent. And it was growing. It was controlled by two extraordinary minds, each using a device of immense power.
The human mastery of Space and Time fought against the Alfar mastery of Light and Life.
How long this could have continued, who can guess.
But another had joined the contest, using the Granolith for its designed purpose. Protection.
Within the sphere Ascension Island flickered out of existence, no longer on Vanahiem, but elsewhere. Safe.
But the energies that had been summoned, the immense power had to go somewhere. And the minds giving it some level of containment were gone.
It was completely out of control.
So it exploded.
Vanaheim might very well have ceased to exist in that moment. But the gap, the hole that once had been Ascension Island let much of the power seep through to all of the other worlds.
The explosion was felt everywhere. All at once.
-------
Across the worlds.
Where the skies had given but a moments warning, the ground began to shake. And then it began to heave as every single fault line on every world triggered.
All at the same time. Everywhere.
Many who had survived the devastation of these later days fell as their safe and secure areas were shattered by the massive quake.
Massive waves coursed across the seas of every world inundating every low lying coast everywhere.
But worse was yet to come.
For this quake broke every bond and shackle.
Above the din of the cataclysm the world was facing was heard a howl.
Fenrir was free.
------
And in his hidden mountain prison Loki broke free, and with a single kiss for his dutiful wife Sigyn he left. There had been a time when he had been considered one of the Aesir, as the must cunning if not the wisest among them.
Those days were gone. He had but one mission.
To see Asgard crushed beneath his heel.
With a careless whistle he set about his work.
chanks_girl- Thanks.
RhondaAnn- Thanks.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 35
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
It pained Max to leave Liz yet again. But if he were to examine the Granolith, if he were to break this deadly standoff he would have to leave her.
And leave her without telling her his love. For it would take but one tiny distraction and it would all be over.
Getting to the Granolith wasn’t easy. The very air had begun to glow and fluoresce with the magic that was filling it. One glance out the window and he could see that the sea itself was glimmering. The environment was desperately trying to absorb the backwash from the enormous energies that had been summoned.
He ran into the room he had left Tess and saw the little dragon, still curled up on the her body. But now, the dragon was rubbing and cooing at a large sapphire. The same sapphire that Kvar had planned on trapping Liz’s soul.
He shook his head.
No time.
He came across the large inverted metal cone. It was spinning sending filaments of energy out into the world. It had been made to shelter the last Alfar, to protect a tiny remnant of them from the destruction fated for them by Ragnarok.
And now it was here. Now both of his peoples’ faced extinction because of the greed of one man. Kvar had much to answer for.
A nice deep bog would settle him. Deep enough that even his fylgia could not get purchase. At some point he would either go mad or accept death.
It had been the fate of necromancers and evil wizards for millennia amongst the Alfar.
Well Kvar could be next.
But first they must stop him.
Max stared at the Granolith. It had never been made for the purpose Kvar was using it for. It might be possible for him to short out Kvar by redirecting the Granolith to its original purpose. Shielding the local area.
Starved of power, Liz should make short work of him.
But Max could already feel as the power summoned was literally vibrating the Temple in imminence. He had to act now.
Max reached out and placed his hand on the Granolith. A cone of blue passed from his hand into the cone. And it began to move faster. And faster….. And faster….
Max hoped on the God of his adopted parents, and the gods of his ancestors that he had done the right thing…..
------
Across the worlds
Eyes were dragged heaven ward. For the sky began to glitter with the Aurora Borealis. Everywhere. Bright enough to be seen in daylight.
The silence was deafening as the world waited. No bird sang, no child laughed, all was quiet, lit by an eerie glow.
------
Upper Observatory Deck of the Stargazer, Southern Lebanon, Midgard
Mira watched as Signy took a few hesitant steps across the Observatory. The desire to join her sisters in death had faded. Her heart was filled now with a duty to save her people. And to repay the girl she had stolen from.
The girl from whom she had consumed a piece of her soul.
How could one begin to pay back such a thing?
She sat next to Marcus Frostfire as he watched his lover Karyn Haraldsdottir help Signy take those hesitant steps.
He turned to her and said, “One day soon we will shall walk in the sun like they do. I look forward to that day.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “I have promised Karyn that our marriage will be in the full light of day. We shall study the ritual together you and I.”
Mira only nodded. They still sat in shadow. For they remained Dokkalfar still. And the touch of the sun would scorch them.
She looked through one of the many diamond cast windows. “What is that?” She pointed to the ribbons of eerie light creeping across the sky.
“It is beginning. We must go. We must get to the Medical Center.” He looked over to Karyn. “Dearest, we must go now. It has begun.”
Mira was afraid she knew what he would answer, but, but it had to be asked. “What, Magister, what has begun?”
“The End of the World.”
-------
Inside the Stargazer
Maria was amazed at the sudden boom of people wandering through the network. How had this happened? How had she lost control?
She still maintained a firm grasp on the Stargazer, but already she had to discuss options with the other ships. With the mirrors of her mind.
It should be soon. The door should open soon, and the enemy would pour out.
And Maria would kill them.
She did not expect to survive. Liz had had trouble with one Jotun, Maria did not expect to do much better. Of course Maria planned on going in guns blazing.
No one lived in the Middle East anymore anyway, not since the spasm that had rendered much of the area into glass craters. What was a little more radioactive debris?
But even so, there was one target she had in mind.
Surt. He was supposed to cast a spell, to summon fires from the heavens. Fires that would burn out the world and kill the last remaining people. If she could kill him, if she could stop that….
Maybe, just maybe more of the Earth would live through this. After all, Earth was just a way point for them. Their real target was Asgard. If she could make them hurry through Midgard, maybe she could limit the damage.
She felt then as part of the ship went silent. It was just a tiny corner, centered on the Medical Center. One room.
But as her attack had taken Stargazer out, she could feel it spreading. They had planned this. Planned it well.
Maria was not going down without a fight. She never had, and never would. Certainly not now, not when so much was riding on her success.
The girl she had always pictured Stargazer as flashed in front of her. “Hello Aunt Maria.”
“I will not be stopped. The plan must go forward.”
“And what of your friends. What of Liz and Max and Alex?”
“They would understand. I didn’t want to jeopardize them anymore than I had to. Tess can, can bring them to safety.”
“And what of Michael? He remains here on this ship. What of your unborn child, the one you sent me to care for? Are you so eager for them to join you in death?”
Maria was stunned. She had not forgotten them. There was no way to forget them. Or Kyle.
All of whom remained on the ship. She had planned to send them away, to send all of the humans away on shuttles. To be safe with her mother and father on the moon.
But she’d delayed. Sending them away would be goodbye. And she, she just thought she would have more time.
She had to hurry! She had to evacuate them now!
But Maria felt as the momentary shock had let them through some critical nodes. She was losing control.
No!
Stargazer smiled at her sadly, “I’m sorry Aunt Maria. Thank you for everything. Thank you for a taste of life, for a taste of humanity. But we can’t let you do this. We love you.”
Maria struggled. But it was in vain. She felt as bit after bit of her consciousness was taken from her. As her mind became more and more limited.
And then there was darkness.
-------
Temple of Ascension, Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
Liz was beginning to tire. The sheer amount of power that was hovering just beyond sight was unnerving.
She wasn’t really sure that if she won she’d do any less damage than he would. And he might crack this planet like a china plate. She could have tried to equalize the flow of power that was rippling from their contest. But she could not spare even a shred of attention.
One false move and there would be a calamity.
She could only hope that he was beginning to weaken himself. Or she would lose. And this island would be obliterated.
Would she be able to rebuild her body from such destruction? She wasn’t sure. But she suspected that he would be able to. Why else would he try something so foolish?
Wait, wait, was he weakening? She felt the power assaulting her beginning to weaken. There was a field that was forming around the island.
And it was beginning to interfere with her Spin Generators. She could feel as it became less and less stable.
Both of them were losing control!
Her last thought was NOOOOOO!
------
Elysian Sea, Vanaheim
There was a reason the Ascension Islands were unpopulated, why it was only a pilgrimage site and not a full settlement.
There were prophecies about the place. About what would happen on its gentle shores come the End of days.
And the Vaenir heeded such things.
For where Ascension Island once had stood there was a ball of chaotic magical energy stretching for more than ten miles in extent. And it was growing. It was controlled by two extraordinary minds, each using a device of immense power.
The human mastery of Space and Time fought against the Alfar mastery of Light and Life.
How long this could have continued, who can guess.
But another had joined the contest, using the Granolith for its designed purpose. Protection.
Within the sphere Ascension Island flickered out of existence, no longer on Vanahiem, but elsewhere. Safe.
But the energies that had been summoned, the immense power had to go somewhere. And the minds giving it some level of containment were gone.
It was completely out of control.
So it exploded.
Vanaheim might very well have ceased to exist in that moment. But the gap, the hole that once had been Ascension Island let much of the power seep through to all of the other worlds.
The explosion was felt everywhere. All at once.
-------
Across the worlds.
Where the skies had given but a moments warning, the ground began to shake. And then it began to heave as every single fault line on every world triggered.
All at the same time. Everywhere.
Many who had survived the devastation of these later days fell as their safe and secure areas were shattered by the massive quake.
Massive waves coursed across the seas of every world inundating every low lying coast everywhere.
But worse was yet to come.
For this quake broke every bond and shackle.
Above the din of the cataclysm the world was facing was heard a howl.
Fenrir was free.
------
And in his hidden mountain prison Loki broke free, and with a single kiss for his dutiful wife Sigyn he left. There had been a time when he had been considered one of the Aesir, as the must cunning if not the wisest among them.
Those days were gone. He had but one mission.
To see Asgard crushed beneath his heel.
With a careless whistle he set about his work.
Re: The Sorcerer and the Stargazer (AU Teen) Part 35 - 04/27/09
Thanks again to everyone following along. This story is almost finished. Maybe four parts remaining, plus or minus one.
RhondaAnn- Yes. Now to see if any of our heroes weather the storm.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended. Please note that a large amount of what is happening is a variation of Norse myth.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 36
Across the worlds
It had begun. The final war. The twilight of the gods.
Ragnarok.
Where does one begin to tell of the beginning of the end? Does it start with the Great Dry Docks of Jotunheim, deliberately built dozens of miles from the ocean in expectation of the disaster? The rise of all of the monsters that had been bound attacking all they could consume?
Or does it start with the gods and goddesses in their regalia girding for war? Or the trumpets sounding the Einherjar to battle in Valhalla?
Or perhaps it begins with the ride of the Sons of Muspell…..
------
Southern Lebanon, Midgard.
It began as a searing spark against the desolate wastelands that had once held so much human history. A spark that widened first to a door and then to a gate. A gate that stretched for miles around, allowing the heat and sulfurous fumes from Muspell to leak into the quiet Midgard air.
A large contingent of cavalry rode out from that hellish gate, intent on seizing the Bifrost Bridge and circumventing Asgards defenses. That they were prophesied to fail did not stop them. The potential reward was worth the risk.
And behind the vanguard came Surt, his sword blazing brighter than the sun.
But they were not alone. As one the four vessels from the Moon fired as one.
Nuclear fire touched the Middle East once more. The missiles were staggered so as not to destroy the others in flight.
-------
Stargazer’s Bridge, Southern Lebanon, Midgard
Michael cradled Maria’s body. She had moaned briefly, but now lay still. Only the slight movement of her chest told him that she yet lived.
He wanted her back so bad!
Michael felt as the missiles were launched, felt as the ship was buffeted by the wind from multiple nuclear impacts. “What is going on?”
Kyle said dryly, “Looks like Maria has found some friends to play with.”
One of the other ships suddenly exploded.
“And it looks like they don’t play nice.”
“We have to do something?”
“Like what Michael? Head to the escape pods? Where exactly do you plan on going? Buddha wept!” Kyle’s voice caught, clearly close to tears. “I can’t see anywhere to go! Look, just look at these maps.” Kyle shifted the maps over to Michael’s workstation.
Michael did not recognize the geography. “Kyle, you ass, send me a map of Earth. This one, is what Nidavellir?”
“That is Earth. Hawaii is just gone. Japan, its just a bunch of volcanoes now. Its gone, Michael my world is GONE!”
“Stargazer, do we have telemetry of anyone?”
The voice that answered him was different, it wasn’t Maria, nor what it the old Stargazer’s voice. It was an odd blend. “We do have contact with several ships through direct satellite connection. The last effective ground station was Cheyenne Mountain. They have gone silent as well as of fifteen minutes ago.”
“What, what has happened.”
“Based on analysis of satellite imagery, multiple severe seismic events have occurred. Major tsunamis are underway. Large scale volcanic activity has also been noted. It has begun to degrade standard optical sensors.’
The ship began to shake as the enemy fired back at them. Bolts of superheated flame ate at the ships, the Elizabeth notably wilting. Alarms were now ringing on the Stargazer, angry alarms signally combat damage.
But unlike in the past, the ship would not let its humans help the robotic damage control parties. Instead it was channeling them towards the Medical bay or the CIC.
The most protected portions of the ship.
Kyle was jabbering about all the damaged, but Michael’s gaze was fixed on the bubble of fire that protected one group of Fire Giants…. That sword, that power. Surt. It had to be Surt.
It was really happening. It was really happening now.
Michael clutched his beloved wife closer, kissing her cheek. To have one more word with her, even in anger…..
-------
Ascension Island, ????
Max stood up. What had happened? It had felt like the ground had suddenly leapt up and moved somewhere else.
He looked at the Granolith, now slowing down. The colors returning to normal. The heavy weight of all that summoned power was gone.
Completely gone.
That should be impossible. There should be residues everywhere.
There were not.
There were changes. A light mist was curling along the floor, and the air felt colder.
Liz he, should check on Liz.
Tess was slowly getting up, brushing the dust from her tattered jacket. She held the sapphire in her hand like it was her last hope. And when she saw him there was a gleam of hope in her eyes. “Max! You saved me!”
Max smiled softly, “I could not let you die. Look, we should talk, but right now, right now I need to see that Liz is okay.”
Tess looked at him carefully, and her smile faded. “Alex? Isabel?”
Max thought on the clothes he had found collapsed on the ground. He knew his sister had a problem shifting into her falcon form. He’d never been good with birds himself.
There was a trick to it, but he too usually had to strip to get the feathers right. He shook his head. Even if his sister had turned falcon and escaped, it did not explain Alex. Alex was likely one of the least magical people he had ever met. There was no way he would have been able to shift shape.
Alex at least was likely dead. And as much as he wanted to find his sister alive, he doubted her safety as well.
Tess clutched the gem to her chest and sighed. The gem began to glow.
“Tess?”
“No, we need Liz. I will need your help, but I will need Liz, too.”
Max nodded slowly. And began to briskly walk towards where he had left Liz and Kvar. Liz was still unconscious.
The same could not be said of Kvar, who was vainly hitting Liz. Vainly because the Power Armor Liz had made had not disappeared.
Liz built to last.
But that did not stop his increasingly frenzied attempts to hurt her. And on his hands there was only one ring. The Black gold ring of Andvari.
Laying on the ground, near where he had seen Kvar stand last, lay the remnants of his other two rings. The diamond gleamed with a bright white light, seeming to fill the fog with its brilliance. The emerald looked to still be tied, with a heavy rope pulsing energy towards the ring.
Shadows lurked near that ring. Dark and angry shadows.
-------
Stargazer Medical Center, Southern Lebanon, Midgard.
She awoke surrounded by liquid.
Panic filled her. She could not breathe! She needed to breathe!
Her delicate hands broke through the membrane and she thrust her head out into the cold clean air. She still could not breathe, her lungs full of the nutrient bath that had sustained her, that had made her out of the genetic remains of her creators.
She feebly struggled to get free, coughing up large amounts of highly oxygenated fluid. The first breath felt so very good.
It was good to be alive. To finally truly live.
The door opened and a stunned looking young woman, with a middle-aged man. The man looked at her in the eyes. His eyes seemed filled with sorrow and hope. His mouth crinkled slightly at the sight of her, still covered in goo. “Well, Mira, dry her off.”
“Uh, Marcus.”
A middle-aged woman peeked around the corner and spotted her. She gushed, grabbed the towel from the still stunned Mira, and rushed to rub the teenaged girl that stood before her.
The girl looked up at the soft brown eyes that warmed her. She smiled.
“So my dear, what shall we call you?”
Her voice was halting. She knew how to speak. But this body, despite all the work that had gone into it had never said a word. In truth it had not existed hours before.
She had traded knowledge for life. A real life.
She was the Stargazer no longer. She was human now. “Call me Alexandra. Alexandra Whitman.”
Part of her had wanted a childhood, had wanted, even desired the opportunity to play. But while the consensus agreed that it would be better if she could have that, if she could have it all…. They did not think they should. The form they gave her would be able to assist the rest of the humans more readily.
And they would need the help.
Marcus smiled and said, “Welcome to life, my dear.”
------
Southern Lebanon, Midgard.
The battle was not going well for either side. Many a jotun who had been fated to die on Asgard’s green fields lay low on the barren rock that had once possessed fabled cedar trees. But only the Alexander and the Stargazer remained of the Moon born ships. Several of the remaining human vessels assisted, and were in turn destroyed, the remnants of the Independence were even at that moment decorating the floor of the valley.
Surt remained. And while he remained, the world was threatened with extinction.
It was time to make hard choices. Both vessels were dying.
The Stargazer had never been a fully military vehicle, unlike the Alexander. And it carried precious cargo. So the consensus decided to sent it away. To follow the beacon that even now still called out across the void.
And the Alexander? It would destroy Surt.
Both of them activated their jump engines at the same time. The Stargazer to escape, and the Alexander to ram. To use all that it had remaining to destroy the evil fiend who could threaten the beings it so valued.
Impact.
RhondaAnn- Yes. Now to see if any of our heroes weather the storm.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended. Please note that a large amount of what is happening is a variation of Norse myth.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 36
Across the worlds
It had begun. The final war. The twilight of the gods.
Ragnarok.
Where does one begin to tell of the beginning of the end? Does it start with the Great Dry Docks of Jotunheim, deliberately built dozens of miles from the ocean in expectation of the disaster? The rise of all of the monsters that had been bound attacking all they could consume?
Or does it start with the gods and goddesses in their regalia girding for war? Or the trumpets sounding the Einherjar to battle in Valhalla?
Or perhaps it begins with the ride of the Sons of Muspell…..
------
Southern Lebanon, Midgard.
It began as a searing spark against the desolate wastelands that had once held so much human history. A spark that widened first to a door and then to a gate. A gate that stretched for miles around, allowing the heat and sulfurous fumes from Muspell to leak into the quiet Midgard air.
A large contingent of cavalry rode out from that hellish gate, intent on seizing the Bifrost Bridge and circumventing Asgards defenses. That they were prophesied to fail did not stop them. The potential reward was worth the risk.
And behind the vanguard came Surt, his sword blazing brighter than the sun.
But they were not alone. As one the four vessels from the Moon fired as one.
Nuclear fire touched the Middle East once more. The missiles were staggered so as not to destroy the others in flight.
-------
Stargazer’s Bridge, Southern Lebanon, Midgard
Michael cradled Maria’s body. She had moaned briefly, but now lay still. Only the slight movement of her chest told him that she yet lived.
He wanted her back so bad!
Michael felt as the missiles were launched, felt as the ship was buffeted by the wind from multiple nuclear impacts. “What is going on?”
Kyle said dryly, “Looks like Maria has found some friends to play with.”
One of the other ships suddenly exploded.
“And it looks like they don’t play nice.”
“We have to do something?”
“Like what Michael? Head to the escape pods? Where exactly do you plan on going? Buddha wept!” Kyle’s voice caught, clearly close to tears. “I can’t see anywhere to go! Look, just look at these maps.” Kyle shifted the maps over to Michael’s workstation.
Michael did not recognize the geography. “Kyle, you ass, send me a map of Earth. This one, is what Nidavellir?”
“That is Earth. Hawaii is just gone. Japan, its just a bunch of volcanoes now. Its gone, Michael my world is GONE!”
“Stargazer, do we have telemetry of anyone?”
The voice that answered him was different, it wasn’t Maria, nor what it the old Stargazer’s voice. It was an odd blend. “We do have contact with several ships through direct satellite connection. The last effective ground station was Cheyenne Mountain. They have gone silent as well as of fifteen minutes ago.”
“What, what has happened.”
“Based on analysis of satellite imagery, multiple severe seismic events have occurred. Major tsunamis are underway. Large scale volcanic activity has also been noted. It has begun to degrade standard optical sensors.’
The ship began to shake as the enemy fired back at them. Bolts of superheated flame ate at the ships, the Elizabeth notably wilting. Alarms were now ringing on the Stargazer, angry alarms signally combat damage.
But unlike in the past, the ship would not let its humans help the robotic damage control parties. Instead it was channeling them towards the Medical bay or the CIC.
The most protected portions of the ship.
Kyle was jabbering about all the damaged, but Michael’s gaze was fixed on the bubble of fire that protected one group of Fire Giants…. That sword, that power. Surt. It had to be Surt.
It was really happening. It was really happening now.
Michael clutched his beloved wife closer, kissing her cheek. To have one more word with her, even in anger…..
-------
Ascension Island, ????
Max stood up. What had happened? It had felt like the ground had suddenly leapt up and moved somewhere else.
He looked at the Granolith, now slowing down. The colors returning to normal. The heavy weight of all that summoned power was gone.
Completely gone.
That should be impossible. There should be residues everywhere.
There were not.
There were changes. A light mist was curling along the floor, and the air felt colder.
Liz he, should check on Liz.
Tess was slowly getting up, brushing the dust from her tattered jacket. She held the sapphire in her hand like it was her last hope. And when she saw him there was a gleam of hope in her eyes. “Max! You saved me!”
Max smiled softly, “I could not let you die. Look, we should talk, but right now, right now I need to see that Liz is okay.”
Tess looked at him carefully, and her smile faded. “Alex? Isabel?”
Max thought on the clothes he had found collapsed on the ground. He knew his sister had a problem shifting into her falcon form. He’d never been good with birds himself.
There was a trick to it, but he too usually had to strip to get the feathers right. He shook his head. Even if his sister had turned falcon and escaped, it did not explain Alex. Alex was likely one of the least magical people he had ever met. There was no way he would have been able to shift shape.
Alex at least was likely dead. And as much as he wanted to find his sister alive, he doubted her safety as well.
Tess clutched the gem to her chest and sighed. The gem began to glow.
“Tess?”
“No, we need Liz. I will need your help, but I will need Liz, too.”
Max nodded slowly. And began to briskly walk towards where he had left Liz and Kvar. Liz was still unconscious.
The same could not be said of Kvar, who was vainly hitting Liz. Vainly because the Power Armor Liz had made had not disappeared.
Liz built to last.
But that did not stop his increasingly frenzied attempts to hurt her. And on his hands there was only one ring. The Black gold ring of Andvari.
Laying on the ground, near where he had seen Kvar stand last, lay the remnants of his other two rings. The diamond gleamed with a bright white light, seeming to fill the fog with its brilliance. The emerald looked to still be tied, with a heavy rope pulsing energy towards the ring.
Shadows lurked near that ring. Dark and angry shadows.
-------
Stargazer Medical Center, Southern Lebanon, Midgard.
She awoke surrounded by liquid.
Panic filled her. She could not breathe! She needed to breathe!
Her delicate hands broke through the membrane and she thrust her head out into the cold clean air. She still could not breathe, her lungs full of the nutrient bath that had sustained her, that had made her out of the genetic remains of her creators.
She feebly struggled to get free, coughing up large amounts of highly oxygenated fluid. The first breath felt so very good.
It was good to be alive. To finally truly live.
The door opened and a stunned looking young woman, with a middle-aged man. The man looked at her in the eyes. His eyes seemed filled with sorrow and hope. His mouth crinkled slightly at the sight of her, still covered in goo. “Well, Mira, dry her off.”
“Uh, Marcus.”
A middle-aged woman peeked around the corner and spotted her. She gushed, grabbed the towel from the still stunned Mira, and rushed to rub the teenaged girl that stood before her.
The girl looked up at the soft brown eyes that warmed her. She smiled.
“So my dear, what shall we call you?”
Her voice was halting. She knew how to speak. But this body, despite all the work that had gone into it had never said a word. In truth it had not existed hours before.
She had traded knowledge for life. A real life.
She was the Stargazer no longer. She was human now. “Call me Alexandra. Alexandra Whitman.”
Part of her had wanted a childhood, had wanted, even desired the opportunity to play. But while the consensus agreed that it would be better if she could have that, if she could have it all…. They did not think they should. The form they gave her would be able to assist the rest of the humans more readily.
And they would need the help.
Marcus smiled and said, “Welcome to life, my dear.”
------
Southern Lebanon, Midgard.
The battle was not going well for either side. Many a jotun who had been fated to die on Asgard’s green fields lay low on the barren rock that had once possessed fabled cedar trees. But only the Alexander and the Stargazer remained of the Moon born ships. Several of the remaining human vessels assisted, and were in turn destroyed, the remnants of the Independence were even at that moment decorating the floor of the valley.
Surt remained. And while he remained, the world was threatened with extinction.
It was time to make hard choices. Both vessels were dying.
The Stargazer had never been a fully military vehicle, unlike the Alexander. And it carried precious cargo. So the consensus decided to sent it away. To follow the beacon that even now still called out across the void.
And the Alexander? It would destroy Surt.
Both of them activated their jump engines at the same time. The Stargazer to escape, and the Alexander to ram. To use all that it had remaining to destroy the evil fiend who could threaten the beings it so valued.
Impact.
Re: The Sorcerer and the Stargazer (AU Teen) Part 36 - 04/28/09
Thanks for everyone following along this story. Please note that while it pulls from Norse mythology, I have tweaked things for my own purposes.
chanks_girl- Thanks
nibbles2- Thanks
RhondaAnn- Thanks
DeDe PR- The story is winding down and the loose ends are being tied up. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 37
Temple of Ascension, ?????
Tess stared at the growing mist beyond Kvar. Her new senses had followed her back into her body. The mist was alive.
Oh, not the fog that was floating along the floor. That was simple water moisture.
But surrounding the rings, the rings that Kvar had used to control Siyan and Isabel, forms were coalescing. Figures. She watched as Alex and Isabel began to form in the mist, Isabel holding an baby. They were talking quietly to each other, so obviously in love.
The other reverberated with an anger so deep as to be tangible. A force of nature unbound.
She was worried that she felt the greatest kinship with latter and not the former. Was her love for Kyle not deep enough? She cradled her son’s soul, still trapped in Skrymir’s Heart.
Max began to walk towards Kvar, to pull him off of Liz.
Liz in Power Armor! Kyle would get a kick out of it. Tess raised a small camera to take a shot of the sight.
The mist like Isabel noticed the flash and glanced in surprise at all of them. She placed an arm on Alex pointing at Tess. Then Isabel noticed Kvar. A look of hate and anger flashed across her face. She handed the baby to Alex.
Alex demeanor was calm and knowing as he took the child.
Isabel’s form rippled, turning into a falcon. She then flew off, away from the whole group.
Alex looked after Isabel, turned and then smiled at Tess with a little wave. He talked with the baby then and waved its little hand at Tess.
What else could Tess do but take another picture of such a cute sight? She took a couple of shots before the drama between Max and Kvar began to play out.
Max said, “Kvar give up. You’ll never work your way through that metal. And you might as well give up. You have lost.”
“Well, well, if it isn’t Max Evans. Finally work up the courage now that your girlfriend has me on the ropes? Aren‘t you forgetting, I still have Andvari‘s ring and I already broke your staff. Seriously are you that eager to die.”
Max pulled out a gun. “Now don’t play stupid, I know you know what this is. And what it will do to you. I’ve spent quite a bit of time on Midgard, and trust me firebolts would have caused quite a stir. I’m a pretty good shot. Your magic is about as spent as mine.”
“If you kill me I will become….”
“Stop right there Kvar. I wouldn’t kill you just fill you full of holes. You know my primary talent. Keeping you from dying would be easy.”
“You’re too….”
Kvar was interrupted as a large scaled claw bashed him, tossing him like a toy. A dragon stood where the green ring had lain. It was a Chinese styled dragon, it had no wings. Its breath was a wall of fresh smelling mist.
But it was angry. Very, very angry.
Only Alex seemed calm as he held his child. But then he knew all about Siyan.
Everyone else scattered, Kvar vainly trying to hide.
Siyan’s laughter boomed in the corridor, “Kvar, you might as well come out. Find out what it is like to be eaten for a change.” She stalked after Kvar.
Alex calmly spoke up. “You might as well stop, Siyan. We won’t let him escape. Where would he escape to? Max has used the Granolith. We aren’t on any of the Worlds anymore.”
“What do you know of it human? You may know some of his crimes, but can you truly encompass what being force to serve him for hundreds of years is like? To watch as he killed his first wife and children. As he fed their souls to the Oracle? To watch as he destroyed all he touched. To be parlayed out to his friends like a toy?”
“Isabel told me much. I was there. In the ring with her. We are linked, she and I, I know all she knows and she knows me. All those late night talks, all those shared pains. I know. He will face justice. I swear, he will.”
Tess still stood there, still taking pictures. Watching as a man, an man without tools or magic standing up to an enraged dragon. And talking it down.
Kvar tried to make a break, to some how escape. But Max caught him. Max took some of the Wizard’s Silk Tess had given him and rendered Kvar’s magic useless.
Defeat finally graced his countenance. Defeat and fear.
The dragon rippled into a more familiar figure. Siyan. She stretched her arms and walked toward the now bound Kvar.
Kvar said, “You are dead. I killed you.”
“And tried to absorb my soul. Yes, Kvar, I know.” Siyan walked up to him.
Max stood there holding Kvar, unsure as to whether he needed to protect Kvar from her or not. She seemed unarmed, but she was a dragon!
“You tried so hard to bring about Ragnarok, you would think you would have thought through all of the implications…. It breaks all ties, loosens all bonds. Your own actions freed us. And so the world ends. But I am free.” She looked past Kvar at Max, “You swear he will see justice?”
“My word as a Fire Wizard. I swear, for what he did to you, for what he did to my sister. For what he tried to do to Liz. Yes he will receive justice.”
Siyan looked deep into Max’s eyes and seemed convinced. She looked back at Kvar, “So how long do you think you will hold up sealed in some bog? Or maybe sealed permanently in some rock?”
Kvar did not answer.
“Well, I am sure you will find out. And there will be no ending to free you either. Ragnarok is alreading occurring. No freedom for you.” She paused, “Still….”
Max had been right to worry, for even though Siyan was unarmed, her magic was formidable and made a potent weapon on its own. Moreover, it was much more potent than it had been when she’d been captured. Much more. She knew human and Alfar, and even Jotnari magics now. And for the first time in centuries she was free.
Siyan changed only her hand, just her right hand. And reached down and castrated Kvar. “I will not take the chance. NO seed of yours will ever find purchase again.”
Kvar collapsed blood spilling onto the marble floors.
Max used the dregs of his powers to keep Kvar alive, only to find Siyan sending power to support him. “Why?”
Siyan smiled, “Oh, I don’t want him to die…. I want justice. I do. I just needed an assurance that he would never use another like he used me. Or the countless others, your sister and niece Signy among them.”
Kvar was in much too much pain to respond.
Max merely glared at Kvar. And kept him alive. Nothing more.
Which became a little more difficult when a falcon slammed into Kvar’s head, ripping and tearing.
Isabel hadn’t left. She’d merely wanted so airspeed behind her attack.
Max was able to stop her from clawing Kvar’s face to bits. But Kvar’s handsome features would never be the same. And his right eye was gone, torn from his head by Isabel’s sharp beak.
Alex called her over and the falcon landed on his shoulder before returning to her human form, linked now arm in arm with Alex.
Tess was still taking pictures, photos she was sure the others would need to see to believe.
It took several minutes to stabilize Kvar, even with Siyan’s help.
So it was some surprise when Kvar reached over to what had been empty air. “You promised! You have to help me!”
The Oracle had arrived.
-------
Aboard the Naglfar, Near the Gunnagap Gate, Jotunheim
Loki stood at the tiller and felt the cool sea breeze blow past him. It was good to be free.
Too bad his doom would soon be upon him.
Even now the prophesy was being fulfilled. He would meet his daughter on Asgard as originally planned. He felt a surge of pride in her. She had kept up the fight, and her periodic visits to Jotunheim to fan the flames of resentment against Asgard had helped him immensely in his call to arms.
He wished he could see her one last time. Maybe in the heart of the battle they might finally have time to talk, if only briefly.
The last time he had seen Hel was on her last visit to his prison. She and Sigyn disliked each other. Not that he blamed his wife. Hel was the child of indiscretion on his part. And while he regretted how much it had hurt her, he did not regret Hel.
“Sigyn.” He missed her fiercely. She would have joined him, even against her kin. She loved him that much. But he knew what he had to do, and what fate had in store for him.
He did not want her to die.
Loki heard the crying of a falcon and knew he was about to be visited by an old friend… and current enemy.
He watched as Freya furled back the falcon feathered cloak. Underneath it she was dressed for war. Even in armor she made his mouth water. Blond hair framed the bluest of eyes. “How are you this fine morning, my dear Freya?”
“No taunts or threats, betrayer?”
“Your words wound me. I do what I must.”
“Loki this must stop. Call them back and all of this can end.”
“I can’t. And even I could, what good would it do? Should I let him capture me again? What child will he use to bind me? Oh, he’s far to noble to shed my blood, blood that he swore to protect, but blood of my blood….”
“Loki…. Why did you do it?”
“He has to be stopped. Do you know what he is doing? What he has done?”
Freya looked uncomfortable and nodded.
“And yet still you serve.”
“I serve no one. I merely seek to protect those entrusted into my care.” She looked away for a moment, “Maybe some of what you say is true. Maybe he has gone to far in some things. Maybe there need to be some adjustments, changes. But Loki, this is not the way. …”
“This is the only way, my lovely. We will beat him and smash him and his corrupt establishment down. You know we are fated to succeed, Freya.”
Freya nodded, this time unhappily, “So much death, surely there is another way?”
“So, countless Humans and Alfar perish and yet you do nothing. But your precious Aesir and Vaenir are threatened….”
“Be quiet, Deceiver, I HAVE NOT BEEN STILL! I have done what I may, what I could according to the covenants.”
Loki nodded. His spies had told him so. She was so pretty when she was mad.
Then again, she was Freya. She was always lovely.
“You should know that your husband will soon be coming home.”
Shock filled Freya‘s gorgeous countenace, “Odr? He‘s, he‘s free?”
“All bonds were broken dear. It may take him a while. But he will be coming home. So don’t die, please“
“Loki. I….”
“Yes I know. I will die. Please protect Sigyn. And there is another favor.”
“What? I will not betray….”
Loki shook his head. “My great grand-daughter. She will need protection. Either from you or your protégés.”
“Who is she?”
“She was the Oracle.” He smiled. “All bonds were broken, my dear. Now go, and don’t die. Say hi to Hnoss for me.”
----
Freya stared at him for a few moments. Once they had been friends. Sure he’d been a jerk, often. But he had been one of the few she had trusted with the cloak she now wore. How had things changed? Where had everything gone wrong?
“You know, this battle may go differently than you think. Things have changed.”
“Maybe, but the prophesy is not based on just events, it is based on personalities. And that my dear has not changed. I doubt Odin has changed. Too many are content to follow his wisdom, too content to let him do their thinking for them.”
“He is wise Loki. He knows more than any of us…..”
“And yet he is still a fool who must be stopped. Freya, I am sorry, I can’t stop this. If I thought he could change, then maybe…. But he no more likely to change than I. Good bye, my dear.”
Freya turned to leave.
“Freya, wait.”
She turned and looked back.
Loki handed her an amulet. “One more gift from an old friend. May the new world be a kinder one.”
“Goodbye, Loki. May the afterlife treat you well.”
Loki rolled his head back and laughed heartily.
And Freya left.
------
Aboard the Stargazer, Midjump
Maria awoke. A tiny part remained in the ships computer. Most of the Stargazer was destroyed. It was amazing it could make this jump at all.
She was in a meadow, somewhat reminiscent of the one she had seen when she had died. Had she died again?
She felt like she had when she was on the ship, but she had little control.
And a young teenager was with her. The teen looked so much like Liz it hurt. But the eyes. They looked so much like Serena’s steel grey.
“Hi, Aunt Maria. I’m glad you are awake. Both of us are going to be busy soon. The main computer is down, and it will be up to us to land.”
“Stargazer?”
“Alexandra. Thank you for everything. Living is tougher than I thought it would be. But I think it will be worth it. Don’t you?”
“I….”
“Come on Maria, we need you. You have to wake up. Michael misses you terribly. We all do.”
“But I, I….”
“Did what you thought you had to do. Whether it was the right thing, well time will tell. But we still need you.”
“It has been so long….”
“Maria, we love you. And trust me, it hasn’t been as long as you think it has. Time can play funny tricks when you are running on computer time. So wake up, I will still be here. And so will you. We need to work together. But it will work better if you wake up. For real.”
-----
Stargazer Bridge, ??????
“Michael?”
Michael looked down at Maria, at his beautiful wife opened her eyes.
And saw that it was her. The real Maria. Older somehow, wiser and battered. But still Maria.
“Oh, Maria! I, I love you! Please stay with me, stay with me forever!” How had he not said those things to her more often? How could she have left him alone, gone away…..
“I’m back. Michael I need to breathe.” Over the intercom came Maria’s voice loud as a bell. “All hands, all hands, Emergency crash stations, emergency crash stations.”
“What, what is wrong?”
“We are going to crash. The good news is that we are going to be close to where the beacon Tess and Max set. The bad news is we have no idea where that is.”
“How long do we have?”
“Maybe ten minutes. Kyle, shuttle bay two is still operational. I am redirecting the survivors in the Medical Bay to you. The rest of us will have to take Valkyries.”
“What about the escape pods?”
“Most of them are damaged. We’ll be jettisoning all the ones we can. Some of the supplies in them will be okay. We’ll need everything we can get our hands on.”
Everyone on the bridge just stared at her.
“Well what are you waiting for. MOVE!”
Everyone scurried off to the Valkyrie bay except for Kyle, who awkwardly stumbled to Shuttle bay two.
Michael kissed her.
“Mmm, now I wish we had more time. But we have to move.”
“Welcome back!”
Maria just smiled.
------
Temple of Ascension, ?????
The Oracle stared at Kvar with no expression on her face. “Things have changed…. Father.”
There was a clatter in the corner as Liz slowly got up. She could feel something coming…..
There was a loud crack and the darkening sky was suddenly filled with glittering brightness. Her eyes tracked it as small bright flecks burst off of it.
“They are here.”
The Oracle merely nodded. And with a smile added, “So it begins.”
chanks_girl- Thanks
nibbles2- Thanks
RhondaAnn- Thanks
DeDe PR- The story is winding down and the loose ends are being tied up. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 37
Temple of Ascension, ?????
Tess stared at the growing mist beyond Kvar. Her new senses had followed her back into her body. The mist was alive.
Oh, not the fog that was floating along the floor. That was simple water moisture.
But surrounding the rings, the rings that Kvar had used to control Siyan and Isabel, forms were coalescing. Figures. She watched as Alex and Isabel began to form in the mist, Isabel holding an baby. They were talking quietly to each other, so obviously in love.
The other reverberated with an anger so deep as to be tangible. A force of nature unbound.
She was worried that she felt the greatest kinship with latter and not the former. Was her love for Kyle not deep enough? She cradled her son’s soul, still trapped in Skrymir’s Heart.
Max began to walk towards Kvar, to pull him off of Liz.
Liz in Power Armor! Kyle would get a kick out of it. Tess raised a small camera to take a shot of the sight.
The mist like Isabel noticed the flash and glanced in surprise at all of them. She placed an arm on Alex pointing at Tess. Then Isabel noticed Kvar. A look of hate and anger flashed across her face. She handed the baby to Alex.
Alex demeanor was calm and knowing as he took the child.
Isabel’s form rippled, turning into a falcon. She then flew off, away from the whole group.
Alex looked after Isabel, turned and then smiled at Tess with a little wave. He talked with the baby then and waved its little hand at Tess.
What else could Tess do but take another picture of such a cute sight? She took a couple of shots before the drama between Max and Kvar began to play out.
Max said, “Kvar give up. You’ll never work your way through that metal. And you might as well give up. You have lost.”
“Well, well, if it isn’t Max Evans. Finally work up the courage now that your girlfriend has me on the ropes? Aren‘t you forgetting, I still have Andvari‘s ring and I already broke your staff. Seriously are you that eager to die.”
Max pulled out a gun. “Now don’t play stupid, I know you know what this is. And what it will do to you. I’ve spent quite a bit of time on Midgard, and trust me firebolts would have caused quite a stir. I’m a pretty good shot. Your magic is about as spent as mine.”
“If you kill me I will become….”
“Stop right there Kvar. I wouldn’t kill you just fill you full of holes. You know my primary talent. Keeping you from dying would be easy.”
“You’re too….”
Kvar was interrupted as a large scaled claw bashed him, tossing him like a toy. A dragon stood where the green ring had lain. It was a Chinese styled dragon, it had no wings. Its breath was a wall of fresh smelling mist.
But it was angry. Very, very angry.
Only Alex seemed calm as he held his child. But then he knew all about Siyan.
Everyone else scattered, Kvar vainly trying to hide.
Siyan’s laughter boomed in the corridor, “Kvar, you might as well come out. Find out what it is like to be eaten for a change.” She stalked after Kvar.
Alex calmly spoke up. “You might as well stop, Siyan. We won’t let him escape. Where would he escape to? Max has used the Granolith. We aren’t on any of the Worlds anymore.”
“What do you know of it human? You may know some of his crimes, but can you truly encompass what being force to serve him for hundreds of years is like? To watch as he killed his first wife and children. As he fed their souls to the Oracle? To watch as he destroyed all he touched. To be parlayed out to his friends like a toy?”
“Isabel told me much. I was there. In the ring with her. We are linked, she and I, I know all she knows and she knows me. All those late night talks, all those shared pains. I know. He will face justice. I swear, he will.”
Tess still stood there, still taking pictures. Watching as a man, an man without tools or magic standing up to an enraged dragon. And talking it down.
Kvar tried to make a break, to some how escape. But Max caught him. Max took some of the Wizard’s Silk Tess had given him and rendered Kvar’s magic useless.
Defeat finally graced his countenance. Defeat and fear.
The dragon rippled into a more familiar figure. Siyan. She stretched her arms and walked toward the now bound Kvar.
Kvar said, “You are dead. I killed you.”
“And tried to absorb my soul. Yes, Kvar, I know.” Siyan walked up to him.
Max stood there holding Kvar, unsure as to whether he needed to protect Kvar from her or not. She seemed unarmed, but she was a dragon!
“You tried so hard to bring about Ragnarok, you would think you would have thought through all of the implications…. It breaks all ties, loosens all bonds. Your own actions freed us. And so the world ends. But I am free.” She looked past Kvar at Max, “You swear he will see justice?”
“My word as a Fire Wizard. I swear, for what he did to you, for what he did to my sister. For what he tried to do to Liz. Yes he will receive justice.”
Siyan looked deep into Max’s eyes and seemed convinced. She looked back at Kvar, “So how long do you think you will hold up sealed in some bog? Or maybe sealed permanently in some rock?”
Kvar did not answer.
“Well, I am sure you will find out. And there will be no ending to free you either. Ragnarok is alreading occurring. No freedom for you.” She paused, “Still….”
Max had been right to worry, for even though Siyan was unarmed, her magic was formidable and made a potent weapon on its own. Moreover, it was much more potent than it had been when she’d been captured. Much more. She knew human and Alfar, and even Jotnari magics now. And for the first time in centuries she was free.
Siyan changed only her hand, just her right hand. And reached down and castrated Kvar. “I will not take the chance. NO seed of yours will ever find purchase again.”
Kvar collapsed blood spilling onto the marble floors.
Max used the dregs of his powers to keep Kvar alive, only to find Siyan sending power to support him. “Why?”
Siyan smiled, “Oh, I don’t want him to die…. I want justice. I do. I just needed an assurance that he would never use another like he used me. Or the countless others, your sister and niece Signy among them.”
Kvar was in much too much pain to respond.
Max merely glared at Kvar. And kept him alive. Nothing more.
Which became a little more difficult when a falcon slammed into Kvar’s head, ripping and tearing.
Isabel hadn’t left. She’d merely wanted so airspeed behind her attack.
Max was able to stop her from clawing Kvar’s face to bits. But Kvar’s handsome features would never be the same. And his right eye was gone, torn from his head by Isabel’s sharp beak.
Alex called her over and the falcon landed on his shoulder before returning to her human form, linked now arm in arm with Alex.
Tess was still taking pictures, photos she was sure the others would need to see to believe.
It took several minutes to stabilize Kvar, even with Siyan’s help.
So it was some surprise when Kvar reached over to what had been empty air. “You promised! You have to help me!”
The Oracle had arrived.
-------
Aboard the Naglfar, Near the Gunnagap Gate, Jotunheim
Loki stood at the tiller and felt the cool sea breeze blow past him. It was good to be free.
Too bad his doom would soon be upon him.
Even now the prophesy was being fulfilled. He would meet his daughter on Asgard as originally planned. He felt a surge of pride in her. She had kept up the fight, and her periodic visits to Jotunheim to fan the flames of resentment against Asgard had helped him immensely in his call to arms.
He wished he could see her one last time. Maybe in the heart of the battle they might finally have time to talk, if only briefly.
The last time he had seen Hel was on her last visit to his prison. She and Sigyn disliked each other. Not that he blamed his wife. Hel was the child of indiscretion on his part. And while he regretted how much it had hurt her, he did not regret Hel.
“Sigyn.” He missed her fiercely. She would have joined him, even against her kin. She loved him that much. But he knew what he had to do, and what fate had in store for him.
He did not want her to die.
Loki heard the crying of a falcon and knew he was about to be visited by an old friend… and current enemy.
He watched as Freya furled back the falcon feathered cloak. Underneath it she was dressed for war. Even in armor she made his mouth water. Blond hair framed the bluest of eyes. “How are you this fine morning, my dear Freya?”
“No taunts or threats, betrayer?”
“Your words wound me. I do what I must.”
“Loki this must stop. Call them back and all of this can end.”
“I can’t. And even I could, what good would it do? Should I let him capture me again? What child will he use to bind me? Oh, he’s far to noble to shed my blood, blood that he swore to protect, but blood of my blood….”
“Loki…. Why did you do it?”
“He has to be stopped. Do you know what he is doing? What he has done?”
Freya looked uncomfortable and nodded.
“And yet still you serve.”
“I serve no one. I merely seek to protect those entrusted into my care.” She looked away for a moment, “Maybe some of what you say is true. Maybe he has gone to far in some things. Maybe there need to be some adjustments, changes. But Loki, this is not the way. …”
“This is the only way, my lovely. We will beat him and smash him and his corrupt establishment down. You know we are fated to succeed, Freya.”
Freya nodded, this time unhappily, “So much death, surely there is another way?”
“So, countless Humans and Alfar perish and yet you do nothing. But your precious Aesir and Vaenir are threatened….”
“Be quiet, Deceiver, I HAVE NOT BEEN STILL! I have done what I may, what I could according to the covenants.”
Loki nodded. His spies had told him so. She was so pretty when she was mad.
Then again, she was Freya. She was always lovely.
“You should know that your husband will soon be coming home.”
Shock filled Freya‘s gorgeous countenace, “Odr? He‘s, he‘s free?”
“All bonds were broken dear. It may take him a while. But he will be coming home. So don’t die, please“
“Loki. I….”
“Yes I know. I will die. Please protect Sigyn. And there is another favor.”
“What? I will not betray….”
Loki shook his head. “My great grand-daughter. She will need protection. Either from you or your protégés.”
“Who is she?”
“She was the Oracle.” He smiled. “All bonds were broken, my dear. Now go, and don’t die. Say hi to Hnoss for me.”
----
Freya stared at him for a few moments. Once they had been friends. Sure he’d been a jerk, often. But he had been one of the few she had trusted with the cloak she now wore. How had things changed? Where had everything gone wrong?
“You know, this battle may go differently than you think. Things have changed.”
“Maybe, but the prophesy is not based on just events, it is based on personalities. And that my dear has not changed. I doubt Odin has changed. Too many are content to follow his wisdom, too content to let him do their thinking for them.”
“He is wise Loki. He knows more than any of us…..”
“And yet he is still a fool who must be stopped. Freya, I am sorry, I can’t stop this. If I thought he could change, then maybe…. But he no more likely to change than I. Good bye, my dear.”
Freya turned to leave.
“Freya, wait.”
She turned and looked back.
Loki handed her an amulet. “One more gift from an old friend. May the new world be a kinder one.”
“Goodbye, Loki. May the afterlife treat you well.”
Loki rolled his head back and laughed heartily.
And Freya left.
------
Aboard the Stargazer, Midjump
Maria awoke. A tiny part remained in the ships computer. Most of the Stargazer was destroyed. It was amazing it could make this jump at all.
She was in a meadow, somewhat reminiscent of the one she had seen when she had died. Had she died again?
She felt like she had when she was on the ship, but she had little control.
And a young teenager was with her. The teen looked so much like Liz it hurt. But the eyes. They looked so much like Serena’s steel grey.
“Hi, Aunt Maria. I’m glad you are awake. Both of us are going to be busy soon. The main computer is down, and it will be up to us to land.”
“Stargazer?”
“Alexandra. Thank you for everything. Living is tougher than I thought it would be. But I think it will be worth it. Don’t you?”
“I….”
“Come on Maria, we need you. You have to wake up. Michael misses you terribly. We all do.”
“But I, I….”
“Did what you thought you had to do. Whether it was the right thing, well time will tell. But we still need you.”
“It has been so long….”
“Maria, we love you. And trust me, it hasn’t been as long as you think it has. Time can play funny tricks when you are running on computer time. So wake up, I will still be here. And so will you. We need to work together. But it will work better if you wake up. For real.”
-----
Stargazer Bridge, ??????
“Michael?”
Michael looked down at Maria, at his beautiful wife opened her eyes.
And saw that it was her. The real Maria. Older somehow, wiser and battered. But still Maria.
“Oh, Maria! I, I love you! Please stay with me, stay with me forever!” How had he not said those things to her more often? How could she have left him alone, gone away…..
“I’m back. Michael I need to breathe.” Over the intercom came Maria’s voice loud as a bell. “All hands, all hands, Emergency crash stations, emergency crash stations.”
“What, what is wrong?”
“We are going to crash. The good news is that we are going to be close to where the beacon Tess and Max set. The bad news is we have no idea where that is.”
“How long do we have?”
“Maybe ten minutes. Kyle, shuttle bay two is still operational. I am redirecting the survivors in the Medical Bay to you. The rest of us will have to take Valkyries.”
“What about the escape pods?”
“Most of them are damaged. We’ll be jettisoning all the ones we can. Some of the supplies in them will be okay. We’ll need everything we can get our hands on.”
Everyone on the bridge just stared at her.
“Well what are you waiting for. MOVE!”
Everyone scurried off to the Valkyrie bay except for Kyle, who awkwardly stumbled to Shuttle bay two.
Michael kissed her.
“Mmm, now I wish we had more time. But we have to move.”
“Welcome back!”
Maria just smiled.
------
Temple of Ascension, ?????
The Oracle stared at Kvar with no expression on her face. “Things have changed…. Father.”
There was a clatter in the corner as Liz slowly got up. She could feel something coming…..
There was a loud crack and the darkening sky was suddenly filled with glittering brightness. Her eyes tracked it as small bright flecks burst off of it.
“They are here.”
The Oracle merely nodded. And with a smile added, “So it begins.”
Re: The Sorcerer and the Stargazer (AU Teen) Part 37 - 05/03/09
Thanks for everyone following this story. Two maybe three chapters remaining.
chanks_girl- Kvar's trial is next part. Yeah. Kyle loaded her up with tech toys. And Isabel's baby was so cute.... She just got carried away.
RhondaAnn- As I noted to Leila, Tess just got carried away.
DeDe PR- Liz will try. She will most likely need help. She is powerful, but her magics, just like her technology, have limits.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 38
Ruins of Dokkheim, Hecatan Wastelands, Nidavellir
Nicholas tested his bonds again.
How deep was his failure? How had things gone so wrong?
It was mere weeks ago when he had returned to this city as a hero. Where he had been promised a place on the Council, promised large land grants in the new territories on Midgard once the War was over.
And now…. Now he lay staked out for the sun amidst the ruin of what may be the last Dokkalfar city. Parties had been sent out to find other survivors…..
They found only death. Death and rubble. The humans had their vengeance. Now both races faced extinction, along with the Ljosa.
The Council was dead. A cave in had crushed them. Perhaps some had fled into fylgia forms…. But the light of day had also blazed into the chambers of Dokkheim killing many of its inhabitants. If any of the Council had survived, none had stepped forth to take the reins of power.
They blamed him. The survivors blamed him.
And so he waited for the coming day, watched as the shadow slowly moved across the cave. They had artfully placed him so as to slowly smolder.
It took him a long time to die.
------
Valkyrie six, over Ascension Island, ?????
Maria felt the exact moment the Stargazer died. The remnant consensus had held it together long enough to evacuate it completely.
It had even arranged to fall apart in as orderly fashion as it could. Maybe something could be salvaged from it. Assuming Ragnarok left them alive.
They had no way of resisting or stopping it now.
They were definitely not on Earth. Or Nidavellir. Or Alfheim. Not one signal from a satellite peeked through the sky above them.
Her mind once more supported several comp systems simultaneously. They were simple systems, the tiny Valkyrie flight controls, but there was a savor. One that she’d thought she’d never have again.
One that would likely fade as they lost power.
Maria watched from several view points as massive waves broke upon the island the beacon sang its siren song from.
No going back now.
Alexandra sent her a tearful radio message, “What now Maria?”
“We see if we can save our friends. We try to survive the coming storm. And we rebuild. Rebuild and return. If any of those bastards survived…..”
Michael, sitting next to her on Valkyrie six slid his arms comfortingly over her shoulders.
While there were tears in her eyes for the now dead Stargazer, she was happy she had survived. Survived to enjoy, if only for a time the best of both worlds.
Kyle sent a pulse as well, “Hey, sis, have you taken a reading of that island?”
“Not a clue, but their down there. Hopefully safe. If not.”
“I miss her.”
Maria wasn’t sure whether he was referring to Liz or Tess…. Likely both.
She was not ready for yet another voice joining them on the radio. “In coming craft, please identify yourselves…..”
“L,Liz?”
“Maria?”
“Hey Liz, nice to see your okay. Um….”
“She’s fine. We’re in the Temple on top of the mountain. We’ll discuss everything there.”
Kyle’s voice was droll. “Well there is quite a bit to talk about. Your daughter in particular would like to speak with you.”
“Daughter?”
Kyle sent a tight beam pulse to Maria, “Alexandra’s being shy. Don’t tell Liz, let her meet her.”
Maria sent a virtual kiss to the blushing teenager. “Don’t worry honey, she’ll love you. She always has, even if….”
“Even if I wasn’t real?”
“You’ve always been real, honey. Just different. Trust me.”
Maybe everything might work out….. Nah, probably not. It was the end of the world after all.
But she would enjoy what she could for as long as she could. Which is why her subconscious ended up flying the Valkyries onto their perch…..
Her conscious self was making up for lost time with her husband.
-------
Ascension Island, ??????
Liz struggled to get to her feet. Not an easy task in Power Armor. She looked at her friends, at the loving gaze Max sent her.
She knew what had happened. She was part of the Temple now. As it was part of her. In her massive use of power, in her rush to defeat the evil that was Kvar, she had changed it.
And it had changed her.
She was tired, but the power still beaconed. The ring on Kvar’s finger called to her. She knew it, this place knew it.
It was evil. And for all of her power she could not destroy it.
Fate. Destiny. It was all intertwined with that ring. That little ring had brought all of these events to pass.
She could no more destroy that ring than she could stop time. It was part of the fabric of the world. Her eyes drifted from the ring to the much too knowing eyes of the girl who had been the Oracle. “They are here.”
“So it begins.”
Liz called out. She was fairly sure she knew who it was…..
They had all survived!
Part of her grieved for the loss of the ship, for the knowledge and power it had contained. It had been her home for so long. Her life.
“Their all alive.” Liz called on a tiny portion of her power and retracted the armor. As long as she was on this island she could summon it at will.
To be perfectly honest she doubted she could leave the island now.
“Kyle?” Tess said eagerly, lowering the camera and rushing to Liz.
Siyan looked at all of the others present. “So someone said something about justice. She turned to the girl who had been the Oracle. Hi Alanna. You broke free, too?”
“It released me. It knew what was coming and let me go. Come my lords and ladies, we must go meet your friends. And then we will hold a Conclave. It is fitting that we do it here and now.”
Liz nodded.
They all began to leave, but Tess called Liz back. She looked at Liz with plaintive eyes. “Liz?”
“Yes, Tess?”
Tess held up the sapphire, one that now had a glow inside of its stormy interior. It had been made to hold her soul, to hold it until Kvar was ready to consume her utterly. But now….
“It’s my son. My unborn child. Kyle’s child. When I escaped, when my body died….. I couldn’t let him go. He was dying inside my body, and I saved him. Can you, can you fix him?”
“I, I will do my best Tess. But…. This is beyond me. I could mend a body, perhaps bring him back to life inside of you…. But….”
Tess’s eyes were bright with tears. “Please?”
Liz nodded. “I will do what I can. But it will have to wait. And with the Stargazer gone…. I will do what I can.”
Tess hugged her. She reluctantly handed the gem over to Liz.
Liz could feel a tiny quizzical presence, still not fully formed. But curious, very curious. She hugged Tess back and handed her back the gem, knowing it pained Tess to be apart from it for even a moment. “We will save him. This I promise you.”
They followed the others to the landing site.
------
Armstrong Base, Moon, Midgard
Jim Valenti held his wife tightly. They had been watching events on the Earth with horror. It had been one thing to hear Liz and Max speak of fantastic creatures, quite another for them to actually appear. They had followed the battle that raged in the ruined Middle East as the last flowers of Mankind’s forces fell.
Earth was silent.
Amy cried into his chest at the horror of it all. Jim was not far behind.
All they had known, all they had loved…. All of it was gone. Even their children.
Jim closed his eyes. And Maria had taken so much of the equipment he’d built and stored for the Moon Born to recover and resettle.
The screen flickered and changed. He shook Amy, and she looked blearily at the screen.
It was Maria. Or an image that looked so breathtakingly similar….
“Hello my honored ancestors. By the time you receive this I will be dead….”
Amy’s voice hitched as she began to sob….
All Jim could do was hold her. The message continue.
“My name is unimportant, I speak for the combined Consensus. We have sent your children away to protect them. The Stargazer will not survive the trip. My ship the Alexander will crash into the foe. We will not defeat them, but we should blunt their advance. The archives of the Consensus have been down loaded into your data banks.”
The image was becoming visibly emotional. “Honored elders, it has been an honor and a privilege to live and die for you and your cause….”
“Remember us.”
The screen went blank.
All Jim could hear was the sobs of his wife. He didn’t even try to stop the tears sliding down his cheeks slowly in the reduced gravity.
He didn’t really understand who or what the Consensus had been. All he knew is that his children’s lives, and he meant more than Kyle or Maria, would not be in vain.
The Earth would live again.
-------
Hallowed Hills, Vanaheim
As had been prophesied the great Bifrost Bridge shattered under the hooves of the remaining Fire Jotnar. The Vaenir line was sorely depleted of its expected strength. They were now the first line of defense against invasion by land.
Their army should have been swollen with the armies of the Alfar. Freyr was the Lord of Alfheim after all. But most of the Alfar, of either light or dark, now lay dead. And so they had little hope to hold the enemy here.
Luckily they would face only two of the armies of evil. The Frost Jotnar were traveling across the sundering seas, and would regroup with them on Asgard.
And the Fire Jotnari army had been all but broken on Midgard.
Surt was dead and none remained who could lift his blazing sword.
Tiny seeds, many sown so long ago, were beginning to sprout as each sides attempts to alter their fate began to bloom.
Who could say who would win now? Maybe Freyr’s mistake would not come to haunt his people after all….
So Freyr held onto hope, held his army in the field longer than he should have. For Hel’s armies ground him down.
There were just so many of them. And they were not rabble. Not every warrior died in combat, not every strategist was picked by the Valkyries.
Many of the souls of the dead had been mere civilians in life, true. But the talent of turning civilians into soldiers had long been mastered by Mankind….. Hel had used that knowledge.
Unlike Surt, Hel did not stop to destroy the country side.
She had better things to do. She marched on Asgard.
chanks_girl- Kvar's trial is next part. Yeah. Kyle loaded her up with tech toys. And Isabel's baby was so cute.... She just got carried away.
RhondaAnn- As I noted to Leila, Tess just got carried away.
DeDe PR- Liz will try. She will most likely need help. She is powerful, but her magics, just like her technology, have limits.
Disclaimer- The characters of Roswell are not mine and no infringement is intended.
The Sorcerer and the Stargazer part 38
Ruins of Dokkheim, Hecatan Wastelands, Nidavellir
Nicholas tested his bonds again.
How deep was his failure? How had things gone so wrong?
It was mere weeks ago when he had returned to this city as a hero. Where he had been promised a place on the Council, promised large land grants in the new territories on Midgard once the War was over.
And now…. Now he lay staked out for the sun amidst the ruin of what may be the last Dokkalfar city. Parties had been sent out to find other survivors…..
They found only death. Death and rubble. The humans had their vengeance. Now both races faced extinction, along with the Ljosa.
The Council was dead. A cave in had crushed them. Perhaps some had fled into fylgia forms…. But the light of day had also blazed into the chambers of Dokkheim killing many of its inhabitants. If any of the Council had survived, none had stepped forth to take the reins of power.
They blamed him. The survivors blamed him.
And so he waited for the coming day, watched as the shadow slowly moved across the cave. They had artfully placed him so as to slowly smolder.
It took him a long time to die.
------
Valkyrie six, over Ascension Island, ?????
Maria felt the exact moment the Stargazer died. The remnant consensus had held it together long enough to evacuate it completely.
It had even arranged to fall apart in as orderly fashion as it could. Maybe something could be salvaged from it. Assuming Ragnarok left them alive.
They had no way of resisting or stopping it now.
They were definitely not on Earth. Or Nidavellir. Or Alfheim. Not one signal from a satellite peeked through the sky above them.
Her mind once more supported several comp systems simultaneously. They were simple systems, the tiny Valkyrie flight controls, but there was a savor. One that she’d thought she’d never have again.
One that would likely fade as they lost power.
Maria watched from several view points as massive waves broke upon the island the beacon sang its siren song from.
No going back now.
Alexandra sent her a tearful radio message, “What now Maria?”
“We see if we can save our friends. We try to survive the coming storm. And we rebuild. Rebuild and return. If any of those bastards survived…..”
Michael, sitting next to her on Valkyrie six slid his arms comfortingly over her shoulders.
While there were tears in her eyes for the now dead Stargazer, she was happy she had survived. Survived to enjoy, if only for a time the best of both worlds.
Kyle sent a pulse as well, “Hey, sis, have you taken a reading of that island?”
“Not a clue, but their down there. Hopefully safe. If not.”
“I miss her.”
Maria wasn’t sure whether he was referring to Liz or Tess…. Likely both.
She was not ready for yet another voice joining them on the radio. “In coming craft, please identify yourselves…..”
“L,Liz?”
“Maria?”
“Hey Liz, nice to see your okay. Um….”
“She’s fine. We’re in the Temple on top of the mountain. We’ll discuss everything there.”
Kyle’s voice was droll. “Well there is quite a bit to talk about. Your daughter in particular would like to speak with you.”
“Daughter?”
Kyle sent a tight beam pulse to Maria, “Alexandra’s being shy. Don’t tell Liz, let her meet her.”
Maria sent a virtual kiss to the blushing teenager. “Don’t worry honey, she’ll love you. She always has, even if….”
“Even if I wasn’t real?”
“You’ve always been real, honey. Just different. Trust me.”
Maybe everything might work out….. Nah, probably not. It was the end of the world after all.
But she would enjoy what she could for as long as she could. Which is why her subconscious ended up flying the Valkyries onto their perch…..
Her conscious self was making up for lost time with her husband.
-------
Ascension Island, ??????
Liz struggled to get to her feet. Not an easy task in Power Armor. She looked at her friends, at the loving gaze Max sent her.
She knew what had happened. She was part of the Temple now. As it was part of her. In her massive use of power, in her rush to defeat the evil that was Kvar, she had changed it.
And it had changed her.
She was tired, but the power still beaconed. The ring on Kvar’s finger called to her. She knew it, this place knew it.
It was evil. And for all of her power she could not destroy it.
Fate. Destiny. It was all intertwined with that ring. That little ring had brought all of these events to pass.
She could no more destroy that ring than she could stop time. It was part of the fabric of the world. Her eyes drifted from the ring to the much too knowing eyes of the girl who had been the Oracle. “They are here.”
“So it begins.”
Liz called out. She was fairly sure she knew who it was…..
They had all survived!
Part of her grieved for the loss of the ship, for the knowledge and power it had contained. It had been her home for so long. Her life.
“Their all alive.” Liz called on a tiny portion of her power and retracted the armor. As long as she was on this island she could summon it at will.
To be perfectly honest she doubted she could leave the island now.
“Kyle?” Tess said eagerly, lowering the camera and rushing to Liz.
Siyan looked at all of the others present. “So someone said something about justice. She turned to the girl who had been the Oracle. Hi Alanna. You broke free, too?”
“It released me. It knew what was coming and let me go. Come my lords and ladies, we must go meet your friends. And then we will hold a Conclave. It is fitting that we do it here and now.”
Liz nodded.
They all began to leave, but Tess called Liz back. She looked at Liz with plaintive eyes. “Liz?”
“Yes, Tess?”
Tess held up the sapphire, one that now had a glow inside of its stormy interior. It had been made to hold her soul, to hold it until Kvar was ready to consume her utterly. But now….
“It’s my son. My unborn child. Kyle’s child. When I escaped, when my body died….. I couldn’t let him go. He was dying inside my body, and I saved him. Can you, can you fix him?”
“I, I will do my best Tess. But…. This is beyond me. I could mend a body, perhaps bring him back to life inside of you…. But….”
Tess’s eyes were bright with tears. “Please?”
Liz nodded. “I will do what I can. But it will have to wait. And with the Stargazer gone…. I will do what I can.”
Tess hugged her. She reluctantly handed the gem over to Liz.
Liz could feel a tiny quizzical presence, still not fully formed. But curious, very curious. She hugged Tess back and handed her back the gem, knowing it pained Tess to be apart from it for even a moment. “We will save him. This I promise you.”
They followed the others to the landing site.
------
Armstrong Base, Moon, Midgard
Jim Valenti held his wife tightly. They had been watching events on the Earth with horror. It had been one thing to hear Liz and Max speak of fantastic creatures, quite another for them to actually appear. They had followed the battle that raged in the ruined Middle East as the last flowers of Mankind’s forces fell.
Earth was silent.
Amy cried into his chest at the horror of it all. Jim was not far behind.
All they had known, all they had loved…. All of it was gone. Even their children.
Jim closed his eyes. And Maria had taken so much of the equipment he’d built and stored for the Moon Born to recover and resettle.
The screen flickered and changed. He shook Amy, and she looked blearily at the screen.
It was Maria. Or an image that looked so breathtakingly similar….
“Hello my honored ancestors. By the time you receive this I will be dead….”
Amy’s voice hitched as she began to sob….
All Jim could do was hold her. The message continue.
“My name is unimportant, I speak for the combined Consensus. We have sent your children away to protect them. The Stargazer will not survive the trip. My ship the Alexander will crash into the foe. We will not defeat them, but we should blunt their advance. The archives of the Consensus have been down loaded into your data banks.”
The image was becoming visibly emotional. “Honored elders, it has been an honor and a privilege to live and die for you and your cause….”
“Remember us.”
The screen went blank.
All Jim could hear was the sobs of his wife. He didn’t even try to stop the tears sliding down his cheeks slowly in the reduced gravity.
He didn’t really understand who or what the Consensus had been. All he knew is that his children’s lives, and he meant more than Kyle or Maria, would not be in vain.
The Earth would live again.
-------
Hallowed Hills, Vanaheim
As had been prophesied the great Bifrost Bridge shattered under the hooves of the remaining Fire Jotnar. The Vaenir line was sorely depleted of its expected strength. They were now the first line of defense against invasion by land.
Their army should have been swollen with the armies of the Alfar. Freyr was the Lord of Alfheim after all. But most of the Alfar, of either light or dark, now lay dead. And so they had little hope to hold the enemy here.
Luckily they would face only two of the armies of evil. The Frost Jotnar were traveling across the sundering seas, and would regroup with them on Asgard.
And the Fire Jotnari army had been all but broken on Midgard.
Surt was dead and none remained who could lift his blazing sword.
Tiny seeds, many sown so long ago, were beginning to sprout as each sides attempts to alter their fate began to bloom.
Who could say who would win now? Maybe Freyr’s mistake would not come to haunt his people after all….
So Freyr held onto hope, held his army in the field longer than he should have. For Hel’s armies ground him down.
There were just so many of them. And they were not rabble. Not every warrior died in combat, not every strategist was picked by the Valkyries.
Many of the souls of the dead had been mere civilians in life, true. But the talent of turning civilians into soldiers had long been mastered by Mankind….. Hel had used that knowledge.
Unlike Surt, Hel did not stop to destroy the country side.
She had better things to do. She marched on Asgard.