Legends of Amacia Attack on Tartarus

Preparing for the Ezra’s Watchtower

Forty minutes later after having gotten something to eat, Hannibal and Selina stood in the Armory with Enoch. Hannibal wore his normal outfit: tan shirt and trousers with boots. Selina was wearing a sleeveless knee-length plain gray dress that was very modest with a belt and sandals. Enoch gestured to the armory after they entered, saying, “Please, look around and take what you need, Selina. Hannibal is familiar with the layout in here, so he can guide you in your choices. Just remember, some of the weapons in here are ancient and contain great power so choose carefully. I’ll leave you two alone for now. I have to check on the others.”

Hannibal nodded, saying, “Thank you, Enoch. We’ll be along in a little bit, and I’ll be sure Selina comes away with something she can handle.”

“Very well; I’ll see your team gathers in the living room,” Enoch replied.

Hannibal patted Enoch on the arm and nodded with a grunt. Enoch left as Selina began browsing through the Armory. “Let your heart choose,” Hannibal called out. “Don’t just go with the first thing you see. Explore a bit. Handle the weapons. Examine them closely. The weapon oft times chooses its master. That weapon will call to you, so calm your mind and soul so you can hear its call. I know your special weapon is here somewhere.”

“I will,” Selina replied. “In fact, I feel a strange call coming from somewhere in here. Is that what you felt when you found the Bane and the Hellion? It’s subtle, like a whisper in my ear. It’s making the hair on the back of my neck stand up.”

“It is,” Hannibal said bluntly. “Don’t resist the call. It may take you a little while to find it, but follow the call and your nose. It will lead you to your special weapon. Now while you look for your special weapon, I’m going to look through the armor again. Something’s calling me from the armor.”

“Okay,” Selina stated. “I’ll let you know when I find something. Will I know what’s calling me when I find it?”

“You will,” Hannibal stated. “Trust me. You will.” With that, he wandered off into the armor.

Selina smiled at Hannibal as she walked into the sword section of the Armory. She wondered at the exquisite selection of hundreds of ancient swords, ranging from broadswords to katana type blades, to scimitars to oriental weapons, even executioner’s swords. But that wasn’t all she found. She noticed sections filled with axes, maces, spears: every conceivable edged and blunt weapon ever thought of. The Armory also boasted an extensive selection of both projectile and energy weapons along with all manner of armor. Selina was a kid in a candy store. She absolutely loved ancient weapons, particularly swords, but hated to use them. She loved them for the skill and artwork that went into making them. She handled a few of the oriental blades, including several of the katana types. However, they weren’t the source of the telepathic call she heard upon entering the Armory. Still, the ornate nature of the swords impressed her artistic eye. After ten minutes of browsing, she found the source of the call and her mouth dropped open in a gasp. There in the sword rack by itself sat an exquisitely beautiful katana type blade similar to the one she got from Sai Keleb’s Armory at Skull Pass. But this one was three times as beautiful and ornate. The blade was forty-five inches long, engraved with elaborate scrollwork on the hilt, handle, and pummel. The detail was very fine. She saw saber-toothed cats engraved all over the sword, especially on the hilt, handle and scabbard. The pummel was the head of a saber-toothed tiger and the handle was a little on the long side at nearly sixteen inches. It called to her and she reached out, trembling with excitement at the find. Gently, she picked it up, calling out as she did, “Hannibal, come take a look at this.”

Hannibal walked over to her carrying some leg armor that suited him. Selina presented the sword to Hannibal with a smile that reached from ear to ear. “Look at this!” she breathed in awe of the blade. “Isn’t it the most exquisite example of sword-making you have ever seen?”

Hannibal sat his armor aside, saying, “It’s a beautiful blade. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. It’s different from the other blades. It’s elegant and hauntingly familiar. Unsheathe the blade. Let’s get a closer look at it.”

An icy chill raced down Selina’s spine as she unsheathed the ancient katana. “Oh,” she breathed in awe, seeing the gleaming curved blade engraved with ancient runes from point to hilt. “What is this? I feel incredibly strange handling this blade, as if I’ve been here before handling it.”

“Ah, you’re having a bit of déjà vu, are you?” Hannibal asked; raising an eyebrow upon seeing the two-inch wide, forty-five inch long katana blade with the ancient runes etched into it. “Don’t resist it. That’s exactly what I felt when I found both Ezra’s sword and the Caverias sword. Do you feel any hostility or darkness on the blade?”

“No,” Selina reported. “But for some reason, I feel this blade belongs to me. I can’t explain it.”

Hannibal smiled warmly at Selina. “Welcome to my world, princess,” he chimed. “It seems you found your weapon. May I see it?”

“Of course,” Selina replied, handing over the bare blade to Hannibal while keeping the sheath in hand.

Hannibal gently grasped the sword by the handle and hefted it, eyeing it closely. A strange feeling came over him as he handled the blade. “Very curious,” he said softly. “These runes are like the ones on the Caverias sword. I cannot read them, yet the sword seems familiar. You know, I swear I believe I’ve seen this blade somewhere before. What about you?” He presented it back to her and she took it, hands trembling.

“I...I don’t know,” Selina replied. “All I know is it called to me and feels familiar, but I don’t think it’s alive like the Hellion or the Bane. It reminds me of Thoth’s sword, especially with that weird writing on the blade. What is this sword? Who owned it, and why do I feel it belongs to me? I must find out.”

“Trust me, you’ll find out when the time is right,” Hannibal stated. “Ancient weapons that chose their master will often test their master before revealing their true nature to them. I can attest to that. Before we rescued those people from Hreidmar’s Bastion, I had no idea the Caverias sword harbored such power.”

“What do you mean?” Selina asked.

“Under certain circumstances, the Caverias sword opens up into a seven-inch wide blade that can enhance any elemental attack,” Hannibal explained. “It happened when I attacked General Si as he approached the 4th gate. Here, it’s easier to show you than to try to tell it.” He touched Selina’s temple with his index and middle finger, sharing his memory of the incident. She saw him wearing Grimm’s Mask and the Caverias sword opening up before he single-handedly wiped out General Si and the lead companies of the 7th Division’s Hunter battalions.

“Whoa,” Selina breathed as she watched the incident through Hannibal’s eyes. “You didn’t know the Caverias sword could do that, did you?”

“No,” Hannibal stated. “The power I unleashed using Grimm’s Mask in combination with the Caverias sword scared me. I hope I never have to do that again, but it did show me we know nothing of the Caverias sword’s true nature. It’s a weapon as alien to me as the Bane and Hellion are. I must understand it before I unleash its power again. If I don’t, its power may overwhelm me.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Selina purred. “I believe in you. All you need to do is experiment a little with it. Find out what makes it do that. I’m sure there’s a trigger of some kind, whether it’s physical or mental.”

“That’s a good idea,” Hannibal chimed. “But it may have to be on-the-job training. I haven’t the time to properly experiment with it before we go to Ezra’s tower. The clock is ticking.”

“You’re right,” Selina agreed. “Time is against us. Just be alert when you use it. The key to getting the sword to do that may be exceedingly simple. After all, the mark of genius is often simplicity.”

“You’re so right,” Hannibal replied. “But enough about Thoth’s sword; what about the sword in your hand? What is it telling you right now? You said it called to you and felt it belonged to you. Calm your mind and heart so you can hear the weapon’s spirit, if it has one.”

Selina sighed deeply, calming her mind and body as she looked in puzzlement at the blade in her hand. “I feel something strange on this blade,” she said softly. “It reminds me of what I felt the first time I touched Shadizar Kahn’s scepter, but it’s not nearly as dangerous. It’s not making my hands tingle, nor is it sapping my strength. It’s actually raising my strength level somehow. I can feel it. It feels right in my hand. This is nuts. How can I be sensing this from a weapon? Is it truly alive?”

“You’re not nuts,” Hannibal reassured her. “It’s now obvious this weapon called to you same as the Bane called to me. However, I don’t sense any obvious intelligence on the blade, not like I felt on the Bane. What you need to do is embrace this weapon as your own. It wants to protect you. That much I can sense. Why don’t you try it out?” He backed away, giving Selina room to make a few practice moves.

Selina gripped the handle, looking at the blade. In moments, she made a few practice moves with it. It instantly felt like it belonged in her hands reinforcing the bond she felt when she picked it up. She moved the blade, making it sing as it cut through the air with great speed. “Oh, it’s perfect!” she cried after finishing with her practice session. “It’s even better than the one I had before. The balance is superb, and I can feel it wanting to protect me, as you said. I sincerely hope I don’t have to use it.”

Hannibal smiled, saying, “I hope not either. But that sword suits you well. Come, let’s get you some armor.” At that, she sheathed the blade and they went about finding her some armor.

Right at two hours from the time Nathanael, Joshua, and Seras left Hannibal’s room, Hannibal and Selina walked into the living room together, armed and armored. Hannibal had the Caverias sword slung across his back and the Scepter of Shadizar Kahn in his gloved hand and still in the sling that was made for it. Hannibal wore the same platinum-colored plate and chain-mail armor he used at Hreidmar’s Bastion. The Draken Gauntlets of Ryu-Fudo sat on his forearms. On his finger was the Caverias signet. Around his neck were both the Caverias Seal and the Griffin Seal of Khitia, both seals barely visible beneath the shimmering armor shirt he wore under the chain mail. His favorite curved dagger and a pouch of ammunition for the Draken Gauntlets hung on his belt.

Selina entered armored as well, with a sleeveless snug-fitting knee-length shimmering armor dress covered by an electronium chain mail and leather dress the same length. Beneath the armored dress, she wore fur-lined leather trousers with armored knee boots. Clasp-on electronium armor covered her forearms and legs. Around her waist was a wide leather belt with a silver draken buckle. Twin daggers hung on the belt along with a pouch of ammunition for the heavy-caliber plasma rifle she had shouldered along with the katana she found in the armory. An elaborate hairpiece held her hair back out of her face. When they walked in, everyone Hannibal asked for was there ready and waiting, fully armored and armed with edged weapons, plasma blasters, and rifles.

In addition to them, Enoch, Harry, Elias, and Electra were there. Hannibal immediately noticed Anastasia as they walked up. Everyone immediately noticed that Selina was walking. “Selina, you’re walking!” Nathanael blurted out happily.

“So I am,” Selina replied smugly. “And it feels so good too. I got my legs back this morning. When we woke, I had feeling in them. All that was needed then was the faith and will to make it happen.”

Electra walked up to her daughter and looked into her eyes with the happiest look she’d had since first seeing Selina. “Oh, my darling daughter,” she said happily, wrapping her arms around Selina in a mother’s embrace. Selina responded instantly. “It’s so good to see you walking,” Electra added as she embraced Selina.

“Thank you, momma,” Selina replied as she let go of her mother. While she and her mother were embracing, Enoch noticed the sword she had chosen.

“I see you chose a blade, Selina,” Enoch commented. “May I see it for a moment?”

Selina pulled the blade and presented it to Enoch, saying, “As strange as it sounds, it called to me the moment I saw it.”

Enoch gently took the blade and examined it. He looked at the blade, and then at Selina with a knowing smile, saying, “I’m sure it did. Looks like Hannibal isn’t the only one being singled out by ancient weapons these days. Do you know whose sword this used to be?”

Selina shook her head as Enoch handed it back to her, saying, “No.”

Enoch looked her in the eye, declaring, “This is a very ancient blade forged by Gordo, the royal weapons master of the Caverias household himself. According to the legends, he was an Ilmarinen and forged four blades such as this for Ariel and her daughters. This one was, according to legend, meant for Cleo. She never received it because of her involvement with the son of Noah. There wasn’t time to get it to her before the Kragonar. At least that is what the legends say. But somewhere, there are two others exactly like this made for Cleo’s sisters and a very special blade forged for Ariel.”

“That’s interesting,” Selina stated as she sheathed the blade, getting some idea of why the blade seemed to call to her, “Very interesting indeed.”

Hannibal looked at Enoch with a question in his eye, which he gave voice to by asking, “You say that Ariel had a special blade forged for her like Thoth had the blade that I now wield made for him?”

Enoch nodded, saying, “Yes. The legends say so. Moreover, if you don’t want to believe the legends, just look at the portrait of them in my quarters. You will see that both of them are armed: Thoth with the sword you have in your possession and Ariel with hers. Both swords are unique, powerful gifts from an unnamed benefactor. There isn’t another one like either of them in the entire universe.”

Hannibal nodded knowingly as Andrew asked the obvious question. “Why did you call us here, Uncle?” he asked.

Hannibal looked at him and answered, “In just a moment, Andrew.” Hannibal approached Anastasia and asked, “How are you feeling Ana?”

Anastasia’s eyes sparkled with great intelligence as she replied, “Much better. Muriel and I have finally merged. We are now finally one being as it should be. For so long I was imprisoned by the evil of the Cadre. It took a little time to readjust. But now, all is well. It’s good to breathe the free air.” Hannibal touched her on the shoulder as Selina flanked him. Anastasia looked at Selina with a telltale smile, asking, “How are you doing, young lady?”

“Good. Very good in fact; I’m walking again,” Selina replied.

Anastasia looked her in the eye, asking, “You’re sure? No ill effects from the Hydra toxin?”

Selina shook her head, saying, “No. Not that I know of; I actually haven’t felt this good since Hannibal and I were married.”

This response surprised and intrigued Anastasia as she replied, “Really.”

At that moment, Nemesis entered the room and approached. He saw Selina on her feet and ready to go, which greatly surprised him. He walked up to her and asked, “How are you feeling, Selina? I’m actually surprised that you are walking so quickly after such a close brush with death.”

Selina touched Nemesis on this cybernetic arm, saying, “I’m doing very well, thank you. When I woke up this morning, I had feeling in my legs for the first time since I was taken to the Tower. I heard there was a fragment of the Hydra’s tooth you removed from my arm. Could I see it?”

“Of course,” Nemesis stated. He opened the little panel on his machine arm and removed what appeared to be a glass vial with the tooth fragment in it. The fragment was an inch and three quarters in length and tapered from a half inch wide to a point. He held the vial in his organic hand, saying, “It has to be sealed up because of the toxic nature of it. I still have no idea how it manifested in our reality.”

“What are you saying?” Anastasia asked.

“The wound Selina received from the Hydra while freeing you manifested physically,” Hannibal stated. “We do not know how it happened, but it did. She didn’t apparently get better until after the fragment was removed. I am sure of one thing though. She would have never survived had you not acted when you did.”

“What are you saying?” Elle asked. “What happened to her?”

Hannibal glanced at Selina and said, “Show them.”

Selina promptly pulled up her sleeve and showed the wound. It was still a hole, but was nowhere near as deep, and was healing from the bottom up. Still, it was an inch deep and wide. Elle covered her mouth in shock and Anastasia was now very interested. Everyone else who saw the wound except for Hannibal and Nemesis were also shocked.

“Anastasia has a healing gift unlike any I’ve ever seen. Her ability even surpasses yours, Amelia,” Hannibal stated. At that, he told those present what happened after they disappeared into the monolith. He told them the terrors that they endured trying to escape from the monolith. He told them of the finding of the tomb and sarcophagus that imprisoned Anastasia, along with the incident with the Hydra. However, he did not tell them that Anastasia was completely nude when they found her the first time nor the second time after they destroyed the monolith. He told them how after Selina rescued him to her great peril from the Hydra, he released Anastasia from her prison and how once she saw Selina’s desperate situation, embraced her and healed her to the point they could get away. The only facts he omitted in the whole episode was the fact that Anastasia was nude. Not once did he mention it because he didn’t want to embarrass her. After telling the tale, he added, “That’s why I say Ana has healing abilities. But for some reason we do not understand, the Hydra was able to physically wound Selina. Is it true, great bear, that the tooth is still full of venom?”

Nemesis nodded, saying, “Yes. I was frankly surprised to see her still alive when I found out what was ailing her. The Hydra’s toxin is so lethal that a single drop is enough to kill a hundred men and it’s not a pleasant way to die either. The Hydra’s venom is based on the basilisk’s venom. It’s highly caustic and acidic. Once the venom is injected, it doesn’t kill immediately. Being that it’s neural toxic, it first paralyzes the body, and then the venom eats the body away from the inside out, liquefying everything it touches. Usually, after the bite, the Hydra consumes the victim as any large snake would. It is good that you chose to strike the heads rather than cutting them off because the Hydras have incredible regeneration ability, growing back two heads in place of the one cut off. When you pierced the brains of both heads, it was unable to regenerate.”

“You seem to know much about the Hydras, Nemesis.” Morpheus stated. “Is it because you’ve had experience with them?”

Nemesis nodded, saying, “Yes. I have. I’ve seen creatures that you can’t even comprehend. I have had experience with both basilisks and Hydras, not to mention many other monsters that the Cadre cooked up in their genetic labs. They particularly like the Hydras and basilisks as guards because they are so efficient in killing. You’re going to Kartoom. You will encounter both. I’ve been in there and seen the horrors of that place. Kartoom is far more dangerous a place than the Black Fortress because of that. Do not underestimate their defenses. More than just Zarukar, Xenians, and droids guard the core. There are fell monsters there that do not sleep.”

Hannibal nodded, saying, “I know, my friend. But that is not why we are here. The watchtower of Ezra Karac has called to us. Seras has had a vision of it just yesterday and this morning, Selina and I saw it in a vision. The great general calls to us. It’s time to answer.”

At the mention of the watchtower, Anastasia became very agitated and fearful. She grabbed Hannibal and Selina by the hands and looked them in the eye, saying urgently, “What did you see? Tell me everything!”

“Well, after we woke up this morning, we were just sitting in bed, enjoying each other’s company, talking about Rachel when I got this feeling of impending doom,” Hannibal stated plainly. “No more than I got that feeling that the room vanished from our eyes and we saw the watchtower of Ezra Karac in the Dune Sea at a distance. In a moment, we zoomed right into the keep where the great man himself still sits, the selfsame place I retrieved his sword. We were looking at his skeleton when it moved, coming to life as it seemed. It looked at us and said ‘Beware the Leviathan. Samhein moves as Nidhoggr stirs. Destroy the gateway.’ It then pointed at the wall and said, ‘Fulfill your destiny.’ After that, Selina said she was officially creeped out and the vision ended. I was at first a little hesitant about it because I knew we were going to have to go to Kartoom. But when Seras showed up in our room a few minutes later with Nathanael and Joshua and told us what he saw last night, I figured we should check it out. Seras is a telepathic visionary. He said that he saw the same thing we did, except that Karac didn’t move or speak, only point to the wall to his left, which happened to be where Karac pointed in our vision as he told us to fulfill our destiny. That’s why I’ve I called you all here this morning.” Anastasia was shaking, literally trembling as he spoke the vision to her. He saw and felt fear and longing in her. “You know something about that place, don’t you?” he asked her. Anastasia hesitated as she trembled.

“What is it, sister?” Selina asked.

By this time, everyone noticed the fear in Anastasia. Amelia and Morpheus flanked her and Amelia touched her on the shoulder, asking, “What is there that can cause such fear in you, sister?” Anastasia began to speak, but choked. Her face was paled and fear visibly showed in her.

Hannibal then knew something had to be done. He grasped her reptilian hand firmly, saying as he looked her in the eye, “Remember Muriel, Ana. She can teach you how to deal with this fear. She conquered her fear. You can too. Now let me tell you something. Do not let this fear consume you.”

Suddenly the Holy Spirit whispered to Hannibal, “Show her your sword.”

Hannibal let go of her, saying, “Let me show you something that may help you with this fear.” Hannibal unslung his sword and pulled it, presenting it to Anastasia. Her eyes got wide as saucers as Hannibal said, “You recognize this blade, don’t you? Behold the sword of Thoth Caverias himself that I took from the chasm of Acheron. Here, take it and hold it. Gain courage from it as I have.”

Hannibal stood there presenting the sword to Anastasia as she finally gasped in utter astonishment, “Holy Ancient of Days, the sword of Thoth Caverias! How?” She hesitantly reached out to grasp it. Both Morpheus and Amelia urged her on. When she touched the blade, her fear vanished. She run her fingers along the side of the blade, and then grabbed the sword by the handle, gently picking it up out of Hannibal’s hand. He smiled as she picked it up. Her face was glowing with astonishment and awe. Once she did, he reached into his coat and pulled out the seal of Thoth Caverias, showing it to her. She looked at the seal and she immediately fell to her knees, presenting the sword back to him, crying in awe, “It’s true! The prophecy has come true! The Beowulf has returned! How?”

Hannibal put the seal away and took his blade from her, sheathing it, and handing it to Nathanael. He then reached out, saying, “You bow to no man, Anastasia Karac.”

Anastasia’s face exploded in surprise, as did everyone else’s when he spoke. She began to speak when Hannibal took her by the hand, saying, “Yes, I know who you are, Ana. You are the last of Ezra’s line. Understand something. I didn’t realize it until just now. I have been in the Teacher not just here, but in Kaal Bek, and in Tiamat. I have searched the Archives and had the Knowledge of the Ages deposited in my blistered synapses. The knowledge came forth just a moment ago, thanks to the Almighty Ancient of Days. Thank you, Lord. Ezra Karac was Thoth’s general, but he was also his best friend and confidant. They were contemporaries. Ezra married Ariel’s twin sister, Leila. I still don’t understand how Lynxians came to this planet initially, but I do know that Ariel and Leila were like Selina and Kida are now. They were very close. You, Anastasia, are of Ezra’s line and because Leila was Ariel’s twin, you are related to us. If you do not believe it, check your genetic structure. You will find the genetic fingerprints of Ariel and Leila’s mother there. You aren’t as closely related to me as I am to Enoch but, I will bet that Ariel’s mother was one of Selina’s and Kida’s remote ancestors. I’m almost positive of that. You are our cousin, and thus part of our line. Now just to reinforce who I am in your mind, if what you’ve seen and heard thus far isn’t enough, let me say this.

“I was born on the surface in a country far to the north of this place called the United States. I was named John Hannibal Smith. As I grew, I preferred the middle name so I use Hannibal as my primary name. But when I lost my family to assassins, my world changed forever. Beowulf was born that fateful day. I took that name when I trained in the ways of the occult and war. Even as a child, I loved the ancient epics. Beowulf was a character in an Anglo-Saxon epic. He was the hero who slew monsters and demons to save a kingdom from great evil. In the end, he slew a draken but was killed himself by the bite of it in battle. I felt an affinity for that character and took his name as my own when I trained as a wizard assassin in order to avenge the deaths of my family. I became the most powerful wizard on the planet with powers comparable to that of Ahriaman, maybe even the Emperor. I avenged the deaths of my family, and as a result, was dragged into the darkness. Only the mercy and strength of the Almighty Ancient of Days saved me. Since those days, Beowulf has had a negative connotation for me because of what I did under that name. I did things that only the Emperor could top in its evil. So after I was saved, I went back to my real name and tried to forget my past, but it was impossible. The Almighty refused to let me forget my past. Beowulf was still there, and nothing I could do to make him leave. I still have an affinity for the original Beowulf. But it wasn’t until I came to this place that I realized that Beowulf was not just my past, but my future. I came here, and found out that Thoth and Ariel named their firstborn son Beowulf. But more importantly, I discovered prophecies written down before the Kragonar stated that in the time of the end the heir to the throne of Amacia would return to Amacia from the surface and destroy the Emperor for all time, reclaiming the throne and saving the Almighty’s people, who just happen to be the heir’s people, from utter destruction.”

Hannibal paused as he lifted Anastasia to her feet by the hand, saying afterwards, “I know you know the prophecies. What did they call the heir apparent from the surface?”

Anastasia looked into his eyes with reverence, saying, “The prophecies called him the Beowulf...the Last Caverias. The prophecies foretold that the descendant of Thoth would come from the outer world to set things right.”

Hannibal smiled, saying, “So here I stand, not by my choosing either but in the will of the Almighty God, the great Ancient of Days. I did not choose this position. I never wanted it. I still don’t want it, but I accept it because the Lord has put me in this place. I no longer kick against the pricks. I do the will of the Almighty. I hope that very soon I will be able to leave off this life of strife, war, and bloodshed. That lifestyle has cost me dearly. I want it no more. But it seems that the Almighty needed a man of war to do this, so stand I here with a dark bloody past that has haunted me all my life. I long for the day when I will be able to lay down my sword and live in peace. Now tell me, Anastasia Karac, what is it that caused you such fear?”

Anastasia tucked her head a bit, saying, “I was nearly killed there long ago. I don’t remember much about it except that there were monsters there…terrible alien monsters. It was a very traumatic experience. What I do remember of it is like a dream nearly forgotten. The only thing that I clearly remember is that alien death incarnate dwells in the depths of the fortress and consumes anything that intrudes into its territory.”

Hannibal looked at her with an intrigued look, saying, “Hmmm, a suppressed memory. This is interesting.”

“What is supposed to be there?” Andrew asked.

Hannibal turned to Andrew, saying, “I’m not sure, but I think somewhere deep inside that fortress is Leila’s resting place. I can tell you this though. The last time I was there, I had the distinct feeling that I was missing something very important about that place. I distinctly remember that we heard water from the main hall but couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.” His mention of water caused Anastasia to remember something so suddenly that she flinched.

“What is it?” Selina asked.

“I remember water there: a stream of water cascading down a slope into a pool or lake or something,” Anastasia replied softly.

Hannibal heard it and asked, “Anything else?”

Anastasia tried to remember, and then shook her head, saying, “Not at the moment.”

Hannibal’s face steeled as he decided the time had come. “All right then,” he declared. “Let’s go find out what’s there. Both times I was there I never had a chance to explore the place fully. And every time Leila’s ghost has haunted me in my dreams, Ezra’s Tower is at the center of it. Come on. Let’s go figure this thing out before it drives me nuts.” He retrieved his sword from Nathanael, slung it, and grasped Anastasia’s hand, saying, “Come, Ana.” He led her forward, taking up position at her side with Selina on the other side. Everyone else fell in behind them.

Minutes later, they were in the portal chamber. In seconds, Hannibal had the portal’s hologram displaying the courtyard of the watchtower. Anastasia shuddered as she looked at it. Hannibal turned to Elias, saying, “Keep watch, Elias. I’ll contact you when we’re done.”

Elias took the remote and placed it in his ear, saying, “You got it, brother. We’ll be watching.”

Hannibal patted him on the arm as he turned to the rest of the group. “All right, people,” he said. “Let’s go exploring. Enoch, Nemesis; you guys are in charge while I’m gone. Make sure our strike teams are ready for Kartoom.” Nemesis nodded. “Elle, Nathanael, Andrew, Amelia, Morpheus, Ana, and Selina are coming with me,” Hannibal added. “I don’t know what we’ll find. Hopefully, it will be something useful and maybe it’ll finally put Leila’s spirit to rest.”

“Amen to that,” Nathanael agreed as he hovered behind Anastasia, who was fascinated by the portal generator.

“All right, Elias, open the door for us,” Hannibal ordered.

Elias used the remote to open the portal. The crystals hummed and shined, shimmering in resonance with each other. Suddenly energy bolts exploded from the crystals, meeting in the middle. Anastasia was startled by it and jerked, backing into Nathanael, who was right behind her. He looked at her as she pressed on him, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Ana. It’s just a portal generator. Watch, the portal opens.” A ball of fire formed in the center of the platform where the energy bolts from the crystals met. She looked up at Nathanael with hesitation, and then at the ball of fire with growing fascination. The ball of fire suddenly seemed to fade away, leaving a ring of energy crackling around a translucent gateway in the middle.

Hannibal looked at her, saying, “Do you remember this kind of technology?”

Ana stepped forward, looking at the portal with utter fascination saying, “Vaguely. I seem to remember such machines being in all of the capitals, though I don’t think they worked.” She reached out to touch the energy ring around the portal and Hannibal quickly stepped forward, stopping her.

Restraining her, Hannibal said urgently, “You don’t want to do that. The energy in that ring will vaporize anything that touches it. Watch this.” He reached into his pocket and procured a small cloth. He tossed it into the ring and it vanished in a blaze of fire and puff of smoke. Ana swallowed hard as she quickly understood why he’d restrained her. “Now in the middle here is perfectly safe,” Hannibal stated, leading her to the brink of the gateway. “Watch.” he instructed as he plunged his arm into the portal, and then pulled it back. Ana was amazed. “See? Perfectly safe; you’re an engineer so I will try to explain it to you,” he stated as she experimented with her cybernetic arm, pushing it though the shimmering translucent curtain.

“What you are seeing here is the folding of the space-time continuum by this machine. It twists and bends the fabric of the universe in such a way that we can access nearly any place in the universe with this. Just beyond the ring is the watchtower, which is what, Enoch, over a hundred leagues away?” Hannibal explained.

Enoch nodded, saying, “That’s right. Remember it took you a full day of flying with Argus to reach here from there and Argus is a fairly fast flyer.”

Hannibal glanced at Enoch, saying, “That he is.” Turning back to Ana, he asked, “Are you ready to step through the looking glass?” She hesitated and Hannibal looked at the others, saying, “You guys go on. I’ll be just a minute.” Amelia, Nathanael, Elle, Andrew, and Morpheus went through as Hannibal and Selina stayed with Ana.

“See, it’s just like stepping between two rooms,” Selina commented, point to those who went through. They could see them beckoning them from the other side.

“Come on, Ana. We’re right here,” Hannibal said gently as he grasped her hand and led her toward the shimmering translucent orifice. Selina stood behind her, cooing in her ear, gently pushing her forward. They led her through the portal and once through, they looked back, seeing Enoch, Electra, Elias, and Nemesis on the other side through the distortion. “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Anastasia was now getting over the shock of the machinery and began to understand the principles behind it. She smiled and asked, “Will it stay open?”

“No,” Hannibal stated. “Elias will close it in a minute. But I have a communicator that I can reach him with. See.” He pulled the communicator out of his pocket as the portal snapped shut with a pop. He keyed the communicator and said into it, “Are you there, Elias?”

Elias’ voice came out of the communicator saying, “Sure are; Ana still uneasy about it?”

Ana smiled and spoke into the communicator, saying, “Not anymore.”

“We’ll be in touch,” Hannibal stated.

“We’ll be here,” Elias replied.

Hannibal keyed the communicator, and then stowed it in his pocket as he turned to everyone. “All right people. Let’s find whatever needs to be found and get out of here.” He took the scepter, which he had slung over his left shoulder, and led them to the hole in the keep.