Heart of Stone (15 page)

Tyra felt a little better at that but
she would make sure to send love and compassion to the Din
occasionally when she meditated, to send love and compassion to all
the souls yet to find the love and acceptance she, Simon and Thex
now shared.

Simon motioned for them to leave.
“Come on then you two, it’s getting late and we all need to be in
position before night comes.” He glanced down at his weapon
approvingly. “At least we know the bullets work.”

The sun had gone down two hours ago,
there was no moon, it was full dark. Only the council streetlights
outside the police station and the shop lit the town. Some light
filtered from behind the curtains and blinds of homes. A few dogs
barked, breaking the an eerie quiet.

The Major’s spidery senses prickled.
“They’re coming.”

Thex yelled into his the two way radio
Ally had found him “Get ready George, two shots then get out of
there before they return fire on you, is that clear”.

“
Aye, aye Commander”, came
the jovial but sarcastic response.

Thex spoke again into the hand held.
“Teams in position!”

“
Teams are ready” came the
reply from Michael.

In the sky above what looked like the
antarctic lights, the aurora, appeared in the sky, a swirling mass
of red and green. As the lights came lower the Narr ship became
visible in all its grandeur. Rob, manning the truck with RSL’s
cannon, swore. “Cor blimey, the bloody thing’s real”. He’d really
hoped the nightmare that Thex and Simon had described was just a
figment of their imaginations.

Melissa leaned over and kissed him on
the cheek. “It’ll be right Rob. It is a fortunate warrior that gets
to fight a righteous battle against evil. If anything happens to us
we’ll have done our bit for the Goddess’s cause and if we win it’ll
be a small victory towards a better world. Either way we
win.”

“
My wise barmaid didn’t
just make that up did she?”

“
My own take on a line from
the Bhagavad-gita, said to a troubled warrior thousands of years
ago”, she leaned in reassuringly to Rob. “You’ll be fine my
warrior”.

Rob snorted but returned the
hug.

Thex turned to the Major. “Looks like
Simon was spot on, they’re landing on the football field, not
surprising really as it’s the only flat ground around here. I’m
heading down to the perimeter. I’ll arm Simon’s security system on
the way out. You’ll be safe here.”

The Major laughed. “I’ve been in worse
situations” although on second thought maybe he hadn’t. “Good
luck.” He watched Thex nod and leave. “Right-i-o Goddess, let’s use
what you’ve given me”.

Thex hurried down to the football
field. He took cover with the others there, behind the club
huts.

A loud voice boomed out of the ship’s
speaker system. “Surrender the immortals in your midst or be
destroyed. You have five minutes to bring them here.”

Thex took the loud hailer Simon passed
him. “Not going to happen. You are surrounded. You don’t realise it
yet but your ship is grounded. It will not lift off while a single
one of you remains on board”. He turned to Simon. “Now we’ll see
how good Thomas’s magic is.”

There was a loud roar of engines and
the lights of the ship swirled, its hull groaned and vibrated with
effort as it attempted to lift off. It didn’t move.

Thex gave Simon a high five, slapping
their palms together in glee. As the ship gave up its struggle and
everything quietened he picked up the hailer again. He thought it
might be best if he didn’t goad them right now with an
I-told-you-so. “Come out unarmed and surrender. Those of you who
fight will be doomed to the lower worlds, surrender and you will
not be harmed.”

Their answer came as blast of weapons
fire from the ship took out part of the field’s spectators’
stand.

Michael, on top of the fire station,
saw where the weapons fire had come from. He aimed and fired his
grenade launcher, scoring a direct hit.

Thex yelled into his two way radio.
“Rob, shoot a warning shot across their bow, lets give them
something to think about.”

Melissa steered the truck to aim the
cannon and Rob lit the fuse. Surprisingly, the cannon after its
years of ornamental disuse, fired. The truck nearly shook itself to
pieces as the ball shot into the sky. Wisely Melissa had dived out
of the cab in case the cannon came back with the blast. The shot
landed near the hull of the ship, shaking the ground beneath it.
Rob yelled into the two-way. “They must have felt that one but I
think the truck will only stand us shooting one more.”

“
Make for cover, we’ll keep
it in reserve”

At that moment the hatch on the side
of the ship opened and two heavily armed Din stormed out only to be
shot by sniper fire from George. The Din disappeared in a puff of
smoke as they were banished to the lower worlds. The ship turned a
weapon and opened up on the old church tower. Sandstone blocks
falling like meteorites.

Simon grimaced and whispered to
himself. “You’d better have followed orders and got out old
mate.”

Another grenade from the fire station
rained down on the ship. It didn’t knock out the other weapon but
it seemed to damage it as it appeared stuck in its current
position.

Thex yelled into his radio “Now would
be a good time Major. What’s your status?”

The Major’s projected double looked
around the command deck of the ship, Din were screaming and yelling
at him, trying to claw him, hit him and shoot him with everything
they got. It all passed straight through him. Calmly he directed a
look at the weapons console and it started to sizzle, smoke and
flames began pouring out of it. The Din redirected their efforts to
putting the fire out. Back in the Simon’s house his body picked up
the two-way radio. “I’ve disabled their weapons. Including the two
you guys just banished I count a dozen Din. I can keep them
distracted this end if you want to take the ship.”

“
Michael, George if you’re
still there, we’re going in.”

“
We’ve got your backs”,
came Michael's voice over the transceiver.

“
Ditto” came a reply from
George that caused a great sigh of relief from Simon.

Thex gathered up Simon, Yan and
Suzukisan and they headed to the ship. “We clear at the entrance
Major?”

“
All clear. They’re too
busy in here dealing with multiple systems failures.”

“
Just don’t destroy the
engine room John, I want that ship in going order”

The Major laughed back at him. “I’ll
see if I can restrain myself.”

Thex entered the ship.

“
Two coming your way
Commander,” came the Major’s warning.

“
Got it” Thex whispered
back. “Keep your voice down now Major, we’re inside.”

Two Din appeared in the passageway.
Thex and Simon opened up with two of Uncle Jack’s old SPAS 12
combat shotguns. The guns were ugly as sin but with the bespelled
polycore rounds were well up to taking out the Din with a single
shot each to the chest. The Din evaporated “Two down, eight to go.
Which way to the command deck Major?”

“
About ten metres ahead of
you turn right and follow the corridor, it’s at the
end.”

“
Is there a second entrance
to it?”

“
Yes there is.” The Major
duly explained the second route to Simon and Suzukisan , the later
looking formidable with his two Samurai swords. They headed off in
that direction.

Thex and Yan took out two more Din on
the way. “Hope you’re counting six on the flight deck
Major?”

“
Six it is.”

Thex turned to Yan beside him. “Hold
back behind me until the last minute, let them have a moment’s
false confidence.”

Yan smiled and nodded. He was more
than adequately armed with a Heckler and Koch semi-automatic but he
had his knives within easy reach as well.

Thex stormed the flight deck,
“Surrender now!”

Two Din went for their weapons. Thex
took out one and Yan, appearing out of nowhere, took the other. The
sound of a loaded barrel being cocked behind them had the rest
turning and raising their hands, um claws, as Simon and Suzukisan
entered from the other side.

The remaining four Din were marched
out of the ship where they were met by Michael, George, Thomas and
Tyra. Tyra and Thomas were feeling a bit like good cop, bad cop.
Tyra, armed with a tranquilizer gun just in case, explained the
deal “You’ve got two options, or actually two and a half really.
Thomas here can banish you directly to the lower worlds or you can
accept the mercy of the Goddess.”

One of the Din eyed her with
suspicion. “What is this mercy you speak of?”

“
The Goddess can make it so
that you experience in a moment of time the pain and suffering of
all you have done. You will see in very fast forward all the harm
you have done and the consequences stemming from it. Purged in this
way you may either then choose to die and be reincarnated into a
human life on this planet or, and this is the two and half option,
you can swear to serve the Goddess in which case she will gift you
with a corporeal form that can shapeshift between human and Din. If
you break your vow to the Goddess all bets are off and you will be
instantly banished to the lower worlds.You can have sixty seconds
to think about, then Thomas banishes you.”

The Din discussed it amongst
themselves then two stepped forward. “We will test this mercy while
the others watch to see what happens to us.”

“
Then kneel.” Tyra stepped
forward and placed her palms, one on each Din’s forehead. “By the
grace of the Goddess, be redeemed!”

Both Din instantly fell to the ground
in a heart piercing scream then collapsed into unconsciousness.
After a moment, with tears streaming down from their reptilian eyes
they sat up and bent their heads to Tyra. “We will make amends and
serve the Goddess.”

One of the other Din growled in
disgust. “What slavery is this, you have bespelled them
witch.”

The one next to him struggled against
his restraints and spat at his captors. “I will not be party to
this mercy.”

Thomas took the gun Thex offered to
him and shot them. They disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Simon was bemused. “I thought you were
going to say some fancy words.”

Thomas sneered at him. “Would be a
waste of a good spell when I’d already bespelled the bullets.
Magicians don’t waste their energy.”

Tyra turned her attention back to the
other Din on the ground only to find two humans in their place.
Both were of moderate build but muscular, dark haired but with the
strangest orange eyes. “Hi guys, so who are you?”

One looked up to peer at her. “I am
Mendal, the ship’s engineer and this is Upal, our chief scientist
and inventor of the stone fire.”

Thex swore. “Blood’s oath, so you’re
the inventor of that damn dark light stuff?”

Upal shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m a
scientist. I just invent the stuff, not my fault where it gets
pointed. So I guess I die now?”

Thex near snarled. “No you don’t die.
As long as you hold true to your word to serve the Goddess you’re
on our side.” Then he stormed off.

Upal mused. “Don’t think that one
likes me.”

Simon gave him a reassuring pat on the
shoulder. “He’ll get over it. Especially if you can find a way to
help us free the rest of his team. Most of all, he’s honourable to
his word.”

Michael ambled over looking with
annoyance at the spaceship illegally parked on his town’s football
field. “And what are we going to do with that damn thing? It better
be moved by dawn!”

Oscar was propped up on the vet’s
examining table, licking Sally’s finger and looking pleased with
himself.

Sally stroked his soft fur with her
other hand. Oscar had normal grey tabby colouring but it shone with
a kind of metallic sheen. “Well he seems to be growing fast. What
are you feeding him?”

Tyra looked guiltily at Sally “um,
actually, he eats what we do. We tried putting out cat food for him
a few times but he usually glares at us, hisses and generally gives
us what-o if we try. Even swatted the tin right out of Thex’s hand
one day”.

“
So what are you saying,
the cat’s vegetarian?”

“
Fraid so. We mix yogurt in
with his milk to enrich it, he likes a feed of that
too.”

“
Hmm, strictly speaking
cats are carnivores. There’s lots of vitamins like B12 and amino
acids that they can’t get except from meat. I’ll prescribe him a
pet vitamin, it comes in liquid form, just give him a few drops a
day as indicated on the packet. We’ll see how he goes on your food.
You can buy vegan pet food these days but if he’s thriving and
happy let’s keep with what you’re doing.” She gently pulled the
hairs under Oscar’s chin. “All right with you fella?”