The Prophesy: Book 2 - The Right Hand of Destiny

 

The boys emerged from Kantar to a radically changed Thebes. The Rainbow Bridge was visible, but it had changed position. Still open, its span connected two pyramids, clearly indicating that the circuit was open. Contrary to their last view of it, the bridge shone brightly in the setting sun. Each pyramid seemed to be missing some additional components, but for now, the boys couldn't figure out what they were. However, they could see that the pyramids too shone brightly, each of a different colour. The boys had not seen their original appearance, muddy, covered with the protective coating that had preserved them from the violations of time. The boys could see some people strolling in the gigantic city, a bit lost it seemed.

"Let's go home. First, a quick visit to the bits we displaced from Solon, and then Eloise, here we come!" Harp suggested.

"I like the suggestion, Harp, but where to? This place has changed so much I can't even figure out where to start."

"Let's fly over the town, we know how to shape-shift, and dragon seems proper for the first exploration, Ian," suggested Sitar.

The seven boys quickly did as Sitar suggested, creating seven rather huge gold dragons that took flight. What they saw unfold below them was impressive. They could see the six pyramids, the First Capital, and Kantar, and, hidden in all this, now looking ridiculously small, Thebes. Its massive castle was dwarfed by the addition of Kantar and the pyramids.

«Let's land in Dianne's inner courtyard. I would recognize that fountain anywhere!» Enron suggested.

«One at a time, there is not enough space for seven of my size!»

«You have a point Typhoon. Do the honours!»

Typhoon gently did a first pass, to clearly indicate his intention of landing, which had the legionnaires, elves, and occasional dwarf or fairy run for cover. Once the courtyard was clear of any potential living obstacle, the dragon prince slowly dropped down, furiously beating his wings to do a vertical landing. As soon as he touched ground, he shape-shifted to his human form and took cover under the portico. The other princes followed the pattern set by Typhoon, and rapidly, all seven regrouped under the portico and entered the castle, intent on reaching the throne room.

The first person they met was Diamondcutter, who was getting ready to leave Dianne to return to Eloise. And met they did! The boys had been running to get to their destination, and turned a corner smashing in a pile on the dwarf king.

"What the hell happened?"

The king, lying on the floor covered by giggling boys, crown rolling away down the almost imperceptible slope, was hearing bells and drums in his head. Diamondcutter's comment was met with another explosion of laughter.

"Hello, dad! We're back! Did you miss us? We have a new set of pranks for you!" Thorsten said, from under the pile of boys.

"Yes! No! What am I saying? Yes I missed you, Thorsten, but would you and your friends mind getting off my back before it breaks? And no, you aren't going to pull another prank on me, young man!"

The boys again exploded in a giggle fit worthy of the loony bin, before slowly standing up, pulling each other and the king on their feet.

"When did you arrive, boys?"

"An hour ago, with Kantar," replied Thorsten, elected spokesperson by unanimous consent for the occasion by the other princes.

"With Kantar? I do not know that Kantar person, why did you leave him or her outside?"

"The town, dad. Kantar is not a person. We moved the Atlantean capital to Thebes, in accordance with Paschal's plans."

"I see I think!"

"Oh, to see, you will, it's harder to miss than the nose in the face."

"Where were you boys running to?"

"We were going to see where everyone was. I figured you would either be with Dianne, or she could tell us where you and the others were. We have so much to tell!"

"I can imagine. You boys have been gone six days!"

"Only six days?" asked Paschal. "That does not match our count! I have the impression we were gone several years!"

"Well, a pyramid appeared every night, at matins or thereabouts, every day, except for the first one, the blue one. There are reports of entire cities being moved, and there, I can attest to that. Just about everything north of Solon has been displaced, and that includes Solon and all its cities. These weren't small by any means. Everything in Astor has been moved as well boys. You have been busy!"

"These strange dreams we had were actually taking place! I was wondering if it was not a planning session, but what you say indicate that even in our learning trances, we were doing things outside of the pyramids we were stuck in. I just wonder how much we have done so far?"

"Far more than what we could have accomplished outside of the pyramids, Paschal. By spending time in the Pyramids, we gained time compression, and managed to do in six days what would have taken us years." Harp looked at his brothers. "What I find strange is that we have not aged."

"Talk for yourself, Harp. I had four moulds in six days! And I'm ready for my final mould anytime now!"

"Thanks for the warning, Typhoon! Maybe we should go visit Mesoamerica for a lava bath?" Ian said, smirking.

"That's a rich idea, but I can hold until you have had a chance to talk to your dad and mom. I know this is important to mammals. And I want to see dad too. I have learned the importance of a good prank!"

"Oh, Gaia! A pranking dragon! What next!" Diamondcutter moaned. "Run for the hills!"

The boys couldn't help but laugh at his pitiful look.

"As for your question about where everyone is, well, most blue blood is here, but everything is being readied for the move of Eloise to Thebes. Apparently, the only thing north of Eloise left is Nature's Palace, your home, Enron, and that mysterious cave."

"Has there been any more systemic search for life?" asked Paschal.

"Probably. You need to talk to Dunbar and Williams. They have been keeping records."

"So, the royals are still in Eloise?"

"Yes, Harp. I was getting ready to go there when you flattened me. Thank you, Typhoon, I was wondering where it had rolled off," Diamondcutter replied as the prince handled him his crown.

"Let's port to Eloise, then."

"Hey, don't forget me!" exclaimed the king as all the boys vanished. As he grumbled about youths and ingratitude, he was ported by the care of a compassionate Thorsten.

"You were saying, dad?"

***

The boys delayed explaining anything to the assembled royals until they had taken some well-deserved rest, a bath, and fed themselves. Ian accompanied Typhoon to the old gold nest before as promised for his last moulding the next morning, which again delayed the whole thing by a day.

"Dad, I promised him when we were doing these ordeals to do that. What would you think of someone that did not keep his first promise of his life to one he loves so much?"

To insure that no one would know what had happened before they were ready, Ian and Typhoon ported to the nest, and after eating another fifty tons of meat, the gold dragon undertook his last mould as a teen. What emerged was a dragon that had a wingspan of three hundred feet, a body length from snout to tail of two hundred and seventy-five feet, and stood from the ground to the top of his head at an impressive eighty-five feet. Ian shifted and matched his bounded in scale and power.

«Your dad will be pleased, Typhoon. How about we have a swim in the lava pool, and then feed? I feel hungry!»

«Yes, I think dad will be pleased. Where do you plan to find another hundred tons of meat?»

«I'm smelling orcs and crocodiles. We can get finger food, rather than feed off a herd. I think we have just about ported everything worthwhile to Ark.»

The dragons did indeed find a column of orcs marching north, and fed off the column, leaving little for scavengers. After that, they took a side dish of crocodile priests, again leaving barely enough for meat-eating ants to get by.

«Let's go home. It should be near vespers, and we will be arriving just in time to ravage the poor archduke's reserves!»

«That poor man doesn't know what's coming. I can feel my clutch brothers will be having their first mould within the next week.»

«Maybe we could use one of the pyramids to save time? The last one's personality was rather kind, once we got rid of the simulator. They could go with their bonded, and spend a week there. It would be better than waiting the usual six years to forty years of misery your dad told us about!»

«I like the idea! I'm sure the bonded will like it too! At twenty a week, in a month everyone will have reached adulthood! I suggest the reds go fist, because they mature faster, then the greens, and finally, my brothers the gold, which will take seven days. I could have matured in the Pyramid but neither you nor I felt it was wise.»

«Would it be wise for the others, Typhoon?»

«I actually do not know for sure. Let's discuss this with your brothers. They too will have to go back into the Pyramid and help their bounded mature.»

«I see. Let's go home. We fly until we reach the Roars, then land, convert, and port. Is that agreeable to you? I feel like I need some exercise.»

«It's good.»

The two boys did as planned and arrived in Eloise just as everyone was sitting down for dinner. They devoured an impressive amount of food, which took the cooks by surprise.

"Well, sons, how about that story you have been delaying for two days?"

"The story! The story!" began chanting those present in the royal dining room.

The boys took turns explaining their experiences and what they had learned during their common ordeal. Many words they used left the others on their appetite, because their vocabulary far outstripped what those outside had learned. It showed they had gained experience worth many a lifetime, and had matured well beyond their years.

Finally, the boys finished, and stopped talking. Everyone understood that many experiences had been left unsaid, and that they would learn in time what these were. The boys asked to retire, and took to a great room where they slept together, tighter than the fingers of a hand, bonded beyond bonded.

A discreet spy walked silently in the room, amazed at how the boys were sleeping in each other's arms, intertwined with legs and arms sticking out in every direction. Princess Iridia couldn't help but feel the deep trust and love emanating from the pile of nude bodies, kept warm by Typhoon's internal combustion engine.

***

The next morning, at prime, the boys woke up, ran to the ducal pool and took a dive in the cold water to wash away all sleep. After a healthy breakfast, they went to see their friends. Greywolf was pleased to see them, and the Royal Dog Guards were quite demonstrative to see their care up and visiting them. Blackie Dog and his wife, along with their new pups welcomed them with a lot of enthusiasm, and the first brood, now fully adult, insisted that they reviewed their units with full honours.

Then came the visit of the stables, were Silver Moon was very pleased to see Ian and his friends. Much like the dogs and wolves, the boys took turn explaining to the Equines, including the Pegasuses and Unicorns, the events that had occurred within the Pyramids.

A third repeat was required for the Centaurs. The Centaurs kept looking at the boys, awed at their skill. The boys were too busy explaining the events to notice the exchanged glances and left the Centaurs to return home. By the time they returned to the castle, it was sext, and the other royals had deigned raise their butts out of bed.

"Dad, have you learned the privilege of royalty?"

"And what is that, Sitar?"

"You can stay in bed in the morning and no one will complain. They will just push back any appointment to another day."

"Sitar, laugh all you want, but did you know I have to get an appointment to take a leak?"

Everyone laughed at Harold's comment, and the royals all approved.

"Let's have a quick lunch. I think it is time I pay a visit to my dad. Would my Liege Lord King Harold accompany us, as well as any other that wishes?"

The formality of the request did not go unnoticed by the kings, queen, princess, and princes.

"Should we call upon the presence of Prince Yamato, and Prince Silver Moon, Lord Agramon?" asked Harold formally, as he bowed to acknowledge the request.

"If it so pleases my Liege Lord."

Again, the formality brought to all the importance of the event that was to unfold.

"Where should the meeting be held and at what time?"

"Since I expect to call the Council of Dragons along with my dad, how about the Field of Mars? And I would like the meeting to be held at nones."

The Field of Mars was the great military exercises grounds found outside of Eloise, where everyone trained daily. That prince Typhoon had requested the field was another indication of the importance of the event. The news spread across the palace like fire in a pool of gasoline, and by the end of lunch, just about everyone with a drop of blue blood was waiting. The entire field was covered with nobility, pages and service staff.

"Please, my lord bonded, can you see to it that the middle of the field be cleared? The dragons should be coming in shortly to land."

"Certainly."

Using telepathic command so everyone could hear him clearly over the noise, Ian ordered the centre of the field cleared of all individuals, be they two-legged or four-footed. The tone was so imperative that everyone did as asked, freeing an area about a mile wide by two thousand five hundred feet in length. The dragons began arriving, and, clearly, none was missing, from the dragonlings to the Gold King and his Queen. Barely had they landed that the entire flock of Pegasuses landed behind them, and the Unicorns ported to join them. The entire herd of Centaurs also joined, as well as the Troll Tribe. No one wanted to miss the event, whatever it was. The return of the princes from their odyssey had propagated from one end of the kingdom to the other, and everyone that was within porting, flying, running or walking distance tried to make it.

Once everyone had arrived and had taken position so as to let the smaller ones see clearly the event about to unfold, Harold materialized a huge rock shelf raised about twenty feet above the ground and presenting a slope for people or animals to climb onto it. He then set to create a carbon copy of the Royal Thrones of Atlantis and of Nature, as well as ones for the Dwarves, the Trolls, and the Fairies. Other thrones were created for the princes. A few thrones were new to the onlookers, especially the one for the dragon prince, which showed the head of a gold dragon breathing fire. Besides the princes were standing places for Lord Agramon, the Council of the Dragons, and the Seven of the Centaurs.

Deciding that telepathy would ease his vocal cords, Harold began the introduction leading to the reason for the meeting being called.

«Please come to order! I, King Harold, have consented to call this meeting by request of Prince Typhoon of the Dragons' Kingdom. By the formality he used in expressing his request, I assume it has a major importance for his kingdom. Prince Typhoon, please rise and take the stand.»

Typhoon stood and walked to the front of the assembled royalty.

«May I thank you, my lord, for your short introduction. My lord, dad, you both know I have acquired my shape-shifting capacity, as is attested by my being able to sit with my bonded. However, what neither of you knows is what I will demonstrate. The princes that have accompanied me in our quest for knowledge have seen it, but I doubt they took much notice, given the circumstances we were working under.»

The prince walked to the front of the rocky platform, extended it by seventy feet without a sweat, clearly demonstrating the acquisition of magical powers and control. The royals were awed by the fine control demonstrated by Typhoon, more so his parents.

«The princes also know the next part, since they have been witness to its occurrences. However, Ian assisted me in the last trial, and the others can attest this is also the last of the requisite trials, since they saw the others occur during the odyssey we undertook together.»

Typhoon slowly changed to his now adult form, dwarfing his dad by being at least three times his size.

«Father, I have reached adulthood. I have moulded five times since I began puberty a week ago. The princes can attest to it. They can also explain why this happened so fast in your book, even if for us, time has been both slow and fast. Slow because we thought these tests would never end, fast because we learned so much and grew both emotionally and, in my case, physically. They have been with me in these tribulations and supported my mood swings, my voracious appetite, and my occasional temper tantrums. I am glad to call them brothers of blood and misery, bonded in joy and pain. As is the custom of our people, I call upon the Council to recognize this change and give my father the honour he deserves.»

The Dragon Council couldn't help but see the gigantic dragon standing in front of them. The Dragon King was the biggest amongst them until now, but his son was so big his dad would have fitted many times over under his belly. It took less than two minutes of tallying the telepathic votes from the dragons to come to a conclusion and all dragons heard the Lord of Records, his thought translated automatically for the others by the dragonlings.

«The tally is unanimous. Prince Typhoon, you are recognized as an adult.» After a short pause and another vote, the Lord of Records again spoke. «Prince Typhoon, by unanimous popular vote, you are recognized as heir to our King. Long lives the King!»

«Thank you so much for the honour you have bestowed on my dad. I will now return to the side of my bonded.»

After Typhoon returned to sit beside Ian, Ian stood up and walked to the same place that Typhoon had just occupied.

«Dad, I too have an announcement to make.»

Harold, now totally taken by surprise shook his head, recognizing his son as speaker. Rather than say anything, Ian shape-shifted to dragon of the same size as his bonded. Then he converted to a warhorse, followed by a Pegasus, a Unicorn, a donkey, then a dog, a fox, a Troll, a superb Rook, and finally, a magnificent white wolf, to finally shape-shift into his human form again. The shock was total for all observers.

«We gave Typhoon magic; he gave us shape-shifting.»

«Did I hear you right? Did you say us?»

«Yes, dad, we are all able to shape-shift and become dragons, canines, equines, or any animal. We became bird, dolphin, mouse, whatever the ordeal we faced required of us. We have not yet tried combining animals, but Typhoon says it is probably possible, within reason. Brothers, join me in the dance of life!»

The other six princes stood up and began shape shifting in a variety of forms as they danced on the rock platform in a fast-stepped cadence. As they danced around, the boys revealed the extent of their newfound powers by shifting in mid-jumps from one form to another, merging them into a blur that left the spectators spellbound.

Finally, the princes each took a different canine form; the bitches salivated with envy. Ian took the form of a huge white wolf, whose silvery hair shone like millions of translucent lights; Sitar took the shape of an equally huge black wolf, whose ebony-dark hair sucked light like a black hole; Paschal ended up a grey wolf whose metallic hair gave him the appearance of a sculpture of steel; Harp became a red fox whose red coat seemed to be made of liquid blood; Enron finished in the shape of a coyote whose sandy fur gave the impression to the onlookers a living sand dune was occupying his throne; Thorsten finished a huge slate-grey dog with a heart-shaped white spot on his forehead, while Typhoon took the same appearance, but in reverse colours.

After looking at each other, the boys slowly took human form, to clearly show they had perfect and total control of the transformations. First the rear paws became legs, then the conversion progressed with the disappearance of the tail, then the torso emerged, to be joined by arms, and finally heads. Needless to say, Nestor was shaken to the core by this demonstration of raw power and control, as were the kings.

«Are there any more surprises?» asked Harold in a shaky voice.

The boys looked at each other, but before any of them could say a word, Diamondcutter stood up and requested the podium, to which Harold acceded. The smirk he gave as he looked toward Thorsten send shivers down the prince's back. What were the two up to?

«After hearing all this, and seeing all these miracles, I need not delay anymore. I believe my son has gained this right. As of this moment, if it so pleases our Liege Lord King Harold, Thorsten, I abdicate in your favour and recognize you as King of the Dwarves. Long lives the King!»

Before Thorsten could even object, Harold stood up!

«I, Harold, Horus of Atlantis, King of Kings, Liege lord of the Dwarves, hereby accept the resignation of King Diamondcutter and the transfer of all rights and duties to your designated heir, King Thorsten of the Dwarves. Father of King, please join us in our Privy Council to help us in our duty.»

Thorsten was a wreck and started crying profusely. Enron hugged the prince now king; the others joined in a group hug trying to comfort the distraught Thorsten. All the princes could hear was how could Dad do this to me?

Unnoticed by the hugging princes, Samson stood up and walked to the podium after Harold acknowledged him by a movement of the head. As the princes tried desperately to console Thorsten they realized they could hear someone speaking. They had missed the beginning of the short speech, but they could clearly identify the speaker!

« As of this moment, if it so pleases our Liege Lord King Harold, Enron, I abdicate in your favour and recognize you as King of the Elves. Long lives the King!»

«I, Harold, Horus of Atlantis, King of Kings, Liege lord of the Elves, hereby accept the resignation of King Samson and the transfer of all rights and duties to your designated heir, King Enron of the Elves. Father of King, please join us in our Privy Council to help us in our duty.»

Enron's eyes were so big the princes thought they would pop out of their sockets, than a wail of pain that sent shivers down the spine of everyone was heard in the silence that marked the transfer of power. Enron and Thorsten hugged each other like drowning men to floaters, shaking violently. Two princes lifted each king and moved him to the Royal thrones once occupied by their respective dad.

"Remember, Enron, Thorsten: One for all, all for one. You will never be alone on these thrones. We will be with you if not in body, at least in mind."

«Are there any other issues to resolve?»

Timor looked at his dad and everyone heard clearly «Dad, do not dare put me on the throne. I cannot even cum yet!»

The prince's comment was needed and triggered a giant explosion of laughter.

«May I take the stand, King Harold?» asked the Lance Master of the Centaurs.

«Certainly, please do so Lance Master. It is rare you intervene in public. Fell free to state your concerns freely, irrespective of conventions.»

«We listened to the reports from the odyssey. At first, we had our doubts, taking them for smoke. However, after observing what has occurred today, we held a vote that included the entire Centaur herd from the youngest to the oldest, since it will bind the herd in its entirety. We request humbly that your Majesty recognize us as Vassals of the Equine and Human Thrones, conjointly, since we are both Equines and Humans.»

Silver Moon accepted them as part of the Equine Herd, with an almost imperceptible movement of his head, and Queen Annabelle accepted them in the Human Herd, in stead of her husband that was acting as Liege Lord.

«After consulting the proper Herd Masters, you are hereby incorporated in the Human and Equine Herd as per your request. I also recognize you as distinct and accept your demand to be made Vassal to the Throne of Atlantis. Would Prince Paschal please step forward with Mitsuko, the blade of Featly? This blade can detect any deceit, any person who is not truly swearing honestly, with all his heart."

Paschal walked forward and held the blade vertically for all to see.

«Repeat aloud after me the vow of allegiance!» thundered Paschal.

Of the two thousand five hundred Centaurs that swore allegiance that day, only one failed and died struck down by Mitsuko.

«So shall perish the foresworn!» commented Paschal, as he returned to his throne.

«Is there any other business to attend to?» asked Harold. After meeting with silence, he stood up. «This assembly is adjourned. May you all go in peace!»

***

A week went by before things came back to normal. Paschal updated his map from the reports forwarded by Williams and Dunbar. The princes and kings completed their reports to the Privy Council. As the dragonlings came into their puberty, they spent a week in the last pyramid visited by the boys in company of their bonded, thus speeding up the a process that would otherwise have taken forty years for some. During that time, the dragonlings also learned how to integrate into their new society and what their role would be in the coming events.

The two-legs, the equines and canines also gained considerable experience from their stay into the pyramid, thus enriching their knowledge base and being able to contribute to the progress of the entire project more fully. All those that had bonded with a dragonling also acquired the capacity to shift shape, making quite a number of envious in the general population. Being bonded to a dragon fast became a status symbol worth far more than any crown.

The pyramids became the training grounds for the Royal army, and, quickly, the units gained battle and survival experience far greater than their age. Five-year old children became battle-seasoned warriors that could claim many battles under their belts, if not the wounds to go with them. Months passed, and thousands, no, millions of years of experience were accrued by the army, making it the most formidable and battle-ready fighting corps assembled in the history of the Universe. Magic was used freely, as well as shape shifting, and other means of fighting. Tactics were developed and tested in the simulator for all types of terrain from undersea to space.

***

Far to the south, along the Atlantic coast, the Minotaur kept following the faint magical trace of Marlin, desperate to catch up with him and get an explanation for his betrayal of his vow of allegiance to the Dark Cause. He was aware that Edward was following him, and a bit surprised the king, which he had dismissed as a negligible quantity, had survived so long and held up to his gruelling regimen. That man's tenacity was earning his respect and admiration, even if he still dismissed him as powerless.

Less than a mile behind, Edward kept a constant watch on his prey, following him like a bloodhound, eating anything and everything the animal killed in its path, less human now than even an orc, closer to a scavenger than the termites he had battled with to feed on a dead carcass. His only sign revealing the human nature was his bipedal gait and the fact he carried a sword like an athlete carries the Olympic flame.

Orcs and crocodile priests had been tracking the two for hundreds of miles. Only pure luck had prevented them from capturing the ever-advancing human and his target. The orc horde sent out to catch up with them had met two gold dragons, and the few survivors had not made it back alive to the nest to report their failure, as they met their fate in the hands of a couple of wild cats. The crocodile priests and their hunters had not been any luckier. A sudden flood produced by a hurricane, and the ensuing landslides carried away the trail the hunters had been following. Repeated skirmishes with orcs also compounded the problem, and the sudden entry into the field of an orc horde made the entire issue moot; survival became more important than the hunt.

In Africa, a lone Centaur met his fate. The last Renegade of Africa had managed to survive far longer than one would have anticipated, a testament to his skills with his weapons. But, alas for the stubborn Centaur, one can only escape fate so many times, and, one night, he was cornered by a pride of starving lions that just would not give up on the last meal they would have in their life. After a battle that lasted several days, the Centaur committed the ultimate mistake, and ran under a tree, where a female of the pride had been lying in ambush. The big cat did not miss her chance and jumped on his back, breaking his neck in a powerful bite. The Renegade had lived and fed his enemies like they had fed him for so long. Thus goes life: To eat or to be eaten.

***

Deep in space, the comet that had marked the beginning of this story and the birth of Ian by its passage between the Moon and the Earth incurved its trajectory, and began its travel back toward the Earth. As it changed its orbit, it danced with giant rocks travelling at phenomenal speeds, modifying their orbits in ways even the best of the Ancients' computers would have been hard pressed to predict. The comet brought with it huge asteroids that fell in step with it, forming a train of death that came hurling toward the blue planet at speeds far exceeding those attained by the fastest spaceships of the Ancients. The stage was set for the final act.

Even further than the asteroid belt, other events were unfolding that marked the day of reckoning was near. A giant armada of Soul Eaters was assembling itself, waiting for the day the trap that had kept their brethren prisoner would finally release them to space. That day, those that had set that trap would hear their cries for a blood vendetta of such magnitude the galaxy would be covered with their corpses. Oh, that day had been so long in coming, but vengeance would be theirs!

Right on their doorsteps, another space-faring species waited. The scavengers of the Galaxy were waiting in ambush for the result of the events. They did not know what brought them there, but their flair had never misled them. Were a battle was to be held, or food to be scavenged, they lay in wait in the dark, feeding on the weak or the dead. They began building their base under a layer of ice, making quite sure they would not be detected by the soul-eaters. As to the other party in the upcoming battle, they had no idea who would be involved, nor could they care less. They would know in time what the other party was, and would feed on it as well as the soul-eaters. Flair was flair, and a battle was to occur in the area shortly.

***

Deep below the sea, things were also changing. Pressure was climbing again along a fault line that marked the separation between Java and Sumatra. Another major earthquake was in the making, as the mantle exercised pressure to separate the two islands and lift the Sumatra tectonic plate once again. The Agung, the mother of the Earth, a major volcano of Bali, showed signs of unrest. The entire area was a hotbed of unrest, and that is putting it mildly. Further south, a layer of snow was again covering Antarctica and its underskirt of ice was expanding, miles thick, gouging the sea bottom and creating moraines as it progressed north. Africa was seeing a rapid progression of the desert from both the north and south, and the equatorial forest was suffering tremendous pressure. The dwarf orcs and humans of the Amazon were no better off, and began a desperate attempt at migrating north. The lowering of the sea level opened new passages for land-bound animals, including the crocodile priest, who began trying, unsuccessfully, to cross the seas. The megalodons, finding their habitat shrinking fast, had more and more problems finding food as it was mostly located on the continental shelves which were fast drying out, leaving only the deep, and very unproductive, seas to forage in. Their huge size, which had been an advantage so far, was turning against them, in favour of smaller predators.

Mountain building was also speeding up, changing dominant wind patterns; already dry downrange areas desertifying at a very high speed, and the prairies of North America were once again the dust bowl of the continent. Great areas of China, that had managed to survive so far, began to suffer severe droughts as the passages that let the water from the Indian Ocean cross the Himalayas gradually rose and the winds were forced to change their course. Earthquakes of magnitude ten or more accompanied all these changes, as mountains fell or sprouted overnight.

These changes affected the Elvin kingdom directly or indirectly. To say that the weather was erratic would be putting it mildly. But the number of earthquakes also seemed to be increasing, and their violence as well.

The royals realized they had to speed up the Ark and Eden projects. Harp and his brothers moved the Tessaracts Cave into place, as its location had become apparent in the global schematics of things, and then proceeded to move the individual tessaracts into their final position, also completing the complement of tessaracts to bring their number to thirty-two.

The dragons, well aware of the situation, offered to help explore the seas. Fifteen squads of five dragons each were assigned the search and rescue of sea life, under the command of Samson.

What was left of reef life along the Great Barrier was displaced to the higher levels of the Sea Tessaract, while the deep abyssal plains were explored and other animals were ported directly into the deep-sea segment of the same tessaract.

The dragons also kept an eye out for any Atlantean artefact, or for products of human industry. Quite a number of ships were found carrying art and other valuables that were immediately ported to the proper storage bin for further study and qualification.

Deep at the gate of the Mediterranean, what was left of New Atlantis was discovered, with part of the old city still protected by an unbreakable dome of orichalque. The dragons ported inside and, finding it was empty of life form, began exploring under the careful supervision of Samson and Harold.

Amongst the numerous discoveries made through the exploration was a segment of the library that had not been moved; the dry atmosphere had preserved the scrolls and ridulian sheets intact, offering a first-hand account of the last days of the City, as it got flooded with its last inhabitants prisoner of the dome.

After moving out everything that could be moved, the royals decided to check the store of orichalque and mithril that, according to the books found in Kantar, had been left behind due to lack of time. The vault was still secure, and opening it was an easy task as Horus, King Harold, remembered the verbal command in very ancient Atlantean, dating from before the migration from Atlantis.

The vault was intact, and again, an effort was made to displace every single piece of the two precious metals to Thebes. Other precious things were stored there, including the money minted at the image of Horus, some very secret military inventions, and extremely rare books. A huge collection of marble sculptures were also found, revealing the extent of the trade that had been going on during the reign of Atlantis II. Some were made of pure gold, other of ruby, or other precious or semi-precious stones, or of rare woods that no longer existed on the surface. Everything was moved out as well.

Right in the middle of the pile of ingots, they found a map engraved on a platinum table. Not really that interested in it for now given the situation, the kings moved it directly to Paschal's Map Room.

Below the Treasury vault was the Royal Crypt, where rulers that had preceded Horus had been entombed. Again, all was in perfect condition. Deep at the far end of the Crypt was a set of steel doors. After opening them, the kings found another set of tombs, and an Atlantean spaceship of the size they now knew were used to explore the Galaxy. Within the now dormant spaceship was a journal.

In the journal were relayed the story of the scout ship that had landed before the arrival of the migratory juggernaut, their realization that their new home was being cannibalized by Soul-Eaters, and their valiant efforts at sabotaging their implementation and their eugenic program. The fifty explorers had waited and waited, dying one after the other due to the harsh conditions of the planet at the time. Finally, in a desperate effort to let their brothers know of their work, they had moved the ship under the spray of the Atlantean Falls, well aware that the salt would make their discovery by remote sensing difficult. They resumed their discreet sabotage work, while preparing on the island the arrival of the migrants.

A note inserted between two leafs at the end of the Journal indicated the explorers had set up a beacon that would be triggered only in the presence of brain waves typical of Atlanteans, just days before the last explorer died of an unknown sickness. At the bottom of the note, dated some two hundred years later, was the recognition of the hard work signed by the first king of Atlantis II, King Alistair.

After a visit by the princes, it was decided to move everything out, including the dome, to Thebes. After some careful research the emplacement was apparent: The shape of the city matched a relatively open area in Thebes, presently occupied by the College of Magic. The College of Magic itself had been placed where it was in an emergency, and the princes and king knew it needed to be relocated anyway. Further study revealed that it needed to be placed just beyond the outer battlements recovered from Solon, thus placing it between the Blue Pyramid and the Tessaracts Cave. The task was expedited while the mages were sleeping, and the next morning, the entire First Capital of Atlantis II was moved, dome, buildings, crypt, and royal treasury. The huge depression left at the bottom of the Mediterranean by the sudden disappearance of such a mass had consequences: a series of magnitude eleven earthquakes followed in the area!

***

The boys debated hotly about the validity of saving the dwarf orcs or the crocodile priests. To save the dwarf humans was a given, but orcs and crocodile priests was open for hot and animated debate. Finally Ian decided for them, since the boys were split three on three on the question.

"I have made my decision. We will contact the dwarf orcs and offer them safe passage into the future with us, as long as they are willing to swear fealty to the Crown. The dwarf humans will also be offered the same treatment. As for the crocodile priests, they are destined to extinction anyway, and I see no reason to spend energy and resources to save them."

"What about the megalodons?" Samson asked. "According to this criteria, they should be left behind, since they too are headed for extinction. And think this out: after all, all species are headed toward extinction, should we even bother with the Ark and Eden projects?"

"Let me try to formulate my reasoning here, Samson. First, let's deal with the crocodile priests. They are doomed to extinction because they need an alternate species to reproduce, and these are fast dwindling in number and variety. Are you willing to sacrifice an Elvin virgin to satisfy the lubricous appetites of these half-reptiles?"

"Stated in that light, Ian, I agree the crocodile priests are a lost cause. But what about the megalodon?"

"There, the megalodon painted itself in a corner. It is so big and voracious that it will eat out its food supply within a decade. It is headed to the dustbin of evolution even faster than the Trolls, which, may I remind you, are doing a remarkable comeback since they have been in a safe heaven. Their numbers has increased by a third in less than four years, and their females are producing multiple births at a remarkable rate. In three years, when this comes to its final instants, we may have well over three hundred Trolls in their meadow under the Tessaract which will house their new home."

"I see. And you believe the Megalodon are on the soapy slope down the road to extinction?"

"I not only think so, I know so."

"Far sight, Ian?"

"Yes Samson, and if you did your exercise, you too would be proficient in this."

"That's a new one, a not yet four year old putting me in my place!"

"You asked for it, dad!"

"Ok, I admit I had it coming."

"Tomorrow, I want a report on the current situation. What is there left to do?" asked Harold.

"OK, dad, I'll have all the heads of the different projects meet us in the great hall at prime."

***

The first to talk were Dunbar and Williams.

"The surface of the planet is icing up fast, when it is not drying up. We have finished searching Eurasia the small Pacific islands, Australia, and the upper North, including the Canadian wilderness and Alaska. The search has now migrated to the Indonesian islands and mainland as well as Papua-New Guinea. Greenland is also complete as well as Iceland."

Samson stood up and began his own report.

"We are doing the search of the Antarctic Ocean and Arctic Ocean with the dragons. We started there because of the rapid progression of the ice cover that will eventually prohibit any search and destroy any evidence of activity because the ice cap digs deep into the sea bottom. Our next search area will be the Pacific Ocean, followed by the Atlantic Ocean. We have dedicated another wing of dragons to search the Mediterranean before it dries out, as it seems to be headed that way again. We also did a quick search of the inner seas of Eurasia, and recovered what could be. We had to send the dragons to decontamination in the Etna."

"The orcs are busy trying to reach us via the western mountain passes," reported Yamato. "As far as the eastern coast, I would like to send some representatives to the king there, and see what he will do. I admit we have been neglecting him for the past four years, and he deserves a visit. After all we used to be his legions!"

"That would indeed be polite. After all Riverside saw to my nurturing," added Harold. "Have you given thought to visiting your family, Dunbar?"

"Actually, no. I am married, but that was a mistake. I never had children. I may consider settling down once this is over."

"While you are on the subject, I suggest you start running, Williams. The Archduchess Dianne seems to have her sights set on you," replied Harold, to a bleaching duke.

As he looked at Paschal, he wondered about his own personal quest. "Paschal, are you still hoping to find your mother?"

"Yes, but I know that I am now so different from the boy she let go with that child molester she wouldn't recognize me, nor me her."

"And you, Sitar and Harp? Are you still hoping to find your long lost sisters and brothers?"

"Our hopes are low, dad. They are way older than us; our only hope is to find someone with their name in the list of the Census. We hope to do so one day. Maybe they are in the multiple small villages that dot the East coast or in the Capital."

"Dad, I have selected those that will visit the dwarf orcs within a few days. I have yet to do the final selection for those that will visit the dwarf humans. I have in mind the report of Thorsten and Harp during their last visit, and we need to choose carefully if we are to establish a constructive contact."

"Fine, I understand the issues. Tell me whom you need when you have made your choice and they will be yours for the duration. Are there any more issues to address?"

"The dragons have all matured, my lord," replied Typhoon, "and those bonded to dragons have all reached their full potential as shape shifter except Samson, to the frustration of his bonded."

"Samson, you are hereby relieved of all duties until you reach the aforementioned potential to the satisfaction of your bonded! Have I made myself clear?" said Harold, looking at the old king with sharp eyes.

The tone whipped Samson to the core, and he understood his laziness has severely displeased Harold. Duly chastised, he replied "Yes, my lord!"

Annabelle took over, more to distract her husband than anything else.

"The legions are in top shape. We have had several new units incorporated officially, and everything that walks is now fully trained to the best of their individual and collective potential."

"How good are they?"

"I got bested in hand to hand combat by an eighteen-month child, is that good enough for you?"

"You lost a battle to a eighteen-month old child?"

"Please, Harold, do not turn the knife in the wound. I never was so humiliated in my life!"

"I'd like to meet that miracle! Can you explain what drove that child to excel?"

"Do I need to? Your sons, my dear Harold, your sons!"

"How could we? We train but do not train others, mom!" blurted out Sitar.

"Have you ever heard the word emulate, son? The exploits of your brothers and yourself have blown the roof off the academy, and everyone wants to be like you. I've seen kids try the impossible to be like you, until they succeeded! Their motto is simple: If my hero can, so can I! I have been listening to the boys and girls talk amongst themselves, and all I hear is about you boys. The moment a child speaks, it is not mom or dad we hear, it is your names! It is hard to put anyone to bed, much less get them to stop and feed themselves. They would practice twenty-four seven, if they could! And do not think it stops at the humans or the elves. The dwarfs and fairies are as bad, not to mention the Trolls, the Equines, or the Canines. We have had many trainees collapse out of exhaustion, not because we said anything but because they wanted to be like you. Training in the pyramid has its advantages, because they can pack huge practical experience in a wide variety of situation, but also because their body develops reflexes I could only have dreamed of. Furthermore, the fact that they live for long periods in the training tessaracts has multiplied their magic. Even Nestor now goes to train there with his school. He was not to let himself get overrun by a bunch of would be mages still wet between the ears. Also we have the Dragons, Centaurs, Unicorns and Pegasuses training in there. Lord Agramon is in charge of the inter-army training as well as tactical training for the Equines."

"I have heard enough Annabelle. I gather that being king has sort of distanced me from the developments that have been occurring under my nose. Is there anything else?"

"I am expectant, Harold," Annabelle said, dropping her bombshell.

This time it was Harold's turn to bleach.

"We're going to get another little brother!" exclaimed Sitar as the boys took to the center stage dancing like popcorn in the popper.

"How do you know it's a boy?"

"I counted the bits and the total was twenty-one. The jackpot!"

"And I was going to announce that to your mom, Sitar. You stole my fire."

"Sorry, Francesca."

"It's ok, my lord."

***

As another day came to a conclusion, and the royals came to rest and eat a well-deserved supper, Harold looked at his sons, which included Enron, Typhoon and the Troll prince in his heart, and could not help but feel so proud of them.

The Troll prince had benefited immensely from his stay within the Pyramid and the bonding to a dragon. He had grown to an astounding fourteen point five feet and wore a deep rust-red fur that shone like it was on fire from the lustre. His demeanour spoke of confidence, calm, and trust in his place and status within the community he shared with the others. Bjorn had asked that his son take his place as king, but Timor had insisted he needed to train more and pass his puberty before considering the possibility, much like his friend Typhoon had done. Puberty had been stormy for Timor, but he had been able to pass it by giving himself fully to the training to become a Weapons Master under the combined tutelage of his friends and the dragon prince. The first transformation of the Troll prince had been into a giant Gold Dragon, but then he immediately downsized to the proper dimensions to respect Typhoon's status as the ultimate Gold Dragon.

"Ian, we still haven't had time to talk about that prophesy, the Kantar prophesy. Why is it you are referred as the Right Hand of Destiny, son? With all these billions of years of experience you can now dig into, that question must be an easy one!"

"Dad, as I look in the future, and we all can, if you give it a try, you will notice that the future is not written in rock. It is determined by decisions taken now, much like our present was defined by decisions taken in the past. I have access to these past decisions; I see them being taken and what the options were. Some decisions were good, some bad, but we cannot change them. I see the future, on my own, a billion years from now, and, when we combine with each other, well to the end of this Universe. Although I cannot tell you what happens on a day-to-day basis, I can tell you where a critical decision will need to be taken and what a certain decision will lead to. Do you follow me so far?"

"Yes, I do."

"Destiny is the ultimate future, dad, where we are headed to. I have come to realize that my role in this is to guide us to our ultimate destiny, the future of life that will survive the Universe, as we know it. We will become something far greater than the Universe, dad. The Universe will die dad, but we will outlive it! It is our nest, and like any fledging bird, we must leave the nest to be truly free. I am the Right Hand of Destiny because I systematically choose the right decision, every time, under all circumstances. My test was during all six of these trials, dad, I trusted when necessary, and took control when necessary. During the lessons I had to take millions of decisions, covering the entire known record of history, and I took the right ones every time. I am the Right Hand of Destiny, shaping life so it will be able to survive and become what we must. From dust to dust will no longer be our life cycle. The capacity to shift shape is the first step to this Destiny! My brothers and I have seen the Omega of Life itself, pure, living, conscious, eternal Energy, truly one for all and all for one! That future is very far off, and there are many traps and obstacles to overcome. We will join others in this quest, as life is infinite in its form and variety, we will travel time, space, and Death itself to gain what we must. Dad, our body is coalesced energy, transient, and a support. But we have gained the capacity to change the container. See for yourself the raw form of our true nature!"

Ian became raw, pure contained energy. His entire body had been converted to energy, brighter than the fire in the fireplace, but yet, restrained and controlled. He recreated his body, a young man, than regressed to his classical almost four-year old look.

"This, dad, is what we will become, all of us. This is Life in its essence. Life is thinking, feeling energy! This is the Right Hand of Destiny! There are traps, dangerous events ahead, which I see as options open to us, and we must chose wisely to survive the explosion of this Universe, when gravity becomes too weak to slow down the Universe's expansion. I sense more than know that the Universe itself is evolving toward Sentience, much like Gaia has. We are Gaia's children, and by surviving She survives through us. We must not fail her nor must we fail the Universe."

"And what is the Left Hand of Destiny?" asked Samson, not too sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Annihilation with the Universe. It has reached a critical point. Either we succeed or Life in this Universe disappears with it."

"What's next, son?"

"We speed up things, so we can save Life. It is a race, which we already knew, but a race not only for us but also for Gaia, the Universe, and Life itself. We are the most advanced, we must not only survive and prosper, but we must see to the nurturing of life elsewhere so they too can join us in this quest. Our biggest enemy is Life itself, because its members have come into existence through greed, selfishness, and self-centred actions. It is only by accepting to forego their entrenched individuality, much like we have done first by the means of the species Conscience, and then by the amalgam of inter-species Consciences, and finally, by our ability to be separate yet together, fused at the core yet retaining our individual identity."

"I still do not understand the dynamic between Life and the Universe link up. How can saving Life save the Universe?"

"Because Life and the Universe are one and the same. They both are Energy. By giving the chance to Life to become dissociated with coalesced energy, matter, we give it, us, and by extension, the Universe, a chance to become self-sustaining. When the Universe explodes, if we have enough of its raw Energy in a coherent state, the Universe's Conscience will survive, much like a chicken is ready to live when it leaves the egg. The Universe is a giant Egg, Diamondcutter, and by joining the different life forms into an Entity, we are creating the Chicken. We are the bits and pieces of that chicken, much like cells are bits and pieces of our body."

"I just hope there isn't a fox at the door!"

Follow the adventures of our friends in The Hammer of Atlantis.