MMM - June 30th, 2009

Good morning all. Beacon Girl again with the Monday Morning Messages. Except it isn't Monday. A day late and a dollar short, as the saying goes. Sorry. Commander Grey has already deducted the offense from my paycheck.

BLOG FORMAT: Would like to point out the addition of a playlist, located on the top of the right sidebar. Autoplay has been turned OFF at the request of more than one Legion Author. However, there is a "play" button and you can listen to the songs at your leisure. The original Spiderman (from the cartoon) theme is there, as well as Batman, Green Hornet, and the opening to the old Superman radio and television series. Included is a Wierd Al Yankovich version of Spiderman, set to Billy Joel's, Piano Man.

HERO FOOD: Hilda Meahr, our Legion Cook, has offered to list some recipes. Commander Grey has consented. So, here is the first entry - for anyone who can stomach it.

HILDA's RECIPES: I will begin with a sandwich. This sandwich happens to be a favorite of Green Archer, and I make it for him whenever he's here. I called it, The Peanut Butter and Hamburger Slice Sandwich. I gave it this name because it's made up of - peanut butter and hamburger slices on bread. Take two slices of bread. (Green Archer likes wheat bread.) Cover one side of each slice with a slightly better than healthy portion of peanut butter. (Green Archer has a preference for Peter Pan. Peter Pan prefers Wendy.) On one slice of bread, position several hamburger slices, covering as much of the bread as possible. Place other slice of bread on top of first so that peanut butter faces the hamburger slices. Eat with beverage of choice.

On Trial For Treason

PANTHERA and LEO

On Trial For Treason (part 2)

by Bevie James

Simthara unrolled the parchment she had carried with her into the room. Before reading she sent a satisfied smirk Panthera’s way. Panthera kept her head proud. She would not give Simthara the satisfaction of showing fear.

“Panthera of Cats, you are hereby charged with treason against The People of True Earth. This charge has been brought forward by me, Simthara of the Apes, and is done so by reason of your willful choice to fail in your mission to capture Pelage of Cats.

“The charge states that on a foggy night you did encounter said Pelage along the shores of Lake Superior, as it is known in Lower Earth, and that you did, in fact, apprehend her. However, instead of returning the criminal Pelage to True Earth to face charges for her crime, you set her free, thereby aligning yourself with her and making yourself a traitor to the Life Forces of True Earth.”

Panthera noted the manner in which Simthara spat out the name “Cats”, as though it left a bad taste in her mouth. When Simthara set the parchment on the table before her, Panthera held her gaze. After a few seconds, Simthara flinched and looked away. Panthera couldn’t hide her grin. The People of the Apes never could hold a gaze with someone from Cats. The power of Cats was far superior to that of Apes, which accounted for Simthara’s animosity and jealousy. When Simthara recovered she glared at Panthera. She seemed ready to speak, but Ursa Drake interrupted her.

“Panthera of Cats, how do you plea to this charge?”

Panthera sighed. There was only one answer to give. She was guilty. But now Panteskus interrupted her confession.

“Before we address that, Adjudicator, perhaps we should determine first if the charge is even valid.”

Ursa Drake gave Panteskus a look of incredulity, as did Panthera. What game was Panteskus playing? Whatever it was, it had Simthara ready to fly into a rage. Her anger rose about her like a storm. From the halls came the cries of Aggie, Simthara’s grey chimpanzee. Apparently Aggie was in touch with Simthara’s mind, which was technically against the rules of court.

“How dare you!” she said. “I have never presented a false report in life. I always obey the rules.”

Panteskus smiled. “Always, Simthara? Then perhaps you can explain why Aggie cries out beyond the door? If you are in contact with her, are you not violating the rules now?”

Ursa Drake raised her hands in a motion of silence, preventing escalation. Tarter, her dragon, shifted on her shoulder. As Adjudicator, Ursa was head judge, and alone allowed the accompaniment of her animal.

“Enough!” said Ursa. “I will not allow this hearing to turn into a – farce. Simthara. Are you in mind contact with Aggie?”

Panthera hid her smile. She was convinced Ursa had caught herself from using the colloquial term, “monkey trial”. Glancing at Panteskus she saw his eyes twinkle. He gave his head a slight shake. Panthera understood. She was not to admit anything. Panteskus was playing cat and mouse, and Simthara was the mouse.

The Ultimate Villain

Lady Edna

The Ultimate Villain (part 2)

By Wolverine

Lady Edna burst from Tar’s mass sending tar everywhere. She pointed her staff at the mass of tar forming and fired a blast of energy at it. Again, tar flew everywhere.

Tar formed his body into a giant hand and collapsed on Lady Edna. Lady Edna sent light throughout her body and it exploded around her. Tar flew back and went to his human shape. He aimed his guns at Lady Edna and fired.

Lady Edna got behind a barrel to block the fire. Tar’s thugs heard the gunfire and ran in with their machine guns.

Lady Edna jumped up to the rafters that weren’t very high and climbed up. She got to a sitting position and watched what the Tar would do next.

“I heard gunfire, what happened?” asked a member.

“Some fool came in and I shot her,” said Tar

“Who was it?” asked the leading member besides Tar.

“Someone in a hideous green suit.”

“I’m all for leaving.”

“She’s not our worry, our worry is that the police don’t find us before we get to the drop point.”

“The drop point!” thought Lady Edna, “I wonder what that is. I better find out."

“What was that!?” said the high member as Lady Edna shifted her position knocking a can over.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Tar.

Tar and the rest of the gang ran out of the warehouse, machine guns held high ready to fire. They came to a helicopter and they all got inside. The helicopter took off and Lady Edna watched helplessly as it left her behind. A black thing fell out of the helicopter when Lady Edna turned around.

Lady Edna thought of a plan to figure out how to determine what the “drop point” was. She concluded that she would have to follow the helicopter to figure it out. Her best chance of that was to go in the last known course of the helicopter, west.

The black object moved toward Lady Edna and turned to Tar behind her back. She turned around just in time to see two guns pointed at her and she jumped out of the way at the last second.

Tar turned to a liquid form and slid up to Lady Edna’s feet. He slowly came up her legs and onto her torso. Soon (even though she is highly resistible) Tar had engulfed her and sent a charge through his eyes into Lady Edna knocking her out.

The helicopter came around a building and landed next to them.

“Tar! Come On!” yelled the pilot.

Tar came off of Lady Edna’s body and took her on the helicopter. The helicopter took off and went back to it’s course.

The helicopter landed close to a town and the Tar all got out and ran into a jewelry store. Lady Edna was left unguarded and saw them go in. She got up and ran to stop them robbing it. Surprisingly she saw her weapons next to her and got them.

She ran in and saw that the police were already fighting the gang. She was about to help them when an object came through the door pushing her in. The fight was now a hand to hand fight so the noise was minimal.

The new figure took his machine gun and fired it in the air to get everyone’s attention.

“I am Zaritar! You will bow to me! Then you will all obey my every will,” he said.

Blog Announcement

Good morning all. Beacon Girl again with a couple of things.

First, want to confirm your observations about a format change for the blog. The image list of Heroes and Villains along the right sidebar has been replaced with a Hero List along the left sidebar.

This Hero list shows all of the Heroes for which an episode has been written. The list contains their name, the Author(s) which wrote about them, and the number of episodes in which they occur.

Should you wish to read any/all of these episodes, the label link to get to them is right across the screen on the right sidebar. Author names are also included in the label list, in case you wish to search for all stories from a particular Author. (Some are more particular than others. Sorry. Couldnt' resist the joke.)

The Wanted posters which were part of yesterday's Monday Morning Messages (MMM) are now posted at the bottom of the blog. There is no requirement to write stories for these Villains, but hopefully the images will inspire some. There is debate in Legion Headquarters about offering a reward for the capture of these Villains, but an appropriate reward is still eluding the great thinkers at this time. So there is no reward. Beyond the joy of writing, that is.

Right now we have no stories scheduled for posting, but I believe fairyhedgehog is working on a sequel to her Fairy Hedgehog series, Bevie is working on a sequel for Panthera, and Wolverine is working on a sequel for Lady Edna. No word from other Authors on new episode status, but that doesn't mean they're not working on something.

The ideas are still flying around Legion Headquarters. Some require a LOT of work. I will keep you informed when any take root and germinate. Until then, keep on writing. And reading.

MMM - June 22nd, 2009

Hello. Beacon Girl here with the Monday Morning Messages (MMM).

Prison News: With the help of master builders from the World of Fabrithan, Commander Grey has now created a place to put incarcerated Villains awaiting trial and serving time. It is called Dungeon House, and it has the power to negate the special magical abilities Villains possess. Currently, there are six Super Villains residing in Dungeon House – Cudgel (captured by Fire Red, a Legion Member), Felid Cusp (captured by Azure-Gin, an independent Hero), Loobie (captured by Green Archer, a Legion Member), Mr. Manners (captured by Heroines of the Night), Procyon Inspirit (captured by Targeted Bow, a legion Member), and Scepter Axe (captured by Stumpy Bear, a Legion Member).


Hero Alert: There is now an affiliated Hero organization with the Legion. It is called Heroines of the Night. Right now it consists of five female Super Heroes – Safe Whiffle, Primitive Brute, Caped Blade, Lasered Lash, and Masked Wizard. Commander Grey has been in contact with their leader, Safe Whiffle, about them joining the Legion. He has been more aggressively pursuing this since their capture of Mr. Manners, who now resides in Dungeon House.


New Invite: As revealed in the Legion Blog story of 6-13-09, Commander Grey has officially invited Hidden Embers to join Legion Headquarters.


Escaped: Prior to the creation of Dungeon House, the following Super Villains have managed to escape their confinements –

Amatory and Cyprian. A pair of smugglers who also dabble in espionage.

Inamore Twins, Sonsi and Sybarti. Twin sisters who specialize in magical jewel heists.

Thunderbolt. A crazed anarchist from the World of Kindle.

Morshadda. A powerful warrior from the World of Darkness. Approach with extreme caution.

On Trial For Treason

PANTHERA and LEO

On Trial For Treason (part 1)

by Bevie James

Panthera sat quietly, waiting for the tribunal to enter the room. Which three would it be to decide her fate? There were some who would jump at the chance to condemn her. Others would show understanding. The problem was, Panthera knew she was guilty. She had let Pelage go free. But holding her in her arms had brought back memories, and when Pelage begged for mercy Panthera had not been able to refuse. Now she would pay the price for that loyalty. That love.

Two guards sat at her elbows. One she knew. Loparith. He was from the People of the Wolves. They had played together when they were young. Loparith was strict about rules, but he was also loyal to friends. The other she knew only by name. Conuru. She was from the People of the Vultures. While Panthera knew nothing of Conuru, she did know that those who melded with vultures were quick to take offense.

Her judges would be three. That she knew. And one would be from the People of Cats, which was Panthera’s people. And Pelage’s. She was at least to have one friendly face in the room. But who would the other two be? And whoever represented her own people would not likely be in charge.

The door opened and Panthera, Loparith, and Conuru rose to their feet. Panthera smiled as the first judge entered. It was Panteskus. He was related to Panthera through her mother. He was also akin to Pelage. At the least he would prevent this from becoming a kangaroo court – even if the head judge were from the People of the Quokka. Seeing the second judge was enough to take Panthera’s smile away. It was Simthara, from the People of the Apes. They were not friendly toward Panthera’s people. It looked like it was going to be a monkey trial after all.

The final judge, the head judge, was Ursa Drake, from the People of the Dragons. In fact, a small dragon sat perched on Ursa’s shoulder. It was a winged creature, as opposed to the worms some had. The worms were less ferocious than the winged dragons, but they were more insidious. The winged dragons were more dangerous, but they were open about what they were doing. Panthera sighed. It could have been worse. With Simthara present, the head judge could have been an Ophidian.

The three judges went to their table and sat, Ursa Drake in the middle, Simthara to her left, and Panteskus to her right. Panthera quietly noted the positions. That Panteskus sat to Ursa Drake’s right meant he would have greater say than Simthara. She had lucked out in that regard. But Ursa Drake would have the final say. When the judges had sat they nodded to the accused and her guards. Panthera and the others sat down. Ursa Drake turn her head slightly toward Simthara. “Please read the charge, Simthara.”

The Ultimate Villain

Lady Edna

The Ultimate Villain (part 1)

By Wolverine

Lady Edna hid outside the warehouse window and listened. The band of thieves called “The Tar” were inside, plotting. She needed to know their plan.


“Hey! When’s he getting here?” asked one member.


“He’ll be here!” said another.


“I can’t stop worrying that the cops will be around the corner.”


“He will be here any time now! Just stop worrying!”


“Why did we have to bring a barrel of tar along with us?”


“Tar is going to help us on our next crime.”


“How is tar going to help us?”


“Tar is very useful to us. He, or whatever it is, works for him.”


“So your saying tar works for him now,” said a thief that started to laugh.


“He thinks very highly of Tar boys, and you wouldn’t want him to be angry at you now. Would you?”


“No,” the rest of the robbers said at the same time.


“Good. Now we will have to organize our plan. Oh, here Tar comes now.”


“How can tar move on it’s own?”


“I get the impression you don’t like me,” said a figure coming out of the barrel.


“W-what I m-meant to s-say w-w-was.”


“You were going to say nothing!” the figure said.


The oily black being came out of the barrel. He had no human features. He was literally made of tar. Two red balls glowed where his eyes should be. The design on his chest lit up as a red skull.


“Which one of you doesn’t like me?” he said.


Everyone pointing at the one who spoke up. “Him!”


Tar aimed his arm guns at him and said “I will not kill you the most painful way because you did not know who I was. But, I will kill you!”


“NO!” he screamed kneeling on the floor, “Don’t kill me!”


Tar fired his guns. “To late.”


Everyone stood staring at Tar, wondering what he would do next.


“I’ve got word from Him to move out now! So if any of you slobs wish to stay behind, I pay you – in lead!” said Tar, firing his guns in the air.


“Let’s move out!” yelled one of the in-charge men.


“Wait! I give the order,” said Tar.


“What?”


“Were being tracked. Follow me,” he said quietly.


Tar and the other walked out of the warehouse and looked around.


“You, you, and you, look over there. You, take your men and look there. The rest of you come with me,” said Tar sending the men everywhere around the building.


Lady Edna had no choice but to go inside the warehouse. Now she was trapped and hoped the robbers would leave. Tar was next to a widow and Lady Edna sneezed. Tar turned around, became a glob of tar, and launched through it. Lady Edna was engulfed in his mass.

Beacon Girl: Monday Announcements

Hello, Authors! Beacon Girl here with a couple of announcements.

First, Mondays are now scheduled for me to make regular announcements (when there are any). If there isn't anything to announce, perhaps I'll make something up. We'll see.

Second, our Blog Administrator is experiencing some computer issues. Seems his computer is resisting bootups. He's going to look into getting this corrected as soon as possible, and I hope it is soon as I use his computer.

Third, and this ties in with the second announcement, if you go a couple of weeks without seeing anything posted from Bevie, Wolverine, or myself, you may assume the computer has given up trying and your Blog Administrator is offline. IF that happens, you can still post your stories. Save them as usual, but use "Post Options" to set the date and time for posting. Try to use Thursdays and Saturdays. If another story is already posted on one of those days, just use the following week. If we get scheduled out for more than two weeks, you can use Mondays. Hopefully, our Blog Administrator will get the computer issue resolved this week and it won't be an issue.

Fourth, and this is the biggie! I am pleased to announce the arrival of Commander Cerulean Grey and his right hand - uh, man - Stamur Chaste.

Commander Grey is heading up the Interstellar and Time Legion of Super Heroes. He is actively seeking heroes to sign up for his legion. We saw him show up in Hidden Embers' last episode.

If you would like your hero to be part of Commander Grey's legion, what you need do is include him in one of your episodes and have him invite your hero.

Commander Grey is intelligent, strong, and very much a leader. He is dressed in some sort of energy suit. He wears fire glasses, and he carries a special camera, binoculars, and staff.


Stamur Chaste is also highly intelligent. She is a soldier - no nonsense, no smiles, no awareness outside of her job. She travels with Trixie, an intelligent being in the form of a fox, complete with a sense of humor.



Commander Grey has power over time and space, so it is possible for him to be in more than one place at one time.

There are already several heroes in Commander Grey's Legion. These can be found at "Available Heroes" in Legion Headquarters. There are also five (5) members of the "Heroines of the Night" group. This is an independent force which (sometimes) cooperates with Commander Grey's forces.

Hidden Embers: Mist Over Monticello

HIDDEN EMBERS

Mist Over Monticello (part Five)

by Bevie James

At that moment two dozen police offers arrived on scene. They rushed down the embankment and began working feverishly to get the tree off Wafula. They managed it, but Wafula was unconscious. Mulogo hovered nearby, tears filling his eyes.

“He’s not dead, is he? Please tell me he’s not dead.”

“He’s breathing,” said an officer. “Someone call for an ambulance.”

“There’s one arriving now,” said another.

The first officer looked up and saw the man in the suit. “Hidden Embers. I should have guessed. Why else would so many officers feel the need to show up here with logging equipment? I suppose you called the ambulance, too?”

“I did,” said Hidden Embers.

The officer looked down at the still unconscious Wafula. “Not normally your style. You could have killed him.”

“I didn’t do that.”

“You didn’t? No mind control on them?”

“Didn’t need it. They did it all themselves. I would strap that one down before he awakens.”

“Hmm. Good idea. Any idea why he is blue?”

The man glanced at Mulogo. “Just one. I would like to question this other before you take him away.”

“Very good. But be quick.”

Everyone left except Hidden Embers and Mulogo. Mulogo couldn’t keep his eyes off Wafula as the paramedics hauled him away.

“He will be all right?”

“I am sure he will. What about you?”

“Me?”

“What kind of fight do you intend to put up?”

“None. My place is with him. They will put us together, won’t they?”

“I will see it is arranged.”

“Is it permitted for me to ride with him now?”

The man glanced at the paramedics. “Now it is.”

“Thank you.”

Mulogo started to leave, another man in strange costume sudden appeared. He had a staff, and viewing device hanging from his neck. At his side was a young woman in some sort of all weather gear. An animal was with her.

Hidden Embers turned to face the newcomers.

“Well met, Hidden Embers,” said the man in the blue squared suit.

“You know me?”

“Yes. We’ve been monitoring you for some time, haven’t we, Lieutenant?”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Why?”

“My name is Commander Cerulean Grey. This is Lieutenant Stamur Chaste and her companion, Trixie. We belong to a legion. One that should interest you.”

“Oh? What kind of legion?”

“One that can deal with criminals like the sort you just handled.”

“Actually, I didn’t handle these two. They did that on their own.”

Commander Grey chuckled. “So they did. Lieutenant, make a final reconnoiter of the scene and file a report.”

The woman saluted. “Very good, Commander.”

She took a device from her belt and began scanning the area, passing Hidden Embers and Mulogo without so much as a glance.

“Nice fox,” said Hidden Embers.

The woman ignored him, but the animal paused and gave him a look. Mulogo wasn’t sure what the exchange meant. Hidden Embers addressed the Commander.

“A legion, huh?”

“Yes. A Legion of Super Heroes. You would make a fine addition to our team.”

“I will give it some thought.”

“Excellent. I will be contacting you again soon. Come along, Lieutenant.”

“Very good, Commander.”

Lieutenant Chase returned to the commander without acknowledging Hidden Embers or Mulogo. Hidden Embers looked down at the fox which followed in her wake. As he did, the fox stopped and looked up at him.

“Thank you,” she said.

Mulogo couldn’t tell, but he was certain Hidden Embers was taken aback when the animal spoke. Lieutenant Chase activated a device on her belt and she, the Commander, and the talking fox disappeared.

“Well, what do you think of that?” said Hidden Embers.

“Not sure,” said Mulogo. “What I am sure of is this: we’re going to meet again. And next time you won’t be able to count on my friend’s temper saving you.”

“I won’t. Thank you.”

Bazna: Encounter of Animals

Bazna

The Encounter of Animals Part 3

by Wolverine

Bazna flew down to help Ackla who was changing into a giant dog. His teeth and claws were getting sharper and longer. The lion was still twice his size.

The lion hit Bazna away with her claw. Bazna slammed into the wall. He tried to get up but a sudden pain went through his back and he fell over.

Ackla got to his full size (a little bit smaller than fifteen feet) and shot his sonic blast at the lion. It had little affect.

Bazna got up and saw Ackla surrounded by the animals. He shot the hawk with a lightning bolt. He ignored his pain and charged at the lion. His sword made a deep gash in the lions back left leg.

The lion roared and grabbed Bazna in it’s mouth. Before it could bite him in half Ackla jumped and ran into the lion. The lion dropped Bazna and Ackla bit the lion’s damaged leg. The leg fell off and the lion roared . The horse stampeded in and Bazna jumped on top of it. It was trying to run Ackla over, but Ackla shot out his sonic blast and knocked the horse over.

Bazna flipped in the air and landed safely on the ground. The hawk and owl grabbed Ackla. Blood spurted out of Ackla’s sides. Bazna flew up and stabbed the owl with his ninja staff. A lightning bolt came out and the owl collapsed. The hawk dropped Ackla and he fell.

The lion wobbled behind Ackla and lifted her claw. Her claw raked Ackla’s back and he fell. The ninja staff plunged into the lion’s side. The lion fell over and lightning started shooting out of the staff. The lion’s body glowed yellow and then exploded.

Lightning shot everywhere and most of it hit the hawk who died. The horse came again, but Ackla was to winded to carry on. Bazna took his sword and threw it with all his might. The sword plunged into the horse’s front right leg. It whinnied, but kept coming.

Bazna braced for the impact that never came. He opened his eyes and the horse had flipped over him and Ackla and landed behind them dead.

Ackla got up and growled at the body. He went over and sniffed it.

“It’s dead. So are the others,” said Bazna.

Ackla sat down and began licking his wounds.

“Go back,” said Bazna and Ackla returned to his normal size. Bazna, knelt beside him.

Bazna looked up and saw the animals turn to dust. He looked at where the dead bodies had been with a worried look behind his helmet.

“You can never kill my animals until you kill me! And you will never stop me! My animals are here now, safe and sound with me!” yelled Tigris.

Bazna heard running along with flapping of wings. He relaxed. Tigris had finally left him in peace. For now.

Bazna: Encounter of Animals

Bazna
The Encounter of Animals Part 2
by Wolverine

When Tigris fell over, she had threw her mind, or soul, into the body of the lion. Nobody knew of this power except her, and her victims that she had used this tactic on.

Tigris roared and jumped up to the second level. You might be thinking, why didn’t she just turn into a lion, ordinary lions are not as dangerous as Lana. Same with her horse and birds.

Bazna turned and saw the lion prepare to jump, but reacted to slowly. The lion jumped and caught Bazna between it’s claws. Bazna yelled in pain, but even in his pain he shot the lion with a burst of energy.

The lion fell down to the floor unharmed. Tigris came out of the lion and back into her own self. It sounds like a waste of time that she went into the body of the lion, but she caused more damage then it appeared.

Tigris turned into a great eagle and flew up to Bazna. Bazna reached for his gun near his hip and aimed it at the bird. The eagle swooped down on him and with it’s talons tore the gun out of his hand. It was lucky he was wearing gauntlets, or his hand would not be there.

Even with the gauntlet, Bazna’s hand still hurt. He took out his other gun, but the bird was to far away. Even though Tigris could not take the gun away, she turned into a mouse and Bazna’s bullet missed. Before Tigris hit the ground, she turned into a vulture to peck and eat at Bazna. Bazna though had fired twice.

Before Tigris heard the second shot, she turned into the vulture, then was hit with the bullet. The vulture fell to the ground dead.

Bazna started firing at Tigris while she turned back to her original form. She dodged the bullets and went back to a bird and flew up at Bazna. Tigris dodged Bazna’s bullets, turned to a bear and they fought in the air.

All this time Tigris’s animals were exploring around Bazna’s hideout, looking for something even they did not know. To a point Tigris could control them even out of their bodies.

Ackla came back with a huge sword in his mouth. He ran up to the second level holding Bazna’s sword in his mouth, the one he thrust into the bird.

Ackla dropped it and barked, letting Bazna know he was there. Bazna looked at the dog then at the sword. He struggled from the bear who was rapidly turning into a bird flying up, then to a bear to attack and doing that over and over again. He got away from the bear and flew to his sword.

Tigris flew over to the sword, but Bazna got there first and lashed out with his sword. When Tigris turns from animal to animal, there is a slight time when she goes to her original form. So when she changed from bird to bear, the sword hit her in between.

Tigris never got to her bear form, even though she was not dead. She did not have the strength to turn into and animal so she turned and ran. She was hit in the stomach, so running was hard.

Bazna looked over the edge and saw Ackla trying to fight off the animals that were changing slowly into large scary versions of themselves.

Ana: Maiden Elf Warrior

Ana woke from her usual dreamless sleep. The tent was still dark, almost pitch-black, and she knew she had once again beaten the sun. She stood up and dressed quickly, rolling her bedclothes in with the thin blankets under which she slept.

She opened the tent, taken for a moment with the beauty of the stars that shone overhead. She spent so much time looking for meaning in their positions, she could only notice their beauty by surprise. They shifted slowly, so slowly most people would not notice, but Ana was as aware of their changes as she was of the wind that played against her face.

She got a small fire going and made cam. As she waited for the water to boil she ate some bread, lamenting how little food she had even after replenishing her stores in the last village. She was strong, but there was only so much she could carry, and villages and towns were few and far between in these parts. She looked around and felt grateful she was in an area that would provide her with food if necessary. She was in a clearing in the Arbu forest, a place that—while not friendly—was rich with game and edible plants.

She drank what she wanted of her cam and threw the rest of the water on the fire. The sound of a cracking branch brought her up short. She'd been hearing the usual sounds of the forest all morning, but this sound was different. Deliberate.

She turned to her left, from where the sound came, and drew her dagger. She suspected she was dealing with a belua of the forest, but she couldn't be sure. Not until it showed itself.

The belua stepped out into the clearing, a clear sign it was challenging her. Ana's stomach did a slow, unpleasant roll. A belua was an ugly thing; in the tales Ana had heard growing up, a belua could drive a man crazy from looking at it.

She held up her dagger, ready to fight. But then the belua seemed to look beyond her, an expression of fear coming over its face. It turned and ran back into the forest.

Ana turned. Behind her was a man. He stood in the clearing as if he had merely appeared there instead of walked into it from the forest, and Ana had no doubt he had. He was Sebastian, her nemesis, a witch doctor who was her enemy from the moment she was born. An enemy of her kind for generations, in fact.

Ana felt her limbs go slack.

“Hello, Ana,” he said mildly. “You didn't expect me to find you so soon, I see. I'm sorry. I suppose now we must hash out our differences.” He drew his sword.

Ana's eyes darkened, as they always did when she was angry. “How many times must I show you that you cannot read the Elves, Sebastian?” She put away her dagger and drew her sword.

Have You Heard About Writtenwyrdd

Got the news via the Evil Editor blog. Writtenwyrrd is being published in Electric Spec ezine. You can wish her congratulations here, on the Evil Editor blog, and/or her own blog.

Way to go, Writtenwyrdd!

Hidden Embers: Mist Over Monticello

HIDDEN EMBERS

Mist Over Monticello (part Four)

by Bevie James

The man threatening them with arrest was attired all in grey, including a hood which covered even his face. All that showed was a small space between his eyes, which were hidden behind bluish goggles, and part of his chest. The man appeared fit. More than fit, thought Mulogo. His clothes showed off his form perfectly. Nice clothes, too. And tight. Hmm.

But Mulogo wasn’t given time to consider the newcomer’s good looks. Wafula sprang into action. He splashed forward, wielding his staff two-handed. Mulogo hung back, preparing to send an electrical charge. He lifted his hands and willed the power to explode from his fingers. Too late he realized the newcomer was emitting a magic of his own. The electrical attack deflected – right back at Wafula.

The blast knocked Wafula backwards and down into the water. He rose spluttering and furious.

“Damn you, Mulogo! Stop with the frikkin’ magic and fight like a man.”

“But I’m not a man. I’m…”

“You’re not anything, you useless piece of slime!”

Mulogo felt his temper rise, but he had to stay focused. Damn this world’s atmosphere. It made controlling his power almost impossible. He would have to be careful lest he inadvertently hurt Wafula, like he did when he turned him blue. He tried to focus.

The sense of opposing magical power hit him again. What was this guy doing? Ah! He was a mind control master. Well, Mulogo knew how to block that. He raised his hands to make the spell.

It would have worked. Mulogo knew it. It was such a simple spell. Only Wafula was still looking him, and when he saw Mulogo raise his hands he swung his staff.

“Don’t you dare! I’m tired of being hexed by you.”

Mulogo wasn’t quick enough to avoid the first strike, but he quickly drifted away from Wafula’s attack.

“Stop hitting me! I can handle this guy.”

“Like hell! You can’t handle anything.”

Wafula continued to pursue Mulogo. Mulogo continued to dart away, moving across the river. He saw the man in the tight grey suit watching. The sound of sirens filled the air.

“Wafula, we should not fight each other,” Mulogo pleaded.

But Wafula was in one of his insane moods and there was no talking to him. All Mulogo could do was avoid that wicked staff. Unfortunately, he had put himself in a bad place. Too many trees. He would have to take out some branches.

As Wafula charged through the water, wielding his staff and looking like he was ready to kill, Mulogo raised his hands and let the lightning flow. It struck the tree above him and it snapped in half. Mulogo moved out of the way as the thirty foot piece fell. Wafula did not. The tree struck him and dropped him where he stood, which was in the river.

Horrified, Mulogo quit levitating and fell into the water. Wafula was under the surface, struggling. But the tree was too heavy for him. Grabbing a branch, Mulogo tried to lift it, but he had no strength. There was no other way. He was going to have to risk his magic.

“Are you sure you want to do that?”

It was the stranger in the tight grey suit. Mulogo looked at him and then pleaded.

“Please help me! He’ll drown.”