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It was the afternoon after meeting Pip that Trent, Marge, and Johnny Williams were walking along the street towards the Simple place when an army truck roared onto the cul-de-sac and towards them.
“Run for it to next door,” urged Johnny.
“Don’t be silly,” said his father. “This is America.”
To their surprise and shock the truck came to a screeching stop in front of their own house and armed soldiers poured from it. Additional army trucks weren’t far behind them.
“Halt, you three,” yelled a commanding voice. A dozen solders had rifles pointed at the trio and were closing in on them.
“What the hell is this?” thundered Trent. “We’re U-S citizens!”
“Another word out of any of you and we’ll fire, and we have orders to shoot to kill.”
“You would murder helpless unarmed civilians in front of their own homes?” demanded Marge, too outraged to remain silent.
“We would shoot dangerous fugitives,” replied the solder.
"Do we look dangerous? We're unarmed!" said Trent. "And we never in our lives earned even a parking ticket!"
“And you are all under arrest as spies," said the soldier. "Take them prisoner.”
Several solders rushed towards the trio as Trent placed himself between them and his wife and son and assumed what he thought was a Kung-Fu pose. The first solder swung a rifle-butt at Trent, but the blow never fell. Instead the solder froze in mid swing, defying several laws of physics. The other soldiers were also frozen in place, dozens of them.
“Not friends of yours, I take it,” asked a high pitched voice. Pip the Mage abruptly appeared at the feet of the Williams trio.
“Certainly not, Mr. Pip,” said Marge.
“I think it best than that we heed the lad’s advice, and make for the Simple House. My stasis spell will last only another minute or so, and I’d hate to have to do something more drastic to these poor, confused humans who can’t tell that we be good folk.”
“Grog tells me that we’ve had other visitors that he’s taken care of,” remarked the tiny elf, as the Williams family followed him along the walk. “I’ve strengthened the elf wards to exclude any other visitors that may come calling, but I still think it wise to make haste.”
Trent was astonished that the elf could run so fast on legs only inches long, than was even more astonished to note that the elf was actually flying a few inches above the ground. Why the tiny imp bothered with moving his legs at all was a related mystery.
After they reached the Simple House they rushed to George’s rooms, where Johnny turned on the computer, while his parents wondered at the strange books they found on George’s bed. Totally blank inside, most of the books seemed to be.
“Astounding magic, computers and TVs are,” remarked Pip, as he turned on the television from across the room with a snap of his fingers.
“Don’t turn on too many things electric, Pip,” admonished a deep voice.
The adults were astonished to see a massive, brown-furred giant appear in the doorway.
“We be using emergency back-up electric power,” explained the troll. “The humans have cut off the outside electricity.” He stepped forward and reached out a massive hand towards Mr. Williams. “You be father and mother to Mary and Johnny. I be honored.”
“And you have to be Grog,” answered Trent, as he readily shook a huge troll finger.
“Johnny has had good things to say of you,” added Marge, as she also completed the introduction ritual. “Now then, exactly what is happening to our daughter?”
“She too far away for Grog to ask, but Grog not hear from Mary or George for too long. Grog be worried. Worried big.”
“For hours now they haven’t returned my sendings either, none of them,” said Pip, as he surfed through dozens of television channels.
“That not good. Also, Army men came to forest. That be against Treaty. Grog toss them out but still others come, too many for Grog, but elf ward now stop them.”
“Quiet please,” admonished Pip, as he attentively watched the television. On the screen fire and devastation stretched for miles across a city. Above it towered an odd looking dark mound, hundreds of feet high.
“The monster has been still now for several hours,” said the commentator. “In earlier broadcasts it has walked through several cities such as this, killing and destroying. That’s how things started out here earlier today, but then there was a swirl of commotion, after which the monster stopped and formed itself into the mountain you see here. These shots are from a few hours ago. It’s dark there now, but we have conformation that the creature still hasn’t moved.”
“What’s happening?” asked another commentator voice.
“We aren’t sure, Jim. There are two theories now about why it stopped. One is that it is simply resting; but we’ve never seen it stop before in the middle of destroying a city. The second theory is that the monster has stopped to digest the White Dragon and giant birds.”
“Shit,” Johnny said quietly.
“Dragon and birds?” asked the second commentator.
“That’s right Jim. We have conflicting reports, but many of the local survivors here describe a small White Dragon ridden by an armor wearing knight that were trying to stop the monster and to save lives until they were attacked by giant birds. Than the monster is said to have swallowed up all the combatants and changed its shape to what you see here now.”
“Damn,” said Johnny. “That had to be Freedom and George!”
“What about Mary?” Trent asked anxiously.
“Like I told you earlier, she’s not supposed to be part of the battle,” explained Johnny, but he didn’t sound very certain. “She’s supposed to be in a transport plane.”
“That’s a transport plane now,” said Trent, pointing at the TV screen. They were showing a large transport plane, shadowed by a jet fighter, flying high over the monster. “This is old footage, but at least we know that a couple of hours ago, that’s where Mary probably was, safe and sound.”
The picture abruptly switched to yesterday’s news shot of Freedom and George, flying over a baseball stadium. “White house sources confirm that the dragon known as Freedom and the boy-knight known as Mystery Man, who introduced themselves to America and the World in dramatic fashion only yesterday, have met a heroic but tragic end here in Nigeria today. Giant monster birds from Europe and the giant African monster known as KraKara are responsible. The president is even now convening a news conference.”
The picture switched to the Whitehouse and a somber President Tom Jeffers. “My fellow Americans, before we were even able to ascertain exactly who the Mystery Man and his White Dragon companion were, or what their true intensions might have been, it appears that they met a tragic end while attempting to fight the monster KraKara in Africa. Though unsuccessful, they reportedly saved hundreds of lives, and died as true American heroes.
“Sadly, as I commented on briefly a short time ago we have also uncovered evidence suggesting that they may have been involved in causing the evil monsters to appear here on Earth in the first place. However, right now that’s mostly conjecture. We will continue to investigate this situation until we have brought the full truth to the American people.
“In the meantime, I pledge that we will bring all American armed forces to bear on the monsters and destroy them. Your armed forces, and not legendary beasts and super heroes, will protect our nation and the world.”
‘Enough!” said Pip, and with a snap of his tiny fingers the television turned off. “The bird attack was no coincidence. I sense Greble’s hand in that, and in Mary not contacting us. The witch is on that transport or somewhere else nearby, I know it.”
“Your thinking is sound, mage Pip,” rumbled Grog.
“Agreed,” added Johnny.
“The witch may also have turned the humans against us,” continued Pip. “I sense hundreds of them outside the ward, including some that
were fool enough to drop from the sky that are even now being pushed aside by the ward. That president fellow tries to hide his hostility but such cannot be hidden from a mage. He plots against us, and as such, against himself and all humans and elves, the fool!” The tiny elf pulled out his long sword, checked its edge, then slammed it back into its scabbard. “I must break my pledge to remain here with you, friend Grog. I must get to that transport and kill the foul witch or die trying.”
“The witch is on the transport?” Marge asked. “With our Mary?”
“I sense it,” said the mage. "We call it scrying."
“We have to do something!” Trent demanded.
“Correction; I’m the warrior mage, I have to do something,” said Pip. “I shall proceed with all speed to this place you call Africa. Now, in what direction is Africa, and to get me there while conserving my strength where may I find a swift whisk, or at least a fast horse?”
****