Episode 13: Fire Storm

Episode 13: Fire Storm
by Toni Walker

Near the Forbidden Zone

The midnight hour drew near and called the game show host back to his lair. There was no use in dallying longer than needed. He knew his minions would find the amulet and take back what was rightfully his. A.W. Larson may have taken one piece of the puzzle, but Dawson swore he would find the second amulet and then the third. Once he had all three amulets in his possession, he would break free from the prison of Hollow Creek and the world would be his oyster.

The amulets were legend, myth, but only he and A.W. knew for certain they existed. He didn't plan to fail in his mission to obtain them. Dawson Barker's evil minions didn't wander far away after their initial attack of Keith Banning, David and Maurice. They had their orders. Find the second amulet... even if it meant death to the owner of the round, ancient stone.

Dawson's own amulet was mere child's play compared to its stronger and more powerful siblings.

"Go back for the second amulet. Banning knows something - - I'm sure of it. Make him tell you where it is." Those were Dawson's last words before returning to his beloved Sabrina.

Lester, the head minion, remained behind with half of Barker's men while the rest continued on to the compound. Lester was worried about his boss's obsession with the Michael's woman. She had far more power over him than he knew and Lester, for one, was wary of her. None of the other participants in ‘the Game' had the power over Barker that Sabrina did.

Twice now he had nearly revealed his true agenda to his television audience while focusing on having Sabrina to himself. And that wouldn't help their cause. Lester knew A.W. would pounce on Barker if he knew of his Achilles heel.

The minions returned to where they had last fought with Banning and found the courtyard empty.

"Fan out," Lester yelled. "Find them."

Lincoln Merlin may not have been the most powerful wizard of all time like his ancestor, but he did have some power left to him in his family line. The staff he held kept the trio of men safe while Barker's minions searched for them elsewhere.

"What in the hell is going on? What do they want?"

Merlin turned to Keith. "You own something they possess. It is one of three left in the entire world. Three amulets that when placed together create a vortex so powerful that it would release any minion, demon or evil-doer into the real world again."

Keith balked. "I have something like that?"

Linc pointed to Keith's neck. "You wear part of it around your neck."

Keith fingered the necklace Sabrina had once given him while she was dating his best friend.

"Where's the other part?" David wondered out loud.

"If I know this place, it's probably in the wrong hands or in the hands of an innocent. It never fails to work out that way," Maurice mewled.

"Sabrina found it a long time ago. She gave me this for my birthday... I don't know where the other half is."

"Let me guess," David said. "She's a romantic and kept the other half for herself?"

"Why would she? We weren't dating at the time."

"But you love her? How could you love her if you never dated her?" David asked.

"She was my best friend's girl. That meant she was off limits to me," Keith paced around the courtyard. "There is no use dwelling on this. It doesn't matter anyway."

Linc's face turned into a scowl. "It may matter more than you know if she still has that piece of the amulet."

Keith's face paled. "She never takes it off."

"Then we must return to the compound as quickly as possible. Come with me through the Forbidden Zone. It's the only way to cut off Barker before he gets to her."

David, Maurice, Keith and Linc Merlin stepped through the Forbidden Zone gates and promptly disappeared.

***

Inside Nicholas de Charme's castle

"What's with the scorch marks?" Nicholas de Charme was in a fowl mood. It was all he could do not to run upstairs and check in on Ella. He wasn't sure what was wrong with her, but whatever it was, he doubted it was of magical origin... at least, he hoped it wasn't.

Thornswell held a mop and bucket as he waited for Nicholas for calm down and move out of his path.

"I'm not exactly sure of the origin of the marks, but if I had to fathom a guess..."

Nicholas knew what Thornswell was getting at. Not too many people burned up into a fiery oblivion when they shed their old bodies.

"Don't tell me. I get it." Nicholas paced. "Did she burn up another perfectly good body? Or did the powers that be finally let her move on to the great hereafter?"

"None of us could be that lucky," Thornswell muttered under his breath.

Nicholas hadn't heard his remark and in a way he was glad. Katherine appeared in the doorway at that moment. She was wearing Nicholas's robe and baring quite a bit of silky flesh. Her body was, of course, as it always had been, perfect.

Nicholas didn't hear her approach due to his concern for Ella, but the look on Thornswell's face was enough to cinch the fact that he had an unexpected visitor.

"No such luck, Nick," she said playfully. "I'm still here, but at least I get to keep the fab body of my youth." She revealed her new svelte self by opening her robe and giving him a thrill. Unfortunately, the gesture was lost on him. That didn't stop her, however. "See anything you like?"

"I see in all these years you haven't learned a thing."

"I'm the Oracle, Nick. I know all."

"Well, you don't know me as well as you think," Nicholas glanced toward the stairs where the doctor was still working on Ella. "We may have had something once, but it's over now."

Nick turned and bounded up the stairs, taking two at a time.

"It's not over for us, Nick," Katherine said with a sly smile. ‘And if I have anything to say about it, it never will be."

Thornswell plunged the mop into a bucket and began to work on the blackened floor. "I preferred you with amnesia. You were much more acceptable that way."

Katherine quirked a curious eyebrow.

"I remember how it used to be with us - - before you knowingly grew old. You still want me. I can tell. I can see it in your eyes." She let the robe hang on her open from top to bottom not hiding herself from his view. "Why do you mask your identity behind this persona? We both know who you really are."

"I was a fool once, my dear. I don't plan on being one again."

He turned and walked away from the sultry beauty.

"Oh, baby," she crooned. "It's far from over and I might have a some fun revealing your secret little by little to those who love you... or hate you."

Katherine dropped the robe to the floor. She wasn't embarrassed by her nudity. She reveled in its power. Quietly, she walked into Ella's abandoned room. She'd borrow one of the witch's sexiest outfits and pay a call on A.W. Larson. He too had a nasty secret that had been hidden for far too long. It would be fun pitting him and Thornswell against each other once again.

***

Inside the Forbidden Zone

"How much farther? Barker is going to beat us if we don't hurry." Keith needed to get to Sabrina before Barker did anything to harm her.

"Time is slower here. We are in a somewhat alternate dimension. A place where secrets of the past are hidden."

In front of them appeared a meadow. The grass was lush and green and the trees stood stately behind them. In the clearing was a large stone with something jutting from its side.

"Oh, my God. Is that what I think it is?" David dashed to the stone and then ran his hand over the glinting silver object. It was a sword. It was dull and old but something about it drew his attention. "It's beautiful."

Maurice sneered. "It's just a piece of junk. And look at it. It's not even useful stuck like that."

"Useful? If it's what I think it is, it's the most useful sword in the entire world... It's Excaliber.

"Excaliber?" Maurice snorted. "That's a myth."

"Myth or not," Keith said, examining the sword. "It looks like the real thing to me."

"Have you two lost your minds? Not only are we in the Forbidden Zone, but we've stumbled across an ancient Camelot artifact? This is too much," he said. "For one thing, this is not Great Britain."

"No," Linc Merlin said. "But mythical cities can be moved magically. I've seen it done with Atlantis.And from all indications, Camelot did vanish, did it not?"

"Don't tell me you're getting the crazy Forbidden Zone fever too?" Maurice paced nervously back and forth.

Keith fingered the sword and felt it prickle beneath his skin. "Kid, I think you might be right about this thing."

He glanced up at David who seemed to be more transparent now than normal. His face contorted in panic.

"Are you all right?"

"I... I... don't know. Something's happening. I'm feeling a pull... I can't explain it."

"Linc?" Maurice mewled. "Can you do anything?"

Before Linc could answer, David's image winked in and out until suddenly, it was completely gone.

"Stay here and wait for me," Linc insisted. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Then Linc held up his aged staff, muttered a few magical words and vanished as well.

"What do you think just happened?" Keith asked. Hollow Creek was beginning to scare the hell out of him.

"Whatever it was, it couldn't be good." Maurice sniffed around the sword jutting out of the stone." Wanna give it a go?"

Keith's face turned into a mask of confusion. "Huh?"

"The sword, you mortal. Give it a tug. See if you have the heart of a king."

***

Near Morgana's Lair

David Laskey could feel himself hurtling through space at a high velocity. He'd never experienced anything like this before nor did he want to experience anything like it again.

His entire world suddenly came to a halt with a dizzying crash. Quickly, it became apparent he couldn't move. That's when the panic set in and his breathing accelerated.

What was happening?

"Take the statue back to my lair." Morgana LeFey's voice was hard to mistake. It was because of her that he was in this position to begin with. She'd been the one trapped inside the violin girl statue.

David could feel her troops pick him up and begin walking. The smile on Morgana's face was the most evil thing he'd seen in his lifetime.

"Be careful with it, boys." she warned. "Once it's back in my lab, I have the perfect spell to get rid of it once and for all."

***

Inside Nicholas de Charme's castle

Nicholas paced around the hallway outside the room where the doctor was working on Ella.

"What in the hell is going on in there?"

He wanted immediate answers, but he knew whatever was wrong was more serious than any of them knew.

The doctor walked out of the room, sweat marred his brow and concern etched his face.

"How is she? Tell me she's alive."

"Yes, she is alive, but just barely. Somehow she's managed to get herself stuck between dimensions."

"What? I didn't know that was possible. What other dimension?" Nicholas didn't like this. He didn't like it at all.

"As near as I can figure, she's stuck somewhere in her past - - and considering how long she's lived, there's no telling at what point she became wedged in time."

The doctor was silent for a moment before continuing. "If she can't come completely into either dimension, before long - - only a few days, I'm afraid..."

"She'll what? What will happen to Ella?"

"She'll cease to exist."

It was in that moment he accepted the truth. Nicholas had no choice but to elicit the help of the evil queen, Morgana. Not that he wanted to, but he had to. Ella's life depended on it.