Fallout (Tales of the Other Universe Book 2) Read online

  Applause filled the yard as the crowd raised their fists, weapons, or whatever they had available into the air in celebration. The Creator was dismayed, but not surprised, by how many people were happy that Adam was gone. He did his best to hide his true feelings, knowing that the public also had their eye on him and he couldn’t break the illusion that Mr. White demanded he help generate. Mr. White raised his hands and ushered the crowd to settle down as he continued to speak.

  “Once again, this country is in the hands of its own citizens,” he said. “We of the Western Liberty Movement have always believed in ruling by the people and for the people. We have assisted in taking this kingdom back for its people, but we have no illusions of ownership of the throne. Yet as it stands, there is an immediate need for leadership. Anarchy benefits none of us. So I task you with this: whom shall you place your confidence and trust in to rebuild this glorious nation?”

  There was an immediate and overwhelming response from the crowd calling on him to assume the throne, calling him by the false name of Bianco that he had used while scheming against Adam. That was, of course, the plan all along. He had lined everything up to make himself the hero of the revolution and the obvious choice to succeed Adam. His played up modesty only helped to create the illusion that he cared anything at all about the people or their future. Mr. White feigned surprise at being named by the crowd and spread his arms out in acceptance.

  “My friends, I feel honored and humbled,” said Mr. White. “I am but a public servant who was dissatisfied with the status quo and dreamed for something better for my countrymen. Before I could accept such an honor, I feel obligated to ask the consent of the highest authority.” He turned to the Creator. “It is with tremendous humility that I may stand in the presence of his Holiness, the Eternal Father of All, our Creator, Most High. He who is most venerated, we bless, praise, and adore you at all times, and it is your divine providence that guides all existence. I can’t imagine how saddened you must be that your other half failed the kingdom. Though I am not worthy, if it your wish, only say the word and I shall succeed him as king.”

  Mr. White looked the part of a pious gentleman, and he played the people without a flaw. It could all be exposed if the Creator denied him and spoke the truth. It would mean revealing that the people of Magid had rallied around a false hope, beguiled by his pleasing orations while setting in motion the cause of their suffering behind their backs. It would be a truth not easily accepted by the crowd still furious with Adam, even if it was a testimony by the Creator himself. It would also leave himself vulnerable to the truth that he had kept hidden, that somehow Oracle had discovered and now held over him. There was no doubt that given all that had happened in the last few days, someone would believe Mr. White. It wouldn’t take long before everyone accepted it. He could not allow that, no matter what the cost to anyone else.

  The Creator smiled. “Let it be so. I know your heart is pure, and that you will do well and lead Magid into prosperity. This is my decision, thus shall it be.”

  Thunderous applause mixed with excited cheers erupted from the assembled crowd. Mr. White turned back to them and clasped his hands together in front of him. “I am eternally grateful to you all, the real heroes of Magid. Rest assured that I will make it my sole duty to rebuild this nation to be greater than it ever was, and usher in an age of peace and prosperity for all!” The applause continued as he waved to his excited subjects before turning to go back into the palace. The Creator and the other Oracle agents followed and closed the door behind them to separate their party from the people.

  “What a lovely, gullible populous,” Mr. White said, removing his sunglasses. “They were so miserable with the life they had that they were willing to give control over to near stranger.”

  “What do you think they’ll do once they realize you’re a bigger liar than Iilil-ja? You’re not going to do anything to help them.”

  Mr. White gave the Creator a wounded look. “Do you think I’m that cruel, Daniel?”

  “I think you’re only interested in one thing, and that you don’t care at all about Magid.”

  “Personally, I don’t,” Mr. White admitted. “But I don’t intend to actually lead them. I’ll be leaving Miko here in control of the puppet government I’ve just established. She’ll carry on with the reconstruction efforts in my place while I continue hunting down Evans and your former assistant.”

  The Creator scowled. “Ms. Gatti is still my assistant.”

  Mr. White looked to his left, then to his right, then back to the Creator. “I’m sorry, I had assumed since she abandoned you here and left with Adam Evans that she was in effect denying you. I must be mistaken, though. You are the Creator Most High, after all.”

  “Go to hell!” the Creator snapped, surprising the Oracle agents. Mr. White just grinned.

  “No need to get angry,” he said. “You wouldn’t want to be mistaken for your other half now.”

  The Creator grit his teeth but remained silent. Mr. White leaned in and got close to his face.

  “Now if you’re through, why don’t you tell me just where Adam Evans and the girl went to?”

  “What do you intend to do?” asked the Creator.

  “Nothing just yet,” Mr. White replied. “Like I said, I need to give Evans time to appreciate the gravity of his situation first. Then I’ll continue to pick away at his self-esteem until there’s nothing left. For the meantime, I’d just like to keep an eye on him. Now I have a very strong hunch as to where he’s gone, but I’ve learned it’s always a good idea to know for sure where I’m going before I invest my time. So, if you’d be so kind.”

  The Creator narrowed his eyes. He knew the moment the portal had closed where Adam and Dee had ended up, and as much as he hated to cooperate with the devil of a man in front of him, he had no choice. In order to save himself and bring Dee back to his side, he would need to help Oracle hunt Adam down. For his own sake, for the sake of the universe he controlled, the Creator gave up his kin.

  Beneath this mouldering canopy

  Once shone the bright and busy eye.

  But start not at the dismal void—

  If social love that eye employed.

  If with no lawless fire it gleamed,

  But through the dews of kindness beamed,

  That eye shall be forever bright

  When stars and suns are sunk in night.

  Chapter 9

  Lost in the Woods

  Adam coughed as he tried to regain his breath. Something had gone wrong. His head was still spinning from the fall and for a moment he was seeing double. He tried to focus on the world around him. Even though he couldn’t see straight, he knew right away that he was not where he was supposed to be. All he could see were trees in every direction. What had gone wrong? He remembered jumping into the portal with Dee and then falling when he came out the other side. There was an explosion behind him before he jumped, he recalled. It must have affected the portal and sent them to a different end point than he had intended.

  “Greg! Are you ok?”

  Dee’s voice seemed distant and muffled. Adam spun around to try to pinpoint the source of the sound. He saw Dee standing just a few feet away, much closer than he had thought she would be. She looked horrified, reaching her hand out to Adam’s head. He groaned and stumbled, falling to a seated position on the ground. As the world continued to spin, he saw a soft pink glow fill his view and a pleasant warming sensation blow over the top of his head. It only lasted a moment, and as the light faded the world became clear again. He tilted his head up and saw Dee kneeling beside him.

  She sighed with relief. “Thank goodness. Are you alright?”

  “Yeah, I suppose so,” he said, feeling the top of his skull. “What happened?”

  “You landed on your head when we fell,” she said. “It probably gave you a concussion and you were bleeding quite a bit. I’m sure your body would have recovered soon, but I figured I would help it out a little.”


  Adam got to his feet and took his first clear view of the scenery around him. They were in fact surrounded by trees, tall firs packed close together by the looks of it. He looked to the sky and saw that there was still midday. The climate was cool, but not frigid. That would probably change once night set in. Adam had spent time in these kinds of temperate forests before and knew that if left unprepared it would be a dangerous place to be stuck in.

  “Where are we, Greg?” Dee asked.

  “I’m afraid I don’t know,” he answered. “That grenade that exploded as we entered the portal must have affected it somehow. It sent us somewhere else, which also explains why we fell. I’ve never known this to happen before, so it’s possible we could have been sent very far away from my intended destination. We should be lucky we didn’t end up in deep space.”

  Dee stared up in the sky, taking note of the position of the sun and the faint moon that was making its appearance. “Where were you trying to go?”

  “To Khanka,” said Adam. “It’s a major city in the Republic of Gravell on the planet Carvon, and it’s where the Khazaki are based.”

  “I’m familiar with it. I’m from Carvon, remember?” Dee narrowed her eyes as she focused on the faint shape of the moon above. “I think we are on Carvon.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “There is only one sun and one moon, first of all,” she explained. “That’s not true for every planet. And I recognize some of the shadows on the surface of this moon. I spent a lot of time looking at it as a child. We must be on Carvon, just not in Khanka.”

  “Good to know,” Adam said. “We just need to find out where on Carvon we are and then start making our way towards Khanka.”

  “What are we going to do there?”

  “I’m going to talk with the current head of the Khazaki, a man named Sean Walker whom I knew from the early days of the group. The Khazaki is strictly a police force for the city, but I may be able to get their support. After all that’s happened, we’re going to need as much help as we can get before going back to Magid and retaking the palace.”

  “What about the people of Magid? I imagine they’re going to side with Oracle and not with you, to be honest.”

  “I’m aware of that, Dee. Today’s events made it perfectly clear that I haven’t been the kind of king I promised I would be. That’s all the more reason I need to come up with a way to strike back hard, expunge Oracle from Magid and win the people back. I know I can do it. I have to.”

  Dee smiled sadly. “I believe you, Greg. I’m here to help in whatever way I can.”

  “Thank you, Dee,” he said. Adam took another look around the forest. “First things first, we need to figure out where we are and how to get to Khanka. It’s more than likely we’ll have to spend the night in the woods, but I can take care of shelter if it comes down to that.”

  “Well we should hurry then,” Dee said, picking a direction and walking off. “Let’s head this way.”

  “Hold on, Dee, we need to do this right. We can’t just go off in any direction just because we don’t know where we are.”

  “It’s not any direction,” she said, pointing at the sun. “Carvon’s sun sets in the west, and the Republic of Gravell is in the east. So we should go the opposite way that the sun is setting.”

  “True, but the Republic of Gravell is in the northeast part of the continent,” Adam countered. “If we just walked due east, we could end up anywhere on the eastern coast of Carul. We should head this way, to the northeast. That way we’re more likely to reach the Republic of Gravell directly.”

  Dee seemed wary of the idea. “We need to consider the climate, though. If we go too far north, we could get caught in the cold. It’s not uncommon to find snow even this early in the year.”

  “Snow in mid-September? Even in the north that’s a stretch. Besides, I can use the elements to our advantage and protect us no matter what the weather. Trust me, Dee, we’ll be fine.”

  Adam started off in the northeast direction while Dee hesitated behind him. She tried to think of a reason to change Adam’s mind, but he was set in his decision. Seeing no other alternative, she followed behind him, keeping her wand at the ready.

  After a few hours of walking, Adam was growing discouraged. He and Dee had seen nothing but the endless stretch of dense wilderness for the whole time they had trekked across the unknown land. The only change had been the appearance of mountains in the distance and an increase in their own elevation. Adam hoped that they might reach a high point and get a better view of where they were and where they needed to go next. So far, signs were not looking good and it was clear they would have to stop soon to set up a camp for the night.

  Meanwhile Adam was growing somewhat annoyed by Dee’s frequent suggestions to change course. He knew that she was just trying to help, but she wasn’t the only one with experience travelling across long distances and navigating through unknown regions. It was true that an eastward path would lead them to civilization sooner, what with the other two human kingdoms in the east. He recalled from a map he’d reviewed of upper Carul that there was nothing but empty wilderness across the northern part of the continent they were likely on. There had been a tribe of wood elves in the region once, but they had been long since wiped out. It was possible that his northeast route was taking them further and further away from help.

  Adam recognized his stubbornness. Maybe it would be better to move east and find any kind of civilization than to take his chances wandering through the endless forests in the hope that he would hit the borders of Gravell. It was a decision he’d have to make soon. He had no problem wandering for days on end since the impending pains of hunger could be ignored. Dee on the other hand would need food and fresh water in addition to shelter. The sun also seemed to be bothering her since she had donned a makeshift bandana and tied her hair up. They had taken no provisions with them in their flight from the palace, and he hadn’t spotted any kind of edible plant while walking or any animal to hunt. As more time passed, it seemed the more important goal was simply getting out of the forest at all.

  “How long do you suppose we’ve been walking for, Dee?” he asked. She had been travelling just behind him scanning through the trees as they walked.

  “Two hours, maybe two and a half,” she said, half focused. “At the rate the sun’s been going down.”

  “That’s what I figured,” said Adam. “Let’s see how much farther up this mountain we can get in the next half hour and then set up a camp for the night. Hopefully we can find a good outlook and see just where we are in the world.”

  “I don’t know if going any farther is a good idea,” Dee commented. “If we’re going to camp for the night, we really ought to get to the base of the forest floor.”

  “I doubt we’ll make it back that far with the amount of daylight we have left. Besides, it seems like a waste to go all the way back and then have to climb it again tomorrow.”

  “It just doesn’t seem like the best thing to do in my opinion,” Dee said. Adam stopped and expressed his mounting frustration with her with a foul look. She got the message and apologized right away. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  Adam sighed. “I’m sorry, Dee, I know you’re just trying to help. I just don’t want to waste any time in getting to Khanka. If you’re more comfortable with it, we can camp at the base of the mountain.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “It’s really not that big a deal, I suppose. Besides, I’m sure you must be getting hungry. We’re more likely to find something for you to eat further down the mountain anyway.”

  “Oh, that’s true,” she said, feeling her abdomen. “I had actually forgotten all about eating. I didn’t notice I was getting hungry at all until you mentioned it. We should probably head down then.”

  Before Adam could even turn around, Dee was already heading down the gradual slope of the mountain in a different direction from where they had come from. He raised an eyebrow and called out
to her.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Back down,” she called back.

  “Why are you going that way?”

  “It just seems like a better way down than the way we came up, doesn’t it?”

  He began to follow her down cautiously. “Hard to say. You know, Dee, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were trying to lead me somewhere.”

  She forced a laugh. “What? That’s a strange thing to say, Greg. Why would I do something so silly like that when we don’t even know where we are?”

  “It’s a very good question,” he said. “But ever since we came through the portal you’ve been trying to push us away from the direction we’ve been heading in.”

  “It’s just my sense of direction, Greg, really. We should hurry though, I’m getting hungry.”

  A booming sound pulsed nearby and sent a weak shockwave through the trees. It blew through Adam and Dee and put Adam on high alert. He reached for his waist and drew his single-edged sword without thinking. Dee’s eyes widened and she spun around, seeking out the source of the sound. The forest was still as the shockwave passed. A terrible silence rang in Adam’s ear as he watched and waited. That silence was short lived.

  The trees exploded as a massive beast broke through and charged at Adam with a pair of jagged tusks. He managed to dodge the monster just as it ran by and tore its head up to stab at him. Adam rolled to the ground and caught full sight of the beast. It resembled a boar but with a more compact body and thick, sinewy limbs. Coarse brown fur covered its whole body, which was the size of a house. Its eyes were a faded opaque yellow color throughout and its face was capped with a broad snout centered between its two tusks. The boar growled as it turned its enormous body and prepared for another charge at its prey.