Sister Murphy sat upon a stone bench in a clearing, deep within the hedge maze. She wore finely polished brass plate armor and her hair was pulled up in a ponytail. Behind her stood the Minotaur with a razor-sharp blade in his hand. The beast towered over the sitting woman.
"Take it all off."
The Minotaur snorted in response and proceeded to carefully drag the straight razor around the sides and back of her head. He took her ponytail between big fingers and sliced it off leaving only a tiny topknot.
"You certainly have a way with animals," said Melock appearing next to her on the bench.
The Minotaur huffed and stomped off into the maze with an orange pony clenched in his fist.
"He's been a fine sparring partner these many months. I figured it was time to lose the hair."
"Did you sense we would be leaving?" asked Melock.
"No, but Mr. Grimble and Sabastian let it slip that they would be traveling with us."
"They are fans of yours as well, aren't they?"
She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. "Have you finished your research?"
"Yes. Tykö and Abeba opened my eyes to many new possibilities. We've concluded our work with the local 71 ambassadors and together wrote this." He pulled a lime green book with a double helix on the cover out of his bag. "The 71EEB8 cloning manual and the summation of Tykö's and my own study of genetic engineering. With a fascinating chapter on life extension, I may add."
"You seem very satisfied," she said with a genuine smile.
"You might say we've conquered old age, sickness, and death. I know it's been a long wait and I appreciate you finding productive ways to pass the time."
"The maze guardian has much to teach. Øregård would've enjoyed the bull's weapons expertise."
"I understand you've become quite handy with the sword and shield."
"And the spear. But we focused on blunt weapons, his club versus my hammer."
"You've used your time wisely."
Murphy stood and picked up her hammer. "Do we leave now?"
"Yes, let's go home."
Melock walked with her to the center of the maze where Sabastian stood dressed like some kind of highwayman in leather boots and pants, a black shirt, and a vest. A dark hooded cape hung off his back and a belt with a dagger and a shortsword completed his roguish style. He bowed low with a flourish and winked at Murphy and Melock. He was giddy with the idea of finally returning to Abraxas.
Next to him stood the most simplistic robot Murphy had seen since journeying into outer space. The blocky stout meter-tall tin man was held together with brass bolts and sturdy hinges. Its cylindrical head had a rounded top with two black eyeholes ringed in rivets. The front of the robot's face clicked open to reveal Grimble surrounded by control levers. The head and body of the automaton were filled with elaborate clockwork gears and mechanisms.
"Good morning, Sister Murphy!" said a happy Grimble. "Do you think I'll blend in on Abraxas?"
"Most people have not seen gnomes nor mechanized dwarves."
"Most people haven't seen a wizard either. A fine effort, the two of you," said Melock. "Now if you'll step once again onto the teleportation runes."
In a blink of an eye, they were gone. It was the last time most of them would ever see the Green Star of the land of Uz. Melock had moved his tower to his castle in the Stone Mountains. When they arrived they found themselves in a massive courtyard standing upon a large intricate golden symbol. The sun hung high above snow-capped peaks and flocks of geese in V-shaped formations cut through the crisp blue sky.
"Home," said Murphy filling her lungs with crisp clean mountain air.
Sabastian walked to the edge of the courtyard and looked out over the breathtaking range that climbed to the horizon. A dizzying staircase led down into the deep ravines between the mountains. Several steps from the top stood a man frozen in a block of ice.
"What do you suppose happened to this fellow?"
The others joined him at the top of the stairs. The ice that held the man in place was slowly melting and dripping into the valley below. Melock walked down to him and touched the ice causing it to melt away in an instant. The man was a soldier dressed for battle and holding up a shield to the sky. He hid below it gripping his sword tight as if he was avoiding a barrage of arrows. His statuesque face was locked in an expression of horrific terror.
"Let's bring him inside and find out," said Melock.
"I got him," said Grimble's voice amplified in a tinny way from inside his iron golem's head.
The tough little robot walked over, carefully picked up the frozen man, and carried him through the elaborate entrance of the castle. Huge solid doors opened with a wave of Melock's hand. The entryway opened into an impressive throne room. Melock snapped his fingers, bonfires burst to life in multiple fireplaces, and torches lit throughout the castle bringing light to its shadowy interior. The walls were covered in intricate woven tapestries that told a story of a unicorn hunt. Opposite the grand fireplace was a wide set of stairs that led to three ancient stone thrones.
"This castle was once the seat of the famed King of the Stone Mountains, but that is ancient history. Please, follow me to my laboratory," said Melock.
They exited the throne room and took the stairs up. The second level contained a kitchen so well stocked it could feed an army. The third level was a hall of private rooms and sleeping quarters. From there they entered the north tower, climbed three more levels, and came to Melock's laboratory.
The shelved walls were lined with books, specimen jars, and small trinkets from a thousand worlds. A black cauldron hung simmering in the fireplace and a slight minty smell hung in the air. A heavy wooden work table occupied the center of the lab.
Melock walked to a bookshelf and added his new cloning manual to his collection. He grabbed a strange device off the shelf; a kind of metal spike with a test tube on the end of it. Removing the test tube he took it to the fireplace and filled it with a bright green liquid from the bubbling pot.
"Mr. Grimble, if you'll be so kind as to place our visitor here on the table," said Melock.
Grimble's robot carefully placed the frozen body on the worktable.
"Thank you, kind sir."
"My pleasure," replied the gnome.
"Now, so as to not alarm anyone, I remind you this man has been dead for some time by the look of him. I'm not able to bring him back, but what we'll try to do is tap into his frozen gray matter and see if he won't tell us what happened."
Melock removed the soldier's helmet and ice matted hair fell across the table. He raised his hand high, aimed the spike at the man's head, and slammed it into his skull. The green liquid flowed slowly into his brain.
"Aïe! That hurt just to watch," said de Martín.
"Yes, I don't think hell be recovering from that," added Grimble.
The body on the table began to twitch and kick. It was a gruesome sight to behold and as he thawed, his bones cracked with sickening snaps and pops. He leaned up with a jerk and opened his eyes. The spike emptied its contents into the man and Melock reached forward and yanked it out of his head.
BINABASA MO ANG
Space Wizards
Science FictionUsually, they say not to judge a book by its cover but....
