The Great Talisman (Intersect Book 2) Read online

  Zardon did likewise and replied. “So be it. Prepare to die little man.”

  The two leapt from their positions and clashed energy blades. The flurry of glowing weapons formed a flowing light show as their superhuman velocity of movement left only a blur for Katie’s eyes to perceive. Katie watched helplessly as she remained a captive of her vulnerable humanity. Wanting to be behind the blade that Ryan wielded, generated great wafts of anger and frustration within her vibrant soul. She stood in the protective sphere with her hands flat against the inside surface that faced the duelling Ring wielders.

  Ryan fought with all the passion within him to match the Emperor’s legendary prowess. The years of training were taped deeply as it flowed from the two main sources of Lord Valour and Sarah Everley’s teaching. Valour provided him with the direction to focus the power of the Rings of Karn, and Sarah provided the technique and emotion to combat the fury of his masterful opponent. That state of mind that he reached when he conquered Sarah in the training centre was immediate goal to ensure his survival. The madness that was buried deep under conscious sanity soon surfaced in the killing structure of the berserker. That state where the human mind sourced the sinister side of his subconscious to perform miraculous feats of physical exertion. During this state, man could do the unimaginable; lift impossibly large objects from loved ones, and could kill mercilessly.

  He recreated the sequence of thought that last achieved this berserk state of mind and coupled with the stress of battling the Emperor. Ryan’s natural ability and skill was accelerated like a turbocharged engine pushing him beyond the level of natural human proficiency. The supercharging of his prowess by the Rings and the mental turbocharging of electrochemical pulses that controlled his movement, gave him the edge he needed to overpower the Emperor. Slowly but surely Ryan pushed Zardon back.

  Zardon’s sinister red eyes widened by the heightened skill performed by his small opponent. For the first time the Emperor felt that he was no longer fighting a human, but was fighting a Warrian. He reached deeper inside for the metal to match Ryan’s greater level of skill.

  Man’s existence over the centuries had been dominated by the laws of God, and this ability to tap the darker side of the mind was discouraged. During the dark ages it was considered witchcraft and was punishable by death. Through these laws man was able to advance in society and with that also came advances in technology. Warrians never repressed this ability, instead they nurtured it. This nurturing compromised social and technological advancements by thousands of years. The Warrian race is far older than the human counterpart and took far longer to achieve a similar level of advancement. For compensation of the social and technological retardation, they developed into the greatest race of warriors the universe had ever seen. No other could match a Warrian on the battle field, and this skill formed the basis of their name.

  For a Warrian, to achieve this trance like stasis took only moments and they could maintain it almost indefinitely. The battle that Ryan fought would have pushed even a Warrian to his limit of natural ability, only the Emperor was no ordinary Warrian. Mutated by the Coronation Ceremony, he was stronger, faster and more skilled than any Warrian in existence. The legend states that the Emperor has not only drunk the blood from the lineage of the greatest warriors, but has absorbed their skill and strength. Ryan was not just fighting the greatest Warrian alive, he was fighting the greatest Warrian to ever live.

  On top of his paramount skill was the drive of the insurmountable power of the Rings of Venal. And behind that was the driving force of pure hate from Lord Hellion. The combination made Zardon the ultimate killing machine and the most deadly force in the universe. Against this Ryan had no antidote. Zardon increased his speed and skill and turned the tables driving Ryan to his certain death.

  The thrill of complete dominance over Ryan drove Zardon to push his ability even further to the absolute limit and beyond. The primitive side of his brain released the blood lust of his animal instinct from his subconscious to drive his skill to its goal. With this release was also the opportunity for Lord Hellion to control the Master of the Rings of Venal. The evil poured into Zardon’s brain like a flood gate and its terrible wash flooded into the control centres of the Emperor’s mind. Externally, an image of the new master formed over the body to reflect the internal transformation.

  The onslaught that Ryan’s foe had inflicted upon him had shattered his will and he collapsed to the icy cold surface of the hull, exhausted. His energy sword was cast aside by a violent clash with the Emperor’s blade. He had given everything and more, but it was not enough. Ryan was now at the mercy of the Emperor. Without warning Zardon stopped.

  What Katie’s eyes beheld was an image that was more terrible than any horror that her imagination could conjure. It was hate, lust and despise in its purest form. For Katie, she was looking into the face of Satan and the terror was so great that her mind was incapable of averting the eyes that it controlled.

  Ryan perceived the precipice that Zardon had reached as the face of the Emperor mirrored the image of the beast that now controlled the body. For Ryan it was a moment for deliverance from a certain fate.

  Zardon drew upon the energy of the Rings to regain mastery of his soul. It took everything he had within to quash the evil overlord of old. He pushed the sprit that haunted the Rings back into a corner that he could trap it in a cage where it could never escape. “You will not foil me again, Hellion. This time I will keep you where you cannot falter me!” As the words from the Emperor’s mouth escaped, so did Ryan’s only hope of triumph.

  Ryan looked up at the over bearing giant with a soul that had lost all hope. Zardon was back in control and now more dangerous than ever. Behind the face of the conqueror was a vision that pushed Ryan further into despair. Behind the Emperor was the image of the Earth hurtling towards them seconds from impact. Zardon saw the shock in Ryan’s blue eyes and realised his cunning ploy had been discovered. With his red glowing blade at Ryan’s throat Zardon mocked him, “Oh, did you not realise that your precious Earth was not out of danger? Yes, this rock is about to obliterate your planet and everything on it. In moments the human race will be only a bad memory. And don’t think your ship can stop us, they are busy defending your planet from such rocks on the other side. Your race is doomed!”

  Katie looked up and could see they were soon to enter the atmosphere seconds from impact. The Earthly landscape was clearly visible to her naked eyes as she identified that they were heading for northern Israel. It was then that she began to gasp for air. The sphere that protected her from the deadly elements was no longer solid, it was liquefying. Her hands that were pressed against the surface began to push through to the other side. Immediately she pulled back then collapsed from the lack of oxygen.

  “There is one other thing that you must witness before the destruction of your planet, and that is the horrible death of your concubine.” Ryan looked back and could see his protective shield was being compromised by the Emperor. He crawled across the few metres of the hull to where Katie was a heartbeat away from a quick and painful death. When the sphere could no longer hold back the harsh elements about her, the contents would be depressurised and any living thing within would explode like a bomb. Behind, the Emperor’s laugh was all too clear. Ryan thrust his right hand through the liquid surface and grabbed Katie’s arm. Using the power of the Rings, he joined with Katie.

  In his desperation to provide Katie with maximum protection against the impending cataclysm, he inadvertently created a link between Katie, himself and the power of the Rings. The side effect was unexpected. The strength of her mind joined with the battered soul within him and recharged it like a battery. Immediately he felt stronger. What transpired next happened with a single heartbeat.

  With the new found mental energy source, he reached out to Charlie and formed another link, then from Charlie he reached out to Sarah, then to Adam, John Masters, John Cerrico and anyone else he could think of. The combined mental ene
rgy had a profound effect on Ryan. All their strength and will compounded within him and his physical form changed. The veins on his brow popped out like hoses under great pressure. His muscles expanded as the veins pumped blood through his body at an unnatural pace. His thews grew to mammoth proportions as his stature heightened to a size greater than twice of that of the Emperor. The uniform tore from about his body barley retaining the mass within his torso.

  For Katie and the others it was as if they were under a trance where Ryan was the master in control of their minds and bodies. For them the control was a willing gift as they knew instantly what was transpiring on the far side of the Earth.

  Katie who sat there like a zombie while Ryan stood and confronted the Emperor. Zardon’s laugh faded as shock took over the expression on his scaly face. Something that Valour had been trying to make him understand about the Rings was that mortal abilities were not the key to their power, but the strength of the mind. It was the mind that controlled them and the stronger mind would be the conqueror. Individually, Ryan was no match for the mental and physical dominance of Zardon and he attempted to compensate by matching the Emperor’s battle skills. Valour had learnt this when he fell to the cunning of Lord Hellion, and did his best to instil this into Ryan. Unfortunately Ryan was mortal, and for him to comprehend immortality was almost impossible.

  Zardon understood the value of mental strength and focused his development to empowering his mind. His physical prowess was already unchallengeable, and over the years had honed his mind into a powerful weapon. There was one flaw in the Emperor’s training, and that was the lust for power. Both Hellion and Zardon lusted for the ultimate control over the Universe, and in doing so would never be greater than the sum of their own minds.

  For Ryan, lust was not a passion. He did not yearn for the power that was within his reach. His only want was to end the madness that had befallen his world. The souls that surrounded him where people that believed in him and that was more powerful than Zardon could ever be. Valour knew somehow that Ryan would discover the key that he could not, and at last he had fulfilled that prophecy. Joining the others in the gathering of minds, Valour gave himself to Ryan as well.

  In a panic Zardon slashed at the super being in a vain attempt to thwart it. The mortal weapon was for battling mortals, Ryan was now far more than that. As the energy blade came at him he grabbed the blade with his bare hand and pulled it from Zardon’s grasp. With a thought the Energy sword was obliterated. Ryan’s larger than life eyes bore down upon Zardon with insurmountable intensity. His enlarged larynx changed the tone of his voice to a deep note that boomed from within his now mighty frame. “No more will you harm the Universe, no more.” He sent a mental pulse that brought the Emperor to his knees. Zardon screamed in agony, as a vice like pressure crushed his skull.

  Ryan drew in on all the energy that the universe could gather for him to wield and sent it at the cowering Warrian at his feet. The beam of energy shattered the molecular structure that held Zardon together and his body exploded into a fine dust that scattered over the dull hull surface about them. All that was left behind were the two gaudy bracelets that seemed as lifeless as the hull they laid upon.

  BEHOLD, THE GREAT TALISMAN

  Ryan reached down and picked up the two pieces and joined them together. A bright light shone from the connection as the two pieces fused. He then touched the end of the new half to the bracelet on his left forearm, and it too fused with a flash of brilliant light. As the matter about them became superheated from their re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, Ryan made contact with the last bracelet, and reformed the Great Talisman.

  Light poured out from the Talisman bathing everything in sun like brilliance. The brightness faded to reveal the transformation of the staff to its former glory. The gaudy ornaments that adorned the Rings of Venal disappeared and the beauty that radiated from the former Rings of Karn spread over the entire staff.

  Ryan held his hands the tool that created the universe.

  The roar of air being torched as it reached thousands of degrees bellowed about them as the meteor pushed through to the surface below. He raised the Great Talisman over his head uttered a single word, “Stop!” The resonance of his voice range out over the vastness of space to the farthest reaches of the universe, and everything stopped.

  The only sound to be heard was the beating of his own heart, and the movement of air from his lungs. Ryan had stopped time. Above him was the Earth’s surface only a few hundred metres away. One second later and the Earth would have been destroyed.

  Ryan transferred Katie and himself down to the Earth to the epicentre of the terminated impact. He disconnected himself from the mind taps that he had created to the numerous people upon the Endeavour. His mind drained out like the flow from a ruptured dam. Their mental strength was no longer needed, as now he commanded the most powerful talisman in existence. Like Hyde changing back to Doctor Jekyl, Ryan returned to his former physique. Next he released Valour and then finally Katie, only he released her as well from the shackles of time and thought.

  Katie gasped into life and let out a great scream as she collapsed to the ground. “Argghhh!” Her head was spinning from the remanence of oxygen deprivation. Ryan helped her to her feet, though her ability to perceive who he was and where she was took a few moments to return. According to her perception, time had stopped when Ryan reached out and took over her mind. She looked about and the unfamiliar landscape in wonder. When Katie discerned Ryan she asked, “What, what happened!?”

  “Zardon is dead.” Ryan replied.

  “How? Where are we?”

  Ryan looked about and said, “I believe we are standing on the Armageddon plain north of Jerusalem.”

  Ryan’s words didn’t sink in as her eyes were transfixed upon the Great Talisman. “Is that it?”

  “Yes.” Was all he said.

  “How did you do it?” Katie dragged her eyes away from the beautiful aspect of the Great Talisman and hugged him.

  Ryan relished the embrace for a moment before answering. “It was thanks to you.”

  “I don’t understand?” Katie said as she drew back and looked into his eyes.

  “Valour had been trying to get it through my thick head that mortal ability was never the key to the Rings, instead it was mental strength. Alone I could never defeat the Emperor, but joining with you and the others back on the Endeavour, I had more than enough strength to defeat Zardon.”

  Katie thought back to when Ryan touched her in the bubble, “I thought I was dreaming. I remember seeing your face and you asking me something. What the question was I don’t recall, but the look on your face convinced me to help you.”

  “You saved us all. Without you, the universe right now would be a very different place.”

  Katie noticed a strange shadow over the plain that was cast by the low Sun in the sky. It resembled a partial eclipse. She looked up and let out a scream that almost deafened Ryan. “Aagghh!” The massive meteor covered most of the visible sky. If it were not for the Sun being so low on the horizon, the meteor would have completely eclipsed the Sun sending their location into darkness. The vision sent her mind into temporary shock as she perceived their immanent death. Her eyes were transfixed upon the great hunk of moon rock, and after a moment the shock passed as she realised it was stationary.

  “It’s okay, I stopped it.”

  “Oh my god!” Was all Katie could say.

  “You better stand back, this might take some power to move.” Katie stepped away as Ryan pointed the Great Talisman at the meteor. “Back, back into space.” A massive discharge fired out from the end of the metre long staff and struck the surface of the Moon rock. At first it moved slowly from its position, then it accelerated until it was too small for the naked eye to see.

  To Katie’s amazement the shadow cast by the meteor remained. As time had stopped so did light, and the effect the Sun’s rays had on the meteor remained as they were when Ryan stopped time. She looke
d down at the ground behind them and found their shadows missing. They were phantoms existing between two milliseconds in time where one second had become an eternity.

  When the discharge stopped, Ryan voiced his next command. “Reform the Moon.” A second blast shot out and dispersed to billions of small beams to countless pieces of the Moon. “Would you like to see?” He asked the sole member of his audience.

  “Yes, if I can.” Katie answered.

  With a single thought they were transported five thousand kilometres east to point in midland China. There the landscape was cloaked in the darkness of night and the sky was clear with countless brilliant stars dotting the scene. In the centre were a number of large white shapes lit by the Sun over the horizon that converged with unnatural speed. Moments passed and soon the familiar shape and surface of the Moon was being reborn before their eyes. Finally the reformation was complete. Even matter that was burnt up in the Earth’s atmosphere was reformed to its original material and sent back to their former place of rest.

  Katie stood there awe-struck by the stunning spectacle.

  Ryan turned to her and said, “I believe the Earth could use a bit of TLC as well. Let’s go to a better advantage point.” Again they moved at a speed greater than that of light as the transportation seemed instantaneous. Ryan held Katie’s hand as they hovered ten thousand kilometres above the Earth. Below the devastation from the Warrian attack was evident as numerous cyclonic storms raged over the planet surface, and great black smears from extensive fires ate away at the cities’ remains.

  Without the assistance of the Great Talisman, the human race would surely perish under the horrific conditions that inflicted the Earth. The smoke would slowly pollute the atmosphere leaving it virtually unbreathable, and the storms formed by the fighters travelling at hypersonic speeds were so intense that they would take decades to settle. Ryan pointed the staff at the crippled planet and said “Heal.” From the end of the Great Talisman another burst of brilliant white fire shot out and struck the Earth’s atmosphere. From where the beam met the Earth a white mist extended out to cover the entire planet as the world beneath was brought under control. The two witnesses watched the black smears fade away and the cyclonic cloud formations ease to normal cloud patterns. The mist faded away to leave a serene world as pictured by astronauts decades earlier.