Lye’s helicopter raced through the dark, restless sky, its course undeterred by the sheer buffeting winds and relentless rain that beat against its sleek, black surface. Below, the storm-tossed sea surged violently, its massive waves and white-capped crests easily visible from the air. Brilliant strikes of lightning lit the sky. Lye watched the storm brew from his solitary rear seat inside the helicopter; his eyes dark; his body calm; his mouth curled into the slightest smile, as he rolled his white, spirally twisted cane back and forth between his fingertips.
“My lord, we are beginning our final approach,” the voice of the pilot crackled over the intercom.
Lye looked down to see the dark, star-shaped outline of Waters Deep rise out of the ocean. Its rocky outcroppings and five pointed peninsulas reached into the dark sea like massive fingers primed to pummel anything that ventured too close to its shores.
The helicopter shifted around the island to its northernmost tip where it slowed, then hovered over a nondescript flat section of rock. Suddenly, the ground split, sinking slightly before pulling apart to reveal a large circular hole that emitted a deep-red glow. Slowly a round platform emerged from its depths, lights flashing about its perimeter, with a crimson letter ‘H’ emblazoned at its center. Pitching slightly from the pervasive wind, the craft landed on the platform, which immediately began to lower back into the Deep. Once out of sight, the two halves of ground slid closed again, swallowing the mechanical bird whole as it lowered into the belly of the island.
As the lowering platform came to rest, Lye reached into his robes and removed a flask. He opened it and gulped down the last of its contents. He replaced it within his robes as the helicopter’s co-pilot opened the door for him and bowed as Lye exited. He immediately exuded the agility of a much younger man, his cane barely touching the ground as he moved.
Just outside the platform’s edge stood another man, his hands clasped meekly before him. He was standing next to a metallic door, set into the small hangar’s curved wall, ready to greet his master.
“Welcome back, Lord Lye,” the doctor said in a soft voice, bowing his head as Lye approached.
“It is good to be home, Victor,” Lye said. The door in the wall shifted sideways, light spilling from the hangar and casting a long, three-legged shadow behind him.
Lye moved inside briskly, entering the compound at a pace that amazed Dr. Cross. The sharp clank of Lye’s cane could be heard infrequently on the metal passageway.
“I see by the reports that the attack on Coy Manor went as planned.”
“Yes, it was a success.” Lye chuckled. “I had a front-row seat, so to speak. It was a beautiful sight, Cross. Coy Manor is nothing more than a pile of rubble now.”
“And the Oracle?”
“No sign of it yet,” Lye said coolly. “If the Oracle was at the Manor, we’ll find it. As you know, the Oracle is indestructible, and Lionel has divers searching the wreckage as we speak.”
“Dr. Zarbock has become an invaluable ally,” Cross said.
“Indeed,” replied Lye. “With his help, I can almost be in two places at once.”
“True,” Cross agreed. “And, what of Ret? It appears from the news that the international community believes him to be dead.”
“Bah! Only time will tell,” Lye said, his mood darkening. “Ret is too powerful now. I’m sure he has survived, along with Coy and the others. Speaking of them, what’s your progress report on the bomb?”
“It is completed, my Lord.”
“And those idiot Foxx twins, Abacus and, what’s his name … Annoying-us?” Lye chuckled at his own joke.
“Yes, Abacus and Aloysius. They have paid for their inadequacies with their lives.”
“Excellent,” Lye said, brightening at the news. “See that you load the bomb onto our most advanced aircraft and have it ready for immediate deployment.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
The evil pair turned and stepped into a waiting elevator, the doors closing with a soft whoosh behind them.
Cross hesitated, knowing he needed to broach a sensitive subject with his master, and suspecting an angry reaction. Since Lye seemed to be in a decent mood, Cross decided now was as good a time as any to plow ahead.
“My Lord, the continents …”
Lye quickly banged his cane on the metal floor, causing sparks to fly in all directions, the old man’s entire presence darkening. “You know how I feel about this, Cross!”
“Yes, my Lord. It’s just that they’re moving back together faster than ever now, so they will be upon us soon, and … I mean … you must have seen the ocean,” Cross sputtered.
The elevator stopped, the doors opening to reveal a bustling corridor.
Lye turned on the doctor, his teeth bared. “That’s no concern of yours,” he hissed. “Once I have the Oracle, I will control all the power in this world and can do as I please. Your job,” he said, as he jabbed Cross with a boney finger, “is to make sure that bomb is ready to drop on Ret’s head if he ever surfaces.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Lye stepped out of the elevator leaving the doctor behind. With the fringes of his lab coat singed and his eyes cast down upon the blackened floor, Cross quietly pressed a button to ascend to a higher floor as the elevator doors closed.
As Lye moved down the corridor, scientists and security officers paused, stepping to the side and bowing as he passed, then immediately returning to their respective duties.
The corridor darkened as Lye approached an unmarked door at the end of the hall. Unlike in the hangar, this door did not open automatically, nor did it appear to have a handle, a lock, or even a keypad to provide entry. But it did have a key. Lye lifted his white, spirally twisted cane, touched the door with it, and shocked it with a surge of electricity. The door opened, instantly spilling thick mist and faint sounds of moaning into the corridor. Lye smiled and stepped inside his dungeon, the door closing quickly behind him.
Just inside, two large forms stood looming on each side of the entry. Each wore dark, hooded cloaks, their bright eyes glowing faintly in the haze like the eyes of menacing cats reflecting in the night.
“How are my Revenants today?” Lye asked. “Anyone come around sticking their nose into my business?”
“No, my Lord,” one of the hulking forms said in a deep, commanding voice.
“Good.” He inspected the two men. A distinct scar on each of their hands illuminated slightly in the mist.
Ever since the traitorous Jaret had broken into his dungeon and tried to steal his cane, Lye had become more than a little paranoid about security; a perfect job for two of his newest recruits.
“You, Big One, come with me … and you, Big Two, stay here,” Lye said as he moved to the right side of his cavernous dungeon, easily finding his way to the nearly invisible path amongst the thick mists that shrouded everything.
Lye and Big One moved confidently along the slightly declining path until it narrowed to a gap, revealing a section unfit for safe passage. The path lay ahead, but between it and where they stood a deep and misty chasm dropped off into a dark void. Lye lifted his cane, tapping a hidden button within the rough wall to send a shock of electricity through it. The wall buzzed, followed by a whirring sound. A wide, hidden plank pivoted upward, bridging the gap. The pair continued across, stopping just beyond where it had connected with firm ground once again. To their right appeared a row of prison bars, coated with moisture from the mist.
“Hello,” Lye called pleasantly into the cell. “Aren’t you going to come and talk with me? I’ve brought you a tasty treat.”
A slow-moving figure with haggard breathing approached from within. Eventually, the familiar form of an ancient man came into view; his long, white hair and beard tangled; his once-kingly robes now just a ragged loincloth; his skin, loose and pale, sagged with age.
“You don’t look so well, Ogan.”
“So you’ve said … for millennia now,” the old prisoner said in a soft voice. “And I will respond as I always do. I’d prefer you address me by my true name, Oganesso.”
“Ah, yes, the good ole’ days,” Lye said. “Do you remember the early years we spent together on this island, alone and living off the land? You and me, prisoner and captor? Remember how we, well I, discovered the healing properties of the water pools, and then this life-giving cave and its rejuvenating abilities?”
“What news is there of Ret?” Oganesso asked. “Still out there?”
“When that louse of a Guardian, Xeno, arrived,” Lye continued, ignoring Oganesso’s question, “on that ridiculous boat of his in search of the Water element, I had, of course, known all along the Water element was here somewhere beneath the island. I knew one of your foolish Guardians would come eventually and lead me directly to its hiding place. And so he did. Xeno led me right down to that miraculous fountain of youth, my very own healing pool, which has been so useful in keeping us alive these thousands of years.”
“And, what of the Oracle?” Ret’s First Father asked. “Still not in your possession?”
“I had to kill Xeno, as he was of no use any longer after leading me to the Water element,” Lye continued as if his prisoner hadn’t spoken at all. “So, by the element’s grand pool, right next to his supposedly life-giving element, I shot him with your Staff of True Power, blasting him with a continuous stream of electricity until he vaporized—poof—nothing left. Imagine that, dying at the water’s edge, a mere foot away from the fountain of youth. Now that’s ironic.”
“What is ironic is that with all of your talk of gold and glory, after all this time, Ret has left you powerless and penniless.”
Lye moved, crouching down as he pulled his same ancient dagger from his robes, his face within spitting distance of Oganesso’s.
“The armies and navies of this world just obliterated Coy Manor with a single word from my mouth. Don’t tell me I’m powerless!” Lye yelled.
“Then why do I sense fear in you?” Ret’s First Father asked calmly.
Lye’s face shifted to a smile as he straightened up, moving around the large hooded figure that had been standing motionless in the background all this time.
“What do you think of my latest invention, my Revenants?” he asked Oganesso. I told you I could perfect the staff’s power. Here is my proof. Let me introduce you to one of my water Revenants,” Lye said as he reached up and pulled off Big One’s hood.
“Rheno!” Oganesso said in surprise.
“Yes, I believe that used to be his name. Unfortunately, he doesn’t remember that anymore,” Lye said. “My first batch of Revenants failed on their trial mission. However, they gave Ret quite a run for his money. This new batch, which includes Rheno, is bigger, deadlier, and fully committed to serving me. Allow me to demonstrate. Big One, chair!” Lye commanded.
Rheno instantly moved, getting down on his hands and knees and straightening his back. Lye then walked around and sat on the massive Revenant’s back. Facing Oganesso, Lye set his white, spirally twisted cane on his lap. He then reached into his robes and produced a single large, pink apple, which he began to peel with his ancient dagger into a single, curling, continuous rind.
Oganesso’s mouth began to water, but he swallowed it down, determined not to be drawn in.
“This is a Norfolk Royal Russet,” Lye said casually, being careful to pronounce every delicious syllable. “It is perhaps the tastiest, most exquisite piece of fruit on the planet. I craved one, so I stopped in England and picked one up on my way back from watching Coy Manor being blown to smithereens. I just had, you know, a hankering. Mankind has come so far with its produce over the last hundred years or so.”
Oganesso looked at Rheno. The big man had been one of his most devoted children. His big frame, kind spirit, and warm personality had made him a natural leader and an immense force for good.
“So, I ask you, Ogan,” Lye continued, pulling the old man from his melancholy thoughts, “as I sit on the backs of your children, doing and having whatever I want, what exactly do you think I have to fear?” He finished his apple, smiling evilly and smacking his lips.
“There remains one thing you haven’t been able to conquer,” Oganesso said. “My world healer. The only one of my children who, like me, has all six scars on his hands. Ret.”
Lye’s smile faded. “Now that the Wood element has been collected, it’s only a matter of time before Ret shows up here, at Waters Deep with the Oracle in hand. I will finish him then, once and for all,” he said, dangling the long, continuous apple peel with the point of his blade, then letting the entire rind fall to the floor. “When he’s here, I’ll simply use Rheno, or another one of my water Revenants to collect the Water element.” Lye stood, sheathed his dagger, grabbed his cane, and began to retreat into the dungeon’s mists.
“Ret is coming to save us all,” Oganesso called after him.
“When he does, I have a surprise that will literally blow him away,” Lye said. “Come Big One,” he told the Revenant. With a blank stare on his face Rheno stood and followed after his hobbling master.
“Farewell, my dear Ogan,” Lye said, his voice shrinking into the fog. “Do not fear, your end is near.” He chuckled at his own joke.
Ret’s First Father reached for the dropped apple peel, his stomach aching. The scrap lay just out of reach. He collapsed, his strength gone. Despair engulfed him like the incessant mists surrounding him. Amid his hopelessness a small tremor, a slight quiver from Mother Nature deep within the earth, signaled all was not lost. Oganesso reminded himself that Ret was still alive, and as long as he existed, so did hope. Oganesso reached for the rind again, pressing his thin body into the slick bars with all of his strength, willing his joints to shift and his muscles to elongate. With a groan, the tips of his long, overgrown fingernails reached the peel. He dragged it towards him. Sighing victoriously, he sank back against his cell wall and tore off a small piece of the delicious apple peel. Placing it in his mouth, he began to chew and savor it. He then called softly, “Zirco?” He waited as a soft scraping sound came close to the opposite side of his cell. A frail hand eventually appeared, bearing a scar on its palm that looked like a long-stemmed flower. “See that those most in need get a little nourishment,” Ret’s First Father said, as he handed Zirco the rest of the peel. “Tell them Ret is still alive and that the end will soon be here.”
Oganesso smiled as he leaned back against his cell wall, sucking the meager juice from his little piece of apple rind. He thought to himself, Ret is coming.