Realizing she was now on the menu, Shalee screamed.

As the beast pa.s.sed Sam, the fighter decided it was all or nothing. He took three running steps, calculating the angle where the wolf would be when he landed and then launched into the air.

Sam landed with all his weight on the creature's back, pinning it to the floor. The sudden impact caused the wolf's saliva to flip free from its jowls and arc through the air. It landed with an audible plop on the end of Shalee's nose.

The stench was vile. Shalee was quick to wipe it off, but the damage had been done. Her eyes rolled up inside her head as she fell limp to the floor. Her look of terror changed to one of sweet repose as the image of her beautiful face reflected off the polished surface.

Sam sat up and raised his elbow. He was about to bring it down across the back of the animal's neck when a booming voice filled the hall.

The voice was thunderous and echoed. "ENOUGH!"

Sam and the wolf were startled. Sam dropped his elbow, and the animal lying beneath him stopped struggling. The fighter looked over his shoulder. To his surprise, the statue-man was awake and walking toward him.

Thinking he should finish off the wolf to prepare for the next fight, Sam failed to recall the words on the base of the statue. This approaching man was supposed to be a G.o.d, and by the look of things, Sam and Shalee were the two members of the group who had not fallen by the wayside.

Again, Sam raised his elbow to strike, but before he could deliver the blow to the back of the animal's neck, he was sent flying through the air. The fighter slammed high against one of the pillars closest to where the floor had opened.

Pinned, suspended, and unable to move his arms, legs or head, Sam's eyes followed the hooded G.o.d as he moved to a position beneath him and looked up. "Perhaps you misunderstood. I said, enough!"

The G.o.d's voice was hard and strong. The power behind it filled the air. "My name is Ba.s.sorine. I am the G.o.d of War. I have chosen to use my statue to welcome you to Grayham. It is I who will answer your questions, and it is you who will listen when I speak. Do we have an understanding, my mortal friend?"

Ba.s.sorine waved his arm, releasing Sam from his unseen bonds. As Sam drifted to the floor, he replayed the sound of the word 'mortal' in his head. He realized that in his haste to control his surroundings, he had overlooked the G.o.dly part of the prophecy and had attacked needlessly.

Knowing he was helpless against such power, Sam reluctantly replied, "I understand," and further thought, Besides, I'd get my a.s.s kicked.

Sam said nothing more as he watched the "so-called" G.o.d of War walk toward Shalee. Ba.s.sorine stopped above her and moved his hand over her body. Her ma.s.s lifted from the floor and hung suspended, high enough for the G.o.d to stroke her face without bending over.

Shalee's eyelids fluttered as Ba.s.sorine set the human back on her feet. As he waited for Shalee to regain her balance, Ba.s.sorine could see the frightened look on her face. "Be comforted, lovely one. No harm will come to you."

It took a fair series of moments before Shalee was able to calm down. She moved to stand beside Sam after Ba.s.sorine motioned for her to do so.

The heavy-coated wolf moved away from the G.o.d of War to explore its surroundings. As it did, the beast limped over to Sam and sniffed the fighter's feet. The animal pulled back and snorted its disapproval.

Moving on to Shalee, the beast seemed to find delight in this new aroma. With each sniff, the wolf's snout rose higher and higher until it took in a heavy breath of her backside. As it circled to the front, a better aroma was found.

Shalee was beginning to feel violated as she stood in stunned silence. The warm air from the wolf's snout was pa.s.sing through her PJs-like Mother Nature's summer breeze.

"Mosley, stop that!" Ba.s.sorine commanded.

The wolf pulled back and turned to face the G.o.d. What happened next caught Sam and Shalee off guard. The beast spoke. "What? Her aroma is magnificent." He looked at Sam. "But your smell curls the hair in my snout. You don't run with the rest of your pack. Your odor is selfish." The wolf looked back at Ba.s.sorine. "The human doesn't have the smell of a leader as you said he would."

Mosley looked back at Sam. "Despite your stench, you fought well. I can't remember the last series of moments in which I was. .h.i.t that hard ... a few well-placed blows your paws delivered to my flanks. I hope you were unharmed."

Despite the impossibility of a wolf speaking, Sam was irritated by the wolf's flawed recollection of the fight. The genius moved past the fact the animal could speak-a fact Shalee was still digesting-and reb.u.t.ted. "Of course I wasn't harmed. You didn't touch me."

Sam turned his attention toward Ba.s.sorine. Respecting the G.o.d's power, he was careful to choose his words. "You said you used your statue to greet us. You also said you would answer my questions, and I should listen when you speak. Maybe we could have a conversation?"

Ba.s.sorine nodded and then motioned for the wolf to stand by his side. "This is my companion, Mosley."

The beast looked up at Shalee, gave her a wolfish grin and winked before complying with the G.o.d's desire.

Ba.s.sorine, G.o.d of War Ba.s.sorine reached down to scratch the back of the animal's head. "Mosley is the finest companion a man, or G.o.d, could have. He's a night terror wolf. On many occasions, before I ascended, this beast saved my life. He is loyal. I have given him an extended existence because of his actions. He will live many, many seasons before he joins me in the heavens."

Sam took a second to admire the animal's beauty, and then he raised his right hand as if he was in school.

Ba.s.sorine motioned for Sam to speak.

"Okay, okay. Let me get this straight..." He reiterated what he had just learned. He concluded by saying, "...And we're in a place called Grayham. Is that about it? Do I have it right so far?"

Ba.s.sorine sighed. "You're not in Grayham. You are on the world of Grayham. More specifically, you're on the continent of Southern Grayham." The G.o.d motioned to the section of the floor that had held his statue. "My likeness and the base it stood upon have sat within this hall for over 10,000 seasons and served two purposes. The first was to celebrate the victory I attained when fighting to return the Crystal Moon to the G.o.ds. The second, was to act as this world's placeholder for the true Crystal Moon. As you know, its power provides the planets the ability to support life."

Ba.s.sorine lifted his right hand and pointed to the paintings on the ceiling. "The Crystal Moon is kept in this temple for all to come and worship. They marvel at its beauty, but more importantly, they acknowledge my glory. The Collective felt my statue would be a fitting test to see how you'd handle the adversity of your arrival."

Shalee b.u.t.ted into the conversation with a question of her own. "How do you protect the Crystal Moon from being taken? Where I'm from, people steal things all the time. Don't y'all worry about that?"

Ba.s.sorine shook his head. "It would be a waste of someone's moments to try. The Crystal Moon is protected by my power. No one can take it unless I release my hold on it."

Sam raised his hand again and was encouraged to speak. "It looks as if someone has found a way to appropriate it. Your crystal is gone. It vanished just before you showed up."

The G.o.d looked at Sam, and then took a moment to observe the area. A sense of realization appeared on Ba.s.sorine's face as he started to fumble with the point of his chin while talking to himself.

This annoyed Sam. This is some G.o.d, he thought. G.o.ds aren't supposed to have a weakness. They're supposed to be all-powerful and all-knowing. How could he not know it was gone. How could he have overlooked the fact that the base of his statue is missing? I mean, he just came from that spot. And he talks like a regular guy. What kind of G.o.d talks like a regular guy? An accent would be more believable. At least he would come across as esteemed.

Sam frowned. I'd be a better G.o.d. He looked in the direction of the missing statue. What an idiot! He looked at Ba.s.sorine. It's best I stay calm. This guy would make me tap out if I don't. That p.i.s.ses me off.

Sam decided to take control of the conversation. "Okay, okay. It's clear there's something wrong here. Maybe you should let me dissect the situation. Maybe we could begin with a few pertinent questions?"

Ba.s.sorine agreed and motioned for Sam to continue.

Sam now believed his intellect was superior to that of this "so-called" G.o.d. "So ... how did we get here?"

"Your wishes brought you here. This is your chance to have everything you wanted. You succeeded at discovering the statue's meaning and how to awaken me. Otherwise, you would've been sent home. Now you shall stay and enjoy this world."

Ba.s.sorine paused. "Lasidious was the one who retrieved you from your Earth."

Shalee stood in silence as Sam reacted. "Okay, okay. Hold up. There are issues. First, what wishes are you talking about?"

" You each made a wish. I'm sure you remember the requests you made on the last celebration you had honoring your births. You, Sam, wished to be given the chance to be the best warrior you could be and to make an impact on the lives of others while Shalee desired to escape her routine. She also wished for the power to make a difference in the lives of others and for an adventure. Your wishes were n.o.ble."

Now, fellow soul ... Sam was floored. He thought back to his last birthday and remembered the wish he made as he blew out the candles. The problem was, he had no idea the memory of this supposed wish had been planted in his mind. It was a false memory.

"I remember the wish," Sam responded. "But I wanted to be the best warrior in the world of mixed martial arts. I wanted to touch the lives of others through the fame I would gain. I wanted to help people my way ... not be dragged into someone else's idea of what I meant."

Ba.s.sorine nodded. "What's done is done. It was agreed upon by the Collective to bring you here. Your G.o.ds of Earth agreed as well. Ask your next question."

Sam grit his teeth. This was heavy, a hard pill to swallow. How could he argue with a G.o.d, or was this guy truly an exalted being, considering his lack of knowledge of the day's events? He could argue, but it was pointless to try. He could not overcome Ba.s.sorine in a confrontation, and he still needed to know more. For now, all he could do was continue to ask questions.

"Okay, okay. You said we would've been sent home if we were unable to summon you. So you must have released your hold on the Crystal Moon. We needed to touch it in order to complete the test, right? Maybe that's how it was taken."

Ba.s.sorine nodded in agreement and motioned for Sam to continue. "I'm sure you know I understand other languages. I'm also sure you know more about me than I care to guess. So my next question is ... what about George? Why was he here? What happened to him when he fell through the floor with your statue?"

Ba.s.sorine looked puzzled. He stood in silence for a moment. "George? Who is this George? There should have only been two of you."

Sam loved the fact he knew something else this "so-called" G.o.d did not. "The writing on the statue talked about a group of three who would be called upon to recover the missing pieces of the Crystal Moon. You know, the one about two men and a woman. The prophecy where one of the group's members falls by the wayside, leaving it up to the remaining two to save the worlds and find a way to gather the pieces of the Crystal Moon before the worlds collide?"

Sam's expression mocked his next statement. "The whole, 'watch out for the spread of chaos' part was on there as well."

Ignoring his tone, Ba.s.sorine responded. "This test was for the amus.e.m.e.nt of the G.o.ds. We grow bored and seek diversions. When I created the prophecy for your greeting, it didn't read the way you described. I wrote about one man and one woman creating an empire of good. You were to make a difference on the worlds. The Collective agreed and thought this to be a worthy cause ... a good entertainment."

Ba.s.sorine cleared his throat. "Sam, we hoped your knowledge and your skills as a warrior, along with Shalee's goodness and power, would be a strong combination while creating an empire on this world. We further hoped the remaining worlds would follow in your footsteps, and the races would be rejoined. They would be allowed to live together on any world they choose."

Sam started to speak, then stopped. He started again, then stopped.

Ba.s.sorine commanded, "Just speak."

"Okay, okay. All right. I understand the power the crystal is said to possess. If the G.o.ds agreed you wanted us to create an empire, why implement a test in the first place? Why risk releasing your hold on it?"

Ba.s.sorine's brows furrowed. "Not all the G.o.ds were in favor of this decision. We govern by majority. It was Lasidious, Yaloom, Mieonus, Alistar, Celestria and four others who felt a test should be implemented to see if you were clever enough to undertake such a task. Lasidious was the one who suggested I allow you to touch the Crystal Moon as a way to summon me. The idea didn't seem risky. No harm was to come from it.

"I believe a trick has been played, and a game amongst the G.o.ds has begun. The prophecy has been rewritten without my knowledge. This is the only logical explanation. You have been caught in a play for power. A new plan is in order to stop the chaos that will ensue because of this deception.

"You'll be more instrumental than ever while saving the worlds. It will rest on your shoulders to restore balance between good and evil.

"If the pieces are not returned, the planets will drift. This deception could be the beginning of the end of all we've created."

"What on G.o.d's green Earth are you talking about? What do you mean, we'll need to do this?" Shalee inserted. "Who do you think you are, buddy? We didn't ask for this. You said I have power. I don't have any such thing. None of this makes sense. You've brought us here against our will ... against our will, I tell you! You don't do things like that to Texans. We don't take kindly to folks messing with us. I have a mind to put my foot right up your-"

Ba.s.sorine held up his hand and used his power to command Shalee's silence. Tears began to flow down her face-not because her life was being forced into an unfamiliar situation, but more because the thought of Chanice popped into her head. Oh my goodness, my little sis. Who'll take care of her? How can I keep my promise if I'm not there to keep her in line? What if her mama dies before I get back? She remembered her dream. Oh, my gosh, what if she's already dead? All Shalee's unspoken questions and more would go unanswered.

"Allow me a moment to think," Ba.s.sorine demanded. He looked at Sam. "I believe this to be the handiwork of Lasidious. He's a master of deception. He must know the location of the Crystal Moon. I'll check with the others of the Collective to see if they have knowledge of his actions."

Sam could not believe his ears. "You allowed a master of deception to talk you into letting us touch your crystal? Doesn't that seem-?"

Ba.s.sorine gave Sam a look.

Knowing he was pushing the issue, Sam changed the subject. "So what about George? He fell through the floor with the base of your statue."

Ba.s.sorine tapped the b.u.t.t end of the staff he was holding against the front of his boot. "If Lasidious is behind this, he must have a reason for George being here. None of the others know of this mortal. I was not expecting Lasidious to place you on Grayham before the Peak. If I had known, none of this would have happened. Lasidious can be unpredictable. I was not antic.i.p.ating a summons by the crystal until Late Bailem."

Sam rolled his eyes at Shalee, careful to show only her his disgust of the situation and then responded. "If you didn't expect us to be here until later ... a.s.suming Late Bailem does mean later ... why did you release your hold on the Crystal Moon before this so-called Peak?"

Ba.s.sorine knew he had made a mistake, but he was not about to admit it. The G.o.d looked the fighter in the eyes. "Who are you to question me when determining the proper moment in which to do anything? I've listened to you make judgments, and I've had enough. I suggest you concentrate on fixing the problem, instead of badgering me. Do I make myself clear? I won't allow a mortal to speak to me in this manner."

Sam was dying inside. He wanted to tell Ba.s.sorine he was an idiot. Instead, he held his tongue. "I'm sorry."

Shalee, now able to reclaim her speech, piped in. "Why not just kick this Lasidious guy's behind? You can get the Crystal Moon back yourself while you're at it. You should be fixin' your own mess, not us. Fetch the base of your statue, and while you're at it, put your little crystal back on it. That's what you should be doing."

Shalee continued. "I have obligations. This problem of yours doesn't concern me. You said it yourself. You're the G.o.d of War. Don't you have the power? Are you weak or something?"

Ba.s.sorine remained patient. "It's not that simple. Your misguided rant is a waste of my moments. Not all the G.o.ds choose a side."

Shalee was about to rebut, but the G.o.d silenced her once more. "Some of us stay neutral in events of good and evil. We believe in free will. I'm the G.o.d of War, but I don't determine the alliance that wins a confrontation.

"I love to battle, both hard and fierce, but I do not care who holds the balance of power. When the Collective came to me with this idea, I agreed only because of the entertainment it would provide. We're G.o.ds, and if the worlds are destroyed, we have the power to create others. The Collective will view this struggle as a game. I prefer to think of the G.o.ds' manipulations as an everlasting game of chess.

Ba.s.sorine pointed at Sam and then at Shalee. "You will be my p.a.w.ns. The struggle for power shall not manifest in the form of a war amongst the Collective, but rather, war will manifest across the worlds. I'll use you to keep as many of my chess pieces on the board as possible."

"I'm not a chess piece," Sam protested.

"Me neither," Shalee added, moving closer to the fighter's side. "I'm with him."

Ba.s.sorine shook his head. "You are what I say you are. There will be no further conversation regarding this matter."

"Free will. Yeah, right," Sam grumbled. "What a joke."

Shalee started to object, but Ba.s.sorine silenced them both with a wave of his hand. "The only reason I care is because a trick has been played, and my control over the Crystal Moon has been stolen. I would like the Crystal Moon back, but it is not essential I have it to exist. I shall simply play the game better than Lasidious. He's the Mischievous One for a reason."

Ba.s.sorine paused. "Now that I think about it, today's events are amusing. Now more than ever, I don't want the worlds destroyed. I also don't want to stop these events from unfolding. I smell war on the horizon. This new struggle for power between the races will create glorious battles."

Sam and Shalee were stunned. How could these "so-called" G.o.ds toy with worlds and each other? It took a moment for Sam to regain his composure.

Ba.s.sorine allowed him to speak.

"Okay, okay. So what about the G.o.ds who hate evil? Where are they? Won't they put a stop to this insanity?"

"There are G.o.ds among us who want peace, love, and harmony, but not at the risk of a war between the members of the Collective. Also, there are G.o.ds who love chaos, hate, and fear, but not enough to fight for it. We want a simple existence, and we'll be amused as the drama unfolds. That's all.

"We allow each other to influence the beings living on the worlds, but we no longer fight one another to do it. If Lasidious is responsible for this, which I would wager he is, he did nothing more than use the greed or malice in the heart of a mortal to set these events in motion. The G.o.ds would not allow Lasidious to do anything more than influence the heart of one who is open to influence. This is the extent of how our power is to be used."

Ba.s.sorine paused and rubbed the back of his neck. "Unless this George perished when he fell, Lasidious will not do anything to harm your friend. He will tempt and manipulate, but George will not be forced to do anything he does not choose."

"Then we're screwed if he's alive!" Sam snapped as he threw his hands behind his head. "George isn't our friend. He's a jerk ... the kind of guy no one likes. You should hear how he was talking. He's going to be like putty in this Lasidious character's hands."

Ba.s.sorine walked over to Sam and put his hand on his shoulder. "Listen to me, young one," he said in a soft voice. "You're in for a great adventure. I have gifts the Collective agreed to give each of you before this chain of events began."

Shalee allowed a half-hearted grin to appear at the thought of what kind of gift a G.o.d might bequeath. It has to be better than the best day of shopping ... and if it's not ... what a stinking sham it is to be a stupid G.o.d. She shifted from one foot to the other in guarded antic.i.p.ation of the potential greatness.

Ba.s.sorine pushed the staff in his hand forward to give it to Shalee, but before he let go, he explained. "This is a staff of sorcery. It is the only one of its kind throughout the worlds. Make no mistake, and do not judge it by its appearance. This object can wield as much power as its master can command. Other staffs exist, but no other of this caliber has been created. Once I let go, the staff will bond with you, and it will work for no other.

"But ... I warn you. There is one complication when wielding this much power. If you wield it unwisely, before you're ready, you can speed up the process in which you age. You could provoke an early death.

"However, there is also potential for longevity. If you handle the staff with intelligence, you'll grow with it. If you command its power at a steady pace, you'll extend your life thousands of seasons."

Shalee trembled with excitement. She was happy about the gift and excited about the idea of living so long, but she was also scared to death. What if she used the power in the wrong way and as a consequence, aged faster? "Goodness-gracious," she blurted. "I couldn't accept having wrinkles at 23. That's just wrong."

The wood of the staff felt rough. "This is like deja vu or something," Shalee added. "I just know this is the same staff I've seen in my dreams. I think I've-"

"Hold on a second," Sam said, cutting her off. "You've dreamt of this place, too? Why didn't you say something earlier?"