| "What the Hell was that?" Kang asks in a wavering voice.
Roland looks over at the others, and then down at the tightly bound
and gagged "evil twin" of Queen Astra (Roland had almost feared that she
and her red haired elven brother would have killed her where she lay rather
than letting the evil twin be bound) , and then back to the Draconians.
An odd smile graces his lips, half ironic and half confused (recent events
had been a touch.....overwhelming).
"I think we've all taken Charlie the Choo Choo into the Roland Zone,"
Eddie said softly in a bad Rod Serling imitation. It was only half hearted.
Subdued.
Frankly, Eddie and those from his world were suffering from a "paradigm
shift without the benefit of a clutch" as it were. Back on their Earth,
people had believed in the divine despite any (well.....any recent) concrete
evidence of something....above and beyond them....like a god. A question
of faith existed, but it was "Is there Anyone out there?". On worlds like,
say, Terra Prime.....it ran the opposite way in that there was almost too
much evidence of something else out there above (and thus the question
of faith was more of "Which religion is right?").
Roland, knowing what course he must sail, put questions like that aside
for later....if ever. It was too much to tackle right now..... He had his
own faith and as the Gunslinger would.....stick to his guns...... His religion.
He had a feeling that the others of his party would stand true and do the
same.
Roland ignored him for the time being. It seemed to be a fitting epitaph
on today's events, somehow. Also, Roland knew that he and the others would
recover soon enough, back to normal. It had been an established fact that
there would be many strange and eldritch things along this quest. While.....an
actual visitation by.....God and all his attendant gods (Roland's religion
was a strange combination of Christian and Paganly beliefs)....it was somehow.....fitting.
Be that as it may, Roland....always practical, knew that the people before
him were the things to concentrate on at this point in time.
He'd been shaken by what he'd seemed himself, but....
"We have all been touched by the Divine.....and I see that He left you with a few gifts," Roland says simply to Kang, needing not to say more.<P. What more needed to be said?
"Now, you asked us to halt and be recognized," Roland goes on, looking
at Slith, "Very well. I am Roland of Gilead and these are my companions.
We are on a holy quest to gain entry into the Dark Tower, the center of
all size and things, and right the wrongness within her...."
"And my name is Astra Thessemer....also known as Mother Night,"
a female voice says to his side. It sounds like Astra's, but.....
Roland's guns are in his hands before anyone can blink. Several Draconians
will later swear that there had to be some type of magical teleportation
spell on the revolvers....so quickly had they'd appeared.
The hammers on the revolvers are half cocked before Roland realizes
that the evil twin....has a look....an air to her that makes him pause.
She's not attacking. She's not running. Her hurts are healed but she looks
to be in pain....and she looks like she's doomed and she knows it. One
could almost reach out and touch it, really.
That's why, despite having slipped her bonds, she's not cut down by
gunfire or sword blade. There is a definite air of....anticipation (even
from Queen Astra and her elven brother) at what would be said next.
In a slow, sleepy voice (and a look of horor) the dark twin of Astra
the Queen confesses against her will each and every crime she'd committed.
All can see that each bit of information is being given against her will.
Named each and every client who'd hired her to kill another.....up and
including one unnamed red giant of a dragon.
At the end of the last confession, Mother Night begins to scream
in agony as flames begin to appear all over her body....and she begins
to burn! A sinister, inhuman chuckle was coming from silver necklace that
had been quiescent mere moments before. The flames are so intense and fierce
that all know that even if they could be put out (unlikely) that
the wretch wouldn't live long afterwards. Roland and the others know this,
and Roland being the one with the quickest reflexes (even before being
youthened by that Xanthian water back to his teenage years.....the height
of his form) does what must be done. That is, his hands do his thinking....something
that he's been known to do the best thinking....sometimes.
One bullet fires. A blue dot forms on the screaming villianess forehead....along
with a much larger, gory exit wound out the back of her head.
Such is the violence of the fiery torture of their evil twin sister
that Queen Astra and Lueoth would have gladly supplied the merciful bullet
themselves if Roland had not. While they'd hated her deeply and passionately.....they
hadn't hated her enough to watch such a messy end!
It had been obvious where that magical compulsion had come from. From
the Gods (in the minds of those with a multiple god patheon) or God (from
those with Christian backgrounds) themselves! Of this they could almost
taste it.
Whoever had burned the assassin (for that was what she was), was....something
or somebody else entirely.
Somebody who's reptillian face was forming in a cloud of smoke above
the still burning corpse. The red dragon's eyes were blazing in hatred
at the spoiling of her fun with the vile traitor.
"YOU!" she screams through the smokey projection at Roland.
A knight from Krynn may have made a long speech against the dark, fell creature. Roland was a Gunslinger. Not of this world and not a man of many words....but
action. The Dragon may have had more to say, but.....
"Me." Roland agrees (classic Roland style), shooting the source of this
projection dead center. The magical gem on the magical necklace shatters....and
the female red dragon blinks as the connection is broken. She hadn't expected
that.....
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