Day Eleven - The Invitation

SpaceWizards
(Another SpaceWizards Action/Adventure Mystery)

Every year there are thousands of planets that have challenges aka tournaments. And every year this team of SpaceWizards gets a lot of invitations that they get are as a team. But they get a lot of individual invitations too. They just don’t get them all at the same time. That’s what is about to happen to them. All seven of them are about to get the same invitation. But at the same time, they aren’t the same. That’s a mystery all by itself. It’s not the only one, though. That is what this story is all about.

”The Invitation”

A Short Story

Remembered By

All

     Borrele got out of her Sleeper, stretched, and mumbled something. Clothing appeared on her a few seconds later. Just then a Message Cube appeared next to her feet. She smashed it with her foot. A few seconds later an image of an older male about her age appeared.

     “Hello Borrele, the invitation I have for you today is for the Langusi Tournament. But there is one catch with this invitation. You can’t tell anyone else on your team about it because they haven’t been invited to it.” Borrele’s eyes suddenly got bigger.

     The other six SpaceWizards got similar messages while Borrele got hers. Of course, the hello was different and the location for their tournament or challenge. But the message about not telling the others was the same. So was the delivery of the Message Cubes. How they dealt with them was different too.

     Stavon’s cube appeared on his desk in his Sleeping Chamber. He placed on the top of his Data Monitor to receive the message. Jacci almost stepped on her cube. She mumbled something to get the message. Pacill got his message in the Practice Chamber. After mumbling something, he received it by clapping his hands together. Angoria was in the Control Chamber when got her message. She used the view screen to get it. Mairon also stepped on his cube to get the message. But he got it while walking down a corridor. Yena's cube appeared on top of her Data Monitor in her Sleeping Chamber. So, all she had to do is tap it to get her message on her monitor.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

     I’m going to be gone for about a week, thought Jacci. Errock started the recertification for SpaceWizards again. This is my week to do it.

     I have been asked to speech at my SpaceWizards training learning center, thought Stavon. At first I didn’t think I would do it. But I I think I will.

     I've just gotten a message from a sick relative, thought Borrele. We were very close while I was growing up. I think I should be there when she dies.

     I’m going to go check on Unnim and Octa, thought Mairon. It’s been almost four months since we heard from them. I know we agreed not to contact them until went found out why Horrald wants them. But I’m worried about them.

     I need more practice with my spells, thought Yena. I’m good with Fire Balls and electrical strings. But I’m still not too good with my spells. So, I’m going to take a week or two away from here to practice them. I could do it here. But I think I will do a lot more learning in if I don’t do it here.

     There’s a new Fire Ball technique that I’ve heard about that makes them even more powerful, thought Pacill.Since everyone else is going somewhere for a few days or more I think I’m going to check out this new technique for myself.

     My family has been on me for years for not attending the yearly family get-together, thought Angoria. I think I’m going to go to it this year.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

     “This can’t be the place for the SpaceWizard’s tournament. It’s just an old rundown house. But this is the planet and location that was on The Invitation.”

     Borrele slowly scanned around the sleeping room she was in. “This is the room my Inviter brought me to when I got there. So, this must be the right place.”

     “Where is everyone? How can we have a tournament if there is no one else here? Maybe I’m just the first one to get here.”

     After walking over to the window, Borrele looked out it. “There’s no one out there. But it sure is big enough for a tournament. Look at all that open space.”

     “There’s no place to hide.” Borrele looked toward the edge of that house. “Maybe the tournament is going to take place within the house.”

     Borrele scanned the room again even slower than before. “Something isn't right here. After I get settled in here, I think I’m going to check out this place.”

     It only took her about ten Minutes to get settled in. Borrele walked over the entrance and tried to open it. But it didn’t open. She tried it a couple of more times with the same results. “I’m locked in. Why would they do that? They never have before for a tournament.”

     Borrele stepped and fired an electrical string at the entrance slider. Nothing happened. So, shot a Fire Ball at the entrance. Once again, nothing happened. “I’m not just locked in here. I am sealed in here.”

     After closing her eyes, Borrele mumbled something. When she opened them, nothing had changed. Borrele walked over to the window. Just then she saw about a hundred dead appear on the grounds below her.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

     A Transport landed on white sand in front of a Wooded Area. Stavon got out of it after part of the side of it disappeared. He turned back toward it. “Are you sure this is the right place? I didn’t see anyone here as we were coming in for a landing.”

     The young female nodded 'yes' just before the Transport solidified then started taking off.

     Stavon looked at The Invitation again then shrugged and headed for the Wooded Area. He only got a few steps when a Fire Ball headed his way and had to dive into the sand. After turning over, Stavon saw the Transport dive into the green water below when the exploded. “Was that meant for her or me?”

     Has the challenge already begun? Stavon asked himself as he got back on his stomach and mumbled something. He closed his eyes and could see inside the Wooded Area. No body is here. Whoever it was is gone now. That probably means that Fire Ball was meant for the Transport.

     What’s really going on there. I’ve been to a lot of challenges held on an island. But nothing like this one.

     Stavon scanned the Wooded Area again from within his eyelids. Then he opened his eyes, got up, and headed into the Wooded Area. I didn’t even see any structures on our way down. Is this whole island part of the challenge.

     For the next couple of hours, all Stavon did was walk among the trees on that island. Stavon constantly shot his head in another direction. Then he slowly returned his gaze to in front of him. He never stopped walking, though. Suddenly, he did. I’ve been all over this island three times. And I haven’t seen anyone else here. I haven’t even felt anyone else.

     About fifteen minutes after he started walking Stavon suddenly stopped again. I think I just saw someone or something.

     Stavon walked in the direction he was staring at. A few minutes later he stopped at the edge of the Wooded Area. His jaw dropped as he stared at a Water Hole where at least twenty-five dead were coming out of. No wonder I couldn’t feel them.

     Every one of the dead who came out of the water threw their Long Blades at Stavon as they floated toward him. Stavon easily avoided them. Suddenly a Fire Ball struck his shoulder spinning him back toward the Wooded Area as he fell to the ground. As he did, he saw at least another fifty hiding among the trees. I’m surrounded by the dead.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

     Jacci stood in the center of a large desert. She slowly looked all around her. But all she saw was bluish gray sand. There were a few small hills of sand. But most of it was flat. “This can’t be the right place. I know this is where The Invitation spell sent me. But something must have gone wrong.”

     “There isn’t anyone else here. And there are no buildings. Here is this challenge supposed to take place?”

     “Is it here in the wide open? If so, then where is everyone?”

     Jacci started walking around the flat parts of the sand. When she came upon a hill, she dived past it m mumbling something. As she dove past it at an angle, electrical string shot out of her fingertips. But no one there. She did that with three more hills with the same results.

     “They aren’t hiding behind the hills. So, where are they?” jacci started walking again. When she came across another hill, she dove over it as she fired more strings into the sand. Still, no one was there.

     The next hill that she came to after she started walking again, she stopped at. Jacci brushed sand off that hill. After brushing away about an inch of it, she stopped. “It’s just sand.”

     “I’m sure that this challenge is underground. It has to be. But I don’t know the entrance is.”

     Jacci started walking again. She didn’t notice she was being followed. Suddenly, she stopped and turned around to see ten hills in two rows in front of her. Those ten hills quickly surrounded her. Jacci fired two Fire Balls at them.

     When the balls exploded, the sand hill slid into the rest of the flat sand. Ten dead were within each one of them. The other eight hills melted into the flat sand too to reveal eighty more dead. “There’s only a hundred of them. This doesn’t look good, for them.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

     Pacill walked down a long hallway. Most of the entrances were closed. But a few of were slid open. Pacill stopped before the first one. He cocked his head toward the entrance. I don’t hear anyone in there

     After a few seconds, Pacill mumbled something. Then he looked at the wall beside the entrance. He saw nothing in there but an empty messy room. “There’s no one in there. And there’s no place to hide if there were.”

     “This the strangest site I have ever been for a tournament. I’m starting to think The Invitation had the wrong location on it.”

     “I have walked through three four floors of hallways. And I haven’t encountered anyone yet.” Pacill walked to the next opened entrance and did the same thing as he did to the last one.

     First, he cocked his head toward it. Then he looked at it through a jagged circle. It looked a little bit better than the last one. But not much better. “This can’t be the place.”

     “Where are the other SpaceWizards, the judges, the Observers, and the watchers. None of them are here. In fact, I’m the only one here.”

     Pacill checked out the other five opened entrances along that hallway. He also scanned the insides of the closed ones. “I have six more floors to check. If I don’t find anyone on the next two, I’m leaving.”

     After checking the last closed door in that hallway, Pacill walked up to a double entrance that slid open as he approached it. Pacill stepped into a dark oblong square tube. He floated up to the next floor. The double entrance slid open when he got there.

     Just after he got off that Float Tube, Pacill hit the floor. Pacill fired one Fire Ball down each of the two hallways. Both balls exploded sending everyone back into a nearby room. “Those were the dead. I wonder how many are there are in this trap.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

     Angoria walked down a busy walkway. She looked around her at all the humans there. They didn’t seem to notice here. It’s a good thing I used an invisibility spell. It doesn’t look like there are any other Aliens on this planet.

     Why did The Invitation say that this was where my tournament was going to take place? Are we going to have one among all these humans?

     Maybe it’s here but in another reality. That way the humans won’t be in danger. Then again, maybe the humans being in danger could be a part of it. If they are SpaceWizards, then they can be if they were invited too. But if they’re not then I don’t want to be a part of this tournament.

     Angoria stopped at started slowly scanning those around her. I wonder if any of these humans are SpaceWizards. There are some wizards on this planet. But they keep to themselves in their own hidden reality. I don’t think that there are any SpaceWizards, though.

     After scanning one direction of everyone there, Angoria did the other direction. I wonder if anyone here is a wizard. Maybe this is their time of year they are in the hidden reality. They do spend most of their year there, I know.

     So, where is this tournament supposed to take place. When does it start? Can anyone here what I’m thinking to myself?

     Angoria had waited a few minutes before she started thinking again. I guess not. I’m starting to think this was a big mistake in coming here.

     After finishing the second scan of everyone there, Angoria continued her walking. When she got to the end of that walkway, she turned the corner and smiled. This place looks like it might be where the tournament is going to be held. There are still a lot of humans here. But not that many.

     Suddenly a large hole opened in front of her. On the other side of it, she could see another walkway like that one. A few seconds later Angoria felt a hand on her back pushing her into that hole. Angoria fell onto the ground in that hidden reality. At first, when she got up, Angoria didn’t see anyone else there.

     Then one to four at a time they started to emerge from the building that lined both sides of that walkway. Only about half of the hundred walked out of the buildings. The other half just showed their faces out of windows. All of them were the dead.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

     Mairon looked around the Wooded Area that he was in. “Where am I? How did I get here? The last thing I remember is agreeing to The Invitation that I got.”

     After a few more minutes of slowly scanning what was around him, Mairon started walking through that Wooded Area. “The next thing I know I’m here.”

     “Where is everyone. If this is where the challenge is supposed to take place then where are they.”

     “I have been here for almost an hour, and I haven’t seen anyone. So, where are they?”

     Mairon kept walking around that Wooded Area. But he didn’t do it in any set route. He just did it randomly, changing directions every so often. One second he was walking in once direction, and the next he was walking behind him again. Then a few seconds later he would start walking to his left or right.

     “Where am I? I don’t even know where I am on this planet. Is an Island? Maybe it’s within in a city somewhere. Wherever it is, it’s a strange place to have a challenge.”

     After about fifteen more minutes, Mairon suddenly stopped. Mairon looked up toward the sky. “It’s getting dark. When is this challenge going to start? Is it going to start after it gets dark?”

     Mairon closed his eyes and mumbled something. A few seconds later the near darkness became light. When Mairon opened his eyes, he was still looking up. What he saw up in those trees made his jaw drop. Mairon was staring at about a hundred of the dead sitting and standing on branching in those trees.

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

     Yena climbed onto the top of a mountain. When she got up, she started looking around. All she saw was a flat mountain top. Blue grass about two inches tall covered it. But other than that there was nothing else. “The least they could have done is with The Invitation was to place me on top of this mountain. Why did they put me halfway up it so that I would have to climb the rest of the way up here myself?”

     “I tried to do a spell to get me up here. But I couldn’t do one. That I don’t understand.”

     “What kind of a challenge is this if you can’t do spells. Maybe you can only do Fire Balls and electrical strings in this challenge.”

     Yena started walking around that mountain top. “What kind of a challenge is this anyway. There’s no one up here beside me.”

     “There aren’t any buildings or challenge spots. Are we supposed to use the use the mountain top itself for this challenge?”

     Just then Yena stopped and spun around firing two Fire Balls out of her palms as she did so. Both balls exploded when they hit two of the dead, sending them and four others over the edge of that mountain. Yena fired several electrical strings at another group that floated up from the side of the mountain. Each string sends another one over the edge. Just as they went over about a hundred dead floated up to the top of that mountain.

     “This is a trap. I have a feeling that all of us got an invitation to one.”

=====-=====-=====-=====-=====-=====

     Everyone was in the Control Chamber. Mairon was behind the controls of their spaceship. The others were seated behind him. They were talking about what happened to them. Each one admitted that they lied about where they were going. And what they were really doing.

     All of them already figured that out when all a suddenly they had to leave the others for one reason or another. They also told each other how they dealt with their trap. And how they killed all the dead sent after them. In fact, they went into a lot of detail as to how they did it. After they had all finished showing their stories, they all admitted to one more thing. They all loved every minute of it.

Word Count = 2,971