Day Eighteen - The Marauder's Map

SpaceWizards
(Another SpaceWizards Action/Adventure Mystery)

The Marauder's Map aka The Location Map was a map that was created by a SpaceWizards that changes wherever it goes. It’s called a Marauder Map because that SpaceWizard wasn’t a SpaceWizard at the time. At least he wasn’t an official one. Once a SpaceWizard always a SpaceWizard. But after the problem with Horrald, SpaceWizards weren’t SpaceWizards for about ten thousand years. They were still wizards, but they weren’t SpaceWizards. And they could still perform wizardry, and most of them did. But a lot did other things besides wizardry. Mairon was a SpacePirate for a while. And while he was a SpacePirate he created The Marauder's Map. This is his story about what happened with that map.

“The Marauder's Map”

A Short Story

Remembered By

Mairon

     Tapping a small square piece of cloth twice in his palm, it started rising above it. The cloth stopped about an inch above the palm. Mairon moved his hand to his side as the cloth began to grow into a cloth about two feet squared.

     Leaning over the floating cloth, Mairon started looking at it. His eye movements indicated he was studying it. Mairon started in the center and looked outward. “It’s still here. They just moved it to a secret location. Probably because they heard we were on this planet.”

     Keela stepped up beside and looked down at the cloth. “So, where is it now?”

     “It’s three levels down in underground Level One.” Mairon smiled at Keela. “They put it in a cluttered storage room.”

     “They probably thought it would be safe there.” Keela smiled back. “The human here obviously don’t know about your map.”

     “It doesn’t matter where they try to hide it. My map will find it.”

     Just then a soft male voice, they could barely hear, spoke between their heads. “We have a big problem.”

     “What is it, Thoric?” Keela asked.

     “It’s Government Locals. They are on my side of this Collection and Observation site.”

     “They are on my side too,” said Olivve but in a normal voice. “It looks like they got us surrounded. What are we going to do?”

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

     “Did you get caught?” Angoria asked.

     “No, we didn’t that time. But we almost did a few planets later. We were only a few minutes ahead of them. I tried to use an Escape spell. But I couldn’t. They must have had some wizard Law Enforcement blocking me from doing it.”

     “So, what did you do?” Pacill asked.

     “There was anything we could do but run for it. After that, we only looted from planets that didn’t have any wizards on them.”

     “Did you use wizardry to get away from the story you just told us?” Borrele asked.

     “Yes, I did. We used it several times after we started looting none-wizard worlds. But it was getting harder to do it. After almost getting caught a few more times I realized my Location Map was in danger of getting found. I didn’t want to do it. But I had no choice but to destroy it.”

     “Why did you just show us this story?” Jacci asked

     “It’s because my Location Map is back. I know I destroyed it. But somehow someone has found it. And they are using it to kill anyone else who knows about it.”

     A few seconds later Mairon continued. “Of course, most of the crew of that SpacePirate ship has been dead over twenty-five thousand years. But there were seven other wizards on that spaceship. And two of them are now dead. We need to get to the other five before Horrald does?”

     “What makes you think Horrald is behind it?” Yena asked. “Maybe it’s one of the other SpacePirates.”

     “It’s not one of them. I’m sure about that. It has to be Horrald. Who else could it be but him?”

     “It sure does look like it’s something he could be doing,” said Stavon. “But yena is right. It could be whoever found your map.”

     “I’m sure it’s him. We have to find him and destroy that map once and for all before he kills any more wizards. As long as he has that map every wizard in the universe is in danger.”

     A few seconds later he continued. “I don’t know how he found my map that I know I destroyed. But that doesn’t matter right now. We will figure that out sooner or later. Right now, all that matters is stopping Horrald.”

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

     Voltesa mumbled something. A few seconds later the heads of six dead exploded. The headless bodies few to the ground. She looked around but didn’t see any more dead. Then she looked at the headless bodies that littered the floor of what appeared to be an almost empty merchandise storage building.

     “Why is Horrald sending his dead after me? I’m not one of the SpaceWizards that’s hunting him.”

     “It’s because we used to be friends.” Mairon walked out of the darkness into the dim lights. The other six SpaceWizards were right behind him.

     “What do you mean by that. I thought we still were friends.”

     “So, did I. But it has been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”

     “Whose fault is that? It’s not mine. You haven’t tried to contact me in over twenty-four thousand years.”

     “I’m not the only one. You haven’t contacted me either.”

     “After all this time, why did you contact me now? Why id you want me to meet you here? And why is Horrald’s Army trying to kill me?”

     “They aren’t trying to kill you. They’re just here to keep you here until Horrald can get here to do it.”

     “You still haven’t said why I’m here. And why you contacted me.”

     “It’s because you are in serious danger. Horrald does want you dead. He somehow got a hold of my Location Map that I destroyed. And he’s using it to build his army. He’s starting with anyone who knows about my map.”

     Angoria stepped next to Mairon. “He’s also doing it because you two are friends. He has been doing that a lot lately. Trying to get to us through our friends and family.”

     No one said anything for several minutes before Voltesa finally did. “How long have you all been here? Why didn’t you help me with the dead here?”

     “We have been here about half an hour,” said Borrele as she stepped forward to stand next to Mairon on his other side. “As for the dead, it didn’t look like you needed any help.”

     “Is the friend’s get together over with yet?” Stavon asked. “We need to get her out of here before Horrald shows up.”

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

     Mairon sat in front of a Data Monitor in the Communications Chamber. The other six SpaceWizards were hovering, not literally, around him. “It’s okay, Quinon. We only want to help you.”

     “That’s why we have trying to contact you,” said Yena. “But it’s been very hard to do.”

     “Of course, it’s been hard. That’s because I didn’t want to be found. I already know about Horrald. Keela told me about the map just before she died.”

     “We have already saved Voltesa,” said Jacci. “And we can help you too.”

     “I don’t need your help. As soon as I heard about Horrald, I went into hiding. And there’s no way he’s going to find where I’m.

     “You know about my Location Map or have you forgotten in your young age? Horrald can find anyone or anything as long as he has my map.”

     “We found you,” said Stavon. “And we don’t have the map. It’s only a matter of time before he finds you too.”

     “We’re on our way to your location right now,” said Mairon. “We’ll be there in a few hours. So, be ready to go.”

     “I just hope I’m still here when you get here. If I’m not, it’s going to be all your fault. It won’t be Horrald who found me. It’ll be you who led him to me.”

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

     A Fire Ball came from Horrald, and it was headed right for Ribbi. Mairon quickly mumbled something. That ball bounced off of Ribbi about an inch from here and returned to Horrald. Horrald slapped it away. But it still exploded. That explosion pushed him sideways a little.

     Horrald started firing multiple electrical strings at Ribbi a few seconds later. Mairon swatted most of them away. But a few got past him. They also got past Ribbi. The strings went on both sides of her to disappear right behind her.

     Mairon floated a couple of inches above the ground directly in front of Ribbi. The other six were fighting the dead and Horrald. Stavon, Jacci, and Borrele were fighting the dead while Yena, Angoria, and Pacill attacked Horrald. Every minute or two they would change attacks.

     Stavon moved to his side as three dead fired Fire Balls were fired at him. A few seconds later he returned the favor with three electrical strings to their heads. Next to Stavon, Jacci mumbled something as she punched the air in front of her. Seconds later six individual fists punched a big hole into six of the dead.

     Borrele floated on the other side of Stavon. She kept firing one electrical string after another at about twenty dead. Most of them struck a dead. But a few were slapped away, split in two, or clapped.

     While Stavon, Jacci, and Borrele were taking on the dead Yena, Angoria and Pacill were circling around Horrald. Always on the move as they fired one Fire Ball after another or a group of electrical strings. Horrald was getting hit all around him. But for every hit he got, he returned an attack of his own.

     After a couple of minutes, Yena looked at Stavon. Yena mumbled something. A second later the two three wizard teams switched attackers. Stavon, Jacci, Borrele took on Horrald while Yena, Angoria, and Pacill took out the dead. They had switched three more times before it happened.

     One of Horrald’s Fire Balls got past his attackers. It also got past Mairon. Ribbi stepped out from behind Mairon again and fired four Fire Ball out her four palms. All of them missed Horrald’s ball. It struck her in her chest when it exploded. She looked dead before she hit the ground.

     Mairon looked sad but angry. “We lost another one.”

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

     Woltan dove for the floor as a Fire Ball soared past him only a few inches above him. He rolled over onto his back and fired back with about twenty electrical strings coming out of his fingertips from his three hands. Most of the strings struck the dead. The ones that did get hit most of them spun slightly to one side or the other while the others got hit in the chest or heads. All of them that were hit in the chest or head were saved before they hit the ground.

     After looking around from the ground a few minutes, Woltan got up and started walking through the Wooded Area. “What a strange place for Mairon to want to meet.”

     A few minutes later Woltan entered another small clearing. He stopped at the edge of it and scanned the area. Woltan mumbled something. After several seconds he said, “There’s no one else here but me. That’s including Mairon. Where is he?”

     “Why were those dead trying to kill me? Does it have anything to do with why Mairon contacted me after so many years?

     Woltan continued a few seconds later. “How long has it been? I think it’s only been a few thousand years. But I can’t remember the last time we talked. It might have been longer than that. Maybe even a lot longer.”

     “You were right the first time. It has only been a few thousand. Almost six, to be exact.”

     Slowly scanned in the direction where the voice of Mairon came from. “Why did I see that you were here?”

     “It’s because I’m not really there. We are still a few hours away from getting there.”

     The voice of Mairon continued a few seconds later. “I just wanted to see how you were doing. Horrald hasn’t gotten there already, has he?”

     “No, Horrald yet. But he did send about a hundred of his dead to keep me here until he got here. Just like you said, he would.”

     “Any problems with dealing with them?” The voice of Mairon asked.

     “They weren’t any problem at all. I just finished saving the last of them.”

     “That’s good. We will be there soon. If Horrald should get there before we do, you need to contact me admittedly.”

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

     Nortanni looked around the Control Chamber. Then at Mairon behind the controls. “So, I’m safe from Horrald now too. How can that be? Aren’t you always in battles against him?”

     “It’s not as often as you think.” Mairon kept his eyes on the viewscreen and the controls in front of him. “But it does seem like we do have a different Action/Adventure and Mystery ever week with him, though.”

     “You didn’t answer my question. How can I be safe from him here?”

     “It’s because this spaceship is spell protected.” Jacci sat right behind Mairon and in front of Nortanni. “Every minute the spell changes. And during a fight with Horrald, it’s every few seconds.”

     “Are the others here?” Nortanni asked.

     “The ones we could save are,” said Pacill who sat on one side of Nortanni. “Unfortunately, that was only three of you, four if you count Mairon.”

     “What happen to the other four?” Nortanni asked?

     Mairon turned and smiled at Nortanni. “You are a questioner. I forgot that about you.”

     “Horrald got them,” said Yena who sat behind Nortanni. “Two of them are part of his army now. The other two we saved right after they were taken.”

     “What about the other two here? Where are they at?”

     “Voltesa is in her sleeping chamber,” said Angoria who sat on the other side of Nortanni. “Woltan is in the Practice Chamber.”

     “So, What’s next?” Nortanni asked.

     “First, we will assign you a Sleeping Chamber. Then we will give a tour of our ship,” said Stavon.

     “What are my limitations here?” Asked Nortanni.

     “I’m not sure what you mean by limitations,” said Borrele who also sat behind Nortanni. There aren’t any. You can go anywhere and do anything you want to on this ship.”

     Mairon looked back at Nortanni and smiled. “You always were the worrier too. I think that what she means is are there any places that she can’t go.”

     “The answer to that is yes,” said Yena who also sat in front of Nortanni. “You can’t go into the Engine Chamber, the Weapons Chamber, or the Secret Chamber.”

     “That’s not exactly true,” said Mairon. “You can go in them too. But you can’t do it alone.”

     No one said anything for several minutes before Nortanni asked another question. “How long am I going to have to stay here.”

     “Only until we can find Horrald and destroy that map once and for all.” Mairon returned to watching the view screen and controls.

     Nortanni smiled. “Then I won’t be staying here for long. I know where Horrald is at right now.”

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

     Yena mumbled something. A few seconds later a jagged circle appeared on the wall in front of them. It showed Horrald in a Sleeping Chamber. But he wasn’t sleeping. He was leaning over the Location Map looking at it. Can you destroy the Location Map from here?

     Yes, I can. I could have done it from our spaceship. But I wanted to see the look on his face when I did it. Mairon and the other six SpaceWizards were staring at that jagged circle, and Horrald.

     I wonder where all of his dead and Followers are? Angoria looked down one corridor side, then the other one. There doesn’t seem to be any of them here.

     I’m sure there are some here. Probably a lot of them. We just haven’t encountered any yet. Mairon closed his eyes and started mumbling.

     Maybe we should spread out a little and keep our eyes for them while Mairon destroys that map. Pacill started walking down one side of that corridor. He gestured for Jacci, Borrele, and Stavon to do the same thing. They did.

     You can do it if you want to. But you don’t really need to do it. Horrald has always been suspicious of everyone. That includes his army and Followers. You’re not going to find anyone near here. Mairon never stopped mumbling.

     A few minutes later Mairon opened his eyes and smiled. Within the jagged circle, the Location Map went up in smoke. Horrald screamed. He looked up at the ceiling. “It’s not going to work. I can go back in time to get it any time that I want to.”

     So, that’s how he did it. I knew I destroyed it the first time. This time I made sure it’s for good. Horrald isn’t going to be able to go back in time to get it because I never created it.

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