Ten
Castle Grayskull
Eternia
16 August 2017
The enormous magical panel adjacent to the tall dais upon which sat the throne of King Grayskull flared to life. Orange streaks of lights scintillated across its surface. A full minute passed as a quiet oscillating hum filled the chamber. The surface suddenly darkened except for three small dots. Those dots rapidly grew to form the outlines of humanoid shapes; two men and a woman, to be exact. In moments, the three stepped out of the portal into the audience chamber.
General Hammond, Gabriel Burns, and the Sorceress emerged from the portal temporarily linking Castle Grayskull and Earth. Once through, the panel turned completely dark. On Earth, the portal the Sorceress had cast using her magic dissipated into nothingness
Gabe and Hammond stared around the chamber in wonder. While they had read the mission reports from the mission to Eternia several months ago, the brief descriptions just did not do the place justice.
"This is…incredible," Hammond breathed. "How does all this fit inside the castle?"
"The best analogy would be a large box inside a smaller one," the Sorceress answered. "Space inside the castle is in another dimension. One that has no boundaries."
"Just like a Tardis," Gabe said, giddy.
Sorceress sighed. She knew of the science fiction television show Gabe referred to. "Yes, just like a Tardis. The show's creators got it right."
"I take it you have had this discussion before," Hammond stated.
"On several occasions," Sorceress confirmed.
She conducted them on a tour of the safer areas of the castle to visit. The walkway of the Elders – essentially a ring of statues of the Elders with a walkway bisecting the pit surrounding them – impressed. What Adrian had called the Grand Staircase wowed. Gabe wanted to take the right fork at the top of the stairs and explore the left tower, as viewed from outside, where the Sorceress' personal chamber and library was located, as well as the Hall of He-men. The hall contained a statue of every Grayskull guardian going back to Veena, wife of King Grayskull and first guardian of the castle after Grayskull's death.
Sorceress declined, stating that they were here for a more important reason. In truth, she knew that once Gabe started looking through the volumes in her personal library, it would take an armed escort to pry him away from them. She did, however, take them to the main library; where she almost lost Gabe to the wonders contained in a space much larger than the Library of Congress.
Gabe reluctantly left the library only with a promise from the Sorceress that he could return at some future date. Seeing the immense library reminded General Hammond of the books on loan to him. He vowed to make more time to read them when he got back to Guardian Command.
The Sorceress led the pair on a winding trip through a maze of corridors that began with a hallway that curved gently downward. The left wall was lined with identical doors. She warned them to stay far to the right as the area in front of some were more sensitive to a strangers' presence than others.
"I can see that they are doors," Gabe said, stating the obvious. "Where do they go?"
"Other worlds," she answered.
"How many worlds can they go to?" Hammond inquired.
"How many stars are in the sky?" Sorceress posed.
Gabe's mind whirled. "We could explore the galaxy using those. Maybe even the universe." The Sorceress could hear either Adrian or Colonel Markson saying 'down, boy, heel,' and smiled slightly at the thought. She refrained from saying anything, though with some difficulty.
"Let's leave that for another time, Gabe," Hammond cautioned. "Remember, we are guests here. This is the Sorceress' home, after all."
With that settled, the Sorceress continued to lead them deeper into the bowels of the castle. Hammond admitted to a desire to further explore the mysteries of the castle, his job as commander of the new Guardian Force meant staying behind while sending good people off on missions they might not return from. That was part of what had prompted him to accompany Corporal Frost and Princess Anyssa on the mission to try and rescue Adrian and the Sorceress after they crashed on an unclaimed world in the buffer zone between the Horde Empire and Val-kyrie space.
While Hammond and Gabe quickly lost all sense of direction, the Sorceress knew exactly where she was in relation the main parts of the castle. The next chamber the group walked into was the expansive museum. Artifacts spanning a thousand years of Eternian history from all over the planet. There was even a section for artifacts from other worlds which had made their way to Eternia.
Gabe paused before a display case of various bits and pieces. An object that appeared to be a short staff had caught his eye. One section was simply a rod about four feet long with a jagged break at one end. The other half had a short shaft with a cross bar and circular loop on top. Gabe saw that the jagged ends of the shafts would fit together.
"What's this? A magic staff?" Gabe asked, picking up the shorter section.
Sorceress turned and moved to a better vantage point to see what had attracted the man's attention. "Yes, it is," she answered tightly. "It is called the Shaping Staff. It had the power to transform people and objects into other forms."
Gabe digested that information. "The intelligence communities would love a device that could transform people and things." He looked wistful for a moment. "Does it still work?"
"No," Sorceress answered. Thankfully. "When an object imbued with magical energies is broken, such as the Shaping Staff has been, those energies are lost. While the staff could be reassembled, it would never be anything more than a staff."
"Unless it were somehow re-energized, or whatever you call it?" the general asked.
"Yes, it could be re-energized."
Gabe and Hammond shared a brief look. They could sense the Sorceress' reluctance to answer questions about this particular item. "You have had experience with this staff?" Gabe asked.
"Yes." Sorceress remembered the day Evil-lyn and Skeletor attacked in another bid to take control of the castle and plumb its secrets; Evil-lyn had used the staff to turn her into a living tree. She shuddered, remember the feeling of her body transforming into unmoving wood. While she had been right outside the castle on the jaw bridge, and in close enough proximity to utilize the castle's power, it had taken everything the Sorceress had to break the spell. Not long afterward, He-man had broken the staff in two, ending the threat of it ever being used for evil purposes again.
"Anything you want share?" Hammond asked, delicately.
"No. We should continue. What I have to show you will make all this inconsequential," the Sorceress said. She turned and headed for the exit on the far side of the chamber.
Hammond and Gabe had to hustle in order to catch up with the woman before she rounded the first corner. The pair followed the Sorceress through another maze of corridors which all looked the same. Hammond and Gabe by now had no idea where they were in relation to either the museum or the jaw bridge. The castle's guardian, however, knew exactly where she was and where she was headed. After five minutes of silence, broken only by the scrape of boot heels on stone, the group arrived at their destination. It was a single door in an otherwise long, empty hallway.
"Here we are," the Sorceress announced.
"A non-descript door somewhere deep in the castle," Gabe said. "So, what's behind door number one?"
In answer, the Sorceress grasped the metal handle, pressed the lever with her thumb to release the latch, and pushed the door open. The men followed her inside a darkened chamber. Gabe realized that there had been not torches, lights or any kind of magical illumination strips anywhere along the way, despite their ability to see. The chamber they were in was oppressively dark and forbidding. Gabe also had the sensation of being in an immense chamber.
A pool of light slowly flared to life in front of them. In it stood a pedestal with a display screen on top. A piece of high technology in a castle dating back hundreds of years. Gabe and Hammond cautiously approached. The pool of light brightened at their approach, and the screen came to life.
"A proximity sensor," Gabe observed.
"What does it control?" Hammond asked.
The Sorceress answered, "Touch the screen and find out."
The men shared a look; neither was anxious to activate the device. Finally, Gabe pressed his right palm to the inert screen, the device coming to life at his touch. Information began scrolling up the screen -in English. More and more lights began flaring to life throughout the vast chamber. As the true dimensions became apparent, the men stood dumbfounded at what was revealed.
"What is this place?" Hammond asked when he finally found his voice.
"Something wonderful. And terrifying," the Sorceress answered. Blank stares met her gaze. "In a time long past, a race known only as Ancients ruled over much of the galaxy. They were a benevolent people who made their knowledge freely available to all who desired to expand and grow. The Ancients had many libraries strewn across the galaxy where beings could go to study and grow as a race. What you see here is the only complete library known to exist. Adrian and I found it on the lost world of Scholos. You may be more familiar with its more recent name: Hel."
Hammond stared in shock. Gabe sucked in a gasp of astonishment.
"Scholos was the greatest of all the library worlds," Sorceress continued. "When the Ancients left this galaxy, their empire rapidly crumbled over the course of a thousand years. Much of the knowledge was presumed lost as the libraries were plundered one after another. Many pieces exist around the galaxy, but a completely intact library had never been discovered."
"Until now," Hammond replied. "This is what the inmate and his girlfriend found on the planet and safeguarded the whole time?"
"Yes. Apparently, there was a transportation unit still functional capable of teleporting the entire library anywhere in the galaxy. Once." The Sorceress continued. "Grayskull seemed to be the safest place as long as no one knew that an intact library existed much less where it went."
Hammond moved to the railing and gazed out across the warehouse on unimaginable information and technology. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Eugene never would have believed it. Row upon row of some sort of storage assemblies that reminded him of a server room made up approximately seventy percent of the chamber. The other thirty percent was made up of technological marvels only some of which he could identify. One even appeared to be some sort of spacecraft about the same size as the now retired space shuttles.
"A person could spend a lifetime in here and only scratch the surface," Gabe breathed, still in awe by the sight.
"Several lifetimes, I would think," Sorceress speculated. If anyone who would know, it would be her. While she professed to not know her true age – speculation about the validity of that statement was cause for much conjecture among her friends – the Sorceress had had a long time to study many topics. Many magical related.
Realization suddenly dawned on Gabe. "Why show this to us? I mean, other than to put a picture to what was glossed over in your report?"
"I was wondering when you would get around to that," Sorceress smiled. "I talked to General Hammond about allowing limited access to this library to a specific group of people."
"How many are in this group," Gabe perked up, the wheels turning in his mind.
"Right now," Hammond interjected, "just one. You."
"One? One!" Gabe sputtered. "I can't down proper research with just one person. 'An Army of One' may be a fine slogan to the U.S. Army, but it doesn't work so well for scientific research."
"Says the man with dry erase boards strewn throughout his office," Hammond pointed out, referred to the numerous boards Gabe liked to use to work out scientific conundrums in a visual manner when he couldn't work them out in his head. "For now, you will be the only one with access to do research in the library. Be thankful the Sorceress allowed that much. Since this castle has a history of being a magnet for megalomaniacs, would-be despots and anyone looking for power enough to dominate others, I agreed with her that keeping it hidden is for the best."
Gabe heaved a heavy sigh. "Very well. I suppose I need an escort every time I come to visit?"
The Sorceress produced a small device from somewhere. "This device will guide you to library. Only you. If there is someone with you, all it will do is lead you in circles."
A disembodied head materialized in the air next to Gabe. "I will be your guide when required. I will also assist in your searches, if need be."
Gabe jumped back in alarm. "Now I've seen it all," he breathed, trying to calm his racing heart. "You did that on purpose."
The Spirit of Grayskull looked shocked at the very thought of such an outlandish act. "Considering the things you have seen, and likely read about over the past two years, I would think you would be used to this sort of thing," Spirit said.
"Um, right," Gabe said absently, his attention already wandering back to the screen.
"I suggest we head back to Earth so you can formulate a list of items to research in this library," General Hammond suggested. "Sorceress, thank you for sharing this with us. I understand why you felt it was so important to try to save this. I'm sure Adrian understands, too."
Sorceress nodded. "He mentioned the Library of Alexandria that was destroyed in your planet's history."
"Yes, a tragic loss. One that should not be repeated."
Before leaving the library, the Sorceress assured them that a stairway down to the floor of the chamber would be built before Gabe's next visit. She opened the door they'd entered through, but the trio stepped out, not into the unremarkable corridor they had seen on arrival, but the corridor of doorways leading to other places.
Looking around, and spinning in place, Gabe said, "Um couldn't we have just taken one of those straight to the library?"
"We could, if I chose to. I wanted to impress upon you what would happen if anyone other than yourself tries to use that crystal to gain access to the Ancient library."
"They would end up walking around in circles," Hammond said.
Sorceress nodded. "Literally." She led the way back to the main chamber and the giant magic screen. Promising to return to Earth within several days, she waved her left hand, summoning a flair of magical energies, and the portal blazed to life shimmering with streaks of red-orange fire. Once the visitors were safely returned to Earth, the Sorceress made her way up to the left tower where her private chambers lay. Safely inside, she closed the door and heaved a heavy sigh.
Walking across to stone table, she said, "They are gone. You can come out now."
Heels scrapped on stone. A talk woman dressed in white robes cut to flatter her figure stepped out from behind the curving arc that was the headboard of the bed. Silver hair cut to shoulder length framed a face that appeared around fifty years old. One look in the eyes, however, reflected a woman of much greater age.
"How long did you know I was here?"
"The moment I stepped through the portal. Did you really think Grayskull would hide your presence from me? Just because you are the former Sorceress of Grayskull doesn't mean you can go skulking about at will."
"My, but your tongue and wit have gotten sharper."
"Well, that tends to happen when I find out my mentor has been lying to me and my friends," the Sorceress said, evenly.
The other woman stiffened. It had taken longer than she had expected, but this truth was about to come out. It was part of the reason what she was here. "Lie. That's a bit harsh. Omitted a few details. Massaged the truth a little bit, surely. But lie? Well, not in this case."
A book materialized in the Sorceress' left hand. It was an unassuming volume, slender and indistinguishable from any other in her private library. "Do you recognize this?" She opened the cover and began flipping through several pages. "There is an entry here for Koduk Ungol, predecessor to Teela Na. It states here that she is deceased along with a great many prior guardians. I see no mention of a Kodek Ungor anywhere. That was the name you used in the pyramid on the sanctuary moon."
"Self-preservation. It's hard to look for someone if they think you are already dead," Koduk explained. She had been in the last days of her life at that point, but that was part of the mystique of being the castle's guardian. Once a suitable replacement was found, the retiring guardian had two options. The first was to go off and live out the remaining years of life wherever and however she chose. The second option was a sort of rejuvenation and extension of an already long life. That option had been used by a few of the former guardians, like Koduk, but, it came with a price. The former guardians were required to keep a low profile in galactic events – stay out of history's way, as it were – or join the Elders in their realm outside of space and time.
Those who chose the rejuvenation of the magical energies gifting them with long life almost unanimously left the galaxy to explore other galaxies in the cosmos. Can't stay any more out of local history's way than that, after all. A one-way trip to another galaxy to explore and maybe make a difference in. What could be better after a long life watching events unfold and do nothing more than record and protect the castle for some future date?
Koduk was the only one to join the Elders, but the Sorceress had to wonder at the reasoning behind that choice.
"Becoming a threat in your old age?" Sorceress said sarcastically.
"Well, now that you mention it," Koduk said, totally serious. "I knew you would discover the deception sooner or later. I was hoping sooner, but you and your new friends have been rather busy of late. Bringing He-man and She-ra back from the penal planet was a bold move. It has attracted the attention of the Elders once more. Be very careful as to how you proceed."
Sorceress arched an eyebrow. "A threat?"
"A warning. After the fall of the Hall of Wisdom, the Elders originally hid themselves in the crystal chamber. They didn't remain long. Although they left behind the Orb of Power, the Elders still had a cumulative level of power sufficient to take off to parts unknown."
"But you know where they went." It wasn't a question.
"Of course. Can't keep an eye on someone if you don't know where they are," Koduk said, winking. "All I'm doing is trying to warn you to proceed carefully. Recovering the swords is the next step, but try not to make yourselves a bigger target than you already are."
"The Horde will return to Earth at some point. That was a given when they left two years ago," Sorceress pointed out. "How much bigger of a target can we get?"
Poor choice of words, Koduk thought. "Try 'priority target,' then. I'm not sure what is going on, but I do know that Elders were not happy to see you chosen as one of the Guardians." She held up a hand to stall the Sorceress' protest. "I know. The castle has more of a say in it than the Elders. If the castle wasn't comfortable with you being where you are, it would draw you back here. The point I'm trying to make it that the Elders seem to have a far-reaching plan that may include the battlesuits. To what degree, I cannot say. In their own way, I believe the Elders look forward to an end to the Evil Horde. What they have planned beyond that day…scares me."
Sorceress waited Koduk out. To hear her admit to being fearful of the designs the Elders were making was disturbing enough. Of late, as the barriers in her mind have slowly broken down, the flashes of memory she had been having seemed to back up her friend's statement.
"I am not privy to any part of their plans," Koduk continued. "They keep it amongst themselves. While others have been added to the group, the original eight still keep their secrets."
"We'll be careful," Sorceress assured Koduk. "I know you have to keep your secret, and I appreciate the risk you are taking just being here and telling me what you have, but the barriers in my mind continue to break down. Sooner or later the truth of what happened when the Eternia attempted to return from the future will come out." She stepped closer to her predecessor. "If they are responsible in any way for the degenerative disease I contracted earlier this year, I will not rest until I know for what reason they did that to me. And what they hoped to gain by eliminating me."
Koduk swallowed hard. She had never heard Teela Na speak with such conviction before. With Falcon at her back, there would be little anyone could do to stop the Sorceress if she ever set aside everything that made her who she was. Koduk resolved then and there to make sure that eventuality never came to pass.
"I must return. People tend to get a little concerned if I am away for too long a time," Koduk said.
"They figure you are up to no good?"
Koduk nodded. "I trust this conversation will remain between us?"
Sorceress nodded. "For now. I can't guarantee anything if I start to remember more of what happened on the Eternia. I must follow my own path no matter where it leads."
Koduk nodded. "Fair enough." She turned away and walked over to the door, opened it. "Good luck on Etheria. Hordak is not one to underestimate. If your friends thought the fight against King Hiss and the Horde army he controlled was something, well, Hordak will be worse. Much worse. Be very careful. He is not the only threat on that world." She left without another word, quietly closing the door behind her.
"Just the way we like it," the Sorceress said to the empty room. Her eyes widened in shock because that statement had come out with disturbing ease. Even more disturbing was that she was looking forward to challenging Hordak's little slice of empire.
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