The Cagliostro Chronicles II: Conflagration by Ralph L. Angelo Jr. Read Free Book Online Page B

Doctor.”
    Mark exchanged nervous glances with everyone and headed for the maglovator door.
    “Maybe we should all come with you,” Danny stated.
    “I won’t argue ,” Mark shouted over his shoulder as he ran into the waiting maglovator, followed by the rest of the command crew.
    The y all exited upon the medical deck and ran down the hall toward the glass doors of the medical lab, which slid open at their approach.
    E veryone ground to a halt when they entered the medical lab. Ariel floated vertically above her bed, standing in mid-air with her long blonde hair streaming wildly about behind her as if blown in the wind. Her eyes glowed like stars.
    “What the hell?” Mark blurted out.
    “Mark, she just started doing this,” Troiano advised. “She won’t let me get close enough to even check her. I try and I’m pushed back telekinetically.”
    “She’s a telepath, not a telekinetic ,” Mark barely whispered.
    “I know , that’s why I called you.”
    Then Ariel opened her mouth and a voice decidedly not her own reverberated from it. “You will leave my world, and you will take these others with you. You will drive them from my world, from my surface and skin, or none of you will leave this place ever again.”
    With that the entire ship lost power and went dark, cold and dead.

Chapter 7
     
     
    Mark took a step toward the floating Ariel. “Who, what are you?”
    “I am Chakix, Goddess of this world. I am this world ’s spirit, its soul. I am Chakix.”
    Dan quickly took a step forward behind Mark. “Yeah, you said that already. Put Ari down. She don’t need ya runnin’ around her brain.”
    The creature t hat was possessing Ariel turned her body toward Dan, “You are the one who hurt my child.” 
    Lightning seemed to burst from Ariel’s glowing eyes, and Dan was flung across the room to land hard against a wall.
    “Dan!” Troiano shouted as she ran to his side.
    Red whispered, “This just took on a whole new level of weird.”
    “No kidding ,” Mark replied. He turned toward Ariel. “Chakix or whoever you are, what have you done to Ariel? What have you done to my ship? I want answers now, lady, or whatever you are.”
    The creature possessing Ariel O’Connor laughed. “I am Chakix. I am this world. Your kind has come to my pleasant shores and brought devastation. This will be tolerated no longer.”
    “You confuse us with our enemies, who inhabit a hidden base somewhere on this world.”
    “It does not matter if they are with you or against you. You are all the enemy of Chakix .”
    “We are not your enemy, Chakix. We had to land here. Our vessel was damaged from doing battle with our foes. We merely wish to repair our ship and be on our way back to our home world.”
    “I do not believe you, pale skin creature .”
    Mark took another step forward. Behind him Danny was slowly getting to his feet, while Troiano and another member of the medical staff fussed over him. He waved them off, annoyed.
    “Chakix,” Mark began, “w e mean you no harm. You are inside Ariel. Check her memories if it will do her no harm. She is special to me. Please, do not hurt her.”
    “You have no say in this at all, pale skin creature. I will do as I please .”
    “Don’t become our enemy Chakix; think on this before you go any further. Check Ari’s memories.”
    Ariel’s intruder said nothing more. Its demeanor became almost blank. Then after a few silent moments it looked down upon Mark and the others before replying, “What you say is true. You and this one, this ‘Ariel’ hold special feelings for each other. She regards you very…highly. But she is battling me even as we speak. She does not want me to know all about you.”
    “Ari, let her know what she needs to ,” Mark implored, grasping her by the forearm now.
    Ariel/Chakix looked at him imperiously at first , and then her demeanor changed and softened.
    “Ariel…loves you. She would do anything to protect you and she feels you would do