God Stones: Books 1 - 3

by Otto Schafer

  “Show-off!” Lenny laughed.

  Garrett let go of the branch with one hand and held the empty hand knuckles out as he bent and flexed all four fingers a few times. “Bring it!”

  “Oh, it’s already been broughted!” Lenny shot back in his best preppy girl voice as he charged forward across the parking lot and into the grass. Just before he reached Garrett, he planted the staff like a pole-vaulter going for gold and launched his entire body high above Garrett’s head.

  This time, when Lenny tried to wrap his long legs around Garrett’s neck, Garrett was ready. He dove forward under Lenny, tucked, and rolled.

  Lenny, somehow landing on his feet, jumped again, back-flipped with a twist, and landed facing Garrett.

  Garrett sprang to his feet just in time to spin and block Lenny’s staff as it careened toward his face. The sound of wood cracking echoed across the Mississippi River as the oak branch broke in two.

  Lenny smiled. “You’re mine now!” He shifted the staff, jerking his left arm down and his right arm forward, simultaneously striking out with the opposite end of the staff.

  Garrett ducked and spun, sweeping Lenny’s leg.

  Lenny’s feet went out from under him and he landed hard on his back, expelling all his air.

  Garrett dropped the broken pieces of oak-sword to the ground, dropped to one knee, and fired a front knuckle punch toward Lenny’s face.

  Lenny flinched back and closed his eyes involuntarily as he braced for the strike.

  Garrett pulled the punch short, stopping before his fist connected. He’d no intention of punching his friend in the face.

  Lenny opened one eye, then two.

  Garrett smiled, his fist opening into an offered hand. “The only reason you ended up on your back is because I knew what was coming.”

  Lenny took the hand and pulled himself up. “I still got you with the flying scissor move the first time.”

  “Yeah, and when you locked on to my neck and stretched out my arm, I thought for sure you were going to rip it right out of the socket!” Garrett laughed, rubbing his shoulder. “Here, let me get your back.”

  Lenny turned as Garrett brushed him off. “Remember how we used to have to worry about hurting each other?”

  “What do you mean used to?” Garrett asked, rolling his shoulder back, then forward.

  “Before we had a healer,” Lenny said, hooking a thumb back toward David. “Heck, I could rip your arm out of socket and ole Mr. ’Stache can just go all lightning bug and fix you right up.”

  “I heard that, Lenny.”

  “Yeah, well, let’s not go beating the shit out of each other on purpose. It takes a lot out of the little fella,” Garrett said.

  “Dammit, Garrett, I heard that too!” David said, his mustache following the shape of his disapproving frown.

  Garrett leaned in close to Lenny, his voice low, “Seriously, Len, we can’t waste one bit of what David can do. It’s dangerous for him, and when he’s knocked out, it could be dangerous for all of us.”

  Lenny nodded and smiled. “You’re right, I just like hearing him whine.”

  “What are you two saying about me now?” David asked, his hands on his hips.

  Garrett chuckled. “Paul, you think Ed’s okay? What could they still be talking about?”

  “Don’t worry about Ed. He’s a big boy,” Paul said, waving off the concern as he glanced toward the tugboat and then back to Garrett and Lenny with a frown etched deep across his brow. “Hey, that move you did, Lenny. Where did you learn it?”

  “Oh, that badass flying scissor kick into a combat roll followed by an arm bar that nearly left Garrett here with only one usable arm? That ole thing?” Lenny beamed.

  “I saw the move, kid. I’m asking where you learned it.”

  “Mr. B, of course. Where else?”

  “Yeah, but you never pulled it off in practice, Len,” Garrett said.

  “I don’t know man, I just feel… really centered.”

  “And, Garrett, that sword form you were doing earlier, the one where you did the flip followed by that tuck and roll?”

  “At the dojo. Mr. B taught it to me.” Garrett frowned and then added, “Paul, everything we know, Mr. B taught us.”

  “When you two were doing the hand-to-hand combat, what style was that?”

  “Hapkido.” Garrett shrugged. “What’s with the all the questions?”

  “Yeah, what’s up?” Lenny asked.

  Pete’s eyebrows rose as the four boys looked at Paul expectantly.

  Paul nodded slowly. “Just one more question. Why do you keep calling your school a dojo?”

  “What the hell you want us to call it?” Lenny asked.

  “Well,” Paul said, stepping over into the grass, “I took taekwondo when I was younger. I also studied some martial arts in the military. Now, I’m by no means an expert, but even I know dojo is a Japanese word used in karate. I also know taekwondo is Korean, and I know for a fact that every taekwondo academy I have been in is called a dojang, not a dojo.”

  Garrett glanced at Lenny, who looked as confused as Garrett felt.

  “Didn’t you guys compete? Didn’t you go to tournaments?” Paul asked.

  “No. Mr. B never allowed us to compete unless it was internal. No outside competitions,” Garrett said flatly. “It was one of his major rules.”

  “Yeah, we wanted to, but Mr. B said what he taught was traditional style. No competing,” Lenny agreed.

  Paul shook a finger toward Garrett. “That sword you have is similar to a katana. And the style you are using isn’t like anything I’ve seen done with a sword. Again, I’m not an expert, but I don’t think that’s taught in taekwondo.”

  Garrett’s eyebrows knitted together.

  “And, Lenny, those moves you did with the arm bar” – he shook his head – “I don’t know what the hell that was. For one thing, the technique was, well, incredible.”

  “Damn right!” Lenny said, pretending to brush off his shoulder.

  Garrett shook his head. “That’s my Len, modest to the end.”

  Paul ignored them. “And on top of that, the fact you can balance that way shouldn’t be possible. It seemed to go against gravity.”

  “Are you saying Mr. B wasn’t teaching them taekwondo?” Pete asked.

  “Yeah, kid, that’s exactly what I’m saying. At least that isn’t all the guy was teaching them. Your Mr. B was over nine hundred years old. There’s no telling what he was teaching you. And the fact that your whole town was in on it and he kept it all private, with no competing” – Paul shook his head again – “well, there’s just no telling what you know.”

  “Holy shit, Garrett! We might be ninjas and didn’t even know it!” Lenny stepped back and began rotating his arms like Bruce Lee. “We could be Jeet Kune Do masters for all we know!”

  Garrett forced a smile. This new revelation, if it was true, didn’t bring him the same excitement it brought Lenny. For Garrett it was just another stark reminder that those he loved had been deceiving him all along.

  The sound of rustling branches drew Garrett out of his brooding thoughts.

  Everyone fell quiet, the familiar sound pulling their attention.

  But something was wrong. There was no breeze to make the tree leaves rustle and branches creak. As the realization dawned on Garrett, the loud groaning sound of wood bending unnaturally filled the parking lot, echoing from the forest across the road.

  David pointed. “Oh god! Look at the trees!”

  12

  You Did What You Had To

  Tuesday, April 19 – God Stones Day 13

  Rural Chiapas State, Mexico

  Breanne loved Mexico for its beauty, for its secrets, and for its people. But working dig sites all over the world, her father had always taught her and her brothers to be wary in unfamiliar places and to stay together. Safety in numbers, he’d say, safety in numbers. Well, despite her father’s frequent warnings, she had left the safety of numbers back at the c
enote. And now, as a group of men moved toward them from up ahead, a bad vibe consumed her. This was nothing like the feelings she had when they met others on the trail.

  She appraised the men, four of them in total. It was getting too dark to make them out at this distance, but she was sure those were rifles slung over their shoulders.

  Suddenly the path blurred and from the corner of her eye a vision played out as she watched with horror. She lost her balance and stumbled forward. Over the duration of three tangled steps, she witnessed men pointing guns, demanding their packs and Breanne’s gun. Then she heard it – the crack of rifle shot – and felt a pain in her chest! Breanne gasped a sharp breath and exhaled quietly. As the vision cleared, she spoke silently to the girl behind her. Gabi! Turn and run!

  But Gabi had drawn back her slingshot and let fly a stone bullet. The small stone crossed the space between the girls and the men before Breanne could get her hand to her holster.

  A man cried out something in Spanish as his hand went to his face.

  The other three men rushed forward.

  Pistol set free from leather, Breanne fired once, twice, then again, and still again. She remembered her training, and Paul’s encouragement as she shot bottles off a stump. Stay calm, Bre, always stay calm. Breathe in. Breathe out. Aim and squeeze, don’t pull. Squeeze. But these weren’t bottles on a stump. Each flash of gunfire illuminated angry faces, poised in a split second in time like still photos. As Breanne continued to squeeze the trigger, the frozen visages changed from anger to pain. Flash! – a man in motion, falling forward, stumbling. Flash! – another man crumpling to the ground. Flash! – a third man holding something high above his head in one hand and grabbing his stomach with the other as he bent at the waist, his face twisted. Flash! Flash! Flash!

  The smell of gunpowder and blood filled the air, and Breanne felt suddenly sick. This wasn’t a giant snake or a centipede. She had just shot people! Real people! Oh, god! Oh, dear god! What had she done?

  You did what you had to! Gabi said, unapologetically.

  What I had to? she thought, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

  Yes, you saw what they were going to do, Bre! You saw the man shoot you! Gabi said.

  And apparently Gabi had seen her vision too. Breanne dropped her hand to her side. In the low light, two of the men were moaning and one was still. Dead, she was sure. Then her heart jumped to her throat. Gabi! The one you shot with the slingshot, where—

  The fourth man burst from the foliage. His hands were outstretched, reaching, and he had one eye squeezed shut, leaking a streak of crimson down his cheek.

  Breanne raised her gun to fire, but no flash came, only a soft click. Then his hands were on her throat, his fingers wrapping, squeezing, pressing. His thumbs dug in hard as she tried to hit him with the gun, but he was so big and she couldn’t see. She couldn’t breathe! She was going to die! Gabi! Run! Her vision darkened – no, not darkened, narrowed. Stars speckled her periphery. She tried to lift her arm to hit the man again, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t feel her arms. The narrow tunnel closed and she felt her consciousness slip.

  Suddenly the man released Breanne’s neck, and she dropped onto the ground, gasping for breath. Wonderful breath!

  The man stood over her with his hands still outstretched. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but something was wrong. He seemed confused.

  Breanne swallowed, wheezing for more breath, scrambling backward away from him.

  The man turned and looked at Gabi.

  Breanne picked up her pistol and released the magazine. Her vision still blurry, she had to do it by feel. Shakily, she slid in her full magazine, careful to do it quietly, fearing he might turn back to her before she was ready. Breanne blinked and blinked again, trying to get her vision back. She couldn’t see well enough to shoot, and Gabi was on the other side. Gabi, move to the side.

  The girl didn’t answer

  The man grabbed his head with both hands, “¡Sal de mi mente!” he shouted.

  What was happening? Breanne pushed herself up, trying to see.

  Gabi ran forward and pushed the man.

  The man fell hard onto his ass.

  What? What did you do? Breanne asked, staggering to her.

  The man sat on the ground looking down at his stomach. Something was sticking out. Breanne realized then that Gabi hadn’t pushed him – she had stabbed him. She grabbed the girl’s hand and pulled. Come on! Let’s get out of here!

  But Gabi didn’t budge. Instead, she walked forward toward the man, bent down, and pulled the long blade from his belly. The man moaned loudly and tipped to the side. Gabi wiped the long knife on his shirt and walked over to one of the men Breanne had shot. She pushed him over and unbuckled his belt.

  Gabi, what are you doing?

  Gabi, focused on pulling a knife sheath off the man’s belt, didn’t answer.

  “Gabi, what are you doing?” Bre asked again, her voice hoarse.

  The girl attached the sheath to her own waist and then slid the knife into it before answering. We should take everything we can. They have packs, maybe food and water. Maybe more weapons.

  Breanne nodded absently. They searched the men and found water, some food, and guns. The rifles were too big to carry with them, so they hid them, thinking they might pick them up on the way back. Juan could use weapons like these to help protect the cenote. Breanne found one item she liked, though. It was a black stiletto with a long, slender blade sharpened on both sides, tapering to a needle-like point at the end. One of the men had the weapon strapped to his calf. He was still moaning in pain when Breanne removed it and buckled it to her own lower leg.

  I think these men may have been cartel, Gabi said.

  Well, whatever they were, they weren’t farmers, Breanne said.

  They set off again, reaching the road to town soon after.

  Are we going to talk about what happened, Gabi? Breanne asked, glad to be back in their mind speak because her throat was killing her.

  Your vision didn’t come true, thank Mother Mary, Gabi said.

  So, you saw my vision? How? Breanne asked. Her tone wasn’t angry; she was just curious.

  I don’t know. You remember I showed you how to close the door to your mind? It is the same way Ogliosh showed me. I think as long as you leave it open, I will see your visions too. If you had closed the door for privacy, I don’t think I would have seen it. I’m not spying on you. When your vision started, it’s like you were showing it to me.

  Oh, Gabi, I didn’t think you were spying. I’m just trying to understand all this, Breanne said.

  Yeah, me too. There is more, Bre – Ogliosh taught me how to communicate with him before Apep came with the God Stones. But that was his ability, what he knew. Now I feel like… I don’t know, like there is more possible than just talking to each other with our minds. I can feel it, Bre. I can almost touch it, she said, shaking her head in frustration.

  Breanne stopped on the road and turned to face the girl. That man, when he was killing me, what did you do?

  Gabi balled her fist. “I stopped him! I went into his head and I… I messed with it.” Her voice cracked as she spoke the words aloud. The emotion in Gabi’s voice was raw, and she began to cry.

  Messed with it how?

  “He was killing you and I wanted him to die! I wanted him to kill himself!” she said pleadingly. “But I couldn’t hold it. I couldn’t keep his mind and I lost it.”

  And that’s when you stabbed him?

  “When you fired at the men, I had seen one of them running at us with a knife held above his head, so I found the knife and when I couldn’t hold the man’s mind anymore… I stabbed him.” She was crying hard now. “I stabbed him, Bre, and I would stab him a hundred more times if it kept him from hurting you!” Gabi threw her hands over her face and sobbed.

  Breanne grabbed the girl and hugged her. Don’t cry, Gabi, you saved us. Remember what you told me before? You did what you had to.

  Gab
i wiped her face and nodded.

  It was dark now, but at least they were on the road. The farm is soon, right?

  Yes, Juan’s farm is close now, Gabi said, returning the words in mind speak.

  They would sleep in the barn and then go on to town at daybreak. The thought of the farm brought back memories of her time with Apep, their escape from the pyramid, and the giant snake she had shot on this very road. Her skin crawled at the memories of large iguanas killing cattle and the massive insects invading the farm. Was this their world now, trying not to get eaten by Apep’s creatures? This should be enough to fear, but she knew now it was only a part of it. What would these new horrors bring out in a desperate world? That’s what she feared the most.

  13

  Governess

  Tuesday, April 19 – God Stones Day 13

  Golden Eagle, Illinois

  Trees shifted forward, pushing past other trees, knocking some of the smaller ones over and into Two Story Hill Road. The trees were giants. Garrett figured they must be the largest oak trees Illinois had to offer. They bullied their way through the forest, crossing the street to choke up the road on both sides of the parking lot. They didn’t travel across the pavement but through it, the road popping and lifting as it busted into pieces. Within seconds, the giant trees demolished the stretch of road Garrett and the others had turned off of to get into the parking lot.

  “Ed!” Paul shouted.

  Ed appeared from the direction of the tugboat in a full run.

  “There’s nowhere to go!” Pete said, backpedaling toward the ferry.

  “What did the old guy say, Ed? Does he have a smaller boat?”

  “No. He was… He’s crazy. Talking about a catfish and King Kong or some shit. He wasn’t making any sense,” Ed said, shaking his head.

  Garrett frowned. “A catfish?”

  “Forget the ferry!” Ed said, waving a hand back toward the river.