Carson said, “He’s a worker, and not at all afraid to get his hands dirty. He arrives early and stays late. Walter was beginning to get overwhelmed with all the work on the farms and with helping Gretchen. But I have noticed a difference since Todd began working. Seems Todd volunteers to do things Walter’s sons complain about. Walter commented that he is a quick learner when it comes to farm equipment and he’s dependable. He seems to be very good at working with the animals as well. He’s going to work out just fine. Who knows, some day Walter may get that much-deserved vacation.
“I think I will talk with Bev and ask if Todd can live in one of the houses on the Miller’s old property. If she agrees, he can take care of the house and have more privacy.” Charles was glad to hear that.
Carson had had enough talk of work. He asked Charles if he was ready for a change of scenery. Charles admitted he was. They finished their work, secured the office and headed to the house.
When they walked in they heard Bev talking to Margaret. They went into the living room and sat down. Margaret was telling Bev about fabric she had in her stash at home and how she thought it would be perfect for the next quilt she was planning.
Margaret saw them come into the room. “Hi Carson. How are you Charles? We came over to quilt today.”
Carson said, “Hi Margaret, how are you ladies doing? We’ve had a busy day.”
Margaret said, “Caroline and I are good, thank you.”
She turned her attention to Charles, “So how have you been?”
“I’m fine. I was helping Paw Paw in the office.”
He leaned over to Caroline. “What do you have? May I see what you are working on?”
Caroline looked up from her quilt and smiled at Charles. He wasn’t sure what she was doing but it looked good. He wasn’t an expert at quilting by any stretch of the imagination. He knew Nana and Margaret liked to get together and sew. When they did they had a large assortment of fabric to choose from when planning out each quilt. Caroline showed him her work and started to explain what she was doing to him.
“Is this your first quilt?”
“No, I’ve made lap quilts. I’d like to make a larger one someday. Grandma taught me how to sew when I stayed the night with her. It’s something we enjoy doing together.”
Charles admired her work. Carson sat and visited with Bev and Margaret for a while before heading for the library to read the newspaper. Charles stayed and flirted with Caroline as she worked. She did more grinning than sewing. After a while he decided to leave so she could work. He went outside and sat on the front porch. He thought about his meeting with Nathaniel tomorrow. After the meeting he would have private karate lessons with Natalie. He sat back, put his arms behind his head and squeezed his eyes closed for a moment before opening them again. Tomorrow was going to a fun day. Carson came out of the house with a glass of lemonade and sat next to him. They began discussing their plans for the rest of the summer.
Later they gathered their things and went inside. Charles sat by Caroline as she worked but she kept looking at him and sticking herself with the needle. She placed the quilt out on the table so Charles could see her work. He looked it over very carefully. Then he looked up at her and said, “Looks great to me!”
She carefully picked up her work and sat it aside.
“Would you like to go for a walk?” he asked. She said she would. She looked at Margaret. When Margaret smiled, they left out the front door. A breeze had started to cool the temperature down. The shade on the road felt good. Charles reached for Caroline’s hand. She held his hand and squeezed it gently.
Charles asked her, “What do you do when we aren’t together?”
“I’ve been reading, sewing and going to my grandparents’ house to visit. That’s about it this summer. What about you? What have you been doing?”
“I’ve been working on the farm helping Paw Paw. In my spare time I’ve been writing and also taking a self-defense class. Wanna see my moves?”
She covered her eyes leaving a space so she could see his reaction between her fingers.
“Oh, so you want to be like that huh?” He picked her up and spun her around before putting her down. “Check this out.”
She laughed at his exaggerated reenactment. “Who’s teaching you those moves?”
“Her name is Natalie.” Caroline scowled. Charles laughed at her. “You’d like her, really you would.” Caroline raised her eyebrow at that comment.
He shook his head. “Honestly, she’s not my type of girl.” Charles had to look away to keep from laughing. Then he grew serious and said, “You can meet her if you want. Maybe she will even throw me around for you.”
“I’d like to see that.”
“Oh, you would, would you?”
“A girl I really should get to know.”
Charles grinned. “Maybe it isn’t such a good idea to get you two together.”
He pictured Caroline learning to throw him around like Natalie. He rubbed his neck. All of the sudden his whole body felt achy. “Don’t get too excited. It worries me when…”
“It should Charles Brookfield, I just may be on to something here.”
“That’s what I am afraid of.”
They turned around and headed back toward the Jones’ house. Once they got there they walked up and sat on the front porch until it was time for Caroline to leave. Charles walked her to the car. He kissed her on her forehead before closing the door. She rolled down the window, and he said, “I will call you soon.”
As he watched her leave he felt a twinge of loneliness. He believed Caroline and Natalie would get along just fine. He sighed. He was counting on them getting along. Their plan would have to be started soon. He just hoped Caroline would agree to the terms and even be interested. Plan B was kind of sketchy. If she agreed her life would change forever. Just as he had by learning about his family’s secret. He knew that the commitment he was about to make was one he would keep forever.
CHAPTER 94
That night Charles had strange dreams. He remembered running from someone who kept calling his name. He woke up and looked around the dark room. Thinking about the dream, Charles turned over and fell back to sleep. The next thing he knew the sun was shining in through the window. He opened his eyes and watched the curtains as they moved in the breeze. He kept falling in and out of sleep until he was fully awake. Charles decided it was time to get up and get dressed.
He made his way through the kitchen and grabbed a bagel before heading out to the office. When Charles walked through the office door he was surprised to find Dimitrios with Carson telling stories. He cautiously walked in and sat down at Carson’s desk.
When the laughter died down Dimitrios said to Charles, “I am here to discuss your financial meeting with Nathaniel prior to sitting down with him. I thought I’d arrive early, look over your portfolio and answer any questions you might have.”
Charles thanked him and stood up. He looked for his portfolio on the desk and took it over to Dimitrios. “I have a presentation prepared, as well as visual aids to share with Nathaniel that follow this portfolio.”
He handed the information to Dimitrios. Dimitrios put on his glasses and eagerly looked through it. Carson decided to get up and offered his chair to Charles to sit down. While they were talking Carson opened the vault. When he did Charles and Dimitrios looked over in his direction because they heard strange voices coming from within the vault. It caught Dimitrios off guard. They stood and walked over to Carson. Dimitrios’ head was down as he listened to what the voices were saying. When the voices paused he looked up at Charles and shrugged.
Dimitrios looked at Carson. “Where is this coming from?”
Carson whispered, “I don’t know.”
Dimitrios paced back and forth while listening to the voices. Carson asked him, “Can you make heads or tails of the gibberish?”
“What did you say my friend?” Carson repeated himself.
Dimitrios nodded. “Unfortunately I
did and it sounds like trouble with a capitol T.”
When the voices stopped Dimitrios looked at Charles and motioned to return to the chairs. Once seated, Charles went over the presentation he planned to give at the meeting, with Dimitrios. When he finished Dimitrios smiled. “Very good. All is set and ready to go. I haven’t seen anyone work up a better portfolio. I think Nathaniel will be impressed. With your report being finished I am going to leave you now. I’ll meet you again very soon, prior to the meeting.”
They shook hands. Dimitrios went over and stood waiting for the Passageway to open. “Oh my stars, I almost forgot to give this to you.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out something. “I purchased something especially for you.” He opened his hand to give it to Charles. It was a decorative spinning top. Dimitrios stretched out his hand and spun the top on the palm of his hand. Tiny sparks flew. Dimitrios closed his hand and stopped it. He handed it to Charles.
Charles looked at it. “What is it?”
“It’s a top of course.”
Charles examined it. “What does it do?”
“It makes time do certain things. If you spin it to the left time goes backward into the past. Spin it to the right it goes forward into the future. If you hold it like this at the top and go back and forth, time will stand still. Each event will, at the most, last for twenty minutes.”
“Just by spinning it?”
“Just by spinning it.”
“Wow. That’s incredible. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Charles looked at it closer. “Why did you choose to give it to me?”
“I wanted to give you something special. I think you deserve it.”
Charles closed his hand around it. “This is a really amazing gift.”
Dimitrios said, “Yes, someday it just might come in handy.”
The Passageway opened and Dimitrios said, “Goodbye. I will see you very soon.” He left them. Once on the other side he walked very fast. He walked past his office and straight to Anthony’s. He made small talk with the Prime Minister’s secretary. When Anthony became available he went in to talk. He closed the door.
Anthony said, “Have a seat. Don’t you have a meeting with Nathaniel?”
“Yes, very soon I will need to be going. I needed to stop by to see you first. Something of great importance happened while I was over at the Jones’. While Carson was in his vault, we heard voices. I walked over to listen and to discover if I could decipher what they were saying. Sure enough, I confirmed what I thought I heard.”
Anthony looked interested. “You heard voices coming from his vault? Is that what you said?”
“Yes. That is what I said.”
“What did these voices say?”
“I only heard the last part of the conversation… They mentioned you and tracking your schedule.”
Anthony sat back in his chair. “They mentioned my schedule specifically?”
“Yes.”
“Did they say what they planned to do with it?”
“No, not exactly. Like I said I got in on the last of the conversation. That’s not all they said. They mentioned a name, Xidoran.”
Anthony briefly looked down. “Xidoran, are you sure?”
“I know what I heard. They mentioned that name specifically.”
“Who could possibly know about Xidoran after all these centuries?” Anthony sat still as a statue for a moment. He looked Dimitrios in the eye and said, “What I am about to tell you hasn’t been cleared, but I trust you implicitly.” Dimitrios gave him his full attention.
“Have you ever heard of the prophecy of Xidoran?” Dimitrios shook his head.
“No one else has either, until now.” Anthony paused, and then continued, “I am going to give you the short version about Xidoran. He was the most powerful sorcerer who ever lived. He was the creator of the eternal borders.” Anthony rubbed his eyes. “He lived back in the days when the crystal mining was taking place in the Hub. The sorcerers were still returning to the Hub helping to clear the metropolis so we could continue building our infrastructure.
“A man named Paquito Sanchez mined the largest crystal in existence. The crystal was then taken to the Master of Crystal Craftsmanship. He strategically carved and polished the crystal. It was a painstaking labor. As he was polishing the crystal, he noticed that it had an air bubble close to the polished surface. He was very careful not to expose the bubble in the crystal while he polished it. Throughout the process he informed President Evan Porter Montgomery about strange happenings that occurred as he worked with the crystal. He reported happenings like: the crystal would move on its own, or it would get to a temperature so hot it would prohibit him from working. Other times he sent reports that it projected images or would radiate light from within. Anyway, when he finished his work, he informed the President that the masterpiece had been completed. He gave Evan a full report that included the exact location and size of the air bubble beneath its surface.
“Evan informed select members of the First Order that the work on the crystal was finished. They made a motion to adjourn their meeting in order to see the largest mined crystal in its completed form. It was glorious. They had never seen such beauty. The craftsman warned them against touching the crystal and stated that they should be careful because of the bubble beneath the surface. He pointed out that he had no explanation as to why it seemed to be getting larger.
“There was a celebration given at the President’s house that night celebrating the achievement. Xidoran was present because he was an advisor for the Prince of England. In a conversation someone mentioned the mysterious bubble. Xidoran asked the Prince if he could see it. He touted he might be able to fix the bubble with his magic. The Prince asked for permission and it was granted.
“The President and select members of the First Order were also present when he was allowed to see it. Xidoran took out his wand and pointed it at the crystal. He said a few words. There was an enormous explosion. It caused panic as the ground shook and the foundations of many buildings throughout the Hub were destroyed. (Many buildings in the Hub had to be rebuilt later.) After the blast five of the select members of the First Order were found dead. President Evan Porter Montgomery was the first to notice that Xidoran’s diamond from the end of his wand was now embedded into the crystal where the air bubble once was. When Xidoran came to from his fall, he gasped when he realized the diamond from his wand was now lodged in the enormous crystal. The crystal had formed a protective barrier around itself. No one could break through the barrier in order to remove the diamond. Xidoran was enraged demanding his diamond be returned to him immediately. The President tried to talk to him but he wouldn’t listen.
“Xidoran climbed over the rubble, and ran through the streets in order to find his followers. When he gathered them he explained what had happened and declared that the greedy Sojourners had stolen his diamond. He claimed they had tricked him knowing full well what would happen. He rallied the sorcerers and a bloody battle raged through the Hub for weeks. They fought their way to the crystal. Once they reached the crystal, each sorcerer tried his magic to remove the diamond. They even tried to cast a spell linking together. They were exhausted after trying everything they could think of to separate the crystal and the diamond. Nothing worked. The crystal’s powers were too strong for them.
“The Prince of England spoke with Xidoran and asked him to listen to what he had to say. Xidoran agreed. The Prince offered him a replacement diamond, of his choice, for his wand. Realizing he was out of options, the defeated Xidoran accepted the offer.
He was still very angry and believed he had been deceived. He made a declaration to the President saying, ‘As of this day the sorcerers will no longer visit to offer help clearing or building within the walls of the eternal border. We will permanently live within our own kingdom separate from the Sojourners. We will forever be separate groups. We are no longer allies of the Sojourners.’
“As they were leaving Xido
ran climbed on top of a boulder and prophesied, ‘A sorcerer greater than myself will one day rise up and come back to claim the diamond that has been stolen. An army of sorcerers will follow the chosen one. What was stolen will be reclaimed. When that day comes the Sojourners will see the destruction of their powerful crystal. It will be shattered into a million pieces. The Sojourners’ reign will then come to an end.’
“The sorcerers left and because they no longer had access to the Time Warp Tunnels, they created a tool known as a Marble Track for time travel. They built their kingdom by the sea and it flourished for centuries until a bloody war broke out. Everyone was thought to have perished. When the First Order heard about the war, they sent scouts to try to find survivors and help them. They found no one alive.
“If what you heard is true, then we live in the time that the most powerful sorcerer will rise to power. I fear the sorcerer may come for the hidden crystal in order to fulfill Xidoran’s prophecy. We must take the prophecy seriously. It will be a race against time for us to try to confirm their existence and locate the sorcerer in order to divert a catastrophe of unimaginable magnitude. I only pray we will be ready when the time comes.”
Dimitrios asked, “So you suspect sorcerers used their Marble Tracks in order to leave the kingdom when the war broke out. You think they fled back to Earth.”
Anthony said, “I do now.”
Anthony thought about this for a moment and said, “Stop by Anjoleah’s office on your way to Nathaniel’s and let her know what you told me. Don’t tell her about Xidoran.”
Dimitrios stood up and said, “Okay, I will. Then I will be meeting with Charles for his session with Nathaniel. After that my schedule is free.” He left Anthony’s office and headed for Anjoleah’s. He pondered the important information Anthony just gave him. It explained the missing gaps in his knowledge of Hub history.
When he arrived Anjoleah saw him and came out of her office. She looked up and down the hallway. She made eye contact with him before turning and going back into her office. She left the door open. Dimitrios made his way into her office and closed the door behind him. He sat down and waited while she finished what she was doing on her multi-screened unit. Once she completed documenting her data, she stored the information, turned and looked at him. He said, “I just came from Anthony’s office. I want to inform you of a situation that I overheard today. I was at the Jones’ earlier. While I was preparing Charles for Nathaniel’s meeting, which will take place very soon, I overheard a conversation coming from Carson’s vault.”
The Xidoran Prophecy Page 67