The Masterpiece (The shadow I cast Book 1)

by Chiemeka Nicely

  “Your idiotic theories are absurd and illogical. I want my daughter safe within these wall, just not like this.” He rolls his eyes, an indication that he is either lying or trying to distract himself.

  “Emperor with respect, if we say we are going to save our daughter by exploring our spirituality…we will do it.” Empress Nubia places her hands on either side of her husband’s face. Their eye contact is intense and silent words are passed.

  He slowly removes her hands. “You cannot overrule my decision. I am the head of this kingdom.” His wife must have struck a nerve because his voice grows softer and his left eye starts to flutter.

  “And so am I.” She whispers. But the Emperor chooses to separate their unity, acting as though they were two conflicting voices, rather than one. He is fuming, but he shows no signs. Empress Nubia’s calm wave still has a hold of him. Regardless, he feels betrayed. She disregarded his overall decision.

  “Empress. A word…in private.” She makes eye contact with everyone and indicates that this conversation was not over.

  Outside the Emperor corners his wife against a wall, his hand resting by her head. “Are you trying to sabotage me?” She makes a low laugh. She cannot believe he is being paranoid at this point in time.

  “It always amazes me how you move focus from our daughter to you. Look, there’s no time for this. Let’s put paranoia, politics and hierarchy to one side, for once. Nothing matters more than blood.” She moves to walk around him and he repositions his other arm blocking her exit.

  “That’s precisely why you should be on my side.”

  She ever so slightly raises her voice looking down the corridors. “I’m tired of your power plays and mind games. Calista needs us right now. By helping her, I help us all. Why do you fail to see that? Why do you insist on leaving her behind? I’m starting to think Dakarai has a point, you’re hiding something.”

  He watches her for a minute and slowly removes his hands. “Fine, you want to go ahead with the possession purification, exorcism stuff- as you wish, but you will not go to Kimarr.” He straightens up and steps back, his fingers barely brushing her neck. I suppose he thought his decision was final.

  “You can’t keep me here. If I want to go, I’ll go. There’s nothing you can do to stop me.” She steps closer and kisses him on his cheek.

  “We’ll see about that,” he lowers his lip and whispers in her ear.

  *

  Four hours before rescue mission is set in motion.

  The Empress has just arisen from an early evening sleep. The contents of her dream are on constant replay as she stares into the distance unable to move or make a sound. The luminescent deep blue beads around her wrist shimmer, resembling the indescribable feeling in her gut. What she saw she couldn’t escape but she had to trust and accept.

  Calista is alone and bathed in darkness, yet she does not scream. At the edge of the cliff at first her father throws her into the waterfall then there’s a sound of film sticking with light refracting at a rapid pace. The image rewinds and she stands holding onto her daughter’s hand. The sky is blood red with the Blue Star stretching across the sky. The wind claws its hands through their hair. Calista screams let me go. Bats circle Calista’s body under her command. The waterfall gushes with a black substance. It rises like a beanstalk clawing at Calista’s feet, so she thought. It nuzzles her ankles and builds to the point where it has become a shadow attached to her back as a means for survival. Calista reiterates her words watching the tear slip from her mother’s eyes. Before she releases her hold Calista whispers into her mind: I’m at peace with myself. You need not worry, for fear and anger is no more. I am reborn.

  The dream ends with the Empress brushing off her knees and accepting the path her daughter has risen to the challenge to take. Her heart swells with a pride she hadn’t experienced in quite a while. She feels fulfilled. Enlightened. Her daughter is in no trouble at all. She doesn’t need saving, but she has already agreed to ensure her return. What would they think of her if she went back on her word? She could see Dakarai’s determination, this is more to him than saving his love. He is trying to save himself, prove his worth; ensure his purpose. They are counting on her.

  Emperor Rameses was right she cannot go to Kimarr. She would only tamper with what others were yet to understand. It didn’t matter that with her help the group would have a 90 out of a 100 per cent chance of success. What matters is that Calista is doing for self. She won’t stand in the way of that, and she won’t stop the mission either.

  Everything is already set in stone; the universe is in control. There will only be one outcome.

  “Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.”

  -The Kybalion

  29

  May the force be with you

  {Calista}

  Where it all began. Drenched in the waters of Lake Myopia, her consistent tides washing over my body with the sizzling of water knocking against hot rocks. An opium if you will, rocking you into a relaxed state, docile and more susceptible to others calling. Here I reside once more, at first unable to move at will. This is far safer than what is to come. Time is of the essence. Clearly, I am outside of the bubble concealing the world I had just escaped, but the atmosphere still feels off. Not like how it was when I first arrived. I may have escaped one bubble only to then be transported into another.

  I tested the barrier leaving handprints within the solid liquid that bended against my will. It reverts back to its original shape after my hands are peeled from its surface. A sucking sound is made as the wind forcefully tries to break through. The barrier is impenetrable for a reason. Today will be the day it will be broken.

  Change is necessary for improvement.

  Through the barrier Ramiyah manifests like a flicking light bulb sitting with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes focus on the red dirt that swarms on the ground in an array of ants nibbling on its food.

  You say you accept your change yet you make no move to welcome it into your heart. Why do you still linger in your lower self? Her voice sounds like its underwater at first before it clears as her vibrations become magnified with the barrier, tuning her frequency to better suit my ears.

  It is not as easy as it seems. To give it all up and begin a new life.

  “Things have moved quickly over this past year. I’ve learned secrets I wouldn’t dare dream to be true. I had my interpretation of your people, of you, flipped on its head. My life was essentially built upon a lie. The truth has removed my ignorance, given me sight, and still I hesitate. I’m still attached to my former self whose security I crave. Although I have come to know myself, I still feel like I can still lose it all. I have no protection. My walls lowered, bubble smashed. I am vulnerable and it scares me. What if your so called truth is only a twisted version of another lie?”

  If it were, would you have willingly proceeded into the darkness? At first it didn’t make sense, but then you came to terms with it all because it deeply resonated with you. You knew you were missing something, we filled the vacant space. You are not alone. If I lie to you, I lie to myself. I admit I have been withholding some truth but it would be too much of a burden, besides as you slip completely into the dark my soul will be bare to you. You may not like what you find, but in those moments, I will be vulnerable. Vulnerability is not weakness it’s all a matter of what you do with it when people perceive you to be a target. The first step is to love yourself conditionally. Survive and everything else will fall into place. You did not come here to be defeated. Draw strength from your past and learn from your mistakes.

  She presses her hand against the bubble and whispers the code to break it. Self-affirmation and self-reflection is only part of the equation.

  “I am strong, beautiful, and wise beyond my years. Loving, compassionate, and content. I love myself.”

  In the dirt I draw a circle around me. It ignites with a red-blue ring scattering the dirt to one side like a mini wave. My eyes close and I take in
a deep breath. In my mind, I go through my chakras and unblock them one at a time. A slow heat begins to surround my back and I feel my senses become more refined. My ears twitch with new sounds I had not known had existed. My ears tune into the steady aura that surrounds my body and reaches out towards the barrier. With every chakra I bow my head with the finality that my words expressed.

  The Root Chakra. I am grounded. My spirit is grounded deep in the Earth. I am calm, strong, centred and peaceful. I am able to let go of fear and trust. I am worthy of all things beautiful. At the base of my spine the energy becomes a fiery red and bubbles awaiting its second entrance.

  The Sacral Chakra. I am creative in all areas of my life. I am open to receive all that life offers. I forgive my past and embrace all the positive moments of my present. I accept my uniqueness. I am abundant and prosperous. I am secure in myself. Upon the second entrance the fiery red roars into a vivacious orange.

  The Solar Plexus Chakra. I am in alignment with the abundant flow of the universe. I live with integrity and have a high respect for myself and others. I allow vital life force energy to flow through me and animate my life on all levels. I honour the power within me. I am more than enough. The vivacious orange fuses into an enlightened yellow.

  The Heart Chakra. I inhale self-love and I exhale peace. I feel compassion and empathy for the pain and struggle of others. I have the ability to forgive, let go of resentment, and be able to heal emotionally. I willingly release all fears, concerns and worries about giving and receiving love. I am eternally loved. Above my heart a harmonious green forms a cloud.

  The Throat Chakra. I speak my truth, my voice matters. I own my power. I express myself. I am aligned with my higher truth and communicate this with love and honour. A devoted blue emerges around my throat and meddles with the enlightened yellow.

  The Third Eye Chakra. My spiritual vision is clear. I always follow and honour my intuition. I invite sacred transformation. It is safe for me to see the truth. I expand my awareness through my higher self. Like an erupting volcano the royal purple thrusts out of my third eye and penetrates the barrier but doesn’t break through.

  Finally, the Crown Chakra. I am connected, a part of it all. I go beyond limiting beliefs and accept myself totally. I am divinely guided and inspired. I am at one with the universe. I live my life through my higher self. I am enlightened. The royal purple thins into an extravagant violet.

  My body adapts to the new energy surging through my veins mingling with my Blue Flame. It visibly travels through my skin in the form of a golden serpent. The Blue Flame assists the Kundalini energy to become one with its mate. The individual energies push forward through my physical form and create a body of light swirling in their sections. My chest tightens, I feel a choking sensation; I can’t breathe.

  Breathe. The breath of fire is everything. Accept it.

  I listen to her and slowly I regain control. My eyes water.

  “I acknowledge the power of my word to create what I intend, I speak with truth. Asẻ.”

  The final strip of block is removed and the first stage of the awakening is complete, my fate sealed. My enlightenment- a success. My heart swells with joy. My physical form vibrates with a new-found energy, I feel like a baby just coming to realise it is alive. Stretching my fingers, digging my toes into the dirt, tasting the air, everything feels different. The universe’s life force is apparent, something I never could feel nor see before. The cosmos and planets surrounding Acirfa look closer than I previously imagined. An explosion of colour and infinite possibilities mixed with creation’s blessing. In that moment life took on a new meaning. I became us. I wasn’t alone, I am a part of the collective soul, collective consciousness guarded by creation’s warriors. Child and mother of creation. The ego is no more.

  Ramiyah places both hands against the barrier. In awe I watch her Blue Flame and the darkness propel forward. I join her. My flame and kundalini swirl amongst each other. Bluka awakened. I close my eyes and my third eye opens. I see the world with a purple hue. I see every microscopic detail down to the particles in the air and the energies that surround Acirfa. Beauty unable of being described with the simplicity of hueman terminologies. Every particle unable of being understood by the simple-minded. The energy builds at my fingertips and I draw from the vibrations in the air to aid my escape from my confinement. Energy and vibration speak their language and create an opening in the barrier. The kinetic particles flood the crack and explodes. It shatters and dissipates into the air retaking its place with the universe.

  Hurry, you haven’t got long.

  “I’m so solid as a rock they just can’t stop me now.”

  - Sizzla

  30

  Reunited

  {Calista}

  She disappears as I rise to my feet. Over the hills I feel the soldiers looking for us. They can’t see me even though I am completely exposed. I watch them rush by me without a hesitation or a second look in my direction. This all feels funny and exhilarating. With every step I take I feel my weight lessen. It feels like there is another gravitational shift but my feet are still rooted to the Earth. Two more steps and I am sure all is real. With my new abilities I hone in on the vibrations. They speak to me through images along with sounds. Boots and bare feet running on the Earth, orders being barked. I disregard the unnecessary information and soon enough find what I am looking for.

  My family is here. Mother had sent them through a portal to separate locations on Kimarr. Aziza and Kwame headed north whereas Dakarai and Khari went south. Neither was sure where to find me but they appeared to be tracking me by scent and energy. At the centre of Kimarr I see everything. Their strategy is clear, the twins are to ward of any attacks while the boys rescue me. Dakarai approaches Lake Myopia, he sees a light flash amongst the rocks. It calls to him, remembering him as its former owner. Before he sinks his hand into its waters he protects himself from its drug. The sword enlarges with his immediate touch and tethers itself to his hands. He speaks to it and it replies.

  “We’ve got company.” Khari shouts. The soldiers spot them and get into formation. The Wingman steps forward. “Isn’t this a surprise, come to rescue your Princess have ya. Well you’re too late I’m afraid.”

  “You’re lying, there’s no surprise there. Your race is prone to the most abhorrent of characteristics.” Dakarai lowers his eyes from the sword and steps to Khari’s side. “You don’t have her, and now that we have arrived you hope we’ll lead you to her.”

  “Over our dead body.” Khari spits, puffing out his chest.

  “Your wish is my command.” He laughs and rotates his finger like helicopter blades. The group of soldiers form a circle. The first line of defence raise their fists- the second their weapons. The boys share a look before going back to back. Khari draws two sharp slender daggers, with the Dynastic emblem on the hilt and whirl them in his hands.

  “Who’s first?” The first line steps forward. Armoury makes clinking sounds with the blades. Their aim is to wound the soldiers not kill them, but they find it hard as they worm their way through their defences with the intent to cause harm. They completely dismantle the first wave of soldiers. The Wingman whistles and the second wave of soldiers’ stoop to one knee and aim. Khari touches Dakarai’s shoulder and prepares a portal. It repels on itself creating a bounce back effect.

  “Not so fast.” He shouts holding up his hand, which holds three beads infused with his magic. Their magic has the power to disrupt the kinetic energies and frequencies portals are created from. It is then I decide to intervene, the trigger is released and the bullets are launched into the air. A shower of hail stones pushing through the air to embed into their skin. I blink and I’m at the centre of it all. With my hand raise I drag it along the centre of my face in a slicing motion stopping at my lips. I exhale as I push my palm out in front of me. The energy roars to life and pushes back against the energy field around the bullets. They disintegrate repelling a force of their own, knocking the soldi
ers off their feet including the Wingman. Everyone looks around, dubious of the attacks origin.

  My love. Dakarai is the first to see me through my cloak of distorted vibrations. The unwavering frequency taps into the light energies and reveal my physical form. The Wingman grunts and spits at my feet. “Your father…” He clenches his jaw but does not continue. His hand reaches up to his head to massage his temple and shield his eyes.

  “Leave. I grant you mercy, provoke us further and you will not like what is to come.”

  “I am not afraid of you Princess.”

  “You should be.” Ramiyah’s voice infuses with my own and I feel our voice strengthen in sound.

  The Wingman blows into two of his fingers and a cluster of soldiers forward over the wall lead by the Kutawala. Their battle cries disturb my vibrations and I feel sickened by their lack of integrity and reverence in the presence of Neter. They are diabolical to every degree.

  Bro they are everywhere. Kwame shouts in Khari’s mind.

  We’ve got her. We should be with you shortly.

  I’m not coming with you.

  “Always forgive your enemies: nothing annoys them so much.”

  - Oscar Wilde.

  31

  Unchained

  {Calista}

  The atmosphere grows considerably colder. An avalanche of hail mixed with snow rushes to the ground with the brisk wind guiding its path. Puffs of clouds escape our lips. Shivers race down our backs. Goosebumps pulsates on our skin. We are not used to such weather. Whenever winter descended we were far from it. Now we are beguiled with its noose. It threatens to suck the life out of our sun-kissed skin. Our inner warmth clings to the walls of our skin like a see-saw pushing back against the cold. The Kutawala laughs at our cowardice to their inhumane attraction to the cold.