Wait a minute. Nia's brow furrowed hard, her lips parting slightly. Wait-I've heard this before...
"Meanwhile, back on Neterus, war had broken out. The ideas of the new world, the thoughts of being all powerful gods had caused many of our people to become volatile and power-hungry. The blood of our brothers ran like rivers through the streets of our noble cities. Zindel'Tyr received news that his homeland was crumbling into nothing, and he left the maiden to save his family, never knowing the secret that she was hiding from him.
"When Zindel'Tyr finally returned to Neterus, his eyes began to tear; his once beautiful home had turned to ruins. As he went to his children, a vision crept through the dust and ash and appeared to him. He saw a human child with eyes the same shade as his, full of laughter and light. She was his child, born of Neteru and Man. She came from a world that was peaceful and possessed greatness. And he knew what he had to do. Relinquishing five different amulets to his children, he said to his oldest daughter, 'Ustrina, Daughter of Fire, find your sister. Find her and give her this,' And he handed Ustrina a golden lion pendant studded with amethyst gems. 'Together, each of you will have a power much greater than war and destruction. Together, you must restore balance to Earth—make it just as this forgotten wasteland used to be. But you must find your sister first and foremost. No matter what the price.' And Ustrina and her siblings, Mare, Cataegis, Bronte and Tellus left in destination of Earth."
The trees stood still, the forest was quiet. Eerily quiet. It was colder than before too; Nia wrapped her arms around her chest and hugged herself, shivering a little. "I'm still confused," Nia said carefully. "What does any of that story have to do with us?"
Fiona sighed, her stare hardening on Nia once more. "That," Fiona remarked, "is our lineage. We are descended from the stars—the last of the Neteru. And you," Fiona gave her a look that was a cross between extremely bored and very hopeful, "are the descendant of Zinde'Tyr's secret child and demigod: The great Nefertiti."
Nia thought about this and swallowed hard, her arms dropping to her sides. Her eyebrows raised incredulously, she said, "The hieroglyphs—on the walls of the temples and pyramids. Stories of life that my ancestors have passed down for centuries...The Gods and Goddesses my people worshipped and praised...that the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten...they're all aliens?" It would have been laughable if everyone else hadn't been looking at her with such sincerity.
"Aliens." Fiona winced as though Nia had cursed. "Such a harsh word...but in uneducated terms, yes."
Nia stared at her hard, unblinking. "You're crazy," she said finally, taking a slow step back. "That's just...there's no proof."
"Oh, there's plenty proof," the red-head snipped. "People are just too ignorant to look at what has been directly in front of their faces for centuries."
"It's...just not rational..." Nia whispered, shaking her head as she tried to keep her feet on the ground. She looked around at each of them, watching as their faces slowly began to disappear into the shadows of dusk. "They're just stories!"
"Is it really irrational to think," Quinn piped in, "that in a universe that is larger than we ever could have imagined, Earth is the only planet with intelligent life? Don't all stories come from a place of truth?"
Nia assessed him blankly, her mind reeling. Yes, you are right, she thought. The concept is totally plausible. It was something her ancestors adamantly believed in. It was something her mother would whisper to her before bed. The Sky Gods—the Neteru—came from the stars to Earth in flying boats and turned mud and water into a new kingdom...but...
"I've always believed those legends to be stories," she murmured, lost in her train of thought. "I never thought..."
"Everything is derived from truth," Fiona said, idly smoothing out the folds of her dress. "Except for the whole concept that we looked anything like the Greys. They come from the Zeta Reticuli."
"Greys?"
"Your common, everyday generic alien," Quinn explained. "Creepy black eyes, slits for a nose, no ears, disproportionate bodies—think Paul, except less funny, heck of a lot taller and hell-bent on overthrowing other intelligent life forms."
Nia's eyes lingered to the purple and orange colored sky. The trees stood silhouetted against the setting sun. A few stars had began to scatter the sky, peppering the strange hue of musky indigo with white. The strange humming noise was back, tickling the insides of her ears like hushed whispers. "What am I supposed to do?"
"You make a choice." The protracted lull between Fiona's words made Nia shiver again. "You become a Mystical Knight: wear the amulet with pride, and fight to defend what Zindel'Tyr helped to create, or leave the amulet behind and go your separate way."
The amulet burned against Nia's chest; it didn't hurt or scald her flesh. It gave her insight. Helped point out her decision as she stood staring outward in the heavens. "I've always been a jumper," she said, giving Fiona a firm nod. "I can't help but feel like I belong here."
"Being a Mystical Knight isn't about friendship, or having a place to belong or wanting to be needed," said Fiona, watching Nia almost hesitantly from where she stood. "It's about doing what is right in order to restore a more perfect world for the future. For your children and your grandchildren and their children's children. It's about giving up your right to be young and foolish for those who surround you. To be a Mystical Knight, it can never be about you, or what you really want. It has to be selfless. And you once you've chosen your path, you can't ever go back."
“I’ve never fought before in my life,” Nia mumbled under her breath, fiddling with her amulet's chain. In truth, Nia had never had the friends or enemies to fight with. Most times as a youngster, Nia would often wander the playground, aimlessly pretending she had friends while her peers would tease and laugh at her from the jungle gym. Kids didn’t like different. Her old classmates had always secretly been afraid of her. But when Nia was small, she didn’t know that there wasn’t difference between being afraid and being disliked.
“That’s why you wear your amulet no matter what.” Fiona poked Nia in the chest, her index finger painfully pushing down on the lion pendant. “I don’t care if you’re showering, I don’t care if you’re on a date with some guy and you think the it is too gaudy! You wear it, listen to it—”
“How do I listen to it?” Nia asked incredulously, laughing loudly as she spoke. She grabbed it by the chain and lifted it away from her heart, shaking it fiercely. “It’s a heavy piece of metal!”
“You wear it close to your heart for a reason.” Fiona flared dangerously, seething at Nia as though she had just cursed her a thousand times. “And it may just be a heavy piece of metal to you—but to me, it is your destiny. These grounds won't even let you enter here without it. Your very existence begins and ends with that amulet so don’t come crying to me when you end up hurt due to your own stupidity.”
The amulet pulsed gently in Nia’s hand; Nia jumped, dropping the amulet back down onto her chest in surprise. Its amethyst eyes twinkled brightly up at her, shining with hope and determination.
“This isn’t a bunch of magic tricks,” Fiona said quietly. “This is real. If you take on this title, you’ll give more than you’ll take. You will get hurt. You might even die fighting for something that might not be within our reach. But you take it or leave it because it is your will, Nia. This is your purpose.”
“I take it,” Nia said quickly, without much of a second thought.
“Good,” Fiona scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest hastily.
Nia chewed her bottom lip and looked down at the golden amulet resting on her chest. “I’m afraid.”
“You should be. Death is a very real possibility.”
Nia wasn’t afraid of dying. She wasn’t afraid of being improperly trained. She was afraid for Rowan and Kenzie, Quinn and Thor—and even Fiona too—afraid that they might meet their untimely ends on this road. She looked around at them all, watching them with wise eyes that penetrated deep within their souls, sensing thei
r own fears as well.
“It’s getting late.” Fiona’s voice drifted through Nia’s mind, but she barely paid any attention to it. She heard movement around her as the rest of them began to shift. “I say we meet next week at my house—unless anything comes up.”
There was a murmured reply, a buzz of affirmations but Nia only nodded, her lips suddenly tight and frozen. She looked up just in time to see Fiona’s red hair bobbing away through the trees.
“You okay?”
Nia jumped; she thought that she had been alone, but Rowan stood beside her, assessing her with watchful eyes. Nia gave him a small smile and nodded, unable to find her voice.
It took about five minutes to get back to Rowan’s house—funny how it always seemed to take forever to get to an awaited destination but just seconds seem to tick by during the trip home.
“I’ll walk you home,” Rowan offered. It wasn’t dark; the street lights had yet to turn on.
Side by side, the two walked up the road in silence. Nia observed Rowan from a small distance, noticing how his hands were casually shoved into his pockets—how he had a certain bounce to his stride as he walked slightly on the balls of his feet.
"Who sent that basilisk in the woods today?" she wondered, giving Rowan and sideways glance. "Did—did something shuttle it down to Earth?"
Rowan chuckled and gave her a sideways glance. “No,” he said with hidden certainty. “Some people have the power to open up different dimensions. The world that you and I see—it's pretty one-sided. Well, maybe not so much for you, particularly.” He gave her a crooked smile. "You see things differently than I do."
"Not really," Nia persisted. "I see the trees, the grass, the sky..."
"What I mean is," Rowan stopped in his path and turned to face her, "you can see fragments of the future—pictures of what could happen, what will happen if certain events are put into motion. But what if you see something—and it doesn't turn out the way you see it? Does that mean it never existed?"
"I'm not sure," Nia pondered, frowning at Rowan thoughtfully. "What do you think?"
"I think that it does exist—on some level of consciousness, or in a parallel universe maybe." He kicked a pebble with the toe of his shoe. "This...this guy...Axel—he has the power to open different dimensions and bring otherworldly things onto this Earth. Bad things...monsters, even. We believe that he's in league with the Greys somehow. They want to claim this planet for their own."
A few cars hurdled past, the drivers desperate to get home to their families after a long day’s work. Nia wondered if it was even five o’clock yet as she kicked a small stone with the toe of her shoe; it bounced, knocking against the concrete twice before it stopped again. Nia caught up with it and kicked it once more.
"It's so weird," she said suddenly, nearly wistful. "I've never doubted anything I couldn't see or touch. I've always just...trusted myself that what I felt was real. But this," she exhaled deeply, and gave Rowan and exasperated look, "this is almost more than I can take. Aliens from outer space—fighting over what? Ownership of Earth? Different quadrants of space?" She shook her head, laughing a little at the sound of it.
"It could be a lot weirder." Rowan paused reflectively.
They walked a few more steps in silence. Through the hedge of trees and forest, Nia could just barely make out the shape of her house.
“There’s more to this Axel, isn’t there?” It wasn’t so much a question rather than a statement.
“I don’t know much about Axel,” Rowan replied. They had finally reached Nia’s driveway. Her father’s old pick up was absent. He's probably still working, Nia thought, absentmindedly noting that the inside of the tiny house was dark and unwelcoming. “I’ve only heard about him. I just get the pleasure of meeting his summoned minions and followers,” Rowan muttered darkly, nudging a tiny pebble with his sneaker.
“Followers?” A sudden chill swept between the two; Nia tugged at her vest, vaguely remembering the encounter she had endured the day before Who is this guy? The Anti-Christ?
“His followers are people who are capable of doing the same things he can do. The same things you can do with your mind.” Something glistened from within Rowan’s eyes as he spoke, but as soon as Nia saw it flicker, it was gone. “If Fiona says he’s bad news...” Rowan trailed off softly, shaking his head in disdain. “It’ll be a cold day in hell when Fiona gives us bad information.”
Nia snorted under her breath, a strange burning sensation frothed deep inside her. “I think she’s going to invade my personal bubble,” she mumbled. “She rubs me the wrong way.”
“Yeah—she certainly has that effect on people.” Rowan laughed a little, keeping his laughter light and sweet. “But deep down, Nia, Fiona has a heart of gold. She’s just a little rough around the edges.”
“A little?” Nia let out a sarcastic laugh.
Rowan chuckled again, grinning as he spoke. “You’re not the first to feel that way about her. Trust me—each of us has had our little issues with Fi. She’s just...” he struggled to find a word to fit, “...strong willed? Too independent for her own good? I’ve known her for just over two years now—and it’s only gotten a little better.” Rowan held up his thumb and forefinger closed the space between the two. “Very, very little.”
“Just fabulous...” Nia laughed again, shaking her head so that a few strands of hair fell into her face. Twilight was turning into night now; what little noise the bustling town had to offer was beginning to hush—even the soft calls from the birds began to diminish. "How long have you known about all of this?"
"About two years." Rowan pressed his lips together and nodded. "Quinn's known for three years. Kenzie's known for...two and a half years. Thor's only known for about a year now."
"Is Kenzie your girlfriend?" Nia blurted out. A sudden warmth touched her cheeks causing her to flush.
Rowan clicked his tongue and teetered awkwardly. "Uh, yeah. She is."
"Yeah..." Way to make things super weird, Nia, she thought to herself.
“You should get inside,” Rowan pointed out, brushing Nia’s upper arm with his hand. “It’s getting quite cold out here.”
Actually, it's pretty warm over here... “Do you need to borrow a flashlight?” Nia asked, stepping up onto the wobbly cement block that sat in place of stairs underneath the front door.
“Nah, its fine,” Rowan said, shaking his head. “I don't have far to go.”
“Alrighty then...” Nia firmly pressed her lips into a smile. “Have a good night, Rowan.”
Rowan gently bowed his head. “You do the same, Nia.” He turned away then, slipping through the darkness like a shadow in the night. Nia watched until his tall form could be seen trotting through the trees before she wrenched open the flimsy wooden door and went inside.
All was quiet—the kitchen was still just as messy as it had been that morning, dishes overflowing from the sink and bills scattered every which way. Nia breathed a quiet sigh, letting the door snap shut from behind her. After supper, she mused to herself, I’ll get those dishes.
As Nia stepped over the threshold and into the living room, something creaked loudly from behind her. She froze, her breath seizing up in her chest while she listened intently, peering around behind her so that she could search through the darkness. Her eyes darted back and forth suspiciously in an attempt to catch something out of the normal but nothing jumped out at her—the only noise she could hear was the soft ticking of the old clock on the wall. Letting her breath out in a loud whoosh, Nia let her body relax. Get a grip, Nia, she told herself, taking in a soothing breath and turning back around. It’s not like you’ve never been alone in a house before! Just before she went to slide her foot across the floor, a slithery rustling noise sounded from just inches behind her.
A sense of unease washed over her body. Nia whipped her head around so quickly that she felt the blood rush from side to side while she squinted through the harsh darkness. A large, dark shadow darted across the far wall, ni
mble and swift. Nia blinked several times, trying to make sense of what she had just seen—making sure the bizarre shape wasn’t just from her slight head rush—and then she heard it; a sickening, slurping slimy sound—a sound that was very similar to the sound of wet smacking lips slapping loosely together. A low guttural growl made Nia’s heart thunder in her chest so hard, it ached. The growl ripped and rumbled, blowing hot and sticky breath across Nia’s face as she tediously strained to see into the gloom. Every hair—every fiber of her very being—stood on end as she came to face the horrible truth that she was not alone—and whatever was in the house was standing merely inches in front of her face.
Chapter 6: The Girl in the Mirror
Nia’s breath hitched high in her throat while the dark ominous shadow loomed forward, its ugly snarl intensifying. Its putrid breath smelled nearly rotten and sticky like sour milk. It towered above her, rumbling dangerously. Eyes wide, Nia slowly slid her left foot backwards and then proceeded to do so with the right. She shuffled back across the carpet, careful not to trip and fall over any of her father’s knickknacks that were cluttered across the living room floor. With every step she took, her breaths became more shallow and heavy until she was gasping for air. The shadow creature advanced quickly, its shapeless body spreading out widely like a black mist.
Nia’s back slammed against the wall. Her fingers desperately gripped the small grooves between the separate planks of wood as if she could simply pry away the wall and run away into the night. The shadow creature hissed, rearing back what looked to be its head, and swung its left willowy mist-like arm high above its head, its see-through fingers shimmering in the dark.
The Mystical Knights: The Sword of Dreams Page 5