The Legend of the Firewalker

by Steve Bevil [paranormal/YA]

  Nathan still looked frantic. “There has to be something I can do!” he pleaded.

  “I’m sorry, Nathan. The best thing you can do is to not let fear of the future dictate your choices; live in the present and allow for the natural course of life to happen, regardless of what you think you already know.”

  “But…”

  Malick quickly interrupted. “What you do today or what Lafonda chooses to do will decide the future, not some premonition or dream.”

  Nathan stood idle while watching Malick fiddle with the lighter fluid bottle. Occasionally, Malick would look up and Nathan would turn his head away. The best thing I can do is do nothing? he asked himself. How can I do nothing and just let Lafonda die? What’s the point of premonitions and having prophetic dreams if you can’t do anything about it?

  Nathan wiped water from his ear. His hair was still damp from the sprinkle of water. He turned around to look at Malick again, this time focusing on his hands. He watched as Malick continued to have difficulty with the lighter fluid bottle and matches to start the fire. “You were an expert at that about a week ago,” he laughed.

  Malick stopped fumbling long enough to grin. “Well, that was a week ago,” he said, passing the bottle to him.

  Nathan smiled nervously. He glanced at Malick’s hands again. He remembered how much control he had in casting the energy ball into the lake. He didn’t even think about it. Nathan stared at the lighter fluid bottle in his hands. “What about fire?” he blurted out.

  “Yeah,” chuckled Malick. “I thought that was the goal here.”

  “No, not that!” said Nathan with frustration. “Is fire an ability of Pneuma Novo too?”

  Malick’s eyes carefully studied Nathan’s face. “That’s an interesting question,” he said. “Why are you asking that?”

  Nathan hesitated. “In my dream,” he said. “After Lafonda died…something else happened.”

  Malick looked on curiously, “What?”

  “In my dream,” said Nathan. “A blue flame came out of my hand and I am pretty sure it wasn’t just a dream because when I awoke, the foot of my bed was on fire.”

  Malick had a blank look on his face. Slowly, he sat down on one of the logs again. “Are you saying you set the bed on fire with like a book of matches?”

  Nathan rolled his eyes. “No,” he protested.

  Malick continued to look on skeptically.

  “I admit,” he said. “I wasn’t sure myself at first, but I know that fire came from out of my hand.”

  “Maybe you just don’t remember setting the fire,” Malick said doubtfully.

  “The fire was blue!”

  Malick lowered his head. “This can’t be true,” he said, underneath his breath. “I mean what are the odds? This has to be next to impossible!” He looked into Nathan’s longing and inquisitive face. “But if what you are saying is true?” He sat in contemplation for a moment. Then softly bit his lip before abruptly springing to his feet. “This just keeps getting worse!” he grumbled.

  “What?” asked Nathan, eagerly. “What is it? I mean – why is it impossible?”

  Malick shook his head. He appeared slightly gloomy. “You sure are racking it up in the gifts department,” he said.

  “So fire is a form of Pneuma Novo?” asked Nathan.

  “Yes,” answered Malick. “Not only is it a form of Pneuma Novo, it’s the rarest one there is.” Malick began to pace around the fire pit. “There is only one person ever known to manipulate Pneuma into fire, Nathan,” he said. “And the story about that person sounds more like something you would tell around a campfire or read in a fairytale.”

  “So what does this mean? Am I in danger?”

  Malick faked a chuckle. “More than you apparently already are?”

  Nathan didn’t look amused.

  Malick slowly nodded. “Yes,” he said. “You are in more danger than I first realized.”

  Nathan grew silent. His thoughts were racing and he felt overwhelmed. He didn’t know where to start or what to do. First Leah was in danger, then his friends, and now he was too.

  “Have you used your ability since the dream?” asked Malick.

  “No,” answered Nathan slowly. He paused. “But then again, well, technically yes.”

  Malick looked confused. “You mean today, when you produced an energy ball to hit that wood bin?”

  “Right, but not exactly,” he said. “The other day I used my ability to produce an energy ball to protect myself and Jonas from these creatures.”

  Malick pursed his lips. “Little black and grey furry ones with razor sharp fangs that will cut into you like fire ants at a picnic?”

  Nathan nodded. “Yes.”

  Malick began to pace again. “This just keeps getting better and better,” he responded sarcastically. “You know,” he said. “Feel free to just stop talking at any time.”

  “Sorry!” apologized Nathan. “But what does this all mean?”

  Malick paused to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “Wow, this is intense,” he said. “And Jonas is involved in this too?” He stared blankly for a moment before slowly running his hands backwards through his hair. “Well, I guess it’s a safe bet that they know who you are if they are sending Shadow Creatures after you.”

  “Shadow Creatures?” asked Nathan.

  “Yeah. They are called Shadow Creatures because normally they are cloaked in shadow.” Malick had an ornery look on his face. “The cute little black and grey furry ones with sharp claws and teeth are called Necrocritters.”

  “That would explain how they could be here one moment, but then gone the next,” responded Nathan.

  “Yeah,” said Malick. “When they are cloaked in shadow they are very difficult to defend against because they are so hard to see.”

  Nathan nodded. “But you know what?” he said. “I don’t think they were after me.”

  A few wrinkles appeared on Malick’s forehead. “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “I don’t think they were after me at all…I think they were after Jonas.”

  “Jonas?” asked Malick in disbelief. “Why would they be after Jonas?”

  “Last week,” said Nathan. “The night of the bonfire – I woke up to find Jonas in a trance, and when I followed him…” He took a moment to lean in. “Somehow he created a doorway to some type of pseudo dimension. I don’t know how else to describe it. It was like a black and white version of our world; just absent of people. I know I’ve been there before, in my dreams about Leah, and in my dream about Grimm Cemetery. It’s like everything there was frozen.”

  “Wait,” said Malick. “Who is Leah? Is she another person at camp?”

  “No,” said Nathan. “It’s a long story, but I think Leah was being attacked by the same Shadow Creatures.”

  Malick looked confused again. “So how did she get into The Spirit Realm?” he asked.

  “The Spirit Realm?” asked Nathan.

  “The Spirit Realm or The Space In Between,” said Malick. “If Leah was attacked by the same Shadow Creatures she had to have been in The Spirit Realm.”

  “Why is that?” asked Nathan.

  “Some Shadow Creatures are sensitive to natural light and are afraid to cross over into our realm,” said Malick. “Trust me, if Leah was attacked by the Necrocritters she was not here.”

  Nathan stood in silence as Malick attempted to kindle another pit from the fire Nathan started.

  “It’s been a week since you’ve encountered them, right?”

  Nathan nodded.

  “And your friend Leah, she’s okay and so are Jonas and Lafonda, right?” he asked.

  Nathan nodded his head again. “Yeah.”

  “Then for now it looks like they are safe,” said Malick. “And we should concentrate on finding a way to cloak your powers.”

  “But why?” asked Nathan. “You said that as long as I don’t use them, I should be safe.”

  Malick paused. “Yeah, they won’t be able to detect you i
f you aren’t using your powers, however, it doesn’t help you any if you are forced to use your abilities to protect yourself,” he said. “It also doesn’t help if you are unconsciously using them in your dreams.” Malick chuckled. “I guess it’s just another challenge to being a Dream Walker.”

  Nathan shook his head. “You’re telling me,” he said. “It’s becoming more like a curse. Having the ability to see the future sounds good, but it hasn’t been working out for me.” He looked down at his hands again before staring into the fire. “And to top things off – it’s probably going to get me killed.”

  “We’ll figure out something,” said Malick. “And make sure Jonas doesn’t use his ability either.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem, because I don’t think he even knows how to.”

  Malick let out a slight chuckle. “Good,” he said.

  “But wait,” said Nathan. “If you knew all along about The Space in Between stuff and about the Cahokia symbol, why did you try so hard to convince Jonathan that none of it was real?”

  Malick frowned. “Because Jonathan doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into,” he said coldly. “And the less he and everyone else knows – the better.” His tone suddenly softened. “For his sake, he needs to stay in the dark as long as possible. Knowing this stuff changes lives, Nathan. I’ve seen it destroy people.”

  “How?” What do you mean?”

  Malick looked sympathetic. “Some people panic and become reclusive after discovering about the world that lies beyond their white picket fences. Others become obsessed,” he said. “They become fixated on knowing more – to become a part of something new – and when they do; they either disappear, get killed, or become a part of the walking dead.”

  “Well, it doesn’t look like I have a choice,” said Nathan.

  Malick got on his knees and took a deep breath. He slowly blew air into the wood chips and rising smoke that kindled the last fire. “This is really strange,” he said. “Both you and Jonas can Pneuma Novo and neither of you or your families are a part of The Order. I wonder what else is going on at this camp.”

  17

  HEROES

  Nathan sat quietly in the small computer lab in the basement of Lawrence Hall. He didn’t like being stuck in the square, white room another day while campers worked on their final leadership projects. He wished LaDonda had scheduled their group in the much larger computer lab in Fisher Hall next door. Fisher Hall was located adjacent to Lawrence Hall and its computer lab was located on the first floor and had a nice view of the quad.

  Nathan stared blankly at the black computer screen. Over the soft hum of the air conditioner and the sharp clicking sounds of neighboring keyboards, his mind wandered. Occasionally, his thoughts were interrupted by ongoing conversations about the end of camp and the closing ceremony and banquet on Saturday. They had been at camp for three weeks now and most campers were sad to be leaving their newfound friends. But still, for the most part, everyone was excited to finally be able to see their families and loved ones. Nathan was excited too. An entire week had gone by without an attack from the Shadow Creatures and his dreams were just as absent of any impending danger. In fact, most of his dreams had been about food. In his latest dream, no matter how much he ate, his plate would automatically refill with a tall stack of his favorite food; pecan pancakes.

  Nathan was also relieved. He had taken Malick’s advice and stopped using his powers, and he knew that soon Leadership Camp would be over. Every day since his first dream about Leah and the dream about Grimm Cemetery, he’d felt somewhat responsible.

  He had an overwhelming sense of duty to help Leah and to keep his friends safe, but Leah was back home now and soon Jonas would be too, and he and Lafonda would be back at the Devaro Mansion. Nathan couldn’t wait until this was all over. In fact, he often caught himself daydreaming about sitting outside by the pool behind the Devaro Mansion.

  Only a few more days now.

  He didn’t want to think about anything other than what he would be doing for the rest of the summer but his stomach continued to twist into knots. He tried not to think about all the unanswered questions that plagued him after he’d been discovered by Malick.

  Nathan sat back in his chair and sighed. He had so many unanswered questions. And how long did Malick expect him to stay in the dark?

  Nathan tapped his fingers aimlessly on the armrest of his chair. “Who is Argus’s brother?” he asked himself. “And why did he threaten Malick?” He tilted his head to the side as the slew of questions continued to spill out. “What did he mean by ‘don’t try anything’? What had he been afraid that Malick would do?”

  A couple of campers were trying to exchange phone numbers and Nathan tried to tune them out. Who are these dark and terrible forces? he pondered.

  He remembered how adamant Malick had been about keeping him and everyone else in the dark. Was it really for our safety? he thought. And why did Malick know so much about Shadow Creatures and about The Order?

  Nathan sat up in his chair. He saw his reflection in the black computer screen. He paused for a moment, stopped tapping his fingers, and then suddenly decided to turn on the computer. “Shadow Creatures,” he mumbled.

  The black screen came to life and he clicked on the web browser to launch the search engine. Nathan typed in Shadow Creatures and pressed enter. “Shadow Creatures,” he read to himself. “Also known as Shadow Men, Shadow Ghosts, or Shadow People.” He raised his eyebrows and huffed, surveying the claw marks still visible on his shoes. “I know one thing,” he said to himself. “These scratches weren’t made by ghosts or people.”

  He leaned in closer to the screen and clicked on another website. “Paranormal entities,” he read, “that are seen mostly in peripheral vision.” He chuckled. “Sounds like Necrocritters to me.” He turned around to see if anyone was watching him or listening. Hugo and Andy had looked up, but buried their heads back into their computers. Two nearby campers were chatting about sending friend requests over a social networking site and weren’t paying attention.

  “Let’s see,” Nathan said. He typed in the word Necrocritters. “I guess that’s how you spell it,” he said, underneath his breath. The search results produced nothing on the word, just alternative spellings that he was pretty sure were completely off.

  He typed in the phrase The Space In Between and Pneuma Novo and the search engine produced several results, but nothing relevant to what Malick was talking about. He then tried Dream Walker and the search engine took him to a website that described a Dream Walker as a person who works through dreams to understand others, to guide, and to teach.

  “I don’t know about that one,” he said to himself. “I don’t understand half the stuff that has happened to me and the little that I do know is because of Malick. How on Earth would I be able to guide or teach?”

  He took a moment to stretch his neck and then his back, then typed in the words The Spirit Realm and got back 30,000,000 similar results. The first website he clicked on referenced The Spirit Realm to the realm of the Angels, which was similar to what Jonathan had said about The Fallen Ones at the first bonfire.

  “Wait,” he blurted out. “Are they real too?” Nathan recalled Malick saying something about The Fallen Ones being just a myth, but considering Malick’s hero-complex of hiding things to keep people safe, he decided to type it in anyway.

  The search results for The Fallen Ones didn’t return anything back about the Cahokia legend. While researching, he did stumble upon a website that talked about fallen angels producing offspring with humans called Nephilim, but nothing specific about The Fallen Ones being fallen angels.

  He yawned and tried to see what would happen if he searched the phrase Dark and Powerful Forces, but got back a list of webpages that were more about Star Wars than anything else. Nathan was frustrated. He had hoped that with all the Internet searching he would have at least found more answers. For fun he typed in Black Cloaks, Red Cloaks, and even Dark Cloaks, b
ut much to his dismay, only images of various cloaks popped up and several links to where he could buy them.

  Nathan took a deep breath and sighed. He decided that his best bet for answers would probably be Malick but he was sure he wouldn’t be getting anything out of him. Maybe Argus could help. But Nathan was almost certain that if Malick wasn’t telling him anything then for sure Argus wouldn’t either, especially if he was a part of The Order. “The Order,” he blurted out loud.

  Nathan looked around to see who in the lab had heard him. Hugo and Andy had looked up from their computers like before and Eve Maria Evans who was walking past him at the time, kept walking and sat down at her computer.

  Nathan typed in the words The Order and pressed enter. The search engine returned over 520,000,000 relevant results. He scanned the first few pages of links and quickly read the descriptions, but none of them really seemed to fit. He almost gave up, but came across a link to an article written by Dr. C.W. Colvers entitled; Brotherhoods, Secret Societies, and Secret Government-Funded Organizations. In the middle of the article, The Order was listed in an alphabetized list of about 200 secret organizations; right between The Secret Order of the Throne and The Order of the Sphinx.

  Nathan laughed. “The Order of the Sphinx,” he said. “Isn’t that like a Harry Potter book?” He glanced at the long list of organizations again. “Is this guy for real? That’s a lot of so-called secret organizations.” He sighed. “Well, this is the best I’ve got. Maybe this guy knows something.” He typed in Dr. C.W. Colvers and a slew of articles popped-up. From what Nathan could tell, most were self-published in Colvers’ online newsletter called “Now Is The Time To Know.”

  “Really?” he mumbled. “That doesn’t sound too credible.” Nathan twisted his lip in defeat, sat back in his chair again, and tapped his fingers in a rhythmic pattern on the arm of his chair. “I don’t want to waste time trying to find this guy just to hear him ramble on about conspiracy theories,” he said to himself. “There’s got to be another way to check him out that doesn’t involve me reading a bunch of articles or me having to call him.”