The Eye of Luvelles

by Phillip Jones

  “Where are we off to?” the demon questioned as he yawned. As the weight of his paws cleared the porch, the life’s source that ran through the building replenished the area where it had been displaced.

  George marveled as the color returned to the planks. I’ll never get used to that. I still can’t believe the buildings are alive, he thought.

  After leading Athena down the steps, the mage placed his hand on the demon’s neck. “The Head Master has sent for us. We’re supposed to meet him at his school at the center of the village.”

  “Finally. I hope he has a task worthy of my prowess. If I’d spent another moment lying on that porch, I would’ve lost my mind.”

  George nodded. “I agree, big guy. Lying on a porch is totally taxing,” he poked.

  Now, fellow soul ... just a quick reminder—the village of Floren had been the family’s home for 115 Peaks of Bailem by the moment the Head Master called for George. After their arrival on Luvelles, George and Kepler maintained a low profile. This was necessary to stay out of the spotlight since the Collective had no idea they had fled to Luvelles—except Lasidious and Celestria.

  After George killed the witches that Celestria stayed with during her pregnancy, there was no reason to use his magic. George retrieved Lasidious’ newborn son from the witches’ home and had been playing the role of uncle ever since.

  Athena’s sister, Susanne, did a wonderful job adapting to motherhood, despite the fact she had never given birth. A vision had been implanted in Susanne’s mind. With her whole heart, she believed she was the child’s mother.

  The rest of Athena’s family had also been given the same vision to create the same belief. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Susanne was the child’s mother. The facade worked.

  George gave Lasidious and Celestria’s son the name Garrin. The god-child’s birth broke the most sacred rule within the Book of Immortality—a rule created by the gods to avoid a power struggle between those who formed the Collective. The rule forbade two gods from having a child, and Gabriel, the Book of Immortality, was in charge of enforcing this rule.

  Lasidious, staying true to form and doing what the Mischievous One did best, found a way to break this rule with his lover, Celestria. The conception and birth of their son had been planned for more than 11,000 seasons, and special precautions had been taken to keep the Book of Immortality from knowing the child existed.

  The Collective believed that a being born of two gods could quite possibly possess the ability to seize control of the Book. Gabriel would no longer be able to protect the gods from one another. Instead, the Book would be forced to serve. Chaos would be the result. Now that the child was born, all that remained in the execution of their plan was that George needed to hide Garrin’s existence from the Collective until the baby was old enough to command his power.

  The theft of the Crystal Moon was brilliant. Hiding its pieces provided the perfect distractions. These diversions had kept the gods busy and led the beings of Southern Grayham into the largest war that world had ever seen.

  Lasidious created a pact with George—a promise to retrieve his daughter’s soul from the Book of Immortality and allow her to live again. The Mischievous One used this promise to motivate George. Though Lasidious had shown him the way to attain substantial magic, this level of power had been achieved by many on Luvelles. Further attention to George’s growth was necessary to accomplish the Mischievous One’s goals.

  The village of Floren was an area of highly concentrated magic, and the air smelled of it. The strongest of all who commanded the arts—both white and dark—came to Floren to begin their training. But true to the nature of these conflicted paths, they parted ways once their training was complete.

  The Head Master’s school was only for those with exceptional skill—beings who possessed power like George stole from Amar. Few were allowed to attend Brayson’s school, and fewer still were allowed to train under the Head Master’s supervision.

  While learning advanced magic, it was common for a student to become injured. As a result, Floren had a collection of some of the finest healers on all the worlds.

  Healers who trained under the High Priestess on Harvestom were often recruited to come to Luvelles to serve the Head Master’s school. Many of the High Priestess’ students perfected their craft while saving the lives of over zealous pupils of magic. The best-of-the-best healers were often employed by the Head Master himself to stay on as staff of the school’s vestry. Many never returned to their homeworlds.

  It was not long before George stood with Athena and Kepler at the base of the Head Master’s school. The building was invisible to the naked eye. If it had not been for the note delivered to Kebble’s Kettle with specific directions and detailed instructions, George would not have known that they had arrived.

  Words to a spell had been scribed on the parchment. They were written in the elven language, and without Kebble’s help, George would not have been able to pronounce them to reveal the entrance. The mage spoke with a forceful tongue. “Aaw’ meenle nuava calan ar’ ta hewsta e’ ale’queneel,” which meant—May thy paths be green and the breeze at thy backs.

  Athena squealed when the door appeared.

  The mage reached out to open it. “Hmpf, just another freaky thing. I wish I could say that I’m surprised, but not much surprises me any longer.” George motioned for Athena to enter. “After you, my dear.” Once she was inside, he looked at Kepler. “Get your furry ass in there.”

  Kepler growled, “There are Peaks when you look like a morsel.”

  “I’m just kidding, buddy. Don’t get your hairy panties in a bunch. Besides, I taste like garesh.”

  The demon sauntered in without responding.

  “Sheesh! Tough crowd,” George snickered.

  Once the door shut, the entrance vanished to the outside world. The inside of the school was capacious. A circular staircase stretched upward for what seemed to be forever. Bookcases full of endless knowledge lined every wall and stretched upward just as far. The furniture was made of dark, heavy stone. Symbols had been chiseled into their surfaces and were filled with gold. Each symbol had a unique meaning, representing the paths of white and dark magic. The floor throughout the tower changed color. The green glow faded and was replaced with a bright yellow. It was as if a source of light had been placed beneath to shine through.

  “Everything is so beautiful,” Athena marveled as she watched many pairings of fairies carry assorted tomes from one shelf to another. “It looks like they’re reorganizing. Look, George! Look at how many it takes to carry that book. I bet there are at least seven of them.”

  George was still fascinated with the floor. He bent over to see if the light created warmth, but before he had the chance to touch it, a silver sphere, about twice the size of his fist, appeared and hovered in front of them.

  A moment later, the fairies quickly placed the books they were carrying on a nearby shelf and fled from sight.

  Kepler snarled, “Why do they flee?”

  George shrugged. “Who cares? Look at this thing.” George could not stop marveling at the sphere. “Holy horror movies. I feel like I’ve just walked onto the set of Phantasm.” He reached out to poke the sphere. “Maybe it’ll lead us to the Head Master.”

  “Well, don’t just stand there, imbecile, say something to it,” the demon-jaguar growled. “See if it responds.” A moment later, the jaguar added, “I don’t have a good feeling about this ... this ... thing.”

  Athena tugged at George’s tunic. “I agree with Kepler. Something isn’t right. Let’s return to the inn. We can come back when someone is here to greet us properly.”

  George rolled his eyes and put on a smile. “Babe, don’t worry about it. Everything will be—”

  Before he could finish his sentence, small electric shocks erupted from the ball. Kepler roared as the first of these charges hit his nose. George threw up a wall of force to protect them, but the ball moved through the barrier as if i
t was not there and once again, took the offensive.

  Athena was hit. She cried out, begging for George to protect her. The mage lifted his hands. Fire erupted from his fingertips, pushing the ball back through the barrier, but not before the sphere absorbed the magic and then used the power against him.

  The flames cut through the air at a high rate of speed and were aimed at George’s head. The mage managed to get out of the way, but the books sitting on the shelves behind him exploded from the intensity of the energy.

  The force knocked the trio across the room. As they landed, the floor turned red while George and the now unconscious Athena slid to a stop.

  Kepler was not so fortunate. The jaguar had taken the brunt of the explosion. He stopped sliding only after he hit his head against the edge of a heavy, stone table that sat beneath the spiral staircase. The jaguar’s hellish roar was deafening.

  Chills ran down George’s spine as he heard the demon’s cry. The mage jumped to his feet and shouted to capture the sphere’s attention.

  Again, the sphere shot its charges, hitting George on the legs. Pissed, George screamed, “Take this, you S.O.B!” The mage blasted the ball with hundreds of magical arrows that sent the sphere crashing into a bookcase located at the far side of the chamber. The severity of the collision sent pieces of not only the shelf, but the books flying in every direction.

  George threw up another wall of force to keep Athena from being hit again, but his act of heroism left him vulnerable. The edge of a heavy binding caught him on the temple after it toppled off a shelf above his head. Dazed, the mage fell to the floor and struggled to stay alert. A moment later, the silver menace lifted off the floor and resumed its attack.

  Kepler growled as he struggled to stand. His head had suffered a nasty gash, and his coat was singed. He could feel the blood saturating his fur as he looked at George. “We can’t take much more of this!”

  George was unable to respond.

  Knowing it was up to him, the giant cat launched into the air. As he came down, the demon hit the sphere with his right paw. A metallic clanking sound pierced the air as the ball bounced across the floor and hit the wall. The now purple light beneath the floor reflected off the sphere’s shiny surface as it rolled to a stop.

  Kepler followed. Covering the distance, he pounced onto his enemy, putting all of his weight on top of the sphere to hold it down. He turned to shout, “George, get over—”

  Suddenly, the demon-cat roared in pain, unable to finish his plea. He pulled his massive paw clear of the ball’s surface. Blood poured from the end of three silver spikes that had broken free of the sphere and remained embedded in the pads of his paw. Kepler’s roar reverberated throughout the tower with such force that three more tomes fell from various shelves and landed with a thud.

  The smack of the books against the floor helped to clear George’s mind. As he regained his composure, the floor turned blue. The mage grabbed the nearest bookshelf and used it as a crutch to maintain his balance. As he did, he saw Athena lying motionless behind his wall of force. The mage’s anger turned to hatred for his enemy.

  Finding the ball, he shouted for Kepler to move clear. The giant cat limped away, leaving a trail of black blood across the floor as it completed its cycle, returning to green.

  Before George could take the offensive, the sphere moved to hover just outside the invisible wall that protected Athena. Now awake, she screamed as another electrical charge passed through her pocket of protection and hit her belly. Seeing this, George’s emotions took over and fueled his power to a level he had never experienced.

  Kepler sensed that George’s use of magic was going to be dangerous. The jaguar leapt skyward and used his massive claws to rip into the spiral staircase where he hung suspended.

  Looking back over his shoulder, the demon watched as George lifted his hands to release his wickedness. The hatred the mage felt for his enemy after seeing his wife and unborn baby in danger, added to his magic’s velocity and voracity. A powerful wave of water erupted from George’s fingertips, and the gush consumed the lower level of the tower.

  The torrential force pushed the ball backward, smashing it against the bookshelves as George placed yet another wall of protection around himself. The orb sunk to the now yellow floor that cast an eerie glow throughout the water as it sloshed about.

  The wave had not only stopped the ball, but it also filled the room, chest deep. Beneath the surface, the sphere exploded, sending a powerful fountain of water and debris skyward. Kepler was the one to suffer. Besides being drenched, the demon was clubbed with many heavy tomes, and as a result, he was knocked clear of the staircase. The cat landed with a walloping splash.

  George lowered his pocket of protection and pushed through the refuse to get to Athena. Once submerged, he found his wife sitting unharmed inside her bubble. He gave Athena a wink and then stood to check on Kepler.

  The jaguar was miserable, as all wet, oversized pussycats would be.

  George lifted his hand, but during this series of moments, it was in the direction of the door. He used his magic to open it. The water siphoned out of the school and gushed down the stairs, away from the tower. Once George was certain there would be no other threats, he released Athena from her barrier.

  From high above, a male voice called out, “Well done … ha, ha, ha … well done, George!” A figure in a red robe descended. He did not use the spiral staircase, but rather, he floated toward them.

  As the man removed his hood, George could see he had short, brown hair and a goatee. He appeared to be an older man, maybe 55 or 60 seasons, with elven features, something George had become accustomed to seeing since the family’s arrival on Luvelles. He could only imagine how old this guy really was, since other elves—elves who also looked his age—were typically hundreds of seasons old.

  “A good first lesson. You handled yourself well. Amar said you would be a worthy Mystic Learner. I’m sure you can understand my desire to see for myself.”

  George did not respond. Instead, he trudged through what was left of the watery mess, now only ankle-deep with a blue glow. He assisted Athena to her feet, and then he pushed her hair clear of her face. “Are you okay?”

  Athena nodded and reached down to rub her belly. “I think so.”

  George whirled around and glared at the man in the red, power robe. “Who the hell are you?”

  “I don’t know of this hell you speak of, but you know who I am.”

  “My wife is pregnant, you son of a—”

  “Now, now, now! Let’s not be hasty, George. You’re assuming I didn’t know she was pregnant. I know plenty. I would never challenge you with magic strong enough to do any real damage to you or your wife.” The Head Master looked around. “Well ... not to your wife anyway. The sphere knew to use weaker magic on Athena. The charges were not strong enough to hurt her or your baby.”

  The Head Master smirked. “Besides, there are plenty of healers readily available if she were to suffer an injury. The orb’s stronger magic was only directed toward you and Kepler. In fact, it was your power that did the real damage. Looking back, perhaps I should have taken away the sphere’s ability to deflect fire. I was concerned when the explosion from the blast knocked Athena unconscious. I’ll need to remember this for later encounters.”

  Headmaster Brayson ID

  Fellow Soul … Mogg, the Sprite Queen is also depicted in this image, but you will learn of her later on in this tale.

  The Head Master took a look around. “Look at my bookshelves. They’re a mess. I trust you’re unharmed, Athena.”

  Athena stayed quiet, but Kepler did not hesitate to jump into the conversation after pulling the last spike free of his paw with his teeth. “Don’t forget me! I’m sure your concern is not limited to humans. I’m the one bleeding all over your floor. My paw is riddled with holes, and the back of my head is throbbing.”

  The elf laughed. “I’m sure you won’t bleed out before the flow stops. I don’t think I
’ve ever seen a beast your size cry so.”

  Kepler growled, “I wonder how elf tastes.”

  The Head Master simply smiled and ignored the demon’s threat. “Let’s retire to my office, shall we?” He waved his hand and the group began to float upward.

  Athena shrieked as her feet left the floor, but the Head Master was quick to take hold of her arm. “Relax, my dear. There’s nothing to fear. My name is Brayson Id.”

  George watched the gap between his feet and the floor expand. “Brayson, I’m sure I should feel like it’s a pleasure to meet you, but you’re going to have to forgive my lack of enthusiasm.”

  The Head Master frowned, “I told Athena my name is Brayson. I did not say you could use it, George. You shall call me Master Id.”

  “I’ll what? You must be out of your freaking mind if you think—”

  Before the mage could finish, George began to fall toward the floor. As he fell, he shouted, “Master! Master!” His descent jerked to a halt just above the purple glow. Once again, the mage began to lift toward the others.

  “Ha! Now that was primal,” Kepler mused with a sinister grin. “George, you should’ve seen your face. It was a moment I won’t soon forget.” A drop of blood fell from the cat’s paw and passed George’s head before it landed in what was left of the water that was now turning yellow.

  George snapped, “Don’t forget, Kep ... I may not be able to fight off the Master, but I can give you a look to match Kroger’s.”

  The demon stopped laughing. The idea of being turned to stone was not pleasing. He looked at the others. “What a trobleted soul he is.”

  Everyone laughed, except Athena. She had never seen George command the kind of power he had used to defeat the sphere. His magic bothered her. She would need to speak with him, but now was not the right moment. She put on a strong face and joined the conversation. “Honey, you’re adorable when you’re angry.”