Legacy First Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3 of the Legacy Series

by Ryan Attard

  If my words affected the Asian guy, he didn’t show it. “Yes, that is true, I do not know of your troubles. But I find that once you share them, you are able to see your problems with a more rational perspective.”

  “I don’t wanna talk about it. It might get me killed.” I looked away from him. “You may be the killer for all I know.”

  “Yosh!” He rubbed his hands together. “A story for a story,” he said, extending both index fingers.

  I couldn’t help smiling. It was so funny watching this middle-aged man with gray hair, smelling of fish, waving about his fingers. The enthusiasm was something I’d expect from a kid, not an adult with a mission from God.

  “It’s a long story,” I warned.

  “And the fish take a long time to cook,” he replied.

  “Whatever.” I shrugged. “But you go first. What are you?”

  Tenzin stood and bowed deeply. “I am a poor man from a Tibetan village that no longer exists. It was destroyed by dark creatures many, many years ago. I was found and adopted by a monastery in the Iga Mountains in Japan. They taught me to abandon myself to faith and let go of my anger and other earthly attachments. In return, I was blessed with powers to bring about peace and kindness.”

  As he spoke, his form shimmered in light and power beyond anything I had ever felt before. Like an aura, the light intensified, becoming more solid. Tenzin stood in the middle of a Buddha made out of light. It would have been funny and clichéd, were it not for the sheer power of Tenzin’s aura. It was as though I were in the middle of a vast ocean with no end in sight.

  “My faith allows me to summon the elements in the forms of devas, or animal spirits.” Tenzin’s voice echoed like a struck gong. His words resonated inside my very core as if the deity he represented was speaking directly at me. “I believe you have already met one of them.”

  “The horse,” I said, remembering the creature made out of pure white light that had destroyed the wraith.

  “Yes. It represents purity, and only manifests itself in the presence of foul creatures,” Tenzin said.

  The Buddha behind him dissolved again and shrunk. It solidified into a creature about half my height, and when the light became less intense I could make out a canine figure. Tenzin sat back down on the trunk and watched the dog as it took on the shape of an Alsatian with gray-white fur and intelligent blue eyes. The dog hung its head low and padded toward me. Without any warning, it extended its long wet tongue and began licking my fingers. My hand caressed its head, trailing along from its wet nose to the soft, silky fur on its snout. The creature lowered its head further. I rubbed the fur behind its ears and on its shoulders. All I heard for a few minutes were the intense short breaths of the dog as it rumbled happily with its tongue hanging out and tail whipping from side to side.

  I sensed power radiating from it, a more compressed and focused version of the Buddha’s, like a different instrument playing on the melody. It seemed more familiar, a sensation that touched my heart directly—as if my troubles no longer existed and everything was going to be all right. The darkness I thought had become my very existence shed away to reveal the happy yet lonely boy who had lost his way in the world.

  The more I petted the dog, the more light-hearted I became. It was that feeling of pure comfort and love, something rarely felt by humans with their jaded brains. A feeling of utter kindness and devotion, a feeling of pure love.

  The back of my head, the jaded part hardened by years of living a life of traps and fighting, connected the dots. Those were feelings associated with dogs. The dog was a spell, so these feelings must be the effect of magic, and therefore, not real.

  I forced my hand away from the dog and a shiver ran through my spine as if I had done the most unnatural thing in the world. The dog reared its head up and stared at me with its intelligent eyes.

  “The power to give kindness to others,” Tenzin said as he nodded towards the dog. “That is the true power of a god, the power to give unto others kindness, respect and love.”

  “So, it’s not a trick?” My voice was throaty, as if I were about to burst into tears at any moment.

  “No,” Tenzin said gently. “I do not control the power of Kami-sama. I am merely a conduit, a vessel for a greater being. That-” he pointed at the dog “-is an aspect of God, one it decided to bestow on you.”

  His words hit me hard, and a lump formed in my throat. My hand reached out and petted the dog once more. Peace and clarity entered me, filling me with hope.

  “Thank you,” I mouthed to the animal as I felt something small, hot and wet trickle down my cheeks. The dog rolled out its tongue again and hyperventilated happily. It slowly dissolved, vanishing from beneath my fingers.

  “Wow.” I wiped my eyes with my sleeve.

  “Indeed,” Tenzin replied.

  “Have you ever felt that?”

  “Every day of my life. Especially when I help someone like you,” he said kindly.

  “No wonder you’re always smiling,” I retorted.

  “Yes, I am truly blessed.” He prodded a fish. “Still a little raw. Perhaps we can pass the time with one more story,” he said, looking at me intently.

  “Fine. But first, I gotta ask you something.”

  “Ask away.”

  “I had a blanket with me wherever I went. You didn’t happen to pick that up as well did you?” I asked, half-expecting him to say that he left Djinn in that alleyway.

  Tenzin rose from his seat, flipped the trunk open and tilted it. Inside was my short sword with its cover slightly looser than I remembered.

  “Quite the weapon you carry, Erik,” he remarked. He closed the lid and sat back on the trunk. “That sort of thing is quite dangerous.”

  “It’s a family heirloom.”

  “It’s a dangerous artifact capable of tainting your thoughts.”

  “It’s my channel. It’s attuned to me,” I replied.

  “Hm, that would explain the hostility I sensed from it,” Tenzin pondered. He sighed. “Either way, I cannot give it back yet.”

  “And why the hell not?” I said angrily. I began forming a plan to attack him, although I wasn’t very confident in my powers after his demonstration. But on the other hand, that channel was my only source of magic and a connection to my family—the loving members.

  I was ready to fight if that’s what it took to retrieve it.

  “Because I would rather both of us remain unarmed and enjoyed a peaceful breakfast,” Tenzin replied simply.

  “Fine. Shall I start with my story or my power?”

  “Are you not a wizard?”

  “Not exactly.” I paced around the warehouse. The place looked like an abandoned chop shop. I picked up a rusty nail, a long one, and held it towards Tenzin like a magician displaying his cards.

  “Erik, what are you going to do with th-”

  Before he could finish his sentence I stabbed the nail into my palm. It tore through my flesh and an inch of rusty steel emerged from back of my hand.

  Tenzin rushed over to me. “What are you doing?” he asked as he grasped my hand.

  “It’s okay,” I reassured him. “Just pull it out.”

  “Doesn’t it hurt?” he asked with genuine concern.

  “I’m used to much worse.”

  Tenzin pulled the nail free and tossed it behind him.

  “Look.” I wiped blood away from my hand so that the hole was visible. Tenzin gasped softly as the wound healed itself in a matter of seconds. He prodded the newly sealed flesh tentatively.

  “Good as new,” I said.

  “Remarkable,” he whispered, staring at the spot on my palm. “You have a truly amazing gift, Erik.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t see it that way,” I replied. “I can heal from almost anything. But I can’t use magic because of it.”

  Tenzin’s eyes darkened. “So, I suspect this special blade of yours is the only way you can use magic? Is that why you were prepared to attack me to retrieve it?”


  “Yes.” I hung my head slightly. “And sorry.”

  Tenzin let out a chuckle. “No matter, my young friend, no matter. But I would still like to share a breakfast without weapons if it’s all the same to you. I promise to return your belongings after we are done and we decide where you are headed next.”

  I frowned slightly. Decide where I was headed next seemed like code for ‘tell you what to do and where to go’. Still, if he wanted to hurt me, he had ample opportunity to do so. Might as well play along until I got my sword back. Then, I could play by my rules again.

  But for now, I had a story to recount.

  Chapter 32

  Tenzin waited patiently until I finished my story, nodding slightly whenever I hit a dramatic moment. I found myself talking and talking, spewing the story out like water from a dam. It seemed so surreal, as if I were recounting a movie rather than my life story.

  A bad movie, at that.

  Once I got to the part about Djinn and explained how it was an heirloom from my mother, Tenzin exhaled in a long breath and got off his trunk. He took the blade out, careful to grasp it only by the parts that were covered by the blanket and handed it to me without a word. I paused for a moment just to enjoy the familiar feeling of the channel in my hands. Putting it aside, I kept on with my story.

  The fish tasted delicious. Neither Tenzin nor I said a word after I finished the story and he handed me a skewered fish, cooked just right. I dug in ravenously, not caring for bones or scales. He simply smiled and offered me a second fish. I muttered my thanks and devoured that, too. Tossing the skewers away, I sighed in relief—best meal ever.

  “So, what now?” I asked.

  Tenzin rubbed his goatee absentmindedly. “Now, I shall go into the city and wander around. I am sure Kami-sama will guide me.”

  I snorted softly. I was never one for religious belief. Being raised by a demon in a house in the middle of the forest does wonders for your cynicism. It seemed stupid to me, wandering around, bumping into stuff and calling it an act of god. Sounded like something a directionless person would do.

  Yes, but where is your direction, Erik? said the small voice inside my head. Where are you gonna go?

  The voice was right. I had nowhere to go, and the idea of someone or something smarter than me telling me where to go sounded good from where I was standing. Maybe God will provide for me the same way it provided for Tenzin.

  Let’s just hope that God wasn’t picky.

  Tenzin seemed to read my mind. “I would be honored if you joined me for a while, Erik. It would be wonderful to have some company,” he said with his usual smile.

  ***

  “What exactly are we doing here?”

  My voice was drowned amid a busy, open market. People were everywhere, some stopping abruptly to look at something in a stall. Others brushed against me, twisting my shoulders and sending me staggering. A few spoke loudly and obnoxiously on their cell phones as they weaved in and out of the crowd. Worse than them were the rude bastards who just shouted across the street to their friends.

  Tenzin stopped in front of a stall, and I felt his rucksack against my chest. His fingers mused over the crate of fruit in front of him and picked up a couple of oranges. He extracted a few coins from his pocket and paid the stall owner. He then pulled me aside and handed me an orange. I stood there with a quizzical look on my face, trying to force an explanation out of him.

  “Now, we wait,” was all he said. “And eat.” His fingers dug into the orange skin and peeled the fruit.

  “Eat,” he insisted as he took a bite.

  I peeled the fruit and put a slice in my mouth. It tasted delicious and cool. As I swallowed, warmth grew in my belly with a slight tingling sensation. I looked up at Tenzin, who chewed contentedly and winked at me. My eyes caught movement and I saw something white and opaque on the hand holding his orange. At first I thought it was a bird of sorts. It looked like a puff of smoke, with wisps of white curling around it like threads. It hopped from his palm to his forearm, its ears flopping in the air.

  The smallest of rabbits, tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand. It made its way along Tenzin’s arm and touched its nose to the fruit.

  “The rabbit deva makes a single item of food last for the whole day in your body,” Tenzin explained. He picked up the bunny with his other hand and placed it on my shoulder. The rabbit deva wiggled its nose two inches from my eyes in that funny way that only rabbits can manage. It hopped down my arm and did its nose-waggling at my orange before disappearing into a puff of smoke.

  “Weird.” I took another bite, and could swear that the orange tasted better than before. The warmth in my stomach increased. It wasn’t uncomfortable, just deeply satisfying. “But handy to have around,” I commented.

  Tenzin opened his mouth to respond, but held his silence. His eyes darted towards something behind me and pulled me farther under the shade of the wall.

  “No, you listen to me.” The angry voice came from the direction of the market. A short man wearing an apron yelled at his cellphone while sweat trickled down his forehead. “I ain’t going inside that goddamn place before you call pest control. That thing attacked me. It’s the size of a truck now. Call them animal people or somethin’. No, you listen to me, dammit. I ain’t getting no crates of ham. Probably why the goddamn thing got so big in the first place. Call pest control or something, or I ain’t opening that warehouse ever again. Let the damn thing rot in there for all I care.” He snapped his phone shut and fumed. The man wiped his brow and shifted his weight uncomfortably.

  “Wait here,” Tenzin said with a smirk.

  I watched as he walked briskly towards the man, who had his back turned to Tenzin. The latter collected his power, and I remembered his overwhelming energy when he summoned the Buddha. The effect lasted only a second, and a familiar Alsatian dog manifested beside Tenzin. I smiled as I watched him talk to the stall manager and bow slightly to him. The man kept talking to Tenzin, but bent down to pet the dog, which was acting docile and goofy, tongue hanging out and huffing happily. The man exclaimed “Thank you!” to Tenzin and shook his hand enthusiastically. Tenzin bowed curtly and walked away.

  “We have a job to do tonight,” he said.

  “Yeah.” I paused. “So, is convincing people to trust you considered an act of God?”

  Tenzin let out a chuckle. “Let’s call it divine intervention,” he said as he glanced at the dog. The Alsatian barked once and disappeared into a million specks of light.

  Warehouse fifteen was dank and gray. It looked like something out of a B-movie, with a rusted door and moss slowly populating the sides, one square inch at a time. The entire area was bathed in orange lights and shadows. It was a warehouse haven, each placed next to the other like Lego blocks.

  “This is it,” Tenzin said as he pointed at the large number 15 painted in red over the right side of the door. I rolled my eyes and tried not to say anything about stating the obvious.

  “My boy, would you mind getting the door?” Tenzin placed a hand on his hip and massaged it. “I’m an old man with a bad back.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “You’re rubbing your hip.”

  “I meant to say my hips.”

  “And yet, you said your back.”

  “Would you please open the door, Erik? My English is not so good, you see.”

  “Seemed perfectly good to me until now.”

  “I am an old man, Erik.”

  I gripped the door handle and dragged it to the side. The rusted hinges offered a little resistance before giving. A crack of darkness grew wide enough for two people to pass through side-by-side.

  “I know you’re old,” I replied as we got in. “You’re going senile.”

  Tenzin said nothing and walked inside, veering toward the right.

  “Look at this,” he said as he pointed at something very close to the door.

  I glanced over his shoulder. “Is that-”

  “Yes,” he replied. He poked a finger i
nside the large pile of manure. “This is chiropteran droppings.”

  “Ew,” I replied. “Do you usually dig your hands in poop?”

  “If necessary.”

  “And did you wash your hands before handing me that orange earlier today?”

  Tenzin stood up and pondered. “I really cannot remember.”

  My stomach turned.

  “But do not worry,” he continued. “The rabbit deva acts as a disinfectant.”

  “Really?”

  Tenzin shrugged. I was about to say something when we heard it. A shriek, like a thousand crows, echoed throughout the warehouse, making everything vibrate.

  “Erik,” Tenzin whispered once the shriek stopped, leaving only a ringing silence. “Crouch down very slowly and do not make a sound.”

  I obeyed, and slid against the wall with my eyes transfixed in the darkness. Tenzin fumbled around and I heard a metallic click. He had flipped the circuit breaker, once again illuminating the warehouse.

  I heard a shriek and a violent gust of wind blasted me. Instinctively, I pushed sideways, my legs burning with the effort, and rolled awkwardly to my right. The black monster flew cleanly by and circled back. It hung upside down from a support bar, squeezing the metal under the grip of its talons.

  At first glance it looked like a giant bat, maybe two and a half meters in length. It had talons like a raptor’s that squeezed the metal support bar it hung from, crushing it like a tin can.

  The monster stood tall and proud like an eagle, except that it was upside down. Its body was covered in long black fur, giving it a puffed-up look. From its sides, a pair of bat-like wings spread out, each two meters long and made out of thick, jet-black leather. A pair of wicked, curved claws, like meat hooks, reflected the light. They were the same color as the wings, completely hidden in darkness until the moment they skewered you. Its head cocked itself at an angle like a bird’s. A pair of knobby, forward-facing horns emerged from the sides of its head where its ears should have been. The horns vibrated slightly, picking up on any movement or sound. The chiropteran opened its mouth to deliver a quick shriek. It had no pointy fangs or fancy beak. Instead I saw a hole, like a sucker, and around this sucker were rows of small teeth, like a spiral of white enamel. I shuddered involuntary. Those teeth weren’t for ripping out flesh. They were made for juicing you into a gooey paste that could be sucked directly into the monster’s stomach.