by Ed Masessa
She pushed another burst of power through the wand. The spiral of wind spun faster in an ever-tightening tornado, squeezing the Strix until it, too, exploded in a haze of black ash. Then with a quick flick of her wrist, she sent the mini-tornado zooming skyward, where it gradually disappeared.
The third Strix must have realized it was outmatched and quickly retreated beyond the compound walls. “Are you okay?” Henry caught Serena as she collapsed and helped her sit.
“What did I do? Where did that come from?” She rubbed her temples, exhausted and bewildered.
“That was awesome!” Luis jogged toward them. The others quickly followed, peppering Henry and Serena with questions they could not answer.
“I just suddenly knew what to do” was the best Serena could offer.
Coralis watched his apprentices with pride. He decided to let them have the moment to themselves and turned to leave, but the falcon blocked his path. He frowned. He was skeptical. But some part of him remained open to the slightest bit of hope.
He reached out with his mind. “Randall.”
The falcon blinked and hopped forward but did not answer. Instead it squirted a sizable load of urine onto the lawn, then leapt to the side and took flight. It looped behind the castle and disappeared from sight.
Coralis cupped his chin in his hand. It was dangerous to allow wild hopes to preoccupy his thoughts. The falcon had to be nothing but a coincidence.
He grinned at the mess the falcon had left behind. Just maybe …
“The Strix should no longer exist.” Coralis had gathered everyone, including Gretchen, in the Cryptoporticus. He activated the Sugi again with another ancient scroll. A beautiful landscape materialized in holographic-type imagery. Lush green hills ended abruptly at a cliff, pockmarked with caves. Tumultuous waves crashed at the foot of the rocky cliffside, pummeling away like a relentless battering ram that knew it would eventually win.
Small flocks of Strix engaged in battle, viciously tearing at one another yet never doing enough damage to emerge victorious. “These are creatures of ancient lore,” Coralis continued. “There is not much that will harm them. In fact, in their time, their only natural predator was the Giant Roc. They were mindless creatures, and as far as we know, their sole purpose was to kill anything that crossed their paths.”
Bryndis scowled. “How did these two know what to do?” She waved a hand in the direction of Henry and Serena, obviously irritated that she hadn’t thought fast enough to join the battle.
Henry shuffled his feet nervously, glancing at Serena before replying. “For me, it was something Coralis said about their eyes. All I was trying to do was blind it. But then something inside me took over and I suddenly knew that blinding it wouldn’t be enough. So I unleashed the power of the sun.”
Katelyn smiled. “You’re going to have to teach me that.”
Coralis tapped the table and the image disappeared. “One cannot teach instinct. This is not the first time Henry has used it. What about you, Serena?”
“I, um … I’m not quite sure,” she said tentatively. “It was like when someone throws something at you and you react to keep it from hitting you. I didn’t have time to think. I let the wand take over.”
“And how did you feel afterward?” Coralis asked.
She paused in thought. “Exhilarated. But that’s wrong, isn’t it? I mean … I destroyed something with my power—a living creature. I should feel bad.” Her hands began to shake and she quickly rubbed them together.
“What about you, Henry?”
Coralis could see Serena was upset, yet he ignored her emotional turmoil. Henry saw tears welling in her eyes and was suddenly enraged at the old man’s callousness. “You know I felt the same,” he snapped indignantly.
“Uh-oh.” Luis stepped away from Henry.
A dark cloud descended over Coralis’s features as if an explosion was imminent. “As I said, the Strix are creatures of the ancient past.” His voice was low and ominous. “I did not expect this to happen so soon, but it has. It can only mean one thing. A warning shot has been fired over our bow. Our war has begun.”
Gretchen looked at the terrified faces of six frightened children. “Coralis.” She poured the full force of her Voice into that single word.
Everyone in the chamber felt its impact—except Coralis, who turned on her with unsuppressed anger. “You cannot stop this, Gretchen, so please don’t try.”
Gretchen reeled, blinking rapidly. Her reaction led Henry to believe that this might be the first time her use of Voice did not work as she’d intended. She seemed confused, and even more than that, hurt.
Coralis saw it, too. He didn’t apologize, but his tone softened. “While Molly has been saturating your minds with studies, I have been gathering information. Shortly before most of you arrived, Serena was presented with a valuable vision. She entered a pool of life in which the Earth Mother gave her a strong clue to Malachai’s nefarious plan. To the best of my knowledge, the Earth Mother has only appeared to our kind one other time. That time, she appeared to Malachai.”
Molly gasped but Coralis ignored it, forging ahead with urgency. “He was not always evil. He was one of my first apprentices. Even the Earth Mother could not have predicted how his soul would turn to blackness. It was a time of deep despair, and she took him into her confidence, revealing things that helped us avert a crisis of disastrous proportions. But tucked into those revelations was information that no one was ever supposed to know. I have spent weeks analyzing the scrolls Malachai left behind, considering their contents in relation to Serena’s vision. I believe Malachai has found his way into the Temple of Time.”
Molly whistled softly. “Talk about your myths.”
“Unfortunately, not a myth,” said Coralis. The dragon sat on the table, patiently awaiting instructions. A silent command from the Wand Master sent it scurrying to the center, where it transformed into a cloud of mist that began to swirl. Gradually, a solid sphere formed: a globe that looked much like Earth, but unlike any depiction Henry had ever seen. “Millions of years ago, our planet looked like this.” Coralis spoke in a mesmerizing tone. “It consisted of a supercontinent.”
“Pangaea,” said Bryndis.
“Yes, Pangaea.” He nodded his approval. “If you have studied Earth’s history the way our Greenlander has, you will know that the supercontinent gradually separated as tectonic plates shifted. It took millions of years to form the individual continents we have today.” He waved a hand at the globe. The landmasses moved apart, but before they could finish, he froze the map. “As you can see, the land moved in such a way as to trap an enormous body of water, which is known as the Tethys Ocean.”
“You said is, not was,” Katelyn interrupted.
Coralis smiled. “I love an attentive apprentice.” He started the globe in motion and the land continued to shift. “The Tethys Ocean became smaller individual bodies of water as the land divided it up. Some parts of the original ocean are still with us, in the form of the Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian Seas. But there is another part that became trapped below the surface. That should have been the end of the story.
“However, as mankind entered the picture, he began to wander and explore. In her infinite wisdom, the Earth Mother realized there was still a singular access point to the Tethys, and so she worked to create a defense with the ancient ones. I believe you know them as druids,” he said to Katelyn.
“Then they’re real?” Katelyn could not mask her surprise, which made Coralis chuckle.
“Not in the way you were taught. They were men and women like me and you. They were tasked with protecting the planet with undying loyalty and dedication. Several of them were members of the original High Council of Aratta. Under the Earth Mother’s guidance, they traveled to the mountains of what is now known as Tibet, where they were charged with hiding and protecting an artifact. No one knows exactly what this artifact looks like, but we do know that it prevents all access to the Tethys Ocean.”
“Think of all the animals that have become extinct throughout time.” Coralis paused as he surveyed his charges.
Brianna spoke first. “Dinosaurs.”
“The dodo,” Katelyn chimed in.
“The giant sloth from the Ice Age,” Luis added.
“Megalodon,” said Bryndis.
“The Strix?” Serena shrugged, not entirely certain of what Coralis was after.
“Dragons?” Henry guessed.
“All correct,” Coralis affirmed. “All of these and many, many more. All of them began as microbes and developed over millions of years. Now imagine a life source that contains billions of microbes that never had the chance to develop—prehistoric DNA, like lost blueprints to a thousand forgotten beasts. How much havoc could they wreak on the face of the planet?”
“But those blueprints might be for nothing more than kittens,” said Henry. “How do you know they’d make more dinosaurs or dragons?”
“We,” Coralis said emphatically, “don’t know. But the Earth Mother saw the need to protect us from the Tethys and what it contains. And I for one am not going to argue with her.” He waved his hand once more, and the globe spun faster and faster until it was nothing but a blur. As it slowed down, it revealed a magnificent temple.
“I’ve been there.” Serena’s eyes were wide as saucers, filled with awe.
Coralis nodded. “This was your vision. The Temple of Time. The monks you saw are part of an elite force that has protected the artifact from ever being discovered. Not far from the temple is a cave that houses the artifact.”
Serena frowned as she recalled a name implanted deep in her memory. “The Pangaea Particle.”
“Hmmm,” Coralis mumbled, rubbing his chin. “If the Earth Mother gave you that bit of knowledge, this is very serious indeed. The name of the artifact is as closely guarded as the location.”
“But what does it do?” Luis asked at the same time as Bryndis, who then growled at him. He raised his hands defensively. “At least we’re on the same page.”
Coralis circled the table, never taking his eye off the temple. “One theory is that it is a device that, if exposed to the right conditions, could level an entire mountain range.”
“That’s one powerful device,” Molly remarked.
“Yes, it is. But another more logical theory is that it is a source of power that keeps the creatures of the Tethys from emerging into our world. Less of a weapon, more of a shield.” Coralis pursed his lips in a thin line of consternation. “The first theory was that of the High Council. The second was from … ”
“Malachai.” Henry knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the case. “And now he has it.”
“I think not.” Coralis clapped his hands, startling them. “Malachai thinks he cannot be defeated. That is the hubris that almost led to his demise many years ago. I am certain he sent the Strix, but that was simply a test of our mettle. He wants to see what tricks I have up my sleeve. The Strix did not come from Tethys. They are a dormant species, and any Wand Master of his talent could resurrect them.” He smiled broadly. “What he doesn’t know is that Serena has given us the insight into what he is after. And we have many tricks up our sleeves.”
Coralis motioned for them to follow him to a wall filled with ancient leather-bound volumes. He selected four of them, handing one each to Katelyn, Serena, Bryndis, and Luis. “Henry, why don’t you explain,” he said with a sly grin.
If this was a test, Henry did not want to fail. He took the book from Serena, whose smile gave him some measure of confidence. A pinwheel of symbols radiated out from the center. If he tried to focus on them, they shifted as if they did not want to be read. “These are the books from my father’s study.” His voice was a combination of wonder and joy. “The ones Mom took with her to Arizona.”
“To prevent Malachai from getting them,” Brianna added.
Henry stared at the cover again. Only one symbol remained stationary. “This is the symbol for air,” he nearly shouted, then looked at the others. “Luis has earth, Bryndis has water, and Katelyn has fire. The four elements!”
“Our secret weapon.” Coralis clapped Henry firmly on the back. “These books contain all the essential knowledge of the elements. They are the most difficult books you will ever read, but once you comprehend the concepts, they will be yours to command at will. Malachai knows that in the right hands, these books can offer immeasurable power. And yours, my young apprentices, are the right hands.”
“But it’s nothing but gibberish,” Bryndis complained as she opened her book and flipped through page after page of a long-lost language.
“Not when you use this.” Henry took his ulexite from his pocket and ran it over a word. Bryndis gasped when she saw the translation appear on the upper face of the stone.
“Now comes the hard part,” Coralis said grimly. “You must each study these books as if your lives depended on it.”
Coralis dismissed most of the group. All that remained were Henry and Brianna. Their postures were a dead giveaway for how they felt—dejected, isolated, forgotten. Henry was so lost in his despair that he failed to notice Coralis standing over him. He finally looked up into the face of the Wand Master. “Does this mean I’m not needed?” His voice was barely audible.
“We,” Brianna corrected.
“Oh, sorry.” Henry mumbled an apology to his sister and held her hand.
“I am disappointed,” said Coralis. “But only because you have drawn the wrong conclusion.”
Henry was puzzled. “But the others … are different. They know how to use weapons. And now you’re telling us they have a special bond with the elements. Where does that leave us?”
“Wait!” Brianna snapped. “Are there other elements we don’t know about?”
Coralis suddenly burst out with laughter.
“I don’t see what’s so funny,” Henry said angrily.
“You would if you were in my shoes,” the old man commented. “You don’t need the books, Henry. The power is within you. It always has been. Some are meant to master only one element. But others, on rare occasions, can master all of them.”
Henry thought back to the intense light he could summon, the moonbeams he had inadvertently trapped, the surge of power to release the uranium atoms. He’d never understood why he could do the things he did. They just seemed to come naturally.
“Yes.” Coralis spoke silently into his mind. “You have them all. Now you must use them wisely.”
Henry’s smile spread wider than he’d thought possible.
“Wait … what?” Brianna looked from one to the other. “Are you guys doing that telepathy thing again?” She squinted in concentration. “Oh great, something is blocking me from getting inside Henry’s head. What did I miss?”
Henry laughed along with Coralis, but suddenly stopped. “What about Brianna?”
“As we’ve already determined, she has her own talent as an Enabler, which will be very valuable to us.” Coralis took their hands in his. “We have a lot of work to do in the next week. When we are done, we will go after your father. He is as important to our success as the two of you. For he was the one temporarily bonded to Malachai—which means he had access to Malachai’s memories. If we are to know the full extent of Malachai’s plan, we must find him and go to him. And I can promise you this.” Coralis burned with intensity.
“It will not be easy.”
An old man sat on one of the balconies of his palatial home, eyes closed, his breathing shallow and slumberlike. Below him, a white-haired woman stumbled, struggling to push her small, wooden-wheeled cart of groceries along the cobblestone street. She had taken this same route for many years … but that was before the old man had taken her eyes.
She paused, her hollow eye sockets gazing in the direction of the balcony. “You can continue to torture me,” she said, “but I will never submit to your
will.” She straightened to her full height and thrust her chin forward in defiance.
The man stood, his long black cloak fanning out to give his slender frame a deceptively large appearance. He bent over the elaborate millwork of the wooden railing. “You underestimate me. I will eventually break you.” His voice possessed the clear, crisp quality of a much younger man. “But in the meantime, I want you to see the horrors that are to come. And so … your eyes will be temporarily returned.”
Her confidence faltered. “Temporarily? But you said you only needed to borrow them.”
“Indeed, I did. And I will need to borrow them again. And again. But you should know, it is for a very good cause.”
“And what of the others?” she asked weakly, concerned about her friends whose eyes had also been taken.
“Alas, they are not so fortunate.” He smiled at the thought of delivering the bad news to them.
Far in the distance, a shriek echoed off the mountains surrounding the village. It was a village that was lost to the civilized world, trapped in a medieval time warp by a powerful spell, created by and for the old man—Malachai.
He was absolute master of this realm, but he wasn’t cruel. Over time he had given his people running water and an adequate heating system to get them through the cold winters. He had even given them a sewer system, and toilets—all located in one small building in the center of the village.
After all, he saw no need to spoil them.
The people numbered one hundred. No children. When the population dropped by a few, he opened a small door in the dome that kept the village hidden from prying eyes and enticed wayward hikers. Once the dome was resealed, they could never return to the outside world. Naturally, they would put up a fight. But he had ways to break them. And he usually had decades to come up with interesting, new ways to do so. The old woman was a prime example. For forty years she had been resisting him. Taking her sight might have been the final straw. Secretly, he hoped not. The others had given in much too easily.