“I agree,” came a small voice from my neck.
I jumped and rolled my eyes. “Londa, you’ve got to stop doing that.”
“Well, what do you want me to do, ring a bell whenever I want to say something?” Yolonda replied. “Anyway, I know there aren’t any rules on visitors at Caldbeck. We could sneak around for a minute, see if we can find your gramps, and if not, on to Giza to dance the zombie dance.”
“You think it could work?” Rena breathed, her eyes dancing with excitement. “You really think we could get in find someone?”
“I don’t see why not,” Yolonda kept on, her voice beginning to swell with pride. “I’ve been here on Turgor for thousands of years, before Caldbeck was even built, and I happen to have a cousin who knows the ins and outs of the place.”
“Oh yeah?” Nia asked, sucking her teeth. “And exactly where is this cousin?” Yolonda mumbled something incoherent. Nia leaned forward and raised her eyebrows. “I’m waiting.”
“Well, Cousin Finny is...complicated. See, he’s...um...well, he’s buried. Alive, if you must know.”
“He’s buried alive?” I echoed, wincing. I didn’t like where Yolonda was going with this. “Why?”
“Because he made people angry and they sort of overreacted...but he really is a cool guy. All we—”
“You sure like using we a lot, Yolonda,” Nia snorted.
“—have to do is dig him up and bring him with us. He can be our compass.” Yolonda finished, unperturbed by Nia’s accusations. “Easy as one, two, three.”
Dia sighed. “Yolonda, where exactly is Mr. Finny located?”
“He’s buried underneath Nipsin’s Lodge.”
“And of course, you’re speaking of the Nipsin’s Lodge that is inside the KaKonian Bubble?”
“Yup.” Yolonda said, unaware that Dia had begun to quake.
I looked around the table at my sister and friend. “What’s Nipsin’s Lodge?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“OH, THE BARREL OF ROM
HAS COME AND HAS GONE
AS TRAVELERS MOVE AND
MAKE WAAAAAYYYY
BUT DEAR OLD BEARD JACK
HAS SNATCHED ‘EM RIGHT BACK
AND THE RUM MAKES SURE THEY
STAYYYYY!
IN HERE YOU COME
FOR SOME OR FOR NONE
EACH HAS ITS OWN MISFORTUNOUS
DAYYYYYYYSSS!
BUT ONE SLIP OF TONGUE
AND YOU NOW OWN NONE
FOR DEAR OLD BEARD JACK
THE PRICE YOU PAYYYYY!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I whispered to my companions as we watched the thick crowd in the small little shack bump glasses and roar the song with ferocity. We were crouched down behind the hut and peering through the small opening of wood that just happened to be shaped like a fist. Nia insisted that we dress in all black, and as I watched in awe I became very appreciative she had. Inside were all shapes and sizes of men, creatures, and the occasional woman in a tattered dress, who looked like she had been kidnapped and had no chance of escaping. A very tall creature with thick nostrils, no hair and harsh, green teeth growled, slammed his fist down onto the rickety table, and demanded more rum.
“Troll,” Nia whispered. “And the thing there...that’s a KaKonian.” She pointed to a medium height man who was a violet color and had bright white eyes. Smoke rose out of his ears as he gulped from his mug, and his long fingers tapped impatiently on the table in front of him. When he opened his mouth to burp, nothing but smoke came out. “They’re allergic to the Turgorian sun,” Nia continued. “That’s why they live in the bubble. And they’re an anti-social group. They were one of the original races here and feel superior to the rest of us that came along. Oh, and they hate Awakeners.”
“Wonderful,” I yelped, crouching lower. A burly man with four eyes (two located evenly on his face where his nose should’ve been) growled and began the next chorus of the song. “Who’s this Beard Jack anyway?”
“Him,” Nia whimpered and pointed. The den grew louder as a dark figure emerged from the crowd, towering above the rest. Rena covered her ears, and Yolonda shivered against my skin as the figure appeared. His face was completely smooth , and he lacked a nose. A trail of hair began on each side of his head and met in the middle to form a beard. The beard was impossibly long, dragging across the floor as he stalked slowly through the crowd, surveying the drunken faces around him that began another verse of tribute.
I took a deep breath. “You know, we might be in over our heads with this one.”
Nia and Rena both nodded.
Yolonda took a breath as well and said, “Look, I understand if ya’ll don’t want to go in after someone you’ve never met before. I mean, it’s dangerous, a bunch of drunken hooligans and the faceless guy. We can just go home. It’s just...he’s my only family...and I thought...” Her voice cracked and she let the sentence trail. Nia sighed and Rena looked down at the ground.
I thought for a moment. If Nia was buried in there, and she was my only family, I’d want to go and get her. “Where is he, Yolonda?” I asked.
“H-he’s in the middle of the place. Underneath a small trap door.”
“Okay,” I said breathless, my heart pounding. “We’re going to need a diversion. Nia, that’s your job.”
“Me?” Nia squeaked. “Why is it my job?”
“Because we need someone to create a diversion, and you’re a Creator, aren’t you?” Nia grumbled a reply, and I kept going. “Rena, I need you to stand guard. If anyone should turn around and see me, tell this shack here to start quivering. Anything to shake these goons up. They’re good and drunk, so it shouldn’t take much.” Rena gave a nervous nod. “Yolonda and I are going in as soon as they turn the other way. Nia, we need something really good. Let’s see what Erika was talking about. All right, let’s go!”
We split up, and Nia ran to the back of the shack and lifted her arms. Out of the calm sky came a small orange glow, followed by another and another. Nia began to perspire as the orange glows became larger. She was creating a big sun. Moving her arms together slowly, we all watched as the orange balls of fire joined together and cast a bright glow upon the Nipsin Lodge. The inhabitants of Nipsin’s noticed, too, and began to watch Beard Jack to see what he would do. Jack himself was snarling at the new sun, allowing long ropes of drool to disappear in his beard. If I hadn’t been frozen with a mixture of fear and admiration of Nia’s talent, I would’ve gagged.
The light wasn’t very strong, flickering in and out sporadically as if someone was placing their fingers over a light bulb. I ran to the corner of the house and stuck my hand out as a ray of light hit my hand. Just as I suspected, the ray was ice cold. Feeling a slight shiver along my spine, I waited for another ray to hit, and as it did, I whispered, “You are strong, incredibly warm, the source of immense heat.” The ray disappeared from my hand, and, on cue, the air began to warm. I turned around and noticed that a small group of the Nipsin’s patrons had gathered in front of the shack and was beginning to advance towards Nia. Peering into another small hole near my head, I saw the KaKonian bare his teeth and crouch down behind the counter as the rays began to pour in.
“Nia, watch out!” I yelled, darting under the hole so the KaKonian wouldn’t be able to see me. But it was too late. He gave a sharp glance to where I was hiding and paused for a moment, hesitating as another ray hit the floor, this time leaving a trail of smoke behind it. My rays were heating up faster that I thought they would. I crouched there under the hole with my back pressed against the shack, eyes darting for a way to hide myself.
Just as I was about to make a run to grab Nia from the angry mob, the shack lurched forward. I shouted and fell over, looking around for the source of new movement and spotted Rena. She had her hands pressed against Nipsin’s with a tight expression of fear on her face as her mouth moved quickly, egging the structure to continue to move. The shack obeyed and lurched forward again, sending the KaKonian tumbling forw
ard, glasses of rum splashing on top on him. I stood up on trembling legs and placed my hands against the shack as well, whispering a few words to the shack, along with Rena, to keep it sturdy.
“Kay, behind you!” Yolonda shouted. I was preparing to turn around when I felt a large hand wrap around my neck.
“You,” the voice said, its breath rank, “have caused me a lot of trouble.” Opening my mouth to reply, I gasped as the ground moved away from me, and I felt myself being lifted into the air and swung forward.
“Kay!” Nia shouted, her eyes wild with fear. She lifted her hands, and another ray struck, this time hitting my captor squarely in the back. There was a loud groan of agony, and I dropped face down on the ground, too terrified to move. A body landed next to me with a thud, and I recognized him as Beard Jack. A new surge of terror swept through me, propelling me to my feet, and I looked around, quickly surveying the scene. Nia was firing rays of light as though they were thunderbolts, and Nipsin’s crowd was slowly retreating, snarling and throwing insults Nia’s way.
A swoosh of air made me turn my head, and I saw Rena, now lifting the house off the ground and moving it back and forth. The KaKonian was beside himself inside the shack, attempting to grab on to something sturdy and get out. He reached for a table that by some miracle was still standing, but Rena moved the shack forward again. He missed, grabbing on to the exposed trapdoor in the middle of the floor. The trapdoor opened in his hands as the lodge drove forward again, revealing in small cage with a brown rock inside of it.
That must be Yolonda’s Finny, I thought and ran towards the front of the house, dodging an errant ray that struck the ground with such a force my feet trembled. I jumped up and grabbed the door handle, swinging with the shack as it moved backwards again, this time picking up speed. I closed my eyes as my stomach traveled to my mouth in time with the swaying of Nipsin’s Lodge. Planting my feet on the door, I counted to three and yanked it open, almost being thrown off in the process.
Rena saw me and cried, “Hold on, Kay!” She slowed down the house, and I swung forward again, sliding right inside.
I lashed out with my arms and caught hold of a chair, giving a feverish whisper, “You are strong...still...bolted to the surface you rest on.”
The chair immediately went rigid, and I pulled myself on it. The KaKonian offered a demented grin and struggled to pull himself upright. I spotted the cage to my left and hoisted myself over the chair, one foot caught in the bottom rung to keep me steady. Stretching my arms out, I caught the cage in mid slide as Rena shook the lodge yet again. Empty glasses, chairs, and an occasional glass eye rolled around me as I shifted back and reached for the door.
“You’ve got company,” Yolonda warned as the KaKonian lunged forward. The lodge moved again and a coat hook caught my arm just as I was about to fall out the door.
“We will meet again Awakener,” he growled, sending little flecks of spittle my way. I stared into his purple, translucent eyes for a moment and then shook him off. He slid to the back of the inn, and I pulled myself out the door, falling to the ground with a thud.
Groaning, I stood up and headed towards Rena, yelling. “Let’s move!” Rena nodded and whispered a few more instructions to the house before running along with me. I darted around the harsh sun rays that were still pounding on the ground and signaled to Nia, who created a few more rays and then joined us. Together, we ran back towards the edge of the bubble, leaving Nipsin’s Lodge in disarray.
CHAPTER NINE
“You almost got us killed,” scolded Nia as much as she munched on a slice of Turgorian pizza.
Rena and I were sitting next to her on Dia’s front steps, chowing down as well. Excitement can create quite an appetite.
“I know, I know.”
“I’ve never seen such a pack of brutes before,” Nia continued, not completely satisfied with Yolonda’s apology. “I would hate to be there when Beard Jack wakes up.”
“But at least we got Finny,” Rena put in. “Now we can find out how to get into Caldbeck!” I gave a tired, cheese and rumpkins filled grin and took another huge bite of pizza.
“So, how do we wake him up?” She nodded towards the small, brown pebble that was basking in the sun.
Yolonda gave a fond sigh and said, “Bring him over to me.”
Rena picked up the pebble and held it in front of Yolonda. Yolonda took a deep breath and suddenly went ice cold, causing me to yelp and swallow a chunk of my pizza whole.
“Sorry,” she muttered. She became quiet, and we all sat, watching her. A small line of amber light began to stretch from Yolonda to her cousin, becoming darker as the seconds ticked by. My chest vibrated while Yolonda hummed, widening the light. At first, the pebble did not show any intention of changing, but as Yolonda continued to feed it amber light and hum, the pebble slowly began to acquire an amber aura around it. Her cousin started to quake slightly, and a small mist resembling Yolonda appeared. This continued until the brown pebble had transformed into a larger pinkish one with the small mist now whirling steadily in the middle.
“Mmmm...w-where am I?” a small, groggy voice said.
“FINNY!” Yolonda shouted, warming back up. “Man, I thought I would never see again!”
“Lo-Lo?” Finny said, still sounding confused. “What are you doing in my cage?”
“You’re out of that forsaken place, Fin! My new boss and her friends got you out!”
“Yeah?” Finny paused for a moment as though he were thinking. “Where you been?” I noticed that Finny sounded a lot like Yolonda, right down to her accent.
“I’ve been here and there. How’ve you been?”
Finny snorted. “How do you think I’ve been? I’ve been in a friggin’ cage for four hundred and fifty-two years!”
Nia gave off an unimpressed harrumph. “Rude little rock, isn’t he?”
Yolonda ignored her. “We rescued you, Fin. And we need your help.”
“Who exactly is we?” he asked. “Who’s this new boss of yours?”
“That would be me,” I replied, clearing my throat. “I’m the one that grabbed your cage.”
Yolonda introduced us, and we told Finn how we got him from Nipsin’s Lodge. He seemed impressed.
“Well, if that’s the case, I owe you favors for a lifetime. Thank you, Kay,” he said. “What can I do you for?”
Rena stepped in. “Um, we wondering if you could help us get into Caldbeck. We’re looking for a few people that we know in there.”
“What type of people would you know in there? You’re nothing but a kid!”
“For starters, my mother,” Rena quietly admitted. Nia stared at her, shocked.
“And we’re looking for my grandfather, who’s doing detective work. Plus, we’re kinda on assignment,” I added, grabbing another slice of now cold pizza. “We’ve got to wake up for a Death Walker.”
“Lord!” Finny exclaimed , chuckling. “You’ve got your work cut out for you, Lo-Lo.” Yolonda laughed in agreement.
“Wait a minute,” Nia said, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. “Before we run off anywhere, I want to know what exactly you did to land yourself underneath Nipsin’s in the first place. You owe us that.”
“Why are you being so spiteful, Nia?” Yolonda retorted. “You trying to say my cousin’s a thug or something?”
“Maybe I am,” Nia retorted. “Saints don’t end up in the KaKonian Bubble as prisoners.”
“Hey, hey!” I interjected. “Calm down. No one is accusing anyone of anything, all right?”
Yolonda glowed bright amber, and Nia sucked her teeth, crossing her arms.
Finally, Nia asked, “Finny, I am curious to find out how you got in the Lodge. What happened?”
“It’s actually quite a long story,” he began.
“We’ve got time.” Nia pursed her lips with attitude.
“Nia’s right. I do owe you an explanation. There is a reason I know Caldbeck so well. I was once the assistant to an Awakener that was
a part of the Eromina Faculty. They’re the ones that Awakened the cells the prisoners are kept in. Of course, my Awakener had a large amount of work to do and was fairly busy, so we ended up all over the place. Awakening things day and night. After a while, we could walk the layout like the back of our hands. Caldbeck is huge, but once you know your way around, you’re suddenly impressive and a hot commodity. Could be good business for someone with hidden agendas. I guess my Awakener was thinking the same thing because one night, he was at his favorite drinking spot, the Nipsin’s Lodge, and decided to boast about it.”
Yolonda gasped. “But...that’s ridiculous! Every Evrode knows never to speak of his boss’s assignments to another person.”
Finny sighed. “You notice I’m not with that Awakener, don’t you? His bragging got him into a fight with a small group of drinkers, and they decided, as punishment, they’d take his Evrode.”
“You can’t just take an Evrode, Finny,” Nia said, with an edge to her voice. “Once around your boss’s neck, it stays around your boss’s neck.”
“You’re absolutely right, Nia,” Finny said, sounding sad. “Once around your boss’s neck, it stays around your boss’s neck.”
“So how’d they get it off?”
“They cut his head off.” Finny said this with an air of finality. Nia sat down slowly, and we all waited for Finny to continue. He cleared his throat and went on. “My Awakener was a good fellow, and he didn’t deserve what happened to him.”
“What,” I began, “happens to someone when they die here on Turgor?”
“If they’re a wizard, they’re buried here, on the planet.” Yolonda explained. “But if they’re not naturally of this world, they die in their sleep in another world.” I swallowed a lump that was forming in my throat and looked at Finny.
“Beard Jack himself decided to bury me as a prize,” he said. “He’s a beast.”
“Are you satisfied, Nia?” Yolonda asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Nia nodded and looked away. The sun had gone down and a round yellow moon replaced it. A cool wind whipped around us, causing leaves to dance on sidewalks among the feet of children running after one another. Trees shivered and moved closer together. A chill ran down my spine, and I suggested we go inside the house for dinner.
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