by Ed Masessa
Until yesterday, his life had become dull, routine, and boring. But now he had an assignment. He couldn’t imagine what was so special about the young Leach boy. Frankly, he didn’t care. This was his moment to shine.
Only last week, he had received a shipment of two dozen black squirrels from New York City. They had been fed daily by a little old lady. When she passed away, no one took over and the squirrels became very aggressive. They were trapped and scheduled to be relocated to a forest upstate when Theodore became aware of them and asked if he could have them.
He wasn’t sure exactly why he wanted them at the time—perhaps to stuff as part of an exhibit. But now they would come in handy.
Once Henry had finished his business, he attempted to avoid eye contact with the mirror as he washed his hands. But it was like trying not to look at an accident on the side of the road. He turned on the faucet and glanced up for a quick peek. Hit the soap dispenser—took another peek. Rinsed his hands—took another peek.
Nothing. He breathed a sigh of relief, dried his hands, and grabbed the door handle.
He should have taken one last peek.
Henry stepped outside, nearly tripping into a barricade. He thought it was odd that he hadn’t noticed it on his way in. The barricade was the type of portable metal fencing used to control crowds at parades and concerts, and it blocked him from going back in what he thought was the direction that he had arrived.
Attached to the end of the fence was a length of yellow CAUTION tape that extended to the far end of the building. Henry hesitantly followed it. The alley was deserted, yet an uneasy feeling of being watched nagged at him. As he reached the end, a light went out, leaving him in hazy darkness.
He decided to backtrack when something in the darkness skittered past like a shadow that moved of its own accord. He nervously rubbed a hand through his hair and turned around, only to run smack into the barricade. He spun in a circle, looking for someone who might be playing a trick on him.
He caught a glimpse of more movement in the darkness. Suddenly, the light that had gone out began to flicker on and off rapidly like a strobe light.
His feet were riveted to the pavement as several black animals the size of large rats appeared. Within seconds, six of them were in place, sitting in a perfectly straight line less than ten feet away. He rubbed his eyes, as the strobe effect made him feel disoriented. Squirrels? He had never heard of a black squirrel, and his imagination began to churn up images of some kind of genetic mutation that liked to eat young boys.
He took two steps backward. They took two steps forward, but no closer. Another step back. He expected to feel the barricade behind him. He didn’t want to take his eyes off the creepy squirrels but glanced quickly, only to find the fencing had disappeared.
His temporary good fortune turned bad as more and more squirrels appeared, blocking him in a tight semicircle with his back against the wall. In the distance he could hear voices as groups of people were leaving restaurants. He could shout for help … but didn’t know how the squirrels would react.
The train whistle blew. It sounded so far away. Coralis was going to be furious. Just as Henry decided to make a move, the squirrel directly in front of him jumped on top of the one next to it. He watched, fascinated and horrified, as the two squirrels became one larger one. This isn’t good, he thought.
A third, a fourth, and a fifth squirrel jumped into the mix. With each addition, the original squirrel got bigger. Henry kept count until number fifteen, at which point he had the urge to pee again … this time from fright.
When it was finally over, Henry had no doubt he was in serious trouble. Magnified by a factor of twenty-something, the beady little eyes of a squirrel became glistening balls of hate. Teeth and nails the size of toothpicks transformed into fangs and claws that would look more at home on a velociraptor. The creature towered over him.
The train whistle blew again—a long, urgent blast telling him he was doomed to be left behind. The squirrel twitched its enormous tail and flexed its claws.
“Kuk, kuk, kuk!” The squirrel barked warning sounds that bounced off the walls and hammered back at Henry. It leaned in close enough that he could smell rotting acorns on its breath. It was trying to tell him something, but it was like listening to a dog bark in an alien language.
As Henry began to edge sideways along the wall, it whipped its tail around to block his path. Another quick twitch of the tail knocked him to the ground. In a panic, he scrambled crablike backward, knowing it was pointless. His wrist buckled and he fell to his side, landing hard on the gold nugget from his footlocker. Pain erupted through his body like a jolt of electricity. He attempted to scream but nothing came out.
The effect on the squirrel was nothing short of extraordinary. It was as if the gold and the animal could sense each other. The squirrel thrashed its head wildly and screeched a long, keening wail, sounding like a cat being tortured. Henry knew then that this was some kind of dark power at work.
But how could he fight it? He concentrated on Coralis, willing him to appear and save the day, yet knowing the train had probably left by now, and Coralis with it. Hopelessness engulfed him as the mammoth squirrel recovered, leaning over him, gnashing its teeth.
Somewhere out of sight, people nearby shouted like cheerleaders, “Rock chalk, Jayhawk!” over and over. It wasn’t until the fourth or fifth time he heard it that he connected the dots.
Jayhawk. Blue jay. His wand! The one that had gotten him into all this trouble to begin with. He had nearly forgotten it.
He recalled the time he’d witnessed a savage attack in his backyard, when a mother blue jay had been forced to defend her baby from a squirrel. What if … ?
There was no time for second-guessing. He whipped the wand into the face of his assailant and yelled, “Attack!”
The squirrel reared back in confusion. It jerked its head from side to side, ears twitching madly. Seconds later, an entire flock of blue jays swooped around the corner of the building, blindsiding the squirrel in a powerful attack. They stabbed at it repeatedly, driving it backward until it tumbled into the far wall. Chunks of concrete cascaded across the sidewalk.
Henry pulled his knees to his chest and huddled on the ground while stones and bricks rained down on him. The deafening war cry of the birds assaulted his eardrums as they fearlessly pummeled their monstrous enemy. Finally, a loud POP! exploded in the alley, followed by an eerie silence.
He worked up the courage to open his eyes. Three normal-sized squirrels looked at him curiously before scurrying off. There were no birds in sight. As he sat up, several people jogged up to him, asking if he was okay.
“Henry!” A familiar voice cut through the confusion. “There you are, son. We must hurry if we want to catch the train.” Coralis brushed Henry off and quickly led him back to the train station just as a conductor yelled, “All aboard!”
“I thought for sure the train had left,” he said breathlessly, his voice shaking.
“For some reason, a herd of cattle decided to take a nap on the tracks. And at this hour of the night!” Coralis winked at him. “Let’s get you cleaned up. I believe you have a story to tell.”
As the train resumed its journey, an announcer told the passengers they would try to make up as much time as they could on their way to Topeka.
Back in their room, Coralis heated some water and made a special blend of tea to relax Henry, who shivered despite being wrapped in a warm blanket. Brianna roamed up, down, and around Henry, sniffing curiously. “You smell like nuts.”
Her remark brought back the terrifying memory of the giant rodent. “Stop it,” he whispered hoarsely, nudging her off him.
For a change, she had no smart comeback. She waddled to Coralis and tucked tightly against his leg.
“How did … what was … ” Henry struggled to comprehend what had happened. He shifted and the blanket slid from his shoulders. Then he stood and angrily whipped it off, tossing it into a corner. “Why was I just a
ttacked by a giant squirrel?” he exploded.
“That would explain the nuts,” Brianna said.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat another one,” said Henry.
“Not even peanut butter with marshmallows and bananas?” She was doing that thing with her voice again, but he didn’t mind. It calmed him, and he began to rationalize things.
“It was a warning, wasn’t it?”
“That it was, Henry. And you met the challenge admirably.” Coralis removed his long coat for the first time since he arrived in the States. “It was also a test,” Coralis continued. “Everything that has happened to your father, your sister, your mother … you. It is all connected. The clues your mother left are leading us to where we need to be. But in a way, we are marionettes and several forces are pulling the strings. We have no choice. We must follow this thread to the end and see where it leads.” He smiled wanly. “This is some kind of adventure, isn’t it?”
Brianna looked up at him. “You’re kidding, right? My brother almost gets eaten by a giant squirrel, and that’s fun to you?”
“No, he’s right, Brianna,” Henry said confidently. “If that was a test, I passed it. But I also showed my hand. And so now they know what I can do.”
Coralis was impressed. “Indeed, our enemy will be wary.”
“So we should turn around and go home. Right?” Brianna said hopefully.
Henry laughed aloud. “No way! I just beat a giant squirrel! A giant squirrel!” Henry picked her up and rubbed her face in his. “Do you have any idea how good that feels? I can’t wait to see what’s next!”
“That’s the spirit, my boy!” Coralis clapped him on the back.
Brianna shook her head slowly. “I hope insanity doesn’t run in the family.”
The rays of the morning sun streamed through the window—an invitation to start the new day. Henry consumed a hearty breakfast consisting of a short stack of pancakes, two eggs, hash browns, and bacon. He ate the meal in enormous chunks, and incredibly fast.
“Can I have seconds?” he asked before he even finished swallowing the final bite.
“I thought only cows had four stomachs,” Brianna said from the seat next to Coralis. They had the dining car all to themselves, and she took advantage of the few precious moments alone to stretch out in public.
“How did you know that, young lady?” Coralis was only halfway through his serving. As he watched Henry, the same thought had occurred to him.
“He’s not the only one who watches animal shows,” she said indignantly.
“I can’t help it! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten this much in my entire life!” he said with a huge smile. “Maybe I’m finally going through that growth spurt that Mom has been promising me.” He stood and examined his pants. “I think I am! Look, don’t they look shorter than yesterday?”
“They’re different pants, doofus.” Brianna laughed.
Henry blushed and quickly sat down, getting a chuckle from Coralis. “Brain energy consumes a lot of calories. You’ve had a busy few days, but the next few will really put you to the test. So by all means, eat up, young man.”
Young man. Henry liked the sound of that. “Um … how about maybe just another order of pancakes?”
He looked to Brianna for approval, but she rolled her eyes and climbed onto Coralis’s lap. “Fine. Just let us know when all four stomachs are full, cow-boy.”
Nothing could spoil Henry’s mood. He glanced out the window at the dry riverbeds of Colorado rolling past. “We’re out west, Brianna. It’s a good place for a cowboy to be.” While he couldn’t say why, that statement summed up something he had been thinking about. The farther west they traveled, the more at home he felt. His instincts were telling him that this was where he belonged. It wasn’t just an adventure anymore. In some odd way, he felt as if he were going home.
He looked up at Coralis, who was staring at him. His thoughts silently entered Henry’s mind. “There will be plenty of occasions going forward when you will experience a sense of déjà vu—as if you’ve been somewhere or seen something before, even though it couldn’t have happened. In this case, I believe it is your tribal roots calling to you, Henry. In a very real sense, you are going home.”
Henry’s jaw slackened. “How did you do that?”
“Do what?” Brianna demanded. “What did I miss?”
“Nothing.” Coralis stroked her head gently with his finger. “Henry and I are just beginning to connect.”
“Well, stop connecting and finish eating. I feel a nap coming on.” She curled on his lap in comfort.
“Think of the universe as an isolated physical system with a predetermined amount of energy.” Coralis flexed his fingers, preparing to resume his role as professor. “No more energy can be created or destroyed. It will change form … or re-manifest itself … but never disappear.”
Henry’s glazed look and slack jaw told him he had overestimated his audience. He needed to simplify things.
“The easiest way to explain what is happening is to think of Earth’s water cycle. Water evaporates, condenses in the atmosphere, forms clouds, and descends back to Earth as rain.
“It’s the same with energy. Energy doesn’t just disappear. It transfers. And in the case of bad energy, it is absorbed by the moon and transferred into moonbeams that shower the Earth. You hear the nightly news reports, Henry. There is quite possibly more evil in the world today than at any other time in history. And that makes the moon an extremely dangerous and volatile place. It has now reached a saturation point.
“Look at this, Henry.” He held out the hand wearing the quartz ring. Black tendrils writhed angrily in their crystal cage. “This is a single moonbeam reduced to its essence. Can you even begin to imagine what will be released when the moon unloads everything it has stored up?” The lines on his face hardened. “My instincts tell me it will affect millions, if not billions, of people. And we simply cannot allow that to happen.”
Henry shifted uncomfortably. Having come to the decision to fight against evil, he suddenly had the feeling he was in way over his head. “What am I supposed to do?”
Coralis carefully considered his reply. “Henry, you are not just a boy. These are not tricks, they are abilities. You are now a Wandbearer! And anyone who assumes that responsibility must act with confidence and without hesitation for the good of mankind. It is not something to be taken lightly, and if I didn’t think you had it in you, you wouldn’t be here with me.”
He leaned forward and grasped Henry’s hands. “It’s in your blood, my boy. You are just awakening your powers, but I can sense that those powers are very special indeed. Fortunately, Randall could sense this as well, or we might have met under more dire circumstances.” Coralis stared into the face of a very frightened young man. He smiled. “You, your sister, your mother, myself, we are not alone in this fight.”
“Do you mean Randall? How could Mom possibly know about Randall?”
“Yes, Randall is on our side, but there are others. And when the time comes, our combined power will be exponentially greater than the sum of the individuals.”
Coralis’s words gave him confidence. He began to relax a little, knowing the burden did not fall entirely on his shoulders. But there was still something nagging at his subconscious. “Where has Randall gone?”
Coralis sat back once more. Grave concern lined the creases of his eyes. “I don’t know, Henry. But I hope wherever he is, he is exercising extreme caution. If some harm had come to him, I would have felt it. But that doesn’t mean he’s not in harm’s way. The boy could be reckless at times. For his sake—and ours—let’s hope he’s keeping himself out of trouble.”
To avoid complications, Dai She and Markhor decided to bind and gag the security guard. The other option was to give him an herbal haze that would immobilize him, but he was old and frail. There was a chance that his bodily functions would permanently shut down if he was kept under the spell for more than a few hours.
The old man was furious, which was good because his adrenaline level would keep him alert. “Do you speak English?” Markhor asked. The old man jerked his head as if he were trying to spit at Markhor through the rag in his mouth.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said lightly. “Just sit tight and relax. You won’t be harmed. I’ll be back in a few hours to give you some water.” Markhor gave him a pat on the head, knowing that if the man hadn’t been gagged he would have taken a bite out of his hand.
“Aren’t you finished yet?” Dai She yelled from outside the shack. “We have work to do.”
“See what I have to put up with?” Markhor asked the old man. Then he took the sack with the falcon and looped it over two hooks so that the opening was stretched apart to allow some airflow. He peeked into the sack and Randall lunged at him. Markhor laughed. “Good little bird.” He poured water over its head to help cool it down. “No shenanigans, you two. I’ll be back shortly.”
Compared to the roads they had traveled to get there, the entrance to the mine was suitable for a high-performance car, paved smooth and lined with electric lights. Since the initial discovery of the Cueva de los Cristales in April 2000, researchers had been hard at work. Their early efforts at preserving the upper caves had resulted in contamination of the crystals, but it made for much easier access into the mine. Dai She was happy, if not grateful for their work.
They walked downhill with relative ease, Markhor carrying the bulk of their supplies. When the electric lighting ended, Dai She switched over to a handheld lantern. Markhor, who had spent considerable time exploring other caves around the world in search of rare elements, wore a hard hat with an attached lamp.
The air thickened with humidity the deeper they descended. Markhor wasn’t sure what smelled worse, the sulfuric scent in the air or the sweaty stink of the obese man leading the way.