The Keepers Of The Light (God Stone Book 2)

by Andrew Schafer

  The Keepers of the Light

  God Stones Book 2

  Otto Schafer

  Sound Eye Press

  Copyright © 2020 by Otto Schafer

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  All characters and events in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Published in 2020

  ISBN: 978-1-7341154-0-6 (paper)

  ISBN: 978-1-7341154-2-0 (hardcover)

  ISBN: 978-1-7341154-1-3 (e-book)

  Cover design by Damonza

  Editing by The Blue Garret

  Sound Eye Press

  www.ottoschafer.com

  For my wife, and the hours you sat patiently listening as I read aloud. And for the time I spent away, lost in the story. Mostly though, for always believing in me. Thank you, Boo.

  Contents

  1. Destroy the Instructions

  2. Perfect Circle

  3. Fracturing

  4. Settling Old Scores

  5. When the Time Is Right

  6. Overlooked

  7. Home

  8. Meet the Neighbors

  9. Giants

  10. The Samurai

  11. Sentheye

  12. The Grooves Are the Key

  13. In the Distance

  14. Just Cut Off Its Head

  15. Brushwork and Magic?

  16. A Hard Rain

  17. Rise

  18. A Bad Idea

  19. Not Alone

  20. Lincoln’s Gauntlet

  21. Red Rubies

  22. Below the Pyramid

  23. Rusty Bite

  24. Temples and Tombs

  25. Lever

  26. Stoneclad and Thunderbird

  27. The Real Apep

  28. The Underneath

  29. Judas

  30. Farewell, Brother!

  31. Bound by Blood

  32. Sounds in the Dark

  33. Love Inferno

  34. Don’t Look Back

  35. Click

  36. End Game

  37. ¡Eres el Amor de Mi Vida!

  38. Not Today

  39. Move

  40. I Won’t Let You Down

  41. Into the River

  42. Breathe

  43. Serpent

  44. Pressing On

  45. Reborn of Dragon Fire and Blood

  46. The Giant King

  47. I Thought This Was the End

  48. A Friend and Ally

  49. Cooperate or Die!

  50. Guests

  51. Feast and Grow!

  52. Old Guilt

  53. Farewell, Prince

  54. Forgive

  55. Family Reunion

  56. Band of Holes

  57. Follow Your Heart

  Epilogue: Jack

  Glossary

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Otto Schafer

  1

  Destroy the Instructions

  Wednesday, April 6 – God Stones Day 1

  Petersburg, Illinois

  Garrett Turek had walked into Mr. B’s taekwondo dojo in uptown Petersburg the same way he had walked in a thousand times before, with his best friend in the whole world, Lenny Wade. But this hadn’t been like any other time, and today hadn’t been like any other day in Garrett’s life.

  A couple hours ago he was convinced he and Lenny were there to test for their second-degree black belts. Since then, Garrett had had the crap kicked out of him by Mr. B – who he now knew could levitate, was over nine hundred years old, and was the leader of a secret society called the Keepers of the Light, which was created during the time of the Knights Templar.

  Worst of all? Garrett learned he was the Light the Keepers existed to protect – the descendant of Turek, the firstborn male in a long bloodline and prophesized to battle an ancient wizard from another planet. According to Mr. B, his parents were Keepers of the Light too. Which if true, meant his whole life had been a lie. He wondered who else was in on it? Eugene, the nice accountant in the Victorian where they found the journal? Coach Dagrun? The way he was acting he must be a Keeper too. God only knew who else. Mr. Douglas, the dollar store owner? His boss out at New Salem? Jesus, for all he knew everyone in town might be part of this strange… prophecy?

  Part of him, a big part, wanted to run away, to flee from the dojo and run home to his mom, to call bullshit on this whole ridiculous story, but there was too much he couldn’t ignore. Mr. B floating several feet off the ground right in front of them, for one thing. Then there was what he himself had done. During Mr. B’s test, Garrett found his focus and had somehow slowed stones falling through the air.

  But the biggest reason for staying and listening to it all – the girl.

  Breanne… Bre, the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen, and one who he’d thought, before the last couple hours, existed only in his dreams. Turned out she was real, and she said she needed his help to stop Apep or her father might die. He knew all this was just too crazy and he tried to tell the others as much, but then all his friends stood and pledged themselves to follow him. Lenny, Bre, David, Pete, Janis, and even Bre’s older brother, Paul. One by one they pledged to be his sages and to join him in this insanity.

  Outside, the low rumble of thunder pulled Garrett from his thoughts and he suddenly felt everyone staring at him expectantly. He turned to Mr. B and rubbed both palms down his face, drawing in a deep breath. “Okay, Mr. B. What happens now?”

  Mr. B considered the seven new sages and allowed slip the briefest of smiles. “With the selections you have made, Garrett, the prophecy has been sealed. The future of the world rests with each of you.”

  Garrett wanted to ask the large man what the hell was so funny because they were probably all going to die, but Mr. B beat him to it.

  “Do you know why I smile?”

  No one spoke.

  “I smile because I know the convincing is over. I smile now because you believe. Now there is hope.” His smile waned. “Yet an urgency pulls at my patience, and it is telling me time is fleeting with the evening light. A great darkness is coming, and there is no more time for celebration… not even in the evanescent duration of a smile.”

  The air in the room went still as they held their breath, the gravity of Mr. B’s words pressing in on all of them.

  Garrett held Mr. B’s gaze. He was committed to the cause, however insane. Yet the question hung in the air between them, electrified with the sheer excitement of whatever craziness he had just signed on for. What happens now?

  “Mr. B?” Garrett asked, breaking the silence.

  Mr. B’s smile fell away, replaced with a tight line. “Yes, yes, of course.” He drew in a breath. “Your test earlier was about focus. Focus is key in harnessing the energy of the God Stones. You will need to be able to tap into it at will.”

  Breanne shifted her weight to her other foot, bringing her close enough to Garrett that he felt the warmth of her arm against his.

  “I thought you said casting spells required using the language of these old gods?” Breanne said.

  “Yes,” Mr. B admitted. “It is one thing to feel the magic of the God Stones coursing through you, to feel the energy even if your mind is fully open. It is, however, quite another to harness it through your third eye and truly control it. Deploying the full power of the God Stones requires knowledge of the gods’ language, b
ut unfortunately the gods’ language is lost to us. And even knowing the language does not simply make one a master. Think of mastering the energy of the God Stones as reaching enlightenment. The Buddhist monk practices meditation his whole life to reach enlightenment, and yet he may never get there. The good news is you don’t have to be a master spell caster to tap into the power of the God Stones, but you need to be able to channel it.”

  Breanne nodded slowly. “So somehow we need to open our third eye?”

  “No, Breanne, not for you and not for you either, Paul. The fact you survived the exposure to the God Stones and your pineal gland didn’t explode outright must mean your third eye has altered.” Mr. B turned back to Garrett. “But both you and Lenny have been training to open your third eye for years.”

  “For years?” Garrett asked.

  “Yes,” Mr. B said, gesturing with his hand. “When you struck me, what were you thinking of?”

  “Running,” Garrett said with a shrug, knowing it sounded silly.

  “And when you slowed the concrete blocks during their fall?”

  “Trail running. It was like I was there on the trails, and then… then time slowed,” Garrett said, shaking his head in confusion. “It’s like I had all the time in the world.”

  To his surprise, Mr. B nodded. “Ah, it does not surprise me that you are at your most meditative state when you are running. But you didn’t slow time itself, Garrett. You slowed the objects you were focused on. You slowed time in a specific radius. To Lenny and I, the objects were actually moving in slow motion, but time was passing normally. Think of it as an envelope. You slowed time in the envelope.”

  Garrett nodded slowly.

  Lenny nodded. “It was crazy sick. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.”

  “What about Pete, Janis, and I?” David asked, thrusting a thumb into his chest.

  “I suspect your pineal glands will open fully upon exposure but be patient, you haven’t spent years training your focus as Lenny and Garrett have. Using the magic without focus could result in side effects or unintended consequences,” Mr. B said.

  “Or our brains could burst, and we could all die!” Janis exclaimed.

  Mr. B held up a hand and paused for an uncomfortably long second as if contemplating. “Not likely. You are the prophesized seven. I am sure you will be fine.”

  Pete raised an eyebrow and shared a terrified look with Janis, then mouthed the words, “What the f !”

  David smiled, rubbing his hands together. “Awesome!”

  “As the energy from the stones saturates the world, all will change, and your powers will be greatly increased… that goes for all of you. But finding your focus is the key to harnessing it. To defeat Apep you will have to be able to do this. Apep won’t stand around while you try and figure it out. He won’t go easy on you like I did. Do you understand?”

  Garrett caught Lenny’s eye and raised his eyebrows in disbelief. That was easy?

  “Okay, Mr. B, but it would be really helpful if you knew at least some of the language – some of the words or something. Didn’t you learn any of these god words from Turek in all that time you spent with him?” Lenny asked.

  “No. The stones were sealed, and spell casting was forbidden by Turek’s order. He taught me many things, but never the language of the gods.”

  Garrett frowned. What good would harnessing power be if he couldn’t control it?

  “Wait, so you’re telling us we all have to take up running?” David’s mustache twitched disapprovingly. “The only running I do is when I’m being chased by something.”

  “No, not at all,” Mr. B said. “It’s different for each of you. You will each need to find your own way to inner focus.”

  “Mr. B, I just want to help my dad. Please just tell us what we need to do,” Breanne said.

  Mr. B looked to Peter. “You have Lincoln’s journal and you have learned the location of the temple?”

  “We know where the entrance is,” Pete offered. “You know what’s inside the temple?”

  Mr. B nodded. “You must beat Apep to the temple and once there you must destroy what’s inside. If Apep gets there before you he will learn how to assemble the God Stones into one complete stone called the Sound Eye. This is how he will open the portal. If he is successful in opening the portal, our planet likely will not survive it. This planet wasn’t built for the God Stones, Garrett. You must stop him. Once you do, the stones must be sealed away forever for the earth to be set back to normal.”

  Garrett looked at his master with uncertainty. “What is it I have to destroy?”

  Mr. B hesitated and Garrett could see he was holding back. “Mr. B, you have to tell me what I must do.”

  Mr. B pulled in a long breath. “Instructions. You must destroy the instructions. When you get inside and you see” – he paused – “do not hesitate. You will see it and you must destroy it before Apep finds you.”

  Garrett gave him a sideways look. What was it he wasn’t telling him?

  “Mr. B…” Pete gazed intently at the master. He looked like he was going to say more, but he pressed his lips into a tight line.

  “Pete?” Garrett squinted at his friend.

  “We’ve listened and have chosen to believe your entire impossible story. The least you can do is tell us all of it,” Paul said, crossing his arms. “We need all the intel we can get if we’re going to be successful in this mission. Tell us what we’re up against here.”

  Mr. B sighed then nodded heavily. “You’re right, of course. This is going to sound even crazier than what I have already told you, but I assure you every word is true, so brace yourselves. If Apep gets to the temple first, he will—”

  The door rattled suddenly.

  “Did you hear that?” Mr. B asked.

  “Yeah… I did,” Breanne said, looking at the door.

  They all fell silent, following her gaze.

  “Sorry, we’re closed!” Mr. B shouted.

  The door rattled again, then stopped.

  Everyone froze, looking at the door.

  “Do you feel them, children? The God Stones are here,” Mr. B whispered.

  Garrett’s eyes went wide as a faint blue glow somehow permeated the door. The glow wasn’t coming from under or even around it but through it, as if the door itself was emitting it.

  “Children, go now! There is a door in the back.”

  All but Garrett and Lenny ran.

  “What? Wait – no! We can’t leave you,” Garrett shouted.

  The door rattled louder, and the blue hue grew brighter.

  Running to the weapons wall, Mr. B yanked down a long staff of dark wood – one from the display section, not from the practice equipment. Turning to Lenny, he nodded. “Lenny, take this staff – it will serve you well. I used this when I trained with Turek.”

  The boys stood openmouthed as Mr. B grabbed a second weapon – a sword.

  Slowly the door swelled inward, flexing like a balloon filling with air.

  Mr. B motioned desperately at the children to run. “Garrett! I thought we would have more time. There’s more you need to know! Go now and warn your mother and father of Apep’s arrival,” he said, glancing back to the door. “Garrett! You must go home first. Your father will have something for you. You must take it with you to the temple. Once you have it, go to the temple and destroy what’s inside! Remember, you must destroy it before Apep can get to it! I will hold him here as long as I can! Now run!” he shouted.

  The door creaked – an awful, ear-piercing sound – as the fibers strained to their max.

  As the boys turned to run, a hand grabbed Lenny’s arm. Mr. B pulled him close, but Garrett heard every word.

  “Lenny, you have to protect him,” Mr. B said. “Keep him safe – he can’t do this without you. You’re the head of the Keepers of the Light now.” He turned away from Lenny, unsheathing his sword. The sword swished free of the leather scabbard as the old master idly tossed it to the mat.

 
They watched as Mr. B turned and marched fearlessly toward the door. Without looking back, he shouted, “Go! Go now!”

  The others who had fled the mat at Mr. B’s first command had already moved to the rear of the dojo. Shoes in hand, they made their way down the back hall past the locker rooms, pausing at the back door.

  “Where’s Garrett!?” Breanne shouted urgently.

  “Garrett!?” Pete shouted back down the hall.

  Garrett slid to a stop at the mouth of the hallway with Lenny on his heels. Pete frantically motioned for them to come, but Garrett couldn’t pull himself away… not just yet. He needed to see who – or what –was at the door; he had to see it for himself. He grabbed Lenny’s arm and pulled him down into a squat with one hand while simultaneously motioning for Pete to wait with the others at the end of the hallway.

  The front door of the dojo exploded inward in a violent splintering of wooden shards. Along with the door, chunks of the door’s frame and even a section of the wall burst forth like a too-ripe pumpkin getting stomped. Garrett gasped a sharp breath as a strange blue haze spilled in like a thick rolling fog, a prelude to the evil behind it.