Chosen One

by Katie Holland

  Alix wasn’t sure she heard that right. “Huh? How can that be? No one can own something like Stonehenge. You’re kidding right?”

  “No Alix,” Ruth answered. “Stonehenge was built by the Nykara thousands of years ago as a place to recharge our energy and give thanks to the natural world that sustains our powers.”

  No one said anything for a few minutes. That was a hard one to wrap your head around. Alix guessed that answered the question of how stones that weighed several tons were moved into place. It would be easy for a powerful Nykara or several to move those stones to form Stonehenge.

  “That’s a pretty big secret,” Shay whispered to Alix. “I wonder what other secrets they’re hiding.”

  “No kidding,” Alix said.

  Ben stepped forward to say something. “If this is owned by the Nykara, then why was it allowed to crumble into ruins? It would be so easy to keep it looking new.”

  “A very good question,” Ruth said in acknowledgement. “Please follow me and you’ll have the answer to that in just a little bit.”

  Ruth started walking toward the huge stone structures. She stopped in front of one of the large upright stones, just outside the outer ring. “Heather, Ted, and Shay, can you please come to me for a moment.”

  Alix’s parents and Shay moved through the group to stand in front of Ruth. She turned around to face the stone and waved her hand across the stone. Alix jumped when a small stone door opened. Ruth reached in and pulled out three tiny objects. They were rings. She turned around and spoke to the group.

  “The knowledge of these rings has been passed down to Council members for hundreds of years. They have been as much of a legend as the coming of the Kaelneth. It has been said that these rings will allow the wearer to see that which a Nykara sees and will be needed when the Kaelneth comes among the Nykara people. This never made sense until Alix became the Chosen One. No one understood why they would be needed or who they could possibly be for. Heather and Ted, being adopted parents of the Chosen One you will each get a ring to wear. You will then see the world as the Nykara do. You’ll be able to see the tattoos on our hands, the creatures of our world and most importantly you’ll be able to identify any Grynn that you may encounter. Shay, being a Lossat you have already been given the ability to see part of our world, but it’s only temporary and has to be renewed every few months. I can tell by the look on your face you weren’t aware of this. By wearing this ring you’ll also be able to see what you’ve been seeing and not have to renew it. And again, most importantly it will allow you to see the Grynn. Please accept this gift from the Nykara people as a token of our appreciation for your roles in bringing the Kaelneth safely to us.”

  Ruth then placed a ring on the ring finger on each of their right hands. “You must wear these rings at all times, please don’t take them off for any reason. Being so close to the Chosen One it could mean the difference between life and death. Wear them proudly and with our thanks.” Ruth then shook each of their hands in turn.

  Alix could see all three of them jump a little when Ruth touched their hands. She was dying to talk to them. It seemed that Ruth was finally finished and the three of them turned around. Alix ran over to them. She had a bunch of questions.

  “Oh my God,” Alix practically yelled. “This is so awesome and exciting. If this means what Ruth said, you should be able to see my tattoo. Well, mom, dad, can you see it?” She held up her hand for her parents to see.

  Her mom gasped and put her hand in front of her mouth. “Oh Alix, it’s just beautiful.”

  Her dad didn’t say anything, but she could tell by the look on his face that he could see it.

  “This is absolutely amazing Alix,” her mom said in awe. “I can’t believe it.”

  “I agree,” her dad said. “We’re finally part of the in crowd.”

  Trust her dad to make a joke.

  “Now,” Ruth said, “all of us are prepared to step into the wonder that is the real Stonehenge.”

  Alix thought that was kind of strange thing to say and wasn’t sure what Ruth meant. But the moment she walked passed that first stone she completely understood. She wasn’t even sure she had words for what she was seeing. She could tell that her friends and family were thinking the same thing. It was not the Stonehenge that you see in pictures or on TV. This one looked brand new. The rocks weren’t crumbling and falling over. The two rings of stones were perfect. She even reached out and touched one. It certainly was real enough.

  “How is this possible?” Alix asked.

  “Just as many things in the Nykara world are hidden so is this,” Ruth told her. “What you saw before you stepped through the barrier is what all non-Nykara see. This is an extremely important place to the Nykara so it must remain protected. Anyone that can see the stones as we do now will always be protected within the confines of Stonehenge. It’s a completely safe place for all Nykara.”

  It was Ben that had the next question. “So why is it so important that the outside world sees it as something that is slowly falling apart?”

  “Stonehenge has been part of recorded history for hundreds of years. How would it be explained that it withstood the ravages of time? No wind or water corrosion. It wouldn’t be natural, so we make sure that it appears as it would if not maintained by our magic,” Ruth stated.

  “But if it’s all an illusion how is it that humans have been studying these stones for all these years? I mean they touch them and stuff. I don’t get it,” Ben told Ruth.

  “But it’s not an illusion young Ben. It’s very real to humans. Did you feel something when you walked passed that first stone?” she asked him. He nodded. “That’s a magical barrier that humans cannot detect. When a Nykara crosses it, they are essentially walking into a different place. If a human were to look at Stonehenge right now all they would see would be the stones. We would be invisible to them.” Ruth gave a small laugh. “I can tell by the look on your face that you don’t believe me. Let’s have a demonstration then. Heather, please take off your ring for five seconds and then put it back on.”

  Heather did as instructed. Alix gasped and rushed forward. Her mom had disappeared. But before she could say or do anything, her mom reappeared right where she’d been standing.

  “Oh my God mom, are you okay?” Alix said hugging her.

  “I’m just fine Alix. That was incredible. When I took off the ring you all were gone, and I was standing in the Stonehenge that you see in pictures. And just like that I was back here when I put it on again.”

  Alix turned to Ruth. “How in the world is this possible? I really don’t understand.”

  “This is some very old magic, Alix. When a Nykara enters this place, they are in essence transported to another place without leaving the spot. I think the Nykara of old had a few more tricks up their sleeves than we do but they have been lost over the years. No one knows how exactly it was done or how to recreate it.”

  “But why? Why go to such lengths to protect something? What is this place to the Nykara other than a safe zone?” Alix asked.

  “You tell me Alix. Stop and feel for a minute then tell me what you sense,” Ruth told her.

  Alix closed her eyes and reached out with her energy and gasped. It was incredible. It was like the natural energy surrounding her was increased ten times. She hadn’t noticed it before because she was so shocked by the sight of the real Stonehenge.

  “Wow. The power here is amazing. I feel like I could fly with all of the energy that’s surrounding me.”

  Ruth smiled. “I’ve been told that you have a lot of power Alix, so it doesn’t surprise me that you can feel it.”

  “What are you two talking about?” Shay asked.

  “Stonehenge was built to magnify and store the natural energy that sustain all Nykara,” Alix said. “One of the original builders had a vision. And this is the reality of that vision. The stones were placed here because it’s one of the extremely rare places on Earth that ha
s a super concentration of the natural energy. And the placement of the stones magnifies that.”

  Ruth looked at Alix like she’s sprouted a second head. “How could you possibly know that? No one in the last several hundred years has been able to learn that.”

  “When I closed my eyes and sensed the power it came to me in a very quick vision.”

  Ruth and the other Council members had very questioning looks on their faces.

  “It just seems to happen to her,” Ben told them. “When she enters a place that is special to the Nykara, she seems to get like mini visions and then she knows what the place is for and what it does. It happened at the house in Sunset Creek. She was able to find a hidden room and when she entered she instantly knew what it was. The rest of us had no idea.”

  It was Kris that spoke next. “Council members, when it comes to Alix it’s best to expect the unexpected. We’ve seen her do things that no other Nykara has been able to do. I hit her shield with an energy ball that would have killed an elephant and it didn’t even weaken her. She was able to shield herself and three others for twenty minutes with no difficulty. She learns extremely fast and it’s like she can almost create her own energy. I swear that when she was being hit with energy balls she absorbed the energy from them. Alix is simply amazing.”

  Alix blushed at Kris’s statement. She didn’t know about the amazing part, but the rest was true. When she looked up she saw the five Council members staring at her.

  “What?” was what came out of her mouth. It even sounded rude to her.

  “My apologies Alix,” Ruth said to her. “It’s just that I think none of us really thought through what the Chosen One was going to be capable of. I know that the prophecy said that the Kaelneth would have abilities from all types of Nykara, but seeing it in action is a whole other thing. It will take some adjusting on our part.”

  “Well, it’s not exactly easy for me either,” Alix said. “Sometimes things just happen that I don’t really control. Like the mini visions. And I’m still getting used to magic, never mind being as powerful as I’m told I am. It’s been a lot to handle in a month.”

  Shay and Ben came to stand on either side of her. They each took one of her hands. She had to smile at the protectiveness of both of them.

  “Again, our apologies Alix,” Ruth said. The other Council members all nodded in agreement. “Now, I encourage everyone to look around and explore. We have the whole place to ourselves for the day. I know lunch is scheduled for noon but feel free to head over there for lunch whenever you want. It’s the building we passed when we walked down here. If anyone has any questions, please don’t hesitate to come find one of us.”

  They kind of broke up into groups after that to look around. Alix, Ben, and Shay were left to themselves.

  “I’m dying to see your ring, Shay. Let me see it,” Alix said.

  Shay held out her hand to Alix. The ring was very smooth and silver in color, but Alix knew it wasn’t silver or any other metal that they’d ever heard of. Alix touched it and gasped.

  “What’s going on Alix? Are you okay?” Shay asked.

  “Yes, I was just surprised. This ring is a combination of an unknown metal and the stones that make up Stonehenge. And I can tell it’s incredibly old. This is unbelievably cool,” Alix said grinning. “I was wondering if you can feel the energy here Shay?”

  “I’m not sure since I don’t really know what it feels like.”

  “Sure, you do. Remember when we figured out I could transfer energy to other people and we tried it on you? It will feel similar to that. Close your eyes and feel what’s around you.”

  Shay did as Alix said and tried to concentrate on feeling more than the sun and wind. After a few moments a smile appeared on Shay’s face. “I think I feel something. It’s not strong, but it’s like a warm tingly sensation all over me.”

  “That’s it Shay. Wow, this place is awesome. Let’s go look around.”

  They discovered that the biggest difference between what humans saw and the real Stonehenge was the amount of stones. There was the outer ring complete with upright stones and the ones that were lying flat on top. There was, of course, the next ring made up of much smaller stones. Alix thought they reminded her of headstones. It was the innermost ring of stones where the biggest difference was. Humans saw the five sets of stones with caps, four smaller and the big one at the end. What they couldn’t see was full ring of the stones. There were eight sets of the stones with the flat one on top. Four smaller ones and four larger ones, each alternating.

  They were walking around the outer ring when Alix got one of those feelings that she was supposed to find something. So, she told Ben and Shay what she was feeling. Alix started walking toward the middle of Stonehenge. The feeling was getting stronger. She entered the very inner ring of stones and headed toward the center. She stopped and looked around. She appeared to be in the very center of Stonehenge.

  “This is the place,” Alix said to them. Then she collapsed.

  Chapter 12

  Alix opened her eyes and turned around in a circle. Where was she? Stonehenge was gone and so were her family and friends. She started to panic a little.

  “Hello?” she called out. “Is anyone there?”

  She didn’t see anything for miles and miles. Not a single building. There were a few trees scattered around and lush green countryside. She started pacing back and forth.

  “What am I going to do? How do I get back?”

  After several minutes of pacing Alix heard something off in the distance. She turned toward the sound. It was a man on a horse. She watched him come closer and wondered if she should be running in the opposite direction. Instead she decided to camouflage herself and be ready to run if necessary. It took a few minutes, but the man was finally just yards away.

  He got off the horse and bowed to her. “Kaelneth, you have come at last,” he said, in a very strange accent. “You may drop your invisibility, I’m not here to harm you.”

  “Uh …” was all she said and dropped her camouflage.

  “You are here to witness the creation of the first energy intensifying monument to be built by the Nykara. The knowledge on how to do this will be lost and you are here to bring that knowledge back. You are the only Nykara who has the ability to do this.”

  Alix still wasn’t sure what was going on. “Who are you?”

  “I am here to be your guide during the process of learning how and why this monument is being built.”

  “Uh … okay. Where are we?” she asked him.

  “What is the last thing you remember before you woke up here?”

  “I was at Stonehenge in England.”

  “You are still in the same place, just in a different time. This is the age before it was constructed.”

  “Are you from this time?” she asked.

  “No, I am from no age and all ages.”

  That was very cryptic Alix thought. “Wait a minute, so you mean that I’ve travelled back in time?”

  “In a manner of speaking. Physically you are still in your time. It’s just your mind that is here. When you have learned what you need to know you will return.”

  “Um … well okay then. So, what are we waiting for? I’d like to get back to my family and friends.”

  “Soon, a group of Nykara will arrive at this location. There will be one man in particular that you will need to pay attention to. His name is Candar. He was a lot like you. He is the reason that Stonehenge was built. You must learn how he is able to create this monument.”

  “But why?”

  “That information will come in time. Right now, it is vital that you understand how this is accomplished.”

  “And how am I supposed to do that?” she asked, slightly frustrated. Nothing was making sense and she just wanted to go back.

  “When they arrive, they will not be able to see or hear us, we will be like ghosts. Being the Kaelneth will allow you to hear Can
dar’s thoughts and understand his words.”

  “What do you mean understand his words?” she asked.

  “The language the Candar speaks no longer exists. Remember, this was thousands of years ago, Kaelneth.”

  Alix hadn’t even thought about that. This whole situation was off the charts strange. She had figured out it was a vision, but nothing like the ones she’d already had. She’d never had someone to guide her before, but she was glad she did this time because otherwise she was sure she’d be even more confused.

  As Alix was thinking she heard another sound and turned toward it.

  “Ah, here they come,” her guide said.

  She could see a group of people walking toward them. Alix had to remind herself to not be scared and that no one could see her. It was just a vision and she wasn’t really there. When the group got closer she was able to tell which one was Candar. For some reason she thought he would be an old man, but he looked to be in his twenties. He was leading the group and when he put up his hand to halt the group, Alix was shocked. His tattoo was colored! She couldn’t see what it was from where she was standing, but it definitely had color. She wondered if anyone in the Nykara world had a clue that there had been someone before her that had a colored tattoo. She wondered if that meant he was like her and had abilities from all the types of Nykara. Before she could think further on that he spoke.

  “Fellow Nykara. We are at the place I have seen in my dreams. The place that will be the site of the great monument we are about to construct. Come, join hands and feel the power of this place.”

  There were six other people with him. They joined hands and formed a circle. It was then that Alix caught glimpses of what was happening in Candar’s mind. She was amazed. She could practically feel the power flowing through her. This really was an incredible place. Watching the others in the group she could tell that they felt it as well, but not as strongly as Candar did.

  She tried to listen to his thoughts, but it was difficult. It was like he had thought after thought after thought. They moved very quickly through his mind. But what she could pick out was that the stones he wanted to bring there were from a far away place, but they had a special feel to them. As she continued to listen she realized that she was wrong. The stones weren’t far away but deep underground. Nope that still wasn’t right. She listened for a moment. They were deep under water. Wow, she would have never guessed that.