Chosen One

by Katie Holland

  “Friends,” Candar said startling her, “this is the place we will build, but the stones needed are hidden in the great body of water to the south of here. We must go there and get them before the evil ones do.” Candar and the other Nykara started walking south.

  “Does he mean Grynn?” Alix asked her guide.

  “Yes, in those days it was believed if you said the name it would bring the evil to you.”

  Suddenly, the scene changed, and they were looking out over a huge body of water.

  “Where are we?” she asked.

  “I believe in your time this is called the English Channel.”

  Alix then watched in awe as Candar walked out onto the ocean. He can walk on water she thought. I can’t do that. But as Alix looked closer she saw that he had stilled the water and created a layer of ice solid enough to walk on. Alix followed him as he walked far out into the water. When he finally stopped she could barely see the land. His mind started up again, so Alix started paying closer attention.

  He seemed to be searching for something. Like she’d done in the past he flung his energy out seeking the objects he wanted. But unlike her experience, he knew what he was doing. His energy went down, deep into the ocean. She could tell the moment he found what he was looking for. He gathered an enormous amount of energy into himself and started pulling the rocks out of the ocean floor.

  Alix was shocked at the amount of energy he was using. But she could feel that as fast has he was using energy he was replenishing it from the water. It was like a continuous circuit. She had never felt anything like it. It was even better than when she absorbed the energy from the energy balls that Kris threw at her.

  She could feel the huge rocks moving under the ocean. Once Candar had all the rocks he wanted he started moving them toward the shore where the others were waiting. It was still taking a tremendous amount of energy and control to move those rocks. Alix could feel how he was doing it, but it still amazed her.

  After about an hour Candar had the giant rocks out of the ocean and onto the shore. Alix counted twenty of them. The smallest one was the size of her house. It was an incredible sight to see. The other Nykara in Candar’s group crowded around him. She could tell that they were in awe of him.

  “Now we must get these back to the sacred site undetected. It will take all of us to do that and it will require the joining of our powers to accomplish this. Please, join hands again.”

  The joining of powers? That had Alix’s curiosity peaked. She concentrated on Candar’s thoughts. In his mind she could see what he wanted to do. He focused his energy and formed it into an invisible rope. He then sent that rope out to his fellow Nykara. The energy rope wrapped around each person in turn. When the last person was wrapped in energy, the rope came back and wrapped around Candar. The instant it did Alix saw a bright flash in her mind. She could also tell that the others could feel the difference.

  She could feel that the other six Nykara were very powerful on their own, but with what Candar did their power was increased by a factor of fifty. She would love to be a part of something like that. Candar spoke, bringing her back to the task at hand.

  “Friends, we are going to use our combined power to conceal these very special rocks and move them back to where we will construct the monument.” He then proceeded to move the rocks into a four by five grid. “Everyone spread out. Two of you on each side and two of you at the back. I’ll take the front.”

  As they went to their places, Alix could see the energy rope stretch between everyone. It was unbelievable.

  “Now we are going to cloak these rocks and lift them in the air. We don’t want to leave any trace behind. Begin.”

  As soon as everyone started using their magic on the rocks the energy increased again. It must be the rocks Alix thought. They can somehow increase our natural energy. No wonder Candar wanted to get them before the Grynn did. Imagine the evil they could do if their power was increased like that.

  In a few minutes the gigantic rocks were hovering in the air and then disappeared. Alix knew that what they were doing was extremely difficult, but with the way the energy was flowing around they made it look easy. The group started heading north and the scene changed again.

  They were back at the place where Stonehenge was to be built. Candar was running his hands over the stone. Alix quickly focused in on his thoughts, she didn’t want to miss anything. He was trying to get a sense of what made the rocks so special. They were not ordinary rocks. Several minutes went by and he finally found the answer. They were rocks that fell from the sky thousands and thousands of years ago. Long before man was around. Candar was excited by that information.

  Suddenly, something like a vision hit Candar and he instantly saw what the monument needed to be and what it would mean to the Nykara people. Candar then began taking the enormous rocks and breaking them into pieces and forming them into the smooth shapes he needed.

  When he had all the stones shaped he stood where the very center would be. He took that concentrated energy from the ground and shared it with his fellow Nykara. They came and formed a circle around him, each putting a hand on him. Candar then proceeded to move all of the stones into place. First the innermost ring, then the ring of small stones, and lastly the outer ring with its cap stones.

  When the last stone was in place, Alix felt a rush of energy. She knew it was the barrier that made Stonehenge the safe place. But she also learned that it kept the energy concentrated to that place. The energy would stay exactly as it was as long as the barrier stayed intact.

  The next thing Candar did shocked her again. He took three very small pieces of the rock and put them in his left hand. He took his right hand and put his tattoo over the rocks. When he lifted his hand off there were three rings instead of the rocks. He then went over to one of the stones on the outer ring and stood in front of it. He placed his tattoo in the middle of the stone. When he pulled his hand back a small door opened in the rock. He put the rings in there and the door closed. There wasn’t a trace of anything after it closed.

  Alix knew the vision was almost over and was surprised she was still there. She was only a few feet from Candar when he turned around and she was positive he was looking right at her. He smiled, put his hands out to the sides, and did a little bow. The last thing he did was hold his right hand up and finally Alix could clearly see his tattoo. She was shocked, it was like hers only different colors.

  Chapter 13

  Alix opened her eyes to see everyone staring at her. Shay and her mom were each holding one of her hands. She didn’t have to look to know where she was, she could feel it, the very center of Stonehenge, right where she’d collapsed.

  “Alix … Alix are you okay honey?” her mom asked her.

  “I’m fine,” she answered, but at the look on her mom’s face she added, “Really, I promise I’m alright. How long was I out?”

  “Only about a minute or so but you scared us half to death,” her mom said, still worried. “What happened?”

  “I had a vision I guess. This is the first time it’s happened while I wasn’t dreaming. And was I really only out for a minute?”

  “Yes honey, why?”

  “My vision seemed to last for hours. Can I stand up now?” she said smiling.

  Her mom and Shay released her hands and she stood up. She was a little unnerved with everyone staring at her, but she supposed that it wasn’t everyday someone collapsed in front of you.

  “Excuse me Alix,” Ruth said, “may I ask you what your vision was about?”

  Alix paused for a minute. She knew deep down inside of her that she couldn’t give away the secret of how it was done. That was between Candar and her.

  “I saw how Stonehenge was built,” Alix said. The Council members all looked shocked.

  “Can you share it with us?” Ruth asked.

  “Uh, sure. So, there was a group of seven Nykara, one kind of seemed to be the leader. They came to this place
and he knew it was a special place. Then we were somewhere with water and he found giant rocks in the water and they brought them back here. Then he broke them into pieces and made them into the stones for building. Then I think he used the energy of this place to create what we are looking at. When the final stone was in place the barrier was created. Oh, and I saw him create the rings that you gave to mom, dad and Shay. It was extremely interesting to watch.”

  Alix knew she was leaving a lot out, but she knew it was important to keep that knowledge to herself for now.

  The Council members looked shocked.

  “I told you to expect the unexpected from her,” Kris told them. “I wasn’t kidding."

  “Wow,” was the only thing Shelley could say. The others appeared speechless.

  “So …” Alix said, “since I’m okay and everything I’m going to get back to exploring this amazing creation. She didn’t wait for an answer from anyone. She turned around and walked toward the outer edge of the stones. Ben and Shay looked at each other and followed her.

  When they caught up to her Shay put her arm around Alix’s shoulders. “So, what’s really going on? And don’t give me that look. I know you well enough to know something’s up.”

  Alix walked further away from the Council before she answered Shay. “Pretend to study this stone,” she whispered.

  Neither one of them questioned Alix. They made themselves look extremely interested in what they were doing.

  “Are they paying any attention to us?” Alix whispered again.

  Ben casually looked back at the group. “Yes, most of the Council members are still glancing our direction.”

  “Okay, let’s just keep looking around until they stop paying attention to us,” Alix told them.

  So, they kept looking around the different stones. Alix had to admit that after seeing how Stonehenge was created looking at the stones was fascinating. The energy and power that had gone into making it was astounding.

  After about thirty minutes the glances in their direction finally stopped.

  “I think they’ve mostly forgotten about us,” Ben said. “Can you talk to us now?”

  “Yes, but let’s keep walking, I’m also kind of looking for something. So, I didn’t tell the Council everything. The short version is that there was a man named Candar and he was like me. Visions, powerful and had a tattoo that was just like mine except different colors.” Alix paused for a moment to let that sink in. “So, he knew where to find this spot because of visions or dreams. He also knew where to find the rocks to make this. The rocks were in the bottom of the ocean in the English Channel. He was powerful enough to get the rocks the size of houses out of the water and all the way to here. He was able to join his power with the other Nykara and they cloaked and floated the enormous rocks all the way here. It was amazing. And the rocks, I think they were meteors. He touched them and could tell they fell from the sky. And then watching them put the rocks in place was something else. I saw him create the rings that Ruth gave you guys. And I could hear his thoughts, so I know how he did everything.”

  Shay and Ben were silent for a few minutes while the processed what Alix said.

  “Um … just wow,” was all Shay said. “I think you’ve made me speechless, and we know how often that happens.”

  Despite everything Alix had to smile.

  “Alix, what you told us is just packed with about five tons of information,” Ben said. “I can’t believe that there was someone else that had a colored tattoo. I wonder why no one seems to know this. And why didn’t you tell the Council?”

  “I just knew that information wasn’t for them to know. Just like how Candar knew certain things and how he was able to combine powers and how he could tell what the rocks were. It’s like a secret for just the two of us.”

  “You know that he died thousands of years ago Alix,” Ben said. “You’re talking about him like you actually know him.”

  “I kind of feel like I do. I was able to get in his mind. I saw how he thought, how his power worked. It was fascinating. How many people can say they got to watch the creation of Stonehenge from start to finish?”

  “No one that’s lived in the last five thousand years or so, that’s a fact,” Ben said with a smile.

  “You know this whole day has been crazy right and we haven’t even had lunch yet,” Shay said. “This morning I thought, ‘oh cool we get to see Stonehenge and take pictures like tourists. But instead is all ‘Nykara own and built Stonehenge’ and ‘Alix is the long-lost descendant of the crazy guy that built it’. Nothing can ever be normal can it?”

  If Shay wasn’t smiling as she talked Alix would have thought she was upset. But Alix knew it was hard to get Shay upset. It would take a lot more than a crazy day to accomplish that.

  “This might be totally off topic but is anyone else hungry?” Alix asked them. “I know to you guys I was only passed out for a minute but in the vision, I was there for hours, maybe even a whole day. Can we go get something to eat?”

  “You know I’m always ready to eat,” Ben said with a grin.

  “Maybe they have cookies?” Shay added.

  They linked their arms and started walking to the building Ruth had pointed out earlier. They could all feel the second they passed through the magical barrier. All three of them turned around. The difference was hard to believe.

  They walked into the lunch building and found that it was actually a restaurant and gift shop. They were the only ones there. They were greeted by a young man who showed them to a table and gave them menus. He took their drink orders and told them that anything they wanted was on the house. He also had to add that it was a pleasure to serve the Kaelneth.

  They all decided that since they were in England they would all get fish and chips.

  Being alone gave them more of a chance to talk.

  “Shay,” Alix started, “you said something a while ago that’s got me thinking. Do you really think I could be a descendant of Candar?”

  “Actually, I think it’s entirely possible,” Shay said. “It would make sense, right? You both basically have the same tattoo. Speaking of that Ben, why do you think that no one seems to know that there was another Nykara with a colored tattoo? I mean it was thousands of years ago, but it seems like kind of a big deal.”

  “That’s an excellent question Shay,” he said. “And I have no idea why. Was the knowledge forgotten or concealed or just not known at the time?”

  “As usual we have more questions than answers,” Alix said.

  They were going to talk more but a couple of the Council members came into the restaurant. Perry and Maria asked if they could join them. The five of them chatted about nothing in particular while they ate. Alix was glad they didn’t bring up her vision.

  When Alix, Shay and Ben were finished eating they headed back to Stonehenge.

  “Hey Alix,” Ben said, “is there anything special you wanted to look at?”

  “Yes and no,” she answered. “I do really want to explore everything here, but I also feel that there is something I need to find before we go. I have no idea what it could be or where it is but I’m sure I’ll know if I come close.”

  “Okay then, let’s just wander and explore until we find it. We’ve got at least three hours, that should be lots of time," Ben told her.

  Alix knew she could probably just use her energy to find it but with the way it was increased within Stonehenge she wasn’t sure what would happen. So, the three of them started really exploring. They talked with everyone as they encountered them. Everyone asked if she was alright but not one person asked her about the vision. She found that rather strange. She was expecting at least one person to ask her more questions about it.

  Before they knew it Ruth was announcing that it was time to leave. Alix was shocked that she hadn’t found the thing she was supposed to find. She knew there was something there. Everyone gathered together to walk back. Ruth told them that they were go
ing to the gift shop, so they could get souvenirs. When the last person walked out of Stonehenge she knew exactly where to look for the thing that had been calling to her.

  Alix made a show of looking in her bag. “Crap, I forgot my camera back there. I’m just going to run back and get it. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “Hang on, I’ll go with you,” Shay told her.

  “It’s okay. You go up to the gift shop and pick out something cool for your sister. I’ll be right behind you.” Alix was giving her a look that hopefully conveyed that Alix needed to go alone.

  Shay finally got it and went with the others. Alix ran back into Stonehenge and went straight to the very center where she had her vision earlier. She turned around to make sure no one had followed her. She kneeled down and put her hands on the ground. She could feel the object deep under the grass. She used what she’d learned from Candar and pulled the object up through the earth. In just a few seconds it popped out of the grass. It was a small box about the size of a business card. She repaired the hole it made in the grass, so no one would suspect anything. She put it straight in her bag without looking at it. There would be time for that later. Alix ran back and caught up with everyone in the gift shop.

  “Did you get your camera honey?” her dad asked.

  They must have asked where she was. Of course, Shay covered for her. She definitely was the world’s best friend.

  “Yes dad, I got it. It would have really sucked if I lost it the first full day here.”

  “You missed it when you had to go back and get your camera, but Ruth said we could get as many souvenirs as we wanted, free of charge," her dad told her.