The Books of Kaltar Farsara Boxed Set - Books 1 through 3 (The Kingdom Kaltar Farsara Built)

by Ivan Bridgewater

  "For now," she said, "Let me ask some questions, and you just do your best to tell me what you think."

  "Okay," I replied. I liked hearing her talk, so this suited me just fine.

  "So, you're a great Magi?"

  "No," I said, "Mainly, I make eggs!" I opened my hand, and an egg appeared. April was startled, and looked at me oddly again.

  "This teacher of yours told you to just show up in my room?" she asked.

  "I was learning to fold space," I replied. "The Rock seemed to think I'd find this an easy task."

  "Your teacher's name is Caleon?" She asked. "Is that what he said?" I nodded yes, and she said, "He just sent you on your way. Just like that." Again, I nodded yes.

  Then, I heard the Rock's voice say, "I sent the boy here." He stepped through the door from the hallway, and said, "I knew he would be safe. You are a good person April Lansing."

  April stood up as the Rock walked in, and in a flash, she slapped him hard in the face. Through clenched teeth, she said, "He showed up in my bedroom while I was asleep. I suspect you should have known better. I might have hurt him."

  The Rock looked from her, to me, and back. Then he said, "You're right. I'm doing a poor job of teaching the boy. He likes you. You'll make a much better teacher."

  "That's not what I said!" responded April. "I like Kaltar, but he needs a babysitter, not a girl behind in her rent, and looking for a job."

  The Rock's face lit up, and he said, "We can give you a job, and I can pay your rent." The Master cupped his hands, and when he opened it, there was a shiny rock in his hands.

  April gasped, and said, "Is that a diamond?"

  "Yes," said the Rock. "It weighs seven pounds. Will that suffice for now?"

  April just stood there staring for a moment. She reached out, and took the stone as though it might bite her. She looked at me and said, "You're for real. This isn't some kind of weird joke. You really need my help."

  I said, "I really need your help April Lansing. I say all the wrong things for this world. Please help me so I don't mess up."

  The Rock said, "This is important young Earther. This boy may help defend the Earth someday. He needs to learn of the Earth and its people. He needs to do this soon. We both need your help. Can you assist us?"

  April was extremely stressed. We sat there for several seconds, and I said, "We have done a bad thing coming here. This is unfair to April. You may keep the stone, and we will return later."

  She stood there staring at me for a moment. Then she said, "Lesson number one, never give an Earther a huge diamond, and just walk away."

  The Rock smiled, and said, "Yes, you will do well young lady."

  For many hours, April talked to me as the Rock listened. At one point, the Master said, "You must return home to rest soon, Kaltar. Finish your discussions for the day. We must leave soon."

  "Can't he stay with me?" asked April.

  "No!" said my Master. "He needs to imprint on Remaca. He needs to return home at the end of each day, so he can regain his strength." The Rock looked at April, and said, "We shall return again tomorrow." Then he looked at me, and said, "Close your eyes, young Magi! Think of Remaca! Think of your home, and your room. Think of your friends, the birds."

  I did as he said, and when I opened my eyes, I was home, on Remaca. It did feel good to be home, and I slept very well that night. The next morning, I got up, got dressed, and went down to see the Rock. He stood waiting on me, and smiled as I walked up. His first words were, "Are you ready to return to Earth?"

  I thought about his words, and said, "I feel I may be doing a bad thing. Is there any chance helping me might hurt April?"

  My Master stood thinking about my question. Then he said, "There is a small chance we might harm her in some way. I'll protect her of course, but the people of Earth are unpredictable."

  "Then I'm not sure I'm going back," I said. "I don't wish to harm the girl."

  "It's good that you wish to protect her," Rock said. "But not going back now will cause her harm. She will worry about you. She cares for you already Kaltar. She will be upset already. We are late, and we promised to return."

  I closed my eyes, and thought of April. When I opened my eyes, I was standing with her in her sleeping quarters. I looked at her, and said, "You are very beautiful!"

  Her face turned red, and she said, "Good morning! You look very nice today, and you're only an hour late. Where have you been?"

  I always seem to make her angry. I said, "I am afraid of harming you, and debated coming back. The Rock insisted I return. I regret my delay."

  April promptly said, "If you didn't return, I'd be frantic. Don't you dare just disappear." She stepped closer, and said, "Please don't make me beg you. You started this. You can't just disappear now. You decide you're leaving, you come tell me to my face. Is that fair?"

  "I just don't want to hurt you!" I said. It upset me thinking I might cause her harm.

  "I don't believe you would harm anyone, Kaltar," she responded. "You have kind eyes. I want to help you. Please be my friend."

  I asked about the diamond the Rock had given her, and she said it was worth a lot of money. I asked her what money was, and she stood staring at me for a moment. Then she told me we would need to talk more about that soon.

  I finally asked, "What can I learn today?"

  April smiled and said, "I thought about this. I think I have a good way to start. Follow me." She took me to the room she lives in, and sat me in front of a black box. She touched a small device, and a man appeared on the front of the box. He said he was there for the evening news, and gave his name. Then he started to tell me all sorts of crazy things.

  The man said little children were starving. That seemed horrible. Then he said a man had killed and eaten his wife. I wanted to turn the box off, but it was already talking about a big ship that sank, and killed many people. April was sitting next to me, and seemed calm enough. I just wanted to shut the box off.

  There was a story about a man who fought in a world war. The thought of a whole world at war was very frightening. I finally looked over at April, and said, "Must I watch this? It is upsetting watching so many suffer."

  She picked up the small device, touched it, and the box went off again. The room was silent, and she said, "We can just talk if you prefer."

  I pointed at the box, and said, "What are these called?"

  "That's a television, and that's a remote control," she replied.

  "Those things are really happening?" I asked. "Here on this planet! All those people died, or were hurt?"

  She sat there for some time, and then she said, "People on this planet die every minute of every day. Someplace, right now, a person is dying. Perhaps several people are dying together."

  I must have cringed, because she suddenly said, "Every minute, a small healthy baby is born. They are sweet, kind, and harm nobody. There are more cute babies than dying people in this world, so we have fears of overpopulation. Just remember! Happy babies are winning. That will cheer you up. At least, it helps me."

  I tried to follow her logic, but she talked so fast, I really didn't understand what she was saying. I finally said, "Don't tell me any more! You're freaking me out."

  April stopped, and smiled. "Do you even know what the words, freaked out, means?" she asked.

  "Not really," I replied. "I get the impression it relates to information overload."

  "It might," April agreed, "It depends on how it's used in the sentence. Let’s just say I didn't intend to freak you out, and go from there."

  Thinking about her comment, I said, "You've been very kind to me. I know you don't wish to upset me, and I don't wish to upset you. I do have one little request though."

  She sat looking at me for a moment. Then she said, "Okay, let’s hear it."

  "I'd like to look into your mind for a short while," I said. "I would learn much faster."

  "Absolutely not!" she said emphatically. "Just stay out of my head! It creeps me out!" We
sat there for a full minute, Then she asked, "Does it hurt when you do it?"

  "I looked into your mind before," I said. "Did you feel any discomfort?"

  "No!" she hedged. "It just weirds me out to think of you being in my mind. Don't you have any privacy where you come from?"

  "We don't scan others without permission," I replied. "If you tell me not to, it would be very rude of me to scan you."

  April seemed to make a sudden decision. She said, "Alright, you can look into my head. Just don't blame me if it's a mess."

  "Are you sure?" I asked. "Just a minute ago, you said no way!"

  "I don't want to think about it, or I'll change my mind again," she said. "Just do it!" She said the words so forcefully, that I immediately started to scan her.

  The first thing I saw was her childhood. Watching her grow up was a good education for me. Like me, she had two loving parents. That was about all we had in common. Her world was filled with devices and violence. My world was simple, and I had never seen violence of any kind. I had a lot to learn.

  April was "twenty years old" as the Earthers called it. Her adult mind was very jumbled and confused. I sat there for a long time, going through her mind, trying to understand the Earth and its people.

  Then I saw myself through her eyes. I saw she liked me a lot. I quickly realized I was invading her privacy, and withdrew. She was sitting in front of me with her eyes half closed, almost in a trance state. I said, "Wake up April! I'm through for now."

  She seemed to snap awake abruptly. Looking around, she said, "I must have dozed off. How long have we been here?" She glanced at the "clock" and said, "We were locked together for over an hour." She was a little confused, and said, "I hope that helped you."

  "It helped a lot," I said. "I can see that telepathy will be the best way to learn of Earth." Hesitating, I continued, saying, "Don't be mad at me. I just wanted to say you are very beautiful to me. I like you very much!"

  April's face flushed red again. I now realized it was called a blush, and she said, "I'm afraid to ask what you saw in there."

  "I saw you are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside," I said. "Is that what you mean?"

  She started to cry. I had not intended to upset her, and felt bad at once. Then, I saw in the link, that she was happy. I could see that being around Earthers was going to be very confusing. In a halting voice, she said, "I finally meet the perfect man, and he's not even human."

  "I regret I'm not human," I said. "If it would make you happy, I wish I could be human."

  April's tears fell even faster, and she whispered, "That's so sweet!" She said, "You stay the way you are, being human is screwed up. You're better off just the way you are."

  I was getting upset about all the tears. "Please don't cry!" I begged. "You're freaking me out!"

  Just like that, she started to giggle. "You don't even know what that means!" she said with a sniffle.

  "It means I want you to stop crying!" I replied. "Please don't cry!"

  Abruptly, April got an odd look on her face, and she leaned closer to me, and said, "You are amazing!"

  There was a tap at the door, and I looked up to realize the Rock was watching us from the hall doorway. He said, "It's time for you to return home Kaltar. This is a lesson for another day."

  I felt very confused, and said, "I would like to stay just a little longer."

  "I bet you would!" the Rock said. "This lesson will wait one more day. Just go home now."

  April sniffled, but she smiled and said, "He's right! You should go home!" I was tempted to scan her, but I didn't. I was worried about her. I just didn't want to invade her privacy.

  I folded space, and returned home to Remaca. I waited for the Rock to return, and after a while he appeared. He seemed rather irritated, and I couldn't see what was upsetting him in the link. I fell asleep that night feeling like something was wrong. Looking into April's mind had made me see the Earth differently. I wanted to help its people. I just had no idea how to do it.

  Chapter 5

  Making Elephants

  The next day I woke up, and went down to see the Rock. I stepped out the door to the house, and he was there talking to his tiny bird. It was singing, and seemed very happy. He looked up as I approached, and said, "Are you ready for another day at school?"

  I hesitated, and said, "I learned much from April's mind. I can see that the link is the best way to learn. Perhaps I should find others to link to, so that I might learn faster."

  "Getting tired of April are you?" Rock asked.

  "No," I replied. "I am not tired of April. I just think that I might learn more if I met more people."

  "And you're still worried about hurting her," said the Rock.

  "I guess, a little bit," I said. I hesitated, and then said, "I saw enough in her mind to see that the Earthers are in trouble, and I want to help. I just don't know what to do."

  The Rock chuckled lightly, and said, "You will be a great and wise Magi, Kaltar. Just keep learning. Knowledge is power. One day, you will control great power. That power should go hand in hand with the knowledge of how to best use it. Learn as much as you can, young Magi. Your knowledge, and powers, will be needed soon."

  "I must go now," I reminded him.

  The Rock put his hand on my shoulder, and said, "I shall see you later young learner." I folded space, and went to see April.

  I had been informed by April that she would prefer if I stopped showing up in her sleeping quarters. I appeared in the room she says she lives in, and found her crying in front of the box called television. She mumbled, "Stupid soap operas!" snapped the remote up, and turned off the entertainment device.

  Turning to me, she said, "I have new people for you to meet today." She hesitated, and then said, "Try not to freak them out too bad, okay?"

  "Sure," I said with a smile. I had no idea what was going on.

  Stepping over to the door, April said, "Okay! Let's go!" She snapped open the door, and stepped out into the hallway. She knocked on the door across from hers, and we stood there for a moment.

  Then the door opened, and a woman was standing there. Her hair was bright red, and I said, "You are beautiful!"

  The woman smiled and said, "You must be Kaltar. April has warned me about you. Won't you come in?"

  I stepped in, and April walked in right behind me. April said, "Kaltar, this is Cindy. She was my best friend in High School. Cindy, this is Kaltar. He is my friend from the planet Remaca."

  Cindy and I shook hands for a moment. I'm not used to shaking hands, and after a few seconds, Cindy said, "Okay, you can stop now!" and gently pulled her hand away. She pointed at a chair, and said, "Won't you have a seat?"

  "I can take it with me?" I asked.

  April intervened, and said, "Just sit down in a chair Kaltar. You're not supposed to keep it when you're through."

  Glad to oblige, I sat down and said, "Now what?"

  "I guess you read my mind," said Cindy. "At least, that's what April said you wanted to do." She looked at me oddly for a moment, and then said, "You're not going to hurt me or anything, are you?"

  I shook my head no, and said, "A scan shouldn't hurt you in any way."

  "Then hurry up," she said. "Before I change my mind." She had sat down next to me, and I started the scan at once.

  Her mind was much different than April's. Cindy was an orphan. Both her parents died before she was ten years old. She was very shut off to people, and I could tell she had been abused several times in her short life. I finished the scan, and as we focused back into reality, I quietly said, "You are a very brave person. Thank you for sharing with me."

  With a very solemn look on her face, Cindy said, "I had a favorite toy as a child. What was it?"

  "You mean snookems, your stuffed bear?" I responded. I started to say, "Is that what you meant!" but Cindy was already crying.

  "You really can do it!" she said through her tears. "I didn't believe it when April told me. You really can see
into my mind!" She closed her eyes tight, and just sat there for a moment. Then she opened her eyes, and focused on me again.

  "We need to get you to somebody a lot smarter than us," Cindy announced in a rush of words.

  "I'd prefer he doesn't end up in some government lab getting dissected," said April. Cindy and I both nodded agreement. I had no concept what dissected was, but it didn't sound like fun.

  "I know! Let's call Carl!" blurted out Cindy. "He'll know what to do!"

  April seemed to resist that concept. "There's got to be a better way!" she said.

  "Who is Carl?" I asked.

  "Her Brother," replied April. Again, I was tempted to scan her mind, and didn't.

  Cindy had picked up a small device on the table. She held it to her ear, and said, "Hello, Carl! April is here at my apartment asking to talk to you. Can you come up and talk to her?" April's face fell, and after a moment, Cindy said, "Okay! See you in a minute."

  "Why the hell did you do that for?" hissed April.

  "He likes you, and I wanted him to come up here right away," said Cindy.

  There was a tap at the door, and Cindy got up, stepped over, and opened it. A pleasant young man stepped in, and said, "You called."

  "I wanted you to meet my new boyfriend, Kaltar," said April. She said it so smoothly, that I didn't understand her at first. She smiled at me in a pleading way, as though to ask that I not give away her deception.

  I said, "Glad to meet you."

  The man took one look at me, looked at April, and said, "You're dating a priest?"

  "He's not a priest," said April. "He's from South America!"

  Carl gave me a long look, and said, "Okay! What's the joke?"

  Cindy shut the door and said, "Set down for a minute, Carl."

  The young man looked at all of us, and sat down. Then he said, "Okay! Now what?"

  In a very quiet voice, Cindy said, "Kaltar has this neat mind reading trick we wanted you to see." I started to correct her, and April kicked me in the ankle.

  Carl didn't see her, but I blurted out, "Hey! That hurt!" and he looked at us both oddly.