A moment passed, and in a patient voice, Carl said, "Okay, let's get this over with!" He sat there waiting.
I started the scan immediately. I was uneasy about the appearance that we were tricking Carl into the scan, but this was important. I pulled as much as I could without a deep scan, and then said, "Thank you! I'm through!"
"Well, that was painless!" said Carl. "So what's the trick?"
"You left your stove on!" I said. "You'll burn dinner!"
Carl sat there for a few seconds with a very odd look on his face. Then he jumped up, said, "I'll be right back!" and ran from the apartment.
The three of us sat in silence for about three minutes. Then Carl stepped into the doorway. He looked closely at me, and said, "Okay! How did you know?"
"He can read your mind," April said quietly.
"Your priest boyfriend from South America is a mind reader," Carl said. I could tell he was waiting for us to explain.
"Come in, and shut the door," instructed Cindy. She sounded a little terse with her brother.
Carl did as he was told, and slowly shut the door. I felt I should say something, so I looked at April and said, "He thinks your body is beautiful!"
That made Carl very upset. He pulled me straight up out of the chair, and lifted me off the ground. Carl was a lot bigger man than I was. He looked me in the eyes and said, "That wasn't funny!"
Both the women seemed very concerned Carl was going to kill me. I could see what the Rock meant about the people of Earth being unstable. Carl was kind of choking me, and it hurt. I reached out mentally, and pushed him away.
I had never done such a thing before, and I used too much force. Carl seemed to fly backwards through the air with a look of shock on his face, till he hit the wall. He hit so hard, that the photos on the wall all came off. Then he slowly slid down the wall, and fell asleep. At least he looked asleep.
Cindy stepped over to him, and touched his neck. She stood there a moment, then looked up at us, saying, "He's okay, but he's out cold! You two should probably leave for now."
April motioned me to leave, but I hesitated. I reached down, pulled Carl up enough to drag him over to a chair, and set him down. Then I stepped into the kitchen, got a glass of water, came back in, and threw it in his face. He started to cough and thrash around, but just sat there in the chair.
As his eyes started to focus, I told him, "I don't hurt people except in self-defense! Okay?" He nodded his head slowly, but made no move to leave the chair he was in.
I turned to realize that both April and Cindy looked a little frightened of me. I realized I had scared them. Horrified, I turned to April, and said, "I regret harming your friend!" and folded space back to Remaca.
The Rock was there waiting for me, but I just walked past him without speaking. This wasn't going well, and I was hurting people. I didn't sleep well that night. I kept thinking about the fear in April and Cindy's face when they looked at me.
The next day, I woke up, and didn't want to go to Earth. I can't explain all the reasons why. I just didn't want to.
The Rock said, "I'm sorry you must grow up so fast Kaltar!" He looked down at the ground and said, "Stay here with me today, and I’ll teach you of something not known of on Earth."
I was happy to stay home. The Master taught me how to make objects appear on demand. It was like when I made the eggs and birds, but much more controlled. The items were also more complex. I created a television, and a remote control. They even worked.
I made a plane in the sky like I saw on Earth, but it quickly crashed. The Master said a pilot was required for it to remain in flight, so I stopped making planes. I refrained from cars for the same reason.
Then I made an Elephant. It was huge, and stood looking at us. I had seen one in a scan I did of April. The Rock immediately said, "Oh boy!"
The beast just stood there looking at us. I don't know what I expected. Its long snout reached out, and gently touched my face. It was a good feeling. I decided it was a good thing.
Then the creature stepped over to the house, and started to eat a bush. It ate the bush very quickly, and I decided there would soon be no more bushes if something wasn't done. Reaching down, I picked up a small piece of the plant.
The three of us, the elephant, the Rock, and I, all walked up a large hill that stood in the distance. It was a long walk, but it was a nice day, and I was glad for the exercise. We reached the top of the hill, and stood looking out over a large open valley of grass. I looked down at the plant in my hand. Focusing on the bit of green bush, I reached out, and filled the valley with the shrub.
My Master smiled, and said, "Well done Kaltar! I'm proud of you!" He had never said such a thing to me before, and I was delighted. The Elephant squealed a trumpeting sound of pleasure, and ran down into the brush laid before it. I stood with the Rock, watching as the elephant went off to eat his fill.
I created many things that day, and the Master taught me not to create dangerous creatures, such as a Dragon or Kraken. He said there were creatures far bigger than my elephant that could swallow whole worlds. I had no problem agreeing I didn't want to see one of those.
Toward the end of the day, the Rock warned me to not create humanoid creatures. He said people created this way never seemed quite right. If you created a lost relative from your memories, the new person wouldn't remember you. They would be frightened, not remembering their previous life, or their previous memories.
I got the feeling it was a very bad thing!
I went to sleep that night feeling I had learned many good things. I slept heavily, and woke up sore the next morning. Standing up, I pulled my sleeping covers aside, and created a bed like April's in the middle of my room. Then I crawled back into the bed, and just laid there. It was so soft. I didn't want to ever get up.
Of course, I knew I had to. I got up, got dressed, and went down to see my Master. He smiled as I approached, and said, "What shall we do today young Magi?"
"I should return to Earth, I suppose," I reflected. "April will wonder where I am."
"Yes, she will," said Rock. It was as if he knew some joke I was unaware of. He just smiled, and said, "See you soon!"
I folded space to Earth.
Chapter 6
Visiting the Library
The very first moment I appeared, April yelled, "Where the hell have you been?" She grabbed me and hugged me, as if I had performed some great feat. Then she stepped back and said, "Answer me dammit! Where have you been?"
Caught off guard, I blurted out, "I made an elephant on Remaca!"
That seemed to amuse April greatly. She said, "You didn't come see me, because you made an elephant!" There was something odd about the way she said it. I got the feeling I was in some sort of trouble.
"And I made bushes so it could eat," I added.
April kind of stepped farther back for a moment. Then she repeated, "Because you made an elephant!"
I said, "Sure." I could tell she didn't believe me, so I made an elephant, right there in the room she lives in.
That made April very upset. I found she really didn't want an elephant in her house at all. I blinked it home to the field full of bushes on Remaca. Now I have two elephants.
April was still very upset, and was taking deep breaths. She was bent over slightly at the waist as she stood there panting, and forcefully said, "Don't ever do that again!"
Again, I could see I was messing up. I said, "Perhaps I should leave."
April was adamant that I shouldn't leave. She really just didn't want an elephant in her house. We agreed I'd stay, and went from there.
We sat and talked for several hours, and I realized we were talking as if we were old friends. The link had given me a better understanding of April. I was growing to like her as a person. She liked many things that were fascinating. She read from many books, and used a thing called the internet. She was very smart, for an Earther.
There was a knock at the door, and April opened the door to find Cindy lo
oking very uneasy. She peered in, and asked, "Did he come back today?" She caught a glimpse of me, and backed out the door again. She stood in the hall talking to April in a quiet voice. Then April stepped back in alone, and shut the door.
"We need to talk for a minute," she said. I could see the hesitation in her face. She finally said, "Cindy and Carl started asking a lot of questions after the other day. I didn't know what to say, so I just told the truth."
"The truth is always good," I said. I sat waiting for more.
After a few seconds, she said, "They want to talk to you. They'll be here in a minute."
"That will be fun," I said. Again, I sat waiting.
There was a knock at the door, and April said, "Come in!"
The door opened, and Carl stepped in, looking rather nervous. Cindy appeared to be pushing him into the room. I got the feeling he wasn't happy to see me.
April said, "Sit down Carl!" The man dropped into the nearest chair as fast as he could. It looked more like he fell into the chair. Cindy was left standing by herself, and she looked very nervous. Scrambling past April, she quickly found herself a seat, and settled down.
April said, "These two are nervous you might hurt me."
I was upset, and stood up. Carl passed out instantly. Cindy's eyes were locked in the wide open position, unblinking! April was sitting calmly. She picked up a glass of water on the table, and splashed water onto Carl. He started to wake up, and I sat back down.
"I told you he wouldn't harm me," April said. "It's against his religion."
I started to correct her, saying, "It's not really a religion. It's more of a philosophy of life. At least, that's what the Rock said."
Cindy said, "You know a talking rock?"
April looked at Cindy, and said, "The Rock is Kaltar's teacher."
"Your teacher is a rock?" asked Cindy.
Again, I could tell this wasn't going well. April said, "Don't worry about the Rock!" She took a deep breath, and said, "Tell Kaltar about the library!"
"I work at a library," Cindy squeaked. "If you want to learn about Earthers, it's a good place to go."
"Well, we can bring the books here," suggested April.
"No," said Cindy. "He can study the people in the library. Not the books."
I began to understand what she was suggesting. I resisted the concept. I felt it was an invasion of their privacy. The four of us all discussed it, with even Carl joining in toward the end. The library was right across the street. We didn't need to go far.
After a while, I came to agree with them. I wouldn't be harming the people, so I had no reason not to try. We all went together. We went down two sets of stairs, and right out the front door. There was a quiet road, and just a short distance away, what April called a library.
The four of us went into the building, and Cindy went into the main office for a minute. We sat waiting, and after a minute, Cindy stepped back out, and waved us to another room. She unlocked a door, and let us in a very quiet room. It had many chairs in it. Looking at the three of us, she said, "This is a conference room we use for meetings and stuff. It's quiet here, and you can see the people through the glass. Will this work?"
I shrugged and said, "I'll try!"
Sitting down in the chair, I began to scan people in the lobby. It took some time to learn to associate thoughts with the people. I had no point of reference. Then, I began to find the links, and I knew each of the people in the lobby. There were many people, and I saw many lives.
I began to see what the Master meant about the Madness. I don't say it to be cruel. It’s just, so much of life on Earth is caught up in the Madness. The lies and violence all come directly from the Madness. If Earthers could see each other’s minds, the violence would soon go away, and peace would prevail.
Or, the Earthers would all kill each other.
I sat pondering this. Cindy stepped close, and said, "It's closing time. We need to leave. We've been here four hours."
The three Earthers ushered me out of the library, and took me back to April's. I felt very weak. They placed me on the device called a couch, and all stepped back away from me.
After a few seconds, there was a tap at the front door, and the Rock was brought in by April.
He spoke to the three Earthers for a few seconds, and then stepped over to me. He looked down, and said, "Young fool! You would find the one way to harm yourself." He looked at the others, and said, "He's not used to so many people. He has weakened himself, and needs to return home."
"To your bed," I mumbled.
Cindy and April both said, "What did he say?" in unison.
The Rock stood debating. He finally said, "He said, to your bed."
April paused for a moment, and then said, "Carry him in the back!"
Then I passed out.
Chapter 7
The First Kiss
I awoke feeling very odd, I could tell I wasn't at home. The mat I was on was very soft. I laid there trying to remember how I came to be in this dark room. I reached out, and a voice said, "Take your hand off of me!"
I pulled back right away. The light snapped on next to the bed, and April sat up looking at me. There was silence for a minute, and then she quietly said, "I'm sorry! You startled me!" She blinked, trying to wake up, and said, "I was just going to rest for a minute. I must have dozed off."
"Why did you let me stay here?" I asked.
"You asked for my bed," April said, with an odd tone in her voice.
I thought about her comment, and then said, "I made a duplicate of your bed to sleep in at home." I paused, and then said, "Your bed was so soft. I always slept on a thin mat. I just made a bed like yours."
She seemed to grasp my description, and a smile spread across her face. She laughed slightly, and said, "It's scary. You actually make sense."
She climbed out of bed, and I realized we were both fully dressed. A few minutes later, she was fixing food she called breakfast. I was unsure what bacon and eggs were, but as I smelled them cooking, I decided I wanted to try them.
I had seen eggs before, but the strips called bacon were a wonder of strange tastes. The concept of toast was so simple, yet it had such a strong effect on the food.
We finished, and were talking when the Rock appeared. He just appeared out of nothing, and April jumped up out of her chair. I realized for the first time how it startled the Earthers when we folded space.
He looked at me, and said, "I see you are feeling better, young Magi. They have you eating dead animals with them, eh."
I looked down, wondering if he meant the toast, or the bacon. My stomach felt queasy, but I had enough self-control not to get sick. I looked back up at the Rock, and said, "I want to go home."
April said, "You're not going to disappear again, are you?"
"No," I said. "I'll be back tomorrow. I just need to rest."
"So you're going to disappear, and then come back tomorrow," April repeated.
The Rock said, "You are making her angry!"
"I seem to do that a lot," I replied.
"If you want to study Earthers," April said. "Why don't you stay on Earth?"
"Because he is here to study Earth," the Rock barked. "Not play house with you, young Earther!"
"I did what you said!" snapped April. "I didn't even kiss him. Didn't so much as hold his hand! I treated him like a student, just like you said!"
"That's not the point, young Earther!" said the Rock. "He only has a short time to learn. He must remain focused!"
"You told her to not hold my hand?" I asked.
The conversation paused. The Rock looked at me, and said, "I told her to treat you like a student, and avoid the emotional involvement."
I don't know why, but I was upset. I looked at the two of them, and simply folded space for Remaca. I was tired, and just went up to my room, and went back to bed. The bed was very soft, and I fell back asleep.
I dreamed I was home, and I could hear my Mother out in the other room, sitting by the fi
re, reading. I laid there, thinking that something wasn't right. Then, I realized, that it was the soft bed I was on. I never had a soft bed at home.
I woke up, and was back on Remaca. I felt alone without the Earthers around me. Going downstairs and out the door, I searched for the Rock. I saw him in the distance, up on the hill. I walked up to him, and he stood watching the elephants. He glanced at me, and dryly said, "Don't keep making those elephant things. They'll eat you out of house and home."
"I hear they make great fertilizer," I responded.
The Rock paused, thinking, and then said, "I'm sorry I must drive you so hard, young Magi. I'd normally take a hundred Earth years to train you. I'd let you play, and fall in love like other young men. There is no time for that. The war comes soon. In but five years, it will be upon us. We must prepare as best we can, and there is no time for play."
"My Mother said I would soon be kissing girls," I replied. "I fail to see how bad that would be."
The Rock paused for an instant, and then said, "Do you remember the dream about the warriors of light?" I nodded yes, and he continued, "That day is coming soon. I wish we had more time, but I don't control the schedule. There is much we must do, and little time to do it."
I nodded, and started to turn. Then he reached out, and took my arm. He looked into my eyes, and said, "There is one more thing Kaltar. April is a human with the Madness. She will soon grow old, and die. Aging is a brutal side effect of the Madness. There is nothing that can be done."
"With all the power of the Magi to create," I wondered aloud. "We can't break the power of the Madness?"
The Rock stood thinking. After a moment, he said, "An old student of mine has reported a breakthrough against the Madness. We must wait to see if it is the miracle we all hope for. Even then. It will be years before we can use it safely."
That pleased me greatly. I didn't wish to think of April, Cindy, or any of the people on Earth, as getting old and dying. I thought for a few seconds, and then asked, "Do we have any allies in this battle against the Darkness you speak of?"
The Books of Kaltar Farsara Boxed Set - Books 1 through 3 (The Kingdom Kaltar Farsara Built) Page 5