Dawn Of The Aakacarns

by John Buttrick

  Oh, it was impressive and amazing, but to what purpose?

  “That is the word I would use,” Jubal agreed. “What inspired this Aaka of metamorphosis?” He asked and then wondered about something. “Where is the flute?”

  The image vanished and Roddy stood in place of the great beast. The flute was still in his hand. “The image solidifies around me and whatever I am holding, wrapping me in a cocoon as it were, a cocoon of solid energy. This is something you must experience from the inside before it can be fully appreciated.”

  Jubal laughed. “Experiencing it from the outside is startling enough. How did you dream up such a fantastic beast? How can you even breathe in such a cocoon?”

  “Metamorphosis is a good name. The Aaka shall be titled, Metamorphosis. To answer your questions, I wondered what would happen if the strengths of those two fabulous creatures were combined. I have decided to call it a griffin. In answer to your second question, air passes through the nostrils and beak just as it does with my nose and mouth. However, the energy field does provide a certain amount of protection. I do not believe a knife, arrow, or spear could penetrate it and no animal’s claws or fangs should be able to reach my actual flesh.”

  “What is the draw back?” Jubal knew there had to be one.

  Roddy shrugged his shoulders. “There is some sensory deprivation. I cannot feel anything. The Aaka keeps my body temperature the same, comfortable enough, but I could sit on a fire and not feel the flame, nor can I feel the wind or grasp an object with the paws or wings. The back legs are an illusion, so it is not possible for me to spring and launch myself the way a true lion can.”

  Jubal eyed his friend from head to footwear. “I wonder if you were barefooted if you would at least be able to flex the front paws.”

  Roddy nodded eagerly. “See, I knew you would have ideas. We will try that sometime but first you need to copy the Aaka and learn to wield it.”

  Jubal could feel the heat in his face, embarrassed. “You had me so startled I don’t remember all of the notes.”

  Nimrod played Metamorphosis again and suddenly the griffin reappeared. Jubal ignored the beastly form while dutifully copying the notes onto a sheet of tanned-leather. That time his talent did not fail him and the tones seeped into his soul.

  “You seem to have done a thorough job of recording, as usual. Grab a flute, but before you do, I shall tell you what must be firmly in your mind.”

  “Go ahead, explain what I need to do,” Jubal replied, confident he was ready to wield the tune, but uncertain why he would want to go around looking like an imaginary beast.

  “You must picture in your mind the image you want the Aaka to create around you. Be very detailed and maintain that aspect without wavering or the Melody will fail to draw on your pool of energy and cease altogether,” Roddy explained.

  “You mean I do not have to turn into a griffin, I can choose some other form?”

  “Semi tried to cocoon herself in griffin form, but could not hold the image even while staring at me in my griffin form,” the Aakasear responded and then shook his head as if silently negating a thought. “Perhaps it would be best for now if you, rather than I, choose a form, one that you know very well.”

  Jubal thought about the creatures he had seen up close and personal; there had been many, but the one that stood out the most in his mind caused him to stretch out on his belly in preparation. The illusion would be double the size of the actual river king.

  “How are you going to play your flute from that position?” Roddy inquired.

  Rather than answer, Jubal mentally allowed the notes to flow from his soul where they had been recorded as truly as what was on the skin. The tempo changed, speeding up and then slowing. He could feel the power stirring within, an ominous sense of impending denotation, and then the key changed again. The beat steadily increased, leading into a crescendo that promised an explosion of power. The resulting indigo blast went no farther than the detailed image he had been holding firmly in mind, but he suspected the ripple effect might have travelled much farther. He added a Da Capo on the Melody while continuing to be conscious of the image. The feeling of being all powerful filled his heart and soul, but there was nothing unusual about that when holding potential.

  At the same instant his potential flashed forth and the cocoon formed, his ears had been assaulted with the noise of objects crashing together and things being smashed. He did a pushup and glanced at where Roddy had been standing, and the movement of the cocoon’s elongated head sent a desk flying across the room. The chief was not where he had been.

  From within, Jubal could see his true form and also the translucent form of the reptile that had been cooked by a lightning bolt while suspended in the air. It felt as if he was wearing an enormous fluffy coat, one that was exceedingly stiff and hampered his flexibility.

  “You are the largest crocodile I have ever seen,” the Aakasear commented. “I probably should have mentioned size being an issue when you are in close quarters.” He was speaking from where the door should be. “Would you mind moving your flooding tail? I cannot move.”

  Jubal moved his hands and feet, managing a slight turn on all fours, and broke apart two more desks in the process. Most of the desks and tables were broken and scattered across the floor. His tail was circled along the wall and there was no way he could even stretch the crocodile body out to full length. Every movement resulted in something breaking. His friend was pinned up against the door. “I don’t think I can move the tail without crushing you.”

  “Knocked the wind out of me is what you did. One moment I was beside you and the next, well, over here,” Roddy pushed unsuccessfully against what from his vantage point must have appeared to be very solid crocodile hide. “Clearly you have no difficulty managing this Aaka. May I suggest you release the potential so we can converse about this like normal men?”

  Jubal released the Da Capo and the cocoon vanished. “I had no control of the tail.”

  “I noticed,” Roddy stated while eying the destruction. “I think it would take a great deal of practice in order to be able to move effectively in something as big as you just imagined. You might be able to create a cocoon as big as this house, but I doubt it would move very well. Scare everyone for sure, but that is about all.”

  Jubal had to ask. “Is that why you wrote the Aaka, to scare people?”

  “I created it to make an impression. We must keep the population in awe of us so it will be easier to keep the peace,” Roddy gave two reasons, but they were not convincing. There were other ways to awe people and insure peace. He paused and then shook his head, again negating an inward thought. “The cocoon is really for protection. The image is secondary,” he added another reason. “Back when Ra first assaulted me, for a moment, I was vulnerable, and he could have ripped me in half.”

  “You dealt with him firmly; enough so I doubt he would strike at you again,” Jubal gave his best assessment of what the Silver-trident would do.

  Roddy waved his hand as if swatting away a gnat. “I agree, Ra will not move openly against me again, not any time soon. No, it is others I am concerned about and you should be as well. Even your own brothers, niece and nephews, aimed their producers at you with the intention of using them.”

  “We cannot go around in a cocoon all day,” Jubal replied. He had not forgotten how they turned on him. He forgave them, but it would take a while before he fully trusted them to have his back. “Besides, the Aaka, Cover Me, makes an impenetrable dome shield, and you composed shield Aakas for overhead, to the right, left, rear, and front. Shield or cocoon, should we be walking around with those Melodies playing in our heads?”

  “No, we cannot,” Roddy agreed. “The fact is I know eventually you will master Metamorphosis and somehow create an Aakatool that will make the Melody as commonly used as Elevation. Honestly, those other things I mentioned are the reasons I tell myself, but I just know this Aaka is going to prove useful, and in ways I have yet to imagine,” he pa
used and frowned. “This is the first time you have not commented on the usefulness of one of my new Melodies.”

  Jubal scratched the top of his head. “If I am ever alone in the woods again and want to keep predators away, I can form a croc so big no beast in the world would dare come close, yet I could always use Blades of Air or one of your shield Melodies. Any of those Aakas would negate the danger presented by any predator. I suppose I could sleep in crocodile-form and not worry about creatures disturbing me, and yet a sleeping mind would not have the ability to hold the image. Seriously, I am having difficulty thinking of a practical use for Metamorphosis.”

  Roddy brushed that notion away with a sweep of his hand. “You just need time to think about it. Use your imagination and experiment. I am confident you will find a way to use this Aaka effectively. I want you to make it a priority.”

  The last sentence was as good as a command, it was something that could not be refused, doing so would be like open defiance. Jubal had other priorities and was still unhappy with the decision to sell producers to Aakacarns rather than educate them. He did not like some of the choices his friend had been making in recent months. Even so, the chief administrator had to have someone he could depend on. “I cannot promise success but I will work with the Melody,” he began to say and then stopped, remembering the rest of Cassi’s vision. “No, strike that, I will work on this until I am successful in making Metamorphosis into an Aaka that will do much more than fill people with awe and wrap the wielder in a cocoon of safety.”

  Roddy smiled and slapped Jubal on the back in a comradery fashion. “That is the excitement I was hoping to see, the fire in your eyes that tells me you are going to awe everyone with the many fantastic ways you find to wield this new Aaka.”

  Chapter Sixteen: Vantage Points

  After Nimrod went off to add to someone else’s work load, Jubal had time to think without interruption. Cassi’s description of her vision came back to him with greater clarity. Not only had she described the griffin, she had spoken of a copper-colored hawk flying through many storms, accompanied by a white eagle, a brown spotted owl, a gold-speckled falcon, and a raven darker than the blackest night. Suddenly, with the new Aaka in mind, the creatures took on a more literal meaning.

  Maybe he could wrap himself in a cocoon-image of a hawk and make it fly. He stood amid smashed desks and tables strewn all over the floor, and began flapping his arms.

  “Is that a new method you are developing to summon life-force energy?”

  Jubal hurriedly brought his arms down and spun around to see Hermes standing just inside the room.

  “What happened in here?” The son of Zeus eyed the destruction. “Did you and Nimrod have a disagreement?”

  If they had that sort of disagreement the entire house would have been a wreck.

  Jubal stroked the whiskers on his chin. “What you see is the result of me performing his new Aaka for the first time. Most of this happened the moment my potential was summoned and the rest due to the clumsy way I wielded it.”

  Hermes picked up a piece of a chair, examined the leg, and then cast it away. “If the purpose of the Aaka is to destroy the contents of a room, you were fairly successful, but missed that one table and those three chairs over there.”

  Jubal barked a laugh. He could not help it. “My assignment is to make the Melody useful. When our leader checks in on my progress, I can add destroying furniture to the list of uses.”

  Those amber orbs widened. “Teach the Aaka to me. I can help you find things to destroy.”

  Jubal ran the fingers of his right hand through his hair in the face of such desire for wanton destruction. “The tables and chairs were collateral damage, not the purpose, but I do have an Aaka that can be added to your repertoire.”

  Hermes quickly searched the floor and found a stylus, bottle of red dye, and a tanned-leather skin. He took them over to the remaining table and sat in the chair. “I am ready to copy the notes.”

  Jubal walked over to him, dipped the stylus in the dye, and began writing the notes onto the swath. “Roddy has a great ability to compose tunes of power, but his titles tend to be mundane,” he commented while working. “This one, for instance, is called, Shaping Wood, and it does what the title says.”

  Hermes watched each note being written. “This is how you made my father’s cedar staff look like a lightning bolt. It is a bright yellow-white; does that mean you can also alter the color?”

  “You are correct. The wood flows into whatever shape or color I desire, but the substance remains the same. I could have made his staff sixty cubits long, but it would have been so thin and brittle the slightest pressure would’ve snapped the thing. If I were to take his staff and make it half the length as it is right now, doing so would result in the shaft being bigger around. Do you understand?”

  Hermes nodded. “I do.”

  “Do you know why I am teaching you this Melody?”

  He nodded again. “You want me to turn all these piles of wood back into desks, tables, and chairs.”

  “See what I mean, you are a quick study and a good assistant.”

  “Don’t forget, trustworthy,” Hermes prompted.

  Jubal finished writing the notes and handed the sheet to his nephew. “I am going out into the woods where I can safely practice the new addition to my repertoire while you remain here and get plenty of practice working with yours. I am betting you will master your new Aaka quicker than I do mine?”

  Hermes eagerly pulled out his flute. “Normally I would resent having to clean up this mess, but since this is an opportunity to expand my repertoire and gain another skill, I might even break a few just so I can re-construct them. This is one of those times when being your assistant makes up for my having to be nice to dullards like Berktor. As for which of us will master the newest additions to our respective repertoires first, the bet is on, except you are already betting against yourself. Does that mean I must bet against myself in order to win?”

  Jubal left him to ponder the question, and then changed into the mottled green and brown woolens he had ordered and not mentioned anything about to his wife. Anak, Cassi, and Andromeda, escorted their charge into the woods. They had to go a long way from the settlement. People always watched every move the Instructor of Aakacarns made, but four Weapocarns did not attract attention. Jubal had been careful to keep his face hidden, certain he had not been recognized. He was actually pleased to be back in the forest he loved. His only regret was being away from Vashti, but it would only be for a few hours.

  “Why are we here?” Anak inquired after they travelled an additional seven spans. “This is literally the middle of nowhere.”

  It was afternoon and the sky was blue without a trace of cloud in sight. Birds chirped their songs and all sorts of creatures added their communications in the grand chorus of life, while others silently stalked their prey in the, eat and be eaten, world in which they all lived. Man had his place in the day to day struggle to live, eat, and breed. Jubal knew there was more to humanity than those basic needs, but being in the wild always reminded him of the simple things.

  “You requested my husband and I specifically,” Cassi spoke from her position on the left. It was her way of informing him she also wanted to know the reason they were out in the wilderness.

  Andromeda spoke up from the rear, “I came because I wanted to,” a fact that was appreciated by the one she was escorting. Rarely did he have a third Weapocarn while out of the house, but the addition contributed to the symmetry of four hunters on patrol.

  Jubal stopped and turned to his sister. “We will soon be arriving at a clearing. I am going to need space to work. Nimrod has given me a new Aaka and it is so tricky to maintain I need to be where I can work without destroying anything.”

  “That is reason enough,” Anak stated as if having judged the answer to be acceptable. What would have happened had he not approved?

  Andromeda’s eyes widened and she reflexively grabbed the handles
of her new steel-bladed knives. “I can hardly wait to see what the spell does.”

  They arrived at the clearing and Jubal motioned with his hands for them to move away. “You are all way too close, back up another fifteen paces.”

  Anak rolled his eyes but did what he had been told, Cassi moved with him but slower, as if wondering if she should do something to stop her younger brother from doing something rash. Andromeda took all of two steps back as if that was far enough, or perhaps so she could get to her charge faster if he injured himself.

  Jubal closed his eyes, trusting the Weapocarns to keep an eye out for predators, and concentrated on what he hoped to accomplish.

  What image should he give the cocoon?

  The hawk was temping, it would impress Cassiopeia, but the form he chose should be one he knew well, and the raptor did not yet fall into that category. Whatever form he chose, it would be best if it was closer to his proportions, certainly closer than was the crocodile.

  He opened his eyes and beheld Andromeda watching him intently. Her older sister was similar in appearance but slightly larger than the darkly pretty Weapocarn and a Nephilim rather than an Anakim. Ursa was learning to play the flute and would be soon taking Jubal’s class. “I saved your sister last year, did you know that?”

  Andromeda nodded. “Yes, she had the bearskin made into a coat.”

  He remembered killing the massive bear with a knife, up close, and personal. He remembered every detail, the rancid breath, its thick black fur, those long claws, and the powerful swipes, one of which had batted him aside as if he weighed hardly more than a feather.

  He closed his eyes while picturing the bear. It had teeth like daggers for tearing flesh and claws for digging deep into the bark of a tree. With that image firmly in mind, he mentally performed the Aaka. When the notes were just about to reach the point of summing potential, he called out, “Do not attack the bear!”