“You must calm yourself. K’ssss is fine . . . in fact, she is more than fine.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know – you love her. But where is she and why do you have her communications crystal?”
“Egg . . . K’ssss asked me to make her smart.”
“What the heck does that mean?”
“She was dissatisfied with her inability to understand and to reason. She wanted to improve herself.”
“Yeah, okay. So let me say it again. What the heck does that mean?”
“Perhaps I should have asked your permission first.”
“My permission for what? Spit it out.”
“I can’t spit . . . remember?”
“Zazzi, you just got to learn to get to the point a little quicker. Please.”
“I will try.”
Egg waited a second then shouted, “WELL?”
“Oh, sorry. I granted K’ssss her wish. I used the Circle of Life to impart its knowledge into her.”
“Really?”
“I do not lie.”
“I didn’t mean . . . oh never mind. So how is she? Smart?”
“It is too soon to tell what the effect will be. The amount of information the Circle imparts can be voluminous . . . depending on the ability and capacity of the individual receiving it. Then it takes time for that person to process the data. So K’ssss is uncon . . . asleep. When she’ll awake is unknown, but it will be at least one, possibly two or three days.”
Egg had conflicting emotions about what she had just heard. On the plus side, K’ssss was getting her wish and would become the highly intelligent serpent her father knew she could be. This was offset because both Zazzi and K’ssss did it without consulting her. They were on a rescue mission and they might have jeopardized the safety of the hostages.
“Zazzi, I’m really happy for K’ssss but you two were wrong not to talk to me first. You’re members of my team trying to save our fathers and sister. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I am truly sorry . . . that thought had never occurred to me. I was lost in my own happiness, and K’ssss’, over her decision. I have failed you . . . and the sisterhood. I will return the scarf immediately.” He sounded grief stricken over his lack of judgment.
“We all make mistakes. You can keep the scarf; you’re still an honorary sister. But when K’ssss wakes up, call me. If you can’t get a hold of me for whatever reason, come back to camp. Understand?”
“Yes . . . Egg, thank you.”
All the girl could think of was K’ssss. “You better be nice to her.”
Zazzi hesitated then said, “I wish to marry her.”
*****
When the conversation ended, Egg let out a deep breath. “All in all, this has been a yucky day. We lose Bl’azzz, Syl gets knocked out, the Wind’dancer village and their WingStone are destroyed, you two nearly get yourselves killed and K’ssss goes AWOL.”
“AWOL?” asked the Princess.
“Means you leave without permission.”
“Will it not be to our benefit for K’ssss to acquire the intellect that Zazzi has imparted to her?”
“Maybe”. Then Egg shrugged and whined in frustration “I don’t know. What I do know is that I want Spirit to tell us about Thought Weavers and how she’s going to help us.”
The other three girls nodded . . . their curiosity was as piqued as Egg’s.
“As you wish,” said the exotic girl. “I told Egg that my home world is Paradox but I wasn’t completely honest. It was home . . . I was asked to leave.”
“By whom?”
“My parents.”
“What? Why?”
“For my own safety and theirs. Thought Weavers are very rare and on Paradox, there are forces that would use my . . . abilities . . . for their own selfish gain. They are quite ruthless and will stop at nothing to obtain what they seek. So, to protect my family, I took their advice and fled.”
“That is horrible. Is there no one that could insure your wellbeing? No one to oppose these ruffians?”
Spirit smiled sadly. “Our world is called Paradox for a reason. We are a peace-loving, law-abiding people by nature. Unhappily, it has fallen into chaos where peace has been replaced by conflict and laws by the whims of those in power.”
“So you’re all alone? That’s terrible,” said Sylvia.
“Not completely. I did manage to take Jynx with me,” and an image appeared in the minds of the four girls.
“Ah . . . she’s cute. Is it a dog?”
“I am unfamiliar with dog. Jynx is a Shamie.” Seeing the look of bafflement on their faces, she explained, “It’s an almost extinct breed of morphing Quadra-pods . . . a four legged animal that can alter its shape.”
“Really? Change into what?” asked Aeri’elle fascinated by the idea.
“Pretty much whatever it likes . . . or sees. Makes it easier to hunt one’s dinner if you look like your prey. However, it must stay the same size as it is naturally. For instance it could assume the shape of you, Aeri’elle . . . but on a miniature scale.”
“A baby Aeri’elle . . . how sweet. Were you a cute baby?” teased Egg enjoying the distraction from the more serious business at hand.
“Was and still am,” came the reply.
Megg was puzzled. “You say that Jynx has accompanied you. Where is she?”
“In the vessel that brought me here.”
“A spaceship?” For whatever reason, Egg had never considered that possibility.
“In a manner of speaking.”
“Care to explain?”
“Some other time. An explanation would be time consuming and of no importance to our mission.”
“Okay . . . then go on with your story.”
“Yes,” said Sylvia. “Tell us how it is that you see the future.”
“And why Egg is going to get trapped in time,” added Aeri’elle,
“And why the Myst Tree chose you to help us,” asked the Princess.
“Oh, one more thing,” and the girls looked at Egg. “I just love your dress . . . where did you get it?” Then “Ouch.”
Sylvia had hit her with a pebble. “We’re in a war with Mobius and you ask her about her clothes? Look who’s the wonky whack-a-doodle now.”
“Hey . . . if I had worn that to the party, Megg would never have had a chance to get Zeke to make a fool of himself.” She was referring to the time M’egg had visited earth as part of her punishment for being mega-brat.
“True dat.” replied her Feminion.
“True dat?”
Now it was Syl’s turn to say, “Hey . . . I’ve got street smarts.” Then “Ouch.”
Egg’s pebble had hit her in the shin. “Oops.”
“Spirit, you have my royal permission to ignore these two buffoons and continue with your fascinating story.”
“Sorry” said Egg.
“If I ever have friends, I would wish them to be like you,” said Spirit with a smile. “Anyway, after I left Paradox I had ample time to reflect on my future. As I examined the paths available, helping the Sisterhood was one of the two most intriguing opportunities. That night as I tried to choose between them, I dreamt of the entity you call the Myst Tree. He convinced me to help you.”
“May I ask, what was the other path?” asked Megg.
“To visit a planet where its scientist could remove my powers. I would give up being a Thought Weaver and return to my world as an ordinary individual with no particular value to the forces of evil.”
“It’s none of our business,” said Egg, “but why wouldn’t you want the chance to go home?”
“It would be a selfish act . . . giving up my unique abilities that can have a positive influence on many people so that I could return to the love of my family. I do admit I was tempted . . . but in the end, the Myst Tree did not have to try very hard to help me choose this path. It is the right thing to do.”
All four girls sat there in silence with misty eyes. Spirit’s courage and sacrifice was as
great as any of them had ever shone. They were in awe.
Egg stood up and put out her hand. “On earth and on Aerianna, there’s a custom . . . we call it hugging. It’s our way of showing support for a person. For a friend.”
Spirit smiled. “I do believe it is a universal gesture,” and she accepted Egg’s hug. The other girls stood and joined in.
They wiped their eyes and sat down. They could each feel a warm glow in their minds coming from the Thought Weaver. “It is very nice . . . very, very nice to have friends. Even if it is only for a little while. So, let me tell you what the future looks like to me . . . “
Sylvia interrupted the girl. “Spirit, our friendship is forever. It’s not going to end when this rescue mission ends.” The other three girls nodded their agreement.
“I . . . well, I . . . thank you. I feel the same way.”
Everyone sat quietly for a moment then Spirit said, “I’ll continue my story. Egg and Sylvia, do you remember the Maze of Forever?”
“Ha. We’re not likely to forget that. Why?”
“Perhaps this part of the Maze will look familiar . . . “
The Princess and Aeri’elle gasped . . . for neither had been there. The dragon had flown home after losing her courage in the grips of AyBee. The Princess, of course, was not on the Quest.
“Egg, your diary simply does not do this justice. This is . . . what is that earth phrase . . . oh yes, mind blowing.”
“Glad I missed it. Wow.”
“Glad we had Sassi with us,” said Sylvia. “Otherwise we might still be in there.”
Egg brought the conversation back where it belonged. “So, Spirit, what’s this got to do with you and the future?”
“It is how I perceive it. I weave a person’s thoughts into a tapestry of alternate paths. Then I examine the more important ones to see where they might lead.”
“Yeah . . . that means a little less than nothing to me.”
“Every action that we take leads down a path into the future . . . and that path has many branches. Most are trivial and can be ignored. Others are of greater significance. I can sense the probable outcome of each. Had I been with you and Sylvia in the Maze, I could have navigated through it without effort.”
“So you can look at me and tell me what my future is going to be?”
“Not at all. I can recognize the likely outcome of your next decision . . . and even that is not a certainty. It is simply a higher probability.”
“But you have seen a day or two into Egg’s future and know that she is destined to be trapped in time. Does that not conflict with what you said?”
“No. It was the Myst Tree that gave me a glimpse of that future. I have yet to see it of my own accord. As we approach the point in time when Egg chooses a path, I will be able to sense how it will lead into the trap.”
“Spirit, can you read minds?” Aeri’elle was determined to get an answer to this question. “You seem to know all about what happened on the Quest.”
“Thankfully, no. Again, the Myst Tree provided me with the history of your last heroic adventure. However, I can sense emotions.”
“Why do you say thankfully?” asked the Princess. “Would it not be a powerful gift?”
“It would be a terrible invasion of privacy. And, I would go insane if I had to hear the thoughts of each and every person I came in contact with. No . . . it is a blessing not to have that curse.”
“What about your ability to heal?”
“That is more complicated. A simple answer is that I can direct a person’s body to cure itself. Any other explanation would just serve to confuse.”
“When I was communicating to the Myst Tree, he said you were here to help with the Reven stuff . . . and more. What was he talking about?”
Spirit hesitated . . . uncomfortable with the answer. “As I said, he gave me a glimpse of the future . . . yours and mine.” She paused, uncertain what to say.
“And?”
She took a deep breath. “Apparently my future and that of the Sisterhood are entwined.”
“Which means?”
But Sylvia answered her friend. “It means that Spirit will become a member of the Hameggattic Sisterhood.”
“Oh. Oh my gosh.”
Then the Princess shocked the girls when she asked the Thought Weaver, “You are to take my place, are you not?”
“Yes”.
“What?”
“As she said before when I volunteered to accompany Aeri’elle into the time trap . . . that path is not open to me.”
“I do not need to sense the future to have made that statement.”
“No. Of course not.”
“What are you two talking about?”
“I am Princess M’egg-Alynnia, the next Queen of Aerianna. That has been my destiny since I was born. This will be my first, and last, adventure with the Sisterhood.”
“Your mother was very wise to allow you this opportunity.”
“She is the most amazing woman I know. If I can be half the queen that she is, I will exceed my own expectations.”
“Meggy . . . you’re going to do great,” said Egg. “They will love Queen Meg . . . I just know it.”
“I agree,” added Sylvia.
“And I have already told you how I feel” said Aeri’elle.
Megg stood up. “If you would excuse me for a few moments, I believe I need a good cry.”
“Want some company?” asked Egg.
“Thank you, no. The next Queen of Aerianna will shed her tears in private.”
She walked away but they could still hear her muffled sobs.
Egg reminded the others, “The Myst Tree said to Meg . . . one will stay on Zynn-Zaz’zia and two will . . . retire or something like that.”
“Well we know the Princess will retire and K’ssss will probably be the one that stays,” added Aeri’elle
“And I bet you Sassi will leave. She’s a mom and a wife. She’s going to want to stay home and raise her family,” suggested Sylvia.
“So, it looks like Bree and you, Spirit, will be part of the new Sisterhood. And that means we’ll still have seven.”
“No,” said Aeri’elle. “We’ll have seven active members and three retired ones. They will always be Hameggattic Sisters.”
“Yeah, they will.”
Chapter 3 - Time’s A-wasting
A minute or so later, Megg reappeared. “Did I miss something of interest?”
“Nope . . . we waited for you.”
“Thank you. What is our next course of action?
Instinctively all four Sisters turned to look at the Thought Weaver. Spirit smiled. “I think I’m about to disappoint you.”
“Why’s that?”
“First, I can only sense the future once you decide on a course of action. I cannot tell you in advance what to do. Second, perhaps you’ve seen my eyes glow when I do the things that I do . . . like heal the injured?”
“Kind of hard to miss” said Aeri’elle.
“It is beautiful . . . and maybe a little strange,” added the Princess.
“What of it?” asked Egg.
“It takes a great deal of energy for me to do those things. Usually I have to wait hours before I can perform the next . . . bit of magic.”
“Magic?”
“I’m told that what I do appears to be like performing magic. I was just teasing, sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“I’m not very good at being a friend. I’ve had so few that I’m usually at a loss as to what to say when we are not discussing life and death events. I believe you call it idle chit-chat.”
“More like mindless jibber-jabber,” teased Aeri’elle.
“Spirit . . . never apologize and do not ever worry about such matters. You will learn that when you are just yourself, the bonds of friendship form quite naturally. And with friendship, the desire to share experiences, intimate thoughts and emotions will soon follow.”
Egg smiled. “Well put, Megg
y.” Turning to Spirit, she added, “If mega-brat could learn to become a great friend, you’re not going to have any trouble.”
“If that was meant as a compliment, it was awful,” said the princess pretending to take offense.
“See?” replied Egg. “In the old days she would have had us beheaded. Now she only pretends to be insulted. Ouch.”
“I have been practicing my pebble throwing. Did I do well?”
“Promise me that if you wake up with a snake in your sleeping bag, you won’t blame me.”
“You would not dare?” Megg, like most people, had a very strong aversion to snakes.
Egg responded sweetly, “Oh, no . . . I’d never be that mean. That spiteful. Trust me.” Then she gave an exaggerated grin with too many teeth showing.
“If you two are finished,” huffed Aeri’elle, “I would really like to save my father.”
That statement was as shocking as a bucket of cold water . . . and the frivolity instantly ended.
“Okay, here’s what I think we need to do. First, we have to convince the Wind’dancers to hide.”
“Hide? Where?”
“And why?”
“Anywhere that Mobius can’t find them and force them into his army. And I’m thinking that Zazzi can hide them down in his cavern.”
“I agree with your reasoning,” said the Princess who was now all business. “But I believe that will take a fair bit of diplomacy.”
“Cause it’s Zazzi and the Wind’dancers really don’t want to meet him . . . is that what you mean?”
“Exactly.”
“Then let’s hope BreeZee does a good job with her dad. Next, I need you, Aeri’elle, to take over K’ssss’ responsibilities and scout around for the hostages. Maybe you can make contact with Soo or Bl’azzz and even help them escape.”
“I’d rather be with you but, okay.”
“If you find a way to free them . . . get everyone back to Aerianna.”
“Then the other two and I can return and help you guys finish up.”
“No . . . I don’t think so. My guess is by that time we’ll be inside the castle. There’ll be no way for you to get in. Just wait here at camp. We’ll try to send you a message if we need help.”
Box Set #2: Zynn-Zaz'Zia: [The 4 book 2nd Adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood] Page 29