Harmonizer's Evolution (Balancer's Soul cycle)

by Lee Morgan

  Veronica was taken by surprise, but for only a moment.

  She slowly pulled back and they interlocked their clawed fingers with each hand. Soon they closed their eyes and Sarah watched as their connected hands began glowing. She could have sworn that she’d felt a faint pop in the air, but nothing could be heard. Then they opened their eyes and smiled happily. Huh, so that’s all it takes for them to fix their connection… that is an interesting piece of information.

  Not long after, Sorono looked to Connor and herself. Sarah didn’t notice that they were still holding each other like they were still kissing. She removed her fingers from his hair, but he didn’t let go of her lower back. “Connor, you go on ahead and do what you offered while we go and start the other project.”

  “Alright, we’ll be back soon.” Then Connor looked to his brother’s mate. “Veronica, we’ve had a very extensive flight. Can you give Sorono a small energy boost? He’s about seven percent from empty.”

  Since they didn’t release their hands, her hands began glowing as she transferred her own energy to her love.

  “Sarah,” His voice sent another electric chill down her spine and she then met his calm, loving eyes. “We have mush to discuss, but will you give me a hand?”

  A kiss quick on his lips was all the answer he needed.

  He let her waist go, but her left hand fingers entwined themselves with his right. He looked over his shoulder. “Ready!”

  Mark flew over to them and nodded while Kara sat proudly on his back.

  Soon the four of them began flying together as Sorono and Veronica broke off in another direction. Sarah couldn’t keep her eyes off her rugged mate as they flew home. The early morning air was crisp, but the chill wasn’t a factor right now. Connor’s hand were large and warm. He looked calm and remained smiling. Right here and now felt great because he was home and unharmed.

  Sarah only tore her eyes off of him when they started to descend back to earth yet again. Everyone in the clearing of their home waited off to the side, to allow them plenty of room to land. Even the fire was still smoking around the ring of chairs by the stream.

  Mark and Kara landed first, they landed soon after and together.

  Before anything happened she saw Kara smell Mark’s muzzle. She stated quietly “You’ve tasted blood. And my sword is a different color and it too smells of blood. What happened out there?”

  Mark looked at her calmly and said “I’ll tell you everything later, but I’d like to tell you how amazing and durable this weapon is.” He tapped the blackish looking bone sword at his hip.

  Everyone rushed up to the four of them while looking both joyous and relieved. Shannon was the first one to speak and everyone held their questions because she has the right to speak first. “Connor, is my father safe? Where is my mother? She said she would bring him right back.”

  Their twined hands released and he sat on his heels to look more closely at her. His tone became soothing and very fatherly. “You don’t have to worry. He and your mother have some things to do real quickly. If you follow Mark and Kara, in a minute, you will see him very soon.”

  Connor patted her head and stood tall once again. His voice grew calm and almost entrancing. “I wish there was time for me to explain everything, but I’ll let Mark give all the details of what has been done. Right now Sorono and I are very weak and drained.” Connor then turned and looked solemnly at David. “Granddaddy, there is something I really need to ask your permission for.”

  David squared his shoulders and leveled his eyes on his grandchild. “What do you need, Son? How can I help?”

  Connor lifted a single finger like an explanation point. “Keep in mind I will reimburse you completely, but” He took a deep breath. “I’ll need to slaughter all your cattle.”

  David’s faded blue eyes widened. “All of them? Why?”

  “Because there isn’t a market or slaughterhouse around here with that much meat in stock and it will take too long to harvest vegetables from local farms. You know how much we need to eat and your farm is the only place with a supply that large and readily available. Sorono and I cannot wait for our power to rise on their own because it will take too long. Please, we really don’t have too much time.”

  Connor’s grandfather measured her husband’s word. He sighed saying “Alright, go ahead, but I’ll wait for that reimbursement.” Then David smiled. Connor smiled back and then he looked at the experienced mothers and who they carried. He walked forward and placed a hand on each of their tiny heads. At the feel of his touch their eyes fluttered open and they simultaneously squealed delightfully and yelled “Daddy!”

  “Yes, Daddy’s home.” He said softly. “Listen, the two of you are going on a little trip with your grandmas. I will be back very soon and I want to know what you’ve learned or done since I’ve been gone. Mommy and I are going together so I’d like for you to be on your best behavior. Then if you are good, I brought home a present for you to try.”

  After he bent down and kissed both of their heads, they both giggled.

  Connor proudly walked up to Sarah with a calm smile. He raised his left hand in offering. “I’ll need your help. Care to join me?”

  “I’m not going to let you out of sight, after so being away from me for so long.” Sarah smiled and took his hand with her own. As they started rising she heard Mark say “Alright, follow me everyone.”

  He and the others walked slowly into the woods as they flew over them.

  Since it wasn’t even seven in the morning yet, they flew to the May’s Ranch. Rhoda did have some neighbors, but they were all asleep at this hour and far enough away that they would be unrecognizable from the distance. If Connor had to slaughter so many cattle for food, he would need the cover of the early morning darkness. She then began to wonder how they would be transported.

  Once they spotted the ranch they descended and landed in the middle of the field. Many of the cows were already awake and grazing together in the back corner of the property.

  Connor smiled and stated “This makes things easier.” They walked together towards the animals and some spotted them. Connor raised a hand for Sarah to stop when the bovines began retreating further away from them.

  “How do you want to do this, my Knight?”

  He smiled lovingly down at her. “I’m going to make this painless for them. All that I’m going to do is forcibly enter their minds and then I’ll need your help tossing them into a pile.” She nodded in his understanding.

  He looked at the cattle and she saw his eyes begin to concentrate. She looked over when a soft thud rang in her ears. One of the steers dropped lifelessly on the ground while all of the others had gone motionless. Then they began falling flatly like someone cut the strings of a puppet. Once they were all down did Connor’s concentration finally relax.

  “Where do you want this pile?” He pointed to where most of them had fallen closely together.

  As they began walking slowly she grabbed the foreleg of the cow closest to her and effortlessly threw it over one hundred feet to the start of the pile. As he threw his, Connor began telling here everything that he had seen and done.

  After about ten minutes of hearing the recollections he threw the final cow on the pile. He stopped speaking and when she felt his sickening emotion and saw his expression, she ran over to his side. He began looking pale, green and sick to his stomach. He’s never looked so upset like this before. Sarah put both of her hands to the sides of his face and he slowly met her eyes. “Connor, what is the matter? You look horrible.” He pointed behind her to the cattle pile that contained the seventy two heads of cattle. And then he explained how he saw the piles of cooked and rotting human remains and how these deformed Keepers ate them like they are about to do with the cattle. “That’s… That is just sickening. Connor, show me what you saw back on that island.”

  His hazel eyes flared and bore into her very soul. The way he spoke sent a dangerous and cold chill up her spine. “Sarah, I’ll nev
er allow you to see that memory. There is nothing that you can do that will let me show you. That horror should never be seen or viewed again. What you heard is mere child’s play to the images in my mind. Promise that you’ll never ask this of me ever again.”

  Her mate had seen something so gruesome and grotesque that it should be better off forgotten. Unfortunately he might never forget this incident in a million years. She nodded while saying “You have my word. I’ll not ask nor trick you into seeing what you’ve seen.”

  She turned around to the pile and looked at it. “You’ve done enough for the day. I’ll transport them if you can tell me why we need to rush.”

  “Fair enough.” He said evenly

  After she made a net of Pressure, the cattle lifted as one into the air. She flew by the net while Connor flew at her side, but they were moving extremely slowly. The sun had finally lifted just above the treetops. After a few seconds Connor began explaining what Sorono had uncovered. His explanations were so precise that one could swear that he was the one to find out this enormous conspiracy. Her jaw continued opening wider for each event that he described and then he explained Ranvan’s plan.

  Once he finished, neither of them spoke. They were both equally stunned.

  They made their way to the training grounds and the first sign they saw was a large column of black and gray smoke. The closer they got, the more they saw. A large bonfire sat in the center of the rocky clearing and the flames were so intense that everyone had to stay a ways back. Since they took their time, everyone showed up and relaxed.

  Everyone stood in a ring of silence until Sorono turned when he sensed them. He looked cleaner and less beaten, but his robe remained in the same condition. No one smiled. Everyone must have heard the details from Mark on their way here. He now looked like his human self. Then they moved closer and landed.

  As Sarah released the hold of the cattle she began focusing on the expressions of two certain individuals and compared them to everyone else.

  Veronica, Shannon and Kara looked at all the meat hungrily. David wasn’t too thrilled about losing one of his main sources of income. Rhoda, Jillian and Jack looked casual. Jenny wasn’t paying too much attention as she held the inquisitive Darrel. Pearl looked at the pile questioningly while being held in Jillian’s arms.

  And then there were Sorono and Mark.

  The two of them, she glanced at particularly, looked at the pile almost like Connor did. Mark’s silver eyes were wide and his jaw muscled were twitching continually. She’d never seen a Keeper go green, but that was what his scaly expression could be translated into. So it really was that horrifying?

  She realized Connor was in her mind when he nodded and walked forward. His nod answered her internal question, wholly. His tone turned calm and even “It isn’t difficult to tell that you all understand what we will soon face. We have a lot of work ahead of us and we need to bolster ourselves.” He turned to Sorono and Veronica. “Go ahead and get these cleaned and cooked. While the meat is cooking, we can start throwing some ideas around.”

  Soon there were five cows laid out on the fire while Connor held both of their children. He listened intently on what they were taught. He became pleased on how well they learned and retained.

  Then Connor pulled out two blackish, wrinkled seeds after handing Darrel over to his mommy. He held the seeds up for them to see. He said “I know how much you like the taste of chocolate.” He was right. They both like the taste of chocolate pudding because they didn’t have teeth to chew on hard candy yet. “These are where chocolate comes from. Would you like to taste raw chocolate?” They said yes together and were in for a surprise.

  Her husband crushed one seed, bare handed, and gave each of them a small powdery taste. The smile they had on, vanished quickly. Both of their faces went red as they tasted the bitter and raw chocolate. Everyone laughed when Pearl finally said “That isn’t very funny, Daddy! That was gross!” Then everyone finally began laughing.

  While the meat cooked properly, they began forming ideas together. Everyone pitched in, but most of the logical ones came from either Sorono or her mate. They weren’t preparing a counterstrike yet, they needed to find a place to gather and support large numbers.

  By the time Sorono ate fifty nine cows, Connor ate twelve and Mark ate half of one, did they finally find a reasonable solution. Everyone would meet here. This field is large enough to contain a large number and there are many hotels less than an hour away and some motels and apartments lay closer in town.

  Once everything was established, Sorono stood up. He looked down at his daughter and said “Shannon, you have heard everything. Your mother and I need to go and do many things. You will remain here for awhile and I expect you to be respectful of everyone.” Shannon nodded proudly and walked over to sit down between Sarah and Connor. Sorono then looked down at a sitting Veronica. “What I’ll need for you to do is to find Firon and Clarein. Tell them how to get here and explain that they are to obey Connor as if it were my orders. I’ll find Xaon since he also lives close by.” Then he turned to the five of them. Sarah adjusted Darrel so he could get a little more comfortable. “Connor, if the first three guests arrive before I do with the other Head Elders, I trust you know what to tell them do.”

  “Not a problem. You go ahead and make arrangements to gather the Elders, their Immortal Guards and have the essentials dropped in by plane, like you did last year. I’ll take care of things until you arrive. Once you do, we can begin making up a strategy and prepare for what lays ahead of us.”

  “Indeed, you are quite capable of keeping order. Farewell for now.”

  After Veronica stood at his side, they began flying. Once they left, Sarah leaned into Shannon and gained her attention. “I know you haven’t eaten all day. Let’s get you into our home and put something in your belly.” She realized long ago that whenever food is involved, Shannon becomes happier.

  Before they left, Connor made a fire shield and absorbed all the flames and heat, to add to his energy supply. The twelve of them walked together in silence for a time and they all had things they needed to do so they split up halfway home. Once they were home Connor took a much needed shower while she fixed Shannon and herself a quick meal. Darrel and Pearl each had their bottles and were soon asleep.

  Once all three kids were all asleep Sarah showed her mate how much he was missed. Apparently he missed her even more.

  Send and Receive

  It felt great to awaken in one’s own bed again after a stressful rescue. Connor’s energies had been replenished to about eighty percent and his worry had lessened since the night. Most of it probably had to do the night’s lovemaking because he felt slightly tired, but remarkably refreshed.

  Sarah slept on her side with her bare back facing him. It was early in the morning, but the sun was just beginning to reveal itself. Since there is much to do today, he decided to silently slip out of bed and put on some fresh clothes. Knowing that there wouldn’t be any dangerous situations today, he didn’t attire his washed armor.

  Connor opened the power, washer and dryer room to grab a robe.

  He walked into the living room and made his way to the kid’s room. He silently opened the door a crack to find Darrel and Pearl in one crib, cuddled together. Shannon took Darrel’s crib because she was just small enough to sleep in it. She had covered her little body with a warm blanket and was fast asleep. Neither of the three newborn children made any sounds, aside from deep breathing.

  After making a silent entrance, he hooked Shannon’s robe and belt on the edge of the crib she slept in. Then his exit went unnoticed.

  He took out half of the supplies out of the pantry and began cooking.

  Twenty minutes later there was a moving sound coming from the room behind him. Shannon must have finally smelled breakfast. He surmised. That thought made him show a one sided smile while frying up green tomatoes and sausages.

  In his peripheral vision, he noticed the handle turn and then open. The
first thing to exit was a small black foot with small, shiny claws. Soon the three foot baby reptile stepped out, wearing her washed robe and belt. She was being very considerate because she moved quietly and disturbed little. As she shut the door she looked up at him to see him smiling at her from the stove. Connor then felt the touch of her mind and gave her permission to speak in her way. “Good morning, Connor.” Feelings from her mind gave knowledge she only spoke to him privately.

  He smiled pleasantly while speaking softly. “Good morning to you too, Shannon. Did you sleep well?”

  The little one smiled while giving herself a large stretch. Even her small tail extended. “It was a wonderful respite. I’m very grateful for your hospitality. That bedding that I slept on was more comfortable than my mother’s chest these past few days.” Then Shannon stretched herself up to see what he was preparing. “That food smells very appetizing. Might I inquire as to how long until it is finished?”

  Despite her polite words, her playful and childlike eyes gave her away.

  “They will be ready soon. Since you are staying here, you must know that we all eat together.” Then an idea popped into his mind. “I know how Sarah taught you how to wash your hands. If you could help me, please go and gently awaken Sarah and then wash up. By that time, we’ll eat.”

  Shannon smiled. “I can do that.”

  Shannon walked around the dining room table and made her way down the hall. A minute later Connor could hear Sarah’s voice sounding half asleep. “Shannon, is there something you need?” There came a short moment of silence as Shannon spoke only to his wife. “Oh alright, you go ahead and do that then. I’ll meet you at the table for breakfast.”

  He heard Shannon’s claws weakly tapping the hardwood as she left the bedroom and then her sounds were louder as she clicked on the tile floor. While the water ran in the bathroom, Sarah had already put on a set of fresh clothes and brushed out her hair. And she was a sight to behold.