“I told you. You have spirit sight, Barry.”
I sagged—and nearly fell out of the tree again. “What is spirit sight?” I asked.
“Well . . .” Martin answered. “There are these spirit folks who live in the air. There are good ones and bad ones. The good spirits are charged with protecting humans from the bad spirits. Spirit sight is the gift of being able to see both the spirit world and your world as well. As for the fact that only you can see the spirits, I do not know why that is.”
Then Martin got very serious. “Barry, am I the only one you’ve seen so far?”
I blinked. I had a sudden flash of the spike-tailed monster at the arcade. “Well, not exactly,” I said. “I’ve been seeing some awful weird things.”
At that moment, the wind kicked up and my branch bucked like a bronco in a rodeo. I held on so tight my knuckles turned white. Martin’s branch was whipping around even worse than mine but he didn’t even uncross his legs.
“Um . . . can we go down to the lawn again? My brain gets fuzzyat high altitudes.”
Martin grinned. “Sure, Master Barry.” He grabbed the back of my jacket and together, we slowly descended to the grass below.
I rubbernecked the whole back yard and sat down. My skin felt all prickly. “Are you saying there are other spirits around here?” I whispered.
Martin nodded and joined me on the ground. “Of course,” he said. “Spirits live all around you. Humans who cannot see the spirit world have no idea we exist, but we’re here. When we do battle with the evil ones, there can be tremendous upheavals. Earthlings try to explain what they see happening, but with their limited vision, they’re usually wrong.”
I’m sure my eyes bulged to the size of oranges. “Battles! You mean spirit wars?”
“Of course. Good and evil are always at war. Many fierce creatures live on this planet, young master, and don’t you forget it,” Martin said, his expression very grave.
I rubbed my arm. “Um . . . what kind of creatures? Do they attack people?”
“Yes, they do. All the time. They attack humans to get at us. During the days I couldn’t find you—last week, in fact—I was called up for a nasty skirmish in a town on the other side of those hills. I saw some powerful demon spirits I haven’t seen in a hundred years. They were trying to set up a garrison. Evil beings were threatening even the good homes. When the people in the town begged the Prince for protection, the Prince gave us keepers permission to go after them. Those savages will think twice before they try that again. Loathsome creatures they are.”
“Wow! A sky battle. Will I ever see one?” I asked.
“I’d say you will not be able to avoid it,” said Martin.
“Far out! A sky war! Way cool!”
“No, young master, it is not ‘way cool’ as you put it. All wars are ugly, but they must be fought. Evil must—it will—be defeated. If humans could only see the horror these evil creatures incur, they would never invite them into their lives.
“Wait. Invite? Did I miss something here?” I asked. “Who deliberately opens the door to bad spirits,for cryin’ out loud? ”
“Oh, humans don’t realize what they are doing,” said Martin. Then he paused and stared me right in the eyes. His voice was very quiet when he said, “Perhaps the best example is you, young master.”
I blinked. “Me?” Oh, here wego again. The ol’ Blame Barry Game.
Martin nodded. “That’s the only explanation for your disap- pearance.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded. Ten minutes into our first meeting and this guy’s already on my case.
“Somehow, you did something that left you wide open to attack,” said Martin. “It must have been a powerful demon that got to you. He was able to keep you hidden from me for fifteen days. I looked everywhere.”
Uh-oh. I searched Martin’s eyes. “You mean . . . you mean you weren’t around to protect me for two whole weeks?” I asked.
“That’s right, Barry. And to tell you the truth, I was one frantic keeper.”
Well, that explains the monster at the arcade. I wonder what he’d say if I told him . . . . I decided it was time. I rolled up my sleeve and removed my bandages. “Maybe that would explain this,” I said.
Martin blinked and leaned forward with his jaw clenched. Then helet out a low whistle. “That’s a mighty ugly wound, Barry,” he said. “Mind describing the kind of creature that did this?”
I shuddered. “It was horrible,” I said. “I was at the video arcade and there was this bully that wouldn’t get out of my way. When he wouldn’t move, I punched him real hard, see? But when I did, he turned into this slimy monster with a raunchy tail that had spikes on it. The tail wrapped itself around my arm and . . .”
“Yes, I can see what it did,” said Martin. “You say this creature was here in this town?”
I nodded. Martin took hold of my arm and examined it. “Have you’ve been washing it and putting salve on it?” he asked.
“Of course,” I said in a what-kind-of-dunce-do-you-think-Iam tone of voice. “But it doesn’t seem to be doing any good. In fact my whole side feels like a furnace.”
“I’m sure it does,” said Martin, nodding his head.
That’s all he can say? How can he be so smug? Maybe the throbbing in my arm was getting to me but all of a sudden a boiling rage welled up inside me. I’ll bet he’s never felt real pain in his whole spirit existence.
“So, where wereyou?” I demanded. “Why did you let this happen? How come you didn’t protect me?” I stood up and stared down at Martin. I wanted to jab my finger into his pompous chest.
“It’s a no brainer and you know it,” I said. “You fell down on the job, didn’t you? And you want me to take the rap for it? Ha! Nice try.” I plopped back down, still fuming.
The keeper was silent for a long while. Then he nodded. “Yes, I would say that’s a pretty typical human response.”
“Typical human response!” I was ready to burst a blood vessel. “Nothing about my last forty-eight hours has been typical. I don’t see anybody else being attacked by monsters. I don’t see anybody else running around with chunks gouged out of their bodies. I don’t see anybody else being tossed in the air by giants. And you have the gall to imply that this is my fault? Give—me—a—break!”
Martin stood up, hands on his hips, and glared down at me.
Uh-oh. Me and my big mouth.
CHAPTER 9: SKY WORLD DO’S AND DON’TS
Most earthlings are oblivious of Sky culture. When their lives crash and burn, they do not know the reason why.” ~Martin Moonglow “Now you listen to me , Master Barry,” Martin said. His voice alone told me I was in deep doo-doo. “Just because you don’t always see the evildoesn’t mean that it’s not there. Millions of humans walk this planet everyday with life-threatening wounds much worse than yours, and they don’t even know it.” He glowered down at me. “You have spirit sight. Now you can see—and feel—the damage these monsters do. And yes, the responsibility for that wound is yours, Barry. Not mine.”
I swallowed hard. Martin dropped down onto the grass and glared at me.
Finally he sighed. “Barry, lad, don’t you see? I simply don’t know what happened to you. One minute, I had you tucked safely in my pocket. The next minute . . . you were gone. Just like that. You humans are free to choose whatever company you want.”
I jumped up and grabbed at my hair. “Choose? Choose? How could I possibly choose the company of . . . of creatures I
didn’t even knowexisted!”
“Doesn’t seem fair, does it?” said Martin in a totally-too-calm voice.
My legs wimped out and I sagged onto the grass. “I hate this spirit stuff!” I swabbed a sleeve across my eyes.
“Take it away. I don’t want it.”
“I wish I could help you, Barry, but it’s out of my hands,”
said Martin.
I blinked and jerked my head up. What the . . . ?
“You’ve g
ot power oozing out of your pores!” I spat out.
“Don’t try to deny it. This should be a piece of cake.”
“I’m sorry, Barry,” Martin said. “But since I did not give you
the spirit sight, it is not my place to take it away.”
I groaned and turned away. Oh, Dad, where do I go from
here? My head feels like a cantaloupe on a soccer field. One more
kick and my brains will splatter all over the ground. . . . Hey, wait a
minute.
I whirled back. “Hey, are you saying that you know the guy
who saddled me with this . . . this jinx?”
Martin cocked his head to the side. “I wouldn’t call it a jinx,
Barry, but yes, I do know this person,” Martin said.
“Must be somebody that enjoys driving people bonkers,” I
muttered.
Martin leaned back against a tree and folded his arms.
“Master Barry, let’s not be too hasty in calling this gift a bad thing
just because you don’t understand it yet. Yes, I do know the one who
gave you spirit sight, and he always gives out good things, never
bad.”
I slumped forward. “So I suppose you know what it’s like to
be attacked by multiheaded goblin. And you’ve had your body parts
turned into mincemeat, right? And you’ve been catapulted a hundred
feet in the air with no parachute, right?”
“Master Barry, I can only imagine how confusing this is for
you,” said Martin.
I threw up my hands.“If this spirit sight stuff is good in your
book, I shake in my shorts to hear what you call bad.” I took a deep
breath. “So . . . who dumped this on me?”
“The Majesty, of course,” said Martin in a tone that I
considered far too matter-of-fact.
“The Majesty?” I tossed my head. “Okay. Well, please tell
this Majesty guy that I don’t want his spirit sight. Ask him to take it
away—like now.”
“Oh, he already knows, Master Barry,” said Martin. “He does?” I asked. “And in spite of all I’ve been through, he’s not going to take it away? He must be a sadist. He must enjoy bringing pain topeople.” I wrapped my head in my arms. “Argh-h
h! My brain is mush!”
If this spirit sight stuff just wasn’t so bleepin’ scary. Oh Dad.
Why did you have to leave? I’m so lost without you!
Okay. So I burst into some very unmanly tears.
Martin sat very still while I pulled myself together. Then he
said, “Master Barry, perhaps if I told you about The Majesty, we
both would feel better.”
I scrubbed my nose, sniffed, and muttered, “I doubt it but give
it your best shot.”
Martin nodded. “I’ve known The Majesty for my entire
existence.He never does anything without a purpose and it’s always
a good purpose. I can assure you that giving you spirit sight is part
of a brilliant plan. Not once have I ever seen his plans go . . . how
you do say it . . . ‘bally-oop’?”
“‘Belly-up’,” I said. “I still don’t get it. Who is this Majesty
person?”
This can’t be the same guy I learned about in Sunday School.
Surely . . . Then, I realized I didn’t want to know. I stood up. “No! Don’t tell me,” I hollered. “I refuse to be part of this
socalled ‘brilliant’ plan and that’s final. Tell the Majesty I want my
life back. I’m going home.” With that, I took off across Gramps’
front lawn, onto the street, and turned toward home.
Out of nowhere, a large truck careened onto the street, and
screeched to a halt so suddenly, that it swung sideways and smashed
into a parked Lincoln just inches from my chest. For a split second, I
was sure I saw Martin in front of me.
I dropped to my knees, dazed. Behind me, I could hear doors
banging and people hollering as the whole neighborhood rushed
outside to see what had happened. In a matter of seconds, a dozen
people surrounded me.
“Kid! Are you okay?” It was the driver of the truck. “Man,
you scared me to death! You came out of nowhere!” He knelt down
next to me.“Ya know, you nearly bought that one,don’ cha, son?” I tried to answer but I could only nod my head.
“Somebody call 911!” I heard a voice in the crowd say. That yanked me out of my stupor. I stood up. “No. I’m
okay,” I said. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” the truck driver asked.
“That was a close shave,” said an old man that I recognized
as one of Grampa’s party guests.
I saw my mother then pushingthrough the crowd. “Barry!”
she cried and threw her arms around me. “Son, are you all right?
Whatever possessed you to dash out into traffic like that?” I hugged her, relieved to be alive. “I’m okay, Mom, really.
Just a little shaky.”
“Check it out!” muttered a kid on the sidewalk. I looked
where he was pointing. The Lincoln was nearly ripped in half.
Three more inches and I would have been a slab of meat in a metal
sandwich.
I saw Martin then, standing on the other side of the street, his
arms folded and a sober look on his face.
Mom was talking to me trying to get me inside to lie down but
I shook my head. “I need to walk around for a minute.” I had to talk
to Martin.I’m sure I saw him in the middle of that crash. Mom took me by the shoulders, eyed me closely, and then
gave me another hugehug. “Oh Barry. If anything were to happen
to you . . . .” From the way her voice caught I knew she was fighting
tears.
“I’m not hurt, Mom, really. Don’t worry about me, okay?
I’ll stay close to the house if you need me.” I was past caring
whether she could see Martin or not.
I pulled myself away and managed to get to the back yard.
Out of sight of the crowd, I flopped down under a tree. Martin came
and sat down beside me.
For several minutes we both just sat there. I was still coming
to terms with the whole-life-flashing-before-me thing. But finally, I
had to ask, “So did you rig that car crash?”
Martin was very still. Then he said, “No, I did not, Barry.” It took me a momentto digest that. “You mean, that was just
an random accident?” I asked.
“Yes,” said Martin. “It was a random accident.”
“But how come . . . ?” I whispered.
“These things happen, that’s all,” Martin said.
All of a sudden, I felt a wave ofice flood my veins. “But I
saw you in the middle of the crash,” I said. “You were standing right
in front of that truck.”
“That’s right, Barry.” Again, Martin’s answer sounded
clipped.
“But why?” I asked. “If you didn’t do it, why were you
standing right there?”
“Because the Majesty allowed me to protect you,” said
Martin.
“Oh.”
He then added, “If I had not been standing between you and
that big vehicle, you would not be sitting here, and we would not be
having this conversation.”
“All right,” I said,“So I’m not the brightest crayon in the
box. Big trucks crashing right under my nose? Right. I get it. The
Majesty—whoever he is—has given me spirit sight an
d that’s that.
If I argue . . .blam!”
Martin looked over at me. Then his eyes crinkled up and he
began to laugh. Whether it was the relief of finding myself still alive
or the ridiculousness of seeing this strange man rolling around on the
ground, I joined him laughing too. In fact, we laughed for the next
three minutes.
When I could catch my breath I said,“Guess I should be glad
you’re here, Martin.”
“I’m glad too, dear boy,” he said as he wiped his face. I sat up straight. “Martin, have you asked The Majesty why he
gave me this spirit sight?”
“You may not believe this, Master Barry, but I was confused
too—I still am—but all he would say is that we would understand
when the time was right.”
I groaned. “Another two days of this and I’ll be a blubbering
idiot, a worthless blob. Then what will happen to his big plans?” Martin hooted. “To listen to you, one would think the whole
world was coming to an end.”
“Well, hasn’t it?” I mumbled. I pulled up a handful of grass
and tossed it into the air.
Martin laughed. “I know for certain it has not, Master Barry.
Buck up, my boy. You and I are standing on the threshold of the
greatest adventure of the century. The Majesty has given us an
opportunity—a mission, he called it—something that is almost
unheard of in Sky circles. All we have to do is reach out and grab it.
Let the Majesty take care of the rest. You can trust him. We have
everything to gain and nothing to fear!”
“Right. Um . . . I’m afraid of being hit by big trucks. Does
that count?”
Martin went on. “And you want to know something?” “What?” I said.
“I’ve already discovered that you are a pretty spectacular
human, do you know that?”
“Yeah?” I said. I had to smilein spite of myself. “How’s
that?”
“Brave, gutsy.” Martin grinned. “You don’t back away from
The Blood Jewel (The Shomara Diaries Book 1) Page 5