The Blood Jewel (The Shomara Diaries Book 1)

by Carol M. Henderson

  “Yes, Master Barry. And believe me, it had to be one powerful demon to hide you from me for two whole weeks.”

  Jenny looked puzzled. “Ok-kay-y . . .” she said. “I’m confused. I mean, I’ve been able to see you, Barry.”

  You just think you see me, Little Sister. You have no clue what’s going on in my life.

  “It’s different in the spirit world, Miss Jenny,” Martin said. “If a human gets trapped by a particularly wicked demon, that demon can cloak the person and keep him hidden from all good spirits.”

  “So this was the first time that you ever lost Barry?” asked Jenny.

  “That is correct, Miss Jenny. The truth is, this is the first time I have ever lost a charge in all my years of service. I was one frantic keeper.”

  “And how long have you been in service, Martin?” asked Jenny.

  “Martin is ancient, Jenny,” I said. “He knew Noah – you know – the guy that built the ark?”

  “No kidding?” She stared at us. She’s finding that tough to wrap her head around just like I did.

  Jenny was silent for a full minute. But to my surprise, she bounced to up on her knees andsaid, “Well, I’m just happy you don’t stink anymore, Barry. My sniffer is happy too.” She wrinkled her tiny nose and laughed. Her giggle is so cute.

  Then Jenny added, “I’m also glad I don’t have to have this spirit stuff all to myself. I’d go clean out of my gourd if I couldn’t talkto somebody about it.”

  Turning to Martin, she piped, “So, Martin, you’re a . . . a . . . what did you call it . . . a keeper?”

  Martin nodded. “Yes, Jenny. The Great One assigned me to Barryhere the moment he was conceived. I’ve been his keeper all his life even when he was growing in the womb. You might say I knew him before your parents did.”

  I stood up and found a low tree branch to practice my chinups.

  Just then, Martin rolled over and peered up at me, grinning. “Do you know what a cute little guy you were? Do you know that you sucked your thumb all during the time you were growing inside your momma? And every night you got the hiccups. You kept your mother awake until she was fit to be tied.”

  I scraped my hand on a piece of bark and dropped to the ground. “Thanks for that little piece of history, Martin,” I growled.

  Of course, my sister let out a loud whoop and doubled over. “Barry sucked his thumb!Such a pwecious widdo t’ing!”

  I tucked my lips in tight. Then I had a thought.

  “Martin,” I said, “Does everybody have a keeper at the beginning?”

  Martin eyebrows flew up. “Of course, Barry.”

  Jenny stopped laughing. “What? Hey, hold on,” she said. “Does that mean I have a keeper too?”

  Martin nodded, “Yes, Jenny, you do.”

  I watched Jenny’s eyes get wide. Wait for it . . . .

  Jenny lifted her little pointed chin and said, “So where is he? Where’s my keeper?”

  Gotta love it.

  Martin’s eyes began to dance. “In truth, little Jenny,” he said, “your keeper has been here all along. Right now, you are sitting on her big toe.”

  CHAPTER 12: AMELIA STARFIRE

  “A surprise is often like a pregnant cat. One never knows how many kittens will be in the litter let alone what colors will show up.”

  ~Martin Moonglow Jenny stared at Martin, her face a total blank. Then her eyes dropped to the place where she was sitting. A split second later, she shrieked like a banshee and leapt to her feet. There, planted in the center of the lawn, was a huge glowing foot, right where she had been sitting. Jen was so flustered that she lost her balance and stumbled backward onto the grass. Stock-still, there she lay, her eyes riveted on what towered above her.

  The creature was magnificent. Dressed in a long, sparkling robe of iridescent aqua the same shade as a tropical sea, the giant appeared to be female.

  Oh, duh. The blue glow. I was seeing Jenny’s keeper all this time.

  Her long hair rippled out behind her glowed like gold threads in the sun. Though gigantic, every move she made took my breath away.

  Wow. What a stunner. She’s as tall as Martin was—that is, before he did the old shrinky-dink thing. Wah-hoh. Check out that smile. This lady could charm the socks off a mongoose.

  Martin spoke up. “Miss Jenny, please say ‘Hello’ to Amelia Starfire, your keeper,” he said. Jenny made to say something but nothing came out.

  What? Jenny’s tongue -tied again?

  The giant woman reached down, picked Jenny up in her hand, and lifted her high above the trees. When she spoke, her voice sounded like a water fountain. At least this keeper doesn’t have vocal chords that burst your eardrums.

  “Hello, Jenny!” she said. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to talk to you!”

  I had to bite my lip. Jen’s eyes were like golf balls. She’s doing better than I did. I was scared spitless when Martin first showed up.

  I saw Amelia look down at me then back at Jenny. Then she said, “I am told that you and your brother have been given the gift of seeing the spirit world,” she said. “You have no idea what a great privilege this is. I just know the Great One has something magnificent planned. I can hardly wait to see what it is. But you know what the most exciting thing for me is, Jenny dear?”

  Jenny shook her head.

  “The most wonderful part is that I am now able to talk with you, one on one,” said Amelia. “It’s a keeper’s dream come true.”

  Jenny still had not said a word.

  Amelia’s smile got wider and wider, her eyes twinkled, and she began imitatingJenny’s trademark habit of wiggling one saucy shoulder then the other.

  “Now, don’t tell me that you have lost your tongue, sweet thing, because I know better!” she laughed. “There aren’t many that can hold their own in a verbal duel with myJenny!”

  Then Jenny sprang to life, her shyness melting away like ice cubes on a hot grill. Her words came tumbling out like marbles.

  “Are . . . are you really my keeper?” She babbled. “And have you known me all of my life, too? And did you know me even before I was born just like Barry’s keeper?”

  Ooh-yeah. There’s the Jenny I know.

  Amelia opened her huge eyes wide and laughed. “Well, the child is not mute after all! Yes, indeed, Jenny. I have been with you from your very first day. One of the privileges of a keeper is getting to watch the Great One put you together from the first teensiest little speck. It’s a fascinating process. The Great One is so very particular.”

  Scrambling to her knees, Jenny shouted, “Amelia, can you shrink yourself down like Martin did? It’s kinda windy up here. . . . And your nose is too big for me to hug!”

  Amelia actually giggled. “How can I resist such a delightful request!”she said looking down at Martin who was now rolling on the grass laughing again. Who would have guessed that spirits had funny bones?

  “Martin,” she said, “The tales we’ll be able to tell of these two! We’ll keep the entire Sky population in stitches for a century!”

  She returned Jenny to the lawn and stepped back. Seconds later, Amelia disappeared in a cloud of sparkles. Then a beautiful woman about the same height as our mom stepped out. Like Martin, she still wore her sparkling robes.

  We all just looked at each other for several seconds. Then the four of us broke into whoops and giggles. I got a catch in my throat watching my sister shyly reach out for her first hug. Amelia threw her arms around her and rested her pretty chin on top of Jenny’s curls.

  “Oo-oo, Martin! I could get real used to this!” she said.

  Martin placed a hand on my shoulder and said, “I know what you mean, Amelia. This last hour has been one of the most memorable of all my centuries combined. I’ve found myself laughing just out of sheer joy.”

  No words can describe how good that felt.

  Just then, off in the distance, we all heard a low rumble. As it crescendoed into a roar, a thunderous cracking rocked the ground und
erneath us.

  “Silence! Everyone, be still!” shouted Martin.

  CHAPTER 13: SKY BATTLE!

  “Evil will always war against good. The forces of good will triumph when they recognize and honor the source oftheir power.”

  ~Martin Moonglow

  Jenny and I both clammed up, surprised at the fierceness in Martin’s voice. Off in the distance, we heard clicking and swishing sounds. Soon the sky swarmed with thousands of black-winged creatures. At first I thought they were insects because of the flurry and the hissing of their wings. They sounded like a mass of locusts. Wave after wave streamed overhead until they blocked the sun.

  Whirling around, Martin spoke to us, his voice firm. “You children stay right where you are,” he said. “Do not move a muscle!” He and Amelia, their backs turned to each other, stuck us between them, two slices of salami in a keeper sandwich. Then Martin looked over at Amelia, lifted his head, and shouted, “Stations!”

  With a sudden –whoosh!—their bodies exploded into the sky becoming at least as tall as they had been before.

  “Look up, Jen,” I said. With our eyes nearly popping out of our skulls, we craned our necks upward trying to get a glimpse of the keepers’ faces though they were partially hidden by their sparkling silver and blue robes.

  “Wow!” said Jenny. “They are so fantastic.”

  “Yo! Get a load of those fourwhoppin’ feet. They take up most of Grampa’s backyard.”

  I grabbed Jenny’s hand and squeezed it. “So,” I said, “Did you ever dream you’d see something like this when you crawled out of bed this morning?”

  Jenny shook her head. “Never in a million years.”

  Almost afraid to breath, we tried to stay right where Martin had put us for several minutes. But when both keepers suddenly gave out the most hair-raising roar, our curiosity got the better of us.

  At first, we tried sneaking peeks out to the side hanging on to thekeepers’ robes to keep our feet in place.

  “Barry! They have swords! Celestial flame throwers, no less,” Jenny shouted.

  Just then one of the swords whizzed right past us.

  “Jen, look out!” I hollered. Jenny pulled her head back so quickly she landed flat on the ground. I helped her to her feet.

  “We’re going to be killed, Barry! This is scary!” she cried, sagging against me.

  I pulled her face toward me. “Listen! You forget. We have our very own bodyguards. We’re not gonna get killed, Jen. Not today.”

  We stood within the safe confines of the keepers’ robes and peered out. Every few seconds one of the flashing swords whizzed by so close we could have reached out and touched it.

  “Just where did these giants have their weapons stashed anyhow?” Jen asked.

  “Beats me,” I said.

  We discovered that by pulling the robes back, we could watch the battle overhead and still stay safe.

  “They’re sure not shy about using those light sabers,” I said.

  “No duh, Bro.”

  We watched as the keepers swung the blazing weapons and ripped wide swathes through the hordes overheard. The fire shooting from the swords sent the demons into shrieking retreats. They were forced to scatter in all directions, their formations now in obvious chaos.

  “Can you believe this!” I hollered.

  Jenny seized my arm. Pointing to the horizon, she shouted, “Look up there!”

  From opposite sides of the sky appeared wave after wave of yellow-gold soldier-like beings, riding fiery white-hot chargers. They swooped in and soon had the winged mob surrounded.

  “Are they the good guys or more bad ones?”

  We got our answer when dreadful screeches erupted throughout the mass of devils. The golden warriors began moving in on all sides and the fiends soon realized they had nowhere to hide. In a mad scramble to escape, they ripped and slashed at each other, screaming and snarling with hair-raising howls. Their yelps alone made our skin crawl.

  Jenny clamped her hands over her ears and stomped her feet. “I can’t stand to hear those things scream!” she cried. “It’s horrible.”

  But the blazing soldiers pressed their assault, hacking away at any black wing within reach, lopping off a tail here, a limb there. Teeth rattling explosions rocked the sky and thick, black smoke billowed up from beyond the treetops around Grandpa’s yard.

  “Make it stop! Make it stop!” moaned Jenny. I held her tight. I could tell she was holding by a mere thread.

  “We’re safe, Jenny, just remember that,” I said a little too loudly. Trying to convince yourself, too, Barry-Boy?

  In a matter of minutes howling forms came hurtling down from the sky, trailing smoke as they fell. Charred bodies smashed to the earth, some landing with sickening thuds right in front of us. Putrid odors rolled off the carcasses. Jenny dug her nails into my arm and began to choke. The smell had me fighting my own gag reflex.

  But all this time not once had our keepers moved their feet. Even in the heat of battle, they never shirked their duty to protect us. I realized that, if we had not had spirit sight, we never would have known the danger we were in. For the life of me, Icouldn’t understand why Jenny and I had to see this stuff.

  Jenny was crying by this time. Okay, I’m a guy. I don’t do crying girls very well. But I patted her shoulder just the same. She seemed to like that. I just hope thisdoesn’t give us nightmares. I’ve already had my share.

  Then, just as quickly as the fray had begun, it was over. The skies cleared, the terrible smells evaporated, and Martin and Amelia returned to normal size.

  Jenny and I shivered and our teeth chattered. It was impossible to talk. When Martin and Amelia came over to hug us, we collapsed against them. They held us for several minutes in total silence.

  Finally I managed a few syllables. “What was that? What just happened?” I choked out.

  Martin squeezed my shoulder. “Have a seat, Barry. You, too, Jenny, and we’ll try to explain.

  “If you’ll remember, I told you earlier today that good and bad are always at war. Amelia and I are always on the lookout for danger. Just in the last day or so, we discovered a great evil amassing nearby. We don’t know what it is yet, but Amelia and I have been watching it. Something very big. Is that your assessment, too, Amelia?”

  She hesitated to answer. “I’m not sure I want to stress these children anymore for today, Martin, but I will ask one question. Was that Measfisto I saw leading that mob?”

  Martin nodded. “You saw him too, did you? I haven’t seen that beast in over a millennium.”

  “Trouble is,” said Amelia, “You and I both know he never concerns himself with small potatoes. You can be sure that brute is planning something horrific.”

  “I’m afraid Barry here has already had a run-in with one of his henchmen. Show her your arm, Master Barry,” said Martin.

  I bit my lip and looked over at Jenny. “Hope you’re not squeamish, Jen,” I said. “I haven’t told you what happened at the video arcade yesterday.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Jenny.

  For the second time that day I pulled up my sleeve and removed the bandages. I heard a sudden gasp. I caught Amelia glancing over at Martin. She mouthed the word “screwtail” and Martin nodded.

  “Ee-ew!” said Jenny. “That looks awful. What happened, Barry?”

  I launched into a vivid blow-by-blow of my face-off with the monster at the arcade.

  “You need to see a doctor, Barry,” Jenny said, “. . . like soon.”

  I saw Amelia snap her head sideways at Martin. Then she said, “Children, Martin and I need a private conference. You’re not to worry. Even though we are out of sight and sound, we are still right beside you. We are not leaving you alone for a second. Do you understand?”

  Jenny and I nodded. But when both our keepers vanished right before our eyes, I still got pretty queezy. I could tell Jenny felt the same.

  CHAPTER 14: QUIRKS AND QUIPS

  “In many earth generation
s, one has to dig under mountains of family foibles to uncover

  the solid core of love hidden beneath.”

  ~Martin Moonglow When we heard Mom call us for the second time, I hurried to pull my shirt back down over my arm.

  “Does it hurt a lot, Barry?” Jenny asked.

  “Yeah. Especiallyif somebody bumps it,” I said. We were both pretty subdued when we stepped inside Grandpa’s house.

  I saw Mom and Grandma bustling about as they gathered up the party leftovers. Mom worked quietly but Grams can talk the arms off a clock. She’s always like a magpie on steroids, I thought. Today, she was enjoying her favorite pastime: nitpicking at Grandpa.

  “Hanson,” she said, “I swear, if you don’t quit eating that cake, you won’t make it to your next birthday,” and, “Did I see you taking a nap right in the middle of the party? You’re incorrigible, ya know that? Tsk! How a man can sleep in the middle of the day is beyond me, but with a dozen people talking around him? Unbelievable.”

  Though Grandpa paid her scant attention, he was the first to notice Jenny and I coming through the door.

  “Well, I do have grandkids after all!” he exclaimed. “Where’d you all disappear to? Been missin’ ya for hours! Barry, are you done playing in the traffic for today? Come here and give your ancient Gramps a big hug!”

  “Happy Birthday, Grandpa!” I said and gave him a big squeeze. Jenny followed suit. What the . . . ? Is that a keeper’s finger resting on Gramps’ shoulder?

  I whispered to Jenny. “Hey, did you see that? On Grandpa’s shoulder? It’s huge!”

  She nodded her head. Hold on to your eyeballs, Jen. They’re about to pop loose.

  Mom came up behind me and put her hand on my arm. Just then, Jenny tugged at my sleeve.

  “Barry!” she hissed. “What’s that?”

  I looked up and saw a pink shimmery curtain flowing behind Mom. “Mom must have a keeper too,” I said under my breath.