The Blood Jewel (The Shomara Diaries Book 1)

by Carol M. Henderson

  Nobody is going to believe this. I headed for the clump of bushes concealing the gate and pushed aside the shrubs. There it was, the strange carved gate in the plain fencing . . . no wait! The fence as well as the gate on this side—the Shomara side—was carved just like the gate. It even had the same unusual animals and birds on it. I lifted the latch. The gate swung open without a single squeak this time. Did someone oil this gate in the time I was gone?

  I stepped through into Grandpa’s yard, and a cold winter wind slapped me in the face. Br-r! I threw my jacket on, zipped it up, and retrieved my backpack from behind the tool shed. Soon I was jauntingacross my grandparents’ back yard. I was halfway across the lawn when my grandmother stepped out onto the deck still dressed in her housecoat and holding her morning cup of tea.

  “Barry! What on earth brings you over this way so early in the morning!” she called.

  “Oh, uh . . . hi Grandma!” This must look pretty crazy to her. “Um . . . I thought I’d swing by on my way to school. Uh . . . er . . . I was wondering if you and Gramps might have some odd jobs I could do around your house to earn some money,” I said.

  “Well, we’ll sure give it some thought, Barry. What did you have in mind?” asked Grams.

  I shrugged. “Nothing in particular. You know I’ll work hard at whatever you give me.”

  “Of course, Barry. You always put your back into everything you do,” Grams said. “No worries about that.” She took a sip of her tea. “You know, we just got some free firewood scraps from a contractor just the other day. Huge pile of the stuff. I’ll bet your granddad would love some help pulling nails out of that wood. That’s all he’s been doing for two days. Kinda hard on his old arthritic hands.”

  “Sounds good, Grams. I’ll talk to Mom and make sure it’s all right with her. I’ll call you after school today, okay?”

  “That’ll be fine, Barry.”

  “Hey Grams. Can you tell me what time it is?” She looked at her watch. “It’s 7:25, Barry. Are you going to be late for school?”

  “Naw! But can I come in and use the bathroom first?”

  “Of course.” Grams swung the back door open. I rushed up onto the deck and through the kitchen passing Grandpa as he sipped coffee from his favorite mug.

  “Mornin’ Gramps. Okay if I use your bathroom?”

  “Sure, kiddo. Just leave your quarter on the back of the toilet,” Gramps said and then he grinned at me.

  I chuckled. Same ol’ Gramps, same ol’ line. Then, I remembered my nightmare on the Shomara mountain. Today I was glad some things never change.

  A few minutes later, I sprinted down the sidewalk toward school.

  “Hey there, Master Barry! Where are you going in such a hurry?” It was Martin. He appeared out of nowhere and started jogging beside me.

  “I’m going to school. It’s what I do this time of day.” I kept running. No way did I want to be late.

  “Somebody is looking for you,” said Martin.

  “Yeah?” I countered. “Well, I know for sure it wasn’t you.”

  “Well, I’m sorry I made you unhappy, Master Barry, but I was told not to follow you,” Martin said.

  I stopped. “Is that so. Is that why you didn’t come and rescue me from that bird?”

  Martin looked puzzled. “Bird? What bird?”

  “The bird that carried me off to its nest high on the mountain over in Shomara!” I said, staring back at Martin. Then I threw up my hands. “Ah! How would you know! You weren’t even there!” I started running again.

  Martin blinked. “Shomara? You saw Shomara?” Is that amazement I hearin Martin’s voice? Nah.

  “Yeah, I saw Shomara. No thanks to you, I might add!”

  Martin loped along beside me in silence for a full minute. Again he said, “Somebody is looking for you.”

  “Okay. You said that before. Who?”

  Just then, a car honked from the street.

  “Hey, Barry!” Colonel Sorenson waved at me from the driver’s side. “Can I give you a lift?”

  I ran over to the car, panting to catch my breath. “Sure, Mr. Sorenson,” I said. As I climbed into the passenger side and buckled myself in, I noticed that Martin had seeped through the rear car door and was making himself comfortable.

  “You’re out early this morning, sir,” I said.

  The colonel fidgeted with the steering wheel. “Have you seen Chad?” he asked and cleared his throat. “I need to talk to him. I was on my way to the school hoping he was with you, but some road work was tying up traffic. Had to takea detour.”

  “I arranged that,” Martin said. I turned around to see Martin looking verypleased with himself. “The Majesty let me I put up the road block so the colonel would have to take this road instead.”

  The colonel, who couldn’t tell any other conversation was going on, said, “Your mother told me you left early this morning. She thought you’d be at school by now.”

  “Yeah, well, it was too early to catch the bus, so I came over to my grandparents house for a while,” I said. “You said you wanted to see Chad?”

  The colonel seemed to be clamping and unclamping his jaw. Then he swallowed.

  “Chad is missing,” he said.

  CHAPTER 27: MARTIN’S SURPRISE

  “We rarely comprehend what is important to us until we lose it.” ~Martin Moonglow

  I stared at the colonel. “Chad’s missing?” I passed my hand through my hair. “ I don’t get it.”

  Colonel Sorenson’s eyes looked glassy. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded like sandpaper. “Chad never slept in his bed last night,” he said. “And this morning, no one could find him.” He sighed and edged the car forward into the traffic.

  I massaged my tired eyes. “But, but you’ve been back for . . . .” Hold on. How long ago was that? Shomara has messed up my sense of time.

  Idecided on a different tack. “So . . . uh, when did you get home, sir?” I asked, trying to sound cool.

  “Just yesterday,” answered the colonel.

  “So when did you last see him?” I queried.

  Colonel Sorenson looked over at me and grunted. “That’s what I like about you, Barry. You never give into wimpy handwringing. You get right down to business. I wish Chad had your level head.”

  “Well, uh . . . thanks, sir,” I said, biting my lip. “My mom would disagree. She’ll tell you that I get chicken livers like everybody else.” I cleared my throat. “So, did . . . did Chad talk to you at all after you got home?”

  “Talk!” growled the colonel. “The kid ranted and raved like a confounded lunatic! Get this: he says I’m a spy! Me! A colonel in the military for twenty-eight years.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I could tell by the way the colonel was working his mouth that he was upset. I didn’t dare tell him that Chad had eavesdropped on his cell phone.

  Mr. Sorenson gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles werewhite. “I hadn’t been home for more than an hour when Chad came barreling into my study. Said he’d been doing some research and he was convinced I was a spy. I’m a career officer in the United States military! I don’t know where he got his ideas, but there was no way I could change his mind. To be accused of treason by my own son! I wish he’d punched me in the chops instead.”

  The colonel glanced over at me. I felt my face flush. I wonder if he knows that Chad wishes he had a different dad.

  The colonel glared at me. “Oh, I know. I’ve not been home a lot during Chad’s growing up years. He’s thrown that in my face often enough!” Huh. The man is a mind-reader.

  Then the colonel went limp. His shoulders sagged and he sighed. “Where the kid got his flimsy piece of socalled ‘evidence’ is beyond me! In the face of my entire career as a soldier, this blows my mind!”

  The colonel slapped the steering wheel and gritted his teeth. “Do you know what it’s like to have someone you love flush your whole life down the toilet? My own son thinks I’m a spy!”

  I was still a
t a loss for words. I couldn’t understand why this huge man was so angry at being called a spy when his only son was missing. If this had been my dad . . . . I got a lump in my throat. If I had gone missing, Dad wouldn’t care two beans about his career. No. My father would have been freaked out of his mind worrying about me.

  The colonel seemed to be expecting me to say something.

  “I don’t think you’re a spy, sir,” I whispered.

  The colonel sighed. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Barry. I appreciate it. And I’m also glad you’re Chad’s friend. Maybe, if we ever find him, you can talk some sense into him.”

  When the car pulled up to the school, I got out and said, “Thanks for the ride, Mr. Sorenson. Would you like me to give you a call if I happen to see Chad today? I mean, he may decide to show up for class even though he didn’t come home.”

  “I’d be very grateful if you’d do that,” the colonel said. “His mother is worried sick.” I nodded. Then I saw the look of panic in the colonel’s eyes and it dawned on me. His anger is just a cover up. He is just as wacked out about Chad as his wife.

  So Chad was gone. I wondered if there could be demons chasing him too and I felt a wave of dread sweep over me. Where could he have taken off to? Surely he wouldn’t do something to hurt himself. What happened to that wonderful bubbly feeling with Ayshwa this morning? Gone. Had it been real at all? reality seemed cold and bleak.

  I moved like a wind-up toy for the rest of the day. more focus on school than a dead hamster on an exercise wheel. Somehow my body walked its way to each class but I don’t remember a thing. I was one daffy droid all day.

  Now, you have to know, Chad was not the type to skip school. Making good grades was too much a matter of pride. Kids who make straight A’s just don’t cut class. But right off, he didn’t show up for PE class. But when he didn’t even show up for computer class, I really got concerned. I mean, Chad lived for computer class.

  Maybe he’d been kidnapped. Nope. Chad was too ornery. Pity anybody who tried to haul him away in a dark alley. And I could only hope he was too strong-willed to end his own life. He just had to be hiding out somewhere.

  I ruled out the arcade. Too public. Besides, his folks would have checked there already. The mall was a possibility, but there again, with store clerks and video cameras everywhere, there was no place to hole up. Could he have found some secret place in his own house to stash himself? Nah. The Sorenson place was too modern. Very few nooks and crannies. No heavy pieces of furniture where a kid could hide. The architecture was also too open. Scratch that. He was definitely not hiding at his house.

  But the inevitable thought hit me anyway. I gulped. Why had Chad been so torn up last night? In spite of everything, I knew he idolized his father. Itdidn’t matter that the colonel had ignored him all these years. But now, maybe hecouldn’t bear the thought of his dad being a spy. Truth was, it was the first time I’d ever heard Right now,

  I could no Chad cry. It did something awful to my insides. Maybe . . . . Oh, please God,tell me he’s not lying at the bottom of some cliff someplace.

  “Master Barry, I know where Chadis.” Martin’s voice jolted me out of my stupor. I looked around. “Martin, where are you!” I whispered.

  “Sitting on top your ear,” said Martin. At first I was forced to stay quiet because the teacher was handing out an assignment. As she passed, I raised my hand and asked to be excused to the restroom. Once I got there, I checked the place thoroughly to make sure we were alone.

  “All right, Martin. Come out here where I can see your face,” I demanded. My keeper complied, looking a bit sheepish.

  I came right to the point. “So tell me where Chad is, will you?”

  Martin stood there looking dazed. “Look,” I said, feeling a bit sorry for him. “I can’t talk to you just anywhere. On this planet, if people see you talking to yourself, theythink you’re ready for the nut house. Some kids at this schoolthink I’m already there.”

  “Sorry, Master Barry,” Martin said. “You don’t have to answer me, you know. You never have before. I’m quite used to it.”

  I threw up my hands. “Look,” I said. “Do you know where Chad isor don’t you? Out with it and make it snappy. I’ve got to get back to class before they send out a search party.”

  “Right-o. Well, I saw Master Chad’s keeper in an odd place this morning. He was standing high on the east side of the mountain where the sun comes up. We’re good friends, Chad’s keeper and me, because you and Chad spend so much time together.”

  This guy really has a talent for bugging me.

  Between clenched teeth I growled,“How come you didn’t tell me this four hours ago?”

  “Well, Master Barry, you didn’t seem very happy with me today, so I thought I’d better keep my mouth shut,” said Martin. “Every time I said something, you snapped at me like a crocodile.”

  “Aww-gh!” I whirled away from him and walked to the far end of the rest room. Then, for no reason, I thought of Ayshwa and a calm breeze swept through me. I took a deep breath.

  “Okay, Martin. My bad. When you didn’t show up to help me on Shomara with that scary bird, I felt so alone. I mean, I thought your number one job was to protect me. Guess I needed some time to sort out my feelings is all.”

  Then I snapped my fingers. “Hey, Martin, I didn’t show you. Check this out.” I pulled up my sleeve and showed Martin my arm. “It was the bird who took care of it.”

  “Marvelous, Master Barry. Your arm does look much better. Much better indeed!” exclaimed Martin.

  Even I had to admit it looked a whole lot better. Still a bit puffy but my skin was back to its normal color and the deep cut had almost disappeared.

  Then Martin cocked his head and asked,“ . . . A bird, you say?”

  “Yup!” I said loweringmy sleeve. “A humongous bird, Godzilla the Peacock, only with an even longer tail and feathers like a rainbow. Very colorful, but . . . but . . . .” I paused. What was that Martin said . . . ?“Wait. Did you say Chad has a keeper?”

  “Yes, Barry. Of course he has a keeper. Most children your age have keepers,” he answered.

  I looked at Martin with new eyes. “So, ” I said, “How many keepers do you know?”

  “Millions,” he said with a shrug.

  “How many keepers are here at this school?” I asked.

  “Hundreds, I’d say,” said Martin.

  I scratched my head. “Then how come I can’t see them? I rub shoulders with dozens of kids and grownups every day,” I said.

  “Same reason you couldn’t see me these last few hours,” said Martin. “We sit under a collar, or in an ear. Lots easier to stay with our charges and not trip over each other’s feet. But we call back and forth all day long. School is a big party for us.”

  “So you say Chad is up on a mountain?” I queried.

  “Yes, Master Barry. He’s tucked away in the side of the mountain up there.”

  Then the light dawned. I slammed my fist into my hand.

  “Of all the . . . ! Of course. Why didn’t I think of it before? There’s only one place that matches that description. Our old summer hideout! That’s it!”

  I jumped into the air and hooted in relief. I felt like I was floating. Chad was alive!

  “Martin, I could kiss you. There’s a cave inside the mountain up there. Chad and I discovered it one summer and we fixed up a room inside the cave. It was our favorite getaway when the weather was hot. We promised each other that we would never tell anyone about it. It’s been our secret place for years. That has to be it. And Chad will be waiting for me, and only me. I’m the only one that knows where to look so I’ve got to bring him down off that mountain.It’s going to be up to me.”

  “I know the cave, Barry,” said Martin, nodding his head.

  “Oh yeah. Duh. I keep forgetting. Hey, thanks, Martin.”

  I looked up at the clock. “Whoops. Gotta head back to class. Now all I have to do is find a way to get up to the cave bef
ore the day’s out.” I rushed out into the hall, Martin again hitching a ride in my ear. This time I knew he was there because my ear got itchy.

  Then I remembered. I stopped in the middle of the hallway.

  “Oh no!” I whispered. “I can’t go anywhere after school. I’m supposed to go right home on the bus. If I don’t show up, Mom will blow a gasket.”

  CHAPTER 28: TRANSPORTATION HANGUPS

  “In every life, someone comes along who shows us a side of ourselves we never knew we had.” ~Martin Moonglow “ Criminy! How could I forget?” I moaned. “I’m grounded. No way is Mom going to let me off the hook to go cruisin’ around looking for Chad.”

  Inside my ear, Martin said, “I’m sorry, Barry. I forgot about that part, too.”

  Then I slapped my forehead. “And wouldn’t ya know, today is also the day I was supposed to help Gramps pull nails. Now what? The real zinger is that I don’t have my bike anymore. If I hoof it up to the cave it’s a two hour trek one way. I’d be lucky to get there before dark. Even if Chadis there, we’d both be stuck for the night. It’s too dicey to climb that mountain in the dark. Even Chad says so. And if heisn’t there, I’ll be in that cave all alone for the night. I’m notdoing that.” I shuddered. I’ve had more than my share of cold, lonely nights on a mountain.

  First I needed transportation. I went back to my sixth period class and scanned the classroom for someone who lived in that area, someone who rode the bus.

  Lupita Sanchez. Yeah. She lived up close to the hideout. And as far out of town as her house was, she had to be a bus rider.

  I was well acquainted with the Sanchez Orchards. Our family had spent lots of happy hours there gathering apples in the fall. Mr. Sanchez always remembered our names even though he only saw us a few times a year. I figured the cave was less than half a mile up the canyon from the Sanchez place.

  As soon as class was over, I walked up behind her.

  “Hey, Lupita! How’s it goin’?” I said.

  Lupita looked up at me in surprise and . . . and she smiled.

  “Barry! Everything is fine! How ‘bout you?” she said.