Royals Rise

by K. Manna

  “Once we were alone, Grandfather started off by saying that he was going to tell us something he had never told anyone before, and the reason for this was that he feared what others would think of him. Back when he was a young boy, everyone kept to their own business, even more so than nowadays—if you can believe that. People looked down upon those who spoke freely and who were open minded. My grandfather told us about one dreary day when he was a wee lad. He found that he could do something he had never thought possible. His favorite companion at the time had been his dog, a runt of a terrier, he said. The dog had made his way home somehow after being viciously attacked by something, probably a larger dog. My grandfather loved that dog, and as he held his companion tightly in his arms, he hoped and prayed for the bleeding to stop.” Eugene stopped for a minute and adjusted his legs.

  Tears appeared in my eyes.

  That poor helpless dog. I can’t stand to hear more, but I want to know what happens next.

  Eugene continued with his story. “My grandfather said that he had never cried so hard before in his life. In fact, he became teary telling us the story all these years later. The dog had meant everything to him and would follow my grandfather everywhere. Grandfather wanted so badly for the dog’s pain and bleeding to stop. He wanted to heal that pup himself, but he didn’t know how. The only thought that came to him was imagining those bites and claw marks healing back together. Next thing he knew, the dog had begun to paw at his arm, and when Grandfather looked down, he actually saw the wounds healing right before his eyes. The most amazing thing he had ever seen, he said.”

  The three of us stared at Eugene with amazement.

  Could this really happen? Such magic?

  “So in the end, my grandfather told us that he had the ability to heal, but that it would only work with great focus and determination. He said that his hands could create magic if and when he believed in himself, and he hoped that somehow this ability had been passed down to his grandchildren. Sadly, he died the next day. My younger brother didn’t take this story seriously and never tried to heal, at least as far as I know. He thought Grandfather’s story was a fairy tale, but not me. I believed every word. I practiced on animals but with no effect. One day while I was fishing, I accidentally cut my thumb deeply with a scaling knife, deep enough that stitches would have been necessary. I panicked. I couldn’t row to shore one-handed, and I was alone. Maybe it was the blood loss, but a vision of my grandfather appeared in my head. I remember him telling me to focus, to visualize the two sides of the gash being brought together, like a zipper. And very slowly the gouge began to heal. It seems that I am limited in my healing abilities, though. I am only able to heal wounds to my flesh, no broken bones or the like.”

  Wow.

  “Do you think you would be a stronger healer if you would have found out that you could heal sooner?” Bree asked. “You said you were weeks away from your eighteenth birthday. Last night, the Zylo mentioned how the body loses this energy if not used. Why does this happen?”

  Eugene nodded. “I believe that is the cause of my limited healing ability, but one cannot be sure. Our bodies work in unusual ways. There is not always an answer, or if there is, we are not always able to find it. But our bodies are magnificent machines, and as we age—just as everything else—we break down; our bodies and energies change. For some reason, if the energy has not been used on a regular basis, the energy fades, typically around the age of eighteen. It’s as if the human body truly has an internal clock.”

  Bree smoothed her hair with her fingers. “I think that all children should be scanned so that we know who has these abilities and who doesn’t, otherwise these awesome abilities just go to waste. Don’t you think that would be a smart idea?”

  “The Zylo chooses not to do so, and I am sure he has good reason,” Eugene replied, glancing down at his watch. “Now, we had better get started. Each day, before we begin healing, we will meditate outside. The tranquility of nature is the best way to channel the natural energies that surround us. I would like all of you to begin by sitting with your back straight, legs bent, ankles crossed close to your body, and hands clasped together in front of you.”

  “We did this last night,” Indee said.

  Eugene nodded. “Good, then you should know exactly how to do it. This is the best way to meditate, connecting all of the body’s energy and letting it flow together.” He began to search through his black bag and soon produced a small music player. “Please, close your eyes and relax. I will be playing sounds that will help to stimulate your body’s energies and connect the power of mind and body as a whole. Listen to the sounds. Free your mind from worldly distractions. Concentrate on your desire to heal. Confidence and desire are essential if you are to succeed.”

  Eugene became quiet, and the only sound I could hear was the gentle breeze blowing through the willows. Strands of my hair fluttered against my cheeks. I sat cross-legged and tried clearing my mind, but it wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. Eventually, I began to hear a soft swishing sound. Slowly at first, then the sound grew louder and louder. In my head, it almost sounded like waves crashing against the shore, and I had to resist the urge to peek. One moment I would hear the sound from the left, and then it changed and sounded from the right.

  What is it? Am I hallucinating? Was that my heartbeat? All right, brain, stop thinking and focus on the sound. Oh yeah, right, like that’s even possible. Is it really possible that little ol’ me will be able to heal, like, really? What if the others learn how to use their abilities, but my abilities never develop? What if I completely suck?

  Doubt crept into my mind. Round and round, thoughts of failure whirled through my head. I was losing my focus. I just couldn’t seem to shake my fear. Like one of Grandpa’s ancient records stuck on repeat, the thoughts played over and over and over again.

  Stop, Margo, and focus!

  After the swishing sound ended, a beeping sound began.

  Slow—fast—loud—slow—soft—fast.

  It kept changing, and after listening to this for a while it started to irritate me.

  This crap isn’t gonna help me; it’s only gonna make it worse. Ugh, this is annoying. Who cares? Just focus—focus—focus!

  The beeping finally ended after what had seemed like forever. Beeping sounds still echoed in my ears even after the actual sounds had stopped.

  Oh, great. Now my ears are jacked.

  “Please keep your eyes closed and take in a slow, deep breath. Then let it out. Take in as much air as possible until your lungs are completely full, and then slowly blow all of it out until there is no breath left inside of you. Do this repeatedly.”

  I heard Eugene rise and then sensed him walking behind me. As light as his footsteps were, I could still sense him circling the group, inspecting each of us for proper form and technique.

  “Okay, now you may open your eyes. I would like each of you to place both of your hands in front of you as if you were holding a ball. Practice this with your hands close together but fingertips not quite touching. Hold this position for a few minutes and see if you can sense your energy. It may give off a feeling of warmth or a vibration or even pressure. Some people think that closing their eyes helps, while others prefer them open. Work with both, and see what works for you,” Eugene explained in his soothing voice.

  It felt like an hour had passed when Indee excitedly whispered, “OMG, I feel something. I really do. This is so cool.”

  “I feel a warm sensation, but how do I know if it’s my healing energy or just my body heat?” Bree asked.

  Eugene knelt beside Bree and ran his hand in between her cupped hands. “Dear, that is definitely more than just your body heat.”

  A large smile stretched across Bree’s face. “Totally rad.”

  Turning toward me, Eugene asked, “And what about you, Margo? Do you sense your energy?”

  Letting my hands fall
into my lap, I said, “No, I don’t feel or sense anything. I can’t do it. I can’t focus. I can’t …”

  “Shh, you are getting too worked up. You need to be patient with yourself. Remember that this is all new to you. Now, let’s try again.” Eugene crouched down next to me and pulled my hands from my lap.

  Imagining that a big, fat water balloon sat between my hands, I tried again.

  Focus, Margo. Just focus. Oh, heck with it!

  My mind suddenly imagined my hands holding on to a purple water balloon and chucking it at Eugene’s balding head, while he sat there so calmly staring back at me.

  Quit thinking negative thoughts. It isn’t his fault that I’m having such a hard time with this.

  Indee moved his hands around his imaginary ball and asked, “Okay, now what? I’m ready for more. Can we practice healing?”

  Eugene shook his head. “Not today. For the rest of the day, I would like each of you to continue with sensing your healing energy and getting to know it. Play with your ball of energy, and sense the way it feels and even how it looks. I like to imagine that my energy is red-orange in color.”

  “Really, we aren’t going to heal at all today?” Indee impatiently whined. “Come on. At least give me something more to work on. I am way too excited to wait until tomorrow.”

  Eugene silently walked over to Indee and took something out of his pocket.

  Keys?

  Eugene fingered through the ring of keys and selected the largest one. While everyone was busy wondering what the key was for, Eugene quickly grabbed Indee by the wrist and dragged the large key across his arm, from forearm to the palm of his hand. Indee yanked his arm free, revealing a bright red scrape of a line.

  “Ow, what is that for?” Indee yelped loudly.

  “You said that you wanted more to work on, so this is your homework. See how quickly you can mend that injury. That includes repairing the broken skin, not just the redness.” Eugene shoved his keys back into his pocket.

  “Oh, I get you. This should be pretty easy, I hope,” Indee murmured, placing his hand over his red-streaked arm.

  Without warning, loud music blared from speakers mounted high on the palace walls. It was Famootan bongo music, the Zylo’s favorite, everyone knew.

  Eugene glanced in the direction of the palace. “That is our cue that it is lunchtime. We will meet again tomorrow morning. Please use this afternoon to work with your healing energy. The afternoons are for you to practice on your own. It is your responsibility. Practice makes perfect. Don’t forget that.”

  I stood up. “It will be kind of hard for me to practice since I have no clue what I’m doing. I really don’t think I can do this, you know?”

  “Margo, you need to start by trying to clear your mind. Do this with meditation so that you can calm yourself and focus on your inner energy. Believe in yourself. It will come to you, dear. I am sure of it.”

  Mmm-huh. Yeah, right.

  After lunch, Lottie asked if I would go into the woods to help her with her hearing exercises. While we walked across the lawn toward the trees, Lottie pulled out a fancy little pocket watch. Each person in the hearing group had been given a watch for their exercises. Lottie needed someone to hide the watch for her so that she could find it by using only the sound of the ticking. The fancy watch must have been an antique, but it looked brand-spanking new. The only time that I had ever seen one was in old-timey movies, when men with curly mustaches and fancy suits would pull them from breast pockets. Nobody used a watch anymore, least of all a pocket watch.

  Lottie held the watch up. “Okay, do you see this button?” She pointed to a tiny button on the side of the watch.

  “Yeah.”

  “So, if you press it once, the ticking will sound the loudest. Click it twice and it will tick quieter. Click it again, even quieter. You got me?”

  I nodded.

  “First you hide the watch, and then you press the button so that I can find it. Only press the button once because the other settings are too hard for me. It’s really hard to hear them, but with practice I will get better, I hope.” Lottie handed the watch to me. “Here, try to be really quiet so that I can’t hear where you’re hiding it.” Lottie leaned against a tree, closed her eyes, and plugged her ears with her fingers.

  Not knowing how far out to hide the watch, I quietly stepped behind the tree that Lottie leaned against and walked for about fifty or sixty feet.

  Hmm, where to hide it? There!

  A little patch of clover near a rock seemed like a good place. I carefully hid the watch under the greenery and tried to remove any obvious signs that I had been there.

  That should do it.

  I pressed the little button once and then quietly ran back to Lottie. Her eyes were still closed, and her fingers were still in her ears, but now she was humming, too.

  I tapped her shoulder. “I’m done. Go find it.”

  Lottie pulled her fingers out of her ears but kept her eyes closed. She made little faces and slowly turned her head, obviously in concentration mode. Then her eyes opened, and she stepped around the tree in the direction of the hidden watch.

  Lottie stopped directly over the hidden watch, bent down, and confidently parted the clover with her fingers. “Really, Go-Go? That’s the best you can do? It was way too easy. Let’s do it again, but hide it farther away this time.”

  “Well, you didn’t say how far I should go. So how was I supposed to know? It seemed far away to me, way farther than I can hear.” I gave her a little smile. “It’s not my fault that you’re so damn good.”

  “Whatever. You should have seen how well Anton and Onnika did when we were practicing. I totally sucked compared to them,” Lottie admitted.

  “Well, I think you’re awesome. Look how fast you found the watch. I could never do that. Besides, you’re gonna totally get better, and you know it.”

  Lottie handed the watch back to me, smiling. “All I can do is hope. Here, hide it again, and gimme a challenge this time.”

  You wanna challenge, then that’s what I’m gonna give you, girlfriend.

  Lottie hid behind another tree as I stepped lightly to my right. Large trees blocked most of the sunlight, but here and there it gleamed through the branches and leaves. The air felt cool in the shadowy woods, giving me a slight chill. In the distance, I could see a clearing covered in golden sunlight, so I decided to make my way toward it and soak up some of the warm rays. A thick branch blocked my path, so I went to step over it and …

  CRACK!

  A twig beneath my foot cracked loudly, making me cringe.

  “You know I heard that!” Lottie yelled out.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I whispered to myself.

  Even more carefully, I made my way over to the clearing and stood in the warm sunlight. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something fly through the air.

  Dammit, a wasp!

  It buzzed around my head as I stood as still as possible.

  Pretend you’re a statue. Stay very still. Ah! Ew! Ew!

  The stupid wasp landed right on my cheek, of all places.

  Please don’t sting me, little guy. Get off of me. You can fly away any day now.

  I waited impatiently until the disgusting thing flew away. Not only did I avoid getting stung, but I didn’t make a sound. I took a moment to make sure it was gone and then resumed my search for an appropriately difficult hiding spot. I decided upon an ancient-looking tree with large, bending roots that wove above and below the ground. I slid the watch under a gnarled root and tiptoed softly back toward Lottie, looking all around in search of more wasps. Paranoia!

  I found Lottie sitting as I had left her. I tugged on her hair, and Lottie unplugged her ears and sat quietly listening for the ticking watch. A couple minutes passed, and she shook her head. “I can’t hear a dang thing. How far did you go? Did you put
the watch on the loudest setting?”

  I thought for a moment then realized that, with the threat of the wasp on my mind, I had forgotten to press the button. “Oh shoot! I totally forgot to turn the sound on. I will be right back. Just gimme a minute.”

  After pressing the button once, I returned to Lottie’s side and gave her a poke with my finger. “Done.”

  Lottie pulled her fingers from her ears. “Good thing you forgot to turn it on because I was so scared that I couldn’t hear it.”

  She did her concentration routine for the third and longest time. When Lottie began to walk in the direction of the watch, I followed behind in amazement. The watch had been hidden more than double the previous distance. Lottie made her way toward the leafless tree, poking around in search of the watch. Then the next thing I knew, Lottie bent over the gnarly root and picked up the watch.

  “You are amazing,” I told her.

  Lottie brushed strands of hair from her face. “Thanks. That was definitely more challenging, but I just kept my focus and bam! I did it!” She looked past my head and frowned.

  “Hey, how is practice going, Lottie?”

  I turned to see our unwelcome guest. Onnika.

  “That’s nice of Margo to hide your watch for you. You definitely need the practice,” Onnika said rudely.

  Lottie clenched her jaw and furrowed her brow with irritation. “Ya know, Onnika, you really need to get a life. What we do is none of your business, so leave us alone.”

  Onnika crossed her arms. “I can do whatever I want, and this actually is my business because we are competing against each other. You can keep working your little heart out, but we all know that you have absolutely no chance at winning.”