The Legendary Firestone. Book 1. The Hidden Secret

by Reja Emran

Asra rolled her eyes but her expression became harder as if realizing the fact as she finally finished cleaning up the mess in the hotel room and then picked up her rent-a-car keys, jingling them on one finger.

  “Xia we’re going” she exclaimed, hurrying down the stairs.

  “Mom, wait!” Xia quickly locked the room and ran after Asra down the tiled hallway and they both hopped into the white car and drove off crossing lanes and pebbly roads.

  Axhelius was sitting in the shade staring at the two with narrowed eyes against the sun’s glare. He growled at the disappearing car and bounded into the dark misty forest far across the city centers ready to strike when need be.

  ***

  “Grandpa Ching, Grandpa Chi…” called Xia until she was stopped by Asra who clamped a hand over her mouth.

  “Shush, Xia no one knows Grandpa Ching lives here” Asra said seriously “now is not the time to let everyone know that.”

  Xia cocked her head and stared at her mother as she advanced towards the cave wondering at why was this place so isolated. Glancing at the altar which was dimly glowing white, she followed her mother into the cave as she hummed a soft tune of a song she heard long ago. Yesterday she didn’t feel it but today as she crossed the boundaries of road and grass she felt a tingling sensation at the back of her neck almost as if she crossed a barrier and to her utmost surprise not one person glanced her way. It seemed that if they didn’t exist to the modern world. Shaking this feeling with a skeptical smile, she went into the cave room.

  “Darlings how are you?” asked Ching getting up from a cushion and abandoning the thick book he was reading so intently. Smiling happily, his arms outstretched he strode towards Asra and Xia his robes in his wake.

  “Fine Dad” replied Asra giving him a quick hug, “You?”

  “Fine” said Ching, “So Xia, want to learn a few things today?”

  “You mean no stories,” said Xia feigning a look of shocked surprise at the old man.

  “No, but you’ll have more fun learning,” said Ching winking at his granddaughter.

  “Okay…” said Xia reluctantly. Then her eyes lit up with amusement. “Hey, Grandpa, what’s that?” she asked pointing to the platter of fish; its rubbery scales were still there along with its bulging eyes. She slightly grimaced at the platter for even without touching it she could feel the slippery scales around her hands with a shudder.

  “Fish.”

  “I know, but are we eating it raw? I mean that’s kind of uncivilized if you know what I mean” remarked Xia in disbelief looking purposely away from the grotesque platter.

  “No Xia, it’s for a very special friend of mine. As a matter of fact he caught it and I don’t think yesterday you got a chance of meeting him,” replied Ching patiently smiling slightly at Xia for he knew she was teasing him.

  “Your friend eats raw fish!” exclaimed Xia, her eyed wide open clearly doubting the sanity of this old man before her. All the mockery was gone and she almost felt dizzy as she thought of scales sliding down her throat. Asra it seemed stood against the wall and was simply not interested in their conversation. Her thoughts were distracted someplace else.

  Ching peered into the darkness of the cave in a small dark room where in the faint light the shadows of a bed could be seen and started calling in a deep voice. “Raven, come and meet some friends!”

  Suddenly a beautiful, large eagle with glossy, ruffled, brown and white feathers emerged. Its sharp talons scraped the dirt and its pointed beak opened up emitting a remarkable sound. Besides all this, its eyes were radiant; they were of a golden-bronze colour and they had a mesmerizing impact.

  Asra, who seemed to have come down to earth, and Xia looked in amazement at this marvelous eagle their mouths wide and eyes beaming with fascination.

  “This is my friend” said Ching as an introduction, “Raven is its name, Raven this is my daughter Asra and my granddaughter Xia.”

  “You’re talking to a bird! Father I think you need a doctor. Really I’m not joking. Birds what next? I’ll soon see you conversing with snakes or something” said Asra with a sharp tone as she got out of the trance at seeing such a beautiful creature.

  “It’s not just any bird Asra. He understands” said Ching with an unusual glow of wisdom on his face and his eyes stared fondly at the eagle that emitted a low sound, almost a loving sound it seemed.

  “Come outside” he called to them walking briskly into the entrance tunnel with them in his wake. “I’ll show you something special. It is the Spring of Caruso.”

  Ching led the two women across the green grass to a natural spring of vibrant blue which they had noticed when they first came here. Yet it looked more exotic up close.

  “It’s beautiful!” exclaimed Xia admiring the sparkling, crystal-clear water with admiration. She watched it gushing gently from the ground and spilling into a silver basin that was rooted to the grass as well but the basin never was full. The water kept pouring into the apparently bottomless basin, amazing. She wanted to take a long sip of the water.

  “Ah yes it is…” said Ching smiling and as if reading her mind, “Very sacred fountain, it is and you cannot drink the water. Only animals can.”

  “Really?” asked Xia with an expression of disappointment as she ran one finger in the ice cold water and smiled at her mother who, to her surprise, was not taken aback by this beauty of nature. There was recognition on her face.

  “Why yes!” said Ching, “It hold many secrets, most hidden but a few revealed, why I happen to know some my self.”

  “Cool, could you tell me them, pretty please” pleaded Xia, her eyes bright with zeal as she removed her hand from the water and turned to her grandfather.

  “Not again” said Asra exasperated taking her eyes off the water, “Father told you one yesterday. If this goes on I’ll vault back into my childhood.”

  “Asra, why you loved stories at Xia’s age” grinned Ching, “You used to say: Papa Papa! Tell me the story again!”

  “Father!” said Asra, playfully hitting his arm with her leather bag and passing an insult to him as well which turned out that he used to act like a horse and trot around the grass and sometimes acted as a duck in the pool.

  Xia smiled as she saw Ching and Asra laughing together.

  “I wish my father was like you Grandpa Ching” murmured Xia all of a sudden not sure why she said it. There was no sorrow in her heart but shockingly a well of anger. What’s happening to me?

  Asra and Ching suddenly stopped goofing around. Asra squatted down and put an arm around her fifteen-year-old daughter’s shoulders and smiled gently.

  “Darling your Dad was a great man” she said soothingly “He loved you.”

  “No he didn’t” answered Xia her eyes ablaze, “He didn’t even know me.”

  “Xia. What’s wrong, you’re face is flushed. Honey your father knew I was pregnant when he died and he loved you without seeing you” answered Asra, shuddering slightly as she touched a cool finger on her daughter’s hot face and noticed the blaze in her eyes.

  “Whatever” muttered Xia clearly perturbed by the emotions she was displaying and somehow she realized both father and daughter were hiding something from her. About her father otherwise she would not hate him. She did not ask just sat down and took a little amount of the spring water before spreading it on her forehead at once her memory becoming a haze and she couldn’t remember what had happened. With a shrug of indifference she let it go away and grinned at Ching who too nestled into the grass his legs crossed as Asra did the same.

  “Raven!” called Ching in a soft voice. The beautiful eagle soared in the sky and with great ease landed next to Ching. It scrutinized Xia with its beady black eyes and cocked its white head in approval. It bounced up towards her and pushed it’s beak in her palm.

  “Hey Raven,” she whispered, “You’re a cool bird.”

  Raven looked up at her and then at Asra. Finally it bounced back towards Ching and gazed at him questioningly.

&n
bsp; “Raven, bring me the manuscripts,” said Ching in an ancient language which neither Xia nor Asra understood.

  Raven gave a short nod and ascended to the cloudless blue sky. It flew across, fading away in the distance.

  “What was that, does Raven understand you?” asked Xia again fascinated by this man.

  “Yes, Raven understands the ancient language; it was used by our line in early days but is now restricted to only a few. I can teach you some, if you want?” offered Ching.

  “Okay, Mom?” asked Xia glancing at Asra whose sharp gaze had fallen on her father before smiling at her daughter.

  Asra shrugged and said, “Okay, I’ll get to learn some too.”

  “Super!” cheered Xia, “Teach away!”

  “It’s difficult but here goes…” warned Ching and he started teaching Xia-and Asra-the ancient language.

  ***

  “Aria!” exclaimed Axhelius bounding to a small area in the forest that was cleared and cloaked in darkness, “The girl has arrived!”

  A cloaked figure walked towards Axhelius, the hem rustling on the grass. “I know Axhelius, I know. Has she been informed?” asked the figure from behind the hood, the voice a cold feminine one.

  “No, My Lady. Not that I know of.”

  “Then we are safe for now…”

  Aria then went back into the midst of the towering trees followed by her numerous sprite slaves who quaked with fear and cowered behind her. Axhelius bared his teeth at the cloaked woman as she disappeared and then trotted away.

  Chapter Five

  ~An Unwelcome Party~

  Ching made a variety of incarnations with the coal black stone on the stone wall situated on the cave’s left side. The letters and symbols were intricate and looked almost impossible to make or to read but as the lesson progressed the difficulty ebbed away. “And this means find help” he said finishing off with the lesson.

  Xia studied the symbol and tried to pronounce it as she fingered the intricate word. “Da-rince” she said slowly.

  Ching laughed “no my dear its dyrinse”

  “Ok…die-rinse…dryinse…dyrinse” muttered Xia with a tight frown, finally pronouncing it correct.

  “Good girl, you got it” smiled Ching “now say come.”

  “Carvise” said Xia with ease.

  “Excellent!” exclaimed Ching looking at Asra “quite a remarkable girl I must say”

  “Of course she is” said Asra, smiling proudly.

  Suddenly a loud screech filled the air, it was Raven! The eagle outstretched its magnificent wings and glided towards Ching.

  “Cwasiana?” asked Ching which meant ‘what’s wrong’. Raven replied with an ear-splitting shriek.

  “Axhelius” murmured Ching looking traumatized, his eyes burning with tension.

  “Hey what does that mean?” questioned Xia, not comprehending the sudden panic which had arisen.

  “Come we have to go quickly” said Ching, shoving Xia and Asra forward into the shelter of the dark cave.

  ***

  Axhelius cantered through the forest accompanied by armed, savage sprites. Their beautiful transparent wings glistened in the dim lit forest and the edges of their spears glinted coldly.

  “Go there!” Axhelius commanded pointing to a narrow path enveloped by huge trees. The sprites fluttered along the path at supernatural speed which came from the dimness of the forest, as all evil can move fast in the dark.

  Ching I’m coming, thought Axhelius gleefully.

  ***

  Ching grabbed a slippery, wooden torch and lit a bright flame. He led Xia and Asra through the various tunnels of the cave, down staircases and finally into a small furnished room.

  “Stay here” he said firmly “all food, water and supplies are here”

  “What’s wrong” asked Xia through a panic-stricken face.

  “Nothing, Police” lied Ching “Raven is keeping a watch outside so you will remain unseen.”

  Then in a flash of lightning, Ching slipped away from the chamber grabbing his long sword with many markings and headed towards the entrance.

  “Mom, what’s happening?” whispered Xia.

  “I don’t know, I guess we’ll have to believe father but I have no idea why would police come here” said Asra fearfully.

  “I just hope nothing happens to him…” murmured Xia hopefully.

  “Hope springs eternal” smiled Asra.

  Xia grinned and then solemnly looked back at the opening of the chamber. Suddenly, a peculiar thing caught her eye. There were strange bottles bubbling over a hot flame in the corner of the chamber, parchments in an ancient symbolic language were scattered around and behind them was an array of glass bottles each holding a different coloured liquid. Running her delicate hand on the parchments coarse, historic paper Xia made out some of the words as Ching had taught them to her.

  

  

  “Recipe for…death…healing can be…cure is difficult…” she trailed off unable to understand the rest of the script. Hmm…some kind of potion I think, thought Xia, rummaging through the rest of the parchments.

  Something tumbled off the desk from underneath a stack of papers and fell with a sharp noise. Xia looked down immediately and was startled.

  ***

  Ching battled furiously with the sprites whisking his sharp sword form side to side. Injured sprites fell down on the ground and their lifeless, limp bodies disappeared in a fine mist of glittering yellow smoke. Raven swooped down, killing numerous of these similar beasts and sent them into the misty air. All the while Axhelius stood riveted alongside a shadowy figure barely visible in the bright sunlight as the defeated sprites retreated to the forest.

  Ching wiped beads of sweat running down his face with his palm and Raven flapping its wings, descended besides Ching. Ching looked up at Axhelius approaching them menacingly and raised his sword in defense.

  “Put your sword down” said the cloaked figure, “Axhelius tell them who I am.”

  “She is Aria” said Axhelius staring coldly at Ching, “the Noble Aria…”

  “Aria” whispered Ching, “why are you hidden in a cloak?”

  “You want to see me?” asked Aria “then you shall!”

  In a second Aria threw off her cloak revealing a blinding flash of light. Slowly it faded away to show a beautiful but evil woman. Aria wore a long, billowing creamy cape which highlighted her exquisite azure eyes. Her fair face was framed with silky brown hair which blew wildly in the chilly breeze. She was clothed in a long, peacock-blue dress not tainted with even a speckle of dirt. Her arms were bare except for a wrist band studded with sapphires on her fragile hands.

  “You sure keep yourself well-maintained” stated Ching eyeing the sorceress with unease.

  “Yeas, I’m a striking beauty” she said, her eyes glittering with malice, “even to you Ching.”

  “Ha! Sure” he said dismissing her words, “you’re a striking evil”

  “Yes” she said laughing softly, “Axhelius let’s go.”

  “W
ait!” exclaimed Ching.

  “Yes…” hissed Aria flipping around with a mocking smile.

  “Stop tantalizing me…why did you come?” asked Ching, his voice rising.

  “We came to pay a little visit” said Aria mockingly and then snapping her fingers “to the former Annoxonum!”

  “Who is it?” asked Ching, but it was more like a demand then a question.

  “How would I know” stated Aria in mock disbelief, her lips curling into an evil smile.

  “Axhelius?” asked Ching, turning to the creature besides the witch.

  “You’ll know Ching, You’ll know soon enough…” said Axhelius trailing off as he noticed something, “You’re granddaughter, let’s go!”

  Aria cloaked herself again and bounded off with Axhelius, vanishing into the dense growth of trees. Ching sighed and turned around. He saw Xia standing there with a dark, ambiguous expression.

  “Xia honey?” he said touching her gently. She gazed at him peculiarly and then fled back into the cave. Ching rubbed his temples as he felt a sharp tingle and then he asked himself the bizarre question, Is Xia the Annoxonum? Shaking his head in skepticism, he followed Xia into the cave.

  “What’s this?” asked Xia, shoving toward him a glowing stone.

  Ching entered the chamber and his eyes widened in shock, “Where did you find this?!” he bellowed, snatching the stone from Xia.

  Xia stared at him with steely looks, “is this the firestone??”

  Ching sighed deeply, “Yes, but only a part.”

  Asra got up from her sleep and rubbed her eyes, trying to stifle a huge yawn.

  “What’s that?” she asked eyeing the stone.

  “It’s a part of the firestone” whispered Ching, attempting to avoid Xia’s hard gaze.

  “Are you an Annoxonum?” questioned Xia quietly.

  “I-I” stuttered Ching when suddenly Raven flew in the chamber, screeching.

  “Raven!” exclaimed Ching, “what’s wrong?”

  The eagle emitted a low screech which held a terrible meaning.

  “No!” said Ching “it cannot be!”

  “What?” asked Asra frightened and glanced at Xia who just shrugged.