by Lee Morgan
Sarah sat cross legged in front of a large fire. The warmth and light given off were so relaxing. She looked up at the cave roof and the fire’s flickering light continuously made all of the shadows upon the wall dance. She sat close to Connor’s right side and untied the string that held her cloak and let it fall to the ground. Off to the right were her parents and they too untied their cloaks. Jillian’s hair looked black in the firelight. Jack pulled the string that held his silver hair together and he shook his head to loosen the fine strands. Across the fire were Mark and Kara and they sat like Sarah did. They both had their eyes glued to their right. They were looking at the Keeper, Veronica. Even as she sat she was still taller than Sarah. Her glossy black scales flickered some of the light given off from the fire. Since Connor cleaned her up she had a menacing beauty that Sarah hadn’t seen in two and a half decades. Her white robe and golden belt were the perfect contrast to her skin. She sat with the ancient authority of a Keeper; even as she held her white egg in her lap.
She then looked at Connor with both of her large golden eyes. “What is your first question, Connor?”
Connor sat with his legs crossed as well and he too commanded his own air of authority which seemed to supersede that of the Keeper’s. He rested a gentle hand on Sarah’s lap, but kept his penetrating hazel eyes on Veronica. His voice was clear for everyone to hear. “Just to be clear, I’m ignorant about what I might eventually say or ask, but I would like to learn. Do not take offense if I make a careless question out of my lack of experience because I truly mean no harm.”
Her strong mind entered every person’s in the room, but it wasn’t nearly as strong as Connor’s. Sarah was able to keep most of their secrets by picturing his tattoo as a mental block that no one may access certain memories or thoughts without permission. She remembered Connor’s warning about waiting until meeting the Elders. Her golden eyes looked closely at Sarah’s mate, but she didn’t hold any anger in her ageless eyes. “Spoken like a sentient creature seeking the truths of the world… Very well I will hold no anger towards you unless you pester me, Hatchling.”
“That is all I ask, Veronica.” He took a deep breath. “My first question is, How did the avalanche actually begin?”
Her eyes closed for a moment as she sighed. “You are direct are you not?” Connor made a one sided smiled as he nodded once. “Very well, I was in a rush to get to the meeting and I got a little overzealous. I started my journey once summoned and have practically traveled almost nonstop since. I jumped over some trees and landed on the mountain to warm up my egg. I was wrong in my assumption to land upon snow wasn’t as hard as I originally surmised. The snow shifted under my weight instantly and covered me and my egg. I was trapped in the mountain until you all found me.” She cocked her head. “By the way… how did you avoid the avalanche?”
Without blinking Connor said “We almost became trapped ourselves. We were lucky, that is all.” Then he fired off another question. “Why didn’t your mate travel with you? I’ve been told Keepers mate for life as well.”
Her eyes became solemn, distant and temporarily withdrawn. “Like you said we mate for a lifetime, but we won’t die if our mate does. My mate was killed over a year ago by being heavily poisoned by an arrow from a tribal civilization of humans.” She stroked her egg softly. “He was killed before I could tell him about our second hatchling.”
Connor interrupted her. “That’s a dark way of seeing it.” Her eyes focused again and blinked. “He didn’t completely die.” Her golden eyes widened as Connor reached over and touched her egg with the tips of his fingers. “He is still a part of your life through this child. In that way he is still alive in some way.”
Her eyes softened as she gently put a clawed finger on his shoulder. Her throat rumbled as she spoke through the mind “I needed that, Connor. You have a way of saying things in a new way. That is a rare quality.”
Sarah smiled and Veronica’s attention turned to her. “Why do you think we are together? He is very unique.”
“The both of you are.” She corrected and smiled with her long and sharp teeth. “I can tell that you two are Balancers, but I cannot read your minds like I can with them.” Her eyes looked at the center Sarah’s chest for a moment, then turned upon the ceiling and finally rested on both Connor and herself. “What are you?”
Connor spoke up and his voice laced in warning. “Veronica,” Her large eyes shifted back to Connor. “that is our secret and one that is taboo for you to ask again.” He then added “And please don’t access their minds for any answers for that too will infringe on our agreement.”
He didn’t say it in malice, but Sarah’s worry escalated because it was foolish to anger a being such as Veronica. Keepers aren’t always known for compassion.
She studied an unmovable Connor as his eyes were locked on hers. She let out a rumbling sigh. “I understand. I will not touch that subject again.” She regained her composure and sat straight back up.
“Is it allowed if I ask about your physiology and growth patterns?”
Veronica showed him a one sided grin as she moved her leathery lips. “That is permissible. I’ll start with our growth.” She laid a claw on top of her egg. “This little one will take another year before it breaks out of its shell. The shell is very durable as you’ve witnessed during the avalanche. The child’s sex is determined by the temperature. A male will be born with a temperature of over one hundred of your degrees and anything else below that will be a female. I already have a son so I want a daughter this time. Also the shell will not allow any temperatures to cook our children because the microscopic holes in the egg will allow the temperature to dissipate.
“After the child emerges from its shell, it will take about one hundred years to become sexually mature. Until then, the child achieves its full height in about fifty years. During those hundred years the young Keeper is trained by its parents.” Her golden eyes pointedly locked onto Connor’s. “You may not ask about our training methods or how we raise our young because that is a closely guarded secret we share with none.” Connor took Sarah’s hand into his and nodded at her rule. “As I was saying… at the end of their first century, whether they are deemed worthy of a mate or not, they will leave the nest and make their own territories somewhere else in the world.
“Now I will answer your question about our physiology.” She took an unneeded and deep breath as she continued. “As you can see I have scales instead of your skin and claws as well. We still have a heart and organs to regulate our systems just like you. Unlike you though we are both warm and cold blooded.”
Connor couldn’t contain his excitement hearing this. “Endo and exothermic! You mean to tell me that you can be cold blooded in the summer and not overheat, while in the winter you become warm blooded so you won’t get as cold!”
She showed her teeth and grinned. “Exactly, Connor. That is precisely what we do it for. We can tell our bodies to turn it on and off like a switch.” Her smile slowly went away as she continued her lecture. “Our diet usually consists of meat, but we can also process plant life. It isn’t as filling though. Our bodies are fast and strong, plus we can regenerate any damage to our bodies relatively quickly…”
Connor then spoke after she finished that little biology lesson. “Before, you said that a child spends time with its parents as it matures.” She nodded once with her large head. “Since you’re now a single mother, does that change anything?”
“Somewhat.” She had a look of longing in her eyes for only a moment. “Since we lose mates so rarely there is little need for this, but I will have to find a new compatible mate who is willing to aid in the teaching of my young. If I am deemed worthy of breeding again I will be given the opportunity to choose my new mate. The mate must be strong, powerful and patient.”
Connor reached out and patted her leg. With a wry smile on his face he said “Sorry Veronica, but I’m already taken.”
Her scaly brow furrowed until she got the joke and s
tarted laughing. Her wide and massive jaws opened and exposed her exquisite and menacing teeth. Her laugh grew deep, rich and boisterous. Sarah could even feel her throaty laugh through her entire body. What made it even funnier was the echo that came from the cave. Then everyone all joined in her laugh, feeling the atmosphere lighten.
The laughing died out and she said “Thank you for the laughter. I have been worrying about what I was going to do and for some reason I’m no longer as worried.”
“That is what Connor does.” Mark said, gaining everyone’s attention. “No matter the situation, he can fix it. If he can’t, we’re all screwed…”
Veronica looked from Mark to Connor and then back again. “That I do not doubt… May I ask you a question… Mark?”
“Fire away!” He said smiling and leaning back using his arms behind him to keep him propped up. His silver eyes danced with the firelight. When she didn’t understand his meaning he clarified. “What’s on your mind?”
Veronica shifted her hip for a second and twisted her egg on her lap so that the fire could warm up a new side. “You’re a Changer.” Mark smiled even brighter. “Then why are you and your mate traveling with Balancers? I’ve seen what your kind does to those who associate with them.”
Mark was ready for that question. He didn’t shift his weight with the uncomfortable situation. He remained completely relaxed. “Because I’m not traveling with Balancers, I’m traveling with…my friends.” He said carefully.
She considered his words carefully. “Are you prepared for the worst case scenario?”
Kara’s voice became dark. “We don’t need to worry, but the other’s will need to worry about us.”
Suddenly Kara’s eyes began glowing. She lifted her left hand up and then came the sounds of bones breaking. She then flipped her wrist back and the skin at her wrist became stretched and white. Then the skin separated and a rounded bone protruded from her wrist. It then thinned somewhat and became a perfect cylinder for about four inches until the cylinder began flattening like a leaf as the bone kept rising out of her wrist. The flattening then became sharpened edges. The bone kept growing for the next six inches until it thinned to a small point. Kara then grabbed the top of the bone with her right hand and broke the bone at the thin tip at her wrist. Her wrist then came back up like nothing ever happened. There wasn’t even a single drop of shed blood.
Sarah’s eyes were fixated on Kara’s bone she held in her hand. It was a bone short sword. She twirled it around for everyone to get a good look. The only person not stunned at her was Mark.
Veronica snickered, but it sounded more like a hiss. “You’re a Bone Changer… that’s a very rare ability. You’re right about the others needing to be prepared for you, little one. How long have you been a Changer, Kara?”
She scratched her jaw with the very tip of her bone. “A few months.”
Veronica looked at Connor. “And you?”
Connor leaned forward while still holding his wife’s hand. “About seven or eight months.”
She looked at the two siblings silently for a few minutes. She then looked at Sarah’s parents. “What is your part in this odd group?”
Jillian leaned forward and smiled. “Sarah is my daughter. We are just along for the ride. Connor here is so interesting. People are just naturally just attracted to him.”
Veronica grinned and looked at Connor. “Not just people.” And she winked at him. Everyone began laughing again due to Veronica’s little bit of humor.
For the next hour they talked about who they were and where they were from. During the conversation Connor asked Kara if her bone could be reabsorbed. In answer she bit a chunk out of her bone weapon and swallowed it to go back into her system. Each bite she took made a loud crunching sound. Her teeth were able to bite through the bone like it was merely a cracker yet steel couldn’t batch its weight to strength ratio. Sarah was amazed at the jaw strength it took for Kara to bite through such a durable bone. She swallowed the last of her bone and said “Once the bones are separated from my body I cannot absorb it unless I eat it for its calcium. I can reuse the calcium from the bone to make more bones within my body. I’m a real recycler, Brother.”
Just before everyone fell asleep Veronica scooped away most of the warm coals from the pit, with her claws, just before Jack added some more logs to the fire. She piled the ash and coals into a mound. She then gently placed her egg into the center of the smoldering coals. She laid down on her left side and wrapped her arms around it and brought her knees up. She was trying to warm her egg and also protect it.
Connor had already made the sleeping bag and he bent his finger for Sarah to join him. She slid in and he already had the inside warm and toasty. She quietly kissed him. He smiled and whispered “What was that for, Princess?”
She looked over and saw that everyone looked to be sleeping. Sarah didn’t want to wake them up in case they spoke too loudly so she entered his powerful mind. “For befriending Veronica mostly. It is rare for anyone to befriend a Keeper, let alone get them to answer your questions. They are extremely secretive about everything that pertains to certain knowledge’s. I never knew half of what they were about before today, but you had her answering questions that are extremely valuable, with ease.”
“Was I that good?” His featured were mostly hidden by shadows, but she knew he was smiling her favorite smile.
She twisted and pressed her back into his chest and tried to get comfortable. “There is no one better in my book.” She stated like it was obvious. “I also never knew that a Keeper had a sense of humor either.”
He wrapped his massive arm over her middle. “Tell me something… Why did everyone bow to her?”
“Customarily we bow to the Keepers as a sign of respect for their immense power. It is a formality that isn’t enforced unless it is to a member of the Elder’s. The Elder’s are the thirty heads of the Mélange, which you already know. You will know them when you see them by their clothing. They all wear robes that no other is allowed to wear unless that person has a death wish. You must bow politely to them or you will be punished. Even powerful Keepers must bow to the Balancer and Changer Elders, even if that said Keeper is older than the members.”
“What is the punishment?”
“Rumor has it that you will be tortured until you submit to their authority. If a Keeper fails to bow to another Elder, another and more powerful Keeper will step in and make them submit.”
“Is there any security?”
“Yes. They are known as the Immortal Guard. To become a Guard you must meet two criteria. One, you must be at least a thousand years old. Two, you must be powerful and well versed in combat. Other than that, anyone may become one.” Her mate’s mental voice went silent. She could almost see him processing and cataloguing what he needed to know as a reference for future customs. She asked “Why didn’t you ask her if she knew about our situation?”
His mind came back with vigor, sounding as clear as a bell. “Because she doesn’t have a clue. Didn’t you hear her ask us ‘What are you?’ I saw in her eyes that she was perplexed despite her age. She tried to see how much strength we had, but she couldn’t get a fix on it. Instead of her trying to read our energy, I focused on her energy. I could tell that, compared to us, her strength was barely half of what we have. She couldn’t read us because our energy is far superior.”
Sarah twisted in the bag to look at him with astonishment. “You can read how much energy someone has?”
He nodded. “When Veronica inadvertently showed me what to look for I gave it a try. I think she called it Aura. Here let me show you.” He took his hand and placed one finger between her breasts which were still clothed and under that was the chainmail vest. “Tell your energy to focus it into your eyes and look at this spot first. Let your mind show you the way.”
She looked from Connor’s face down to his sternum, focused her mind and then willed energy into her eyes. It became instantly clear by what he meant. She could see i
ts power and beauty. It seemed to be translucent and almost like a mirage or specter. Connor was enveloped with a dark blue energy that clung to him like enormous sheets. It looked like he was covered in writhing flames, but she couldn’t feel any more heat than he gave off normally. His blue flames bled through the sheet and she looked up and it too permeated into the cave walls.
She entered his mind again. “That was something else. What did my energy look like? Did my eyes glow like when we use our sonar?”
“No they didn’t glow. It is dark blue and I’m not sure how big it really is until we get into an open space.”
“That means that our colors are the same… Hold on I want to see what the other’s Aura looks like.” She slowly sat up in the fire lit cave, careful not to disturb the others and focused first on the snoring locomotive, Kara. Her energy looked like a golden fire that barely made it five feet above where she slept. Mark had a black color and it reached the same height as Kara’s did. Her mother’s revealed itself a clear blue and her father’s was orange and their energies were slightly larger than Mark’s and Kara’s. Sarah finally looked at Veronica. Her energy was golden and it just barely reached the very top of the cavern. “This is a nice trick to know about. It’s like having some inside information on an enemy’s strength.”
“That it is. We need to get some sleep.” He laid a hand on her shoulder and she leaned back down and fell asleep under his touch.
Connor sat up and brought her awake. Sarah saw from the opening in the snow wall that the sun was just beginning to rise. Connor woke everyone up by saying “Its morning! We need to head out.”
Sarah’s attention became riveted to Veronica as she awoke. Her enormous jaw opened and let out a rumbling yawn. She sat up on her rear and stretched her arms and brushed her knuckles against the roof. She looked at her egg and brushed off the ash with gentle claws. Connor gathered his energy and pushed the wall of snow away from the entrance. The cold air woke everyone up even quicker.