by Oxford, Rain
“You haven’t written your name in this?”
“Why would I have?” My voice came out a little unsteady.
“Don’t you know what it is you have found?” He glanced down at it. “No, I guess not.”
I looked at my door pleadingly, silently begging it to pull him back out. It didn’t. “Mr. Edward, you really do need to leave. I have to go to work.”
“There are more important matters to attend to. Does anyone else know of this book?” he asked, his expression calm.
“No. I’ve only had it for a couple of weeks. I hadn’t even thought of it in days. What is it, some kind of gang heirloom or something?”
“I hope you are not lying. They would be able to smell it on you and anyone you’ve come in recent contact with. It is unfortunate for you, but soon they will realize it is gone again, and the killing will stop.” His voice had slowly gone from gentle to harsh.
“What are you talking about?!” The lights flashed violently with my frustration.
“You…” He watched the other head light for a moment. “Did you do that?” he asked, his voice suddenly gentle again.
“Who the hell are ‘they’ and what’s unfortunate for me?”
“Maybe this book didn’t come to you by accident.”
I was angry then; I didn’t like that he was talking to himself instead of me or that he was ignoring my questions. I closed the door and tried to calm down, not wanting to provoke him into anger until I got my answers. He acknowledged my conflict by setting the book down on the coffee table with a sigh.
“Do you know that there are beasts after you?”
I was startled. “What beasts? Why?” He just stood there as if he hadn’t heard me. “No, I didn’t.”
“There are three of them. I don’t know what they are, but they want this book. They have tracked it down to this area, and very soon, they will find you and kill whoever smells of it until they find it. This place reeks of the book.”
“And you’re just gonna take the book and run off to safety?”
“I was, yes, but now I’m not sure. If you are a wizard then maybe it’s wrong to take it.”
That was the last thing I expected him to say and it made me pause. I wasn’t really an atheist, just an agnostic, so I had no religious grounds to reject the idea, but this was teetering on the line of ridiculous. I figured that if there were monsters after a book, this man wouldn’t be here. Nothing that interesting ever happened to me.
On the other hand, just in case he was telling the truth… “If I’m not a wizard, you’d take the book and leave? How long before they stop killing people here?”
“They will stop when they realize it’s gone; when everyone who smells like it is dead. Are you a wizard?” My first instinct was to laugh at him, but I remained silent. What would he do if I said yes? “Answer my question!”
I snarled. “It’s a stupid question. There are no such things as wizards.”
Edward nodded. “Then I will leave now.” He started for the door and I blocked his path, getting angrier.
“If they want this book so much, I can use it to get rid of them!”
“I will not let this book fall into their hands. It’s my job to protect it,” he argued.
His carefree voice made me shake with anger. The lights finally gave out and we were bathed in darkness. My anger went out with them and I opened the door to let light in. I was startled to see that Edward was grinning.
“So, you are a wizard. I can’t take the book from you if it chose you and you accept it.”
Part of me wanted to just walk out the door and go to work, leaving him there, and the other part of me wanted to walk back into my bedroom and sleep more. I had no intention of giving this man anymore of my time, but the words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. “So if I accept it, what happens then?”
“Your greatest priority in life becomes the protection of this book. However, it is also my purpose to protect the books, so I will have no choice but to protect you and the book until you are fully capable of guarding it on your own, which may take several years. In other words, you would become my apprentice in magic.”
I stared at him. I wanted to say something, I just didn’t know what. Magic. Surely this man was insane. The lights had nothing to do with magic; the electric company just liked to mess with me. However, I’d always thought it would explain things. This would also explain the recent murders.
“What does this book have to do with magic? Why are those beasts after the book?”
“I’m not allowed to tell you unless your name is in the book.”
I realized he had been holding the book when he raised it, open, for me to sign. The devil wants me to sign his black book. I studied it, as if it would give me the answers Edward wouldn’t.
“It’s not polite to keep me waiting,” he said impatiently.
I shook my head. “I’m not signing anything without knowing what I’m getting myself into.”
He closed the book and put it in his bag next to an identical one. “That’s very wise of you,” he said, as if he had been expecting my answer.
“Is that another book?”
“It is. I’m the Guardian of this book.” He pulled out the other book, just a little, before sliding it back into hiding. “The Guardian of the book you found died, and I was assigned to collect it. I was supposed to find it a new Guardian, but now it seems it has already chosen one.”
“You speak as though it has its own personality.”
“It does. Take three things into consideration before I tell you anything more about the choice you have to make: These books and their worlds are magical, the creatures that are after these books are very strong, and I really have very little patience. I am pleased that you are reluctant to sign your name in one of the books without knowing what you’re getting into, but you need to decide quickly so we can leave.”
“Then get to explaining.” I checked my watch as he sighed, annoyed. “Oh, shit. Explain on the way to my work. I’m gonna get boiled alive.” Edward gave me the most confused stare. “Come on!” He followed me out the door and I locked it behind us. Edward kept up with me easily as I fast-walked across campus.
“Are you sure you want to get involved with this book?”
“I’m already involved, right? The ‘beasts’ will kill me if I don’t.”
“There are dangers far worse than them.”
I stopped and turned to him. “Like what? Wait, what did you mean earlier by the books’ worlds?”
He observed me with a gentle, patient countenance. “I’ll explain it all to you, but I would prefer not do it in front of witnesses,” he said. It was the typical university weeknight crowd, but there was no one within twenty feet of us. “Also, you must really be sure you want to get involved with this.”
We started walking again. “I thought you didn’t want to waste time,” I said.
“It is never a waste of time to think before deciding something that will change your future. I simply do not want to be here for long; I want you to decide now. I am under a lot of pressure because as long as I’m here, both the book in question and my own book are in danger.”
“Where do you come from?”
“You have never heard of it.”
“Is your outfit common there?” I felt impolite when he looked down at his clothes with a frown. We arrived at the fast food restaurant and the yellow arches beamed down at me, as if to mock me and my miniature paycheck.
“It’s not abnormal. It has been a long time since I visited this world,” Edward finally answered when we got to the doors.
“What do you mean? You’re telling me you’re not from this world?” I asked, skeptically.
“Obviously.”
Oh, sure, how silly of me.
“A book can only represent one world, so obviously mine is from another. It’s only reasonable that I be from that world. Honestly, is it that unusual to you next to everything else?”
Jean was seventeen in a fifteen-year-old body. Her small, shapely body fit her personality quite well. Naturally platinum blond, long, fluffy hair framed her youthful round face. Her eyes were dark blue and her skin was fair for a teenager. Despite her trucker’s eating habits, inhuman energy that made her unable to act like a normal person also kept her at a healthy weight.
“Malcolm was looking for you. I told him you had an emergency dental appointment.”
“Thanks. Much better than the small pox you told him I had last week or the rabies I had the week before.” She turned back to the stove and her earbuds returned to her ears. Her short, school girl skirt shook as she started dancing. Jean was interesting. She was smart without being too smart, had a wild imagination, and liked certain things that I did. Unfortunately, she tried too hard to make people happy. Still, having to work with her was difficult because she tended to forget that she was barely a high school student and I was a college student. Nevertheless, I had a girlfriend and was much older than her, yet she seemed to make it her goal in life to trick me into a date.
* * *
Three hours of Hell later, I finally crawled out from behind the counter and sat across from Edward, who seemed fascinated by the cars. He studied me as I applied burn cream to my hand where the fries loved to spit on me. The fries taunted me.
“So? Lay it on me.”
“Are you completely sure?”
“Another hour of this and I’m going to beg those book hunters to put me out of my misery. Talk fast before I pass out.”
“I would prefer it if you didn’t pass out.” He observed the cars again for a moment before turning his attention back to me. “The story shall start as a history lesson.”
Oh, God.
“Bear with me,” he said as if he heard my thoughts. “Before the worlds even had life, the twelve gods; the Iadnah, took over twelve worlds and made them able to sustain life. For each world, they created a book in which they wrote their true name. Do you understand so far?”
“Twelve gods, books, true name. Got it. Why?”
He blinked. “What?”
“Why do they need the books? They’re gods,” I said. He laughed, completely open and honest, which was entirely contrary to my first impression of him.
“I just told you something that few people of your world would swallow even if I had proof, and you want to question the motives of gods? The books are…” He hesitated, thinking of the words. “They represent, protect, and control the power of the worlds.” I was about to ask him to elaborate, but he held up his hand. “Please try to contain the questions until the end.”
“I’ll try.”
Edward nodded. “One of the Iadnah, Vretial, decided his world was not powerful enough. He was the most risky, psychotic, and malicious of the Iadnah, while his brother, Avoli, was very kind, but also easily fooled. Vretial stole Avoli’s book and erased every name but his own. The world became his. Out of fear, the other ten gods hid their books with different warriors of each world.”
“One for each world or several?”
“There is only one warrior for each world and these warriors were born with great powers of the mind. By the gods, we are called Noquodi, but the more common name is Guardian. The two worlds that belong to Vretial are called the Outlands, or outer worlds. The Guardians’ power was passed down through their children, who were known as wizards. Though everyone can do magic, every person born naturally gifted is a true wizard and a descendant of the warriors.”
“So, if I am a wizard, which you seem to believe I am, then I’m a descendant of a Guardian?”
“Yes, and when you sign your name, you will become much more powerful than you are now. Any person who writes their name in a book of the Iadnah will be marked with the symbol of that world and will be able to learn to travel without the book. Their power will become much greater and they will be linked to that world for as long as their name is in that book. They take on a tiny bit of the responsibility of protecting that world, since their magic is tied to it. When they die, their name remains in the book and no one knows what happens to them.”
“Can you erase a person’s name from the book so they can’t use the power anymore? Like, if they’re abusing it or something?”
“Only one of the Iadnah or one of the Guardians can erase a person’s name from one of the books, but if they do, that person will vanish.”
“What if someone else were to write my name?”
“A person can only write his own name in the books. It’s like you’re signing a contract that can’t be forged.”
“So, if I write my name in this book, I will be its Guardian and I can travel the worlds?”
Edward shook his head. “You can only travel to the worlds whose book your name is in. You can travel all the worlds if you can sign all the books. They are spread out and hidden so it would be difficult to do. Now, you do not have to be a Guardian of the book to sign it, and every book, except for Vretial’s, has one and only one Guardian.”
“So this book, it belongs to Earth’s Guardian, right?”
“It does.”
“How did the Guardian of this book die?”
“Vretial recently struck again. He sent very powerful servants of his to track down the remaining books. They only found one Guardian, and he discarded the book before they killed him.”
“That was the Guardian of the book I found? The Guardian of Earth? And the servants are the monsters that are after me?”
“Not exactly. Wizards, servants of Vretial, killed the previous Guardian of Earth, Ronez. Whatever is after this discarded book isn’t a servant, but a beast, and there are three, as far as I can tell. When Ronez was killed, the gods sent me to Earth to collect the book and protect it until I could find a suitable Guardian. Apparently, I’m going to have to make one.”
“Hang on. If the books are needed to travel the worlds, and the beasts are from what’s-his-name, how did they get here? And how did the servants get here?”
“Therein lies the mystery. The gods thoroughly deny the ability to travel without the books, but they give no explanation.”
“So the beasts could smell it all the way here?” I asked. He shook his head.
“When the book was discarded, it began to emit an energy pulse in order to be found by its new Guardian. Once close enough, they can track its power like a scent. The signal will not stop until an appropriate person claims it and becomes the new Guardian.”
“So, if I did sign the book and become your apprentice in magic, what would that entail?” I asked.
“You would have to end your education, as this is not an appropriate place to study or perform magic. You would have to come live with me on my world.”
My eyes widened. “You want me to leave Earth? It’s kind of the only place I know. Quitting college and my job is fine. I’m pretty sure I can stand never seeing my psychotic psychology teacher again, but what about my girlfriend?”
“Hey. Are you gonna introduce me to your friend?” Jean asked, suddenly beside me. I was so wrapped up in the idea of leaving Earth that her sweet, soft voice made me jump. I turned to her and Edward stood.
“Um… This is Edward. Edward, this is Jean.” Jean reached out her hand for his and I got the irrational fear that he wouldn’t know what to do. I had never met an alien before. To my great relief, he reached out and shook her hand politely. “I’m going to get a couple hamburgers,” I said, getting up.
Jean took a step away from the table. “No, no, I’ll get them. Sit back down.” She ran back off to the kitchen and I settled back into my seat.
Edward seemed more cautious of sitting back down, as if afraid th
at another rambunctious girl would jump out of somewhere. “Is that the ‘girlfriend’ you worried about leaving?”
“No. And be careful around Jean; she can be tricky when she wants something… like a boyfriend. What are women like on your planet?”
He watched her over my shoulder. “Oh, there are all different types of women. Like the women on your world, they tend to be more vicious than men when angered. My world in general is not too much different than yours, apart from for being simpler in some ways.”
“How so?” I asked. Jean came back and set down four hamburgers; one for me, one for Edward, and two for herself. Before she could sit down, her cell phone rang and she sighed. “I’ll be right back.”
She walked away and I looked back at Edward, who was grimacing at his unwrapped hamburger with disgust.
“What is this?”
I rolled my eyes, for I had often wondered that myself. “Food.”
He looked at me. “No, seriously; what is this?”
I picked up mine and took a bite out of it. He looked even more disgusted, which somehow made the food taste worse. I swallowed the fake meat and soggy sugar bread in my mouth. I was no food connoisseur, but there was just something morose about dollar-menu fast-food burgers. “What’s food like on your planet?”
“Edible.”
“Sounds like fun. Tell me about where you live.”
“Well, my world is not as crowded as yours. We have no cars or gasoline. Many places have no electricity and---”
“You have no electricity?!” I said, far too loud. Luckily, there were no customers to overhear us.
“The people of my world accept magic and most are practitioners, but magic can interfere with electricity. Our world is simpler in our everyday lives. That being said, the technology we use greatly exceeds yours. Like on your world, there are schools and jobs as well as small or large cities and towns. However, many people are like me. I don’t work for the public; I own a small cabin in a large forest and live alone, except for Tibbit.”