He rested on his bed for a while, contemplating his mission, but before long it was time for him to return to Uncle Jade’s office to receive his equipment.
He opened the door and made his way over to a table where there lay food and a wooden sword.
“Glad you could make it,” came Jade’s voice from behind the door. “Have a seat.”
“Take the ridge, by the forest’s edge. Do you remember your way to her store?” he asked.
Max nodded, trying to visualise the route in his head.
“You have enough resources to last for two nights. If nothing happens, then report back to me.”
Uncle Jade knew that wouldn’t be the case: If the thief still needed supplies for whatever reason he would strike again.
Jade continued to look out the window at the dark night. Finally, he reached under the table and pulled out a set of black robes.
“These are very old and worn robes. I used these on my first missions. So did your grandfather and his grandfather. Wear these with pride and ration your food. Make sure you use your wooden sword appropriately.”
“Is there anything else, Uncle?”
“Yes. Slip this note under the door of the store before you set up camp.”
Max stood up and gave Uncle Jade a reassuring look. “I am honoured to be sent on this mission and I will wear your robes with pride.”
“Good luck, Max.”
Jade left the room so that his nephew could change and get ready to head out.
Max approached the equipment, grabbing the robes and easing them over his body. He put his food in an inside pocket and attached his sword to his belt.
He left Jade’s office and went into the dining room, but there was no one to be seen. He took that opportunity to slip out of the dojo into the moonlight and stood for a moment, invisible in the shade of the dark.
There was a faint night breeze that made Max’s skin tingle with anticipation and he hastily made his way out into the field facing the fence, heading towards the forest’s outline.
He evaded all the streetlights for fear that someone would spot him, doing his best to remain hidden as he moved from tree to tree, sticking to the shadows.
He arrived at the thickest part of the forest. It looked very intimidating and Max wondered if anyone but he was brave enough to venture in.
Taking another right as the forest curved around slightly, he remained between the forest and the city. Once the curve ended, he was on a straight path for the shop. Even keeping up a steady pace it still took him forty-five minutes to get from the dojo to the store.
When he arrived at the store he searched the immediate area to ensure that no one had yet been there and found no clues to indicate that the store had been broken into.
He approached the door and slipped the letter under the doorframe.
The store was about five minutes away from the city, located just beyond the forest’s edge. Trees surrounded the house and it was clear that this was a unique store; a purveyor of rare herbs and other unusual ingredients. This store had remained unchanged for many generations, providing medicine and herbs to its clientele. Mostly old, travelling traders would buy herbs for their journeys. There were few stores like this in the world, most having been developed into hospitals and medical clinics.
It was for this reason, of course, that the thefts had been taking place in this store: It was too risky to steal supplies from the hospital.
Max sprang into action, placing movement traps along the perimeter. The traps were of his own design: two cans stuck into the ground with a wire connecting them. The idea was that if someone walked between the cans, the string would tighten and the cans move from their original positions, making a slight noise, just enough for Max to pick up on.
Once he had set three of his traps around the entrances to the shop, he felt satisfied with his plan.
It was now time for Max to take up position and wait for the time to expire. He found a comfortable spot beneath a tree which overlooked most of the area. He did not light a fire lest it scare away the thief.
Although there was no fire, he was warm enough in the thick robes. He got comfortable up against the tree and looked down into the open area, keenly watching for any type of movement.
Time passed slowly; it had been three hours since he had arrived and Max did all he could to keep himself occupied. He had opened and consumed a couple of energy bars, just to stay awake. He sat there looking into the darkness of the forest. Max’s vision had already adjusted to the darkness and he was comfortable being on guard in the inky night.
Just as his mind started to drift off, he heard a little shuffle. He whipped his head around to all three of his traps and immediately noticed that one of them had been moved. It was clear that someone was here.
Max bolted to his feet and began searching the area, duck-walking so that no one could see him.
He continued to search, but nothing obvious was visible apart from the trees and the house.
He couldn’t understand what set the trap off; it wasn’t an animal because he would have spotted it. He kneeled completely still, not moving a muscle, and scanning from left to right.
Turning his head towards the door he was astonished to see the door open itself. Even though it was dark Max was not mistaken. No one had entered the door, and yet it had opened of its own accord.
He was at a loss: should he follow whoever went in or wait until the door opened again and try and catch the thief when they emerged? He had decided to wait it out for a little longer when he had an idea.
Max rounded up his traps, cutting the wire off the cans, turning his head every two seconds to check the door. He found two sticks that looked strong enough for his plan, connected all the pieces of wire together and tied the longer strand to the sticks. He then placed the sticks on either side of the steps that led down from the door. His plan was to trip whoever came out, grab them and question them.
He checked the wire, making sure it was tight enough to do the job and hid behind the fence ready to attack.
Ten minutes had passed when Max finally heard the door open. He looked up at the door, but saw nobody, only a package that hovered in the air for a second before disappearing.
He was now more confused than ever. He couldn’t believe what he had just seen and rubbed his eyes to check he was not dreaming. Bemused though he was, he remained behind the fence, waiting for his opportunity.
He kept his eye on the sticks and the wire and suddenly the sticks went flying. There was a thud and the hovering package flew out into the open area. Max drew his sword and leapt out from behind the fence, swinging at the spot where the ‘person’ had fallen.
Only dust rose where his sword connected and disappointment descended upon him at the thought that he may have failed his first solo mission.
But how could the trap have triggered itself? And, anyway, he was sure he’d heard someone say “damn it,” as they hit the ground. This was either the work of someone really smart or someone clumsy but very quick.
He spun around to where the package had landed and a sudden cold fear gripped him. His breathing stopped and his whole body was frigid, as if he had been frozen into the middle of an ice cube and left there.
His heart jumped a beat and without a conscious decision, he found that he had swung the sword in front of him. A teenage boy about a year older than Max was standing upon the package, staring into his eyes.
“You know, it’s not nice to set toy traps. You could really hurt someone,” said the boy with heavy sarcasm.
“You shouldn’t be stealing from this store!” replied Max.
“I have good reasons.”
“Whatever your reasons, stealing from the store isn’t right.”
“You have two options. Either you stop me or you don’t,” said the boy.
Max stood silently, offended by the boy’s attitude.
“There is only one way to settle this: my way.”
The teenager then
vanished into thin air. How on earth was this possible?
Max looked around, but soon realised it was impossible to find someone invisible. He didn’t know where to look. Was he behind him, beside or in front of him? There was no way of telling.
A slight breeze touched his face; he jumped and swung his sword as hard as he could in front of him, but his sword didn’t meet any resistance. How was he supposed to know what it felt like to hit someone invisible? He had never encountered this before and his uncle sure enough didn’t have a lesson on how to defend yourself against an invisible person.
Was the teenager here, or was Max now alone? All he could hear were the animals that rummaged around in the forest.
The teenager soon proved that he was not gone; he silently approached Max’s right side and punched him in the side of the face. Max stumbled but retained his balance, swinging his sword to his right but again hitting thin air.
His face was throbbing from the sucker punch: he had to put an end to this. He closed his eyes and held his sword stiffly out in front of him. He became calm, soothing his body and mind and boosting his mental state. This was a trick that Uncle Jade had taught him. When Max opened his eyes and was ready to fight, the teenager was not visible to his eye, but to the environment he was in.
Max watched as a strong gust of wind blew leaves in the direction of the boy. The leaves stuck to his body and in that second, Max knew where he was.
In the darkness of the night, the only light source was the moon, but Max could see clearly enough. Before he lost the boy again, Max threw his sword as hard as he could at the blown leaves, running forward as the sword left his hand.
The sword stopped dead in thin air and dropped to the ground. Max dived and wrapped his arms around the invisible form, bringing it to the ground with him.
“Well done! Not bad for a Non.” Suddenly, the youth’s form was now visible.
They got to their feet and Max picked up his sword, holding it against the teenager’s chest.
“What is a Non?”
“A Non is a person with no powers.”
Max didn’t understand what the boy meant. Powers? Was that how he could become invisible? Max was baffled.
“Are you the only one with these powers or do other people have them, too?”
It took the teenager some time to think of a reply. “No, I’m not the only one; there are others like me. Plenty, in fact. They are expert at hiding their true abilities, though, because they’re scared of what people would think.”
Max was lost for words. Were there, then, people he knew with powers that he just didn’t know about? If so, how would he be able to deal with another, having had so much trouble with this one?
“I must say, you are the best Non I have come against so far. No other has taken me down like that. In fact, only a very few people with powers have been able to do so.”
Despite his confusion, Max was delighted by the comment and failed to suppress a small smile.
“So, how did you obtain your power?” asked Max, curious about what it must be like and wishing to have a power of his own.
“That, my friend, is for another time, if we ever meet again, that is.”
The stranger picked up the package that he had dropped and put it inside his jacket.
“It’s been a pleasure meddling with you but I should be on my way. I will not return to this store again, so don’t worry.”
“How can I trust you?”
“You can’t,” said the boy, once more becoming invisible.
“Wait! What’s your name?” shouted Max.
“Carter, the invisible wonder,” the boy called, as he made his exit.
Max sensed that this time he was really gone and stood for a moment, contemplating the extraordinary experience. He was full of joy about his completed first mission and was dying to tell Paul what he had just seen, although he doubted that Paul would believe him. Did he even believe it himself?
Max threw the thought out of his mind. He had now packed his gear and was ready to head back to the dojo. He took the same trail back home, which was much harder to navigate at nearly three o’clock in the morning, the sky having darkened to the point where Max was largely relying on his instincts.
He came off the curve and went through the back streets to get to the field where the dojo lay. As he walked, he suddenly got a gut feeling that something was wrong, but couldn’t put his finger on what it was.
As he jumped the fence that separated the city from the dojo he was overpowered by a fierce light that burned his eyes.
His hand over his eyes, he peered through his fingers to see the dojo ablaze with leaping flames. Tears filled Max’s eyes and, with a cry of horror, he sprinted forwards to save whatever he could.
He couldn’t shake the thought of Jade and Paul; they were the only people he had left. He was damn sure not going to stand around and let nature take them away from him.
Faster and faster he ran until he came to the middle of the field, where he collapsed to his knees, unable to move any further. The image of the tree flashed into his head: “The time has come.” The tree shot up in flames and Max screamed in sudden pain. The pain was unbearable but with a surge of will power he opened his eyes.
All at once, he realised he could feel rain. Were the gods looking down upon him, giving him hope that they could put out the fire? Or was it simply nature?
The rain fell harder, millions of droplets of water hitting the ground, until he was drenched. Thunder tore the sky with a vast boom, his eardrums vibrating from the sheer power. To Max the thunder sounded like the roar of an angry dragon, as it boomed even louder. He looked up into the raging sky and it seemed to him that there was a war going on up there.
The sky flashed brightly as lightning filled the air and purple and red blurred Max’s vision. It was as though the thunder and lightning were opposing foes fighting each other; first one would pound the sky, and then the other would set it on fire. From purple and red flashes to yellow, red and white lightning bolts.
Max was desperately scared as the lightning screamed down to the ground, striking every ten metres around the field. Why was this happening? The lightning was seemingly contained only to this field, leaving the rest of the city unscathed.
Max tried to move but was unable to. Something was holding him down, a force he couldn’t explain. Was it the gods? Or could it be the Power Users he had found out about today? Either way, he felt utterly helpless as he knelt there, watching the dojo burn.
Incredibly, the lightning flashes increased, each bolt burning a mark on the grass. And then it stopped for a split second.
A single lightning bolt shot from the sky - the biggest Max had ever seen – and it screamed through the heavens towards him.
He slammed his eyes shut just as pain erupted into his body, the bolt hitting him directly. Instead of returning to the sky or cutting off, the bolt continued to emit its extraordinary power.
Slowly, Max felt himself being raised ten feet off the ground until he was floating in the air, just as in his dream. The bolt maintained its throbbing power, releasing its energy into Max until, with a huge thump of thunder, the bolt stopped, shooting back whence it had come and releasing its grip on Max, who thudded down onto the grass of the field.
He lay there, unmoving, while sparks of lightning tingled all over his body, jumping from one side of him to the other.
Slowly, Max regained consciousness, watching the dojo burn directly in front of him. He could feel the intense heat radiating from the building, and the thought of losing his last family made him sick and angry. He had to do something; he could feel his mind slipping away.
“Paul! Uncle Jade!” he cried out, rising to his knees. How had he got here? He couldn’t remember the transition from the forest to the dojo. How was he alive? Anyone else would have died, so what made him so special that he had survived the wrath of nature?
He turned his head away from the terrifying sight and tears began t
o stream down his cheeks. He took a faltering step, trying with all his might to move and save his family. Before him, the dojo began falling apart, piece by piece. His vision became blurry and he was on the edge of losing consciousness once more. Just before his body finally gave up, he witnessed two large shadows far on the other side of the dojo and he was sure they weren’t Jade and Paul.
Chapter 5
The Hospital
The doctor stood at the foot of Max’s bed. “His status?” he asked, looking towards the nurse.
“His heart is normal at the moment, his breathing has steadied and his charts are fine,” she replied.
The doctor stood there confused, wondering, if that were the case, how Max could have slipped into a coma.
“We need to do some more tests, give him a brain scan and check for anything out of the ordinary,” said the doctor, walking up and down beside Max’s bed. “We must be missing something.”
Two police officers were stationed outside the room, waiting to ask their questions about the fire and the deaths of his uncle and cousin.
“What happened to him?” asked the nurse, turning to the doctor.
“Little is known. They found him by the burning dojo, unharmed,” he replied.
“Why are the police stationed outside? Do they really think this boy could have caused the fire?”
The doctor clipped the file onto the end of Max’s bed before replying.
“They brought him in.” He indicated the two police officers sitting in the corridor.
“I feel awful for him. They were his only family and now he has no one,” said the nurse trying to hold herself together. The doctor could see the tears brimming in her eyes and quickly shuttled her out of the room before she broke down completely.
Max slumbered inside himself, oblivious to his surroundings. He was in a cocoon and would hatch out only when the time was right.
Once she had composed herself, the nurse returned and took him to the scanning room, while the doctor attended to another patient.
The tests went well and Max was returned to his hospital room. His room was like any other: three-storeys up in the building and with a window that afforded a lovely view and let the sun drift in. There were no flowers or gifts since only the doctor and the police knew he was here. He had no relatives or friends to come visit. He was only alive thanks to the police. They needed questions answered and Max was the only one with the information.
Maximus Thatcher Page 5