The Obsidian Crown, page 20
I thought to myself, great, we are going to fight with palmistry! This is not going well. I really need to go, on the other hand, I also need to know about defenses.
He continued mumbling to himself. “Hmm, born fighter…Extensive knowledge from past lives…” He looked at the back of my hands and then turned them over again, palms up. “Hold them up like that and don’t move.”
He then placed his palms on top of mine, and I felt a current pass through between our hands. When he finished, he said, “It’s a crash course but it should get you started with the program. Now, show me how you throw a fireball at that target.”
“What? I don’t—”
“Just think that you’re going to throw one and throw it,” he said rather impatiently.
I faced the target, put my palm up, and thought I would throw a fireball. In an instant, a red-orange flame erupted. It didn’t burn. It had a warm, tingly sensation like my skin was being tickled by flower petals. Then I concentrated on the target, and the ball was airborne. But I was off by several yards. “Oh no, I’m never going to learn on time,” I complained.
“You can’t have expected you would get it the first try. Even the best marksmen had to study for a long time to perfect the art. Besides, your aim won’t be so bad if you would just stop telling yourself that you can’t do it. Stop fighting yourself. Plenty other people who’d be happy to put you down. Why are you siding with them?”
None of your beeswax! What do you know, you’re a book character! This guy is getting annoying! And I am getting distracted from what I need to do. I told myself in my head.
“Now, try again.”
I took a deep breath and cleared my head. A powerful blue-white orb of flame emerged from the top of my hand. I looked at the target, and pictured Kieran’s face painted there. The ball of flame sailed in a straight line and hit the target.
“Good, you’ve got the basics. Pretty soon you can conjure them by just pointing your finger.”
“I have? But I just did two,” I said incredulously.
“Hmmm, someone really has neglected your education. The crash course I gave you allowed for your mind and body to absorb training is extremely fast-paced. Once you get the perfect form, perfect combination of moves, it is embedded in your mind forever. Most importantly, your muscle memory also remembers it, forever. It’s as if, you have done this a thousand times already. But two important things you need to know: hitting a static target is not the same as fighting a moving one. And the other is that doing magic is not free. It takes a toll on your body and mind, and in some cases, even your soul. You have much to learn yet.”
“Thank you for teaching me. But I really must go! I will come back. I promise,” I said. I didn’t hear half of what he said, and the half I did hear, I didn’t believe. There was no way someone can learn something that fast. Ready or not, I needed to go. Truth or not, I had no choice but to leave. I was burning precious hours.
“Until next time, Abigail.”
I left without saying goodbye. I’d been distracted for far too long. I must get back to my mission.
I came out still holding the book and standing by the table. I was more exhausted than before. I must have stayed with the defense teacher a longer time than I thought. The muscles of my back felt like I had thrown a hundred fireballs. My stomach growled. I grabbed my backpack, tipped it over and took all the chocolate bars and sodas left, and ate ravenously. At least the wounds on my fingers were beginning to heal. I made one bleed a little, so I could use the blood for the book.
Somehow I could hear Hailey’s voice in my head, “Hold up. Don’t’ forget to put on the protective spell.”
I raised my hand over my head, focused my mind, and said, “Absconditum et arcane secretorum.”
Power coursed through the room. I felt like I was enclosed inside a dome of energy. Even though I couldn’t see anything, I could feel the vibration of the force field.
“Ok I think it’s safe,” I said absently to a non-existent audience.
I dragged an old padded chair towards the golden table and placed Sir Arcturos’ book on top. It wobbled slightly as if something small and hard was under it, making it tilt. Under the table cover was a green gem about the size of my thumbnail. I picked it up and held it up against the light. What a beautiful gem, I thought. It had a distinct smell. The sweet smell of Sampaguita that always reminded me of the warm, rainy days of the tropics. I placed it back on the table.
Flipping the book open to where the bookmark was, I performed the incantation, and the letters began to appear. The lines were going around the page in a circular pattern with no periods or commas or any indication of where to start or where it ends. It was repeating the same, exact words over and over again.
I took a deep breath and mentally reprimanded myself for wasting too much time. “Move!” I told myself. But my curiosity won over logic.
“Ayaiya shimamat uro pusori a kali, Dei utasha,” I said, trying to read the line in a circular format. The wind around started to coalesce into concentric circles originating from my stomach. When it was big enough, it hit the table. To my surprise, the massive table moved a couple of feet away. I got up and walked towards the table, but it kept shifting away from me every time I took a step. I turned around to get the chair. It slid away so fast, its legs formed lines against the thick carpet, hit the wall and smashed into pieces. “Oopsie!” I said, cringing at what’s left of the ornate chair. I was at a loss. I don’t know the counter spell. Just for kicks, I repeated the spell again. This time, I concentrated on cancelling the former command. It worked! The enchantment was gone. I went back to the table and stared at the page.
This might be a little too advanced for me, I told myself and flipped the pages searching for something that might help. A few sections later I found a page with a large tree. If it were not for the fact that it is in the book, I could have sworn, the tree and its surroundings were alive. I could peer into the leaves and see the sunshine pouring through the tiny gaps of the lush branches.
I placed my palm on the page and instantly, everything went black.
I saw a hill with a big tree on top. At the base, there was a kindly old man about three and a half feet tall.
“Welcome, my name is Acacia; I’m the school historian. Come; let’s get to your lessons.”
I held out my hands, and he put his palms over them. Soon, I felt the warm energy flowing between our hands. If he broke contact, I didn’t feel it. The next thing I saw was the vision of the three kings. Like a movie that has been seen to fast-forward, I began to see images in rapid succession. I heard myself speaking as if I was under hypnosis.
“It started with the three kings... Tree of Knowledge... great war ensued when the king of the third kingdom invaded and took the other kingdoms for himself. He was given to wear the crown as punishment… Woe is the king whose greed and avarice exceeds its limit for the wrath of the Obsidian Crown, the Destroyer of Kings will bring him to nothingness for his name, and his followers will be as dust in a sandstorm of time.”
I gave an involuntary shiver as the words had the effect of pouring ice water down the back of my shirt. That’s when I noticed I couldn’t move. I was saying the words that came into my head, aloud.
Abigail, stop talking, I scolded myself, but I couldn’t. Confusing images continued to flood my thoughts and the words kept flowing. I barely had time to make sense of what I was seeing.
“Made of imbued obsidian … The King to be punished will experience the folding of time and space upon him and those who are with him. He will relive all the pain and suffering he caused by his actions until he is consumed with guilt...”
The picture of a beautiful fairy with black and blue wings filled my mind and a man with fair to brown skin and a handsome nose. He was tall and imposing in his tunic lavishly embroidered with gold thread.
“…Lilitha, the bearer of the crown at the time of the Ancients, favored the consolidation of the three kingdoms under the king of her choice…there was only one image of Lilitha.”
Then an image of the greatest flood I have ever seen. People drowned by the thousand, homes devastated, no one in the world was left untouched.
“The first known use of the crown to invoke the Gunaw, a great flood that wipes out the entire world, was to destroy the dominion that she formed named FaeLilith. The balance of power was restored to the three kings and separate realms were created to protect those with magic from those who do not, ushering the age of the New Dominion. Because of the crown’s destructive power, it is known as the Destroyer of Kings. And because of Lilitha’s misuse of the crown to favor her lover, since then, the bearer of the crown became known as the King Maker. The title was not to exalt but to denigrate the fallen crown bearer,” Then I saw images of three Knights placing the crown into the Kerberian Box.
I tried to pull my hand away from him to regain control. But it was no use.
More images flew by, but the one that caught my eye was a picture of a second flood…“If at some point, the Destroyer of Kings sees it fit that all the three kingdoms making the New Dominion must end, then the crown could be activated to invoke the Gunaw again to usher in a new world order,” I said aloud.
The image of the Kerberian Box took over, followed by a hand opening the latch with the black gem. That image quickly changed into the image of the bearer of the crown with a knife and a chalice with blood. She had sigils and words traveling up and down her skin. They glowed golden as the writings moved from the tip of her hand, all over her face and body. Her ashen-gray hair trailed behind her as she ascended the stage. The ceremony of the Passing of the Crown …when the current bearer passes the crown of his own free will to the next in line...
“Open the Kerberian Box …followed by the sacrifice of “the blood of the rightful bearer and the transfer of the crown to the next one—” As soon as I said the last step, I was released from Acacia’s hold. I pulled my hand away and was ejected from the book violently. Scrambling to my feet, I slapped my cheeks lightly just to make sure I was no longer under any spells.
I sat there staring at the book, thinking about what it all meant.
I went through the analysis one more time in my head. The doctor already opened the box, they already have most of the doctor’s blood, she already gave them the crown. “Why doesn’t it work? It should work!” I growled in frustration. Without thinking, I grabbed the green stone from the table and held it in between my palms. I thought I detected a small tremor from the stone but dismissed it.
I thought to myself, “Unless the doctor is not the rightful bearer of the crown. But that’s insane. Everything pointed to the doctor. But it doesn’t make sense why the crown is not working.”
I took a deep breath and sat back down in front of the table. I replaced the green stone back where I found it.
“So what’s the next condition?” I said to myself. I searched the page of the book and found the passage. It said, …“The blood of the bearer must be sacrificed to release the imbued power of the crown. Once this is done, the wearer will be protected from its power and can freely administer punishment as the Obsidian Crown; Destroyer of Kings was designed to do.”
The only other choices for the bearer would be one of my parents, which made sense since they did have the box; If it’s not them, then it has to be the person they were supposed to deliver the Kerberian box to that night. Which also makes sense why it was so important we left that night. But if it’s true and, if the Sorceress ever figures out that one of my parents could be the bearer of the crown or that they know who is, I have less time than I thought. I need to go!”
“Okay, let’s go to the Black Rose. Please, please, let it be open. I need to see Sir Arcturos!” I said to no one in particular. Then I realized I didn’t have the incantation for the Black Rose.
I got the doctor’s journal. There was nothing there. I looked at the book of lines again. Inside the front cover was the quote: “Ex Libris Fraternitate Fieri furvus roseus.”
I went to the fireplace and said, “Volvere Fraternitate Fieri furvus roseus.” The fire turned green. I entered and was relieved to feel the now-familiar vortex of the portal that takes me to the River of Time. Once I saw the light, I walked out of the fire and straight into three hooded figures surrounding the fireplace.
Mark Lopez, “The Unworthy, Isinumpa”, Mixed media with natural gemstones of blue topaz, citrine and amethyst, 2019
CHAPTER 26
The Brotherhood of the Black Rose
I tried to go back, but one of the hooded figures said a quick incantation and the green fire was extinguished.
“Abigail, please don’t make this more difficult than it has already been. Come into the room.”
One of the figures said another incantation, and the room started to warp. In a few seconds, it became a grand living room. The fireplace behind me crackled with a warm fire.
“Please sit down.” This one was a woman’s voice. She clicked her fingers. Tea and apple pie materialized on the tea table.
Clearly, they are accustomed to magic, and since I’ve seen them kill Kieran once before, I didn’t think there’s any point in trying to escape. I might as well use the direct approach.
“Who are you, people? What are you, people? And why are you trying to kill me and my friends?” I demanded.
The one with a woman’s voice led me to the living room and offered me a chair.
I didn’t sit down. “I only eat with friends and since I don’t know who you are—”
“We are the Brotherhood of the Black Rose.” With that, all three lowered their hoods. I looked at each one.
“Elwood?”
He nodded. He offered the chair again, and I sat. I was so hungry I could eat all the food on the table and still need more. But I tempered myself.
He continued to say, “Actually it’s Elmwood! I’m what you would call an Ancient One, Inunaki or Nuno in other languages. We have been on Earth from the beginning, thus the name of our race. We are as old as the trees. Some think we are the spirit or the souls of the trees. We are not but we do live off of their life force. Elm is my choice of trees to cohabitate with when I was placed on Earth. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Let me introduce you.”
My mind flew to the huge elm tree outside the Black Rose, and I nodded while stuffing myself with a slice of ham and cheese.
“This is Raphael. He’s an ex-angel. Long story for another time.”
“My name is Diwatha. I am an ex-fairy. Again, long story for another time.”
“But this is a brotherhood?” I asked.
Diwatha smiled. “Yes it is called that, but really it’s more of a fellowship. Even in the Nether Kabal, eons of conventions that are based on male dominance are extremely hard to break.”
Elmwood coughed to bring the group back on topic.
“The fellowship,” said Elmwood with air quotes, “was formed to protect, guide, and administer to the needs of the Knights of the Crown. You and your friends have guessed correctly that you three: Hailey, Taylor, and yourself are the Knights. We couldn’t reach out to you before you could prove your sincerity and purity of heart.”
“Are we the only ones?” I asked.
“No, there were several sent but some become so lost in their lives as humans that they forget their Fae origins and thus are lost to the fellowship. The three of you were sent and have heeded the call.”
“Even Taylor? She said she doesn’t want to be involved?” I said.
“Even Taylor. If you accept the mission, you would have joined us in the dream circle. And I believe you know now that she was present as were you and Hailey.”
“Yes. But this is a very difficult situation. And I am alone. My friends...my family...” I had to stop. I cleared my throat to choke off my oncoming tears. I regained my composure and reached out for tea. Diwatha steadied my hands while I poured the hot liquid. I took a sip, and the heat of the beverage warmed me from the inside. I never appreciated tea more than I did that day.
“So, were you the ones who saved me from the plane?” I asked as some more unexplained incidents came back to me.
“Yes, unfortunately, we got there too late. They have already taken your parents,” Raphael said.
“But I remember the hooded figure who gave me the shot at Grayson’s house,” I continued.
“We have to apologize for that. We found out that the Sorceress and her followers were going to visit your parents and we didn’t want you to be there,” Raphael answered.
“But the blackouts, the dreams?” I asked.
“Most of those were the Sorceress’ doing. She was manipulating what you saw in your dreams. We found the enchantment in her journal. We have to admit, we did use the same enchantment on you to show you who are your true allies,” Elwood said.
“Why couldn’t you just have told me?” I asked.
“Would you have really believed three hooded figures claiming to be the good guys?” said Elwood with a chuckle.
“I see your point. I just don’t know how I can do this alone.” My hand started to shake again. I raised my cup to sip on my tea in an attempt to control the tremor.
“Don’t you worry. We are here to help. But there is one rule. We cannot interfere in human affairs. Nor can we contravene a bargain with the Fae. This is why we waited so long before revealing ourselves to you.”
“So, no cursing Detective Dewitt away?”
Diwatha chuckled. “Afraid not.”
“So, no breaking Hailey out of prison? I added for good measure.
“Nope,” Diwatha said with a smile.
