Blood Moon, page 10
part #1 of The Wizard's Journal Series
Alura looked at me with a coy smile, and without warning, charged towards the wolves while tossing a pouch into the air. She drew a dagger from her belt and threw it into the pouch to disperse its contents, then shouted, “Aska illuminata.” Several balls of white light emerged from whatever was inside the pouch and floated above the wolves’ camp. Clouds formed over the Bedouin tent and thunder rumbled across the sky as the dark desert became as bright as midday.
Is she nuts? What am I suppose to do now?
Several wolves started running towards me from both sides readying themselves for a kill. I raised my staff up to the sky and shouted, “Aknor stellara,” causing the amulets in my ring and staff to glow bright blue-white. Clouds above swirled like a hurricane and a crack of thunder followed by a lighting bolt connecting to the top of my staff. I pointed my staff to where the first wolf was closing in said, “Aktum.” Three lightening bolts shot out from my staff setting the wolves into white burning flashes. I quickly turned and pointed my staff to the other wolves nearly upon me. Another loud crack of thunder and more bolts rushed from my staff, obliterating the other wolves.
Easy enough, but these were the four legged wolves. The bigger and meaner ones were up ahead. I ran forward and saw Alura somersaulting and dodging in various directions while slicing wolves and Guardians into piles of bloody arms, legs, and heads. A white light trailed each swing of her silver swords striking wolves coming from all directions. Alura squatted down on one knee, pulled the pins out of two grenades, and threw them out to each side. A bright flash and two loud bangs sent silver pellets flying into the air piercing through wolves and turning them into a fiery ash.
I raised my staff to the sky, swirling it in a circular motion above our heads and again shouted, “Aknor stellara.” Loud thunder erupted and formed a circle of blue-white light around as I continued rotating my staff. I then shouted, “Aktum,” sending bolts of lightening outwards into wolves and Guardians in wide sweeping attacks. A few more howls and bright flashes, and then there were only piles of fiery ash around us.
I quickly drew a pentagram in the dirt using the end of my staff. If any more wolves came at us, I wanted us to be ready to get the heck out of here. I reached into my pocket and took out the blue coin Alura gave me, but before I was able to use it, someone starting clapping from the Bedouin tent. We turned and faced the tent where a medium height man was smiling and clapping his hands together. He was about five and a half feet tall, broadly built like a wrestling steroid freak, and wore an expensive three piece brown business suit. His hair and eyes were jet black and he had a neatly trimmed beard.
“Very good, and very entertaining,” the man said.
Alura pointed both Desert Eagles at his head and I pointed my staff at his chest.
“Please, no more violence,” the man said. “My children would not understand. They are very protective, and as you can see, are many in number. Too many for you to kill them all should I be harmed and unable to keep you safe.”
Alura and I looked around and saw hundreds of yellow blinking eyes. We were surrounded.
“Who the heck are you”? I asked.
“My name if Lupzarro. This is my home which you have come uninvited. Nonetheless, it would appear your arrival is good timing just the same. I know who you are wizard and sensed your presence at the Gate of the gods. Do not be alarmed. If we wanted you dead, you would not have made it this far.”
“So says you,” I said.
“He’s a shapeshifter,” Alura said as she tightened her grip on her pistols.
The wolves around us were circling, growling, and showed us their long white teeth with noses pushed up in snarls.
“Alura, there are too many. We can’t win this battle.”
Alura kept her pistols fixed on Lupzarro while shifting her eyes side to side. She then lowered the pistols slowly from Lupzarro’s head and held them steady at an intimidating angle. Having two .44 mag caliber Desert Eagles pointed at his manly goods got Lupzarro’s attention, but he showed little concern.
“That’s much better,” Lupzarro said. “We should look at this misunderstanding as an opportunity to negotiate a truce.”
“Truce … what kind of a truce does anyone make with a man-eating wolf?” I asked.
Lupzarro smiled showing what looked like perfectly normal teeth, but his eyes turned yellow.
“You know wizard, my lords will soon be here and your kind will once again serve them as will all the inhabitants on this planet. I offer you safe passage from certain death here this night if you agree to stop pursing us, and how do you say … ah, ‘burry the hatchet’. In return we will not hunt your kind.”
Alura raised one pistol and pointed it at Lupzarro’s head while keeping the other locked on his wolf jewels.
“What about the others?” she asked, her fingers pulling slightly on the pistol triggers which caused Lupzarro to stop smiling.
“Man is our food. You know this. We can not simply stop hunting our food, it’s not natural. The truce I offer is for your kind only.”
“That’s not much of a deal,” Alura said. “If I’m going to die here and now, I think I’d like to take you out with me.”
“Don’t be too hasty, there is more. If you agree to this truce, we will not harm your warrior. He is not well and could use your help. I can tell you where to find him, or if you continue being disagreeable, my children can make him a visit.”
“What warrior do you think you have”? Alura asked.
“Don’t worry,” Lupzarro said. “You will be pleased to know he is safe for the time being. Fortunately for him, he does not remember who he is. We are keeping a close watch so he does not get into trouble or hurt himself.”
“You’re a liar” Alura said. “Even if you were able to hold one of us briefly, we would fight to the death before being a hostage.”
“Ah, but that would mean such a warrior knew who he was, am I correct?”
Alura stared hard at Lupzarro while he grinned. It was a tense few moments and I wondered if Alura was going to blow Lupzarro’s brains all over the Bedouin tent, but she showed surprising restraint. Maybe the boss wolf did have one of our people after all, which would explain why Alura had not already shot Lupzarro.
The wolves were gathering in greater numbers and began growling louder while moving closer. During the verbal exchange between Alura and Lupzarro, I managed to drop the blue magic coin on the ground inside the pentagram and crushed it, then shouted, “Transmati Keob.”
Blue-white light instantly encompassed the pentagram sealing the edges and rose up to the clouds. Lupzarro’s smile turned to anger and he growled showing his long teeth, but still remained mostly human.
Several wolves that jumped up to attack us and were turned into fiery ash as they touched the light emanating from the pentagram. Hundreds of wolves howled as everything went black inside the pentagram and we were transported back to Keob.
“Greetings, and how was the hunting trip?” Sarila asked.
Alura’s face was filled with anger and she went directly to a computer without acknowledging Sarila. She typed something, placed her hands on her hips, and stared at the monitor.
“I see,” Sarila said. “Not very well I guess. What happened wizard?”
“We were outnumbered and this Lupzarro shape shifting creep said he had a Zeshtune warrior. He wanted to make a deal.”
“Lycanthropes don’t make deals wizard. They have no sense of honor and eat people for fun.”
I walked over to Alura and asked her if is she was alright.
“I’m fine,” she said angrily, then took a deep breath and spoke more calmly, “I’m alright Azul. Do you think Lupzarro was telling the truth about knowing where one of our warriors is?”
“I don’t know Alura, but if he is telling the truth, we’ll find him. I Promise.”
Alura put her arm around my waist and tilted her head on my shoulder. Her eyes carefully watched the monitor as names scrolled by in white and red colors.
“What does all this mean?” I asked, watching the names scroll by.
Sarila was now standing at Alura’s side and explained how the computer was listing names of Zeshtunians who returned to Earth and have gone missing. The names in red are those who were scheduled for recognition and remain unaccounted.
“We have scouts looking for them,” Sarila said.
“And not all have been found,” Alura added, her voice shaking. “Azul, we know all these Zeshtunians. They are our brothers and sisters and some have not been seen or heard from for many years. They are alone, maybe even dead.”
“Dead? I thought Zeshtunians went into a spiritual sleep if their bodies are destroyed.”
“That is true wizard, provided recognition has been completed,” Sarila said. “The power of Zeshtunians resides in knowing who he or she is, not just their amulets. This awareness guides them to sleep after their bodies die. If on the other hand a Zeshtunian fails to complete recognition, or believes he or she is someone else who can die, their conscientiousness will remain in empty space until the end of days.”
I looked at Alura and saw tears falling down her checks. This was the first time I saw her become so emotional, which was not part of her warrior repertoire.
“One can only assume the many names you see here are Zeshtunians who are lost, do not know who they are, or have died,” Sarila said. “Wizard, if you had died before going to the Gate of the gods, you too would exist only in space until the end of days. Once you placed your staff into the gate and unlocked your mind, your recognition began. Now you are aware of who you really are, so if your body dies, your spirit will sleep in your amulet waiting for the next recognition.”
I took Alura’s hand. “Come on Alura, let go home and I’ll make you a nice cup of hot tea.”
Alura smiled a little. “That sounds good. By the way brother, your first transportation spell worked out well.”
“I guess so, given we didn’t materialize inside a rock,” I said, causing Alura to make a bigger smile.
We silently headed down the tunnel into our home. Alura tried her best to hide her sniffles and wiping tears from her eyes. As soon as we got inside, she stretched out on the couch while I made hot tea. A few minutes later, I carried a tray with two cups of hot herbal tea and placed it on the table next to the couch.
“There you go little sister, the best tea Keob has to offer.”
Alura was sound asleep, so she didn’t hear me. I sat on my chair and thought about how quickly this fierce warrior had turned into a tearful girl. Warrior or not, she’s an incredible person and I was lucky to be her brother. Even though I haven’t known her long in this recognition, I knew we had each other’s back and would always be there no matter what came along. That’s what families do – they look out for each other and are there for them when it counts.
Lupzarro was probably telling the truth. Why Lupzarro is interested in this Zeshtune warrior, and who the warrior actually is, falls on my mysteries to solve list. I am going to find this warrior. I had to because I promised Alura we would.
My mind drifted back to what Alura said earlier when talking about magic coins. She said one of the coins was a surprise and had something to do with New York. I assumed Manhattan, because this is what New York is to most people, and Manhattan would be a good place to start looking for a lost warrior.
Chapter 10
Manhattan is no different than any other large metropolitan city. It has a large population, people ridding subways to and from work, and at the end of each day its city dwellers went home or clubbing. Then there were the not so visible city dwellers who for whatever misfortune came their way, have no jobs, homes, or family. Many of these unfortunate souls find abandoned buildings, out of the way alleys, or corners behind commercial trash containers to call home.
Some of the more physically fit homeless find their way each night to an overpass connecting to Interstate 95 off the Housatonic River. Heat generated from passing motorist made living under the overpass more hospitable. The local homeless called this place ‘OZ’ because its long time resident Lou told everyone his tent was protected by a good witch from the north. No one actually believed anything Lou said, but his story about his tent falling from the sky on top of an evil witch never seemed to get old among the transient homeless.
Lou’s makeshift tent was littered with what one might expect to see: needles, syringes, and empty whiskey bottles. Large cardboard boxes provided shelter to several neighbors who went unnoticed except for the occasional grunt or series of snores. Lou, once a proud navy seal serving his country, was like many other vets returning home to find no job or place to live. He had no family, no money, and no one who cared if he even existed.
OZ was Lou’s home for the past five years, and while not much, it was his home. While only thirty years old, he looked much older from living on the streets, at least twice his real age. He was tall and thin with grey hair and a grey beard. His skin was riddled with deep wrinkles and leathery in appearance from exposure to year round weather. On most days, when he was not passed out from alcohol or drugs, Lou was a friendly man who had not let his soul become hardened by bad luck. He would pass people on the street and smile saying hello, even though most people ignored him.
As part of Lou’s daily routine, he collected empty cans and bottles to cash in for deposit refunds. Today was a particularly good day because he collected enough cans and bottles earning him nearly fifteen dollars. He looked into his large plastic bag as if it were a pot of gold and smiled.
“Today was a great day. Yesiree, it was a great day indeed. There is enough here for a hot coffee and sandwich and I’ll still have money left over. It doesn’t get any better than this – hot coffee and a sandwich.”
After receiving his deposit refund from a local store, Lou hurried to a nearby delicatessen.
“Please good sir, a roast beef sandwich with all the dressings and a cup of hot coffee.”
The server behind the counter looked at Lou’s clothes, eyeing him up and down, and asked, “Do you have money?”
A big smile came to Lou’s face as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a fist full of dollar bills.
“Yes sir, today I have money, and I can’t wait to taste your wonderful roast beef sandwich and hot coffee.”
The server grinned and said, “Roast beef with everything and a hot coffee coming right up.”
Lou’s eyes opened wide as he watched his sandwich being made, and the smell of coffee drew his attention to several pots simmering near the cash register. Finally, the person manning the register handed Lou his order and change.
Lou smiled. “Have yourself a very good evening young lady.”
The cashier smiled and replied, “You too, and enjoy your food.”
Lou paused outside the delicatessen to take a sip of coffee and closed his eyes. His stomach growled with hunger as he smacked his lips savoring the sweet taste of sugar and cream.
“Yes sir, nothing like a good cup of hot coffee to brighten up the day.”
It didn’t take long for Lou to finish his meal and head back to OZ. It was getting dark, but the moon providing light and made the walk home more interesting than usual. Lou always enjoyed seeing moonlight reflect off the rippling water. It was soothing and the lapping water always washed away his troubles.
Most days, any number of people traveled this route, and the absence of people caught Lou’s attention. “It’s odd that no one has come along this way,” he muttered.
As Lou got closer to OZ, he smelt the familiar scent of wood burning and could see ambers shooting up into the night sky from a rusted steel drum. He squinted his eyes to see who might be standing near the fire, but no one was in sight.
It was too quiet. Lou cautiously entered the camp and an eerily chill came over him. When he got closer to the fire, Lou froze in terror.
“Oh no, what … what happened here?” he said, grimacing at an horrific sight.
Still frozen and unable to move, Lou’s eyes scanned the camp and saw pools of blood with body parts strewn about everywhere. Several bodies had only torsos with big chunks missing as if something had eaten them and his tent was shredded. Lou took several steps back and tears filled his eyes.
“My home … my friends … no, please no,” he said, his voice trembling with fear.
Lou froze again and his knees began shaking. A low growl then sounded from above and he looked up toward the steel beams of the overpass. He saw two yellow dots shinning in the dark that blinked. A second growl, this time much louder, sent chills down Lou’s back. There in the shadows, the yellow dots get bigger and began to move.
“Those are eyes … not human … not human eyes,” Lou muttered, his own eyes bulging as his knees almost gave in from shaking.
Another loud growl erupted and two more sets of eyes appeared. Lou turned and ran screaming, “No … no … please no, please no.”
Several thumps sounded from behind Lou. He knew whatever was hiding in the darkness under the overpass had jumped down and was now chasing him, and he knew whatever it was, it killed everyone in the camp. Run, run, run, is all he could think as angry growls raced toward him
“No, don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me,” he shouted, then tripped over an abandoned tire and fell into the river. The splash surprised him and he thrashed his arms and feet in confusion. A few moments later, Lou realized that he was in shallow water and still alive.
“I’m alive,” he said.
Lou regained his footing and was standing chest deep in the river 10 feet away from shore. He rubbed the water from his eyes and heard more growling behind him. Lou quickly turned and saw the silhouettes of three large creatures with yellow eyes pacing back and forth, watching him, their teeth dripping with drool and blood. He rubbed his eyes again, not sure if what he saw was real or a hallucination. The creatures had long teeth and hands with long black nails. He rubbed his eyes a third time, hoping he was just seeing things, but the creatures were still there watching him.
“Werewolves … they’re werewolves,” he muttered.
