Blood Moon, page 7
part #1 of The Wizard's Journal Series
This was a lot to take in. I asked Kyiel to leave so I could think about all he told me. He bowed his head and dissolved into thin air. Feeling confused, I did what anyone else would do in my situation. I grabbed another a couple of beers to engage myself in some serious thinking.
What the heck did I get myself into?
“A little overwhelming, isn’t it?” a voice asked.
I looked toward the kitchen and saw Alura grinning. She walked over and sat down on the couch and I tossed her a beer.
“Overwhelming is putting it mildly. I was beginning to understand who I was back in the day, then Kyiel tells me I am one of those spooky people I met earlier in the chamber. If any of this is true, why can’t I remember?”
Alura reminded me how long full recognition may take before I could recall much of what has been forgotten. She repeated what Kyiel had told me about a human like mind being unable to store all my past knowledge, both mentally and physically. My brain had to adjust and rewire itself slowly to accommodate even a fraction of my past knowledge.
“Be patient. Let’s first start with something simple,” Alura said.
“Okay, I’ll try almost anything at this point, but keep in mind the adage: ‘the simpler the better’.”
“Great, that’s the spirit. Now, hold out your hand with palm up.”
I did as she asked. Alura then focused on her palm and said, “Aknor firster.” A baseball sized blue-white flame appeared in the center of her palm. She smiled and said, “Firster Azul,” and the flame jumped from her palm to mine. I jerked a little in surprise, but kept my hand extended watching the flame which was neither hot nor cold.
Sure seems real.
“That’s because it is real,” Alura said.
“What … does everyone around here read minds?”
Alura laughed. “You will too in time Azul. It’s quite simple really. Minds think first and then use words to express thoughts. Zeshtunians learn to hear the mind thinking words before speaking them. It is more intuitive than actually hearing words. Anyone can do it to some degree, but Zeshtunians are much better at it than other races.”
“I see. So what are we going to do with this flame in my hand?”
Alura smiled. “Try moving it back to my hand. You already know the words in your memory, and you heard me speak them, so it will be easy for to send the flame back to me.”
I looked at the flame and said, “Firster Alura,” and the flame jumped back to Alura’s hand.
“See how easy it was. Now, create your own flame,” she said, extending her other hand palm up, and I did the same.
“Aknor firster,” I said and another blue-white flame appeared in my other palm. I then said, “Firster Alura,” and the flame jumped to Alura’s hand.
Alura laughed and said, “Firster numerat,” and the flames split into ten separate smaller flames resting on each of her fingers, then she said, “Firster Azul Alura,” and the flames bounced back and forth to our fingers in a progressive wave.
We repeated the game until Alura raised her hands up with all ten flames on her fingers and smiled. She then placed her fingers in front of her face and blew them out like a child would on a birthday cake.
“Did that really happen?” I asked.
“Yes, and it was real fire. It’s not hot to our touch, but if focused on a dark being in the right way, it can burn it to ashes. Magic that we create can not intentionally hurt us Azul, which brings us back to rule number one …”
“I know, I know. Magic can’t be used to harm any being of light, especially humans. The only exception is when trying to protect yourself or other beings of light, which even then, will result in being called before the Council of Elders for trial.”
Alura reached over and tapped me on top of my head.
“Precisely, well said brother. Another thing you must remember Azul is the amount of power conjured up depends on how much emotion is behind the spell. You should avoid casting spells when angry because it could have very destructive consequences. A wizard might want to scare away an agent of darkness with a simple fireball, but it could end up destroying an entire building or city block if the spellcaster’s anger is not controlled.”
“Good to know,” I said.
“This is important Azul. You don’t realize it yet, but when you unlocked your amulet in the chamber room, all its power stored for thousands of years rejoined with your human form. It is in you now and will remain there for as long as you live in this form.”
“Okay, I got it. That brings me to another question. Kyiel told me we have existed for eons. If that’s true, where were we before coming to Earth?”
“Zeshtunians have continued to place their conscientiousness inside their amulets ever since the great battle on Zeshtune and return to physical form as needed. Since the great battle, wizards in particular have returned to human form every 25,000 years to battle against the Darkzon. Before your last sleep, you left clues on Earth to lead you back to start your current recognition.”
“I left clues?”
“Yes, that is why you chose to be an archeologist. The profession prepared you to find your staff and the Gate of the gods. Once your staff was placed into the Gate of the gods, it announced your return to all Zeshtunians.”
Alura also told me that I actually built the Gate of the gods with the Mayans for this specific purpose, which is surprising since I can’t even build a house of cards. My skillset was restricted primarily to academics.
“So, how long do we actually live in physical form?”
“Zeshtunian souls are immortal, but being in human form is a fragile state of existence. Magic can heal many injuries, and wizards can live in human form for hundreds of years, but these physical forms will eventually die from either old age or battle wounds. When that happens, our conscience mind is stored in our amulets until the next Galactic Alignment.”
“This is all very difficult to accept Alura. I mean, I feel very human and always believed that people only come around once to Earth.”
“Yea, I know how weird this all seems. Keep in mind though that your return to Earth is not coincidental to the celestial alignment measured by the Mayan calendar. You already understand that the calendar announces a new beginning, or cycle, not doomsday. The thing is, life on Earth keeps repeating the same cycle galactic cycle every 25,000 years, starting with the powers of light and darkness doing battle. It is our job, especially wizards, to make sure light forces darkness out from the Earth.”
“When does this grand battle begin?”
“The time is close upon us and we need to prepare. Humans and this planet will become part of the Darkzon reign if we fail in our mission, but don’t worry. There is plenty of time to prepare. Come on, let’s go outside and practice some magic.”
It was early morning and much warmer than when I first arrived when snow covered the ground. I stretched my hands into the air taking deep breaths and froze still when I saw two moons in the sky. Alura looked up to the sky where I was looking.
“Beautiful, aren’t they?”
“I thought we traveled to someplace on Earth, such as the Himalayan Mountains. Guess we’re not in Kansas anymore, huh Dorothy?”
“Nope, not even close. We’re on Keob, a planet revolving around the sun directly opposite to Earth and at the same speed. Scientists on Earth can’t see Keob and are unaware of its existence.”
“We’re on another planet right next door to Earth? Wow, things just keep going from crazy to crazier.”
“We’re safe here Azul. Keob has been our home for millenniums and Earth is our sister planet under Zeshtune protection. Come on, it’s time for your lesson.”
Alura reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring amulet like the one she was wearing and tossed it to me.
I smiled. “Oh, you shouldn’t have.”
Alura rolled her eyes. “It’s your ring Azul. You made it when you made mine, millions of years ago.”
I held up the ring looking at the craftsmanship thinking a millions years is a very long time. That may make this the oldest antique in the world, or worlds to be more precise.
“Stop glaring at it Azul and put it on your right hand middle finger. Go on, it won’t bite you.”
I put the ring on and watched it glow. A tingly sensation flowed through my body, sort of like pins and needles when your foot falls asleep. My attention then drifted back to the two moons above reminding me I traveled to a different planet in a few seconds while sitting in a Las Vegas cab.
Alura told me to summon Kyiel. I looked back from the moons and said, “Aptier Kyiel,” and he appeared standing a few feet in front of us.
“Good morning Kyiel,” I said. “Long time no see. How long has it been anyway?”
“Azul, you know such things are relative and I do not distinguish between linear expressions of what you call time. However, using Earth time as a measurement, you have been on Keob for two days.”
“Two days? How is that possible? I just got here last night.”
“Keob rotates four times faster than Earth,” Kyiel said. “A full rotation on Keob is completed every six hours Earth time.
“For every day on Earth, four days pass here? Are you serious?”
“One can not measure all time from sunrise to sunset. Time here and on Earth is passing at a different acceleration.”
Six of one, half a dozen the other. What’s the difference?
“So, if I heard you correctly, you’re telling me that in the 12 hours I’ve been on Keob, two days passed on Earth?”
“That is correct,” Kyiel said.
“Doesn’t make any sense to me, not to mention defying everything I learn about physics, but you know what? Nothing that has happened to me since arriving in Las Vegas makes any sense.”
I shook my head like one of those cartoon characters with their cheeks flapping in the wind and Alura starting laughing. Being on a different planet was more than enough to deal with at the moment, so time and relativity will just have to wait for another day.
“Alright then, let’s keep moving along,” I said, then pointed up to the sky and looked back at Kyiel. “Come on Kyiel, even you can’t be a rainy cloud on such a beautiful day. Look at the sunrise and those two moons.”
Kyiel looked to where the sun was rising and said, “I suppose so.”
Alura laughed again and told me to stop teasing him.
“Azul, you know he does not understand these things. Even so, he has always been there for you and is a loyal friend.”
“Yea, I suppose you’re right. Sorry for teasing you Kyiel.”
“No need to be sorry Azul. I have no emotional component in my construct.”
No kidding. If Kyiel smiled, I think his face would crack.
“He can learn Azul,” Alura said. “Why do you think you advocated for him and he was compelled to serve you?”
“He can learn? Exactly how does that work?”
“Never mind for now. We have to begin your training.”
I looked at Kyiel who had his eyes fixed on me as usual.
“Well buddy, perhaps one day we’ll share a beer together after all.”
“Perhaps we will Azul,” he replied.
The three of us proceeded down the same path where Alura and I ascended after she kidnapped me. When we reached the bottom, I saw the same cab she used still sitting exactly where it fell out of the sky. It looked out of place under two moons and would drive any scientist back home nuts if spotted from the Hubble telescope.
Who would ever believe it anyway? People would chalk it up to a PhotoShop makeover. That’s certainly what I’d believe.
Chapter 7
“Do you remember the words you used to conjure lightning from the sky and destroy the dark rider on Zeshtune?” Alura asked
“Yes, it was ‘aknor stellara’.”
“Very good. Try summoning lighting with just enough emotion to turn that bush over there into a fireball.“
I looked at the bush Alura was pointing to and raised my hand up toward it. My ring amulet glowed, and I then shouted, “Aknor stellara.” A slight rumble of thunder followed, but nothing happened.
Alura told me it does not matter how loud I say the words because, without the right emotion behind the words, it was just noise. She raised her ring amulet to the sky and said in a normal voice, “Aknor stellara,” which instantly created a bolt of lightening that bounced off her ring into the bush causing it to burst into flames.
“Show-off,” I said and frowned a little. “Remind me to never get you mad sister.”
Alura smiled. “Yea, that is a good thing to remember brother.”
“Hey, this magic sure beats playing bounce the fire from our fingers, don’t you think?”
Alura grinned. “I suppose it does. Okay, now you try. Remember to focus on your emotion in proportion to the size of your target. Focus on the bush over there.”
“Okay, here goes.”
I pointed my ring at the bush and said, “Aknor stellara,” in a more moderate tone. A bolt of lightning raced down from the sky, bounced off my ring to the bush, and instantly turned it into smoldering ashes.
“Not bad hotshot,” Alura said.
“Yea, it was pretty good,” I said, feeling strangely comfortable with using magic, certainly more so than what one might have expected.
“Indeed, an impressive beginning,” Kyiel said.
“Did Kyiel just give me a compliment? Kyiel, I do believe you expressed some emotion, albeit without a smile.”
Alura laughed and punched me in the shoulder. Kyiel just stared at me as if he had no idea what I was talking about.
“Come on, the light of day runs short on Keob and we have much more to do,” Alura said. “Follow my lead and do what I do.”
Alura pointed her ring at a small pool of water about 50 feet away and said, “Hydlama.” Water began to rise swirling up into a cone high in the air. She began making small circle motions with her fist closed and the cone of water circled above us. When she stopped moving her fist, the water stood still except for some small splashes casing a drizzle. Alura then took a step to one side and lowered her arm in my direction causing the water to pour down and completely soaked me.
I stood there with my mouth open in shock while Alura broke out in hysterical laughter, nearly falling on the ground from amusing herself. She pointed her finger at me, then bent over and continued laughing.
“Not very funny and a bit immature,” I said.
Alura straightened up and stopped laughing, for a moment. I could tell she was trying to hold her laughter back and her grin left no doubt she would fail. She burst into laughing again.
“Oh, you want a water fight do you?” Fine little sister. Game on.”
I pointed my ring at another pool of water and said, “Hydlama,” causing the water to rise to a cone shape, then moved my hand in Alura’s direction. The water hovered over her head about 20 feet high, but she didn’t seem concerned and arched her eyebrow in a way that told me, ‘go ahead buster, I dare you’. I raised my eyebrow back at her and grinned, then let my arm fall to my side. The water came rushing down, but before it could soak her, she raised her arm up creating a shield that deflected all the water back on top of me. Not a single drop of water touched her, but I got soaked again.
“Well brother, at least you won’t need to take a shower today,” she said, still laughing, but managed to regain her composure and explained. “Our amulets recognize danger when present and will protect us if necessary. This small amount of water can not harm us and our minds know it, thus so do our amulets. The exception is when a wizard suddenly moves or acts in a reflexive manner, which raises our defense shield. I guess I forgot to mention this,” she said with a mischievous grin.
“I guess you did. What else have you forgotten to tell me?” I asked, shaking water from my drenched clothes.
“A girl doesn’t share all her secrets, especially with the grand wizard of Zeshtune. What fun would that be?”
Over the next few days, my training included shooting lightening bolts from the sky, exploding rocks, moving water through the air, but nothing could prepare me for the monsters Alura and Kyiel described. Not just one type, but all the ones in every child’s worst nightmares: vampires, werewolves, witches, zombies, ghouls, and more. Alura told me that these monsters are agents of the dark and those who do battle with them are of the light.
Makes sense. Dark versus light is the foundation of most human belief systems.
At first I believed Alura were exaggerating, but she wasn’t. The library on Keob is filled with the history of monsters, including how they came to be and why they’re here. What was most frightening is that these creatures have been among us everyday of our lives. They work in offices as accountants, customer service reps, musicians, even at McDonalds.
Hmmm … I wonder if that freaky Paul guy who worked at the university library was a zombie. He never said a word, was pale skinned, and moved like a tortoise. I guess I’ll never look at people the same way from now on.
Alura explained how some dark use glamour to hide themselves from humans, which is an illusion in appearance only. While someone might see a perfectly healthy and attractive person, they could very well be a dark grotesque being that sucks the life out you during an office break. She also told me that wizards can detect their presence when in close proximity, and when really close, glamour spells won’t work. Amulets, as it turns out, are an extension of a wizard’s internal magic and warn of the dark by increasing apprehension, such as raising neck hairs or causing nausea.
Once the dark are revealed, their auras can be seen when a wizard narrows his eyes to focus. Auras come in different colors depending of what the creature is: vampires are red, werewolves are yellow, witches are dark grey, and so on. Creatures of the light, such as yours truly, have an aura of blue and white light. Cool detection system, but the kicker is that seeing auras works both ways. If you can see them, they can see you.
“Now comes the interesting part,” Alura said.
“Really? Monsters from every possible nightmare are not interesting enough, in a really bad and scary sort of way?”
