Blood Moon, page 8
part #1 of The Wizard's Journal Series
Alura sat next to me on the couch and placed a large book on my lap. It was old, leather bound, and smelt like a musty antique. I opened it up at the first page and saw a drawing of a werewolf with fangs and long sharp nails extending from each finger. At the top of the page were the letters liciavat, which made no sense to me until they began to swirl in a pattern of smoke that translated the letters to English. The letters read ‘lycanthrope’, which essential means werewolf. I would soon learn that lycanthropes are the ancient and most deadly of kind of werewolves.
“How does this book work? I mean, those swirling letters.”
“It gets much better,” she said. “Wizards are able to see any word translated from any language, whether Earthly or from other known worlds. In your case, it translates to English, but there is a more efficient way for a wizard to learn. Reading the old fashion way, page by page, takes too long and is unnecessary.”
“What’s better than reading page by page?” I asked in a reminiscent tone, being a university professor who poured over journals and books all day long.
“It will be easier to show instead of explaining,” she said and placed my hand on the book cover. “Okay brother, close your eyes and say the word ‘recalisa’.”
“What’s going to happen?”
Alura grinned. “Don’t be a baby. It won’t hurt, I promise. Come on, close your eyes and say the word.”
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and said, “Recalisa.” Seconds later, I saw a small speck of light in my mind which exploded into a cyclone of yellow lights swirling in all directions. Images of lycanthropes flooded my mind revealing transformations, killings of people, hunting villagers from medieval times, and a host of incantations. The entire history and knowledge of lycanthropes was being downloaded into my brain. As fast as the images started, they ended, and then there was only darkness. I opened my eyes feeling dizzy and started to fall over to the side of the couch. Alura grabbed my arm and pulled me back up.
“What just happened?” I asked.
“You learned all there is to know about lycanthropes in less than five minutes, all 836 pages in fact. It’s a wizard’s speed reading method that only a professor like you can appreciate.”
I still felt dizzy. “Is my head going to explode?”
Alura gave me that don’t be a baby look again and said, “Relax, it gets a lot easier with practice.”
Alura told me my speed reading ability was more impressive when I was a seated member of the Council of Elders on Zeshtune. During that time, I was able to walk into a library and acquire all the knowledge from every book simultaneously without touching anything. Alura reminded me that human brains are more delicate and I would have to settle for one book at a time, and not too many at once. Finally, my dizziness wore off and I could see more clearly.
“So, what happens if I mind melt with too many books at once?”
“Mind melt … really Azul?”
“Hey, just asking. After all, we’re talking about my head here.”
Alura smirked. “At first, you’ll just get a massive headache, then a nose bleed, and perhaps you’d faint,” she said. “Don’t worry too much because fainting is how magic protects you from having your brain explode.”
I frowned. “Are you serious?”
“Let’s not find out, okay?”
Okay then one book at a time it is.
Alura got up off the couch and pointed to a wall, then said, “There is your personal library. Now, go and learn.”
I looked to where Alura was pointing and saw nothing. I walked over to the wall thinking it was an illusion and knocked on it – yup, it’s solid.
“Okay smarty pants, what’s the trick with this one?”
Alura grinned. “All you have to do is say the magic word to open the door.”
I waiting a few moments for her to tell me the magic word, but she only stared at me with a cleaver grin.
“Not this time brother. I used the word you need when we first entered the Elder’s of Zeshtune chambers. If you don’t remember, you’ll have to search your mind for the word. It is there, you only need to recall it from your sleeping memory. Concentrate.”
I looked back at the wall and placed my hand on its surface, then closed my eyes. Almost instantly I began hearing sounds, not enough to distinguish at first, but soon could hear and see hundreds of words zipping by like I was racing in a car. I heard Alura telling me to concentrate on entering the library, and as I did, a single word emerged from hundreds off words. I heard how the word should be pronounced.
I said, “Entrunezum,” and my hand moved forward through air. I opened my eyes and the wall was gone revealing a massive library. There were at least 20 floors with multiple sections of walls that ran down isles filled with books as far as I could see. At the center of the ground floor was a podium with a single book resting on it’s top. Finely crafted designs in gold adorned the book edges and spine. It was exquisitely crafted, measuring two feet square, and I would not venture a guess as to how many pages were inside. On the front cover was a drawing of a man with long white hair holding a staff up toward stormy clouds, clearly a wizard casting spells.
I opened up the book and the first page was blank. When I reached to turn the page, I saw words appear as though someone was writing them in front of me, but no one was there. Normally seeing words appear on blank pages of a book would freak me out, however, this was pale in comparison to everything else I’ve seen lately. As the words appeared, I heard a man’s voice speak each word as if in a theatrical performance.
“Azul, this book is to complete the first of your many recognition phases here at Keob. Remember, a complete recognition will take years, and when you finally achieve it, you will become the leader of your people in fighting against the Darkzon once again. Magic is not enough to win the day, and you will need more than the knowledge in this library or that Kyiel and Alura can provide. You will need courage, conviction, and purpose.”
The voice went silent. I turned to the next page and it was blank. I skimmed past a few more pages and they too were blank. I raised my eyebrows, disappointed that the writing had stopped.
That’s a lot of book for only a few words written on the first page. Maybe it’s broken.
“No, Azul, the book is not broken,” the voice said as those same words appeared on the first page.
“Neat trick,” I said.
“No, not a trick,” the voice said.
The voice responded to what I said or was thinking and were written inside the book. Must be some sort of interactive book.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I am you Azul. I am your memories, knowledge, and history. We are one. What you hear is not physical in nature, but a single conscience mind made of three parts: this book, your amulet, and your thoughts.”
“Forgive me for saying, but all this kind of goes against what I was raised to believe. You know, God being the Creator, man suffering here on Earth pending judgment, heaven, hell, being born, and dying. There was nothing about other planets, universes, or dimensions.”
“The great Creator is He who created all things in the beginning,” the voice said. “We are merely servants who battle the dark to help preserve the light as best we can. Earth is where man is tested, protected, and prepared for the end of days, as are all living beings throughout the universe. All what you have come to know, even the role of Zeshtune and Darkzon, is not new to Earth history. The battle continues without pause, and intensifies every 25,000 years according to Earth time.”
“25,000 years keeps coming a lot up these days,” I said.
“Yes, the people you call Mayans were taught many things about time, science, architecture, and more. Their calendar is one of the measurements used to determine when the Darkzon return and depart from Earth. It was you who showed the Mayans how to construct their calendar at the beginning of the last eternal cycle. Now listen closely Azul. The Darkzon are coming once again and you must prepare yourself.”
The voice continued explaining how the Darkzon are pure evil in the darkest sense of the word. These dark creatures only know conquest and placing other beings in slavery and will stop at nothing short of jeopardizing their own survival. Driven by conquest, the Darkzon are relentless, show no mercy, and have many dark allies on Earth who anxiously wait for their return.
“These agents of the dark on Earth will try to destroy you Azul,” the voice said.
“Okay, you see … right there … the whole thing about my mortality. Kyiel said he has known me for eons and a great battle occurred on Zeshtune many millenniums ago. How is that possible? What am I, some sort of reincarnated thing bouncing around the universe?”
“Not reincarnated,” the voice replied. “All souls are forever whether in spirit or physical form. Wizards preserve their souls in amulets when outside their physical forms so the Darkzon will not find them. When they are awakened, wizards return to physical form to once again protect humans on Earth. Time is relative Azul, and when a wizard sleeps for many thousands of years, it is like man sleeping for one night on Earth. Your soul has existed from the beginning when souls were first created.”
“The old guy with long white hair and beard fighting a dragon on Zeshtune was really me … I mean us?
“Yes, the man you saw was your original physical form. At the time of your first sleep, you were already many eons old. You do age, but not in the way you currently understand time. Zeshtunians live for many millenniums on their homeworld before entering sleep. On Earth, however, the aging process occurs much quicker. A wizard on Earth may live hundreds of years, but they will age and die as do all men. Your amulet keeps you safe while awake or sleeping, and during recognition.”
“And I signed up for all this voluntarily?” I asked.
“Protecting the Earth from the Darkzon is the purpose you chose to undertake – it was not forced upon you. This has always been as it will always be until the end of days.”
“What about Alura. Is she my real sister, and how old is she?
“Alura is indeed your sister, born of the same spiritual union and has always been with you. For these past 100 years, she has prepared for your return and will help you, as determined by the Council of Elders.”
“What about Kyiel?”
“Kyiel is your friend and has been with you long before his fall at the great battle on Zeshtune. You can help him Azul. You can help him become what he once was and restore his free will knowing light from dark. He is wise and possesses much knowledge about magic. Kyiel’s mind is also not restricted by the limited capacity of the human mind, as you are on the Earth plane.”
The voice and I continued in a series of questions and answers until my head started swimming again. I began thinking how nice it was to have been clueless like everyone else on Earth. It was much easier getting up each day, going to work, enjoying simple things, and sleeping without knowing monsters existed. That life is over for me now, and it looked like it could be over soon for everyone if things don’t go as the Zeshtune prophecies predicted.
“Azul, it is now time for you to leave Keob and engage in your first battle against the lycanthropes. You already posses the knowledge to defeat them and Alura will help you. When the task is done, return to this room and say the words ‘tranpla domas’ and your adventure will be recorded in this book. Fear not Azul. I am always here for you, and let’s not forget that you’re the most powerful wizard Zeshtune has ever known.”
The book closed and there was no further conversation. I left the library with many unanswered questions, but also had more answers than before. I knew what the voice told me was true – I mean what my older self said. It was a strange feeling to know Jonathan Willington was actually an alias for Azul. It’s even stranger being told I’m a hero wizard destined to save Earth. Like I said, life was much easier a few days ago.
Chapter 8
The wall of the library reappeared after I entered the living area. I placed my hand on it to be sure it was solid – it was – then turned to see Alura comfortably sitting on the couch reading a magazine. The fireplace had a nice fire going and I could smell the scent of burning wood.
“How did it go?” Alura asked.
“How do you think? Nothing like finding out you’re the appointed protector of planet Earth. It was certainly a first for me, and how weird is it talking to a voice from a book large enough to crush a small car.”
Alura closed her magazine and grinned. “Yea, I guess it would be a bit unsettling the first time. Don’t worry though, you’ll get the hang of it with more practice. Once you came into contact with the amulet in Las Vegas, your brain began to rewire itself.”
“Rewire? What happens when a brain gets rewired?”
“My goodness brother, you are a bag of nerves, aren’t you? Look, you will still be you. Professor Willington is Azul and vise versa, but I do remember you having a better sense of humor during your last recognition. Even so, what’s going on is that your brain’s ability to store information and develop greater capacity has begun to take shape. With every passing day, you will become stronger and more comfortable with being a wizard. Trust me, I know my brother, professor or not, and we have traveled this path together many times.”
Not like I have a choice. Alura kissed me on my check and headed toward another room.
“It’s going to be a big day tomorrow preparing to battle the lycanthropes and I’m exhausted. See you in the morning dear brother, or should I say ‘great wizard’,” she said, then pointed to a door. “This is my bedroom. Yours is over there with the two big doors. Wizards always get the best accommodations.”
I grinned. If those doors reflect what the inside of my bedroom looks like, I’m in for a treat.”
Alura chuckled a little as she closed her door, obviously knowing what I was thinking.
I opened the double doors expecting to walk into the Waldorf Astoria. It was fairly large, but those mammoth doors were misleading for what was actually a less than humble setting. The room had dark brown colored walls with wide wooden floorboards. If that wasn’t gloomy enough, thick dark brown wooden beams were abundantly in place to support the ceiling, making the room look like something out of the middle ages. Candles arranged at several tables lit up as I entered the room, but did little to change the dreary decor.
There was a single leather chair in the middle of the room surrounded by a pentagram with strange symbols along the outside edges. I walked over the circle surrounding the pentagram and was startled when it glowed. I turned and stumbled backward several feet into the chair and the pentagram stopped glowing. After calming down, I walked to the inside edge and jumped over the pentagram outline hoping that nothing would happen, and nothing did. I took a closer look around the room and saw a wall lined with shelves with various sized jars, cans, and small boxes. I didn’t investigate any further what was on the shelves because I had enough adventure for one day, plus I was tired and wanted to go to bed.
Wait a minute, where’s my freakin bed?”
I turned to face the living area and shouted, “Bet someone else I know has a nice bed, and probably down feathered too.”
I scratched my head thinking I’d have to sleep in the chair. A second later, and without uttering a single word, the chair disappeared and an inviting bed appeared in its place, which meant I’d have to cross over the Aurora Borealis again to reach it. I moved to the edge of the pentagram, closed my eyes and hopped over it, then opened one eye a little. The pentagram wasn’t glowing, so I opened my other eye and then checked out the bed by pushing my hand on it. After assuring myself it was real, I flopped down on it and quickly fell asleep.
A few hours later I was awakened by what sounded like an animal inside my room. When I opened my eyes, I saw a rooster sitting on a bedroom window watching me. Odd, I didn’t notice the window before. There was no sun yet, but enough daylight was beginning to light up outside the window to see chickens running around in a barnyard.
Wait a minute … I’m sure there was no window here last night. Everything went silent and the window disappeared when I stepped out of bed. No more rooster or chickens either. At the same time, candles flickered on and the room filled with light. Very weird.
I felt fairly rested and decided to check out my bedroom more closely. It didn’t take long to decide the room must have been decorated using a Spanish Inquisition mail order catalog. It was hard to believe I once liked dark gloomy decor, but here it is. If it were not for the fact I was going to be sleeping here for who knows how long, I’d definitely give it an 8 out of 10 on the creepy scale.
My bedroom wall got fuzzy and disappeared when I got a couple of feet in front of it. I went into the living area and saw Alura’s bedroom door still closed and wondered if she also had a crazy barnyard alarm clock. Not wanting to disturb her, I decided to use the time to ask Kyiel some more questions. After clearing my throat, I looked around to be sure no one was around and said, “Aptier Kyiel.”
“Hey buddy, did you get a good night sleep?” I asked.
“Azul, you know that …”
“Yea, I know, you don’t sleep. By the way Kyiel, don’t you have any other colors in your wardrobe to choose from? I think dark grey is out of season.”
Kyiel didn’t respond. I think he was getting use to my sarcasm, even though he had a sense of humor akin to a store manikin. It’s hard to think of someone as a close friend who never smiles or doesn’t crack a joke once in awhile.
“Today will be your first battle in many thousands of years,” Kyiel said. “You will need the tools from your wizard bag to help destroy the lycanthrope pack.”
“Tools … are we going to build cages for these wolves?
“No, not cages,” Kyiel replied. “Your wizard bag stores a combination of spells, silver, and wolfsbane which you in the past have called tools. You selected to use this word to avoid others overhearing you say magic or spells, especially when such things resulted in being burned alive or beheaded back in those days.”
