Vince shook his head and waved his hands protesting her fretting. “Go…have a good time…don’t worry about a thing. I’ll scramble up some eggs for them later, put them to bed, and then write.” Vince was finishing up work on another novel, the first since Leaf was born, and Maggie knew he was anxious to write.
“Okay, thanks my love,” Maggie conceded running out of issues.
At that moment a screaming match, accompanied by Keiluk’s excited barking, erupted in the boys’ room. Maggie leaped to her feet and arrived quickly on the scene where Leaf pointed out the obvious. Vince and Rahlys were right behind her; so of course Ilene and Melinda couldn’t resist following them.
“Crystal and Rock both want the robot,” Leaf explained supposedly an innocent by-stander as well as an intrigued spectator. The screaming and barking continued as brother and sister tugged determinedly on the desired toy with Keiluk seemingly cheering them on. Rock’s greater strength won out eventually giving him possession of the prize. Crystal, red-faced with rage, screeched in dismay and then converted to being cunning. As soon as Rock relaxed his hold on the robot, Crystal snatched it out of his hands and the struggle ensued all over again, at which point Maggie took action.
“Let me have that,” she said firmly, gently taking possession of the toy. “Toys are for sharing not fighting over.” Her action, while perhaps justified, did nothing to stop the flow of youthful tears.
“Well, ladies, I think it’s time for us to go, don’t you?” Rahlys announced. “Vince can take charge from here, right Vince?”
The women enjoyed only a momentary glance at the look of consternation on Vince’s face before Rahlys teleported the four of them with a wave of her hand to the warm and quietly inviting guest cabin, the toy robot still cradled in Maggie’s arms.
“Where are we going?” Seth asked brushing back long sandy hair from his flushed freckled face.
“I don’t know. Let’s at least make it to those woods before someone spots us.” Justin strove on ahead, setting an aggressive pace despite the heat. Seth could see the circle of sweat growing on the back of Justin’s shirt, but his thick dark hair remained unruffled by the exertion.
“Did you talk to Alice?” Justin asked.
“Huh…,” Seth bowed his head hesitantly, “no….why do I have to talk to her?” he asked. In truth, Seth had avoided doing so. It sickened him to see lust in Justin’s eyes when he mentioned Alice’s name. He didn’t want Justin preying on his twin sister.
The truant boys stalked through newly planted cane fields, over bramble-choked headlands, jumping muddy crawfish-filled drainage ditches, distancing themselves from the evaded school classrooms. Skipping class was turning out to be harder work than Seth expected. The heavy heat beat down brutally hot for April, even for south Louisiana.
“I just wanted you to mention it to her and get her reaction.”
“You bring it up to her and get her reaction. I don’t want anything to do with it. Besides, I don’t know if I like the idea of you going out with my sister anyway.”
Justin wasn’t usually shy about approaching girls, a trait Seth was envious of, but of course the girls Justin usually hooked up with were rather bold themselves. Now Justin wanted to take Alice to the prom. He obviously feared rejection or he wouldn’t ask Seth to intervene. Alice knew Justin all too well from the three of them hanging out together.
Seth quietly followed Justin across another field, perspiration dampening his shirt. Finally the headland turned into damp woods of palmetto and cypress. Once under cover, Justin and Seth stopped for a brief rest, but having nothing else to do Justin was eager to explore. Seth readily agreed, so bending palmetto fronds and scratching trees with their pocketknives to mark the way back out, they ventured deeper into the woods keeping the sun on their right.
Gradually the moist ground under their feet rose a little, offering drier footing for willows and oaks. Seth stumbled to keep up with Justin’s greater stride while glancing behind them to affix landmarks in his mind as clouds began to move in blocking the sun. He was just about to complain about the distance they had gone and his concern over getting lost when Justin came to an abrupt stop, Seth almost crashing into him.
“Look…,” Justin said pointing ahead.
At first, Seth didn’t see anything noteworthy, but upon closer scrutiny he saw it too. There before them, nearly consumed by the surrounding woods, stood a house so old and weathered and colorless it was barely discernible from the ground and the strangling trees concealing it.
“Let’s go check it out.” The boys eagerly worked their way through the tangle of trees and vines to the remains of a dilapidated porch that led to the door-less front entrance.
“Wow…it looks so old…,” Seth gasped in wonderment.
“It’s big too,” Justin noted sizing it up. Cautiously navigating a safe route over the broken down porch, they entered the time-forgotten structure.
They expected to find rat nests and animal droppings and the like, and as they walked through the rooms they did indeed find plenty of those things, but they didn’t expect to also find a large flat screen TV, computer, tools, furniture, and a wide variety of modern household items.
“Where did all this loot come from?” Justin wondered out loud. “It looks like someone lived here for a while, but I don’t think anyone has been around for a while, that is if the moldy chewed up bedding is any indication.” Most of the furnishings were in the two large center rooms connected by a collapsing double fireplace.
“Wow…what’s that?” Justin exclaimed as they reached the fourth and final room of the shotgun house. The object in question was large filling the added on back room, the worn planked floor sagging under its weight. The base was at least four feet across and eight feet long, too large to have passed through the door.
“It’s a laser cutter,” Seth realized after some inspection. The boys could hardly walk around the room, the fit was so tight. “There’s one at the shipyard where my dad works.”
“How did a laser cutter get here?”
Seth shared Justin’s confusion. “Perhaps the real question should be, why is it here?” The house was obviously older than the existence of laser cutting machines as were most of the trees concealing it and there was no road leading in. As though looking for answers they exited the house by a rear door. Most of the dark clouds had moved on, the expected shower avoided.
Outside, a large live oak, the spread of its branches dwarfing the rambling house, dominated the overgrown yard. Near the back door a crumbling structure of brick and concrete once served as a cistern for collecting rain water.
“Alice would love to see this; she loves old things…especially old houses!”
“Then why don’t we show it to her?” Justin suggested. “Tomorrow is Saturday. We could pack a lunch, make a day of it. Then she would see I’m not a bad guy.”
Seth knew Alice didn’t care for Justin, but all he said was, “Maybe, we’ll see.”
“This is great,” Maggie sighed with pleasure sipping her third glass of wine, “no kids, no chores, and no interruptions…what a great idea you ladies had!” Maggie, Rahlys, Ilene, and Melinda had pushed all the meager furniture to one end of the little cabin and filled the open space in front of the wood stove with pads of foam rubber, sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets to provide comfort and room to stretch out. Offerings of cheese, crackers, smoked salmon dip, olives, grapes, strawberries, and chocolates, as well as the confiscated toy robot, circled the perimeter and the Oracle of Light, the crystal that had transferred incredible powers from the ancient sorceress Anthya to Rahlys, hovered above them, providing them with soft multi-colored light. With tensions relaxed and inhibitions lowered, all except for Melinda who stuck with apple cider, the conversation was taking on an increasingly personal turn.
“Do you think Quaylyn will ever return?” Maggie asked Rahlys, bringing up a topic Rahlys usually avoided.
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly, “I
hope so,” the last part just a whisper.
“You could go to him,” Ilene suggested.
“No I can’t. I still need to find the Rod of Destruction.” Brakalar had been captured and returned to Aaia, but the whereabouts of the dangerous Rod of Destruction, another product of Droclum’s evil remained at large.
“But the key is on Aaia. We saw it melt into the rubble in the ruins of the Temple of Tranquility,” Ilene pointed out.
“I don’t know. Maybe. That may only be a ruse,” Rahlys said. “We can’t let ourselves be fooled by what we think we saw and want to believe is true. I need to find the Rod of Destruction before anyone else does.”
“Do you ever think about going back to Quaylyn’s world?” Maggie asked. Rahlys hesitated in answering, but Ilene spoke up.
“I want to return to Aaia,” Ilene said. “I want to train at the Academy, and explore the Devastated Continent…and see my father again.”
“Perhaps one day you will,” Rahlys said encouragingly. “I will relate your wishes to the councilor…if she ever contacts us again.”
“Kaylya and Rojaire promised to deliver my letter to Father and speak to the High Council in my behalf.”
“I’m sure your mother’s wishes are different. She took it pretty hard the last time you left,” Maggie reminded Ilene. “I took it pretty hard myself; with you and Rahlys both gone…it was pretty lonely here.”
I was here.
“I know, Love, and for that I’ll be eternally grateful,” Maggie said giving Melinda a hug.
“But I should be allowed to return to Aaia,” Ilene stated emphatically. “Aaia is as much a part of my heritage as Earth.”
“What about you, Melinda, what is your heart’s desire? You must have plans?” Rahlys asked. Six years had passed since she rescued the frightened young girl from Droclum’s clutches.
Melinda had listened quietly to everyone else’s hopes and dreams, contributing little about her own aspirations. The direct question caught her off guard, surprising even her when she answered.
I’m ready to go home and pick up my true identity.
“Oh, Melinda,” Maggie cried putting an arm around her. They all knew the day had been fast approaching when Melinda would want to leave. Ilene and Rahlys inched closer also giving her a supportive touch.
“When?” Ilene asked after a moment of silence.
As soon as I can. I just need help getting back down to Ketchikan.
“I’ll be able to help you with that,” Rahlys offered gently.
“I’ll miss you,” Maggie teared up.
“We all will,” Ilene added.
Throughout the rest of the night and well into the morning the four women strategized a plan to help Melinda re-enter her previous existence, or at least the remnants that remained of that life left behind.
CHAPTER 2
Aaia
“Stop fidgeting,” Rojaire breathed softly to Kiril tapping Kiril’s foot with his own to make sure he heard. Communication by telepathy was strictly forbidden in the High Council chamber. Kiril and Rojaire were seated at the formidable Runes of the Crystal Table. Rojaire was no less agitated than Kiril but the strong chiseled contours of his face, handsome when relaxed, were taut with anxiety.
Kiril made a barely concealed effort to appear quietly in control … with minimal success. He felt dwarfed sitting in one of the large ornately cut crystal chairs, the silver-padded armrests of his throne-like seat too far apart to rest his arms on comfortably. Never before had he been summoned to a session of the Runes of the Crystal Table. He was still a new person, a student of the Academy, many cycles of seasons away from being assigned his First Mission to become an Accepted One. He stared fearfully at the ancient Water Rune etched before him in the enormous oval crystal table, the rune’s dull metallic glow subdued by the room’s bright crystal dome ceiling. This was not a joyous occasion …the councilors were here to pass judgment on him. If the stern expressions of the four councilors sitting opposite him were any indication, the outcome did not bode well. Kiril’s wild tannish hair and pale golden-gray eyes sparked with charged nerves. The report he had turned in to the High Council …that is the report he and Rojaire and Traevus wrote to replace the purloined journal of their mapping expedition… had caused quite a stir among the establishment. Now the true repercussions would be revealed.
Just when Kiril was certain he couldn’t endure the stress and tension any longer, High Councilor Clova entered the large crystal-domed council chamber. Traditionally the group seated at the massive oval rune-etched crystal table would respectfully go silent when the High Councilor entered the chamber, but the group summoned here today couldn’t be any quieter. Tall, stern, and sleek the High Councilor crossed the dark marble floor of the chamber to a crystal throne on a raised crystal dais overlooking the assembly. Her long silky black hair bound in jeweled ties and flawlessly smooth dark skin glowed in the sleeveless form-fitting gown she wore in council colors of silver and green. Kiril couldn’t take his eyes off her. High Councilor Clova gracefully stepped up onto the dais and stood before her seat to face the council.
“I welcome you here today, Councilors, Accepted One Rojaire, and new person Kiril, that we may seek together purpose and direction for the greater good of all.” High Councilor Clova spoke the words with true conviction, placing all her faith in the power of the Runes of the Crystal Table to guide them to a wise decision. She was the most powerful member of the High Council, but her main role was to officiate. Her demeanor was unbiased, neither steeped in compassion nor devoid of it. If no agreement can be reached on an issue by the Councilors, she would rely on the power of the runes to guide her in a decision.
There was no small talk, High Councilor Clova went directly to business. “The topic up for discussion today: Should the Devastated Continent and Limitation Island’s original names be adopted once again, and should the continent be opened for colonization? Let’s begin.”
With a wave of her hand, the room and ceiling darkened and the Runes of Power gleamed like molten silver on the softly glowing Crystal Table. It was all Kiril could do to suppress an undignified expression of awe. “I believe you know the rules; the runes call on and seat the speakers.”
As though in demonstration, the Fire Rune in front of Anthya blazed up in light and burned in non-consumptive flame above the center of the table.
“The runes had chosen the first speaker. Councilor Anthya….” The High Council nodded in Anthya’s direction and sat down. No one else would speak as long as the fire rune occupied the center of the table.
Anthya stood slowly, the glow of the fiery rune reflecting off her silvery council robe edged in green. Councilor Anthya’s smooth ivory skin, light gold hair, and serene face gave her an appearance of softness but she exuded strength, conviction, and self-confidence. Her light gray eyes reflected back the rune’s fiery light as she consolidated her thoughts.
“I have been to the Devastated Continent,” she began slowly. “I understand how Rojaire and Kiril feel about it.” She was the only councilor who could make that claim. The words she spoke were heavy, given weight by experience …and grief. She gave them the pause they deserved.
“The Dark Devastation nearly destroyed our world. It practically wiped us out as a species. We failed to protect our planet from near annihilation. Tens of millions died on the Main Land; hardly anyone escaped alive from Lynnara.” There was an almost audible gasp when Anthya spoke the forbidden name, but she continued on as though she hadn’t noticed. “The destructive forces unleashed by Droclum’s evil actions scoured the island continent clean of all life and nearly snuffed out all life on the Main Land as well. And how do we make amends for our failure as an intelligent species? We refuse to call the island continent by name, referring to it as the Devastated Continent instead.”
Kiril gazed in rigid wonder and anxiety as he listened to Anthya speak. His chest felt so constricted, he was unable to breathe.
“Understandably, as a speci
es we felt remorse. But in an effort to atone our guilty souls we stripped the continent of her name and convinced ourselves that somehow we became nobler and remorseful by doing so.”
Anthya took a breath; therefore so did Kiril, stunned by the fervor of the councilor’s speech. At least Anthya was on their side.
“Councilor Zayla was my closest friend. I grieve her loss as much as anyone here. The expedition she and I were on together was her second trip to the island continent. Hundreds of cycles of the seasons had passed since her first expedition and she noted many changes in the landscape. Seismic activity had diminished and erosion had soften the contours of the land, and although still sparse, plant life had spread out across the continent from the Golden Sea to the Crescent Mountains. Even the interior, which Councilor Zayla never had a chance to see, supports some plant life.” Anthya paused again, but the Fire Rune remained in place.
“Councilor Zayla saw the continent was healing. I believe she would want us to heal as well. It is time we stop chastising ourselves and embrace our history; we cannot change it; we must accept it for what it is. We must honor our survival and learn from our mistakes. We can do that by freeing our natural sense of adventure and curiosity, by allowing Lynnara back into our hearts and opening the continent to exploration and colonization.”
And with those words uttered, the fiery rune winked out. It happened so suddenly, Kiril feared at first it was an expression of disapproval by the power of the Runes, but when the Sun Rune immediately took its place, he realized it was just a change of speaker.
Councilor Xevin rose from his seat to address the assembly. Having replaced Brakalar as Head of the Academy, he was highly esteemed in the Community of the High Council. The brightly shinning Sun Rune burnished his orangey-brown hair with golden highlights. His tall frame, bulky with muscle, erect posture, and sharp stare took command of their attention.
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