They briskly walked through the Hub. When Todd and his father reached the outer sector they began walking against the flow of Sojourners. As the buildings in the area started to become sparse, Todd realized they were getting close to the border. Their surroundings began to look similar to a tall grass prairie on Earth. In the middle of the landscape, Todd espied a shack. His dad continued walking up to the door of the building and knocked. They waited.
After they waited in a long awkward silence, an old man opened the door. “May I help you?”
Todd’s dad said, “Hello Johan. It’s Mr. Schluter.”
“Mr. Schluter? Did you say Agent Schluter? My, it has been a long time. Good to see you again. You look a lot older now.”
“You haven’t changed much.” The two men laughed.
Johan motioned for them to come inside. Todd’s dad gave him the nod to follow. As he entered the shack, Todd thought: What on Earth could this man possibly know about clonsayee creatures?
When they stepped inside, the man looked around and pointed to the rickety old furniture. “Have a seat. Not the finest but it’s the best I can do.” They all sat.
The man asked, “Agent Schluter, what brings you to me after all these years?” He scratched his head. “Has it been about twenty years or so?”
Mr. Schluter confirmed that it had been about twenty years since he’d seen Johan last. “My son Todd has an interest in clonsayee creatures.”
The man’s face lit up. “Oh, I can tell stories about the clonsayees. They are beautiful and mysterious creatures.”
He turned his attention to Todd. “What do you want to know about them, young man? I can answer just about any question you might have about the animals. I grew up around them.”
Todd suddenly understood why his dad had brought him to this particular man. The three of them talked for over an hour before the man said, “You seem to know quite a bit about them. I’m curious if you’d like to see some wild clonsayees in their natural environment?”
Todd jumped at the chance. “You bet I would!”
The old man placed his hands on either side of his chair to help himself stand. Once he stood, Johan walked into the next room and called for them to join him. When they entered the room, the man asked Mr. Schluter, “Do you trust me? Because we will have to use an old Marble Track.”
Mr. Schluter looked at Todd. He swallowed hard, thinking about the ordeal they had been through over the years, wondering if Todd was alive or dead. If something unfortunate happened, his wife wouldn’t even know how to find them. He looked at Todd who was staring back at him having the same thoughts.
Mr. Schluter asked, “When does your mail come?”
“The Hub mail?”
“Yes. When is it picked up?”
“After dinner.”
Mr. Schluter asked if he could put something in Johan’s mailbox to send to his wife, in case this didn’t work out and they became stranded. The man saw the humor in that remark and good-naturedly accommodated him. When Mr. Schulter finished writing the letter, he placed it in the man’s rusty mailbox then went back to join them.
Johan said, “Okay, I have a marble around here someplace. I’m always losing it. Let me think where I saw it last.”
Todd looked around and thought: There aren’t many places he could put a marble in here. He only has a bed and dresser in this room. Todd looked nervously at his dad who avoided making eye contact. His father walked to the dresser to look at the small Marble Track that was setting on top.
The older man stomped his foot on a floorboard and one end of the board popped up. The man reached down and grabbed the other end. Johan asked Todd if he could reach down in the space to retrieve the marble. Todd reluctantly knelt down on his knees and felt around in the dark space for the tiny marble. Once he found the marble, he stood. Todd placed the marble on the palm of his hand and held it out to the man.
“Well done, lad. Shall we?”
Todd nervously smiled at Johan. “Okay.”
The man dropped the marble on the small track and a Passageway appeared. “Follow me.” He walked through, followed by Todd and then Mr. Schluter.
On the other side, the older man looked around at their surroundings. He pointed in the direction they should walk. Along the way he said, “Up over the hill are the clonsayee creatures’ nests. We should be very careful and remember they are wild creatures. Keep back. Don’t make any sudden movements. We are just here to observe.” Todd and his dad agreed.
Once they were on the other side of the hill, in the distance they could see nests in the pasture. Johan paused to catch his breath for a short time but then continued walking until they reached what he called a safe observance distance. Todd and his dad sat down on a fallen tree while they waited until they saw movement.
Once they detected some motion, Johan said to them, “Stay here and watch.”
The older man walked very slowly to the clonsayees that were coming out of their nests. Todd observed the man walk a few steps and then stop, walk and then stop, letting the animals get used to his presence. He did this until he drew close to one of the beautiful creatures. Johan whispered in its ear. The creature nodded as if it understood what the man was saying.
Todd stood and watched the older man pat the creature; continuing to stroke its long feathery mane. He wondered what Johan was saying. Todd was so curious that he began repeating the same steps-stop movements that the man did to draw near the creatures. His dad tried to stop him but for some reason paused long enough to allow Todd to move forward toward the creatures. Todd kept slowly moving closer and then he would stop, move closer and then stop.
Johan watched Todd as he kept coming toward the clonsayees. He continued to whisper to the creature until the creature walked away from him toward Todd. Todd froze. Todd’s dad suddenly realized what was happening and began moving toward Todd. Johan held up a hand signaling him to stop. Mr. Schluter froze.
Several of the other clonsayee creatures followed the lead animal walking toward Todd. As they neared the younger man, the creatures surrounded him. Todd slowly turned around so he could gaze at all of them.
Johan quietly said, “I knew it from the moment my old eyes looked upon you son. You too are a clonsayee chanter.”
Todd closed his eyes, letting the words flow from his heart, as he began saying words he’d never spoken before over and over again. He opened his eyes as the creatures surrounding him were now kneeling. Todd looked at the old man.
Johan’s face showed amazement at what he was seeing. He whispered, “Continue.” Todd continued to chant until one of the creatures came slowly to stand in front of him and stop.
The old man blinked and opened his eyes wide. Then Johan said, “The creature senses something special about you. It is allowing you to ride him. I don’t know if you should.” Before he finished the thought, Todd was already on the clonsayee. He took hold of the creature’s mane with both hands.
Johan said, “Well, I’ll be. I’ve never seen anyone able to do that before.”
The older man walked toward the creature that he’d been whispering to earlier. It folded its legs allowing the man to mount. Todd watched, amazed that Johan could get his legs over the creature to ride it. Once the creature stood on its four legs, the man gave Todd a lesson about clonsayee creatures that he’d never forget the rest of his life.
Mr. Schluter watched from a distance as his son learned impressive things about clonsayees. The animals were so fast that he couldn’t see them run at times. The two riders would just suddenly appear in different places around the field as Johan taught Todd how to maneuver the creature. Only once did Todd fall off the clonsayee. Mr. Schluter was about to run and check on him, when Johan lifted his hand signaling Todd’s father to stay back. Todd stood, brushed himself off and remounted the clonsayee.
Once Todd felt confident again, Johan demonstrated how to command the clonsayee to hurdle a tree. Todd circled the tree to try following the directions, but hi
s dad called his name. Todd glanced over at him.
Mr. Schluter shook his head. “Son, I think it’s too soon.”
Todd patted the creature’s neck and said, “I think we can do it Dad. It will be okay. I want to try.”
His dad covered his eyes but peeked through his fingers so he could watch. It took Todd two attempts but on the final attempt the clonsayee soared gracefully through the air. It seemed to Todd as if he was suspended in midair for the longest time. He looked down in astonishment at how far he could see in the distance.
When the creature landed, Johan came up alongside him. “I’ve taught you everything I know about these magnificent creatures. You are a natural. I think it might be possible I could learn a thing or two from you.”
Johan demonstrated how to have the creature kneel in order to dismount. Todd followed the directions. He shifted his weight off the creature continuing to pat it. Todd once again whispered a chant in its ear before he said goodbye to the amazing creature. As the two men walked away, the creatures followed.
Johan put his hand on Todd’s shoulder. “Go ahead and chant to them.” Johan walked away and stood by Mr. Schluter leaving Todd with the clonsayees.
Todd closed his eyes and began chanting from his soul to the creatures.
Johan turned to Mr. Schluter and said, “Your son is a clonsayee chanter.”
“A what?”
“A clonsayee chanter. There are only two of us in the whole universe.” Mr. Schluter turned back to observe Todd. Both men listened to the young man chant.
When Todd finished, the creatures knelt down. The animals continued to watch Todd as he walked away toward his dad and Johan. Once he reached where the men were standing, Todd turned to the creatures and yelled a chant. They responded neighing as loud as they could. The echo of their neighs could be heard throughout the forest as native birds took to the air from the trees, wildlife stirred and the trees whispered amongst themselves.
Johan smiled. “Well done lad. I’ve never seen or heard of that being done before. You are truly special to these creatures.”
They followed Johan back to his Passageway. The old man blew into the air over a small crystal he had removed from his pocket. Once his Passageway opened, the three men all stepped through to the other side back into Johan’s room.
Mr. Schluter said, “Johan, that was amazing. Thank you so much for teaching my son what you did.”
“I didn’t teach him as much as he taught me.”
They walked to the front door saying their goodbyes. Todd told Johan, “I am so grateful that you took me to your special place. I will never forget your kindness.”
“It was my pleasure. I’ve been going to visit the herd for many, many years. I’ve never had an experience quite like that, ever. Thank you for teaching me things I didn’t even know about the remarkable creatures.”
Johan asked them to wait for one moment. Todd and his dad looked at one another and agreed to wait. Johan went back into the other room and closed the door. They heard him making faint noises behind the closed door. When Johan returned, he handed Todd a cloth drawstring bag.
Todd looked at his dad and then at Johan. “Thank you Sir, but I can’t accept a gift, especially after the gift you’ve already given me.”
“I insist. I’m getting too old to travel to see them. I already told them goodbye.” The man’s eyes watered. “I know I can leave them in your capable hands. Besides the universe only needs one clonmaster.”
Todd choked up. “No, Sir. I don’t believe that’s true. I’m glad that there is another. I wouldn’t know what to do or where to start with them.”
Johan put his hand on Todd’s back. “You just did.”
Todd thanked Johan for the invaluable lesson before he and his father left. Johan waved goodbye to them from the doorway before closing the door.
Chapter 38
Donovan walked into his office, slamming the door shut. Seymore came out from the back room just as Joseph stepped to his office door to look around. Seymore gave Joseph a concerned look then returned to his work. At that moment, Joseph wished he’d gone through the Passageway to Nxy. He left his office door open as he walked to his safe. He withdrew several items and put them in his pocket. Joseph sat down to glance over his calendar and made notes for Seymore. When he finished writing, Joseph walked over to Seymore’s desk placing his notes on the desktop calendar. Joseph watched Seymore as he worked.
Seymore felt Joseph’s stare. He looked up and asked, “May I be of assistance?”
Joseph shook his head. “No, I just left you some notes to follow up on cases for me.”
As Joseph walked away, he thought: Hmm. I need to get one of those. Where could I find one as loyal as Seymore? The wheels started turning and he began doing some research.
An hour later, Donovan barged into Joseph’s office while he was on the phone. Joseph stopped his conversation midsentence.
Donovan spoke loudly, “Gotta go. Now!”
Joseph wrapped up his call, gave the caseload to Seymore to distribute to the other attorneys they employed and then went to find his father. Joseph already knew Donovan was in a foul mood but his father gave him no clues as to why he was grouchy.
Joseph asked, “What do we have going on today?”
Donovan pointed to paperwork on his desk. “The market. There’s the report.” Donovan seized items out of his vault. He turned, picked up the report and walked through the Passageway. Joseph followed.
Once on the other side, Donovan briskly walked through the compound to the market area where he was immediately greeted by Non and several of the house managers. Donovan didn’t waste any time before he started right to work. He gave the men their orders then walked away. The men scattered, running off in all directions to complete the work they’d been assigned. Non stayed behind to make sure everything was ready for the auction that was to take place later in the evening. Joseph followed Donovan.
Donovan went from room to room inspecting the areas to make sure everything was in order. Joseph was surprised, considering his father rarely ever checked on anything before an auction; that was Non’s job. Joseph didn’t say a word, he just observed. Donovan ended the inspection in the inventory room where he looked over several of the items that were to go up for auction. Then he left the room and headed back to his office.
As Donovan walked, he said to Joseph, “You will have to keep up on these procedures. I hope you were taking notes. I’ve discussed the situation in detail with Non, and I’m about ready to hand over the management of our operations to you.” He stopped to face Joseph. “I hope you can handle it. I’m not convinced you’re smart enough to keep your eye on the ball. It seems you’re more concerned about Nxy’s whereabouts than taking care of business. The rumors are making the rounds about your activities, just like the old telephone game.” Donovan turned and walked off.
Joseph didn’t deny the allegations; it wouldn’t have made any difference if he had. He knew for once his father was right. When Donovan and Joseph reached the office area, they proceeded into their separate rooms. They closed their doors simultaneously. Joseph reveled in the thought that the transition was about to begin. At some point, very soon this would all belong to him.
Donovan, on the other hand, began plans of his own to protect his family’s empire. Before he handed over the reins to Joseph, his son was going to have to prove himself. Donovan knew he would have to determine if Joseph could gain the loyalty from those beneath him. He knew it wouldn’t take long to discover, without a doubt, just how capable his son would be taking over the business.
Donovan had his recruiters out in the Hub secretly bringing in new pawns to train for weeks now. This next cadre of trainees would be unique, in that they would receive specialized skills in covert operations. They were now becoming a specialized unit. Donovan had begun organizing a military force that would operate independently and with a different structure than the pawns recruited in the past. These men would have t
heir very own separate complex on a planet within the Universal Game. Joseph’s first assignment was to continue supervising their development, making sure the troops were trained, disciplined and equipped properly.
Joseph opened his office door. He looked around to make sure no one was in the hall. Once he saw the hallway was clear, Joseph exited the room and quietly closed his office door. He stealthily walked down the hall to the stairs and then out the door. He glanced around the area, making sure he was not being observed. The last time he sneaked out of the compound he wasn’t as careful as he thought. One of the pawns saw him and snitched to Donovan. This time would be a different story.
Earlier while Donovan was going from room to room doing his inspections, Joseph had overheard a couple of the managers talking about a secret training facility being built in one of their remote quadrants. This was news to him. His father hadn’t told him about any new developments for military training. Now that Joseph was thinking about it, neither did Nxy. He wasn’t sure where the facility was located, but he had a good idea where it might be found.
As Joseph walked through the compound, he observed the buildings. All of the buildings were made of a sleek black metallic material that was mined exclusively on this planet. It was discovered that the material was stronger than anything found on Earth. The glass they used was coated with a veneer that was shatter resistant. The buildings were structurally sound to withstand magnitude eight earthquakes. The compound was actually very pleasing to the eye if you liked contemporary buildings. Joseph considered them to be too austere. There was absolutely no litter on the ground. Everything was clean and sterile.
Joseph turned the corner and headed in the direction of a gated sector. He took keys from his pocket and unlocked the black gate. Once on the other side, he made certain the gate was locked to prevent anyone from following him. From there he disappeared into the only forest near the compound. Joseph wasn’t really a fan of having native trees anywhere in the vicinity. They always made him feel strange because they communicated with each other. It was beginning to grow dark. Joseph could see the lights of the compound shine in the night sky. He took out his flashlight and walked briskly along the path. If his father had a new training facility built in this outer quadrant, he needed to find it quickly and return before the auction started.
Return of the Clonsayee Page 19
