He opened the cover and began leafing through the pages. The illustrations were pretty intense, very colorful and dramatic. The writing was in a fancy type that was hard to read, about a Prince Warrior who went on all sorts of perilous adventures. Each chapter highlighted a different piece of the Warrior’s armor, all of which Levi now had, although the armor in the book was much fancier and more elaborate than Levi’s was. More like the kind of armor people wore in gladiator movies that he and his dad liked to watch.
He went right to the chapter about the sword, curious to see what the book said about it. On the title page there was a large illustration of a beautiful, gleaming sword. It looked so real he had to touch it. But when he did, his finger went right through, as if there were a hole in the page.
Curious, Levi shined the flashlight directly onto the page. The light revealed a strange outline in the blade of the sword—a shape that looked an awful lot like his Krÿs. He picked up the Krÿs and pressed it to the page to see if the outline was really the same. To his surprise, the Krÿs slipped right into the picture, as if the hole he had discovered was perfectly conformed to the knife’s shape and size. The Krÿs blended into the illustration of the sword so that it became almost invisible.
The page began to flicker, like static on an old television set. Then a word flared across the top of the page.
Implanted.
This writing was not in that strange, other-worldly language. It was in plain English. Levi’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.
Fearing he’d lost the Krÿs, Levi reached into the page again and pulled the small knife back out. It came out easily, and the word disappeared from the top. The page went black. Amazed, Levi put the Krÿs back in and took it out several times. Each time the page seemed to come alive.
He didn’t know for sure whether or not he was imagining this. His experience on the Mountain of Rhema was already pretty fuzzy. Reality blurred with his own imagination. But he had definitely gotten the sword, even if it had turned into this funny, useless little knife-like thing.
But the Krÿs definitely seemed to belong in this book, as if it was a storage place. So was that the secret? Or was there something more to it? And what did it mean by “implanted”?
Levi felt there had to be something else, something more significant than just a hiding place for the Krÿs. He re-inserted the Krÿs, but this time he didn’t take it out quickly. He waited. He wasn’t sure what he was waiting for exactly. The page flickered on like it had before, and as the static cleared away, the word Implanted appeared once again across the top of the page. For a moment nothing else happened. He was just about to take the Krÿs out again when he noticed that the blade in the illustration began to glow softly. And then Levi saw more writing beginning to take shape below it. The letters appeared slowly, forming into a single word:
Received.
Levi stared at both words which now sandwiched his Krÿs—one on the top of the page and the other on the bottom:
Implanted. Received.
What on earth did that mean?
“I see you figured it out.”
He jumped. His dad was leaning against his bedroom window, looking into the tree house, a big grin on his face. The bedroom light reflected off his bald head. Levi wondered how long his dad had been watching him.
Levi’s dad, James Arthur, was known as Mr. J. Ar to his friends and all the kids at the Cedar Creek Rec Center, where he acted as basketball coach and part-time manager. He volunteered nearly every day, because he said he grew up without knowing his own father and didn’t want that to happen with his son. Mr. J. Ar was really tall and broad-shouldered, with massive hands that could palm a basketball with ease. Everyone looked up to him, but Levi especially, even though he wasn’t all that fond of basketball.
And Levi’s dad also happened to be a Prince Warrior.
“Figured out what?” Levi asked.
“How to implant the sword.”
Implant. There was that word again.
“What do you mean?”
“You implant the Krÿs in the book, and the book receives it. Then it infuses the Krÿs with the power of the Source. It’s sort of like when you charge your phone. Except different.”
“This book does that?”
Mr. J. Ar nodded. “Cool, huh?”
“I guess so. Ruwach didn’t tell us very much about it. I mean, we climbed this huge mountain and almost didn’t make it. Then we got the swords and had a little trouble with trees—but then the swords turned into these things.”
“Well, that climb is no picnic, I know,” Mr. J. Ar said with a laugh. “I still remember my trek up that mountain. It can’t be done without courage and perseverance. And going back down can be even worse.”
“You can say that again. There was this huge black dragon—”
“Ah. So you saw Antannyn.”
“Who’s that?”
“The biggest and baddest of the black dragons. A particular favorite of the enemy.”
“Well, it got into a fight with Tannyn and—killed him.” Levi’s head dropped at the memory.
Mr. J. Ar raised an eyebrow at his downcast expression. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said.
“I never saw a dragon shoot spikes from its tail. . . .”
“Thorns.”
“What?”
“The black dragons shoot thorns. Thorns are a big problem for true Prince Warriors. You always have to be on guard against them.”
Levi sighed, looking down at the book in his hands. “Where did this book come from? I mean, I never saw it here before.”
“I left it up here awhile ago, but you haven’t been here in a long time.”
“No, I got really busy, and I’m getting too big, I guess.” Levi laughed.
Mr. J. Ar nodded. “Oh, son, some places you should never get too busy or too big for. It’s good to visit the old places. You never know what you’re going to find. Aren’t you glad you came today?”
“Yeah. This is pretty cool.”
“Better come inside and get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.”
“What’s tomorrow?”
“You and the other kids need to learn how to use your swords.”
* * *
Levi went to bed and dreamt of dragons and swords and steaming mountains. He dreamt of fire and smoke and thorns—thorns on trees and dogs and houses, thorns everywhere. The dream was so real and so frightening that he woke up several times, sweat pouring down the side of his face. He had to get up and get a drink of water before going back to sleep again.
“Time to get up, kiddo.” His father’s voice boomed into his latest dream—jolting him out of a fantastical ride on Tannyn’s back, gliding over the world. It had been so vivid that he could actually feel the wind pressing his face, his stomach going up and down with Tannyn’s dips and dives. He felt sad all over again about Tannyn, grateful that he could ride that goofy, wonderful dragon one more time, even if it was only a dream.
“What time is it?” he asked in a groggy voice. He ran a hand over his tapered afro. He liked to keep his hair cut low in the summer and then let it grow out in the fall when the weather was cooler. It wasn’t long enough yet that his mom had started complaining about it.
“Seven,” said his dad, throwing open the curtains, although it was barely even light out.
“In the morning? Why do I have to get up so early?”
“Need to get to the Rec before it opens. I already talked to the other kids. They’ll meet us there. We need a couple hours to get started. Don’t forget your Krÿs—and your book.”
“But Finn—how are you going to call him? We don’t know where he lives or his last name or even if he has a phone. I mean, he might not even be back on earth yet.”
“If he is, I’m sure Rook will find him,” said Mr. J. Ar.
“So Rook’s co
ming too?”
“Sure. Rook is helping me with the training. Grandpa Tony too. Both are very good swordsmen.”
“Brianna’s grandfather? Isn’t he kind of old?”
Mr. J. Ar laughed. “Some skills just get better with age.”
* * *
When they got to the rec center, Mr. J. Ar unlocked the front door and then turned on the lights. A short time later, Mr. Blake dropped off Xavier and Evan with a big box of donuts. He’d given Manuel a ride too, since Manuel lived across the street from the Blakes. The boys sat down at one of the tables and ate donuts while they waited for the rest to get there.
“Your dad told us to bring our Prince Warrior book,” Evan said to Levi. “But he didn’t say why.”
“You’ll find out,” Levi said with a secret grin. It was cool knowing something no one else knew.
Brianna and Ivy came in with Grandpa Tony, who greeted the boys with hand-clasps and fist bumps and then went to talk to Mr. J. Ar. Brianna and Ivy sat down at the table. Levi saw that Brianna had a new backpack; instead of the old pink, bedazzled backpack she’d had for years, she was carrying one of those new hipster styles made of a woven fabric in a bright pattern.
“Where’d you get that?” Levi asked her.
“Oh, Ivy gave it to me,” Brianna said. She whipped out her favorite glitter lip gloss and slathered her lips.
“It was a birthday present,” said Ivy.
“It’s cool,” Levi said, impressed, although he felt weirdly sad too. Ever since they became friends, Brianna spent most of her time with Ivy now. She didn’t come over to Levi’s house nearly as often, and she didn’t hang out with him at the Rec like she used to. Levi didn’t mind so much; it was just that sometimes he actually missed her. He didn’t tell her that though.
“Donuts!” said Brianna, reaching across Levi for the box of donuts. She took a sugarcoated donut and passed the box to Ivy, who helped herself.
The front door opened, and Rook (a former prisoner of Skot’os) came in with a satchel slung over his shoulder. He turned and motioned to someone outside the door. Finn appeared, glancing around cautiously before entering. His formerly round, thick afro had been tapered down on the sides like Levi’s, except with a thicker tuft on the top. He was dressed in jeans and a Cedar Creek High School football T-shirt.
“It’s Finn,” whispered Evan. “I think it’s his first time back here. He told me he hadn’t been back since he was freed.”
“He cut his hair,” said Brianna.
“Hey man,” said Levi, rising to greet him. They clasped hands. “How’s it feel to be back?”
“Okay, so far,” Finn murmured. His eyes darted about nervously.
“You play football?” said Levi, noticing the shirt.
“Used to.”
“Finn!” Evan ran over and gave him a fist bump like he did with his very best friends. “Wanna stay at our house?”
Finn’s eyes flicked to Rook, who gave him a nod and a smile. “Finn’s hanging with me for a while,” said Rook. “Until he gets everything figured out.”
“Everyone bring your books? And your Krÿsen?” said Mr. J. Ar, coming to the table. Xavier, Manuel, and the girls took their books out of their backpacks. Levi, Evan, and Finn sat down at the table; Levi already had his book out.
“I don’t have one of those,” said Finn, pointing to Levi’s book.
“I’ve got one for you.” Rook produced a Prince Warrior book from his satchel and set it in front of Finn. Finn glanced up at him, questioning. “It’s cool,” Rook said.
“Levi is going to show you what he has discovered about the book,” said Mr. J. Ar. Levi looked up at his father, surprised. “Go ahead, son. You show them.”
Levi felt everyone staring at him; he cleared his throat. “Well, I was just looking at this page with the sword last night. And I noticed there was a hole here. . . .” Levi opened his book to the sword page and stuck his finger into it, as he had done in the tree house. The kids made noises of surprise. “I figured out that the Krÿs actually fits in here.” He pressed his Krÿs into the page. The kids gasped when they saw it sink right in and virtually disappear. After a moment they saw the words appear on the page.
“Implanted?” said Brianna. “What does that mean?”
“Implant means to insert securely,” said Manuel.
“Yeah,” said Levi. “So when you implant the Krÿs in the book like this, it gets filled up with power.”
“Wow,” said Evan. “I’ve looked at that book a million times and never noticed that page before.”
“The book reveals different things, in different ways, at different times,” said Grandpa Tony. “It’s a special book.”
“How did you figure it out, Levi?” asked Brianna.
Levi shrugged. “I don’t know. I just did.”
“I don’t have a book,” said Xavier. “Only Evan does.”
“The book can handle more than one sword at a time,” said Mr. J. Ar. “You and Evan can both use the same book.”
“Like we have to share a phone,” said Xavier with a sigh.
“You’ll know the sword is powered up when the crest appears in the hilt,” said Grandpa Tony. “If the crest fades, it means the sword is losing power. It only takes a few minutes to charge, so you shouldn’t have a problem as long as you keep the book handy.”
“We keep an extra book in the trunk in the closet,” said Mr. J. Ar. “You can use that anytime. Especially in emergencies.”
The kids practiced implanting their Krÿsen into the books and taking them out again. Once the swords were fully infused and ready to use, Mr. J. Ar told them to go to the supply closet where the trunk of armor was kept and put their armor on. “Let’s meet in the gym. Rook will work with Finn and Xavier. Tony, you take the girls, and I will work with Levi, Evan, and Manuel. Let’s do this, people.”
CHAPTER 10
Training Days
The kids and adults put on their armor and carried their Krÿsen into the gym, breaking into groups that Mr. J. Ar had assigned. Evan stood between Levi and Manuel and waved his little knife around, as if trying to make it bigger.
“Careful, Evan, you’re going to hurt somebody,” said Levi.
“With this little thing, the worst I could do is butter them,” said Evan, sarcastically. “How do you make it bigger, Mr. J. Ar?”
“If you’d listen, I would tell you,” said Mr. J. Ar somewhat impatiently.
Evan stopped waving his knife and stood quietly.
“That’s better. First, set your feet one in front of the other and bend your knees. Make sure you have a strong stance. To activate the sword, you need to raise the handle and press it to your breastplate, blade up. Point it slightly away from your chin, so you don’t slice yourself up. Like this.” Mr. J. Ar demonstrated by pressing the handle of his Krÿs to his breastplate. As soon as it made contact, the sword grew to its full length, nearly half as tall as Mr. J. Ar himself.
“Whoa!” said Evan. “Awesome!”
Levi followed the instructions, touching the handle of his knife to his breastplate. He felt a slight buzz in his palm, and the knife jolted out of his hands as the small blade grew to its full length. Evan burst out laughing.
“Gotta hang on tight,” said Mr. J. Ar, picking up the sword and handing it back to Levi.
“Your turn, Evan.”
Evan braced himself and pulled the small knife to his chest. Instantly the huge blade popped up, narrowly missing his chin. He threw his head back in surprise and fell over backward, landing on his butt. He glowered at Levi, who was now snickering at him.
“Not so easy, huh?” said Levi.
Mr. J. Ar gave Evan a hand back to his feet. “There’s a reason you get in your stance first. One foot in front, one in back. To keep your balance. And remember not to point the blade directly under your chi
n.”
“Got it,” said Evan.
Then it was Manuel’s turn. He set his legs apart as he’d seen the other two boys do, gripped the handle of the Krÿs extra tight, and touched it to his chest. Nothing happened. He tried again and again. Still nothing.
“Mine’s broken,” he said finally.
“Blade up,” said Mr. J. Ar. He reached out and adjusted Manuel’s grip; the blade extended so fast that Manuel jumped, although because he had his feet properly set, he didn’t fall over.
“Good job,” said Mr. J. Ar, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “You’re a good listener, Manuel. Now that the sword is activated, it can be wielded. Remember what Ruwach has probably already told you: the sword is an offensive weapon. But it should only be used against the enemy or a servant of the enemy. And it can only kill the inhuman kind of enemy. The unseen kind. Do you understand this?”
The boys nodded eagerly.
“Okay. Lesson one,” said Mr. J. Ar. “Stay calm. Stay focused. Never rush in. Take time to breathe. To think. Plan your first move with care. Your first move will probably decide how the whole fight will go. You want to end the fight as soon as you can. And you want to win. Got it?”
The boys nodded.
“Good. Lesson two. Your stance. This is how you stand when ready for battle. Like we already learned, keep your knees slightly bent, one foot forward, one foot back. Never side by side. Your sword should be pointed at your opponent’s head or chest at all times. Let me see you try it.”
The boys raised their swords, pointing the tips at Mr. J. Ar’s chest.
“Good. Keep your tip up at all times. Keep your elbows close to your body. Don’t overextend your arm. Don’t go swinging wildly. You are looking for quick, targeted thrusts and cuts.
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