Shadow Walker (Neteru Academy Books)

by L. A. Banks

  Her grandmother’s voice rang out, distracting her from her thoughts almost as if on purpose.

  “That said, we are blessed.” Headmistress Stone opened her arms wide. “We are not going to let the dark side steal our joy or frighten us into paralysis or apathy. We will conduct classes, educate you and even throw in a party or two in order to maintain all the normalcy we can muster. Losses are devastating, but the living must continue living, or those who have perished will have died in vain. Neteru Rivera salvaged part of this monument from the ravages of the eruption of Popocatepetl and combined it with what he could salvage from Egypt. When that great volcano erupted in the end of days, lava threatened this Mayan landmark, and he brought it here—camouflaging it as one of the mountains and then adorning it was the capstone from Khufu, because even out of the rubble, something good can be salvaged.”

  Gracious applause from the older students and faculty rang out. Wil leaned in slightly, his voice low and gravelly as he spoke to Alejandro in a private murmur, but Sarah heard it—moreover, she felt it.

  “Yo, man, your dad even relowed a pyramid? Holy shit.”

  “Yeah,” Al said with pride. “Crazy, huh? Wish he’d relocate my pain-in-the-ass sister, though.” He gave Sarah a look that told her to stop eavesdropping.

  Wil smiled and shook his head and Val gave her a quizzical look as she shot her brother the evil eye. He gave her the finger in return, but held his hand down low and shielded it with his other hand so he couldn’t be seen by the adults.

  “Floating above us is the capstone salvaged from the post-battle wreckage that took place in Egypt at the Valley of the Kings. This is where our Upper Sphere Tehuti Akashic Records Library of astral truths and sacred texts is held, thanks to our Neterus. Students accessing these records must be able to either transport themselves there or do their studies via telepathy and astral travel.”

  Ayana had told her that the library was nicknamed the dollar bill.

  Headmistress Stone pointed above her head. “Note that there is a full three floors of nothing but pure ether between our dragon-protected ceiling and the library entry. But Lower Sphere students need not fear. We have a more traditional library located along one of the normal underground corridors.”

  Intermittent chuckles threaded through the Great Hall from both adept Upper Sphere students and faculty as Headmistress Stone offered a brilliant smile. But it faded after a moment as she directed her gaze around the hall.

  “A library is a privilege in this era, students. You have no idea what it took to save all the texts and manuscripts that we have here. After the New World Order commenced and then evolved into the One World System, every dissenting book and film was burned. Music deemed revolutionary or unfit was eradicated. All religious texts were confiscated. Sacred scrolls, ancient hieroglyphics, codicils, you name it, were burned. Much of what is stored in the Tehuti Library was sent to us via astral projection from the Neteru Queens and Kings Councils, and angel hierarchies… so some of the more obscure texts are only in that ethereal form while our diligent scribes from the Land of Nod work on the restoration effort. But you will have the next seven years of Tree of Life Sphere ascension to learn about these things. Patience and a firm dedication to your studies is the key.”

  Seven years. But the horror they were facing, the thing that everyone was telling them was their destiny, was coming six years from now—unless it was already here. They didn’t have seven years to learn all that they needed to know!

  Sarah felt like the bottom had dropped out of her stomach. This was only day one, and she was already scared, confused and mentally exhausted. But her nana seemed excited, even while casting a stern warning. How did a woman her age have so much energy?

  “Now that you’ve heard and seen a brief history, as well as a sobering update from our wise security council,” Headmistress Stone said with a warm smile, “let us meet our new incoming students according to talent division, so that they may be properly inducted into our fine institution.”

  Again applause thundered through the hall. And again that sick feeling returned to overtake Sarah until she shuddered.

  Chapter 7

  Questions swirled in Sarah’s mind, even though the dread of public talent divisioning was upon her. Having partial information about the dead and missing was almost worse than being kept in the dark. She wanted to know more than just the names of the students who had died. Just how had they been killed by the forest? Where on the grounds had the abductees been when they went missing? What were their names, ages and talents? Did they have families who would grieve for them? What security measures had been put in place to make sure it wouldn’t happen again?

  Sarah’s mother stepped forward and stood next to her nana Marlene, jerking Sarah away from her darkening thoughts. Her mother turned one palm up and one palm down, mirroring the Egyptian hieroglyphics on a nearby pillar. Her grandmother matched her mother’s stance, her hands turned in the opposite directions, as though one woman was sending something invisible and the other was receiving it. They were only separated by a few feet, but soon their body auras became visible, golden light bathing each woman in a shimmering glow.

  Murmurs of hushed awe filtered through the audience, and Sarah had to admit that her mother and grandmother looked like the gorgeous queens of old. Within seconds the space between their hands seemed to draw in the light from their energy fields, the golden beam splintering into the full color spectrum before flaring into a white light that drew audible gasps of pleasure from the students. Then suddenly that light condensed into a single solid beam that focused on the largest of the dragon anchors until the eyes of the huge creature began to glow. Unlike the others, this huge one was a massive water dragon that looked as though her aunt Jasmine had painted him in water color hues from the jewel blue deep.

  “Whoa…” Alejandro murmured, his voice a low rush of respect that blended in with the mesmerized responses of the other students.

  The huge Asian water dragon closed its gold glowing eyes for a moment, its antennae twitching. Suddenly it seemed as though the light that had once escaped through its huge irises imploded, to light it from the inside out, turning its multi-hued, iridescent scales a kaleidoscope of shimmering color as it broke away from the wall to stream its large body up and out through the skylight.

  The students craned their necks, their eyes trained on the opening in the ceiling, watching the watercolor-hued dragon spiral toward the capstone that hovered over the Great Hall.

  As quickly as it had risen, it returned in a nose dive that made some students duck and cover their heads. But rather than crash against the students or the stone floor, it undulated down the main aisle with what looked like a giant completely round snow globe in its mouth.

  Her mother and grandmother gave each other an amused glance as the dragon rolled over on its back a few times like a playful Labrador and then released a rumbling growl of delight.

  “Mojo, you can play with Zehiradangra later,” Headmistress Stone said, barely concealing her smile. “She has work to do right now.”

  The dragon frowned and let out a huff of annoyance, then righted himself. Sarah’s mother looked away for a moment, looking as though she might break out into laughter as the recalcitrant dragon lowered his head, still holding the globe in his massive jaws, and backed away from Headmistress Stone in sheer defiance.

  “Drop it,” Sarah’s father demanded, making the dragon growl.

  “You oughta let him out more,” Uncle Jack commented from the sidelines, but a quick glare from his wife was enough to silence him.

  “Pearl,” Sarah’s mother crooned with a smile, speaking to the globe and using the oracle’s pet name. “Will you explain to Mojo that we have students here this morning, sooo…uhm, we need his cooperation.”

  Tiny bubbles created a strobe effect inside the globe as it changed from translucent to varying and deeper shades of pink. Clearly unhappy about whatever had transpired in secret dragon language,
Mojo moved to the platform with a scowl and gently placed the globe on the light bridge extending between Sarah’s mother’s and grandmother’s palms. Grumbling all the way back down the aisle and as he returned to his ceiling perch, the dragon turned away from her mother as she tried to console him with a “Thank you, Mojo” that fell on deaf ears.

  It was almost comical as the huge dragon shunned the two women who had taken his prize. Mojo wouldn’t even look at the riser that held amused faculty. He just turned away and covered his head in the coil of his tail.

  Now that the globe was held in the energy bond between her mother’s and grandmother’s hands and backlit by the white light, Sarah could see that the globe was filled with water and had a sugar-sand bottom that cushioned a magnificent pearl—the most perfect, iridescent pearl that she could ever have imagined, magnified by the water to appear many times its real size.

  “This oracle was a gift from the Neteru Council of Queens during my journey of self-discovery,” Sarah’s mother said with love in her voice, her gaze leaving the students to focus on the globe for a moment. “My queens sent me on a mission, and along my path of enlightenment, I—we,” she amended, glancing over to her husband, “met Zehiradangra, a water dragon of the highest order from the Land of Nod.”

  Applause rang out from the faculty, who stood. The Upper Sphere students followed suit, while the rest simply looked around, bewildered.

  “Ze—uh, Counselor Zehiradangra,” Sarah’s father said, once the applause had died down, “is special to us all.”

  His comment drew an angry growl from Mojo, and the globe released a stream of tiny bubbles that made the dragon resettle himself with a disgruntled huff. Headmistress Stone looked away and seemed to be biting her lip, and Sarah’s mother couldn’t conceal a wide smile as she resumed her speech. Oh, yeah, Sarah was sure there was a story there, but there was no time to figure all that out now.

  “Counselor Zehiradangra is someone every student should respect, and it is a blessing that we have her on our faculty. She is a water dragon who gave up her incarnation as a free swimming being to become a dragon pearl oracle to the Neterus during one of the most crucial chapters in our history. I wore her throughout the battles of the Armageddon and affectionately call her Pearl, and I am—as we all are—forever indebted to her for her selfless sacrifice, constantly radiant good nature, guidance and, ultimately, her wisdom. She will not steer you wrong, for she listens with a good heart, then magnifies the divine voice that speaks to your soul in a soft whisper until you are ready to hear it.”

  The Great Hall fell completely silent as the light brightened around the globe, and then suddenly the tapestries lit up again. The anchor dragons resumed their slow, undulating dance, and Mojo began to weave between them as though somehow orchestrating their movements.

  “Welcome, students,” a watery, disembodied voice murmured. “I am honored to be here with you on this auspicious day.” There was a slight pause as the lighting on the tapestries began to run the gamut of rainbow hues. “Hello, Damali…I’ve missed you so. Carlos, as always, it is a pure pleasure to see you.” When the large dragon stopped moving and stared at Sarah’s father, the oracle sighed. “Now, Mojo, do not start. We have been through this a hundred times, if once.”

  Sarah glanced at Tami, who whispered, “Tell me that old lady pearl is not flirting with your dad!”

  “Not now,” Sarah said, blushing. She was going to die. Oh yes, she was absolutely going to die.

  “Today,” the oracle went on, undaunted, “we will all be embarking upon a most glorious adventure. Once a month I will meet with each of the thirty new students, and with the Upper Spheres once a quarter, to chart your progress. Determining destiny is not an exact science. It is more of an art…because you are the variable. Destiny is based upon your choices—and it is always your choice, for you have free will—of the various options along your personal path. So I want each of you to remember that where you find yourself today is not necessarily where you will be six months from now, much less a lifetime. What matters most is how you envision yourself. Just ask Neteru Damali Richards Rivera—she is so different now than she was when she and I first encountered each oth—”

  “Ahem, yes,” Headmistress Stone said with a chuckle. “But perhaps that is a longer story for another day?”

  “Perhaps so,” the oracle cooed with a giggle, causing Sarah’s mother to blush. “Then let the talent divisioning begin.”

  Silence filled the Hall, and students turned in their seats and looked up the aisles.

  “What’s happening?” Sarah asked. Tami shrugged, and they turned around, too.

  At first it didn’t seem like anything was happening, until Allie grabbed Sarah’s arm and said, “Look!”

  Thick black smoke began rolling down the aisles. It spilled into the rows and down to the very front of the Great Hall. It undulated around their ankles and began to rise.

  “What the hell?” Al said, jumping to his feet.

  Sarah was about to stand, as well, when the older students broke out into wild cheers and began clapping, then finally stood themselves.

  The black smoke began to climb the walls until it reached the ceiling, and it was as if they were surrounded by a cage of black pulsing smoke.

  “Somebody better tell me what is going on real fast!” Tami said, looking a little panicked.

  All of a sudden there was a whoosh of sound, and all the black smoke rushed toward the center of the ceiling, then came plummeting down. Many students screamed and ducked, including Sarah, who, felt a strong cool and somehow familiar wind rush by her, powerful enough to tug at her clothes and hair. She looked around frantically to see where the next attack was coming from. The black smoke whipped about the room and then dove toward the ground at the front of the Hall. It slammed into the floor, and when it cleared, a tall dark-haired boy was standing there, holding a gold-and-black flag, and behind him stood four other students, one of whom was Wil.

  Sarah whipped around, and sure enough, Wil was no longer in his seat. She turned back around and stared wide-eyed.

  “Shadows!” someone yelled, and the Great Hall exploded in whoops and yells.

  From the response of the students and from the smiling faces among the faculty, this clearly was how the Shadows made their entrance during the talent divisions. Couldn’t someone have warned them before she died of heart failure? She looked at Tami, whose eyes were glowing with excitement—now that she knew they weren’t being attacked.

  “Oh, that was awesome!” she said, and Sarah laughed.

  “We welcome our new Shadows—the most talented members of the Specials division,” Counselor Z said, and the applause rose once again.

  Next the sound of trumpets filled the Hall, and six large flags dropped from the ceiling. Each was a different color or combination of colors and bore a different symbol. The red-and-white flag with a gold crown represented the Specials; the purple flag with the image of an eye represented the Clairvoyants; the yellow flag with a lightning bolt down the middle represented the Tacticals; the orange flag with the image of an open lotus blossom represented the Olfactors; the blue flag with the image of an Akhan war horn represented the Audios; and the green flag with an Akhan war drum represented the Blends.

  Six flag bearers appeared and began to walk down the aisles. Cheers went up around the room as the students cheered for their divisions.

  “Who is that? Tami asked, staring.

  Sarah followed her line of vision and immediately saw who she was talking about. It was the Specials flag bearer.

  He was tall and dark-haired, and his intense gray eyes held a hypnotic quality. His gaze almost seemed intrusive; Sarah wanted to look away but couldn’t. It was hard to tell what he was. Part vampire, maybe?

  “Hybrid, you think?” Allie whispered in a rush. “Like some kinda telepath…but he also gives off something else, something that scares me.”

  “Whatever he is, he’s sexy as hell,” Tami murmured.r />
  Sarah just shrugged, her eyes still following the boy with the hypnotic gray eyes. Allie was right; there was something frightening about his vibe. She tried to shake off her uneasy response to him, reasoning that if an ancient oracle, plus her mom and Nana, had allowed him to enter the Academy, then he couldn’t be genuinely dangerous.

  Once the flag bearers got to the front, they turned and faced the assembly.

  “You have each received your letters, now please take your place behind your division’s flag,” Counselor Z said. “Come, come now,” she continued, when no one leaped to their feet. “Get behind the flag of your talent.”

  Sarah looked around in confusion and was horrified to realize that all eyes were fastened on the Neteru Guardian kids. This was the moment they had all been waiting for, and no one was moving until they saw what divisions the Neteru crew had placed in.

  Sarah wanted to die. There went her slender hopes of slipping into her division unnoticed. She’d known all along that it had been a pointless fantasy, but still…

  The rest of the compound girls sat there, frozen, looking at Sarah to make the first move. Why were they looking at her? She was going to sit there all day if she had to.

  Of course, Al had no qualms about rising to the occasion. He shone in moments like this, and why wouldn’t he? He wasn’t a Blend and hadn’t shamed his parents. Her brother stood, shoulders thrown back proudly, and walked calmly and confidently to the Specials flag bearer and stood behind him. Cheers erupted all over the Great Hall, clearly from other Specials. They had scored big, getting one of the Neteru kids in their section. When Val got up and joined her brother, more cheers rose.

  Miguel stepped out and walked over to the Audio section. Cheers went up just as he was about to step behind the flag bearer when Counselor Zehiradangra said, “Wait.”

  The Hall fell silent.

  They watched Miguel lift his chin and straighten defensively. His parents, along with Aunt Juanita and Uncle Jose, leaned forward apprehensively, trying unsuccessfully to seem neutral. There was a heated discussion going on up on the dais that made Sarah and the others crane their necks.