Strength

by Angela B. Macala-Guajardo

  “Wow, that’s so romantic,” Roxie said in a dreamy voice, daydreaming of something like that happening to her one year. “You have a very nice husband, Anna. Don’t lose him!”

  “Don’t worry,” Anna said slyly, looking at Roxie out of the corner of her eyes. “He won’t be getting away from me any time soon.” She kissed her husband and they all laughed—except for Jake and Aerigo.

  “Yuck! You kissed!” Jake made a grossed-out face.

  Aerigo stared at the table as if he hadn’t been listening. Roxie noticed but didn’t feel concerned. That’s just how he was: serious.

  “How can you go on a cruise every year?” Roxie asked. “They’re a lot of money.”

  “Yes,” Luis said lightly, “but I’m the owner of this cruise line. My name is Luis Herschel, son of William Herschel, and you are aboard the Herschel Lines.”

  Oh, my god. Rich people! “Shouldn’t you be getting all kinds of special treatment?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t like getting special attention, but I had to reveal my identity to get you two on board without any fuss.”

  “I’m sorry,” Roxie said.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said with a dismissive wave. “My cover never lasts for more than a couple days anyway.”

  “Well, it’s an honor to meet you and your family,” Roxie said.

  “Thank you, Roxie,” Luis said, putting both forearms on the table and looking pointedly at Aerigo, “Now, I know you two don’t have your own cabin.”

  Roxie froze. By some miracle she avoided having her eyes glow. She turned to Aerigo, who was staring at Luis. “I know Grandma said to not go crazy with her credit card, but stowaways?”

  “I don’t why my intuitiveness let me in on that secret,” Luis said, “but I knew I needed to help you two. I knew Roxie was more than overtired. You see: I get these urges to help others sometimes.”

  Aerigo bowed his head and steepled his hands. “Keep following your intuition.”

  Luis laughed. “I will, so long as it doesn’t drive my wife nuts.”

  “I’m getting used to it, love,” Anna said.

  “My daddy’s psychic,” Jake said.

  “He’s a half-seer,” Aerigo said, then clamped his mouth shut.

  “A what?” the adults asked in unison.

  “I think it’s time for us to find our own suite,” Aerigo said, standing up.

  “Wait a second,” Luis said, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “What did you call me? I want to know.”

  Aerigo glanced at each of them solemnly before answering. “A half-seer,” he said in a low voice.

  While Luis handled Aerigo’s slip rather well, Roxie noted that his wife was a little confused. Their son was lapping it up. He’d forgotten his DS. Its dungeon music blared away in the sudden silence.

  Half-seer? So she wasn’t the only person on the planet with magical powers? The revelation was comforting, yet it created more questions.

  Aerigo said, “You know when to reach out to strangers is because you’re a half-seer. You’re not a full seer for reasons that are difficult to explain.”

  “I understand,” Luis said, sounding satisfied with that answer. “Let’s head to back the cabin, now. Your own cabin can wait until tomorrow.”

  When they got back to the room, Aerigo pulled Roxie aside. “Come with me a second.” He led her onto the balcony and sat down. “It’s time I explained some things to you, Rox.”

  She leaned against the railing.

  “We’re headed to a world called Phaedra. It’s older than this world and very beautiful. I think you’ll like it. There are some things you need before I can start teaching you how to use—”

  “Is that really the best you can do, Aerigo?” a man said in a pained tone. “Honestly, do I have to do everything? Now shut your eyes and I’ll take care of the rest.”

  Not sure whether the voice was coming from inside her head or not, Roxie clenched the rail. Through the sliding doors Luis was unpacking with his wife. That voice wasn’t his. It wasn’t Aerigo’s either. “Who-wazzat?” Telepathy was just a rumor on her world. But so many strange things had happened lately that she was starting to feel numb.

  “A friend of ours,” Aerigo said dryly. “Just close your eyes.” He did just that.

  Seeing no harm, she followed his example and her vision was filled with a starry night sky above and below them. Roxie started flailing, hoping to fly or float, or swim or whatever, over to Aerigo, who calmly floated near her. She stopped flailing when something invisible took hold of her. She tried to clamp onto whatever made her suddenly feel like she’d been wrapped tight in a sheet, but ended up smacking her stomach. The invisible sheet pulled her forward through the cosmos so fast it felt like she was rushing down the biggest hill on a roller coaster. There was no wind, yet she traveled so fast that the stars were nothing but streaks of light.

  In mere seconds they stopped moving and felt solid ground beneath her feet. She was standing in tall grass, with Aerigo right beside her. Roxie took in her surroundings with her fists raised and knees slightly bent, then looked at herself. She looked whole and unharmed but she patted down her torso. She stopped when heard the voice again, this time outside her head.

  “Welcome to my realm, dear child,” a man said warmly. “It’s a real pleasure to be meeting you in person at last.” He was slightly taller than Roxie, had a solid build, and close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair and goatee. He wore only a pair of cargo shorts and leather sandals, and had tanned skin. Roxie’s attention was particularly drawn to his eyes. They were the softest blue she had ever seen and that made her like this stranger right away. She wiped her hands on her shirt but couldn’t quite relax. This was all so bizarre.

  “My name is Baku and I have brought you both here to explain what that oaf standing next to you can’t seem to, for some reason or another.”

  Aerigo gave Baku a hard stare and the man kept going as if he hadn’t noticed. “Why don’t we go down by the lake? All this tall grass is lovely, but when you wish to sit and talk, seeing one another becomes rather difficult.” He led the way while Roxie trailed behind, taking in the vibrant realm like a pet having suddenly been brought into a new house. One large, lone mountain rose to their left and seemed to touch the aurora sky with its pointed summit. Far past the mountain grew a rain forest that looked like it came straight from Brazil, complete with an abundance of vines, and wisps of fog looming above the canopy and snaking between branches. Beyond the mountain’s left stood a marble temple that looked like it belonged in ancient Rome with its massive pillars, domed roof and grand stairway leading to the entrance. The temple emitted a soft blue glow.

  There was something strange about this realm, but nothing bad. It felt like it was breathing or whispering. The multicolored sky felt like it was aware of her presence. She couldn’t explain how she knew it; it just felt like she was on the translucent side of a one-way window, with someone on the other side observing her every action. The sensation should have made her uncomfortable, but the invisible watcher, or whatever, felt more like a parent or guardian keeping a watchful eye on her.

  “I’m going to try to explain this as best and as quickly as I can,” Baku said seriously as they walked out onto a small beach. Baku gestured to the ground and they all sat in a semicircle on the white sand speckled with black, facing the lake, Roxie between both men. The sand felt like silk beneath her, and the lake beckoned to her like her bed after a long, exhausting day. Surely a swim right now wouldn’t hurt?

  The next thing Roxie knew Baku and Aerigo each had one hand her shoulders and were gently guiding her to sit back down.

  “I really wouldn’t,” he said.

  She shook her head to clear her mind.

  “I apologize. I should have warned you. That water is a little too potent for mortals.”

  Roxie shifted so she sat closer to Aerigo and was looking at Baku, instead of out over the water.

  “Now, liste
n closely.” Baku touched the pale sand. Hundreds of circles formed all over the beach, like an endless constellation bordered by water. “There are a good few hundred inhabited worlds in this universe besides your ‘Earth.’” The circles zipped across the sand until a particular circle reached inside their semicircle. This one grew and filled with continents that Roxie recognized as Earth. “These worlds are scattered all over your galaxy and many others.” The sand formation of Earth zipped off in the direction it came, and other smaller circles took its place. “The universe is infinite and endless, so sentient life is pretty well spaced out, whether anyone meant it to be that way or not. All their levels of development go as far back as the formative stages where single-celled creatures have begun to emerge.” The planets melded back into the beach, then were replaced by organisms Roxie recognized while looking through a microscope in Biology class. “And then there are worlds far older than Earth itself with societies and cultures vastly different from your own.” The primitive organisms leapt into air and transformed into miniature flying vessels and cityscapes that looked like they came from sci-fi novel covers. “This is the range of life you’ll be helping Aerigo protect, and every world is precious to one god or another.” The sand drizzled back onto the beach, forming a smooth surface.

  “I don’t mean to sound rude or anything,” Roxie said, unable to take her eyes off the sand, “but who are you exactly?”

  “I’m Earth’s Creator. Your god. I’m the one who purposely had you born as an Aigis, although things didn’t go quite as I planned.”

  Roxie’s jaw dropped and she looked at Baku. Was this a joke? But they’d been magicked to wherever they were, she’d fought a giant and now had powers she didn’t yesterday. And her grandmother even knew about Aerigo. And the sand! But God never showed his face like this…

  Baku leaned forward and said, “I know you’re thinking I’m acting out of character but I’m not any of the gods you’ve been taught about—well, I’m their inspiration and, inadvertently, so is my wife. But the point is I’m not what you expected. Please discard all your preconceived notions. I’m just me, and I need both your help.” He sat upright.

  Her brain tried to wrap around the revelation. This was God—a god, genuine divine being. Was it true? Well, what would she have expected if she were to ever meet her maker? Pearly gates and lots of clouds, and a man with a beard that fell to his feet? Eh. Why not this man sitting before her? There was something otherworldly about his presence, something that made her feel like staring with her mouth ajar, but she politely refrained. True or not, she’d have to sort it out later and get to the bottom of this help thing first. “Why us?” The way Aerigo, Grandma and Daio treated her made it believable that anyone would come to her for help, but as far as what they expected her to do, she had no clue.

  “Primarily because I and most other deities agree that things unfold better in the end when mortals help mortals, versus gods helping mortals. There are many other factors as well, but that primary reason carries the most weight. However, what you and Aerigo are helping me with right now is different.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Baku looked taken aback and turned to Aerigo, who said, “Later.”

  Roxie didn’t miss Baku’s disapproving frown but paid it no more mind when he continued his explanation. Something about his presence compelled her to listen.

  “Anyway, after a certain point in the most ancient parts of history, gods started having to earn the right and ability to create worlds, which led to a class of gods called ‘Creators.’”

  “Why’d they start having to earn it?” Roxie asked.

  “Choices, choices, choices.” Baku grabbed his ankles and studied his aurora sky. “You start off with infinite possibilities, but once you make a choice, all those possibilities collapse into that one. It’s how gods encounter limitations and new possibilities, but I’ll have to elaborate some other time.” He looked at Roxie. “Right now it’s more important for you to know and understand that most Creators choose to create multiple worlds and watch them grow, the number of worlds limited to an individual god’s own willpower. I have four of my own, counting Earth.

  “On the other hand, some gods choose never to earn the status of Creator, for one reason or another. And then there are other gods who would become incredibly dangerous if they could harness such power. Some gods like to create; others like to destroy. But, in order to destroy, one must create first, and then send their creations off to destroy other gods’ worlds. It’s one of those limitations borne from choices gods made long ago.”

  “Why can’t gods destroy other gods’ worlds themselves?”

  “Again: choices that created limitations later on,” Baku said. “Which brings me to my next topic: Crea. Aerigo will be your true mentor here, but I’ll explain it to you a bit. Crea is what you know as magic, witchcraft, wizardry, sorcery and so on, but it’s also much more. It goes far beyond psychic powers, raising demons and doing amazing things that a normal person cannot. You already know a bit about your own special powers. That’s part of Crea. However, not all worlds have the same access to these energies. Earth is a perfect example.

  “Every new world starts with access to Crea, but sometimes the planet’s inhabitants don’t use it, by choice or neglect, and the energies are slowly locked away. Crea doesn’t disappear or the planet would die. It’s as necessary as air to living things to have those energies hold planets together. One thing that mystifies even the gods is that sometimes, there are leaks in Crea-dormant worlds. You are headed to one of those leaks right now, called the Bermuda Triangle.”

  Roxie turned to Aerigo. “Why are we headed to the Bermuda Triangle?”

  “We’re a little stuck on Earth until we get there,” Aerigo said.

  “Right,” Baku said. “And one other thing I feel you should know, Roxie, is that Crea leaks can also appear in life forms, like Luis, who’s sharing his cabin with you. It’s a phenomenon. Pay attention to people that stick out from the flow of things, like Luis does. These enigmas often have something valuable to offer.” Baku’s face grew serious and his gaze shot skyward. He studied the dancing aurora over the lake, and then a crimson band over the forest. He looked at both Aigis again. “There’s so much more I wish I could tell you, Roxie, but you’ve been here as long as it’s safely possible. Be careful, both of you. Farewell.”

  Baku stood and his form began to fade.

  “Wait! I have a question.” Roxie got to her feet and Baku’s form solidified.

  “Be quick, dear child. I don’t want Nexus to sense that you’ve been to my realm.”

  Roxie glanced about her. “What did you mean about my birth not going as you planned?”

  “Surely Aerigo told you that you were born on the wrong planet?” Baku said.

  “He did, but how the heck does something like that happen?”

  Baku gave her a rueful smile. “I’ll show you.” His form faded into nothing.

  What sounded like static coming from a television turned to max volume zapped the air. Roxie flinched. When she opened her eyes, Baku’s realm was in pieces, huge chunks of it floating and rolling independently from each other like a chain of colorful asteroids.

  On hers and Aerigo’s chunk of realm stood a beaten and bloodied Baku staring down an equally beaten and bloodied young man twenty yards away, with curly black hair and eyes darker than Roxie’s. Both men wore the same cargo pants and belt.

  A disembodied voice from above said, “This is my memory of the day you were both mentally and physically conceived. That young man you see is my son, Nexus, your ultimate foe that you must stop from getting what he wants.”

  Nexus didn’t look overly intimidating; just a little older than her but… his eyes… they were full of cold hate. And this was another god she was seeing. How was she supposed to stop a god from getting what he wanted?

  “Aigis begin as a thought, an idea. And then that idea turns into energy with the potential to become an Aigis.�
�� The memory-Baku held his hands in front of his abdomen like he was holding an invisible soccer ball. A smaller ball of white light appeared between his palms. “That ball of light is you.”

  Roxie felt butterflies in her stomach. This had to be a first in human history—er, mortal. When was the last time a god showed his creations the instant they were born?

  The memory-Baku’s mouth moved but made no sound, and then he took the ball of light in one fist, feinted a throw at Nexus, and then launched the ball into outer space. Nexus shared Roxie’s confusion, then formed his own energy ball, a red one, and sent it after the other. The red one caught up, but right before impact, something made the red one explode, knocking the white one off its course.

  Roxie’s ears were blasted by a second bout of static hiss. She and Aerigo now stood in the present, repaired realm, with Baku absent.

  “And that’s how,” he said. “Unfortunately, I have no idea what protected you from my son, so you’re very lucky to be alive right now. I’d put the last of my energy into veering your new trajectory towards Earth, or else you’d have sailed on forever, unless a wormhole or something else crossed your path. Now, farewell child.”

  Before Roxie or Aerigo could move, the realm vanished and they felt the sheet take hold of them again. Their motion was thrown into reverse as they flew among the stars.

  Roxie found herself still standing by the railing and Aerigo sitting in his chair, as if nothing had happened. She crossed to the balcony door and stopped. Luis was still folding the same shirt he’d picked out earlier. Weird. She slid open the door and Mr. Herschel looked up with a smile.

  “Guess he really meant ‘a second,’” he said. “If you’re done chatting, feel free to have a look around the ship. There are all sorts of things to do, or you can just relax, or whatever you feel like.” He put the shirt away and picked up another. “My family and I are going to catch a play later this evening, and you’re welcome to join us.”

  “Maybe we will,” Roxie said. She needed to be alone to think things out before she gave Aerigo a chance to explain anything else. Her emotions needed to catch up with her brain, too. She’d just met God in person, for crying out loud, and seen how close never being born she’d come.