by P. J. Hoover
“Did you hear that?” she asked.
“Hear what?” Benjamin said. “I didn’t hear anything.”
“Shhhh!” she hissed. She listened, not moving anything but her eyes. A quiet mournful cry began, growing louder as the wind picked up. Heidi and Benjamin both jumped at the sound.
“I heard it that time,” Benjamin said.
“It’s coming from the forest,” Heidi whispered, nodding toward the pitch black far to their right.
“Do you think that’s what Ananya was talking about? Do you think that’s Reva?” He couldn’t help but think about his experience in the cavern. His mom had said ‘she’ had taken the twins. Was Reva the ‘she’ his mom had been talking about? But, he told himself, the whole thing had been contrived directly from his mind, hadn’t it? Or was Reva more powerful than anyone, even Ananya, could know?
“Shhhh!” Heidi said again. Again she stood, immobile. The wailing gradually faded away to nothing.
After waiting for a minute Benjamin finally spoke. “Can you tell what it is?”
“It’s something old and something evil. I can’t make out any thoughts, but I can sense it. It’s not going to harm us—at least not tonight, but it’s the most concentrated source of evil I’ve ever sensed in my whole life.” She suddenly shook her head, trying to break off the connection. “Let’s get out of here.”
They hurried down the hill to the river, where they found the emersion point for the Universal Travel Agent glowing. Stepping on, they entered the swirling vortex which would hopefully return them back to Lemuria.
CHAPTER 27
The Owner of the Universal Travel Agent
Only the dim lights lit the map room when Benjamin and Heidi walked out of the Universal Travel Agent. Iva, Andy, and Gary were pointedly absent.
Benjamin looked down to find he and Heidi both still had on the fancy, formal clothes they’d worn for dinner in Xanadu. “I don’t know about you, but I for one am glad I don’t have to explain this outfit to Andy,” he said, with a chuckle.
“Oh, I don’t know, I kind of like this,” Heidi said, twirling around.
Benjamin couldn’t help but stare; she still looked beautiful.
“I wonder what Suneeta Manvar and Julie Macfarlane would think. I may start dressing like this more often,” she said.
“Where to?” he asked, shaking himself out of his stupor. “The dining hall? I think you’d be a little out of place.”
“Yeah, maybe so, but it sure is pretty.” Heidi looked around. “We should probably head back to the school.”
“Creepy wailing we heard back there,” Benjamin said.
“Yeah, creepy.” Heidi shuddered. “You know, it’s okay to talk about what happened back there under the fountain.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Benjamin snapped. “It was just a little test. That’s all. Stop reading my mind.”
Heidi bit her lip, and small tears crept into the corners of her eyes. “I wasn’t reading you mind, Benjamin,” she stated. “I would never read your mind unless you told me it was okay”
Immediately Benjamin regretted his accusation; he hadn’t meant to hurt her. But he had. He could see it in her eyes, and he could feel it through the Alliance bond. He stopped and looked right at her. “Hey, I’m sorry. It’s just that you’re so good at telepathy, and sometimes I don’t like the thought that you can listen to whatever I’m thinking.”
“Just because I can listen to whatever you’re thinking doesn’t mean I do listen to whatever you’re thinking,” she replied. “Besides, you’re getting a lot better at blocking your thoughts. With more practice, you may actually be able to keep me out if you try.”
Benjamin started laughing at the thought. “I’m willing to bet it’ll take a lot more practice before that happens. Anyway, there’s nothing to talk about.”
“If you say so, but I’ll always be here to listen if you change your mind,” Heidi said.
Benjamin gave a small smile. “Thanks. Let’s just get back to the school.”
“Yeah, okay,” she replied.
Behind then, the Universal Travel Agent again came to life. Its borders glowed red, and Benjamin heard the swirling sound of the vortex. Benjamin felt like he should run and hide behind something, but the room was empty except for the maps on the wall. With no other choice, he and Heidi both turned to look.
Without delay, a man arrived in the room. He was unmistakable with his long, dark hair. Upon his arrival, all life snuffed out of the Universal Travel Agent.
He began walking but stopped as he saw them near the entrance to the room.
“You two are up a little late, aren’t you?”
“Helios Deimos,” Benjamin said. “What are you doing here?”
“I think it is I who should be asking that question,” Helios replied. “The map library closed hours ago.” Unlike the times they’d met him in the past, Helios’s face was void of any smile.
“We were just in here looking at some of the old maps,” Heidi said.
“Does looking at the old maps entail the unauthorized use of my personal Travel Agent?” Helios asked.
“Your personal Travel Agent?” Benjamin said. “So you turned it on?” Well, that cleared up who had enabled the device.
“Yes,” Helios replied. “I use it from time to time when I have business outside of Lemuria to attend to.”
“So where were you tonight?” Heidi asked.
“The whereabouts of a ruler of Lemuria are not the concerns of Year One Denarians,” Helios answered. “And now, if there’s nothing else, I must ask you to leave.”
Benjamin and Heidi did nothing short of run out of the library. It wasn’t until they reached the main level of the Ruling Hall that they finally spoke.
“Don’t you think it’s strange he didn’t even ask us where we went on the Travel Agent?” Benjamin asked, catching his breath.
“Not if he already knew,” Heidi replied.
“Did he?” Benjamin asked. Had Heidi been able to read Helios’s mind?
She sighed. “I have no idea. I tried to break through his mind block, but it was pointless. He could have been in Xanadu at the same time as us for all I could tell.”
“But what reason would he have for being in Xanadu unless he were following us?” Benjamin asked.
“You think one of the rulers of Lemuria would be following a couple Year One Denarians around?” Heidi asked.
“All I’m saying is that it’s a little bit suspicious that we ran into him after visiting Bangkok and then again tonight,” Benjamin said. “Both times we came back with a key of Shambhala.”
“Do you think he’s the guardian?” Heidi asked.
Benjamin shrugged but didn’t reply. It was late, and, at this point, all his mind wanted to think about was sleep—not the three keys of Shambhala. He had two of the three anyway, which wasn’t all bad.
Quickly, they walked down the hallway leading to the entrance.
“Does the Atlantis scale look even more off balance than it did when we were here last?” Benjamin asked as they walked past the two large barrier strength scales.
Heidi stopped and studied it. “Maybe a little. Isn’t it still supposed to be okay for years? Do you think its failure rate is increasing?”
“I sure hope not. We still have one more key to find, and then we have to figure out how to use them to fix the barrier,” Benjamin said. He rubbed his eyes. “What time is it anyway?”
Heidi glanced over to the wall where a large clock was inset. “It’s almost midnight,” she said. “No wonder I feel like I’m about to collapse.”
They continued on and, using one of the public teleporters outside, were able to quickly get back to the school. Benjamin found that Andy and Gary were both still awake when he got back to the room.
“Where have you been?” Andy said.
“Did Heidi make it back with you?” Gary asked. “I heard you guys talking in the map room, and then, the next thing I knew, there
was no sign of you.”
“Yeah, we waited around until they kicked us out,” Andy said.
“Did you guys try to use the Universal Travel Agent?” Benjamin asked.
“The what?” Andy replied.
“The big map on the wall with the glowing, red borders,” Benjamin explained.
“We didn’t see any glowing maps,” Andy replied.
“It was right in the middle of the wall, in the special collections area,” Benjamin said.
“Special Collections?” Andy asked.
Benjamin opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again. For whatever reason, his friends hadn’t even been able to find the Universal Travel Agent.
“So, where have you been?” Gary asked.
“And what’s up with the outfit?” Andy said. “You look like something out of Arabian Nights.”
It figured Andy would mention the outfit. “It’s a long story, and I’m beat,” Benjamin said. “Can we talk about it tomorrow?”
“Are you kidding?” Gary asked.
“Yeah, are you kidding?” Andy echoed.
Benjamin chuckled. “Okay, I’ll give you guys the short version and then I’m going to bed.” He reached into his right pocket and grabbed the first key of Shambhala and placed it on his desk. He reached into his left pocket and pulled out the second key of Shambhala, putting it next to the first key. The two keys began to pulsate as they’d done before.
“You found it?” Gary asked amazed. “How in the world did you get it? How were you able to travel?”
Benjamin quickly relayed the story—the Universal Travel Agent, Xanadu, and the dinner with Ananya and the golden-haired man. He didn’t mention the test in the cavern or the strange wailing they’d heard while leaving the place, or even that they ran into Helios Deimos. Some things would just have to wait for tomorrow.
“Man, you’re the luckiest guy I know,” Gary said. “You manage to be in exactly the right place at the right time, find what you’re looking for, and get a gourmet meal while doing it.”
CHAPTER 28
It’s a Good Thing Benjamin Has the Keys
The summer was passing quickly, and, with it, so were Benjamin’s hopes of finding the third key of Shambhala. The primary focus of all the Year One Denarians, including the members of the Alliance, had become the upcoming ability tests—tests designed to measure each student’s abilities so more focused teaching could be given in summers to come.
As the summer passed, it was more evident which subjects students would test well in and which subjects would require more basic instruction. Heidi would no doubt test the highest in the class for telepathy, but her telekinesis skills had improved little over the course of the summer. Gary excelled at science, but had nearly as little telekinesis ability as Heidi.
“Well, at least we’ll be in the same Telekinesis class next summer,” Gary said to cheer Heidi up one day.
“Even you’ll probably skip ahead of me, Gary. I think I’ve actually gotten worse,” Heidi said, planting her chin in her hands.
“Oh, you have not,” Iva said. “You’re just imagining things. And, plus, just think about how good you are at telepathy.”
Heidi smiled at her friend, though it didn’t reach her eyes.
The members of the Alliance were like all the telegen students in one regard. Their entire lives they’d grown up being the smartest kids in the class, never having to work hard for a grade, never having to stay up late reading or doing homework. In short, school had been way too easy—too easy that is until they came to Lemuria. Now, for the first time in their lives, they were challenged. They didn’t excel at everything they studied. Teachers knew their skills and pressed them to work harder. They were pitted against each other in trials continuously, and every time they lost one of these challenges they were forced to work all the harder.
Benjamin tried his best to split his little free time between practicing for the ability tests and searching for some sign of the third key of Shambhala. Heidi, Iva, Gary, and Andy helped him as much as they could, but they, too, were busy practicing. With summer’s end fast approaching, Benjamin was running out of ideas. Gary’d even managed to find a backdoor, encrypted method for using their sheaves to access the human Internet; Benjamin had searched the whole thing for some clue, but, like everything else, it came up empty.
As if they weren’t busy enough, taking up their free time two nights a week was lecture. The favorite lecture for everyone had been the night Genetic Engineering was discussed. Mr. Hermes had given a detailed history of Genetic Engineering, adding to what Proteus had mentioned the first day of class. Jack the Nogical had attended the lecture with Benjamin, adding his own commentary as required.
After the initial crackdown to prevent genetically engineered humanoids and telegenoids, the practice of genetic engineering again became more common, though highly controlled. In today’s world, there were scientists and science academies full of genetic engineering work. It was still taboo to engineer any type of human or telegen, though research was still done on the subject. Benjamin overheard rumors that the people of Atlantis had no restrictions in place regarding genetically engineered humans and telegens, and that the continent had become more genetically synthesized than natural. Mr. Hermes assured him this was strictly rumor, but it still made for an interesting topic of debate.
The week after the lecture on Genetic Engineering, the first guest lecturer appeared, and Benjamin and Andy couldn’t have been more surprised when Mr. Burton, their science teacher from Virginia, walked into the lecture hall.
Mr. Hermes walked to the center of the room and began to speak. “I would like to introduce you to our lecturer for the evening, Mr. Kennias Burton, an agent for Lemuria who functions as a middle school science teacher in Virginia.”
Mr. Burton smiled and replaced Mr. Hermes at the center of the room. “Hi, I’m Kennias Burton, as Mr. Hermes told you. I know a handful of you and have even had the opportunity to teach a couple of you back in Virginia. I’m here tonight to talk to you about what it’s really like to be an agent.”
“Now if I am correct, every single one of you has been an agent your entire life and had no idea. Is that right?” This elicited a small round of laughter from the students. “Well, I myself have been an agent for over ten years, and am considered one of the best in the business. In fact, Benjamin Holt and Andy Grow, whom I taught back in Virginia, had no idea I even had any telegen abilities. Right?”
Benjamin and Andy nodded.
“One of the most important skills to have as an agent is good telepathy. Being able to read a human’s mind is important. If any thoughts are detected with strange suspicions about yourself, it’s an automatic yellow light to be more cautious with your skills. Skills should never be demonstrated in public, especially not for fun.” He looked pointedly at Benjamin and Andy.
Benjamin thought of the time they’d levitated a frog onto a classmate’s head and smiled.
“If you find that your life is in danger, or the life of someone you are protecting is in danger, then the use of abilities at that point is sometimes required, but should never be flaunted. The humans on Earth would have to throw away everything they believed in if they were to find out that a race of superior beings existed. Instantly, everything they knew would be gone. Suspicions would be everywhere. It would be assumed that those in power, those successful, were telegens. Society as they know it would have to be completely restructured.”
As Mr. Burton talked, Benjamin began to realize how much of what he said caused things he’d noticed his whole life to fall into place. Why were his dad and Joey Duncan so quiet about their work? Why did his parents insist on mind blocking all their interesting conversations? The life of being an agent was full of mystery, secrecy, danger, and intrigue. It was just like being a spy.
As interesting as the lecture was, Benjamin was thankful when it lasted only two hours. He was getting more exhausted every day, the still unfound third key of Shambhala weig
hing on his mind.
After the lecture, Benjamin, Gary, and Andy lagged behind as the other students filed out of the auditorium. They walked up to the center of the room.
“Hey, Mr. Burton!” Andy said. “Great to see you.”
“Yeah,” Benjamin said. “You should’ve told us you were gonna be the lecturer for tonight.”
“I was hoping it would be a surprise,” Mr. Burton answered, smiling at them. “It’s good to see you all. How have things been since I saw you last? Have you been keeping busy?”
“Oh, more busy than you could ever imagine,” Andy said. “As if getting ready for the ability tests isn’t enough, Benjamin always seems to have some extra task for us to work on.” He laughed.
“What kind of extra tasks?” Mr. Burton asked.
Benjamin felt his blood get hot. How dare Andy even suggest what they’d been working on? It was nobody’s business but the members of the Alliance. “Oh, nothing,” Benjamin said. “Just extra research on the history of Lemuria,” he lied, hoping his face hadn’t gotten red. “You know the history of Lemuria is actually fascinating. It’s hard to believe it’s really as old as they say it is.”
“Yes, I remember when I found out about Lemuria being 900,000 years old. I thought my homeroom teacher was lying,” Mr. Burton said, apparently not noticing Benjamin’s lie.
“Did you grow up in Lemuria or were your parents agents like ours?” Benjamin asked, still trying to steer the subject away from their activities.
“I grew up in the US, just like you boys. However, when I was only a year or two older than you are now, my parents were killed by a common criminal,” Mr. Burton said. “After that I came to live in Lemuria with my aunt and uncle who didn’t have any children of their own.”
“Wow, I’m sorry to hear that,” Benjamin said.
“Yes, it was a real tragedy. It was death without purpose caused by someone not worthy to wipe the dirt off my shoes,” Mr. Burton replied. “Oh, the common justice system put him in jail for some nominal time period, but by the time he got out, I was gone, living full time in Lemuria.” He shook his head. “But enough about that. I’m sure you boys are tired and don’t want to hear me ramble on about my past. You should really get back to your room for bed.”
