The Emerald Tablet

by P. J. Hoover

  “What are you doing, Benjamin?” Mr. Burton cried. “What have you done?”

  “He has done what he knows, Kennias,” Helios responded for Benjamin. “It appears you do not know Benjamin Holt as well as you thought.”

  Beads of sweat started to appear on Mr. Burton’s face. Helios had, by now, regained his complete composure and control. The electric field was building even more. Benjamin could feel the air sizzling around him. Mr. Burton was breaking down. The battle was coming to an end, and Mr. Burton was losing. Desperation was full on Mr. Burton’s face. Suddenly, just when Benjamin thought they could take no more electricity, Mr. Burton collapsed to the floor in a heap. The electrical field vanished.

  Helios remained in place for a moment, looking at Mr. Burton intently. Benjamin thought he could still sense small electrical pulses and sparks in the air. He looked down into the pedestal, and quickly lifted his hands away from the three keys. Helios smoothed his long brown hair down with his hands, and turned to where Benjamin stood in the center of the room.

  “Benjamin Holt,” Helios said. “It is a pleasure to see you again.”

  CHAPTER 34

  Benjamin Faces the Truth

  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Benjamin asked.

  “To answer that question, we need to start from the beginning, but this is not a safe place to do so,” Helios said.

  Benjamin looked toward Mr. Burton’s limp form on the floor. “Isn’t he…um…dead?” he asked. He felt a pang of regret; a loss for what could have been. What should have been.

  “Yes, Kennias Burton is dead, but he could have informed others as to his whereabouts. We had better move into the safety of the city walls,” Helios answered. He motioned with his hand to the pedestal where Benjamin stood. “Congratulations on bringing the three keys together once again.”

  Benjamin looked down at the pedestal, across from Helios Deimos, unsure of whether he wanted to reach in and take the keys or turn around and run for the door. Was he ready for the task ahead of him?

  “Do not doubt yourself, Benjamin. It was you who was selected by the Emerald Tablet, was it not? It was you who was chosen to be the champion. Your chance for a normal life is gone. Everything as you know it has changed. By bringing these keys together you have inextricably bonded yourself to them. They have been lying hidden, waiting for you for ages. And now they are reunited.”

  “But why have they been waiting for me? What’s so special about me?” Benjamin asked.

  “Let us retreat to the city walls. There I can answer your questions,” Helios said, turning to leave.

  “But what about they keys?” Benjamin asked. “Don’t I need to bring them with me?”

  “Go ahead, and try,” Helios answered.

  Benjamin reached into the sunken top of the pedestal. He placed his hands over the keys, touching all three at once. They lit up a brilliant green, shining enough that the entire chamber filled with the green light. He could feel these keys held his destiny. He knew these keys were a part of him. Should be with him. He would choose to take the keys with him. He enclosed his hand around the first of the keys, but found it wouldn’t budge. He looked to Helios; Helios raised a single eyebrow. Benjamin reached for the second key, but it too wouldn’t move. He grabbed hold of the third key and pulled with all his might.

  “It will take more than muscle to remove those keys,” Helios said.

  “Like what?” Benjamin asked. “What will it take?” After all he’d been through to collect the keys, he deserved to have them with him.

  “It will take another to help you. Another just like you,” Helios replied.

  “Like who?” Benjamin asked. “One of my friends?”

  “Your question will soon be answered, but for now, the keys must remain here,” Helios said. “They will be safe,” he said before Benjamin could protest. “But quickly now, we must leave.”

  Benjamin cast one final look at the three keys. He’d spent so much time and effort searching for them, bringing them together. It didn’t seem right to leave them here now, unguarded.

  “I promise,” Helios said. “The keys will wait.”

  Helios sat opposite Benjamin. “You’ve been told the history of Lemuria and Atlantis, I assume.”

  Benjamin nodded his head.

  “Good,” Helios said. “Your story begins when your mother became pregnant. When she conceived a child, she was elated, and, like many young women of Lemuria, she scheduled a visit to Fortune City. Most pregnant couples are scheduled with one of the lesser oracles, but when your parents arrived in the city, the High Oracle herself immediately sent for them and would allow no one else to meet them.”

  “It was early on in the pregnancy. Imagine your mother’s surprise when she found out she carried three babies rather than just the one she’d imagined.”

  “You mean there are three of us?” Benjamin asked. “Where are the other two?”

  Helios motioned him to be quiet. “In a moment. Let the story be told in the order it was meant to be told.”

  He continued. “Your mother’s joy was quickly diminished. The High Oracle first swore your parents to secrecy. They were to tell no one what she was about to reveal to them. She told your mother that within her womb was the power to bring down the protective shields surrounding Atlantis and Lemuria. ‘Of the three, two shall bring down the barriers, and only the combined power of all three shall be enough to defend against the consequences’.”

  “So, Mr. Burton was right?” Benjamin asked. “I do have the power to bring down the barriers?”

  “Yes, you do have the power,” Helios answered. “The Emerald Tablet chose you to be the champion. You are the first of the siblings.”

  “So how come my parents never told me about their other two kids?” Benjamin asked, sure Helios was wrong. There’s no way his parents would have kept anything that important from him.

  Again Helios motioned for silence. “I am coming to that. When the High Oracle was finished prophesying the future for your parents, she sent them away. Neither my sister nor I were present at the telling of the prophecy, but immediately following your parents’ departure, the High Oracle left Fortune City to visit us in Mu. She told us what she had foreseen, and told us something more. ‘The father desires the barriers to be disintegrated. He will use the children for evil purposes,’ she told us.”

  “My dad would never do that,” Benjamin defended. Helios, Mr. Burton—they both must have him confused with someone else.

  Helios put up his hand. “This will be hard to hear, but I ask you to remain silent while I continue. My sister Selene and I knew what had to be done. By the time we located your parents, some number of months had gone by. Your mother was nearing her delivery. Your father had been trying to hide her, keep her in seclusion. His evil had manifested, and your mother was scared—scared for the futures of her unborn children. Your father detected our purposes, and fled from us before we could stop him. We assume he resides now in Atlantis.”

  Benjamin opened his mouth to speak, but shut it after one look from Helios.

  “You mother was taken to a secret place—a safe place. For each child a guardian was chosen. I did not choose these guardians; it was the doing of the High Oracle. As you now must have figured out, Kennias Burton was chosen as your guardian. The guardians were instructed to choose families for you to live with, to be raised by. The guardians themselves were not to raise you. Their main purpose was to protect you, to keep you from harm or evil. I do not think Kennias was evil when I first met him. I think he was young and foolish, impressionable.”

  “And so it was that I met you the moment you were born. You were the first of the three to come into this world. Immediately, I took you from your mother—a sad task—and delivered you to Kennias Burton. He was to tell no one as to your whereabouts, not even Selene and myself. As we now know, he placed you with the Holt family in Virginia. Andy Grow’s family was placed alongside yours, so you would always have a f
riend.”

  “So, you’re telling me that my parents, the mother and father I’ve always known, aren’t really my parents?” Benjamin asked. His voice quivered as he spoke, though he tried to control it. How could this be true? Of course his parents were his parents. Helios had gotten something wrong.

  “Well, that depends on your definition of a parent,” Helios answered. “The parents you know have loved you and taken care of you your entire life. They have nurtured you, taught you, and encouraged you. I do not know what more a parent could be.”

  Without being able to stop it, Benjamin felt a tear slide down his face. He quickly wiped it away. If it was really possible that this story was true, then he needed to know all of it. “So … so where is my mother, my real mother?” he asked.

  “She died immediately after giving birth to the third baby,” Helios answered. “Everything she had lived for was gone. Her mind was twisted. The months with your father, unguarded, were not easy ones for her. She had become delusional. She was in horrible mental anguish. Her husband was gone—a traitor—and now her children were gone. Selene told me she gave up the desire to live.”

  More tears slid down Benjamin’s face; he didn’t even try to wipe them away. “So, wouldn’t Mr. Burton have told others who I am and where to find me? Wouldn’t he have looked for my brothers?” Benjamin asked.

  “Mr. Burton was unable to tell anyone where you were. When you were handed over to him, a bond was developed. Your mere existence provided a mind block, one which would not allow him to speak of your whereabouts or even your existence to anyone. And as for your siblings, each guardian was only told about one child. As far as Kennias knew, you were the only child delivered that fateful night,” Helios explained.

  Benjamin wiped the wetness off his face. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about someone else trying to find me and use me to bring down the barriers,” he said.

  “Unfortunately, that is where you are wrong,” Helios said. “You are forgetting about your father—your biological father. If it is true that he is living in Atlantis, then we must assume he has passed along whatever information he has. He knows there were three children and the approximate date of birth. He knows what the High Oracle foresaw. We would have to assume that even as we speak, there are those who are searching for you and you siblings.”

  “So, who are my brothers?” Benjamin asked. “Do I know them?”

  “As with Kennias, I too am under a mind block. I am not able to divulge any information. However, the Emerald Tablet chose you; that in itself gives me a feeling of high confidence. You will find the other two. You must find the other two. You asked who would help you remove the keys. It must be one of your siblings. At least two of the three are required to remove the keys, and only with the combined power of the keys will you be able to defend against the forces that would bring down the barriers. You are destined to be the keeper of the peace, the protector of our way of life,” Helios said.

  “But why me? I never asked for this. What kind of keeper of peace will I be?” Benjamin said. “I just want to go back to living my nice normal life—well kind of normal life. I want to go back to making dead frogs move. I want to go back to watching my younger brothers levitate cars around the room.” Helios raised an eyebrow at that, and Benjamin pulled out the car from his pocket. “Toy cars. You know, like Matchbox.”

  Helios smiled. “There’s nothing that says you can’t still enjoy life. Just think of it as having a higher purpose, a goal to work toward. I wouldn’t advise scaring human girls with dead frogs, but that’s for your mother and father to decide. Your real mother and father. Now what else did you want to know?”

  “How will I find my brothers if no one can tell me where they are?” Benjamin asked.

  “Only you will know that,” Helios said.

  “And what about the keys?” Benjamin asked. “How do they fit into all this?”

  “We must assume that once the prophecy was foretold, the Emerald Tablet determined you were to become the keeper of the keys. As you now know, they are powerful telemagnifiers. They will aid you when they are needed,” Helios said.

  “So the memory I had at the ability trials was real after all,” Benjamin said. “Remember when Andreas Matthias performed at the end?”

  “Andreas Matthias may not be performing for a few years,” Helios replied. “Mind control is very serious. But yes, I would be willing to bet that whatever you saw at the trials was a true memory.”

  He smiled at Benjamin. “You are strong; that much is evident. Your parents love you, as do your brothers and sister.”

  Benjamin looked surprised.

  “Are you so surprised that I would know anything about you, Benjamin Holt?” Helios asked.

  “Well, yeah, kind of,” Benjamin replied. “I mean, you are the ruler of Lemuria and all.”

  “One of the rulers,” Helios said. “And you are the champion of the Emerald Tablet. That is no light task. And now, we must think about being on our way. The hour is late, and we will have been missed.”

  CHAPTER 35

  And as Always, Life Must Go On

  Heidi, Iva, Gary, and Andy nearly fell out of their seats when Benjamin walked into homeroom Saturday morning.

  “What happened?” Heidi asked, jumping up. “I lost contact with you.”

  “Yeah, and Jack couldn’t find you either,” Gary asked. “He tried to teleport to Shambhala but couldn’t.”

  “We thought you might be dead,” Iva added.

  Through the Alliance bond, Benjamin felt the concern of his friends. His true friends. Feeling their thoughts made him happy, and a smile crept onto his face. Whatever lay ahead, he wasn’t going to be alone.

  Heidi gave Benjamin her telepathy look. “You found the third key, didn’t you?” she asked. “But where is it? Where are they?”

  “Are you reading my mind, Heidi?” But he wasn’t angry; he was just trying to ignore the story Helios had told him, trying to block it out of his mind so she wouldn’t be able to see it. He’d tell it when he was ready. He felt her touch his mind, but quickly back away, seemingly sensing his desire for privacy.

  Iva could hardly contain her excitement, which was saying a lot for Iva. “You found it! You got the third key? Are you sure? You really have all three of them now?”

  “Yes. Well, no. Well, kind of,” Benjamin replied.

  Benjamin looked over to the table where Ryan and Jonathan sat. They were staring opened-eyed at him.

  “I think we should lower our voices,” Benjamin thought.

  “So it was in Shambhala?” Iva asked.

  “Exactly,” Benjamin replied.

  “And you actually teleported yourself there?” Andy asked. “Do you realize how cool that is?”

  “Pretty cool,” Benjamin replied. “I mean one minute I was sitting there thinking about it, and the next thing I knew I was there—well almost there. I still had to find the secret entrance.”

  “Secret entrance?” Gary said.

  “And what do you mean, you kind of have the keys?” Heidi asked.

  Benjamin explained about how he had been unable to remove the keys from the pedestal. How one of his brothers would have to be there also.

  “What brothers?” Andy asked. “Derrick and Douglas?”

  “Not quite,” Benjamin replied.

  Just then Proteus Ajax walked into the room and called the class to order.

  “I’ll fill you guys in on everything after class. All right?” Benjamin said.

  “Yeah,” Andy said.

  They walked to the front of the room and took their seats. With everything else which had happened, Benjamin found he really didn’t care much about his ability test results. He’d been tested enough.

  But the grades turned out okay. To his credit, the first thing Proteus did was deliver them. There were no real surprises. And nobody flunked. Not even Heidi or Gary in telekinesis. Of course, they only advanced one year, but both seemed thrilled with the results.<
br />
  “I knew I did well on my Telekinesis exam,” Gary said.

  “You did?” Andy asked.

  “Yeah. I had to move one thousand pieces of paper, one at a time,” Gary explained.

  “All you had to do was move paper for your exam?” Andy asked. “You deserve to flunk.”

  Gary smiled as if he’d been complimented, causing Andy to shake his head with frustration.

  Nobody was surprised when Gary got placed in Year Four Science, Iva in Year Four Telegnosis, and Heidi in Year Four Telepathy. Benjamin felt Andy’s pride when he found out he’d move ahead to Year Four Telekinesis, but it soon was replaced by jealousy when he found out Benjamin would be right there with him.

  Though he wasn’t the best in everything, Benjamin couldn’t help being pleased with his results. Level Three for Science and Telepathy. Level Four for Teleportation and Telekinesis. He couldn’t have cared less about only moving to Level Two for Telegnosis.

  “Are you any good at science?” Andy asked. “How come you moved to Year Three?”

  “Well, I did heal two broken leg bones during the ability test,” Benjamin answered.

  “Broken leg bones,” Heidi exclaimed. “What kind of test did you take? All I had to do was grow my hair red.” She tossed her hair around, showing off her long red locks. She, too, had been placed in the Year Three Science class.

  “All you had to do was grow your hair?” Benjamin said, raising his voice. “Some old hag knitted away on a sweater while I lay in a pit in horrible pain, trying to heal my leg that had gotten broken when I fell into the pit.”