Shadow of Okeaous

by W. M. Martin

  When Maggie turned the corner to enter her room, Mr. Evans was steadily kneading his eyes as though they were doughballs preparing to be baked into fluffy yeast rolls, and he was talking hurriedly and in hushed tones with Lucy. He turned to face Maggie with a smile. Maggie returned the gesture with a smile of her own.

  “Ah, Ms. Bennett, I was just delivering this scroll to Ms. Min from Mr. Akiyama. I hope you ladies enjoy yourselves in Plimpkins today,” said Mr. Evans.

  “Me too, sir,” Maggie responded happily before the Head Instructor stepped past her to exit the room.

  Lucy looked up at Maggie in a bit of a daze, then she rubbed her eyes and asked Maggie, “What are you staring at?”

  Maggie ignored the sharpness of Lucy’s question. They had more or less gotten used to each other, but they were by no means the best of friends, or really even all that friendly.

  Maggie asked her, “Are you about ready to go?”

  Lucy simply nodded her head affirmatively. Maggie, had gotten rather accustomed to Lucy’s brusqueness and simply continued with her own preparations to visit Alice’s home Haven. She would not allow Lucy’s irritability to ruin her day.

  “We’re all supposed to meet in the Macrocosm Chamber. We have to be there in ten minutes,” stated Maggie.

  “Well, go on then. Don't wait on me,” replied Lucy.

  Maggie, in an effort to extend an olive branch to Lucy, offered, “We could walk over together.”

  Lucy deflected the offer, “We could also walk over separately.”

  “Fine, do what you want, Lucy,” sighed Maggie.

  She was not about to beg her solitary roommate for company because she knew that Lucy would show up, quietly, in the midst of their little group of friends eventually. Maggie reached down to her dresser and grabbed a pair of blue sunglasses and placed them on the top of her head and turned to leave.

  Lucy rubbed her eyes again and spoke up just before Maggie left their room and said, “I wasn't trying to be rude, Bennett. I was trying to be funny. I'm not very good at it.”

  Maggie was caught off guard by Lucy’s admission. It was the very first time that Lucy had tried to walk back anything that Maggie had ever heard her say.

  “Oh, well,” Maggie stammered, searching for the right words before sustaining, “that's okay. I'm not very funny either.”

  Lucy looked at Maggie and asked, “So, does your offer still stand?”

  Maggie was wholly unprepared for Lucy not behaving like Lucy.

  “Sure,” was all Maggie could manage to respond with.

  As the two girls made their way to their common room, Maggie raised her sleeve and called for her totem. Her blue and gray falcon, Elliot, formed on her forearm and flew from the glowing Kindred mark.

  “What shall we do upon arrival at this Haven which is called Plimpkins, Mags?” Elliot queried out loud after landing on her shoulder.

  Maggie answered, “I don't know. The only Haven that I've ever been to was Thieves, and it wasn't really anything mind blowing. It was a very pretty little city though. Everybody knew everyone else, and the entire town was completely friendly. I wonder if Plimpkins will be like that? Alice called it ‘picturesque’ when I asked her about it.”

  Elliot said thoughtfully, “I am eager to soar above this ‘picturesque’ Haven and take in the sights.”

  Maggie reached up to stroke her totem’s head and said, “I know you are, Elliot.”

  Lucy interjected, “I bet it's beautiful. I'm happy that we're going together, Maggie.”

  Elliot asked Maggie telepathically, “Did Lucy just say that she was ‘happy’ and refer to you by your first name as opposed to ‘Bennett’? Is your Clanmate feeling well, Mags?”

  Maggie responded in kind, “I have no idea, but she is acting very strange.”

  Once they had reached the beautiful room that housed the massive, elegant sapphire eagle, they were treated to a larger than usual omniport which could virtually teleport the entire first year class of Aviors to the Haven in England. Maggie’s friends were waiting for her at the portal. Alice was holding Lester’s hand while Thomas was having a laugh at his brother’s expense and Klaus, Kylie and Sara were laughing at his antics as had become their custom. Mrs. Bonifassi was waiting for the First Year Aviors by the omniport.

  “Once we have all returned from Plimpkins this evening we will all take our seats in the Avior section of the Macrocosm Chamber for this year’s Appointment of Clans. I expect every one of you to be on your very best behavior and to set the standard of how all Aviors should act. You have all earned the right to go to this Haven. Each one of you has progressed in your training well beyond anything that I could have hoped for. Also, on behalf of Mr. Evans and the entire faculty, I would like to wish you all a very happy birthday! Oh, and one last thing, young ones. Have fun!” ordered Mrs. Bonifassi with a smile.

  Together the Aviors stepped inside of the giant omniport, eager to meet up with their fellow Kindred from the other Clans.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  When the omniport snapped shut from behind them, the First Year Aviors found themselves in a crowded market square which was alive with the sounds of commerce. The quaint little town had a certain strange familiarity that Maggie felt elicited the comparisons of an old English village as opposed to a modern variation of the same structures. There were colorful and elaborate slates lining the ground which bound the town together by connecting each home and business like colorful anchor points on a spider’s web. However, the similarities to what she believed would have been commonplace in a Victorian era town were striking. In short, this was no Thieves with its relatively modern shops, parks, and diners which would not have felt out of place on a postcard from the 1950’s. No, this town was an odd yet charming hybrid of an old English, countryside hamlet accompanied by early twentieth century sensibilities that were happily married to a coastal tourist trap, complete with a large outside amphitheater. Plimpkins was sure to have many wonders which Thieves lacked.

  The large group of friends decided to split up and then meet back in the town square a little later in the day. Their chaperone, Nancy, or as Maggie had been addressing her for the past twelve months in the Veil, Ms. Decker, had decided to hang back from the First Years so as to wait for Edgar, whom she had cajoled into coming and meeting her in the plaza. It required very little convincing on Nancy’s part because Edgar would have far rather spent the day with her at the seaside Haven than run the diner in Thieves. Once Nancy set the ground rules for all of the First Years, she walked over to a series of wooden benches and waited for Edgar to arrive. She watched as the First Year students from each Clan dispersed into the crowds and entered into the town’s many shops.

  Nancy sat and took in the sights and sounds of the small coastal town and inhaled, deeply, the salty air. She had visited Plimpkins in her youth with her family, and she could recall in great detail her desire to hit the milestone of her sixteenth birthday so that she could take the trials during the Appointment of Clans. Anytime that Nancy would travel to the different Havens with her parents, as a child, she would always marvel at the Kindred townsfolk with their totems in tow. She recalled quite vividly how eager she was, waiting for the day when she would get the chance to find out if she was worthy to have a totem of her own.

  While time wore on and Nancy waited patiently for Edgar, she got ever more lost in her revery. Nancy thought mostly about Maggie, whom she had grown to love and whom she had begun seeing as the sort-of daughter that she never had. Nancy had long since felt that Maggie was not only special, but that to her, Maggie had become precious. Nancy was suddenly brought back to the present when she felt that there was an all too familiar palpable shifting of the molecules surrounding her. An omniport was opening.

  When Edgar’s omniport burst open just in front of the benches where she was seated, Nancy said in mock agitation, “It’s about time, Edgar!”

  Edgar stepped out of the portal wearing his Terran cloak and took her hand gentl
y in his.

  “I'm so sorry that I'm late, Nancy. It couldn't be helped,” apologized Edgar.

  Nancy took in another breath of the ocean breeze and waved away Edgar's extenuation with a loving grin and said, “It’s perfectly fine, Edgar, I've been enjoying some alone time while I've been waiting. I'm not aggravated in the least. I promise.”

  Edgar exhaled a very hearty sigh of relief. He had known Nancy long enough to be sure of the fact that if he were late for anything, then she would make certain that he would pay for his tardiness in one way or another.

  “It's a fine day for a walk, Ms. Decker,” said Edgar with a wink.

  “I couldn't agree more, Mr. Newman,” Nancy replied with a wide smile that warmed Edgar’s heart and soul.

  Edgar, leading the way with Nancy’s hand still in his, strolled carelessly with her through the seaside Haven over to the Plimpkins pier. Once they were both certain that the students were fine and were enjoying all that Plimpkins had to offer, Nancy leaned her head over and rested it on Edgar’s large shoulder, and the two of them watched as the waves crashed rhythmically against the craggy rocks below.

  *

  Maggie leaned over toward Lucy and asked her, “So, where would you like to go first?”

  Lucy looked at Maggie with a vacant stare and rubbed her eyes vigorously. Maggie had noticed Lucy doing that earlier in their dorm room.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Maggie asked.

  Lucy turned around without saying a word and walked away, disappearing into the bustling and crowded market.

  “Well, I guess she's back to normal, Elliot,” Maggie grumbled.

  Alice, who had stepped away for a moment to look over a vendor’s stall that was laden with fruits and pies, returned and walked up to Maggie before cheerily asking, “So, are you prepared to be delighted by my little town?”

  Maggie nodded and replied, “Definitely! Where should we go?”

  Alice gave a sly grin and said, “The Blue Whale Ale House, of course!”

  “Ale House? As in a bar?” Maggie asked.

  Alice simply gave a lilted giggle in response to Maggie’s query.

  Maggie looked askance at her friend and said, “We’re not old enough. Also, if Nancy, I mean Ms. Decker, catches me inside of a bar, she’ll kill me.”

  Alice laughed jovially at Maggie and playfully admonished her by saying with only the slightest hint of mischief, “Don't be ridiculous, Maggie! We’re not going on a pub crawl! Yes, there is proper ale at The Blue Whale. No, we couldn't have any even if we wanted to, but there are plenty of other wonderful treats there that we can have! My favorite dish is called the Secarn Skewers, and it's absolutely lovely with a cold mug of Kindred cocoa! Come on, let’s go!”

  The pair walked around a huddled mass of locals who were watching, with great interest, a play being narrated by a thin man with a loud voice and an odd mustache that wiggled when he spoke. The charismatic performer had introduced himself as Sapka Strato.

  “Ugh, he's talking about those nasty Fallen,” Maggie groused.

  “Nasty? What makes you say that they're nasty?” asked Alice.

  Maggie answered, “I've seen one before. I saw it on the night of our Appointment of Clans. Ms. Decker’s friend, Edgar, was coming to bring me to the academy, and one followed him through his omniport. It had black, greasy looking armor, but it was no match for Edgar though.”

  Alice chuckled, “That old guy who visits Ms. Decker at the academy to deliver messages and who doubles as some sort of fry cook? He defeated a Fallen? I don't believe it.”

  Maggie stated proudly to her best friend just before walking into the Blue Whale Ale, “Believe it, Alice. I saw it for myself.”

  *

  Lester and Thomas had decided to go with Jax to the Plimpkins version of a pet supply shop, Tasty Totem Treats. Thomas was busy playing around in the minimart, touching everything in sight like a small child and squealing with glee while Jax and Lester were talking with one another.

  “You're brother is crazy, Les,” Jax laughed as Thomas rode by them on a shopping cart while doing an ear-bleeding rendition of Beautiful Dreamer with his totem, Talia the pigeon, singing backup.

  “He’s something alright,” Lester quipped while petting his own totem, the pigeon, Connie.

  “So, you and Alice, huh?” Jax intimated with a devilish grin and a single raised eyebrow.

  Lester, ignoring Jax’s connotation, answered honestly and unashamed, “Yeah, I really like her, Jax. She's not like any other girl that I've ever met before, y’know? Alice is very sweet and really smart. I mean really, really smart. Sometimes she says things, and I get completely lost. She also loves Mr. Akiyama’s classes. I don't know why either. I'd rather have your totem kick me square in the jaw than have to sit through that boring class.”

  Jax reached up to pet the mane of his great, white mare and said, “You wanna help him out, Clara?”

  “If that's what you'd like, Jax?” Clara replied jokingly.

  “Easy, Clara. I was only playing around. I like my jaw right where it is thank you very much!” Lester responded.

  Connie looked up at Lester and cooed, “I hate to interrupt, Lester, but we have to get Thomas and Talia out of here before they decide to butcher another song. I don't think that poor old shopkeeper’s ears could handle it.”

  Lester covered his face with his hand to hide is embarrassment and replied to his feathery totem, “Neither could I.”

  Jax, looking out of the front of the shop’s windows, called over to Lester who was on his way to the back of the store to retrieve Thomas, “Hey, Les, your girlfriend just went into that restaurant with Maggie. You want to catch up with them and grab a bite to eat? I'm starving.”

  Lester looked back at the large Terran and said, “You're always hungry, Jax.”

  *

  Klaus and Oliver had followed Kylie down one of the streets which was lined with a multitude of vendor kiosks. There were food stalls with various assortments that none of them had ever seen before and many which they had. Everything smelled delicious and made the trio of friends salivate. There were multitudinous flower baskets hanging from a series of booths just across from them that brought a floral redolence to the court. The fragrance of the multi-colored florets married harmoniously with the crisp scents of the gentle swells which were rolling gently onto the gorgeous beach, just beyond the outlying district. Kylie felt that the market could not be any more impressive, that is, until she noticed a cornershop with an aged and creaky, wooden sign hanging over the door which read: Ye Olde Artifacts. Pure, unadulterated rapture was the emotion that inundated Kylie when she spotted the rickety emporium. Kylie had found where she wanted to spend the rest of the day and made a beeline for the shop with Klaus and Oliver following closely behind her. When Kylie opened the door to the artifacts shop, she ran into and was nearly bowled over by Lucy.

  “Oh, Lucy! I'm so sorry!” Kylie apologized.

  Lucy rubbed her eyes and left the store without acknowledging her classmates.

  Oliver asked, “What was that about?”

  Klaus answered, “I have no idea, but she was rubbing her eyes.”

  Kylie mused aloud, “I wonder if she's been crying?”

  Klaus and Oliver looked at Kylie and said at the same time, “No way!”

  “What?” Kylie asked before continuing, “Girls cry sometimes, you guys.”

  “Yeah, but Lucy’s not a girl, Kylie. She's a machine,” jested Oliver.

  Klaus offered, “I bet Lucy was just in a hurry to get out of here and go check out that play that's going on in the square. She probably didn't want to miss it, and as far as her rubbing her eyes is concerned, just look at this place, Kylie. Everything in here is under a metric ton of dust. You've managed to find the most busted looking, grubby shop that I've ever seen in my entire life. Seriously, congratulations.”

  Kylie, completely ignoring Klaus’ caustic appraisal of the veritable treasury in which they stood, assumed that his
explanation for Lucy’s rush was fairly plausible and so decided to indulge in her insatiable curiosity for all things related to Kindred artifacts. While flanked by Klaus and Oliver, Kylie inserted her arms into theirs and ushered them further inside of the dark and musty artifacts shop. She ignored their groans of protest and ran her hands along an enormous bookshelf that covered an entire wall from floor to ceiling with an innumerable amount of literature contained in tomes of varying sizes and colors.

  Oliver complained, “You just knocked about a century’s worth of dust into my eyes, Kylie.”

  Klaus was fidgeting nervously and asked Kylie, “You're going to remember to wash your hands before you eat anything aren't you?”

  Kylie rolled her eyes and continued fingering the spines of the old books on display.

  “Guys, this is our kinds’ history! There are spells, charms, potion ingredients, stories of the past, and recorded visions of the future! How are neither of you not completely blown away by all of this incredible stuff?” asked Kylie incredulously.

  Klaus dusted off his shoulder and replied with dripping sarcasm, “Kylie, the only thing that's ‘incredible’ in this grotto that you've pulled us into is the amount of grime everywhere.”

  Choosing the high road, Kylie disregarded Klaus’ jab at the nirvana that she had found and continued on in her quest for greater knowledge unabated.

  *

  Nigel, Sara, Stephanie and Callum had just purchased their lunches from a nearby purveyor of the “absolute greatest and most delectably smoked steak and cheese grilled sandwiches in the entire world”, at least according to the vendor who had been preparing and selling them. Stephanie, after taking her first bite, believed the hype of the excitable sandwich salesman. The small group of friends walked across the teeming plaza, enjoying their sandwiches, when they decided to take in a free performance at the amphitheater on the far side of Plimpkins’ public square. It was of a tale which neither Stephanie, Sara, Callum nor Nigel had ever heard. It was called The Return of the Queen. It was a vivid and lively street production based around one of the First Five, the Dark Lady, Okeaous.