“I’ve never seen so many people trying to get in to Caldbeck,” Finny commented, sounding amused. We walked around to the end of the line and began moving forward ourselves.
“I don’t understand,” Rena said, “why all of these people are attending the meeting.”
“A lot of these beings are more powerful than they appear,” Yolonda piped up from my neck. “If I’m guessing correctly, this meeting is going to be about strategically planning a defense.”
“Our city is finally being pushed into the war,” Finny agreed.
“So what are we doing here?” I asked. “We’re just students. I’m new for God’s sake!”
“You’re a lot more powerful than you think,” a deep voice said from behind me. I knew who it was before I even turned around.
“Grandpa!” Nia exclaimed for me, throwing her arms around him. I turned, and tears welled up in my eyes. There before me stood my grandfather, looking very healthy and happy. His mustache had a few more gray hairs in it than it had the last time I saw him, and he had far more wrinkles around his eyes. But he gave me a confident smile.
“Hello, young lady,” he said, his eyes twinkling.
“Grandpa...”I choked. Grandpa reached out and gave me a big hug. I leaned my head on his chest, trying to take in the scent of him. After what seemed like ages, he finally released me and looked at Rena, who blushed a shad of orange.
“And you are?”
“Rena,” she said, sticking out her hand. “I’m in the same Awakener group as Kay.”
Grandpa shook her hand and looked back down at me. “We should go somewhere private and talk.”
“Why?” Nia asked. “What’s going on here? How come our DiGis wouldn’t tell us anything more?”
“It’s not safe right now to have information out in the open,” Grandpa answered, placing a hand on Nia’s shoulder. “But we have something far more important to discuss.”
“But what are you doing here?” I asked. “You were in a coma, and Paul said you are an historian, and why have you come to see me? Did you know I was here? What have you been doing?”
Grandpa held up his hand to silence me. “I’ve been busy, honey. But I have been keeping an eye on you.”
I shook my head, still trying to process what was happening. I was thrilled to see Grandpa, of course, but he could have come to see me! Wasn’t I more important to him than his work? And what exactly did an historian do here on this planet anyway? Before the anger that was slowly starting to build inside of me could reach a peak, an ear shattering screech came from the sky. Everyone looked up as we watched dozens of wild Harpies swoop down upon us, screeching in what seemed to be alarm. For a moment, everyone continued to stand frozen, mesmerized by the sight. But that moment passed, and people and creatures ran in different directions, trying to take cover.
“What the—?” Nia yelled. “I thought they were supposed to be protecting us!”
“I think they are!” Grandpa yelled back at her. He grabbed our arms and I grabbed Rena. We ran towards the front doors, pushing our way around in the panicked crowd. Yolonda and Finny had grown very warm against my skin, but I tried to ignore that and keep my eyes on Nia’s back in front of me. Chaos broke out all around us. Harpies were picking people up with their claws and dragging them into Caldbeck.
“What are they doing?” Rena shouted, a wild look in her eyes.
“They’re trying to get us out of the way!” Grandpa yelled back at her. He ducked his head around a blue glowing light that looked faintly like a fairy. “Something is coming this way!” Just as those last words left his mouth, the screeching stopped. Everyone stopped running to turn and look towards the sky. Grandpa, however, kept his pace, his hands tight around Nia and my arms. I clenched Rena’s hand in mine to keep her at my side. When we reached the door, Grandpa finally stopped and turned to look up, with the rest of us following his action.
The sky had become a bright red. It seemed to be dripping. I frowned. But how could that be? Yolonda pulsated against my skin. I ignored her and kept looking at the sky. The red continued to drip until it formed raindrops. A red drip landed on my cheek, and I slowly reached up to touch it.
“It’s blood,” I whispered. Looking back up in horror, I watched in awe as the red began part like clouds. A painful feeling of fear rippled through my spine as I viewed a battle being carried out in the sky. They were Harpies, moving slowly and gracefully around a smaller group that was hovering as well. Blood, from the wounds of those who were battling, continued to rain down on us. A roar ripped out from the smaller group, and the group caved in. The Harpies gave another intense battle cry and spread out, circling around the group like vultures. The group became smaller and smaller. Then just as quickly as the group had folded on itself, it expanded. The movement reminded me of fireworks that would explode and then gracefully extend to the rest of the sky.
“What’s going on?” I asked, frightened out of my mind. I turned back towards Grandpa, who was surveying the scene with a grim look on his face.
“We need to get inside quickly,” he said, ignoring my question. “We have work to do.”
***
Caldbeck was nothing like I expected. Instead of rows of bars that looked like the typical prison, I was faced with rows of books that seemed to reach into the depths of infinity.
“What is this?” Nia breathed. It hadn’t occurred to me that she had not visited the prison before this. Grandpa moved swiftly through the aisles, navigating as if he had been here thousands of times before.
“Caldbeck,” Finny breathed from my neck. “Just like I remember it.”
“What are all of these books for?” Rena murmured, looking up. The rows of books were as tall as they were wide.
Grandpa turned his head to answer her. “They are the prisons, Rena. When an inhabitant sentenced here, their minds are bound to these books. The books are then sealed with strong magic by a powerful council of warriors and placed in these rows. The rows are in order by the severity of the crimes.”
Nia whistled. “Those rows go back pretty far. How severe are we talking about, Grandpa?”
“When magic is involved, there are no limits,” came Grandpa’s sharp response. He continued to walk quickly through the rows until finally I didn’t think I would be able to keep going. Just when I was about to ask for a quick break, he stopped in front of a white wall that was sandwiched in between two rows. Grandpa knocked three times and whispered something that I couldn’t make out. The wall changed into a brown door with strange symbols etched into it. As the door swung open, Grandpa motioned for us to step in.
Inside was a room that resembled a classroom. There was a round table with a few chairs around it. A small black chalkboard was placed on one of the walls, and it looked like it was brand new. There was a window on the opposite side of the chalkboard, but when I looked through it all I saw was a sky full of stars.
Grandpa took one of the chairs, and we did the same. I sat down with a sigh, gingerly moving Yolonda and Finny off my chest for a few moments. They had remained very warm since this whole ordeal had started. I noticed that Rena looked at me weird, but didn’t say anything.
“Okay, Grandpa, what’s this all about?” Nia demanded, raising her eyebrows at him. “Why are we here?”
Grandpa sighed as well. “You’re here to learn about your history.”
Nia frowned. “Our history? What are you talking about?”
Grandpa shushed her and looked down at his hands. When he looked back up at us, it seemed that the wrinkles around his eyes had deepened.
“You are a part of a legend,” he began. “A powerful legend that we are watching being played out right now.”
I watched him, wide-eyed, as he rose from the table and went to the chalkboard. He studied it for a moment and then put his hand up to the chalkboard. A drawing seemed to leak out of his fingertips and spread across the board until it took up the whole surface. Grandpa stepped back, and I realized I was lo
oking at a drawing of Mom and Dad. They were smiling at me, and Dad looked around to spot Nia before waving at her.
Nia stared at the board. “W-What?”
“Once upon a time,” Grandpa began, “there was only one kingdom on Turgor. The Felkne kingdom was the most powerful in this universe, highly feared and respected by everyone. The King and Queen ruled with justice and grace. Those were peaceful times.”
Grandpa glanced back at the board. I hadn’t taken my eyes off of it since he began talking. “A rebel group by the name of Bulen wanted to overthrow the royal family and bring themselves into power. They were not large enough or strong enough, though. For centuries they plotted, attempting to find a way to complete their plan. Finally, they discovered another rebel group that was much smaller but much more powerful than they were. They convinced the new group to join their ranks, and from that union the KaKonians were born.
“The KaKonians eventually began a battle with the Felkne, but they still were not powerful enough to overcome them. While hiding out after a particularly unsuccessful attack, they came up with a plan. The Felkne King and Queen had six children. The last two were girls, who were said to have been more powerful than the King and Queen combined. When the girls were born, an oracle prophesied that as long as they lived they would bring victory and peace to the kingdom. Of course, when the KaKonians found out about this, they assumed killing the girls would ensure their victory. So they went after the girls, who were no more than your age at the time, and kidnapped them.
“The King and Queen were both devastated and enraged. A full-scale war broke out among the KaKonians and Felkne. For decades the war raged on. Finally, one awful year, the girls were found inside a KaKonian base camp. They had been tortured and killed. The King and Queen, so devastated at their loss, could not continue fighting. The remaining Felkne children tried to continue on in war, but were not as powerful as their parents. The kingdom was eventually overrun by the KaKonians. The Felkne kingdom was no more.”
“I don’t understand,” Nia said, shaking her head. “We heard that we were a part of a legend, but there was never any talk about this war. How come we didn’t learn about it?”
“No one really knows the history of the legend.” Grandpa sighed. “The KaKonians still hold a great position of power on Turgor. They decided that the history books could do without what really happened to the Felkne.”
“So where do we fit into this?” I croaked. Mom and Dad had begun a silent conversation among themselves, with Mom laughing at whatever Dad was telling her.
Grandpa closed his eyes and continued talking. “Not too many people know this, and the KaKonians for sure don’t know this, but before the Felkne sisters died, the oracle that had originally issued a prophecy about them had another one. She said there would come at a time when a horrible war would begin again on Turgor. Right before the war could reach a peak, two sisters would be reunited on the planet. The Felkne sisters’ powers would be reborn within each set of sisters that descended until it would come to pass that a set of sisters would house the powerful Felkne magic. The oracle called them the Akearman Stars, after the Akearman constellation. It is one of the most visible constellations from our planet, and the one that was very present the night the sisters were found.
“The prophecy states specifically, there shall come a time when the two stars will reunite and have Death on their side in the final battle of Turgor. They will Awaken the ancient magical and powerful warriors from centuries that have passed and band forces to help defeat the KaKonians once and for all. After this ancient battle, it shall come to pass s that the two stars will reign forever in the night.”
I shook my head. I could grasp the general meaning of what Grandpa was telling us. “So Nia and I are the Akearman Stars?”
Grandpa looked back at Mom and Dad, who were paying rapt attention to him now. “Yes, you are.”
I swallowed. “And we’re supposed to save the day? Grandpa, we’re not powerful!”
“Yes, you are, honey,” Grandpa said, looking down at me with sad eyes. “You haven’t had nearly the amount of training that you should have had, but you are very powerful. I heard about the incident at Nipsin’s Lodge. How do you think you were able to create a distraction that big and powerful after only a couple of days on this planet?”
“I thought every Awakener could do that!” I shrieked. My head had begun to hurt, and my Evrodes had grown icy on my skin.
“No, they can’t,” Nia said, shaking her head. “I knew we were powerful, but I thought that was just talent. Not a legend that we were fulfilling.”
Grandpa pointed to the chalkboard. “Your mother and father wanted to be here when I explained this to you.”
“They can hear you?” Rena asked. Grandpa nodded.
Nia looked from the board to Grandpa. “What do we do now?”
“There was a reason that Kay’s first assignment was to Awaken a Death Walker. The prophecy states, ...the two stars will reunite and have Death on their side. We, a small group of historians and myself, thought that you Awakening the Death Walker would fulfill the final piece of the legend. We didn’t know that the KaKonians would be attacking so soon though.”
“So, we have to go Awaken the Death Walker,” Rena sighed. I sighed along with her. This was getting more complicated.
“What if I don’t want to engage in battle?” I asked. Nia looked at me. “What? I mean, I have enough trouble at home on Earth. Why would I want to risk being killed here? What about Grandma? You left her!” I pointed a trembling finger at Grandpa. “I won’t do the same. It would kill her!”
“Kay! Calm down,” Nia said, placing a hand on my shoulder She was trembling, too. “No one is going to die.”
“We’re talking about a war here, Nia!” I shook my head hard as if trying to shake myself out of a bad dream. “Not a simple assignment. A war!”
“The KaKonians don’t know about you...yet,” Grandpa said. “That gives us precious time to teach you what you need to know. I will be with you every step of the way.”
“So will I,” piped Rena. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I did not want to think about this right now. Time to change the subject.
“Grandpa, we were headed to Caldbeck originally because Rena’s mother is here. She would like to see her. Is there anything you can do?” I didn’t add that he owed us one since he forgot to mention this recent information.
Grandpa rubbed his cheek. “What did she do, Rena?”
Rena explained her situation, and before I knew it, we were walking along the rows of books again.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The book that Rena’s mom was housed in was a bright neon green and had a red emblem on it. The emblem glowed when Grandpa stepped near it, and Rena caught her breath. Grandpa muttered a few words under his breath and lightly tapped the book. The emblem parted until each half of it was on an opposite side of the cover. Grandpa gripped the book and turned around to face Rena.
“Are you ready?” he asked. She nodded, and I grabbed her hand for support.
Grandpa slowly opened the book. At first, nothing happened. Dust rose from the pages, showing that it had not been touched for quite a while. But as Grandpa continued to stare down at them, the pages began to glow a faint green. We all stood there, watching in awe as the book continued to glow, eerily lighting Grandpa’s face.
“Symposi nauseum, majoot aldrej, release yourself,” Grandpa whispered to the book. It stopped glowing at once. We all stood staring at it, holding our breath. “Symposi nauseum, majoot aldrej, release yourself1” Grandpa cried louder. The book trembled in his hands so hard he dropped it. We all jumped back in surprise as the book began to twist and morph until it was at least ten times the height it once was, and wide enough for all of us to stand in it. It continued to stretch and shake, thick layers of dust rising up with each shiver.
“Symposi nauseum, majoot aldrej, release yourself, veroot, veroot!” Grandpa shouted. Rena gave a small yelp,
and we grasped hands tightly. I looked on in a mixture of shock and fear. The book seemed to have melted into a figure, its pages forming the outer layer while the thick layers of dust shielded us from seeing the middle. Grandpa straightened his back and took two steps towards the figure.
“Shake it off, prisoner,” he cooed. The figure stood still for a moment and then shook fiercely, with dust flying everywhere. Rena, Nia, and I coughed and squinted, trying to protect our eyes and watch at the same time. When the dust had settled, Grandpa stood back again, satisfied. And there stood a tall woman, with crystal blue skin and Rena’s eyes. She blinked and quivered, allowing two large beautiful wings to expand from her back. The woman was dressed in gray robes, with the nametag 32000651QDF on her chest.
“Mother?” Rena whispered, her skin a ghostly white. The woman frowned for a moment and then smiled.
“Rena?” she asked. Rena nodded, and the woman began glowing a brilliant pink. “RENA!” Rena ran to her mother, and they embraced, both glowing rainbows of colors. From inside her mother’s arms, I could hear Rena laughing and crying at the same time. I looked over at Nia, who was trying to wipe away a tear without being noticed, and gave her a big grin.
“My name is Jala. I am—was on the force Tormey, protector of the skies.” Rena’s mother had sat down next to us in another room in Caldbeck. Nia had created us a buffet of kirrs—meat that resembled oysters—biscuits, tea, and cookies. After Awakening them, I loaded my plate and sat back down to listen as Jala explained how she had come to be a prisoner. “It was standard protocol. We were to check out one of the numerous break-ins of Lugsdor, the planet’s official library. I, along with my team, flew over here and found a team of KaKonians destroying ancient texts.”
“What was so important about the texts?” Grandpa asked.
“We don’t know. And I never had a chance to find out. We began to battle the KaKonians—and we were winning, too—until another group of creatures came in.”
The Two Worlds Page 8
