Fractured Families (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga Book 2)

by Jason Paul Rice

  One matter gave Russell solace in the grand scheme. He had never been tested by men trying to kill him before. Russell felt proud he had defended his friends, but also wore a choking chain of guilt over the matter. Terry Underling used to tell Russell what it was like to kill a man, but the description was nothing compared to committing the act himself. He quickly convinced himself it was either him or the men and tried not to think about it anymore.

  Russell spent the rest of the boat ride trying to teach Lizeria to speak the common tongue better. The process proved frustrating at times but the young girl was a quick learner. He still knew that at some point he would have to leave the girl behind. She couldn’t go into the kind of battle Russell envisioned ahead of them. The girl had saved Russell’s life, but he knew she was far too young and feeble for a real fight. He wondered if he should have left Lizeria in Morningdale with Gamelda. Russell also tried to figure out how the dwarves could help them find the Pearl. Remfield and his wife moved slower than molasses, always kissing each other and saying ‘I love you.’ They were starting to get on Russell’s nerves, constantly making him think about Gamelda.

  The next morning he noticed Shireez emerging from Dragon-Eyes’ cabin. Russell went up on the small deck and waited to talk to the Imp Wizard. However, as soon as the Imp hit the deck, he sidled up to his new found love, Shireez. The wizard had always had glowing eyes, but now his face matched them with a happy, excited look. Looking at this couple only caused Russell to think about the first time he had seen and smelled Gamelda on the doorstep of the workshop. Her beauty could have made milky white flowers blush and her scent hinted at roses dancing like a free woman in a field of vanilla. He already missed his lover greatly and went back to teaching Lizeria to keep his mind from Gamelda.

  OLLOR

  Ollor did the secret knock again. He had been waiting for almost an hour to get into the School. Finally, Kazu opened the door. Ollor started to walk in until the old man stopped him. “There is no time tonight,” Kazu said. “I need to speak to my children. You’ve turned me away too many times. I have something very important to tell them,” Ollor said. “I cannot let you in. You must come back again,” Kazu shouted and slammed the door in Ollor’s face.

  Ollor trudged away, seething with an anger he hadn’t experienced in a long time. He reached into his pocket and found what he was looking for. He marched inland to the closest town he could find. He walked through the small town and saw a hill in the background. He stopped at a tiny inn and ate some camel stew. He bought a room for the night and found it to stink of feces. He barely slept and left the wooden shack at dawn.

  He went to survey the hill and surrounding areas. The sand stopped at the base of the hill and reddish-brown dirt covered the hill. Ollor spotted big gray boulders and small green leaved bushes. He started up the hill and heard the warning sound of a rattlesnake in the distance. Ollor turned around to view the expansive sandy landscape below and saw a fast-foot runner being chased by a coyote. The aptly named bird frustrated the coyote at every turn until the predatory animal gave up and looked for shade in the intense, post-dawn heat.

  A huge cactus appeared behind a boulder and two horned lizards wrestled and killed a red-spotted toad. The lizards ripped at the meal and fought each other to get the best pieces. Ollor knew animals fed after dawn and the desert was no exception. The man had always kept a connection with animals since the days of his first dog, Swiper. The only animals Ollor didn’t like were snakes. The slithering serpents always tried to bite Ollor and he’d almost died from a snake bite back in Waters Edge. He had laid in bed dying until a serum from Morningdale arrived and cured Rollo Etburn.

  From the side, his eyes caught a coiled diamondback lounging under a small bush. Ollor quickly moved further away and continued up the hillside. He looked over the next boulder and saw a lone desert eagle. The handsome bird sported a green tipped beak, which faded to yellow and continued around the rest of its mouth. Oak colored eyes stared at Ollor and smooth brown feathers covered the eagle’s body. The tips of the light brown feathers were highlighted in black. He glanced at the widened, white tail feathers before focusing on the bird’s razor sharp talons. The eagle moved back and forth on a red rock. Ollor stared at the bird and remained in eye contact with the eagle. He stared into the fierce eyes of the predator.

  See it, be it. See it, be it. Come, land on my shoulder. The desert eagle gently flew over and alighted on Ollor’s shoulder. The talons immediately drew blood and Ollor could feel the soul of the bird. He pulled the vial from his pocket, shook it up and rubbed the pasty substance into his eyes. The potion stung worse than anything Ollor had ever felt before and he feared it had blinded him. Several moments passed before he could reopen his eyes. He looked at the bird as he regained vision and felt very strange.

  He shrugged his shoulders and heard a flapping sound. He did it again and took a step forward. The bird fell about six feet from Ollor’s shoulder and the man realized he was inside the desert eagle. The pain of the fall was bad, but Ollor felt ecstatic he could take over such a fierce animal. I did it. Good job, old man. Maybe you still can serve a purpose after all.

  Ollor looked up to see his body. He had never realized how severe his facial scars were. Ollor now understood why most women and children were initially scared of him. His body showed the wear and tear of an old soldier, but he knew he could offer more. Ollor moved his shoulders up and down continuously as his body begin to rise. The power in the wings amazed Ollor as he rose into the sunny blue sky. He looked down over the sandy oasis and saw a spotted hyena and four wild camels. He swooped even closer and many snakes came into view. Sidewinders, king snakes, pit vipers and others snapped up at the bird as it passed overhead. Ollor became thrilled with flying and turned to make sure he didn’t get lost. Ollor saw another bird pass in the opposite direction and followed it. He wasn’t sure why, but instinct told him to follow the unfamiliar bird.

  He flapped rapidly, but the other feathered flyer only increased the distance between the two. Before long, Ollor’s wings tired and he had to coast through the air, losing the trail of the unknown bird. He turned to go back to the hill, but could only see white sand in every direction. He rose in the sky, but still couldn’t find either the hill or the small town near it. Another problem attacked Ollor, a screaming hunger. He’d taken over the eagle’s body right before feeding time. His stomach swirled and head dizzied. Ollor spiraled downward and out of control. He fluttered within fifty feet of the ground, and the nauseous feeling persisted. Finally he regained control, and spread the wings to coast fifteen feet above the sandy bottom.

  A pack of jack rabbits appeared ahead and Ollor closed in. He unknowingly squawked and alerted the rabbits who bolted in different directions. Ollor noticed three running slower than the others and flew down a bit closer. Even the slow jack rabbits were fast, but Ollor caught up and glided down near one of the animals. He experienced a strange feeling when his feet and toes lifted up before making contact with the animal. He instinctively pushed his toes down and the talons sank into the flesh of the rabbit. A desperate squeal came from the animal that now had a predator’s claws deep in its neck. Ollor moved his shoulders and rose again into the hot summer sky. Blood dripped from the still-struggling, nearly dead rabbit thirty feet down to wet the dusty earth. Ollor descended back down to an open area with his prey. He found the beak and claw combination to be quite devastating and snacked on the raw flesh of the rabbit’s breast.

  Ollor had never eaten raw meat before and the strong flavor tasted odd. Nonetheless, he choked down most of the animal and left the rest to the vultures. With full stomach, the major problem still persisted. Ollor didn’t know which way to go, to get back to his body. He spotted a scooting scorpion and ran in the other direction. Maybe this was a bad idea? The friend said to pick a stupid animal to begin, like a horse or camel. I thought my connection with animals was enough. You should have known, you stupid old man.

  Not being able t
o see the kids made Ollor cranky and he redirected the anger back on himself. The sand and cacti all looked the same to Ollor. His wings became tired again and he landed on a cactus. He carefully used the multi-colored beak to peck a small opening in the spiked plant. He put pressure on the inner pulp and lapped up the extracted liquid.

  Ollor flew around aimlessly for the rest of the day, hoping to stumble upon the hill or town. Although the falling sun provided some relief from the heat, he had not a clue of how to get back to his body. He landed on top of a tall cactus after dark and looked up to the stars and moon. Ollor prayed to any of the Gods who would listen to help guide him back to his body. He soon became tired and fell fast asleep.

  Ollor woke up at dawn and forgot he was still inside the bird’s body. Ollor took a step forward and the desert eagle dropped like a rock. He had forgotten to extend his wings. Pain rushed into his chest but luckily the sand provided a relatively soft landing. It took Ollor several moments to gather his breath and review the situation. Everything looked the same. Whitish-brown sand, green cacti, a blue sky with nary a cloud and a searing golden sun were the only colors he could see.

  His stomach growled, so Ollor moved his wings despite the pain and rose rapidly. He spotted a wild hyena and tried to capture the beast but couldn’t quite wrangle it. After the failed attempt he found a lone, lost coyote and dropped down perfectly to dig the talons into the animal’s neck. The wily coyote flopped around wildly but Ollor maintained his grip on the bleeding animal. After his prey went still, Ollor ripped apart the torso and enjoyed the flavor of the raw meat this time. He had his fill and found a cactus to get some water before searching for his body again.

  The friend had warned Ollor a person needed to see his body in the eyes of the animal before he could return to human form. Despite the advice, he was desperate and closed his eyes to force himself back into the body of Ollor. That didn’t work and he started to get legitimately scared. He flew around for hours and just before he was going to take a break, he saw the village he had stayed at before changing into the desert eagle.

  He squawked with excited anticipation and drew the attention of the townspeople who pointed at the loud bird. Ollor flew back over to the hill and found the motionless human body, still standing on the hillside. He closed the bird’s eyes and when he opened them again, Ollor stood upright but quickly collapsed onto the auburn dirt. A terrible pain rattled around in his head. Ollor couldn’t open his eyes because the sun felt like the liniment he had rubbed in his eyes. His stomach convulsed and he realized he hadn’t eaten for over a day. Ollor’s tongue felt like a lizard’s dry skin. After an hour of regaining his senses, Ollor limped back to the village and found the water well. He dragged his reluctant body into the inn and devoured the spit-roasted king snake. A great headache persisted but Ollor almost cracked a smile thinking about the mid-air adventure. In an unconventional way, the Etburn Eagle flew again with pride.

  He couldn’t brag to anyone, but he knew what it felt like to fly. Ollor had been very nervous when he was lost, but he was totally calm now. He wanted to see the friend to tell him he didn’t need to invade a stupid or feeble animal. Ollor made the trek back to his rented hut and fell asleep until the next morning.

  He only had a slight headache upon waking up. Ollor thought about how the fish merchant would react to him missing one day of work. The merchant’s angry disposition and treatment of the younger workers gave him reason to worry. However, he had never given Ollor a hard time. He stood much bigger than the fish merchant and knew he intimidated the owner.

  Ollor walked up to his station and heard the man’s voice, “What do you think you are doing here? This isn’t a come as you please job. I already replaced you, so go and get lost. Here’s the rest of what I owe you.” The merchant pulled a few coins from his pocket and tossed them to Ollor. He caught most of them and scraped his pride aside and got down on his knees to collect the rest of his meager pay. Ollor knew he could easily kill this man in no time at all, but he pushed the anger back down. He felt a sudden need to see his kids.

  He knew it wasn’t the full- or half-moon, but despite the previous warnings against going to the School on other days, the desire gnawed at Ollor. He walked in the direction of the School and convinced himself this was a good idea. Kazu was sure to let him in to see the children, he finally thought.

  Ollor did the secret knock and waited. He repeated the process twenty more times in the next hour or two as his patience ran thin in the sweaty, sandy heat. His exposed body had sand pasted to it as the door finally opened and two gargantuan men pulled Ollor in by force and pinned him against a wall. The dimly lit area exposed a glimmering silver trident coming at Ollor’s throat. It stopped as the sharp tips lightly touched his neck. Through the darkness, he recognized Kazu as the holder of the long, spiked trident. “You are only supposed to come on full- and half-moons and only at night,” Kazu scolded. “If you would only let me in when…” Ollor was interrupted.

  Kazu removed the weapon but one of the men punched Ollor in the gut. He dropped to one knee and felt like he had been hit by a boulder. Kazu spoke again, “Do not speak or answer, only listen. This School has existed for five hundred years because countless men have kept it secret. Everyone has followed the rules we have set for the School to remain in anonymity. I will not let you expose this school to the demons. You are never to return to this School again, your privilege is revoked.”

  Ollor threatened, “Then I’ll take my kids with me.” Kazu nodded to the men and they proceeded to pummel Ollor for several minutes. Punching, kicking and some choking provided a thorough whooping from head to toe. As Ollor lay bleeding on the ground, Kazu warned, “Your children belong to the School now, not you. They took the vows, denouncing former family. I let you into the School as a courtesy and you have overstepped your welcome. If you ever try to return to this School again, I will command your children to kill you and you know they will do it. They know if they don’t do it, they will be killed. We take our privacy extremely seriously. Three lives aren’t worth what we’ve established over five centuries. Take him away,” Kazu ordered.

  The two behemoths dragged Ollor about a quarter mile from the School and dumped his body in the sand. Way to go old man. You can’t help the kids if you can never see them again. What are you going to do now?

  The pain prevented Ollor from doing anything but keeping watch for scorpions. He felt like death but didn’t want to fully die just yet. Questioning and self-loathing encompassed his mind as Ollor swelled with anger. He wondered why he had been reckless enough to use foolhardy tactics to get into the School.

  Ollor didn’t think he had the strength to get up when a small hand appeared out of nowhere. The friend helped Ollor to his feet, and spoke, “You have made foolish actions out of love. Noble actions to some, but also foolish on the other hand. Pain of the heart will subside in time.” “I changed into a desert eagle,” Ollor bragged. “This much is already known. You have the eagle inside. It was only a matter of time before it came out,” the friend said. “I am ready for the next step,” Ollor announced. “You are not,” the friend sharply returned. “How do you know?” Ollor demanded. “You can barely stand and it takes great strength to move up to the next change. Soon you will be ready to try, once your wounds have healed,” he advised.

  “You can teach me while I recover,” Ollor said hopefully. The friend helped Ollor back to his hut and they sat at the small table. He treated Ollor’s wounds and mixed up a few ointments to apply over the bleeding areas. The treatment stung but Ollor knew it was necessary. After the healing procedures, the friend talked about the next step. “In my experience, it is much easier to go older but not too old. A simple looking old not one who looks confounded with problems. The less thinking, the better. Smaller towns and villages are optimal. You have to touch at the time of or just before. Anything can happen and some changers have never come back. Don’t become careless or cocky in your judgement. There is a plan in
order for you from those above but they demand sacrifice, total sacrifice.”

  “I am willing to sacrifice for the benefit of the whole,” Ollor pledged. “For this liniment we start with grains of paradise,” the friend said as he sprinkled them into the mortar. He put together another concoction for Ollor to rub into his eyes again. Ollor talked to the friend until nightfall and started to slowly realize the lonely path he would have to walk down. He went to the tavern and sat down with Captain Wallace.

  “Was down the docks the other day and didn’t see your pretty face,” the Captain laughed. It hurt Ollor to chuckle after the beating. “I have decided to leave the glorious job of fish gutting,” Ollor responded. “What’s your new line of work?” the Captain asked. “I was in hopes of a possible position with a skilled captain,” Ollor hinted. “We got room for you,” Captain Wallace smiled.

  Ollor spent the next few weeks recovering with the friend and working on Captain Wallace’s ship. The two men became even closer and Ollor tried to learn everything he could about the old salt. His body was nearly back to full strength and Ollor felt ready for this next challenge. If I can never see the kids, I’ll help them in a different way. Ollor could have sworn he saw the kids off in the distance but the rippling waves of heat made him shrug it off and he jumped aboard the boat.

  LEIMUR

  “Who’s my big strong Tiger Prince?” Leimur asked. “I am,” replied Huber. “Let me hear you roar!” she urged. “GGGRRR.” The boy tried but his undeveloped voice prevented a real growl. Leimur jumped back. “Oh my, you scared me.” The Queen sat atop her throne with Huber on her right knee. She had to switch back and forth because the growing boy weighed more by the day.