Harmonizer's Evolution (Balancer's Soul cycle)

by Lee Morgan

  Sheriff Burrow finally looked up into Connor’s eyes and broke into a smile. “I’ll do whatever it takes to ease the burden off you, Son. I’ll do it for family. When I get a day off, we will speak more on these things.” The Sheriff put his new badge away in his breast pocket and embraced Connor.

  Mrs. Burrow walked back to Sarah with Darrel in her arms. She looked at him with a smile “You better be good now, Darrel. Listen to your mom.”

  He smiled widely. “Yes ma’am!”

  She handed Sarah’s baby over to her and smiled lovingly. “Sarah, I have many thing to ask you, but it really is getting late out right now. I’m also really grateful that you are trusting me with all this. My kids won’t believe this so they won’t even be told about all this craziness. I cannot even begin to understand what you’re going through, but I’ll be there if you ever need to talk with me. And if you need a babysitter, I’ll gladly keep an eye on the rug-rats.” She smiled and wrapped her free arm around her friend. “Thank you.” Mrs. Burrow hugged her back with a grateful smile.

  After the Burrow’s left with David and Rhoda, to get a ride home, Sarah looked up at the remaining giantess on the premises. “Clarein, earlier you said that you had a debt with me. What did you mean by that?”

  The tall Keeper turned her purple eyes on Sarah and smiled without showing her teeth. By the feel of her mind, she they were speaking privately. “Actually I meant that I owed your family much. You see, I’ve been with my mate for several centuries, but I’ve never had a female relationship outside of my mother. The Honored Mother never spoke to me the first time since I became Firon’s mate. When she met you and your family, she changed and I gained a companionship with her for the first time last year. And I also gained you as a friend. It was always a lonely feeling and now it’s gone. Firon’s my mate, but you know that to make our lives better, we need variety. Now that I’ve finally achieved that, I feel indebted to you. Now my life feels…more broad.”

  Since these were her private feelings Sarah returned the favor by thinking privately. “I’m thrilled you think like that, but you should forget that debt. Were friends now so don’t feel obliged. Friends do things because they want to, not because they have to.” She smiled and took the words to heart.

  Jillian spoke a few minutes later. “Clarein, it is getting late. Would you like some company to go find our men?”

  Before Clarein responded Sarah said “They must still have a lot to do. Why don’t everyone go see what they need help with. I’ll stay back here with the kids and see that they get something to eat and then put them to bed.”

  Before Connor left he walked into their home and grabbed his large axe that he uses to chop firewood. He made his way up to Sarah and whispered in her ear “We’ll have to postpone the sleeping research until later.” Her face flared. He then kissed her forehead and caught up to everyone and was then part of the shadows, as were everyone else who left the clearing.

  Shannon knew that she should stay behind, so she did.

  As a reward for a good job all three children received their very own popsicle. Each one received a cherry flavor. Shannon enjoyed it most of all, but Darrel made the biggest mess. He had a hard time holding the handle in his little hands. He didn’t intentionally to soil his bib, but he enjoyed the prize nonetheless.

  When it came time for dinner Sarah made a meal for only Shannon and herself, because Connor telepathically explained that he would be staying the entire night to finish building one of the large cabins with the other men. They had a lot of work that needed to be accomplished.

  Suspect and Identify

  The three of the larger workers were severely weakened after sending out their energy to latch onto all immortals and bring them to the caster. Firon, Xaon and the latecomer Clarein were all overly exhausted by now. It was only beginning to turn into morning as the entire group had worked throughout the entire night. The only two immortal adults who didn’t stay for the entire night were Jillian and Sarah. Sarah stayed home with the three children whereas Jillian needed to sleep because she had work to do today.

  Jack mainly worked with his hands to make the natural sealant for the large cabins being erected. He mixed mud and straw together in a large pit with Haunt being the mixer. Mark and Connor mainly drug the large, elderly trees from around the area and brought them into the rocky clearing. Connor mainly chopped the thick tree limbs from the trunks so that they would be easier to bring through the brush. By the time all was done the clearing would be much larger.

  After bringing the wood into the clearing, it became Clarein’s job to clean the materials into proper building purposes. She would use her sharp claws to slice off the remaining limbs and rough bark. Once done she’d stack the wood into neat piles. What didn’t end up being used for building purposes were added to the burn pile so that everyone could be able to see properly. Clarein had the easiest tasks of them all because she could assist them while also sitting on the ground.

  Xaon and Firon were mainly in charge of building the large structures for all the Keepers who would soon arrive. They would each grab a hold of a stripped tree trunk that Clarein had finished working on and bring it over to their site. They would set the logs in a vertical pattern so that they could be thrust into the ground more easily rather than layering them horizontally. After the main part of the wall structure became stable, they would work with Jack to seal the cracks between the posts with the mortar he constantly mixed.

  Once the outer walls were finished it became Kara’s job. Kara had to work on building the roof for each cabin. Connor also assisted her when his powers were needed. He had used Terra to crush the stony soil into large sections and then had to use Fire to harden the soil into useable tiles. His sister would take the cooled tiles, jump fifteen feet in the air, land on a temporary scaffold and layer each roof per cabin from the bottom up. By the time her job was finished there would be a new building waiting for her to roof.

  By this time, they had worked together to make five large cabins overnight. Each new cabin could house thirty individual Keepers. It was a good start, but they would need at least one hundred more structures, for now.

  The five cabins were all made off on the far northern side of the clearing.

  As Connor began dragging another oak tree, his instincts alerted him to an approaching presence. He redoubled his efforts and drug the entire tree over to Clarein. Once it dropped by her to do pile, he shouted “Everyone!” Every single person stopped what they were doing to look directly at him. “We have our first visitor coming this way. It is only one person and he or she will be here in a minute.”

  Everyone asked him what they should do if someone were to approach during the night and were given an answer.

  Xaon, Firon and Clarein all stood shoulder to shoulder while Connor stood in front of the three of them. His instinct gave him the direction that the runner was approaching from. He knew it was a runner because he or she wasn’t using their energy to fly. Mark, Kara and Jack stood off to the side so that he could be allowed to give any orders.

  They were all quiet when they could hear as the visitor plowed through the forest like a wild animal gone mad. It came from the west so that is where they were looking.

  Then the creature passed the tree line.

  It was a large, silver eyed Changer standing over seven feet tall and in a transformed state. He wore a large shirt and enormous pants that looked custom made and it also seemed sturdy. He had loose brown fur covering his entire body that looked relatively proportional. Long gorilla-like arms grew out from his shoulders and large legs gave solid foundation. Then Connor’s eyes drifted down to an enormous pair of bare feet. He was the epitome of the legendary Big Foot.

  Connor remembered then him from the Mélange meeting.

  As the enormous Changer approached he spoke in a lighthearted manner. “Ah, so you must be the infamous Bryce?”

  Bryce stopped several yards back and looked at him in a confused way. He blinked
several times and smiled. Connor saw that his teeth were mostly human, but his canines were a little longer than they should be. Then he spoke in a very deep and masculine voice. “That I am. Unfortunately we’ve never had the pleasure of speaking to one another. Am I correct in calling you Connor?”

  “That you are.”

  He then continued appearing pleasant, even as he crossed his large furry arms. “So may I ask why there were three Keeper Calls? I don’t know what they mean, but I can assume that it cannot be a good foreboding.”

  Connor nodded while everyone remained silent. “You are correct. Actually there isn’t too much time to prepare, but something very serious is about to happen. Do you think you can wait until the Head Elders explain what is happening?”

  Bryce went silent for a few minutes as he deliberated what should be done. He then uncrossed his arms and said “If three Keepers sent out their call, something dangerous must be in the mix. I can wait until the Elders explain what is going on around here.” Then his silver eyes looked up and behind the large and powerful child. “After I get these bonds removed from me, what should I do until I’m told about the situation?”

  “We still need a lot of help building shelters for the Keepers. If you don’t decide to help, you may change back into human and go into town to rent a room.”

  “For how long will I need to rent?”

  Connor’s mind instantly calculated how many days remained and how many days it would take for everyone to make their way to the three primary destinations. He guessed that the other immortals would need to leave here on July first, for everyone to make it to their locations and have a day of rest from their long journeys. “Bryce, you will only need to rent a place for sixty four days.”

  His smile vanished and his catlike eyes widened. “We only have that long?”

  “Afraid so, big guy. We’ll need to have everything finished by July fourth.”

  Bryce nodded a moment later. He walked up to Connor and then bowed to the three Keepers. Each one of them soon removed his bond to them. Once he became free to be himself he turned around to ask “Alright, if time is truly that short, I’ll help around here for a little while. Where do you need me?”

  Kara took a step forward and gained everyone’s attention. “You could help Mark in bringing in more trees, for more lodges. Brother could then aid me in tiling all the roofs. He’s been doing the most out of us all.”

  Bryce gave her a one sided smile. “Sure thing, Child. By the way, aren’t you that new Bone Changer everyone’s been talking about?”

  Kara grinned proudly. “The one in the same.”

  Then Bryce turned his eyes to Mark. “Ah, Marcus. It has been a long time old chum. What is it like hanging around these strangers? Is it some kind of fetish to be with others who aren’t of your own kind?”

  Bryce’s spoke in honest unknowing. It sounded like he has never had any friends outside of other Changers. “It is much more relaxing than watching your back with every step. Come on and I’ll show you where you can pitch in.”

  As Mark and Bryce walked off into the forest they heard Big Foot ask “By the way, is there a liquor store or pub around here?”

  Three hours later four mated pairs of Balancers, nine Changers and one female Keeper arrived to the field. The Balancers and Changers went into town to get their rooms for close to the next three months.

  Not long after, Sarah and the three excited children arrived. She carried Pearl and Darrel inside their car-seats while Shannon walked close to her side. As the four approached, Connor felt Sarah using her power.

  He stopped what he was doing and made his way over to his loving mate. Behind her floated a large wrapped object being levitated by her powers over Pressure. It looked like one of their bed sheets that was used as the wrapping. She smiled his favorite smile and said “Since you haven’t had any dinner or breakfast, I brought it out here for you. Actually I brought enough for Father, Kara and Mark too. Are you hungry?”

  “Famished!” Jack said while coming up from behind.

  Sarah placed their children on the ground as she lowered the food to the ground as well. Once it became untied, she opened it like a picnic cloth. Inside the cloth sat four large honey-baked hams, on the bone, along with seven closed pitchers of lemonade with ice cubes. In a small basket were biscuits and a jar of blueberry jam waited to be used. Then there were several large Tupperware containers filled with eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes and even waffles. Off to the side were paper plates and plastic forks.

  The four of them began eating the meal that she spent awhile making for all of them. As Connor began working on some eggs and bacon, Sarah started looking around the field. “It sure feels strange seeing so many around our old training area. Seems like only yesterday that Mother and I had our first fight, after we completed the ceremony… Now look at this place. It will never look the same after all this is over. Now this place won’t be used to better ourselves, it will be a place to prepare for a war.” Then she smiled weakly and began rubbing her ankle.

  “So what!” Darrel stated.

  Everyone close by turned to stare at their son. Connor swallowed the last of his food and asked “What do you mean by that, Darrel?”

  His angelic features became calm and serene. Then his small eyes turned to his confused mother. “Mommy, there are many people like G’ama, Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother. They cannot defend themselves like you and Daddy can. I’d really hate to see them being harmed, let alone eaten. If I was bigger, I’d help out in any way I could. Like what you told me, sometimes you need to play with the cards that you were dealt.

  “If what I think is right, then sacrificing a place like this to save a great many lives is worth it. Daddy once said to me ‘that to gain something, something else must be sacrificed.’ Don’t you agree, Mommy?” Before Sarah could say anything he stated “Besides, Daddy said that in time, the trees and land will repair itself. So don’t worry about this place not looking right for a little while.”

  Their group grew silent because it was Sarah who was the key to this conversation. His mate then realized this fact and turned her gaze on another source. “Pearl, what are your thoughts on your brother’s assessment?”

  Their daughter’s beautiful features looked to everyone and then she thought “You have no idea how I really hate saying this, but I agree with Darrel.” Kara snickered and that made Darrel smile widely.

  Sarah met her husband’s calm stare and said “It looks like I’m worrying for no apparent reason. Sometimes we need a child to explain how things cannot be avoided.” She then looked down at their children. “Thanks, you two. Mommy really needed to hear those words.”

  “Anytime.” Pearl stated and that made everyone laugh for a few seconds.

  Not long after, they returned working with everyone else. Sarah became the only one to remain behind and keep an eye on the children while others worked.

  Then at three in the afternoon Connor sensed several approaching creatures. He looked into the bright sky and saw multiple objects that were very large. He then gained everyone’s attention by shouting “Everyone! Make Room!”

  The hundred or so immortals that had arrived today, heeded his words and moved away from the center of the rocky clearing. Sarah and the rest of his family had moved over to stand by his side and look to where he was.

  A minute later, everyone saw ten large objects that were cube shaped and also six smaller objects flying close by them. As they approached the base camp Connor began recognizing more details. He sensed five sources of energy being used and he used his ability to see the individual’s aura. One of the fliers had a larger dark brown aura, one had a gray while the next held a violet, two of them had a monstrous white color and the fourth flier flew differently because it had large wings and a pure black aura. It seemed darker and even larger than Mark’s. If Sorono had the purest white then this person had the purest black. This aura was a black even the strongest light couldn’t penetrate. Upon
a closer look of the two of the gray and violet auras, he saw four smaller auras. He didn’t know what that meant.

  At least not at the moment.

  Connor announced to those close by “It is Sorono and his company.”

  Everyone moved away as the ten enormous cubes were dropped in the center of the field. Everything went silent as each cube landed heavily. Each and every cube stood over two stories tall and weighed more than he wanted to imagine.

  Then the fliers began making their landings.

  Two female Keepers landed and Connor remembered them from the meeting. He nearly killed them if Veronica hadn’t interrupted him. The two Immortal Guard Keepers landed on all fours and he realized they were carrying people on their backs. Four people exited off each Keepers back. He recognized Marik and Cassie right away as they landed on the ground. Then a pair of mated Changers exited the same Keeper. It was the gorilla and the cheetah. Those six Guards tried to capture him once, but they didn’t even stand a chance. Now I wonder what happened to those other two?

  On the back of the second Keeper were another two more Immortal Guard Balancers along with the Balancer’s Head Elders, Amphrite and Poseidon. The Head Elders both wore their black sleeveless Elder robes with a golden pentagram embroidered on the chest.

  The next to land was one of the only good Originals Connor has had the pleasure of meeting, Damian. He too wore his Elder’s robe with the gold hourglass sewn upon his breast.