The Azurean Trilogy (All Three Books: 1, 2 & 3): Essentia, Burgeor & Manifest

by Fatimah Ashaela Moore Ibrahim

  Beema closed her eyes, and let her index finger trail across the woman's forehead. A convoluted mish-mash of jumbled images flashed from the woman's consciousness to Beema's searching mind. Beema growled in frustration, and the woman jumped, trying to edge her body as far away from Beema as possible. Beema had hoped that calming the woman first would allow her to look into her thoughts better, but the result she got was the same as all of the other Inferiors. Either Inferiors are stupider than I thought, or they have been tampered with.

  She addressed the woman again, placing the mask of mock concern back on her face. “Forgive me, dear, it has been a long day. I didn't mean to frighten you. So, would you like to take me up on my offer? I would of course also provide handsomely for you and your family.”

  The woman stared up at Beema, the disgust overpowering her fear. “Do you think that I would ever consider making a deal with the likes of you? You....you and your people disgust me.” The woman spit in Beema's face. “That is what I think of you and your deal.”

  Anger roared inside of Beema, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she took a tissue from the metal table that stood beside the chair, and calmly wiped the spittle away.

  “How very brave of you,” she started. Her lips curved into a false smile, and then quickly slipped into a fierce snarl, “Brave and Stupid.” Beema picked up a pair of plastic gloves and began to methodically slip them onto her hands. She walked over to a horrible looking machine that was equipped with various dials and blinking lights. “You really should not have done that, my dear. Now, I shall have to address your terrible, terrible manners.”

  Beema turned the dial as far as she could to the right, knowing that it would administer a lethal amount of electrical charge throughout the woman's body. Nobody spits on me and gets away with it.

  She smiled with satisfaction as the woman's piercing scream echoed throughout the chambers of the interrogation room.

  ~~~

  “Has everyone been treated?” Nourana whispered through the bars of the holding cells. Her fellow tribes-people nodded and passed the question to the inhabitants of the adjoining cells. Nourana could not stop thinking about her children, Yaya and Aziz, and her husband, Fadi. She wondered how they were and hoped they would not be too worried about her.

  Nourana paused in a moment of gratitude. She was so glad that her best friend, Mother Willoni had shared much of her knowledge of herbs with her. When the Houdakin guards had stormed Deloria and begun to take prisoners, Nourana had hurriedly stuffed two small bags of Zinna mix into the inside pocket of her apron. The mix, a blend of Cranberries and the gel from the inside of the Zinna leaf, was useful for causing temporary memory loss. She knew that the Houdakin would try to find out information about the Prophecy, and so she had distributed the bags of the mix to all of her fellow prisoners. She had instructed everyone to place a small amount on the tip of their finger, and then to rub it into their temples. If the Houdakin tried to use any sort of truth serum to make the prisoners talk, they would honestly not be able to tell them anything. Little did she know that the Zinna mix was also effective against Beema's mind-reading talents.

  Word came back that the mix had been enough to treat everyone. Nourana thanked the Creator, and sank onto the cold, soot-covered stone floor. The only thing she could do now was wait for Allie to come back. Allie had been the latest prisoner taken to be interrogated.

  In the moments before she was captured, Nourana had gotten the memory loss mix, but had not had enough time to grab the salve that could alleviate pain. She sighed. Well, at least she knew which acupressure points she would need to press to help relieve some of the pain for Allie.

  Nourana offered a silent prayer. Oh, my Creator, Thank You for Your Mercy. Please send your help. In your Mercy do I seek relief. She looked around her cell room, and at all of the terrified faces. She prayed that they would be rescued soon.

  ~~~

  By the end of the day, Beema was exhausted. She poured herself a glass of Obsidian essence water, and sank onto the high-backed throne chair her father had just given her for her birthday.

  The chair had been made from only the finest and most expensive materials: Rosewood painted with melted gold for the base. Deep purple silk for the cushions. Diamond and Obsidian II jewels everywhere. The chair was the definition of opulence.

  Beema ran her fingers over the jewel encrusted armrest. To be surrounded with beauty, elegance and fine things was what life was all about. That was real joy. That was real happiness.

  She shuddered to think of how the people on other Sectors lived.

  She had heard the maids talking once about a party. There had been no mention of the golden goblets, jeweled table settings or lavish food displays that were a given for any of the celebrations thrown by a Houdakin.

  The maids had only spoken of wildflowers in vases and handmade gifts. And they had seemed so happy. Yeah, right, she snorted internally. She never wanted to be that pathetic.

  The familiar click of shoes on the marbled floor made her look up. Henken approached Beema, hands folded over his abdomen in respect.

  “Princess Beema,” he said, bowing while closing his eyes. It made him sick to do it. If there was anyone he hated more than Emperor Borche, it was his daughter. Beema felt the same about him. She didn't trust the man at all. But she didn't want Henken to know this. “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,” the ancient cliché echoed in her mind.

  Beema put on a seemingly genuine smile. “Henken, darling. What news have you, trusted friend of my Father?”

  Henken put on his own fake-genuine smile. “Dear, wise, princess, I have been informed that not only is the programming nearing completion on the Mechanical Army, but also that the missiles will soon be ready for your inspection.”

  Beema nodded. Compliment me all you want, you little sneak, she snarled inwardly. You'll get nothing past me.

  She had never known why, but her gut told her that this man was nothing but trouble. She could feel it.

  “Fantastic, my Dear. Father will be so pleased. By the way, how is that beautiful family of yours? Your wife Patricia and son.... Jacob, isn't it? Be sure to give them my warm wishes, won't you?” She flashed another brilliant smile at Henken. Umm-hmmm. Remember, I hold all of the cards, she thought to herself.

  Any observer would have thought Beema had a genuine affection for him and his family, but Henken knew better. Anger throbbed through his entire being. It was a silent threat that he heard loud and clear. “Absolutely, my Dear. I'll be sure to give them the message. And now, I must attend a Security meeting. Adieu, my Princess.”

  Henken gave another bow, and then spun on his heel and strode out of the room, hoping Beema couldn't see that he was shaking with anger. The only thing that calmed him was the remembrance of the plan that had begun to brew in his mind over the past years.

  Henken was unable to push aside thoughts of what had made him hate Beema so much. Some years ago, he had misplaced a high-level Security document that listed detailed secrets of how the Houdakin guards operated. The truth was, he had deliberately taken and sold them to members of the Arms of Justice.

  Growing up, his own mother had been a horrible woman who cared little about his father, and even less about him. His upbringing had been left to his nanny, Mother Ninu, a little old woman from the Boralian Sector. She had been so very kind to him, and had even secretly taught him about the beauty of The Creator.

  And so, Henken had grown up seeing the Houdakin for what they were. He grew up, hiding his hatred of them as he attended various Houdakin events, wishing that he had been born into one of the other Sectors like Mama Ninu. Once he was old enough, he married his childhood sweetheart, and when his son was born, he had immediately brought Mother Ninu to be his son's nanny. The ways of the Houdakin had been eating at him day by day. In his mind, if he and his family had to live amongst a people whose perception was so distorted, he had to at least have some semblance of sanity at home.


  Mother Ninu had taught him how to be decent and just, and from the time truth had entered his heart, he had dreamt of ways to end the reign of Houdakin superiority. Working with the Arms of Justice had seemed to be a way to attain that dream.

  But when it became known that the documents had been leaked, every member of his Security team as well as their families had been interrogated. When all was said and done, the crime had somehow been pinned on Mother Ninu, and Beema had ordered her executed.

  Henken hadn't even known until his beloved childhood nanny was already dead, or he would have confessed the crime to save her life. The matter had been settled, but he felt that Beema had always suspected him.

  And so, Henken had remained silent, waiting for the next opportunity to get his family to safety while destroying the entire Houdakin regime.

  Henken strode down the hallway, his heels clicking indignantly. “Soon, very soon, little girl. I will have my revenge. You just wait.” Henken smiled all the way down the hall.

  It was just a matter of time.

  Chapter 2

  Among His Signs are the Night and the Day, and the Sun and the Moon. Adore not the sun and the moon, but adore God, Who created them, if it is Him ye wish to serve.

  The Holy Qur’an,

  Surah 41, Ayah 37

  After our city had been burned, and members of our tribe either beaten, killed, or captured, we knew the most important thing we could do was to complete our training. After receiving words of wisdom from the Guided Council, we now needed to visit our Instructors who resided on RoAam. We were all excited to start, but were less than trilled about going to Sector 4. RoAam was bitter cold and was completely covered in snow year round.

  One of the few good things about RoAam was the hair color of the people who lived there. Whether the texture was curly or straight, every person's locks were a stunning shade of cornflower blue.

  I had read books about them as a child, and always loved seeing pictures of RoAam's inhabitants. I especially liked looking at the intricate braided styles many of the women wore their hair in. They were known around the planet for their innovative styles and patterns.

  None of us had ever been to RoAam before, and so, though we weren't going to enjoy the climate, we did look forward to experiencing a new culture. It had taken 4 days to sail to RoAam, but thankfully, the days had slipped by quickly.

  The urgency of confronting the Houdakin who had burned our homeland was all we could think about. We were focused on liberating those who had been taken as prisoners and standing up to demand a better way of life.

  Now, we all stood side by side against the railing of the boat, staring out at the approaching RoAam coastline. The crystals of snow sparkled and danced in the sunlight, while several tall green trees swayed gently back and forth, as if to wave and welcome us ashore. Aziz stood on my left, and Kaisan was on my right. I inhaled a deep breath of the cool, salty air through my nose, and exhaled slowly through my mouth. I was so grateful to have them with me. My brother because it made me feel less homesick, and Kaisan, because it made me feel so safe and protected.

  Aziz put his hand to his eyes, squeezing the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb. He held it there for a while, and then let go, giving his head a slight shake.

  “Hey, you OK?” I asked, looking at him sideways. His mouth and eyebrows were locked in a troubled frown.

  “Yeah. I've just been having these images flash in my mind lately. It's all pretty jumbled, though. I haven't been able to make sense of it yet.”

  I nodded my head in agreement. At least once a day, I had been experiencing the same thing.

  The Earth spinning, images of prayer, and someone holding something I assumed was maybe the Aoki plant were in the usual line-up. But over the past couple of days, there had been new images. Images that made me uneasy. Images of Emperor Borche, wearing a black cloak, running, hiding, silently dipping in and out of shadows. Images of Houdakin ships sailing across the sea. The clash of metal hitting metal, piercing through human flesh. And lurking behind it all, a pair of eyes, watching me, trying to peer into my thoughts and memories. I could tell that the eyes wanted to remain hidden, they didn't want me to see them. They would fade into dark shadows when I tried to focus on them. But during the entire flash, they never went away, and I could feel them, intrusive and menacing. I hated the feeling, and like Aziz, I didn't know what any of it meant.

  Aziz leaned closer, casting a glance over my shoulder to make sure nobody was listening. Kaisan, Brother Chord, our protectors (or Kulindas), and the three remaining members of the Gifted 5 had all fallen into a conversation about what we would encounter on RoAam, and were not paying any attention to us.

  Aziz looked back at me, “I keep seeing these pair of eyes staring at me, trying to get into my mind. I can't see a face, only the eyes, and...” Aziz paused, weighing whether he should say the next sentence. He looked out over the ocean for a moment, and then back at me, “And I know this is going to sound strange, but the eyes.....they look like your eyes.”

  My head snapped to the side. “What?! Well, I certainly am not trying to get into that big head of yours, Aziz!”

  Aziz just laughed and rolled his eyes. “I know it wasn't you. It didn't seem like your energy, but it looked like your eyes. It was really weird.”

  I dropped the attitude, and sighed, “Yeah, I have actually been seeing the same thing.” I paused for a moment. I hadn't noticed it before, but the eyes had resembled my own, now that Aziz mentioned it. I shook my head, “It definitely seemed like an unfriendly energy. One I certainly did not want poking around in my head. What do you think it is?”

  Aziz shrugged, “I don't know yet, but just try to fight it. Try to push it out. We can't let anyone find out what our game plan is.”

  “Speaking of which, let’s go join everybody. I can hear them talking about what we need to do once we unload.”

  We headed over to the group, and joined in the circle. I glanced around, and had to suppress a giggle. We were all dressed for RoAam's weather, and from far away, must have looked like a band of fuzzy teddy bears. Chord had supplied us each with a snow suit made from the skin of the Kayona Bear. The fur came in varying shades of black, brown, grey and white, and was thick and soft. Our hoods and snow boots, also covered with the fur, completed our outfits.

  Chord slid gloves onto his hands, and motioned for us to begin to gather our gear. “We will be traveling to the interior of the Sector to meet up with a small tribe. There, you will meet your Instructors. So far, we have all been learning the basics: how to work the Pulse, the Seeker, and how to Deflect. But you five will now need to learn to master your individual talents. Your Instructors, or meulim will train you, and only then will we be ready to confront the Houdakin.”

  Aziz, Hantaywee, Joelle, Teo and I all looked around at one another. Learning our individual gifts is what we had been waiting for.

  “Awww, man, that's the shine right there! That's the polish, man,” Aziz and Teo slapped hands in a macho handshake.

  Chord continued, “Our entire tribes have learned the basic skills, but now, you will have to dig deeper to access what is next. By now, you all should have experienced the beginnings of Engaging. It should be manifesting as a glow in the middle of your pupils. That glow, if you look closely, is actually a projection of the Azurean star. Right now, because you have not mastered your powers, the glow has been fading in and out. Eventually, it will appear each time you Engage your Gift. Now, once you master that gift, the glowing of your eyes will be followed by a burst of energy throughout your body. You all have a different gift, and will be able to do some pretty amazing things.”

  Wow. I shook my head in awe. The Azurean star was the brightest star in our sky, just like the North Star had been back on Earth. The North Star had been a symbol of freedom as African-American slaves used it to point them towards North as they escaped their slave holders in North America's Southern Region. And now here, the Creator had pro
vided another symbol of hope as we prepared to fight for the justice of our people.

  Chord continued as he dropped the anchor for our boat, and we made our way down shore, “We'll have to camp out at least two nights as we make our way inland. But we will have some entertainment along the way. When it gets dark tonight, you should be able to see the Azurean star as well as the Casteri lights.”

  My heart quickened in anticipation. I couldn't wait until nighttime fell. Seeing the Casteri lights, which only appeared once every twelve years on RoAam, would be a welcome treat.

  One by one we unloaded the boat, heaped our equipment bags on our shoulders, and began our long trek across the glittering snow. The first mile was easy, and we had all started off chatting, joking, and looking at the new trees and plants that only existed on RoAam. But by the second mile, lifting our legs through the thick snow began to take it's toll, and had our leg muscles aching. The only one who seemed unaffected was Father Zouadin. He was traipsing through the snow as if he were on an pleasant afternoon stroll.

  “Father Zouadin, could we take a quick break?” Joelle finally asked, out of breath.

  Father Zouadin turned around to face us, We were all huffing and puffing. “Oh, you little babies,” he replied playfully, “This snow? It is nothing! Your young legs should be able to cut through it like the butter.” he said, snapping his fingers.

  I looked at him incredulously. Father Zouadin just stood there looking at us, giggling to himself. Half of us were standing, bent over with our hands on our knees, while the other half had just outright plopped themselves down onto the snow beneath.