by Lee Morgan
Keeper’s Knowledge (Book three of the Balancer’s Soul cycle)
Published by H. LeeMorgan at Smashwords
Copyright 2012 © H. Lee Morgan
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ISBN 978-1-4762-7405-8
Trespassers and Guests
As Sarah and Connor were making their way towards their snow covered cottage he kept trying to calm himself down from a future of uncertainty and it wasn’t working as hoped. His wouldn’t obey and slow down and it felt as if an automatic machine gun endlessly fired away at his very nerves. Ah for only a moment of mental silence.
Snow completely covered ground around the forest they traversed and was gaining further reinforcement because more snow kept falling down from the sky at a slow and very steady pace without seeming to come to an end. It was as if the snow mirrored his incessant need for peace, but wouldn’t be granted. The clouds in the sky blocked out almost all traces of direct sunlight and he had to brush some falling snow off his brow because Connor kicked himself for being dense enough to look up. Most of the trees around the forest were all stripped of their seasonal leaves and were also now covered with the frozen rain. And with each crunching step Connor couldn’t keep certain memories at bay. Unfortunately as a Balancer his memories are far more vivid because he still remembers every tiny detail as if he relived them time and time again. It is like his already eidetic memory had been supercharged after being brought into this new life of immortals.
It is a gift as well as a curse.
Sarah is his three hundred year old mate. She is a Balancer who chose Connor to be her eternal love almost ten months ago. The very first time they met he knew she was the one because she was a woman unlike any other. Qualities like intelligence, sophistication and meekness were his first observations, but she was so much more that it is incomprehensible to put simply into mere words. She turned him into a Balancer by fusing their souls together.
Almost everything that they do as mated Balancers is completely unheard of. Most of their kind are normally limited to maybe one or two elements that they can control. Sarah and Connor can manipulate them all and have gained enough energy to use them on a grander scale. They also have other abilities that have never been seen before. For starter they can read each other’s mind. All other Balancers can read another person’s mind except for their mate’s. When they use a large amount of energy their body will literally start to glow as brightly as a light bulb that’s suddenly been flipped on. Eyes aglow is also a side effect from using the ability called Sonar to observe everything around them at a rate that they alone can distinguish movement just as well as their eyes can see, if not better.
Another unique creature came in the form of his best friend Mark. He is a nine hundred year old Changer. A Changer can manipulate their bodies at will to do miraculous things. Mark can change the physical structure of his body to resemble that of a wolf, but Changers cannot make a perfect transformation and retain some slight human characteristics. He can become a cross between a human and a wolf. He also can grow glossy black wings that he can use to fly as if he were a falcon. He calls that form, Fwen.
Connor’s little sister Kara fell in love with his best friend rather recently, even though they have known each other for years. Apparently they began falling in love the night Connor ran off to save Sarah. His sister and best friend had a major hurdle to overcome. They couldn’t be together in any intimate manner until she became like Mark. The only real problem she had to think about was that the survival rate for a human to become a Changer is at most, five percent.
Kara decided that she would take the chance just to be with Mark.
Connor started a survival training class during the summer and Mark became a business partner and helped out with the customers. The very day Mark and Connor returned home from the first seminar Kara decided that it would be better to do it immediately, since her affairs were in order. Sarah, Mark, Kara and Connor all decided to use the cottage fir its seclusion and not be interrupted in any way during the process. The process to becoming a Changer is excruciatingly unpleasant and more than often deadly.
When Mark mixed his blood with Kara’s she began to scream in earnest. None will ever forget those painful and blood curdling shrills that still give goose bumps when the memory returns. As a big brother we try to protect our younger siblings from danger, but the most difficult , and only, thing Connor could do was stand by and watch her writhe in agony. During the awful transformation, her heart gave out. Connor was able to act quickly and had enough strength to actually make electricity with his elemental powers. When he put his electrified hands on her, Kara’s heart began beating again.
When she eventually survived her transformation her eyes changed from chocolate brown to liquid silver. The new silver eyes prove that she had become a true Changer. During her transition phase from human to immortal Mark had discovered that she was actually a Bone Changer. Rarest of their kind. They have the ability to use their bones as lethal weapons and were known to be the deadliest.
Later on, Connor received a call from Deputy Burrow’s about a missing girl in the woods. He found her of course, but also ran into someone who wanted revenge.
A pressure built within his chest as Connor remembered what he could never forget, but he still truged on since Sarah continued walking with him towards their home.
The all American high school quarterback, Mathew and Connor’s number one bully during the entire schooling career weighed heavily upon him. His first attempt at harming someone dear to Connor was the first mistake because he tried hurting Sarah by making her fall off a desk, just because he didn’t study for a history test and failed. The second time was when he used a stun gun and his accomplice Mr. V. held Sarah in a headlock. Connor hoped Mathew might have learned his lesson, but he didn’t. Mathew tried to murder him as he was bringing Maggie back to her grandparents, but was the one to end up being executed.
Death never got easier, it never will.
His father, the County Mayor, showed up on the entryway of the Branderson’s front door days later. He was as big a bully as they came and it was all too easy to determine where Mathew learned to behave and treat others. The Mayor came over to accuse Connor’s family for his son’s disappearance, but Connor was able to make him lose everything with the help of their human friend Deputy Burrow. The political parasite was fired from his mayoral position and arrested for money laundering. All investigation spotlights shifted elsewhere.
Going back to just a week ago as he leaped a fallen log frozen in place, Connor received the greatest news of all when he returned home. He found out that he was going to be a father. It was the second happiest day of his life. The happiest would be when he fell in love with Sarah and it was requited.
Yesterday was Sarah’s birthday and she was shown a special present that he had been working on for months in advance. It was a dome that none but Sarah or he could get to because it had been created and hid
den deep within a ravine and would require very unique talents to enter.
Earlier this morning every immortal in the world was unable to resist the awful sound created via telepathy. It was a loud Dong! like that of a large metal bell being struck. The Keeper’s Call, as Jack called it, is the initial signal for beginning of the next Mélange meeting. Even now, Connor could feel the unpleasant, temporary and relatively weak bond that the Keeper placed, leading north of their current position. Jack said that the meeting will be held in northern Canada this time.
But the heaviest thought remained on what he had done just after sensing the Keeper’s call as he unintentionally conjured a blue fame that emanated from his hand which has also never been done before by a Balancer. Concerned about what it meant lasted for merely a moment, but for some reason it felt right and natural despite the earlier apprehension. The problem he faced was how he could do what his father-in-law couldn’t. Hopefully light could shine on their situation.
Together they passed the final trees of the woods and stepped into the clearing where Connor built their isolated cottage. The stream to west lay frozen solid because of winter. The water wheel that powered the house’s electrical systems was already taken down before it became frozen in the stream and is currently leaning on the side of the house, covered in snow. He took it down because he didn’t want the wheel stuck in the ice and have it ruin the wooden paddles any faster than necessary. The roof of the small home stood caked in snow as is everything else around. The flowers that once wrapped around their home were all probably killed by the heavy snowfall.
Sarah stepped up in the entryway and grabbed the doorknob silently. She twisted it slowly and in a whisper said “Connor, I locked the door before we left.”
What! Reality returned when he understood the nature of what was going on. Both packs silently slid off his shoulders and were gently sat down in the snow. Without making a single sound he looked up at the chimney to see a constant stream of white smoke rising out of the shaft and then the wind shifted to allow the smell of burning oak to assault the senses. The snow leading to the door revealed the intruders had been here for a while because the prints were completely covered over. At the rate of snowfall it’s been nearly two hours since their home was violated. Whomever waited inside had some large stones, entering a Balancer’s home without permission.
As Sarah took a step away from the door Connor extracted Tool silently from his belt. Tool is a uniquely crafted multipurpose weapon. One side is made up of a razor sharp hatchet and on the other is a solid hammer. The shaft of the weapon is also made of metal yet as he grew into adulthood it felt small and not nearly as useless as it first did when his grandfather created it.
Connor’s eyes and mind became focused and heavy thoughts finally slipped away as he took the first step on to the entryway and gripped Tool tightly in his right hand. Hypersensitive hearing gave him knowledge that someone was breathing inside the living room when he put an ear to the door. He gently grabbed the door handle and very slowly turned it counterclockwise and felt grateful it didn’t make a sound. There wasn’t any sense of danger behind the door, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. With the latch now inside the door he suddenly rushed in. With eyes searching for the threat he looked to the left and into the living room.
“Hi, Brother!” Connor instantly recognized that familiar chirpy and annoying voice. He ungracefully tripped and fell flat on his face because of the rubber hiking boots were slick with snow and he moved to quickly to counter the slippery effects in time. “Smooth move!” She said humorously while laughing uncontrollably as he pushed himself back up on his feet, completely unharmed.
His little sister Kara sat on the sofa wearing a goofy grin etched on her mouth with her silver eyes twinkled mischievously. The top of her head barely came up to the center of Connor’s chest, if she were standing and in her normal form. She has sandy blonde hair which comes down to her shoulder blades, for now. Her hair was pulled back into a single braid which is held together by a pink hair tie. A long sleeved pink shirt and white pants attired her athletic and feminine frame. Her feet were both kicked up on the coffee table with her bare feet aimed at the fireplace. A heavy pink jacket hung on the rack by the door, along with a brown leather one that didn’t belong to either him or Sarah. The clothes rack stood beside the front door, beside the desk where they put the keys and weapons away.
Connor practically yelled at her. “What the Hell are you doing in my house!? I was about to remove whoever was in here!”
Kara giggled. “Yeah right! With that spill you just took, it didn’t look all that convincing, Brother.”
“Kara, be nice.” Came Mark’s deep voice as he exited the bathroom.
His best friend Mark came into the living room wearing black pants along with a silver t-shirt. He stood about an inch taller than his new mate and jet black spiky hair crowned his skull, which is usually kept somewhat short. He has a large, well muscled chest and large arms. His legs were covered by his pants, but Connor knew how muscular they were as well. He designed his body to be a smaller version of Connor for reasons only he knew. Mark explained once how he changed his body to mirror Connor’s because of how efficient his muscles were, but it sounded more like a younger brother trying to emulate an older sibling even though he’s over nine centuries older. He also had more hair covering his body than Connor did, even before becoming an immortal.
Connor yelled out the front door as he put Tool into the front desks drawer. “All clear, Princess. It was just Kara and Mark barging in.”
Suddenly Sarah poked her petite and heart shaped head around the door. Her long brown hair hung to the side as her green eyes surveyed the room. When she spotted Mark making his way to sit down next to her sister-in-law, her body followed her head as she rounded the front door. Connor on the other hand walked back outside and retrieved their hiking packs before they got wet.
As he returned and stepped out from the constant snowfall he heard Kara chirping up a conversation. “Sorry for the intrusion, but I wanted to come over. It was so worth it to see Brother make himself look like an inexperienced ice skater and bust his butt on the ground. It would have been funnier if he slid all the way into the kitchen…” Then she immediately went to a different mental channel. “I have a question.”
Connor asked “Did you hear the call as well, Sis?”
He dropped the bags beside the dining room table and shut the front door before all the heat could escape outside. When he looked back at her, her silver eyes were looking back in wonder. “You felt it too?”
To prove himself he had to show her what he did when first feeling the summons. “Maybe this will give you an answer.” Connor held up his right hand and poured a fair amount of energy into it. Suddenly, a dark blue flame encased his entire hand immediately after the hand began to faintly glow. This time he noticed that the blue flames ignited instantly from his flesh whereas orange flames took only a second longer to focus and ignite from the air. It was as if the flames were a manifestation of purely stored energy.
Mark jumped to his feet where as Sarah and his sister just stared at Connor with confusion. He stopped about three feet away; most likely due to the excessive heat the hand emitted. It was strange because the heat didn’t affect him like it did to others because the controller of the element cannot be harmed. “A blue flame?” Mark said to himself. “Connor, how in the world are you doing that?”
“This morning it just…happened … No, seriously, it happened without me trying to use my abilities. I was wondering what that noise was this morning and the flames appeared for some reason. They came to life when I felt protective.” Connor cut the flow of his power and the flames died as quickly as they appeared.
“That’s really strange. I have never seen someone conjure blue flames like that without a welding torch, but that fame has a richer hue.” He turned to Sarah. “Can you do it as well?”
She answered him by holding up one finger of her right
hand. As suddenly as his came to life, so did hers. A small blue flame danced on the tip of her index finger. “What do you think it means?” The flame disappeared from her fingertip.
Mark scratched his head. “I’m clueless, but maybe a Keeper could tell us more. They are almost all older than I and know much more” He started walking back to Kara. “We’ll see one soon enough, hopefully.”
As he sat down next to his mate, Connor grabbed two chairs from the dining room table and placed them in front of the fireplace. Sarah sat down first and bluntly asked “Tell us why you’re both really here?”
Connor sat down as Kara spoke. “Because I wanted to know what this weird feeling is that is tugging at my gut? It’s really irritating you know.” She pointed to her right which lay north and Connor knew exactly what that meant. “Plus you gave me a key to get in.” She pulled a ring of keys off the table and jiggled them in their faces. “Remember?”
Sarah smiled and glanced at Connor for a moment before speaking directly at his sister. “That is a just temporary bond that a Keeper has placed upon you. Whomever the Keeper is this year will remove the bond. When you meet him or her, that is.” She giggled. “Kara, the bond your feeling is extremely weak compared to the bond that Balancer’s share with their mate.”
Kara’s silver eyes shifted in his direction. “Brother, is she joking?”
“Afraid not, Sis. All you can feel is the direction that we need to go. With our bond,” He placed his left hand on top of Sarah’s right thigh. “we can feel the moods of our partner, the exact location where they are at all times and we can tell what they are craving.” Sarah turned her head as he pushed into her mind. “Apples.” Sarah then stifled a laugh because she felt hungry again.
“Be nice, Connor. Don’t start picking on me because I’m with child and having cravings. If she’s anything like her father I’ll always be in need of those sweet treats.” Sarah then placed a hand over his as it remained on her thigh.
