“That’s what I’m talking about Matty-Boy. You sure you haven’t had any Malakhim training?”
“No, you prick!”
“Well, you do not disappoint. Were you able to see the lines of power?”
“Yes. But what the hell was that about? You turned into, like, a flying ninja assassin.”
“Nah, that was only half-speed. I had to get you going because you’re stubborn enough to let the whole day slip away before you got it, Matt. It’s not enough to just be reflexive. You have to access the power of your Loci, let it feed you. But sometimes the only way to get a new Malakhim to that level is to let instinct guide him.”
For the next couple of hours, he showed me how to access power, how to consciously control it. I didn’t get very far, but at least I could feel the energy now. It was like an adrenaline rush. I was really starting to enjoy the feeling.
“Okay, Matty-Boy. Let’s see what you got.” Then he attacked again. I could tell he was still holding back, and this time, his strikes were easily evaded. He moved faster and faster, and I dipped and dived to avoid the scythe-like Kindjals. The lines of power were much thicker now, and as I tried to snap them, he jumped away, moving ferociously fast. “Not this time, Matty-Boy,” he laughed as he landed behind me, sweeping my legs out from under me. I collapsed.
He held his hand out and yanked me to my feet. I shook my head.
“Jerk.”
“Yeah, sometimes,” George agreed. “But, better for me to be a jerk than you to get your head cut off. Don’t worry. I promise Rene will be a lot worse.” He laughed, loud and clear. “C’mon. Let’s go get cleaned up.”
Chapter 13 – Kayla
After taking a shower, I sat in the breakfast nook waiting for George. Ms. Maggie watched the news on a small television, the reporters deep voiced boomed across the kitchen.
Public opposition continues to grow as the East German Regime led by the longtime Socialist Unity Party of Germany leader, Erich Honecker, attempts to slow mass emigration out of the East German block. Honecker is expected to be replaced by Egon Krenz. Krenz promises reform but expects to continue Honecker’s policies.
I wondered if dad was sent to Germany. I knew the Air Force had a base there, and we actually lived there for a little while so maybe. That was the hardest thing about the life of a military brat. You never knew into what harm’s way your family was being sent.
My life had never been easy, but now it seemed like it was getting even more difficult.
Glancing out the window, my focus followed a brightly colored hummingbird flitting through the trees. It darted between the branches and flew to the other side of the garden, where I saw Kayla standing. Her eyes were closed and her night-black hair shone in the sunlight, falling down to her the arch of her back that curved ever so slightly up to her shoulders. Her long, slender arms were extended. Her face glistened with perspiration, enhancing rather than limiting her appeal. She balanced there, lifting her hands and face to the sky.
It was right then that I truly appreciated how beautiful a woman could be. I mean; it had been a long time since I’d understood how pretty a girl was and how they made me just go crazy, but this was different. I’ve never had a girlfriend, not that I haven’t had the opportunity, but it was always not the right time. We’d either moved away or something happened.
But this was different. I’d never felt like this before.
Her chest rose and fell with each breath. She seemed so at peace and for that moment, I felt her tranquility, flowing like a living thing, and I was transfixed. I stared, feeling so much like a stalker, but I couldn’t help myself. My heart raced as she moved from position to position. Like the Tai-Chi moves my father had taught me.
The line of her body, the curve of her lips, the way her hair fell across her face. I watched; enraptured by feelings I’d never known. This was the first time in my life that I appreciated just what beauty was, and I felt butterflies floating around in my stomach.
“She’s a princess, you know?”
“Huh?” I mumbled, knocked out of my gawking by Ms. Maggie.
“You know, Royalty,” Ms. Maggie said waving a spoon in Kayla’s direction.
“A Princess?” The only Princess I knew was on the Nintendo Mario Brother’s video game and that Princess wore a fluffy pink dress and wore a tiara.
“Yeah, she came here for training from Emily; requested it herself. It really is an honor.”
“What country is she from?”
Ms. Maggie cackled with laughter. “She’s not from a country. She’s from…” and she pointed to the sky.
“You mean she’s not from Earth. She’s not human?” I asked, appalled by the thought that I was obsessed with an Alien.
“No, of course not, Matthew. She’s human. She’s just not from Earth.”
I glanced outside toward Kayla as she continued in her flowing movements thinking about what Ms. Maggie just said.
She wasn’t from Earth?
What the heck did that mean?
I was about to ask Ms. Maggie more when suddenly Kayla’s eyes opened and tracked directly toward mine, as if she knew I was there. I couldn’t stop staring and our eyes connected. The corners of her mouth rose ever so slightly. She closed her eyes again, then slowly bowed and headed in my direction.
I busied myself, finding something, anything that wouldn’t make me look like such a stalker. But there was really nothing in the little nook. Desperately, I grabbed a book from the counter and stared resolutely down at its pages just as the door opened.
A gust of wind blew through my hair, smelling of gardenia and honey. I looked up to find Kayla standing in the doorway. She glanced at me, her cerulean eyes glinting in the sunlight.
“Matthew,” she said in greeting. Her lips still held that smile, her eyes shining. Those damn butterflies were now winging their way around my stomach like Kamikaze dive-bombers.
“Oh, hi.” I tried to be cool but my insides felt like they were going to become the decorative coloring of the breakfast nook’s floor. Her skintight yoga pants were really distracting, not to mention her white workout top. Her slender arms still glistened with perspiration.
“Matthew! You better not lose my page,” Ms. Maggie’s voice boomed from the kitchen. I glanced at the title of the book I was holding and groaned. “Women and Menopause: Helping Those In Need.” I dropped the book like it was on fire.
“Um, well.”
Kayla giggled; it was a clear sound, and the butterflies in my stomach were now slam dancing.
“I felt your presence and I thought I’d come in to say hi. Didn’t really get a chance when you arrived.”
“You knew I was in here all the way out there?”
“Um, yes… Your focus was pretty intense.” The butterflies in my stomach must have been pretty pissed at that point because now I felt my insides churning like they were setting off dynamite.
“Training?” I asked, trying to recover.
“Yes, Emily has me in the sixth circle, Empath training. It is my strength.” This was the first time I had heard Kayla say more than just a few words and although I had noticed it when we first arrived, I found her accent to be strange and exotic. I had lived all over the world and usually recognized most accents but I wondered why I couldn’t place hers. Now I knew.
Not from Earth?
I didn’t know what that meant but what really mattered was that she was the most beautiful girl I’d ever met in my life. Her eyes sparkled like sapphires and her skin was mostly pale, but a rosy blush wove across her cheekbones and along her slim neckline. A stray lock of raven black hair crossed her face. I had the sudden urge to move the errant tress aside but kept my hands near my pockets.
“Does that mean you read minds?” I asked, suddenly very embarrassed at the direction of my thoughts.
“No, but if I know you well enough I can pick up intentions when I concentrate, and if your emotions are very strong, I can feel them. By the way, why are you turning so red? Are you o
kay?” she asked.
I could hear Ms. Maggie choking back a laugh as I replied, “Oh, yeah. I’m great.” It was just the way your top clung to you, and your incredible accent, and the way I could smell your skin, gardenia and honey.
“Oh.” She smiled slightly. “ I thought I’d offer to take you around. Show you the sights.”
“Is there a lot to see?”
“No,” she smiled. “But, it’s better than staying here all day.”
“That’s true.”
“It’s getting late, but maybe we can go tomorrow.”
“Ummm, tomorrow I’m supposed to be in training with Rene.”
“Oh, well maybe some other time.”
“It was nice to talk to you,” I muttered as she turned to leave.
“It was pleasant to speak with you as well, Matthew.”
I didn’t know it at the time, but Kayla gave me a smile I’d be seeing in my dreams for years later and then she left.
Chapter 14 – The Training of Earth
The next morning found me on the field just outside the garden gate. The field was covered with a solid circle of brown stone about thirty feet in diameter.
The sun was still below the hills in the east, its light visible above the hilltops. My pendant was heavy under the sweatshirt and sweatpants I wore to warm myself from the cold, early morning.
As the sun cleared the eastern horizon, I jumped. Rene stood just outside the circle. I didn’t see him when I came up, and he definitely wasn’t there when I arrived. But there he was, and that was creepy as hell.
In his hand was a golden metal rod. It was about four and a half feet in length and he whipped it back and forth, testing its weight and flexibility.
That did not instill a lot of confidence for what would be happening today.
“Good morning, Matthew,” he said and I nodded back. “I hope you slept well, because you will need all the rest you can get for today.”
I didn’t say a thing. I just stared back at him, something I learned from all of those years of training with Dad. Let him get out what he had to say. I would react when it was time.
“You have denied the call of the Malakhim, and for good or not, I believe that you are in mortal danger and must be prepared. So train hard, because I am breaking every rule that I have ever worked to establish to teach you. Do you understand?”
I nodded, although the weight of what he had said sat heavily on me. I had to ask the one question that had bothered me since all of this first started.
“Why do this for me, Rene?” His eyes were fathomless, and I had no idea what he was thinking as I stood there waiting for an answer.
“Because I believe that you will be the difference in this war, Matthew. It’s in your blood. It is part of who you are. Deep down, past all of your doubt, all of your fear is a hero, Matthew Rising. I have seen it, and so have many others. But, in order to protect you, I need to teach you the basic fundamentals, give you the tools you need to succeed. I will take you through the crucible of Mother Earth, and you will come out the other side tempered and whole. That is, if you still are willing to make the journey?”
I nodded.
“Matthew, during this instruction, I will teach you the mysteries of the Malakhim. In the past, these secrets were divulged to the non-initiated, and the knowledge almost destroyed them. This is not told to you out of whim, but is justified by thousands of years of experience. To betray these secrets could cause the destruction of the human race. Although I realize that you have not pledged to the Malakhim, I must ask you to keep these things secret. Do you agree to abide by this sacred trust?” As if to ram it home to me even more that this was the most serious thing I’d ever done in my life, his aura glowed the same pure blue that George’s Kindjals took on.
“Yes.” His aura brightened at my answer, and then faded around him. Images flashed into my mind. My Loci told me Rene’s aura reacted to the sincerity of my words. Not only the truthfulness of them, but the conviction behind it. Not only could I not lie, I also had to have complete faith in what I was saying was truth.
“While in the confines of the circle, do you promise to do what I say, when I say them, to obey every command I give you without question?”
“Wait a minute. That sounds exactly the kind of mess I was trying to avoid.”
Rene regarded me silently. Then he bristled, his dreadlocks quivering in the sunlight. “Matthew. I have taken great liberties to even do this much. If you will not at least make that promise, then I am sorry for wasting your time and will free you to go your own way.”
I thought about it. I didn’t know what was out there, and after what George had showed me yesterday, I had to admit I wanted to learn more.
“Okay, I guess so.”
“That is not good enough, Matthew. I will warn you that this training will not be easy. It may be the hardest thing you will ever do. It is not enough to go half-heartedly into this. I will ask again. Do you solemnly promise to obey my authority without question?”
I glanced up at the strange man. His height, although freakishly tall, seemed to grow in stature. I felt the weight of this promise, how important it was. I inhaled deeply.
“Yes, I will obey.”
“Good. You need to be advised as to some ground rules. This rod here will be your teacher and your guide. As it is written, Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child. So shall it be while you are in the confines of this circle. Do you understand?”
“Umm, yeah,” I started to say but before I could finish, the golden rod’s four and a half feet telescoped to over ten feet in length. The flexing tip whipped across the distance separating us and stung my shoulder. I rubbed the raw spot, feeling a large welt already forming.
“You will answer with a yes or a no from now on, Initiate Rising. No other answer will be tolerated while within the circle. Do I make myself clear?” Rene asked. “I am preparing you for the coming hardships and as that responsibility may ensure your survival, I will not be gentle. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I stammered. My arm still stung from the rod’s wicked lash.
“Good. Before you is the Circle of Earth.” He gestured toward the large circle of brown stone. “This will also be your first training circle.”
Rene paused and I began to step forward onto the circle when out of the corner of my eye, I saw the golden rod flash toward me. I tried to duck but the tip caught the side of my face, stinging like my cheek had been sliced open. When I reached up to it, there was no blood, only a wicked welt.
“Initiate Rising, you will await my permission to enter the ring. Upon receiving permission, you will face the ring and bow, paying respect to those who have entered before you. Upon leaving the circle, you will face the circle and bow, paying respect to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
There was no humor in his eyes, just a deadly calm.
Damn it, what had I gotten myself into?
“Then enter the Training of Earth.”
I bowed and then entered the ring. A jolt rose from the stone as I stepped on it. My feet tingled with each step, like walking on a low-volt, electrical grid.
“The energy you feel is the energy of the Earth itself. Just as the Loci focuses your inner energy, the stones beneath you act as a conduit to the energy of the Earth. The Earth is deep and to its very core, it has power, more power than you could ever exhaust in a thousand lifetimes. The power of the Earth will give you the ability to protect it, to defend it, to avenge it. You will never tire. You will never need rest as long as you are in contact with it. You will continue on enduring, like the Earth itself.
“Do you feel its power?” Rene asked. He paused, allowing me to feel the surge of power beneath me.
“Ummm…” I stopped, realizing my mistake, but it was too late. The golden rod flicked and my back stung from its lash. “This is getting old…” I yelled and was quickly stung again, the whiplash of the rod still ring
ing in the air like the pain on my back. I could feel the welts growing wherever the rod touched. I gritted my teeth, glowering at the old man.
“If you’re ‘bout done with talking, we’ll begin,” Rene said, ignoring me completely. “Feel the power beneath you. Feel it and allow it to rise through the soles of your feet.” I felt the tingling power but had no idea what to do next.
“Open your mind, feel the power. Then, open your inner self, the part of you that accesses that energy. It is called Prana in the old Sanskrit; the Oceanfarers called it Mana; the Han called it Chi; there are many names. Each is the same. The energy is universal. Allow your mind to open and feel the power coursing through you.”
Rene’s presence entered my mind, showing me what to do. There was a gentle push and my awareness expanded. Through the tingling sensation, I felt the ground beneath me and the ground beneath Rene. I felt a rabbit hiding under the bushes and the worms in the garden. I felt the churning of the earth deep down, under me like a gigantic sea, violent and ever changing. Layer upon layer of moving rock with a center of power, the Chi of the earth, deep, deep down.
With a wisp of touch, I accessed its power. It ran like molten rock held back too long and suffused and charged me. So much power, the power of an entire world filled me like a torrential waterfall will fill an empty vessel held under it. It was like Burney falls, but several magnitudes larger, like comparing a faucet to Niagara Falls.
But there was too much. I couldn’t control it. My body began to ache from its flow; my physical form was swept aside like a hut in a tidal wave. I screamed in anguish as it overwhelmed me.
Rene was in my mind again, this time powerful and strong. I heard his voice and he helped to control the power as a sluice does a stream. I still felt the maelstrom of the Earth below me, but it was now like looking out the sturdy door of a well-built house in the middle of a storm.
“Let the energy flow through you. Do not hold it in. Become its conduit. Use it; guide its power.” Rene’s mental projection conveyed strength, and I felt another push. Some of the power was shunted off, and I felt how he had done it. I used that knowledge, shunting more back down to where it had come from. I channeled and assessed what remained.
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