Day Three
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The Guardians of Souls
The Soul Quest Trilogy, Book Two
Chapter One
Liv Time - July 3,
2015
Place - Liv's house
"Forgiveness is a
virtue of the brave."
- Indira Gandhi
It’s been almost
one month since I spoke to Jedd. The last four months of school were not easy
to say the least. It had been awkward for everyone knowing that Jedd knew about
the spirit world. Brayan was fine with it but Meena was furious and Laith was
worried.
"How could
you do this, Liv?" Meena demanded. "It isn't logical to let him be a
part of our world. It increases the danger for both him and us. Do I have to
remind you about what happened to Melissa?" she scolded.
Laith looked at
the floor.
"I'm sorry,
Laith... but it's true" she apologized to Laith.
"That isn't
fair. Shy told Melissa about the spirit world, not us. Besides, Laith said Jedd
had already clued in on his own for the most part." Brayan defended me.
"They aren't
supposed to know about us. It is too much for them." Meena insisted.
"I agree, it
is too much for the average human but Jedd is different. He has a special gift
and he wants to help." I said. "... and I think we should allow him
to, within reason." I argued further.
"He will
become a liability." Meena disagreed. "I can't believe you are
backing her up on this." she accused Brayan.
"As long as
Jedd is only functioning in the observatory sense and he isn't directly in the
line of fire... well, an extra spiriter is an asset we can't take for granted.
It's been over four months since Shy disappeared and no one here or in Arcadia is any closer to
locating him." Brayan reasoned.
"Liv? I think
you should tell Jedd to stay out of this." Laith said.
He looked so sad.
Losing Melissa changed him. He had lost some of his bravery and macho. He
wasn't Laith anymore.
"Finally,
someone with some sense." Meena snapped at me.
"Don't be
mean, Meena!" Laith complained. He was quiet for a moment before he
finally lifted his head to look me in the eyes.
"I mean it,
Liv. I think it's a mistake. I think it's not safe for Jedd or us. Please, will
you just think about it some more?" Laith's eyes were pleading.
I felt my head
nodding in agreement. "I promise Laith. I will think about it." I
finally surrendered. I hated to cause him any more pain.
So it went like
that for the four of us for a while. Brayan and I defended Jedd's knowledge and
involvement in our world while Meena and Laith refused to accept it. We never
spoke about our differences in front of Jedd but I knew he sensed it. He can
see auras and feel allures. He sensed Meena and Laith's anxiety about him as
much as he sensed mine and Brayan's trust in him. Meena and Laith were not
alone in their anxiety toward Jedd. Beau and Naomi were fiercely against the
idea of involving a human in our matters. Kevin and Belinda remained neutral.
In the end Hala sided with Brayan and I. For now, at least, Jedd was in the
loop. Not that it mattered.
Jedd isn't even
speaking to me right now. At the end of the school year we had another one of
our big blow outs. It was the same scenario. He wants to fight on the front
lines and I want him stay in the background.
"Why can't I
go with you?" Jedd had demanded on the last day of school.
Me and my
companions had conveniently provided ourselves with an alibi for the summer. We
told Amber, Ray, Jedd and Drue that we were going to summer camp and we would
be gone sporadically as a result. Jedd knew what was up. He knew Hala had plans
for us to search for Shy this summer, where ever that may lead us.
"Jedd, you
can't even go to Arcadia .
Only Spirits can go to the Spirit world. Duh!" I said frustrated.
"I can still
be a part of your search party when you're here on Earth." he argued.
"No... you...
can't." I said emphasizing each word. We had been over this one million
times. "We made a deal, Jedd." I said. "You are supposed to stay
behind the scenes where it is safe." I reiterated.
"No, you made
a deal... not me. I never agreed to those terms." he said.
"It is more
than just a deal between you and me, Jedd. It is a deal between you, me and Arcadia ." I
clarified.
He didn't know
about the concession that had been made about his knowledge of the spirit
world.
"What?"
he wondered.
He was clueless. I
sighed. I had not wanted to get into this with him. I knew the conversation
would end badly.
"Jedd, the
Spirit world is OK with your knowledge of its existence as long as you stay out
of harms way. That means you stay in the background." I explained. The
look on his face was incredulous. As the meaning of my words began to register
so did his heart break. "Jedd, please understand. Please don't be upset.
We just want you to be safe." I tried to ease his pain but my words only
seemed to inflict more.
"We... I used
to be included in there somewhere, but not anymore." he said looking away
from me.
I knew what he
meant. I was breaking my promise to him. I had promised him that nothing would
ever come between us. Now, I realized it was a promise I was not of authority
to make.
"I'm sorry,
Jedd. Please forgive me." I had begged him.
That was the last
time we spoke. He has since refused to return my phone calls, emails and text
messages. I am not forgiven.
Chapter Two
Brayan
Time - July 3, 2015
Place - Silver City
"Just as a candle
cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life."
- Buddha
"Any luck
today, Brayan?" Hala asked as he stepped into the laboratory.
I still couldn't
get over his appearance. He was every bit like Beau had described him. He
smiled up at me with his cherub like face. His wide emerald green eyes peered
between golden ringlets.
"Absolutely,
Hala. I've already finished the Vanishing Ring and I am now working on the
other project you requested." I answered.
"How
wonderful my boy. May I see how the ring works?" he asked excitedly.
The enthusiasm
sparked in his eyes and made him look that much more child like.
"Of
course." I said. I was so excited I nearly couldn't stand it. I had been
waiting longingly for someone to ask me to show off my new creation. I walked
to the cabinet where I had stowed the ring. "It won't cloak our auras and
allures, but we will be completely undetectable from humans." I clarified
before I began.
"Yes, Brayan. That was my main concern.
It had bothered me last winter when you and your companions were forced to
separate because you were afraid the humans might see you in your shape shifted
forms. Hopefully this new tool will prevent such dangerous measures from being
necessary again." he said.
I nodded. I placed
the ring on my finger. The thick gold band encased a round carat sized carved
piece of crystallized star dust. The stone emanated the Light from within. It
had the appearance of an ordinary solitaire style ring only the set of prongs
the crystal was embedded in was fastened to a rotation device. If the crystal
was turned all the way to the left the power of the ring was inactive. If the
crystal was turned all the way to the right the power of the ring was
activated. I reached down and placed my right thumb and forefinger on the
solitaire and turned the crystal stone to the right.
"Oh, that is
splendid!" laughed Hala as he clapped. I had completely vanished.
"... and it works instantaneously. You vanished entirely from my sight
immediately after you rotated the crystal." he complimented.
"I'm glad you
like it, sir. I think it will come in handy for us and it shouldn't be too
difficult to make personal adjustments." I said.
He nodded, pleased
with my work.
"No doubt,
Brayan. Keep up the good job!" he cheered. "I wish I could stay
longer but I have to meet with some of the Oracles at the court house now,
Brayan." Hala said as he headed toward the door. "I'll check back in
with you again later." he promised.
I smiled at the
idea. I had come to really like and respect Hala since he invited me to Arcadia a little over a
month ago. He had some projects he wished for me to invest some time in. My
companions had yet to see this incredible place. I remember the day Belinda
came to see me to relay Hala's wishes.
"Hi, Brayan.
Are you busy?" she had asked.
"Nope. What's
up?" I wondered.
"Well, Hala
wants to speak with you." she said to my surprise.
I had never seen
Hala in person before. None of my companions had either.
"Really? Do
you know what he wants?" I wondered.
"Yes, but it
would be better for you to discuss it with him." she said.
"OK.
Where?" I asked.
"Arcadia." she said with a huge grin.
"Really? I
get to go to Arcadia ?"
I breathed.
"Yeah, isn't
it great? I can't wait to take you." she babbled excitedly.
This was major.
"First, you are going to need to shape shift so we can get to the
Heavens." she continued.
"The Heavens?
Isn't that far?" I asked incredulously.
"Not as far
as you think." she laughed.
I discovered she
was right after I had shape shifted and we were on our way. The Heavens are at
about the same altitude you would find an airborne plane. As the idea
registered a plane flew over our heads. Not far off in the distance I could see
what appeared to be a hub for a railway system. The platforms were literally
floating in the clouds. We landed on the platforms to find a ticket counter and
signs pointing to various gates. I read the signs:
"What is
this?" I asked Belinda.
"This is the
Arcadian Orbit Terminal in the Heavens. It can take you to any Earthly destination
or Arcadia
within minutes." she explained.
Another plane flew
by.
"Can't they
see this?" I wondered as I watched the plane round the gate to Australia .
There was a man sitting in coach reading the morning paper while he sipped his
coffee.
"No, humans
can't see spirits." she began but quickly seemed to remember something.
"...but you should try to stay behind me when they pass by again. They can
see you. You're half human." she realized.
Wouldn't it be
something to look outside of your airplane window and take in the sight of a
centaur seemingly standing in the middle of the clouds?
As if Belinda
could here my thoughts she said, "Shape shift back to your human form,
Brayan."
We walked to the
ticket counter and purchased our tickets to Arcadia . We quickly found the Arcadia bound gate and
boarded the train. Once the train began moving I could only assume we were
traveling impossibly fast. It felt normal inside of the train but everything
outside of the window sped passed in a blur.
"How fast are
we going Belinda?" I asked.
"The speed of
light." she said simply.
I only nodded. My assumptions had been correct. We were only
on the train for a short time before we reached Arcadia . When the train slowed enough to make
out the shapes and figures on the outside of the train my eyes fell upon a sign
that read, 'Welcome to Arcadia !'
We were greeted by more platforms and ticket counters inside of what appeared
to be a building carved from some type of white stone. The floor of the
terminal looked to be made of something similar only the surface was smoother
like it had been polished. My mind wasn't blown away until we stepped outside
onto the shimmering pavement of Silver
City
"Welcome to Silver City
The same white
stone that held up the walls of the Terminal appeared everywhere only outside
in the sunlight it sparkled silver and cast prisms of light every which way. The
pavement was a rainbow of brilliant color stretched out in front of us. It was
lined with various shops and businesses. Across the rainbow path stood a post
office and next to it was a small coffee house. The rainbow road paved its way
between a clothing store, a hair salon, a jewelry store and a bank. Everything
you could ask of a metropolitan city was glistening in front of me. The colored
path served as both street and sidewalk. There were no cars, trucks or vehicles
of any kind. The only form of transportation appeared to be a glass - like slab
that hovered a few inches above the ground. It looked like a magical
skateboard.
"Cool! What
is that?" I asked Belinda.
"It's called
a Trans - Sport Board. It's how we get around in Silver City." she said as
she pulled two boards out of her bag. The boards looked as if she should have
never have been able fit one inside of her bag much less two. "Here."
she said as she handed me a board. She placed her board near the pavement and
it instantaneously began to hover. She stepped onto her board and gestured for
me to follow her lead.
"Uhm...
Belinda... You know I'm not very athletic." I hesitated.
She chuckled.
"Believe me, I know... just trust me. "
she continued. I placed my board near the pavement and as I did an energy
seemed to grab it and float it above the ground. That was interesting.
"Did you feel the pull of energy?" Belinda asked. I nodded.
"That's the Light. It will hold you up once you step on it." she
explained.
Maybe she was right.
I stepped on to the board and was instantly planted to its surface. The energy
that had floated the board was now holding me in balance on top of it. I could
feel my center of gravity adjust with each move I made. I felt entirely secured
on the board.
"How is it
doing that?" I wondered.
"It's the
Light." she shrugged. "It centrifugally does the work for you."
she finished. "Like I said, this is how we get around Silver City
"You have to
call for a cab?" I wondered.
She laughed again.
"It's not a phone booth, silly. It's a portal. Come here, I'll show
you." she said as we picked up our Trans - Sport Boards and stepped inside
of the portal.
The inside of the
portal held a device that looked like a phone with out its receiver. Belinda
deposited several coins in its slots and punched in a code. As soon as she did
this the portal flashed and we were standing in the same portal in a different
location. The Trans - Portal was surrounded by fields of flowing lavender that
swayed side to side in the wind. Outside the portal another rainbow path led to
what appeared to be a housing development. There were houses, apartments and
town homes. I could see a play ground, tennis and basketball courts, a swimming
pool and a large community building of sorts.
"This is Lavender Valley
Belinda gave me a
quick tour of Arcadia
before we went to see Hala. She took me to all of the regions using the Trans -
Portal. After we left Lavender
Valley Lavender
Valley
"This is where
human souls reside when they begin their second life. We call them the
Shadowless because they are now void of their human Shadow remains."
Belinda had said.
Their name was
entirely fitting.
Next we traveled
to Paradise Mountain
"That's
Hala's home. All of the Oracles live here." Belinda said as she noticed
where my gaze was focused. At first I thought we were headed up the mountain to
his house. "Hala is waiting for us at the Temple
of Humanity in Silver City
When the portal
flashed again I could hardly believe what I was seeing. It looked like a
volcano made out of glass or ice.
"This is the
Maze of Mirrors. It houses the Light and its walls are windows into the past,
present and future. This is where Hala keeps an eye on the human world."
she explained.
I remembered
learning about the Maze of Mirrors in my inductions and of course Belinda and
my companion's Guardians had mentioned it a thousand times before now. Still, I
was speechless to be standing in front of the massive magical home of the
Light.
"So, this is
where it all started?" I pondered.
Belinda nodded. When we returned to Silver City
"We're on the east end of the city
now. We're headed there." she said pointing at a sort of government
complex in the distance.
There were six
structures with in the complex. The Arcadia Court House was located in the
center. The building itself was Roman in architectural style. Long steps as
wide as the structure led up to the thick columns lining the front of the building.
The top of the building raised up into a point. Across from the court house
beyond a small courtyard was The Wishing Well. Water seemed to spill out of the
top of white stone wall and rippled its way into a small placid pond. There
were several gardens and statuesque sculptures lining the pond.
'What is that
for?" I wondered.
"The Wishing
Well is where Spirits go to pray for the souls of humankind." Belinda
said.
Her answers were
very short and to the point. To the right of the Arcadia Court House stood a
school house. A parallel set of repeating archways supported a rooftop that
covered another rainbow pathway which led up to the school. Silver City
University
"That's where
Guardians receive their Guardianship training." Belinda said as she
gestured toward the school. Beside the school was another large building. It
was plain and square and lacked the Roman influence of the court house and
University. Upon looking at the building more closely I realized the building
had no windows. Belinda found what I was looking at and said, "That's
Silver City Research and Technology. You're going to be spending a lot of your
time there very soon."
"Cool."
I breathed. It sounded like my kind of place.
On the other side
of the research facility was a huge skyscraper style building. The walls of the
building were tall and angular clear glass but inside of the structure were
splashes of bright color and intricate shapes. The sign outside of this
building read, The Gallery.
"This is our
center for the Arts. You can take any type of art related class imaginable
here, performing or visual. You may participate in the performances, or just
watch them." Belinda said. On the opposite side of the complex facing the
University, research facility and Arts center was a huge dome like structure.
Staircases and entrances circled this facility every thirty to forty feet. At
the top of the dome topper was a gold sign which read, The Coliseum. "This
is where all of Arcadia 's
athletic events and competitions are held." Belinda continued.
"Wow. I know
a certain human Oracle who will love this place." I smiled.
"Laith."
Belinda nodded. "I bet Liv will go crazy over The Gallery too." she
added.
"Definitely!" I agreed. "Why are we meeting Hala, here?
Wouldn't he prefer to meet us at the Maze of Mirrors?" I asked Belinda as
we walked up the long shining steps that led to the Arcadia Court House.
"All of Arcadia 's business
matters are conducted here at the court house." Belinda answered.
"Why?" I
wondered.
"Well, it is
true that a lot can be learned at the Maze of Mirrors but in Arcadia it is thought of primarily as a place
of respect. I suppose humans would call it, sacred ground. Anyway, it is not
the sort of place for everyday business matters." she explained.
"Makes
sense." I nodded in understanding.
As we entered the
large roman style building we were greeted with more signs and a flood of
people. Guardians, Oracles and the Shadowless were at the court house today.
Some were here for their own personal business matters and others for a regular
day of employment.
"Hi, Sara.
Can you let Hala know we are on our way up?" Belinda asked the smiling
Shadowless receptionist seated at the front desk.
"Sure
thing." winked Sara.
Other than her
translucence she appeared exactly as you would expect a receptionist to appear.
She wore a button up blouse, knee length skirt, and two inch pumps. Her hair
was neatly twisted into bun at the base of her neck.
"Good day,
Sara. Are the Oracles still in session in Humanity Hall?" asked an elderly
bearded man.
He was wearing
mint green sandals with an emerald green business suit.
"Sorry Kaiea.
The meeting just let out." Sara said in a friendly tone.
"Well drat. I
thought I might make this one. Oh well, the tide is out now. Maybe I'll go grab
some coffee at Stardust's Cafe." Kaiea sighed.
"You have a
great day now!" Sara smiled at him.
"That's
Kaiea, the Oracle of Tides." Belinda explained as we made our way through
the large commons area of the court house.
Belinda led us to
a staircase in the far east corner of the room. The smooth blue rectangular
sign read Humanity Hall with an arrow positioned below the words that pointed
up. On our way up the staircase we passed other signs that said things like
Newborn Human/Guardian Assignment, The Shadowless Registry, The Department of
Aging, and Guardianship Licensing and Evaluation. Finally, we reached a large
conference room. The floor was carpeted in a deep blue while the walls remained
the same crushed white rock. The ornate Georgian style furniture was finished
in gold and beautifully reflected the light streaming into the room through
huge arch style windows. In the far corner I could see two people talking. One
was a balded athletic looking man. The other I recognized instantly as Hala. I
had never seen him before but he looked exactly as Beau described him.
"Welcome,
Brayan and Belinda." he smiled. His chubby cheeks were bubble gum pink and
his eyes sparkled like emeralds between long thick eyelashes. He had blond hair
that hung in ringlets to his shoulders. Both Hala and the bodyguard type
looking man wore long flowing white robes with matching sandals.
"Hello
Brayan. My name is Hala and this is Paul, the Oracle of Guardianship."
said Hala.
Paul, of course. I
should have known he would be the one to be with Hala. Then again, Paul did not
really look the way I had anticipated him to look either. I pictured him to
look much like Mr. Stein, my ninth grade English teacher. You know, the
scholarly type. An average sized man with a receding hair line and a well
trimmed beard wearing a button up shirt covered in a dark sweater vest over corduroy
slacks. Not this guy. He looked like the type you might find on a Saturday
afternoon sporting blue jeans, a black leather jacket and a Harley.
"Brayan, I am
so glad you came." Hala continued. "I need a favor from you." he
said.
"Of course,
but what could I possibly do for you?" I wondered.
Hala giggled.
"You are my high tech guy, aren't you?" Hala asked.
"Uhm... yes,
sir." I answered nervously. I hoped I was up to the task.
"Well, I have
some projects I would like you to start working on. The first will probably be
a breeze for you. I would like you to make a tool that can make you and your
companion's invisible. The other project is well.. a little bit more
complex." he said uncomfortably.
Hala went on to
explain his idea for the second project. He wanted me to create a weapon that
could kill Daevas and Aengels. To date the only weapon available is our blazes
and they wouldn't be very effective in the event Oracles are up against large
numbers of Daevas and Aengels. He wants me to create a portal that can lock
onto the Daeva's and Aengel's cold dark allures and act as a vacuum to
transport them underground. Once they are transported underground the mother
Earth will suffocate and kill them.
After Hala left I
replaced the Vanishing Ring in the cabinet and returned to my work. The
Vanishing ring had been a breeze just as Hala predicted. I completed the ring
in less than a week. The most complex part of the job was configuring the three
dimensional digitization of the body. Once I had that in place it was just a
matter of programming the Light infused configuration to reflect its
surroundings. You see, the ring doesn't really make you invisible. It's an
illusion. What really happens is the Light acts as a mirror and reflects everything
surrounding you, making you appear to have disappeared.
The Vanquishing
Portal is another story. I am approaching week five on this project. The vacuum
and the portal destination were easy enough to set up, but locking onto masks
and allures is very complicated. It is difficult to program a computer to
recognize something that you do not have in your possession. Not that I'm
complaining, I'm glad that Arcadia
is Daeva and Aengel free. They can't survive in the spirit world because the
Light originates here. Its intensity is too strong and destroys them. Anyway, I
knew I couldn't replicate masks and dark allures so I reversed my approach. I
am trying to teach the computer to identify anything that is the opposite of an
aura or a Light allure.
Testing the
efficiency of the Vanquishing Portal has been a challenge because, once again,
I do not have a real target to test it on. To test its effectiveness I had to
use another reversed logic strategy. I tested it on subjects that it should not
lock onto. Unfortunately, I didn't think about disabling the vacuum and portal
destination features before I'd done this. It worked like a charm on the
Guardian and Oracle volunteers. Sadly, however, the Shadowless volunteer didn't
share the same luck. It locked onto the Shadowless person and proceeded to
vacuum and bury him underground. It hadn't harmed him any way. Still, he was
extremely pissed off. It took him ten minutes to rise and pass through the
surface of the lab floor. After that little mishap I couldn't get another
Shadowless person to volunteer for my testing. I programmed the computer to
identify the Shadowless as persons it should not lock onto, but was never able
to test it. I'm still not sure why it locked onto him. Maybe the effervescence
of the Shadowless man confused the system. I suppose if the system couldn't
process a body that was truly tangible it might lock on by default.
So, here I am now
with a Vanquishing Portal and no way to know if it will actually lock onto the
Daevas and Aengels it is intended to destroy. The good news is, I know it will
not lock onto Guardians, Oracles and Human Oracles. Naturally, I tested it on
myself to make sure I wouldn't accidentally vacuum up myself or one of my
companions. I feel fairly confident that it will not lock onto the Shadowless
now, but I can't be sure since I was not able to test it again. The bad news
is, I won't know for sure if it will lock onto Daevas and Aengels until my
companions and I are in the presence of one. This reality is very unsettling to
me.
Now for the Giveaway!!!
Books available in the Soulless Giveaway:
Amy Maurer Jones - The Guardians of Souls
Amy Miles – Forbidden
Anne M. Hargrove - Survival, Resurrection, and DeterminantAmy Harmon - Slow Dance in Purgatory and Prom Night in Purgatory
KA Tucker – Asylum and AllegianceJill Cooper - The Dream SlayerKaren Hooper - Tangled Tides and Grasping at Eternity
KA Tucker – Asylum and AllegianceJill Cooper - The Dream SlayerKaren Hooper - Tangled Tides and Grasping at Eternity
Tell your friends and enter to win!!!
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