Enigma of the Soul - Book 1 - Pieces (14 page)

Every corner looks like the last as Jack panics while searching for a way out of the castle. Jack feels that he is running in circles. He dodges everyone he sees and hides behind furniture and other large objects.

Finding an empty corridor, Jack proceeds down it watching for people.

'When is this hallway going to end?'

He stops and looks behind him only to see more hallway. He turns back around and looks back in the direction of the end he was heading toward. It seems to continue forever.

'This is useless. Why can't someone just show me a door?' Jack pounds his fists against the wall. The sound bounces back at him like a heavy wooden door. Looking forward, a door begins to appear in front of him.

'Now that is strange. No door handle, no hinges, not even a knocker. What kind of door had no clear way to enter?'

Jack looks all over for a hidden lever, button, or hint of a way to open this mysterious door. Standing back to take a harder look, Jack realizes that this in no ordinary door. This door leads into the wizard's study.

'These doors are almost impossible to find. Now, how do I get in?'

Jacks tries to knock. Random, made up magical words. He waves his arms around like an animal. Nothing he tries to do works. Then he thinks of Devan.

'Devan would know what to do. He could solve the small problem that I have with this door. What if I think like Devan and do what Devan does. Maybe, just maybe, I can open this door!’

Slowly moving his arms, Jack chants. Nothing happens. Jack continues but louder this time. Still nothing happens. Getting angry, Jack pounds his hands on the door as he screams at the top of his lungs. Jack feels something cool and wet run down his arm as the pain of the cut creeps up his arm. A cracking noise comes from the door as Jack's blood adsorbs into the wood. Wooden locks appear and open, making the door open in front of him. The wizard’s study lies beyond the door. Jack walks through the not knowing who or what is lying on the other side.

Once in the wizard's study, Jack begins to look around for something to put in his hand. There are lots of beakers and shelves with jars containing unknown contents. In the center of the room is an altar with a flat top and demonic markings cover all four sides to it. No chains or straps can be located by the naked eye. Jack steps closer to the altar to get a better look at the top of it.

Standing next to the altar, Jack studies the top and notices that there are no demonic markings on it. He rests his uninjured hand on the smooth mirrored surface. This altar does not appear to ever been used.

“So strange, it's a black mirror. What in the world would this be used for?”

Holding his injured hand palm up over the altar, blood drips from the back of his hand, and onto the altar. The markings slowly glow red as the blood absorbs into black stone surface. Glowing red light illuminates the room.

A metallic clunking sound comes from beyond the opposite side of the altar. The sound of heavy metal dragging across the floor becomes louder the closer it gets to Jack. The red light shows the shadowy outline of a giant figure dragging something in its hand. Jack, not knowing what to do, puts his hands up and tells the huge metal creature to stop.

“I do not bow down to you, boy.”

“Who do you bow down to?” Jack yells back at the metal giant.

“My master's name is Devan.” The metal giant pulls his sword closer to its body, readying to swing.

“And what did Devan tell you to do with intruders?”

“To kill them.”

Jack begins to back towards the door. For every two steps Jack takes backwards, the metal giant takes a step forward to keep the same distance between them. Stretching his hands behind himself, Jack uses them like guides to feel for what is behind him. Jack's foot hits a shelf’s base. He stumbles and takes his eyes off the metal giant for a split second. A whooshing sound shoots through the air as Jack feels the air race through his hair. The heavy sword slices through a couple of shelves and shatters many glass jars. Shrapnel flies through the air, bouncing and sticking to whatever it hits.

Jack puts his hands up to shield his face, but tiny pieces of glass slip past Jack's hands and cut his face. Some of the pieces embed themselves in Jack's arms and leave open wounds. Blood seeps around the glass shards and into the stale warm air. A small burning sensation races over Jack's body.

Out of the corner of Jack's eye, he sees the metal giant readying itself for the next blow. Jack changes his footing and rushes the giant. He hits it in the gut with his shoulder. Jack knocks the giant back against the altar. One metal hand flies up into the air while the other hand still holds the sword. The opposite hand drives the blunt end of the sword's handle straight into Jack's ribs. First, there is a tearing noise, then a ripping noise, and finally a breaking noise echoes throughout the room. The blow knocks Jack to the floor gasping for air.

A magical portal opens on the wall. Devan steps through into a scene he wished never to see. His metal giant is standing over Jack, readying for the final blow.

“Cease and desist, my metal servant!”

The metal giant backs away from Jack. Devan picks Jack up off the floor and lays him on the black stone altar.

Coughing up blood Jack says, “I thought that this was your study.”

“Don't move. I am going to heal you,” Devan puts out his hand over Jack's body. Jack grabs Devan's hand.

“I have searched for you for all of my life.”

The pressure on Jack's chest becomes greater, and he is finding it harder to breathe as each second passes.

“What do you mean?”

Devan now holds Jack's hand with both of his hands and stares into Jack's eyes.

“I am no longer scared.” Jack coughs up more blood, “I am free from all this pain.”

“What pain? What are you scared of? Why were you searching for me?” Devan wipes the blood away from Jack's face.

“Thank you for your help. Thank you...” Jack gasps for air. “Thank you, father...”

It all comes clear to Devan now. Only Devan’s blood would allow Jack to enter his study. Jack’s magical ability and the psychic connection that they shared could only mean one thing. All this time he was staring at his son. The night that he raped Jazmin; Devan had gotten her pregnant with Jack. This is why she left the kingdom and disappeared.

Devan holds Jack in his arms. Tears of joy, tears of pain, tears of sorrow roll off Devan's cheeks. Time moves at a snail's pace as Devan cries for the son that he never knew he had.

Turning his head to the suit of armor, Devan directs his hatred towards it.

“You are no longer needed.”

Devan snaps his figures, and the blood seal within the suit of armor shatters. The armor falls to the floor. Devan is left alone to grieve over Jack.

Alfonzo felt recharged and rested enough to fly through the air carefree. David is still deeply depressed about his family and pays no attention to Alfonzo. The phoenix swoops left then dips right, making loop-the-loops through the clouds and singing a little song as David sits with his eyes closed. Feeling a bit spunky, Alfonzo decides to push the limits. Hovering to store energy, Alfonzo readies to let go all of it at the right time. A burst of fire shaped as a flat doughnut with omnidirectional streaks of light fill the sky. Inaudible, Alfonzo reaches full velocity. Ten seconds passed before any sound reaches the ground and any of its inhabitants feel the shockwave from the blast.

Alfonzo screams in joy as everything flies by in a blur.

Alfonzo thinks 'I've never gone this fast before. With a lot of rest, I guess I could do just about anything.' Flying too fast, Alfonzo flies past a couple of towns that they could have stopped at.

“Stop!” David screams at the top of his lungs.

Noticing what is happening, Alfonzo slows down and descends to the outskirts of the next town. Paying no attention to the surroundings, Alfonzo rips through a large bunch of trees. Each tree is shorn through cut with the cleanest cut ever imagined by a god. The trees are not burnt at all, but trimmed in an elliptical shape.

Reaching a great place to land, Alfonzo hovers over a level spot and drops David to the ground. Landing on his butt with a load thud, David makes no argument. He just stands up, brushes himself off, and heads in the direction of the town.

“Do you what me to fly overhead and lookout?” Alfonzo asks David before he gets to far away.

“If it pleases you,” David keeps walking while Alfonzo decides what to do.

Once out of the woods and into small grassy fields, David heads straight towards the town. He reaches the middle of the field but still feels as if the trees are closing in around him. Their different shades of gray in the textures of their bark and the different shapes and sizes of gray their leaves all seem trying to touch him and turn him gray too. The warm wind that pushes the branches around feels cool in an unfamiliar way. The grass that has grown for months should have tiny yellow leafs on top. But all David sees is gray, lots and lots of gray.

Pressing on, David reaches the other side of the field to be faced with the real test.

The town's entrance, only ten steps away. These ten steps are the hardest ten steps that he has taken in a long time. Everything that David hears is just background noise.

David asks himself, 'Why are these ten steps so hard?'

The little voice inside his head replies. 'Because of what happened in the past, because of all the pain that burns from within your soul that will not go away.'

David tries to swallow but the dryness of his mouth only adds to the pain. The colorless pain that appeared when Markus and Wendi disappeared has returned. It got worse as each one of his brothers and sisters and their families were killed. This taste, he wishes would rid itself of him.

The sound of David's stomach reminds him that he needs food.

'I guess I better go in and get something to eat before I die too.' David thinks as he takes the first of the ten steps.

As David walks by houses of gray, people of gray, and buildings with gray flowers planted outside, he thinks to himself, 'Why can't I see like everyone else? Why am I crushed and not filled with happiness? Why do I feel so alone?'

Not noticing that he just walked right passed several vendors with all types of good things to eat, David bumps into a group of people waiting to buy some fruit. A couple of people give David a dirty look while the others pay no attention to him. The young woman who runs the stand does not take notice of him.

Standing still, David gazes at the gray lifeless fruit waiting for it to jump at him. Trying to move his hand to pick up a piece of fruit was like trying to move Stonehenge. David's body keeps telling his brain, no. His body fights with him, making him more exhausted. Quickly realizing a stalemate has happened with his own body, David waits.

The young woman working watches David closely while waiting on customers, sometimes out of the corner of her eyes, sometimes looking straight at him while he fights with himself. Many people walk past the stand and on to the next due to David's presence. The young woman notices that other people are treating him differently and singling him out. She decides to put a stop to it.

Walking up to David, she realizes he is off in his own little world.

“Excuse me. Can I help you?”

“Gray. They all look gray,” David replies.

“What does?” The young woman asks, looking around all she sees are colors,
many colors.

“The fruit. The fruit is gray, and all the surrounding is gray also.” David points in a circle that includes all of her stand.

“Well, what are you hungry for? My stand has some nice lovely oranges, apples, pineapples, and bananas, but my personal favorite is star fruit.” She picks up a star fruit and puts one in his hand, “Go ahead, it's on the house.”

Slowly, David bites the fruit and its juices run down the sides of his mouth. Sweet, watery flavors bounce around with every bite. David closes his eyes to picture his parents’ garden. Every fruit known to man was planted there but this one.

A small tear rolls out of David’s eye and onto his cheek. The young woman uses her finger to wipe away the stray tear. Feeling her do this makes David open his eyes.

Something strange happened within this couple of seconds. The star fruit changed colors. It was not gray anymore. A darker shade of green with a fuzzy exterior covered the fruit. David’s perception changes when he hears.

“Are you okay, hon?” the young woman puts her hand in David's hand to hold on to it.

Turning to look into the young woman’s eyes, David gets the shock of his life. This young woman, who fed him this wonderful fruit, is now in full color. Only her and her stand were in color, but David knew that this meant, something, but tentative of its meaning.

David holding the young woman's hand, “Excuse me, I never...”

“Zaria,” the young woman looks deep into David's soul.

“Zaria, my name is David, and I would love to try another piece of fruit, if you don't mind,” David could not take his eyes off hers.

Zaria picks up an apple and puts it in his other hand to try. They smile at each other as David takes another bite. Juices flow down his throat like a raging river.

David spends the rest of the day with Zaria letting him try fruit after fruit. David’s world slowly becomes colorful once more. That night they make a date for the next day.

After last night’s awakening of David’s soul, the following day presents itself with few clouds in the sky. Cool air splashes against David and Zaria's faces as they stroll down the markets square food avenue so David may sample the many different dishes.

There are vendors with smoked pig and tender beef brisket. One has a rare, delicious alligator soup with homemade bread. Other vendors tries to compete by having almost the same food but fixed a different way. They walked by Zaria's fruit stand. It was empty with a closed sign. Zaria glances at David, smiles, and then hugs his arm. The two walk to another vendor’s booth to try something new.

As the day progresses, David and Zaria find themselves down by the park’s river. They sit under a large tree and rest after eating too much.

“When I was eight years old, I used to go to a river that was three stone throws away from my parents’ house. My whole family would go and have the best time of our lives every time. There would be games, food, and stories. My brothers and I would bring out our fishing gear and catch more fish than we could eat. Of course, we would bring home the uncooked fish. So we could cook it up the following day,” David peers out at the shimmering water watching the sun dance along the top of the waves.

“Tell me about your parents.”

“My father was strong, wise, and very loving. My mother was kind-hearted, caring, and full of joy. They fell deeply in love, after bumping their heads together in a cornfield. They were never torn apart after that,” David becomes silent with tears forming in his eyes.

Zaria puts her hand on his hand, “It's okay to cry over loved ones. It is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength. If we never cry for the people that we love then how are they suppose to know that we loved them? Always hold a special place in your heart for them. Just cry until you cannot shed another tear. I will sit here by your side and not think of any less of you.”

The tears begin to roll as Zaria holds his hand. David cries for his parents, for his missing brother and sister, for the power he has now, and for how he could not use it to stop a killer. All of the pain is draining from his body and soul with each tear. David cries until nothing comes out. The feeling of hollowness fills him.

Over the next couple of days, David and Zaria take walks through the city parks and enjoy the scenery. Occasionally stopping, watching the children play or the ducks swim in the pond. Zaria listens to David talk about his family as he makes each family member stand out. At the end of each person's story, David sheds a couple of tears for them.

Zaria would end each day with a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. She would also whisper in David’s ear, forgive yourself because it was not his fault his family is dead.

Everyday David would nod his head and wipe the tears away. In the evening, he would walk to the hotel that he was staying at and lie in his bed with his eyes closed to see his loved ones once more.

Alfonzo has watched over David this whole time. Her job was simple. Keep an eye on David to keep him out of trouble and protect him from anything that could come his way, including young women posing as a friend. Trusting Zaria scarcely, Alfonzo scrutinizes Zaria’s every move.

Within a week, David feels better about himself, and knows that talking to Zaria is making the difference. Everything has become colorful once more accept himself. David stills sees himself as gray, and this puzzles him.

'Why has my world changed back to color, but left me gray? What do I have to do in order for this change?'

David splashes water on his face to help himself wake up. Little droplets form on the tip of his chin as David stares into the mirror obvious to Alfonzo's presence.

Sitting on a small shelf in the bathroom, Alfonzo notices that there is a happier step in David's walk.

“I've watched you and that woman. I don't trust her in the least. Stop talking to her and leave behind this little speck of a town.”

“I trust Zaria. She has transformed so much of my life that I can not and will not leave her just to satisfy you. This is my final choice and word about this subject,” David replies as he wipes off the water on his face.

An angry tone comes across Alfonzo's voice. “So you make all the decisions now? You don't want to come to me about your life anymore? You think that you have it all worked out now? Little human Zaria is going to change your life for the better. Everything has changed in your world now. I don't need a phoenix in my life helping me out. I can do this all on my own, without the help from a Halfling.”

Alfonzo goes back to her angry tone, “You just go right ahead and try to figure out the last of your problems on your own.”

Alfonzo wings stretch, “Oh, you didn't think that I didn't know. Well I know, and I have the answer to your gray vision problem. When the time is right, you will let me know that you wish to talk to me. Ta-ta for now.”

David just stares into the mirror looking back Alfonzo. Alfonzo leaves and David's heart drops to the floor. All this time, Alfonzo knew and said nothing. The only question is now, what else does Alfonzo know but is not telling.

A knock on David's front door startles him as he thinks about what Alfonzo had said. In a split second, David remembers who would be at the front door. He had agreed to take Zaria on a boat ride through the city. Fixing his shirt and making sure, that he looks his best, David rushes around like a mad rabbit. The sound of knocking echoes throughout the tiny room he is staying.

David yells he’s coming then rushes to the front door.

Swinging the door open in a hurry, he almost takes it off its hinges. David greets Zaria, surprising her with such enthusiasm.

He bows to her, “My lady, the ship will leave sharply at ten o'clock and not a moment too soon.”

“Don't you mean too late?” Zaria appears puzzled.

“No, my lady, to soon is too late because that is when we have to leave,” David smiles at Zaria as he puts out his arm to guide her to the boat. She smiles back at him as they walk arm in arm.

Arriving at the private boat dock, David and Zaria greet the captain before boarding. The boat is of average size, sixteen feet in length with seating for up to four people and two seats per side. The captain of the boat stands on the back and pushes the boat along with one long oar. The boat did not move very fast, so the passengers could enjoy the ride and scenery. David and Zaria sat close together as they chatted the afternoon away.

“Since I have met you, my whole world has changed, and now I am a changed person because of you. I would love to take what little time we have left together and spend every moment looking deeply into your eyes.” David moves the hair away from Zaria’s face, “Dear God, your eyes are breathtaking.”