Authors: Casey Moss
Tavis
stepped out of what used to be a modern-art dinner theater and stopped under
the damaged marquee to answer his vibrating communication device.
“Hey,
bud,” Alden’s voice fought through some hisses and pops. “Hold on a sec. Let me
g… int… m… ar…” Wind seemed to rush in to the receiver on Alden’s end and
battered the comm-de for several moments. Soon a door slammed in the background
and silence ensued.
“You still there, Tavis?”
“Yeah,
I’m here.” Tavis propped his back against the thick support pole of the
marquee. “Where are you that it’s so windy?”
“Down
in Green Valley. There’s a doozy of a storm coming in so I wanted to call you
before it hits and throws me into communication silence. I just left a meeting
with Lorne.”
“Lorne?”
The name exploded out of Tavis’s
mouth in shock. He pushed off the pole and walked toward some shops a couple
blocks from the theater. “I still can’t believe you trust that guy.”
“Why not?
He’s an Aliachapel clan member
same as me.”
“He
and his family are Caesachapel clan immigrants.”
There
was a loud expulsion of air. “You know as well as I that he was a babe when he
and his parents escaped to Aliachapel.
You with the girls?”
“About to be.
I’ve left the theater and need
to pick up a few things before I go back to the house.”
“You
left them alone?” Alden’s incredulous voice boomed over the speaker.
“They’re
fine, Alden. I’ve only been out a couple of hours. I told them not to answer
the door regardless of who was on the other side or use any kind of
communications.”
“Mmm,
I don’t know.”
“Listen,
they’re smart. They understand—”
“I
don’t doubt all that,” Alden interrupted. “And I’m sure they’re on their best
behavior, but according to Lorne’s sources, Buzz has learned a few new tricks.
Must have found a backdoor in some code to level quicker.
He’s more powerful than we originally suspected.”
“Why
do I get the sense you’re about to tell me something I’m not going to like?”
“Has
Faith or Cassandra been acting strange? Have they met anyone they think is
weird?”
A
chill ran down Tavis’s spine as he remembered his thoughts on how Buzz might have
an accomplice. He shook off his apprehension.
“Aside from
Buzz?
I don’t believe so. Faith is opening up to me. Cassandra is still
her
sweet
self. I feel bad for her
protector. He’ll have his hands full with her this time.”
“So
you’re telling me… what, exactly?”
“No
they haven’t. Other than feeling run down and tired lately, Faith’s all right.
Cassandra hasn’t spoken or acted any different.”
“Run down and tired as exhausted
from activities or lack of sleep?”
“Good
question.
I’ll ask them when I get back
to the house.”
“Either
way, one of them is vulnerable. Her lack of rest will make her more susceptible
to attack. I have a feeling Faith is Buzz’s next target. Cassandra was pretty
open with her animosity toward him. He’ll go after who he considers to be
easier prey. Sorry, buddy, but you’ll have to brush up on your mystic skills
along with your warrior skills. You need to
Hyzendro
,
practice your telepathic reception, and ascertain what Buzz is doing. We’ll
probably need to fight Buzz in his manner and on his turf.”
“Why
can’t you
Hyzendro
?” He glanced up
and down the street. No one was around. The deserted area just west of downtown
became much lonelier. He hated how the mere thought of being in water rattled
him.
“Because
your energy is there and tied to the situation so you’d be a better receiver.”
Tavis
shuddered. Blood rushed from his extremities and face creating icy swaths in
its wake. “You mean I need to get into a pool?” His heart leapt, skipped a
couple of beats.
“Geez,
it’s weird that as a Statiochapel clan member you don’t like
Hyzendro
. I can’t believe you’re still
skittish about swimming and meditating under water…in character or not. Why’d
you even create your character in the Marine Class?”
“Cause
they needed people to test it. Figured it was a game.
I
wasn’t the one who’d have to do the water activities. My
character
would. Who would have ever
guessed we’d be sucked into this world. Besides, we’re warriors, not mystics.
We shouldn’t have to water meditate.”
“Good
point. We’ll have to bring that up in our follow-up meeting after the LAN party.
If we ever get out of here.”
“If?
Dude, we better get out of here.
I don’t want to live in a world where there are vampires, CWUs and other
nasties. Speaking of which, have you run into any bad guys?”
“No.
And I’m betting by your question you haven’t either. Weird.”
Tavis
surveyed his surroundings again. The perpetual gray sky darkened to a deeper
hue. A gust of wind blew lightweight debris along the fractured road. With the
blast of air came an acrid, burnt scent. He’d smelled something like that
before when some electrical wiring had shorted out. Not a good smell in either
reality. In one it meant the possibility of fire. In the other it meant a nasty
storm was on its way.
Still,
he saw none of the bad characters that normally plagued the game.
“Yeah,
it’s strange. Then again, it’s for the best. I’d hate to find out what happens
if we were to die while we’re in this world.” What would the ramifications be?
Would he reincarnate in the game as normal while his body stayed…what?
Asleep in the club house?
If he were attacked and killed,
what would happen to his body in the real world?
“Same here.
So let’s try not to find out.
Back to the
Hyzendro
.”
Tavis
groaned.
Den
ignored his protest and continued, “For the time being, maybe you could try a
long shower or a bath. A bath would be a better bet. I don’t think you’d have
to submerge to get a vision about what Buzz is up to. The bit of water you’ll
be in should conduct enough energy to garner some information. You won’t get a
full picture, but you should pick up enough to see what he’s up to in regards
to Faith.”
“Thanks
for the suggestion. Do you think I’ll be able to find out something for you
regarding Hope?”
“If
I remember my training right, no, you won’t be able to. Like you said, we’re
warriors, not mystics, and we’ll only be able to pick up on who we’re attached
to and nothing about the future. That’s how I ended up here in GV. The bit of
insight I received pointed me
in
her
direction but not
to
her. And once
this storm passes, I’ll go under again and try to channel another revelation.
I’m so rusty with my techniques, and you’ll probably find yourself feeling the
same way. Anyway, do try to hurry. I believe time is of the essence right now
and we don’t need another woman succumbing to his
charms
.”
Tavis
sighed. He hated to be pressured to do anything, especially when it came to
water. Just thinking about
Hyzendro
—underwater
meditation—made his blood run cold.
The
last time he had gone under water was during a fishing trip with some friends
his senior year of high school. The driver thought he’d be cool and race the
boat. When the guy made a sharp turn, he went overboard and almost drowned. Since
then boats and deep bodies of water made him nervous and sick to his stomach.
Meditating
and spending copious amounts of time under water was the one aspect of being a Marine
class member he didn’t enjoy, and not being able to do what other members of
his clan could do made him miss out on a lot. Yet, he was all right with that.
He was a warrior after all and a good one to boot. “I’ll do my best. I’m on my
way to their place now and will go…umm...
under
as soon as I can.”
Back
at the house, Tavis came upon Cassandra quietly reading at the dining room
table and inquired as to where Faith was.
“She’s
upstairs napping,” Cassandra replied, without looking up from her book.
“Good.
And, just so you know, I’ll be in the tub for a bit. I, umm, tweaked my lower
back and need the moist heat.”
“Cool.
Have at it.”
He
shook his head, took the bag of goods he collected on the way to the house and
went upstairs. In the bathroom, he placed the bag and the clothes and the ski
mask he grabbed from his room on the hamper,
then
made
sure the door was secure and locked.
Reverently,
he removed the items from the sack and put them on the counter—herbal salt to
purify the water, incense to cleanse the air. The box of straws and nose plug
would be for later. If he had to literally go under, then he wanted to breathe
normal and not have to go into the Statiochapel state of dormancy.
He
turned on the water, testing it to where he could stand the hottest setting.
He’d be in the bath for a long time and didn’t want the liquid to get too cold
too fast. As the tub filled, he tossed in the salt crystals, lit the incense
and put the straws and plug next to the basin where the items would be in
reach. With a flick of his hand, Tavis turned out the light, letting the
ambient gray daylight illuminate the small area. Undressing slow and easy,
Tavis cleared his mind to focus on his task,
then
slipped
into the almost intolerably hot water.
The
heat permeated his body, soothing his tired muscles and frantic mind. He
breathed deep and slowly let the air out of his lungs. The water swished around
him as he sank down and closed his eyes. In through the nose and out through
the mouth he breathed. The sweet and spicy, warm earth scent of the incense,
with its light notes of sandalwood and musk wafted on thin tendrils of smoke above
him. Dredging up background info about the Marine class, he remembered the
litany he needed for the meditation. Several moments passed. He slipped further
into the required tranquil state of mind before he spoke the lines.
“Loving
Mother Goddess
of the sea,” he whispered quietly. “Maker and
Guider of all, may pure energy, love and light be with you as with me as I seek
the answer to my question.” Again he concentrated on his breathing and moved
down into the water. His chin touched it. He repeated the litany and let his
mind wander.
It had been ages
since he’d last seen the ocean. Many a family vacation had been spent in the
Caribbean and other coastal locations. He summoned images of the locales with
ease. The Pacific Northwest with its brown, black and gray
crags,
craters and fissures creating caves and hidden nooks. He loved the secret coves
the best, fantasized that buried treasure could be found there. His parents
liked them due to their private nature. Another of
his family’s favorite places to
go was the shores of
Baja California Sur,
where warm
breezes caressed their bodies while they lay upon the beaches and looked out
upon a blue-green
sapphire sea. It was this place in which he finally
pictured himself as he delved deeper into his trance.
“Goddess
,
wrap me in
your warm embrace,” he urgently whispered, freeing his mind and soul from any
despair and negativity. “And tell me, how does the prince
attack
my lifemate
Zya?”
Fully
in the hypnotic state of
Hyzendro
, he
slid completely under the water without fear.
Murky
visions rolled on the dream screen of his mind, first of a strange man and
Faith sleeping in separate beds, not under the same roof. Then the scene
flicked to the man, who seemed to rise from his body and propel through time
and space. The stranger traveled to where Faith lay and, with a faint touch of
his ghost-like hand, merged
into
her.
Tavis
bolted upright out of the water, panicked and gasping for air. Water dripped
into
his eyes from his soaked hair. He
batted his face to wipe away the water and get the long, wet tresses slicked
back.
Is he Buzz? The man who the
family said took Hope? Could that man be the prince?
If so, he’d developed the
ability to astrally project and enter the dream states of others.
He
frantically wondered about Faith’s predicament as he scrubbed the streaked
makeup off his face. Was it possible the stranger was entering Faith’s mind and
inflicting himself upon her in her dreams? Preparing her for a time when he
needed her?
Calming
his anxiety, Tavis remembered how the meditation process wasn’t always accurate
for warriors, and how it usually only gave warriors a smidgen of information to
work on. Normally something was better than nothing, but he had a feeling that
this time, he received the whole package.
Musing
over his options of what he’d need to do next, he stepped out of the tub, dried
off and got dressed. He picked up the straws and nose plug from the floor, laid
them on the counter next to the burnt out incense stick, and caught his
reflection in the mirror. The imprint of scales still covered his face and
upper portion of his neck. He never should have tried to make his character
shift before reaching the appropriate level. Now he was stuck with deformity.
He hoped that once he reached the time he could officially shift the scales
would go away.