Chapter Six
Max and Liz blinked in confusion, as if waking from a nightmare that had seemed so real at the time that they were surprised to discover it wasn't.
But that had been real. It had been no nightmare.
They now stared at a solid rock wall. This had been where the double corridors had been. They had entered here and yet....
They turned to stare at each other. Max was suddenly aware of his death- grip on Liz's hand and relaxed it a little. But only a little. Understanding dawned on Liz as if a light bulb had been turned on inside her head. "An illusion.", she said, disgustedly. She whirled around to face Tic-Tac. "What is the meaning of this? Is this just your sick way of playing with us before you kill us?"
"It is not.", Tic-Tac replied coolly. He hadn't moved from the last time they had seen him. "You have just experienced what's known as Xum Tomeri- ki -- The Pathfinder in your language. The shaman of my people give individuals this....test, for lack of a better word, to help them find their way through life when they have become lost. It shows them the past or future, whichever it deems will help the most, in hope that it will awaken a sense of purpose and direction within him or her. It also shows them some truths that they would do well to remember."
"Do you know what happened?", Liz asked.
Tic-Tac shook his head. "The shaman only performs the ritual to start Xum Tomeri-ki. He has no more involvement after that."
"But I was told you would be able to answer my questions."
"Then it's aware I have the knowledge to answer them."
Liz spilled everything: the crystal ball, the king and his relationship with the slave, Rhoul's anger and the consequences because of it. She also told him of the last visions of the faces she had been shown. "I recognized the last few. They were relatives of mine."
Tic-Tac had listened to the tale quietly - barely. He had guessed she was important but only as the fifth element. Not like this. Prophesies were always impossible to figure out, always having unforeseen twists, but this was amazing. He fought with himself for a few seconds, unsure of how much to tell them. The decision was easy.
They - she - deserved to know everything.
"The events you saw really happened over three hundred years ago just as you saw. The only difference was they were really aliens. They appeared human to you so you would understand."
"Was that really me?", Liz asked. "I mean, I know it's possible....am I...."
"What do you know about soul mates?", he asked abruptly.
"What?", she asked, confused. "Soul mates? I think everyone has one somewhere."
"That's believed to be true and that they always find one another - eventually. Sometimes it takes a few lifetimes but it always happens. Just because two people marry and live happily afterwards doesn't mean they're soul mates. When soul mates find each other, something special, almost magical at times, results from it. It's believed Dhelmanex and Lilith were such an example but, because of the situation, it was never allowed to be.
"When Rhoul killed Dhelmanex, the king vowed he and Lilith would find each other again and destroy Rhoul's empire. About this same time, the shaman received a prophecy from the Granolith, telling of a time when a fifth element would join the royal family to restore the balance. The shaman studied and studied this prophecy, trying to discover its meaning. They finally gave up."
Tic-Tac stopped for several seconds to allow them to soak up what he was saying before continuing. "The prophecy would become clearer during Zan's reign as king. He and Ava were arranged to marry at birth but it was clear he didn't love her. Most felt he was always looking for someone the entire time he was alive.
"A month and a half before his wedding, Zan started having nightmares about a woman who was lost in a dark place and she called his name repeatedly. It went on for three weeks before the nightmare changed even a little. Then, he finally caught a glimpse of the woman. He said she took his breath away with her beauty. He was amazed to discover she was human but he couldn't shake the feeling he knew her and he had to save her.
"Finally, the nightmares got so bad he couldn't concentrate on anything else. He had the shaman prepare the Granolith to transport him to Earth. He had to find that girl. Only after hours of convincing him what a stupid idea it was and how difficult it would be to find the girl he sought, Ava got him to give up on his mission. Of course, two weeks later, in the middle of the wedding, Khivar attacked and the Royal Four were killed.
"Not long after, they were cloned and sent to Earth with the Granolith at my behest. I had always thought the fifth element spoken of was human. Humans by nature are unpredictable and threaten to change the natural order of things on a daily basis. When Zan's dreams started, I knew I was right."
He looked at Liz and smiled. "It appears I found it. It appears Dhelmanex found Lilith too. As for your question: No, you're not an alien, a clone or anything else like that - not exactly anyway. We always wondered what happened to Lilith after she was sent to Earth. I guess she lived a somewhat happy life here after all. I believe all those faces you saw were your relatives - and Lilith's."
"That's impossible.", Liz argued, her words spilling out frantically. "I mean, she was an alien. A little green alien. How did she....and how could...."
"One of the Granolith's powers is the ability to enable us to adjust our complete make-up to suit any atmosphere.", he explained. "That's one of the reasons I had it sent to Earth. If it fell into the wrong hands, there's no limit to the destruction it could help cause. There's a penalty to changing our make-up, of course. We lose a lot of what makes us what we are. Lilith, by being changed, became mostly human. I'm sure she, along with a few members of future generations, had some powers. After a few generations, that probably stopped too."
"Could that alien part be reawakened by....say....being healed by another alien?"
"You know the answer to that already, don't you?"
Liz nodded.
Tic-Tac turned his gaze to Max. "Now for you, my king."
Max had said nothing during the entire conversation. It was hard to tell he was still alive. His eyes stared straight ahead, seeing nothing. He had heard what had been said but was still trying to sort it all out. He was still shaken from the events in the cave.
He had been separated from Liz for hours, not sure if he'd ever see her again. He'd been completely lost without her. He had almost lost hold of reality for a while and that had been an illusion. What would happen if he really lost her?
"What did you learn?", Tic-Tac asked.
Max shook his head, clearing away the cobwebs, and drew Liz into his arms, holding her close to him. "Nothing I didn't already know."
"You never told me how Grandma Claudia fits into all this.", Liz reminded the shapeshifter. "How did you know she told me to trust my heart?"
"Your grandmother was a wise woman.", Tic-Tac said, bowing his head. "I knew her well and I knew she was a firm believer in listening to the best guide you have: your heart. I actually helped her with her book. I know Naesado gave the Royal Four a metal book and..."
Max's face hardened. "Naesado and Tess lied to us, didn't they?", he asked. "The book says something entirely different from what they said it does, doesn't it?"
"Tess doesn't know what it says either.", Tic-Tac said. "My guess is Naesado lied to her too."
"But why?", Liz asked.
"I don't know exactly.", Tic-Tac said. "Naesado always played by his own rules, not caring who got in his way. He was never supposed to be your shapeshifter. He wasn't supposed to be here at all. You should find an ancient 'Navajo' alphabet chart in your grandmother's book. It may just match the symbols in the book."
"Thank you.", Liz said.
Tic-Tac shook his head. "Don't. Your road will only become more difficult now that I have lit your way. You can see the path ahead more clearly now but the monsters in the shadows can see you better now too."
Max and Liz blinked in confusion, as if waking from a nightmare that had seemed so real at the time that they were surprised to discover it wasn't.
But that had been real. It had been no nightmare.
They now stared at a solid rock wall. This had been where the double corridors had been. They had entered here and yet....
They turned to stare at each other. Max was suddenly aware of his death- grip on Liz's hand and relaxed it a little. But only a little. Understanding dawned on Liz as if a light bulb had been turned on inside her head. "An illusion.", she said, disgustedly. She whirled around to face Tic-Tac. "What is the meaning of this? Is this just your sick way of playing with us before you kill us?"
"It is not.", Tic-Tac replied coolly. He hadn't moved from the last time they had seen him. "You have just experienced what's known as Xum Tomeri- ki -- The Pathfinder in your language. The shaman of my people give individuals this....test, for lack of a better word, to help them find their way through life when they have become lost. It shows them the past or future, whichever it deems will help the most, in hope that it will awaken a sense of purpose and direction within him or her. It also shows them some truths that they would do well to remember."
"Do you know what happened?", Liz asked.
Tic-Tac shook his head. "The shaman only performs the ritual to start Xum Tomeri-ki. He has no more involvement after that."
"But I was told you would be able to answer my questions."
"Then it's aware I have the knowledge to answer them."
Liz spilled everything: the crystal ball, the king and his relationship with the slave, Rhoul's anger and the consequences because of it. She also told him of the last visions of the faces she had been shown. "I recognized the last few. They were relatives of mine."
Tic-Tac had listened to the tale quietly - barely. He had guessed she was important but only as the fifth element. Not like this. Prophesies were always impossible to figure out, always having unforeseen twists, but this was amazing. He fought with himself for a few seconds, unsure of how much to tell them. The decision was easy.
They - she - deserved to know everything.
"The events you saw really happened over three hundred years ago just as you saw. The only difference was they were really aliens. They appeared human to you so you would understand."
"Was that really me?", Liz asked. "I mean, I know it's possible....am I...."
"What do you know about soul mates?", he asked abruptly.
"What?", she asked, confused. "Soul mates? I think everyone has one somewhere."
"That's believed to be true and that they always find one another - eventually. Sometimes it takes a few lifetimes but it always happens. Just because two people marry and live happily afterwards doesn't mean they're soul mates. When soul mates find each other, something special, almost magical at times, results from it. It's believed Dhelmanex and Lilith were such an example but, because of the situation, it was never allowed to be.
"When Rhoul killed Dhelmanex, the king vowed he and Lilith would find each other again and destroy Rhoul's empire. About this same time, the shaman received a prophecy from the Granolith, telling of a time when a fifth element would join the royal family to restore the balance. The shaman studied and studied this prophecy, trying to discover its meaning. They finally gave up."
Tic-Tac stopped for several seconds to allow them to soak up what he was saying before continuing. "The prophecy would become clearer during Zan's reign as king. He and Ava were arranged to marry at birth but it was clear he didn't love her. Most felt he was always looking for someone the entire time he was alive.
"A month and a half before his wedding, Zan started having nightmares about a woman who was lost in a dark place and she called his name repeatedly. It went on for three weeks before the nightmare changed even a little. Then, he finally caught a glimpse of the woman. He said she took his breath away with her beauty. He was amazed to discover she was human but he couldn't shake the feeling he knew her and he had to save her.
"Finally, the nightmares got so bad he couldn't concentrate on anything else. He had the shaman prepare the Granolith to transport him to Earth. He had to find that girl. Only after hours of convincing him what a stupid idea it was and how difficult it would be to find the girl he sought, Ava got him to give up on his mission. Of course, two weeks later, in the middle of the wedding, Khivar attacked and the Royal Four were killed.
"Not long after, they were cloned and sent to Earth with the Granolith at my behest. I had always thought the fifth element spoken of was human. Humans by nature are unpredictable and threaten to change the natural order of things on a daily basis. When Zan's dreams started, I knew I was right."
He looked at Liz and smiled. "It appears I found it. It appears Dhelmanex found Lilith too. As for your question: No, you're not an alien, a clone or anything else like that - not exactly anyway. We always wondered what happened to Lilith after she was sent to Earth. I guess she lived a somewhat happy life here after all. I believe all those faces you saw were your relatives - and Lilith's."
"That's impossible.", Liz argued, her words spilling out frantically. "I mean, she was an alien. A little green alien. How did she....and how could...."
"One of the Granolith's powers is the ability to enable us to adjust our complete make-up to suit any atmosphere.", he explained. "That's one of the reasons I had it sent to Earth. If it fell into the wrong hands, there's no limit to the destruction it could help cause. There's a penalty to changing our make-up, of course. We lose a lot of what makes us what we are. Lilith, by being changed, became mostly human. I'm sure she, along with a few members of future generations, had some powers. After a few generations, that probably stopped too."
"Could that alien part be reawakened by....say....being healed by another alien?"
"You know the answer to that already, don't you?"
Liz nodded.
Tic-Tac turned his gaze to Max. "Now for you, my king."
Max had said nothing during the entire conversation. It was hard to tell he was still alive. His eyes stared straight ahead, seeing nothing. He had heard what had been said but was still trying to sort it all out. He was still shaken from the events in the cave.
He had been separated from Liz for hours, not sure if he'd ever see her again. He'd been completely lost without her. He had almost lost hold of reality for a while and that had been an illusion. What would happen if he really lost her?
"What did you learn?", Tic-Tac asked.
Max shook his head, clearing away the cobwebs, and drew Liz into his arms, holding her close to him. "Nothing I didn't already know."
"You never told me how Grandma Claudia fits into all this.", Liz reminded the shapeshifter. "How did you know she told me to trust my heart?"
"Your grandmother was a wise woman.", Tic-Tac said, bowing his head. "I knew her well and I knew she was a firm believer in listening to the best guide you have: your heart. I actually helped her with her book. I know Naesado gave the Royal Four a metal book and..."
Max's face hardened. "Naesado and Tess lied to us, didn't they?", he asked. "The book says something entirely different from what they said it does, doesn't it?"
"Tess doesn't know what it says either.", Tic-Tac said. "My guess is Naesado lied to her too."
"But why?", Liz asked.
"I don't know exactly.", Tic-Tac said. "Naesado always played by his own rules, not caring who got in his way. He was never supposed to be your shapeshifter. He wasn't supposed to be here at all. You should find an ancient 'Navajo' alphabet chart in your grandmother's book. It may just match the symbols in the book."
"Thank you.", Liz said.
Tic-Tac shook his head. "Don't. Your road will only become more difficult now that I have lit your way. You can see the path ahead more clearly now but the monsters in the shadows can see you better now too."