Bearing the Creation and Destruction of Power: Part II
I awoke the next morning to find Kyonga bouncing at the foot of my bed. "Good morning, Tai!" she chorused.
"No it's not," I said grumpily. I hate mornings if I don't get to sleep in.
Alysen and Dialin had gone home the evening before, and now it was just Kyonga and I. A very happy, hyper Kyonga.
I stumbled into the kitchen and pulled a box of Neocrunch and a carton of Kau Kau Farm Milk out of the refrigerator. "What's the cereal doing in the fridge?" I asked Kyonga, who had followed me into the kitchen. She grinned sheepishly.
"Oops."
I rolled my eyes. "You're weird," I said decidedly.
"Why of course I am!" she exclaimed. I started shoveling cereal into my mouth. Kyonga just sat there watching me. "Alysen and Dialin are coming in half an hour," she told me. I nearly choked on my Neocrunch.
"What?!" I screeched.
"Can't change it," she said smugly. "They're probably on their way now." Rolling my eyes at her, I bolted out of the kitchen up to my room like a deer running from a hunter to get dressed. I dug in my closet for something to wear, like I usually do. Throwing on an orange shirt, jeans, and shoes, I grabbed the gem off my nightstand where I had left it and ran downstairs just as Kyonga answered the door.
"Hey Taiya," Alysen said, coming into the house. Kyonga was busy saying hello to Alysen's two pets, Enclella and Tilando. Enclella was a blumaroo and Tilando was a kougra. Both of them were painted Christmas. "Anything new happen with the gem?"
"No, I was so tired last night I didn't have time to experiment with it," I replied.
"Then let's experiment now!" Alysen decided, just as Dialin, Tensio, and Hallazi came up the walk. I herded them all inside and shut the door. There were eight pets and humans all together in the room, and we barely fit. I looked around the room, hoping to find something that would give me an idea of what to do.
"Hmmm," I muttered, hands on hips. "I think I have an idea."
"What?" Dialin asked, coming to stand beside me.
"I was thinking maybe we could use the gem like a Battledome ability," I replied.
"Hey, that's a good idea," she exclaimed. "Tensio, come here." The eyrie walked over to stand beside Dialin. Tensio was the battledomer of the group.
"What?" he asked. I handed him the gem.
"Try to use this like a Battledome ability. Make it one you don't have so we can be sure it's the gem that's giving you the power for the ability," I told Tensio.
"Okay, I'll try." Sweat came to Tensio's face as he concentrated on the gem in his paw. "I can't."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yeah. With normal Battledome abilities I can just wish to do it and it will happen. Not with this," he replied. He turned the gem over and over in his paws.
"Maybe if you try something that isn't a real Battledome ability," Alysen suggested, coming over to stand next to us.
"Like what?" Tensio asked.
Alysen shrugged. "Like moving something." She pointed to a Blue Glazed Vase that was sitting on a table in the corner. "Try to pick that up. Don't worry Taiya, I'll pay for it if it breaks."
"Whatever," I mumbled. "You don't have to pay for it." I didn't particularly like the vase anyway.
"Okay." Tensio held the gem out toward the vase. He looked at the vase hard. Slowly, but surely, it lifted off the table.
"You did it!" Kyonga, who had come to watch, shrieked. Surprised, Tensio lost his concentration on the vase and dropped it.
"Oops," apologized Kyonga. "Sorry Tai."
"That's okay-I didn't like the vase a whole lot anyway."
"So...now we know how it works. Now what?" Dialin asked.
"Uh... I dunno," I replied.
"Maybe we should see if a human can use the gem like a Battledome ability," suggested Tilando.
"That's a good idea," I decided. "Let me see the gem." Tensio handed me the gem and I held it up, concentrating on a lamp in the corner. I shut my eyes and wished for the lamp to turn off. When I opened my eyes I saw that the lamp had gone dark.
"It worked!" I exclaimed, happy.
"Great," Dialin said.
"Can I see the note again?" Alysen asked.
"Sure," I answered, getting up to retrieve Sakirina's note from the desk by the window. Looking out at the gray sky, I saw a shadow move near the Dwarf Tree in the yard. Believing it just to be a stray Doglefox or something like that, I went back to the couch Alysen was sitting on and handed her the note.
"Here. Be careful with it, it's already crumbling a little," I said, pointing out the bit of crumbled paper I'd noticed last night.
"It must be really old," Kyonga commented.
"Yeah," Enclella said quietly, peering at the browned note.
Alysen reread the note, then handed it back to me. "I wonder what Sakirina meant by the gem causing destruction. It's not like it can think on its own."
"Dunno. I don't know much about magic," Dialin answered.
"All power does both good and evil," Hallazi said softly. We all turned to look at her.
"How do you know that?" Dialin asked her incredulously. She shrugged.
"I have seen many things."
"I think there are a few things we should know," I said. "Like why Hallazi sounds so wise.
"Hallazi?" Dialin prompted.
"There is something you should know," Hallazi decided. "There was once a wizard, who was both wise and powerful. He traveled many lands, and knew many people. He created the Gem of Truth, hoping to do good. Though he was wise, he had no knowledge of the power that the gem held. It soon corrupted him, and so, the gem past through many hands. No once can predict the future of the Gem of Truth-though many will try-for it makes it's own choices."
There was a silence like a lake on an utterly calm day. Then, "There is much we do not yet know. Hallazi, I think-" Alysen never had a chance to finish her sentence.
To be continued...
3
1
I awoke the next morning to find Kyonga bouncing at the foot of my bed. "Good morning, Tai!" she chorused.
"No it's not," I said grumpily. I hate mornings if I don't get to sleep in.
Alysen and Dialin had gone home the evening before, and now it was just Kyonga and I. A very happy, hyper Kyonga.
I stumbled into the kitchen and pulled a box of Neocrunch and a carton of Kau Kau Farm Milk out of the refrigerator. "What's the cereal doing in the fridge?" I asked Kyonga, who had followed me into the kitchen. She grinned sheepishly.
"Oops."
I rolled my eyes. "You're weird," I said decidedly.
"Why of course I am!" she exclaimed. I started shoveling cereal into my mouth. Kyonga just sat there watching me. "Alysen and Dialin are coming in half an hour," she told me. I nearly choked on my Neocrunch.
"What?!" I screeched.
"Can't change it," she said smugly. "They're probably on their way now." Rolling my eyes at her, I bolted out of the kitchen up to my room like a deer running from a hunter to get dressed. I dug in my closet for something to wear, like I usually do. Throwing on an orange shirt, jeans, and shoes, I grabbed the gem off my nightstand where I had left it and ran downstairs just as Kyonga answered the door.
"Hey Taiya," Alysen said, coming into the house. Kyonga was busy saying hello to Alysen's two pets, Enclella and Tilando. Enclella was a blumaroo and Tilando was a kougra. Both of them were painted Christmas. "Anything new happen with the gem?"
"No, I was so tired last night I didn't have time to experiment with it," I replied.
"Then let's experiment now!" Alysen decided, just as Dialin, Tensio, and Hallazi came up the walk. I herded them all inside and shut the door. There were eight pets and humans all together in the room, and we barely fit. I looked around the room, hoping to find something that would give me an idea of what to do.
"Hmmm," I muttered, hands on hips. "I think I have an idea."
"What?" Dialin asked, coming to stand beside me.
"I was thinking maybe we could use the gem like a Battledome ability," I replied.
"Hey, that's a good idea," she exclaimed. "Tensio, come here." The eyrie walked over to stand beside Dialin. Tensio was the battledomer of the group.
"What?" he asked. I handed him the gem.
"Try to use this like a Battledome ability. Make it one you don't have so we can be sure it's the gem that's giving you the power for the ability," I told Tensio.
"Okay, I'll try." Sweat came to Tensio's face as he concentrated on the gem in his paw. "I can't."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yeah. With normal Battledome abilities I can just wish to do it and it will happen. Not with this," he replied. He turned the gem over and over in his paws.
"Maybe if you try something that isn't a real Battledome ability," Alysen suggested, coming over to stand next to us.
"Like what?" Tensio asked.
Alysen shrugged. "Like moving something." She pointed to a Blue Glazed Vase that was sitting on a table in the corner. "Try to pick that up. Don't worry Taiya, I'll pay for it if it breaks."
"Whatever," I mumbled. "You don't have to pay for it." I didn't particularly like the vase anyway.
"Okay." Tensio held the gem out toward the vase. He looked at the vase hard. Slowly, but surely, it lifted off the table.
"You did it!" Kyonga, who had come to watch, shrieked. Surprised, Tensio lost his concentration on the vase and dropped it.
"Oops," apologized Kyonga. "Sorry Tai."
"That's okay-I didn't like the vase a whole lot anyway."
"So...now we know how it works. Now what?" Dialin asked.
"Uh... I dunno," I replied.
"Maybe we should see if a human can use the gem like a Battledome ability," suggested Tilando.
"That's a good idea," I decided. "Let me see the gem." Tensio handed me the gem and I held it up, concentrating on a lamp in the corner. I shut my eyes and wished for the lamp to turn off. When I opened my eyes I saw that the lamp had gone dark.
"It worked!" I exclaimed, happy.
"Great," Dialin said.
"Can I see the note again?" Alysen asked.
"Sure," I answered, getting up to retrieve Sakirina's note from the desk by the window. Looking out at the gray sky, I saw a shadow move near the Dwarf Tree in the yard. Believing it just to be a stray Doglefox or something like that, I went back to the couch Alysen was sitting on and handed her the note.
"Here. Be careful with it, it's already crumbling a little," I said, pointing out the bit of crumbled paper I'd noticed last night.
"It must be really old," Kyonga commented.
"Yeah," Enclella said quietly, peering at the browned note.
Alysen reread the note, then handed it back to me. "I wonder what Sakirina meant by the gem causing destruction. It's not like it can think on its own."
"Dunno. I don't know much about magic," Dialin answered.
"All power does both good and evil," Hallazi said softly. We all turned to look at her.
"How do you know that?" Dialin asked her incredulously. She shrugged.
"I have seen many things."
"I think there are a few things we should know," I said. "Like why Hallazi sounds so wise.
"Hallazi?" Dialin prompted.
"There is something you should know," Hallazi decided. "There was once a wizard, who was both wise and powerful. He traveled many lands, and knew many people. He created the Gem of Truth, hoping to do good. Though he was wise, he had no knowledge of the power that the gem held. It soon corrupted him, and so, the gem past through many hands. No once can predict the future of the Gem of Truth-though many will try-for it makes it's own choices."
There was a silence like a lake on an utterly calm day. Then, "There is much we do not yet know. Hallazi, I think-" Alysen never had a chance to finish her sentence.
To be continued...
3
1