The Man in Blue
11/14/03 revised 2/24/04
Liz sat disconsolately looking out at the mist just beginning to swirl over the top of Lake Michigan. The sun had set some time ago she realized suddenly as she noticed the moon just appearing over the rim of the horizon. She sighed, put her hands out behind her on the cold grass and leaned back. She looked up at Orion and Cassiopeia. She wondered how these stars could get so much power and keep it. They had been around for so long. But here she was again avoiding the real subject.
~ I know...I know...I miss Sirius...this is just the kind of time I would go see him. ~ I thought to myself.
Leaning forward I placed my head in my hands and my elbows on my knees. The swirling mist was growing in an enchanting kind of way as I sat still grieving solemnly. I finally sat with my head in the palm of my left hand with my fingers stretching up the side of my face.
"I have no tears left, Sirius." I said into the darkness. "I've cried them all and haven't been able to do much of anything. I just don't think things can ever be the same. Especially since you were never even cleared of your charges. One day Harry and I will find Wormtail and we will make him reveal the truth. I should have been there that night at Hogwarts...I should be enrolled at Hogwarts and living with the others. This is absurd. I think I'll talk to Dumbledore and see if it can't be arranged for me to be there...I can just split my personae from Kime's and put her in a double of our body. Then she can go to Muggle school and I can go where I belong. About time too. Then maybe I won't be stuck with all these regrets, huh Sirius? Maybe. We both shared a lot of those regrets together though. But when you were here it was almost like having a dad again. I'll try to look after Harry okay? I'll try."
I stared off into the growing mist that was turning into a heavy off-white fog. It slowly condensed into a cloud like substance, which looked radiant against the moonlight. It looked like a comforter without the mismatched plaid top. It slowly creeped up and over the docks and up the hill like a slowly advancing army. It slowly crept over me and I could feel the unearthly chill it brought with it. I shivered with excitement without really knowing why. Suddenly on a whim I conjured a deep emerald green colored rose out of thin air to appear in my hand. I brought it to my nose and breathed deeply the sweet smell as I got to my feet in one fluid movement without using my hands. I then tossed the rose into the fog over the water and heard it make a soft splunk as it hit. A circle had appeared in the fog where the rose had dropped in and I could see the emerald green rose rise again from the dark blue black water with little iridescent drops of water clinging to the petals. The moonlight struck the scene and I could see flashes of rainbows come off the drops clinging to the petals. I watched as the fog slowly curled inward and covered up the emerald green rose with its iridescent shimmering rainbows still clinging tightly to it. I sighed feeling hopeless and still in pain.
"You put on nice theatrics even though you thought you were the only one here to see it." Said a male voice from behind me.
I turned quickly to face the possible new threat. I had been stupid to let my defenses down. People were still after my head, how could I be that dumb? A dark blue cloaked figure stood quietly no more than ten feet from where I stood. The hood on the cloak was up so I couldn't see the face and the only other thing I could make out was a pair of blue dragon-hide boots.
"Who are you and what do you want?" I said abruptly and to the point.
"I guess you do like to cut to the chase don't you, Liz?" he asked.
I stood with my arms to my sides in my neutral fighting stance, my face set in a slight grimace. He laughed shortly before he decided to continue.
"Okay, okay." He said as he pulled down his hood. "My name is Jim Isen Mallic. I'm here to tell you about a wonderful opportunity you can take advantage of. Trust me on this. You will want to hear me out."
He had short light brown hair and silvery gray eyes. He had only a few wrinkles of age and had some life time scars as well.
"And art thou a muggle?" I asked.
"No, I'm a wizard and come from a line with wizards and muggles mixed in here and there. Unlike your pure breed self." He held up a hand as I automatically clenched my fist and was about to raise hell at this insolent attack of my character. "But that doesn't matter to me and I know it certainly doesn't matter to you. Let me get to the point shall I? I came here from Lizard Mountain Lookout (LML) which is our training ground. You see only certain people have the certain qualities necessary to take care of Dragons and Sikars. We also have a training session I guess you could call it. It's where you learn to fine tune your skills. We know quite a bit about how you battle 'evil' for the sake of justice, or whatever, so we know you will definitely qualify. There is going to be a hatching soon so you have much to learn. You and one other shall be the only ones preparing for this hatching from LML. You should see this as an honor."
I couldn't explain why but I trusted him. Lately I had just been going with my gut instincts and they were usually right.
~ Well, my gut is telling me to trust him. And I have been feeling kind of weak lately. It has to be good training. ~ I thought to myself.
"So how's the training?" I asked.
He smiled.
"It's probably the best training you will ever find." Jim said.
"Who is the leader of this Lizard Mountain Lookout?" I asked.
"I am. You can bring one bag with you. I'll pick you up in the morning at your house. I know where it is." Said Jim with a sly smile.
"Fine." I said, before turning back to look out at the crescent moon. "See you tomorrow."
He let out a bark of laughter before disappearing in the fog, which had become airborne. I felt a twang of sorrow at that as I stared into the cold darkness.
~ Sirius had a bark like laughter too. ~ I thought sullenly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
11/14/03 revised 2/24/04
Liz sat disconsolately looking out at the mist just beginning to swirl over the top of Lake Michigan. The sun had set some time ago she realized suddenly as she noticed the moon just appearing over the rim of the horizon. She sighed, put her hands out behind her on the cold grass and leaned back. She looked up at Orion and Cassiopeia. She wondered how these stars could get so much power and keep it. They had been around for so long. But here she was again avoiding the real subject.
~ I know...I know...I miss Sirius...this is just the kind of time I would go see him. ~ I thought to myself.
Leaning forward I placed my head in my hands and my elbows on my knees. The swirling mist was growing in an enchanting kind of way as I sat still grieving solemnly. I finally sat with my head in the palm of my left hand with my fingers stretching up the side of my face.
"I have no tears left, Sirius." I said into the darkness. "I've cried them all and haven't been able to do much of anything. I just don't think things can ever be the same. Especially since you were never even cleared of your charges. One day Harry and I will find Wormtail and we will make him reveal the truth. I should have been there that night at Hogwarts...I should be enrolled at Hogwarts and living with the others. This is absurd. I think I'll talk to Dumbledore and see if it can't be arranged for me to be there...I can just split my personae from Kime's and put her in a double of our body. Then she can go to Muggle school and I can go where I belong. About time too. Then maybe I won't be stuck with all these regrets, huh Sirius? Maybe. We both shared a lot of those regrets together though. But when you were here it was almost like having a dad again. I'll try to look after Harry okay? I'll try."
I stared off into the growing mist that was turning into a heavy off-white fog. It slowly condensed into a cloud like substance, which looked radiant against the moonlight. It looked like a comforter without the mismatched plaid top. It slowly creeped up and over the docks and up the hill like a slowly advancing army. It slowly crept over me and I could feel the unearthly chill it brought with it. I shivered with excitement without really knowing why. Suddenly on a whim I conjured a deep emerald green colored rose out of thin air to appear in my hand. I brought it to my nose and breathed deeply the sweet smell as I got to my feet in one fluid movement without using my hands. I then tossed the rose into the fog over the water and heard it make a soft splunk as it hit. A circle had appeared in the fog where the rose had dropped in and I could see the emerald green rose rise again from the dark blue black water with little iridescent drops of water clinging to the petals. The moonlight struck the scene and I could see flashes of rainbows come off the drops clinging to the petals. I watched as the fog slowly curled inward and covered up the emerald green rose with its iridescent shimmering rainbows still clinging tightly to it. I sighed feeling hopeless and still in pain.
"You put on nice theatrics even though you thought you were the only one here to see it." Said a male voice from behind me.
I turned quickly to face the possible new threat. I had been stupid to let my defenses down. People were still after my head, how could I be that dumb? A dark blue cloaked figure stood quietly no more than ten feet from where I stood. The hood on the cloak was up so I couldn't see the face and the only other thing I could make out was a pair of blue dragon-hide boots.
"Who are you and what do you want?" I said abruptly and to the point.
"I guess you do like to cut to the chase don't you, Liz?" he asked.
I stood with my arms to my sides in my neutral fighting stance, my face set in a slight grimace. He laughed shortly before he decided to continue.
"Okay, okay." He said as he pulled down his hood. "My name is Jim Isen Mallic. I'm here to tell you about a wonderful opportunity you can take advantage of. Trust me on this. You will want to hear me out."
He had short light brown hair and silvery gray eyes. He had only a few wrinkles of age and had some life time scars as well.
"And art thou a muggle?" I asked.
"No, I'm a wizard and come from a line with wizards and muggles mixed in here and there. Unlike your pure breed self." He held up a hand as I automatically clenched my fist and was about to raise hell at this insolent attack of my character. "But that doesn't matter to me and I know it certainly doesn't matter to you. Let me get to the point shall I? I came here from Lizard Mountain Lookout (LML) which is our training ground. You see only certain people have the certain qualities necessary to take care of Dragons and Sikars. We also have a training session I guess you could call it. It's where you learn to fine tune your skills. We know quite a bit about how you battle 'evil' for the sake of justice, or whatever, so we know you will definitely qualify. There is going to be a hatching soon so you have much to learn. You and one other shall be the only ones preparing for this hatching from LML. You should see this as an honor."
I couldn't explain why but I trusted him. Lately I had just been going with my gut instincts and they were usually right.
~ Well, my gut is telling me to trust him. And I have been feeling kind of weak lately. It has to be good training. ~ I thought to myself.
"So how's the training?" I asked.
He smiled.
"It's probably the best training you will ever find." Jim said.
"Who is the leader of this Lizard Mountain Lookout?" I asked.
"I am. You can bring one bag with you. I'll pick you up in the morning at your house. I know where it is." Said Jim with a sly smile.
"Fine." I said, before turning back to look out at the crescent moon. "See you tomorrow."
He let out a bark of laughter before disappearing in the fog, which had become airborne. I felt a twang of sorrow at that as I stared into the cold darkness.
~ Sirius had a bark like laughter too. ~ I thought sullenly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~