PROLOGUE - A Stormy night and a Music Box
Beyond the barriers of time and space, at the edge of what the imagination itself would find hard to believe, there exists a world, Earth, where inexplicably magic has never been developed. Here, deprived of the beneficial contribution of magic powers, numerous races had clashed for dominance, until a single species assumed the role of the dominant race on the entire planet. They were strange mammals, once arboreal creatures, who had subjugated all other species to their will and established a civilization based on industry and technology, inexorably shaping the planet to their will. They could change the course of rivers at will or dig new ones to connect separate seas; they had chariots capable of moving on their own, without the aid of animals, and which could even rise from the ground like the mightiest birds; they had machines and tools for any purpose.
However, most of all, one purpose most of all defined their existence: war.
In war they had been born, and they wallowed in it; many wars had been fought in the past, between factions and sides of their own kind, and many more would be fought, each more powerful, poisonous and deadly than the last. To war they devoted much of their culture, and were always intoxicated by violence.
And today, on this day, a young male of the species was intent on once again conducting the barbaric rituals that his peers performed to honor war, violence and noise...
"Norse! A red and proud Drakkar, led by the brave warrior..."
"Jacob!" an angry female voice rang out from behind the door, accompanied by knocks on the doorway.
Stymied by being interrupted, Jacob momentarily paused the music and, heading for the door, turned its handle to allow it to open, and then stood before a dark brown-haired, bespectacled woman looking sternly at him.
"What is it, Mom?"
"You keep the music too loud! If you keep it up, I'll confiscate it!"
"But it's The Norsemmen, the warriors of the Fjords. Their music has to be played loud!"
"But not in the evening after dinner! If you really want to hear music at this hour, why don't you listen to something softer? Classical music, for example?"
"That stuff for old people?"
"That's not stuff for old people! It's music, real music, not this cacophony of deafening noise that you'll burn out your hearing with some day!"
Jacob understood that by direct assault he would not win. So, he decided to take advantage of the decision to negotiate a deal.
"All right look, how about I go for a ride? Then at least you won't have to listen to my music."
"At this hour?" asked his mom, eyeing the already dark sky outside the window.
"I'm craving fresh air," he replied, smiling slyly. He had his phone with all the music of the Norsemmen and many other bands he liked, and a pair of headphones, so he could enjoy his music without worry. In addition, while he was outside, maybe he could catch some acquaintances...
"Two conditions: first, don't come back later than eleven o'clock; or at least, if you do, take your keys so you don't have to wake us up again late at night to open up."
"I told you, I hadn't forgotten them: they had ended up in a pocket hole!" he replied, scorned "And the second condition?"
"Amelie goes with you."
"WHAT? Why does she always have to go with me when I go out? Don't you trust me to go out alone anymore?!"
"The reason I tell you to take your cousin with you," his mother replied, "is because you've already been caught writing on a wall..."
"I was expressing art in revolt!"
"...you got into fights with other kids..."
"they were thugs, and they had it coming..."
"...and you tried to buy beer without permission!"
"That…OK, that was my fault."
"The point is," she intervened, "I'm very concerned about the effect this might have on your grades-I've seen your report card, you're still doing well but you're sailing on the edge! If you commit any more shenanigans, you could stake your whole future on it!"
Praiseworthy how you only care about my future when there is a risk of things not going as YOU say.
"And your solution is then to hook me up with a personal spy who, when we return, will give you an accurate report on everything I've done, said or even looked?"
"I'm not taking any chances with you, young man. And your cousin is far more careful and alert than you give evidence."
Jacob gritted his teeth: Amelie was a plague on his existence, but perhaps he could sow her in the middle of the road. Of course, his mother would be very angry when she returned, but it would be worth it.
"All right," he said finally, feigning defeat, "Give me a few minutes to change."
"I'll go warn her: she'll be waiting for you at the door" his mom replied "And I'll give her precise order to never take off her eyes from you!"
Once his mother closed the door again, Jacob gave her a poisoned look for a few more seconds through the closed doorway before turning his attention to changing. From the chair he picked up his brown long pants , which he had worn to school, and slipped them back on instead of his own sweatpants; he pushed his light blue T-shirt under his pants and put back on the green sweatshirt he had strategically not rearranged. Having arranged his own clothes, he sat down on the bed and laced his black ankle boots over his white socks.
Next to him, resting on the leg of the bed was a black backpack, which he used for school. He did not look at what was in it, nor did he decide to lighten it by removing something that he would certainly not need: the books were already out and the backpack was not heavy, so whatever was still in it could stay in it for the evening.
He made to leave when he saw something resting on his desk: a tin hat, with two plastic bovine horns attached. It was an heirloom from the Norsemmen concert, and although his mother found it ridiculous, he wore it proudly whenever he could. If the principal did not risk reporting it to his parents, he would wear it to school, too.
Smiling, he took the helmet and put it on his head: every time he wore it, he felt strong, brave, and confident, like the fearless Vikings who hunted seals and whales on their drakkars more than a thousand years ago. Above all, if Amelie was to follow him, her mother could not protest.
She opened the door, and headed for the entrance: as foretold, her cousin was already there, dressed in a white T-shirt with a black jacket and pink pants, on her feet white socks inside strawberry red tennis shoes. And on her head, a cone-shaped Vietnamese model hat, matching the toy katana sword she wore on her belt.
"I'm ready."
"Still wearing that hat?" his mother asked in a condescending tone.
In response, Jacob pointed to Amelie's Vietnamese headdress with his eyes.
"That's fine; just try to keep you out of trouble."
"I'm not the one looking for trouble: they're the ones coming to me."
"All the more reason to be prescient. Amelie, stand by your cousin, and remember: if you see something wrong..."
"...I will warn you right away, Auntie!" she replied with a smile.
Jacob felt his own blood boiling: he had been born an only child, and he had always liked the fact that he had his parents' undivided attention, however small that might be. Nevertheless, since his cousin had moved in with them, he no longer counted: she was almost...a leech.
"Let's go, while there's still some light."
"Take care guys: be back on time!"
"I promise, Auntie!"
"...if we go toward the mall, your mom said to get milk, that what we have at home is running out..."
"Tell me, you plague, how is it that you are still attached to my behind? I usually have you off somewhere by now."
Amelia smiled, "I've been practicing, and now you won't be able to escape me! I am a ronin of the Los Angeles Dojo, invisible as a ninja and silent as the wind!"
"First, a ronin is an outcast samurai, that is, without a master, and you are just a little girl with a wooden katana; second, a dojo is a martial arts school, and I am not aware that you are enrolled in any of them; third, real ninjas were not hooded shinobi, they were assassins who disguised themselves as peasants or gheishe to do the dirty work that samurai did not want to do; fourth, you are no quieter than the wind: judging by the sound of your footsteps and your voice, it is impossible not to know that you are here even if you were blind, deaf and in a vegetative state! "
"Remember that it is my job to keep an eye on you and watch over you: your mom..."
Jacob stopped abruptly, so she went slamming into him. For at least a couple of seconds, she stopped talking.
"Hey, let me know when you brake!"
He did not respond: his mind was elsewhere.
"Hey, I'm telling you! What is there to..."
It was then that she saw, what he had already seen: a short distance away from us, in a neighborhood playground, a small group of three girls were waiting for something, in silence.
Three girls, whom Jacob knew personally. And unfortunately, so did Amelia.
The blond girl on the right was Sasha Waybright, cheerleader, school queen and alpha female in training. A strong girl with a sharp tongue, she combined strong personal charisma, excellent lying skills, the personality of a diva...and a deadly right fist. Jacob and Sasha had met last year, and since then a small war of veiled insults, barbs and mischievous challenges had existed between them.
To Sasha's right, sitting on a wooden bench, was a girl with a dark complexion and thick brown hair: Anne Boonchuy, daughter of a Thai-American family whose parents owned an ethnic cuisine restaurant on Sixth Street. A determined and rebellious girl, like Jacob, who disliked responsibility, but who in his eyes, was little more than a henchman for Sasha.
Finally, on the other side of the bench, there was a girl in a dark-haired pullover, Marcy Wu, also the daughter of a family of Oriental descent (her parents were Taiwanese-Americans ): a sweet and friendly girl, but lacking in social relationships and physical activity, and whose enthusiasm sometimes led to getting into big trouble. She, like Anne, was also Sasha's friend and was loyal to her.
"Wow! Is that Anne and Marcy? Let's go say hello to them!"
"Wait a minute, leech! They are not our friends, they are just acquaintances, and to be precise, they are MY acquaintances."
"Hey, I've met Marcy and Anne on other occasions, too."
"And each time your approximate knowledge of the East made me make monstrous figures!"
"No it didn't!"
"Yes it did!"
"No it didn't!"
"Yes it did!"
"Prove it!"
"Let's see if you remember this..."
"Marcy, here's my gift to you: it's a framed picture of the Great Wall of China, so you can feel closer to home."
The various students remained silent, while Marcy sketched an embarrassed smile.
"What?"
"Amelia, I am of Taiwanese origin, not Chinese."
"Aren't they the same thing?"
"Besides, she's not from Taiwan-she was born here in California like you, you ignoramus!" replied Sasha angrily.
In the background, Jacob brought his hand to his forehead...
"Hey Anne, look what my dad brought me from his travels?"
"Hey Amelia, nice hat."
"I know: aren't we almost sisters now?"
"...I beg your pardon?"
"It's a hat from Indochina: now we look like we're quase born from the same place."
"Amelia, my family is of Thai origin."
"But Thailand is part of Indochina: the one that borders Vietnam to the west, landlocked."
"Amelia!" Jacob's voice rang out in horror.
"Good morning..."
"Good morning, Mrs. Boochuly-dono." said Amelia turning her gaze to the ground, the cone-shaped hat covering her head "My name is Amelia-san and I am your daughter's friend. Please take good care of me."
Mr. and Mrs. Boochuly stood in open-mouthed silence, while Anne (who was returning from washing dishes) in the background covered her eyes.
"And your point is?"
"My point is, before you open mouth, you should think about what you say: Anne's parents almost banned you from their restaurant."
"Jacob, in Oriental culture is a sign of kindness to remove the shoes when you enter-"
"But not in a public restaurant!" Jacob hissed "And you didn't even have stockings!"
For a few seconds, the two cousin stood still, each one of them glaring at the other with evil eyes. Then, Jacob spoke up again.
"You want come with me to greet them? Fine; but you stay silent and do not speak more than you must, and before you say something, please check my signals."
"Oh, come on Jacob: I'm the responsible one, not you."
"I'm sure both Anne's parents and Marcy would disagree, especially if I give them mom's phone number."
"Fine. Let's move."
"There you are, Cassiopeia!" the boy said, smirking at the starred sky all over him "I've got you."
A few meters away from the playground, lying on a bench in the middle of a small green area, a young man with silver-dyed hair was intent on observing the night sky with rare attention.
James Blueingham, although he could express himself well with the locals, was not born in California: he was from England, from Worcester to be precise, and was currently in Los Angeles only because his athletic achievements and relationship with his parents were good enough to allow him access to a scholarship.
The California school, was very different from the English school: here, the uniform was not compulsory in many institutions, and even where you still had to wear it, it was much lighter and more formal than the uniform he had been used to in England; classes were longer, but also less heavy; after classes were over, you also had a much wider choice on how to spend your free time, among stores, restaurants, playrooms and communal areas. And he could learn many things, including the Japanese language, more easily than at home.
Yet there was something Los Angeles lacked, and James missed: the ability to effortlessly see the stars at night, because of the heavy light pollution. To see the stars in Los Angeles you had to look for the darkest areas, and you had to be equipped with binoculars or spotting scopes in any case.
Or, you had to have trained eyes and a fair amount of experience in being able to locate the stars with the naked eye.
James had good experience-his mom had introduced him to the world of astrology when he was little, and it was instant love. Even during school, during the most difficult times, during handball tournaments, when he felt lonely and tired observing the stars helped him regain his composure.
He was about to devote himself to searching for the next star, Alpha Centauri, when he heard voices coming from a spot near him, and instinctively raised his head, and saw a couple of figures arguing loudly. He could not understand their talk (partly because of their tone), but he could tell that there was much animosity between them.
A shiver ran down his spine: before he left, his parents had advised him to be careful when he went out alone, especially at night, for fear that he would end up encountering thugs or other dangers. And although so far James had not yet encountered any, that did not mean he had not just been lucky.
His first impulse, since they apparently had not noticed him, was to flee and get away. But something held him back: he didn't know if it was really as he feared, and even if it was, until they saw him he was ahead of the game. If he had managed to find out what it was, and then made an anonymous phone call, the police would have intervened and the thugs would have had to flee or they would have ended up arrested.
In either case, he would not have been forced to give up his small personal space for stargazing.
Silently, James approached in an attempt to find out what criminal activity was taking place just a few steps away from him...
"Come on, Anne; let's-"
"Hello, you beautiful ladies"
Hearing a male voice appear, out of sudden, the three girls moved their heads toward the newcomer. Sasha frowned, Marcy smiled, and Anne simply stood there.
"Jacob" Sasha said, a voice full of anger "What are you doing here?"
"I could say the same exact thing about you, pom-pom"
"If you call me pom-pom once more, I'll make you spit out all your teeth!" Sasha replied.
"Jacob" Marcy said, coming forward and hugging him "How are you?"
"Like every day, I'm living large and kicking asses" Jacob said, actually happy of being hugged by Marcy "I was listening to some music at home, but mom can't understand what true art is, so I decided to get out and get some fresh air. And I met you, here…"
"And you're alone, right?" Sasha questioned him.
"Well, actually…"
"Nope" said Amelia, appearing from behind Jacob "It is me, the American samurai, ready to fight with honor."
"I had to bring my cousin."
"Great: the idiot with the Viking hat, and his cousin the tacky annoying brat who can't get one fact about Japan right."
"Girls, please!" Jacob said "We mean you no harm. And while I admit too that Amelia is bothering as a flea…"
"Hey!"
"…but considering the situation, and the fact that you know she's here because my mom actually ask her to report on me, maybe we can simply ignore the conflict and postpone it? His errors are not so bad…"
"Well said, like emperor Nobunaga."
"Nobunaga was not a Japanese emperor, you dimwit!"
"Wha- I'm going to cleanse my honor by doing ikebana."
"That's seppuku: ikebana is the art of flower arrangement!"
That was when Jacob noticed something odd on Anne's lap: a strange box, finely decorated, with gems shining brightly.
"Anne, what is that? An old family heirloom?"
"No, we…found it on an antique shop, you know, the Thrift Stop."
"I know it" he said, remembering the time he passed in front of its showcase "And I know that such a shop is not cheap, surely not for something so quite decorated and luxurious: how much did it cost you?"
"WE...don't know."
"You do not know how much you paid for it? You used a credit card?"
"No, I …didn't remembered to pay."
Hearing these words, Jacob grinned "Anne…you stole it?"
"It was a dare, Jacob" Sasha came to support Anne "And I was the one who asked her to do it. After all, the girls needs to learn to live more courageously: is her birthday!"
"Anne, is your birthday?" both Jacob and Amelia said at the same time.
"Huh…yeah-"
"Oh, happy birthday girl!" Amelie rushed to hug her "Let's go to a sushi place and buy you a good meal!"
"Thank you, Amelie, but I already ate. And I do not like sushi like you…"
"Anyway, happy for your birthday" Jacob smiled, giving her a reverence "I only wish I had known earlier, so I could have a gift prepared for you."
"Thanks but is not necessary," she replied "It was already a good day."
"And you got a nice box with it too. Are you going to keep it?"
"No way, that box is not yours: you have to bring back where it belongs!"
"Oh, come on Amelie" Sasha teased her "Being a goody two-shoes is no fun! Beside, we can return it later…"
"Just to ask" Jacob asked, "have you see if there is something inside?"
"Actually, we didn't" Marcy admitted, "We were going to open and see when you arrived."
"Maybe it contains something precious and worthy a good chunk of money" Jacob's eyes gleamed "If the shop owner do not know about it, you think we can keep it?"
"No way, cousin: I'm willing to stay silent for the girls and because is Anne's birthday, but we have to put it back on place before they notice it is gone."
"Ok, guys, listen" Anne said, gathering each one's attention "Let's make an agreement: I open it, we see what's inside, and then we decide about bringing it back."
"I'm still thinking we should bring it back now, without checking." Amelia said.
"Are you mad?" Jacob replied "There could be something interesting inside: let us have a peek."
"Indeed, Amelie" Sasha added her own voice "Now that we have it, at least let's give a look before returning it."
Amelie pouted "…fine."
Jacob turned to Anne, and so did Marcy and Sasha as her hands moved over the box's lid, and opened it with a quick movement. At first, Jacob could see rainbow colors gleam inside, then in a second a flash erupted and his vision went blank…
…and so five humans, plus one who had nothing to do with it and had just gotten too close, were sucked together into a whirlwind of light and color.
When James regained consciousness, the first thing he felt was a strong smell like cosmetic. Only when he opened his eyes again a few seconds later did he discover its origin.
"Oh, I beg your pardon," he said, realizing that he had somehow fallen on top of a pretty blond girl, who was looking at him very badly "I'm afraid I lost my balance."
"You'd better get it back fast, if you don't want to lose something else too!" growled Sasha, shaking him off.
"Oops, Marcy are you okay?" said Amelia seeing that he was under her.
"All good, but please get off."
"Anne?"
"Jacob?"
"I know I'm very handsome, but don't you think it's time to get up before your friends get the wrong idea?" he said with a grin.
"Ugh," she said as she stood up sharply, realizing that their faces had been very, TOO MUCH close.
"Um, folks, does anyone have an idea where we are?"
Jacob looked around, and saw that they were no longer in the playground, or in Los Angeles, or anywhere he could recognize: instead, the area around them looked like a dense, damp, cold, and not at all hospitable forest.
"Please," Anne said, "If this is a birthday joke, I'm not amused."
"No, it's the pure, brutal truth."
"How did I get into this? I didn't even have anything to do with it..."
"Look kid, this is no time to start crying..."
"I have a name: James Blueingham! And I'm sure if I'm here it's your entire fault!"
"Our fault?" retorted Sasha aggressively "Listen to me..."
"Guys!" said Marcy drawing their attention "The box!"
The six boys saw the decorated box, which until a few moments before had been on Anne's lap: somehow, it had traveled with them.
"The gems are no longer shining. And...have they increased in number?"
Jacob took a step forward, and saw that it was true: the gems on the box now appeared empty, rive of color, like vulgar glass slides, but on the other hand there were no longer only three: now there were six, two on the longer sides of the box, and one on the short side on the right.
"You mean it was this thing that brought us here?"
"So what are we waiting for?" said James in a panic "Open that thing again, and let's get out of here!"
"Yes, do it now!"
Marcy opened the box, but this time, nothing happened. she closed it and opened it again, and again, and again, until the horrible truth was clear in everyone's eyes.
They could not go home.
"Well, perfect, wonderful!" roared James angrily, "We ended up in a damp, cold forest, the system we came here with is broken, and we have no idea how it works or how to fix it! The only bright spot is that it can't get any worse..."
Almost in response, an inhuman scream ripped through the air, and some trees collapsed hard, revealing a giant insect, a red praying mantis roaring toward them.
"...except maybe it can."
"RUN!" Sasha was the first to react, grabbing Marcy and running away, followed closely by Jacob, Anne, Amelie and James. The giant mantis roared again, and there pursued.
"FASTER! FASTER!" shouted Anne in a voice full of panic.
However, the mantis was fast (partly because of its unusual size) and kept gaining ground. Jacob noticed a crevice to the left.
"DOWN!" he shouted, throwing himself to the left and at Sasha, causing her (and by association everyone else) to fall into the dimly visible crevice.
"Jacob, you ugly-"
He put his hand over her mouth and signaled for her and the others to be quiet. The mantis, fortunately for them, had not noticed the crevice, and believing it had only lost sight of them, continued to run forward, moving farther and farther away.
Only when the insect's roars became distant did Jacob speak again.
"This is a nightmare..."