Beauty In The Chaos Read online

  “I want to check in on Valbeth. I’m concerned her cover might have been compromised when she saved us,” Dev said, taking a crystal with a metallic top out from an inside pocket of his vest. It was similar to what Junjari had on the Tahitian beach. He rotated the silver end causing the device to power up. It resonated close to the speed of light, glowing a ghostly powder.

  He stepped away from me like I was in the picture, raising the crystal to eye level. Fine red lines from the device boxed Dev’s shoulders and head in a view finder. “Contact me when you can,” Dev said, pressing the crystal. It vibrated a beep and then went dark.

  “I hope she gets back to me soon.” Whispers of his worry rattled behind his mask.

  With many lives being risked for mine, I wasted no time. “Teach me how to cast like a true Vampacoti.” I snapped my fingers, bewitching streamers of silver sparks around my left wrist.

  “With pleasure,” Dev said eagerly, thrilled to show me something that I could do. He stood next to me like he was teaching a tennis stroke. He pressed his thumping heart against the back of my head, cupping my entire body. He was warmer than normal. Dev gracefully lifted my arm into a relaxed, extended position.

  “We are masked, so I won’t be able to deliver much potency, but you’ll feel the frequency and pitch of the incantation.” I kept my heart from taking the podium. My heart clouded my concentrations by conducting torrents of amorous desires.

  “Vampacoti spells operate on the mental energies of a subject. There are base harmonics that affect the prey in similar ways.” Dev’s aura vibrated multiple times faster, spinning nebulas of silver webs. His heart pumped fast. Translucent snails crawled around his right wrist. He held the charm like a note so I could feel it.

  “This is similar to the charm I used on the Guardians in the museum,” I said excitedly, recognizing the pitch.

  “Suggestive spells are extremely powerful. The effectiveness of the invocation depends on the amplitude and concentration of the initial cast.” Dev loosened the leather collar around his wrist, unmasking his aura. Nebulas erupted into ribbons of silver light, humming around us. I was surprised the surge didn’t wake Safe.

  “It also relies on the follow-through,” Dev said, discharging the silver shot. Strings of trace from his wiggling fingers directed the incantation, hitting a bamboo stalk square on. Upon contact, the white effervescent aura of the tall plant slowed into a trickling fizz.

  “What? Vampacoti spells can affect plants?”

  “Of course. Plants are very intelligent.” Dev smiled innocently, like I had asked something funny.

  “A spell can be countered with an equal and opposite cast,” Dev continued. “This is invaluable when disenchanting a subject without harming them. Give it a try.”

  He held my arm up again. “Try replicating the frequency I cast and then shift the phase until you feel a click.”

  Like playing a C-chord on my bass, I played the silver charm with ease. Even masked with the emeralds and the pearls, my light moved quickly. Illuminated silver snails laced in pearl spun around my left wrist at quarter-speed.

  “You learn quickly,” Dev said, weaving his fingers in between mine.

  The intimate touch caused me to lose focus on the incantation. The snails wandered into an elongated elliptical path around my wrist. Dev chuckled, feeling my susceptibility for him.

  “Shift the frequency until the spell is out of phase a hundred and eighty degrees.” Without affecting the charge, he tuned the charm until the combined energy went silent. “That is how you counter an active spell.”

  I pitched the charm at the lethargic bamboo. The silver bands of light around our wrists popped, fading in the cancellation. The cylindrical plant surged like salt added to boiling water, waking up after being put under. “Interesting.” Dev tilted his head. “You countered my spell while masked.”

  “So?” I asked like it was no big deal.

  “The emeralds and pearls should have clamped your ability to cast; however, your mask is incomplete. The ivory is missing,” Dev said, inspecting the gems lying in the valley of my chest. “Or maybe the leather isn’t conducting as well as metal. Whatever it is, we need to complete the recipe so you are as invisible as an infant.”

  He looked at my electric-blue aura, settling in my eyes. “We can run away from all of this.”

  “Where are the elephant graveyards?” I asked, remembering what Valbeth had said. Knowing Eli would be strengthening his watch over the location of the last piece to my mask caused my thoughts to tinker. The ivory was my ticket to obscurity and freedom.

  “A remote area near the Congo River in central Africa,” Dev replied watchfully.

  My mind toyed with ideas to procure the ivory but I quickly succumbed, not knowing where to start.

  “It will take extensive coordination to secure the ivory.” Dev fretted. “Unlike the emeralds and pearls, we will need to find a tusk from a specific elephant that oscillates with your timbre. Esther said it took many tries until Cal found the ivory from an old, large female. We won’t have the luxury of being able to search openly now.”

  Dev released the tension in his face. “Let’s get back to spells. Sedation and memory recipes are highly useful as well.”

  We worked for hours practicing incantations on the defenseless bamboo. Any unsuspecting wildlife that happened to wander by was free game. I entranced the cutest red fox into susceptible submission so I could hold him like a baby. After all the love I gave him he wouldn’t leave us, even after the spell was dissolved. The little guy enchanted my heart so I named him Merlin. I swore Dev turned green.

  Interestingly, the incantation schooling felt like learning a new instrument. There was a symphony of possibilities. With Dev being first chair, I mastered the basics of the Vampacoti silver. I had problems with sedation spells. Like medicine, an overdose was easily possible. With my big banks of charge, a fraction of distraction could be deadly, stopping all brain activity. I over-charmed a white and gray flying squirrel, causing his heart and lungs to fail. Fortunately, Dev quickly countered my code-blue charm. The squirrel popped back to life and scurried off in an excited ball of sunshine, frazzled by the lost seconds of awareness.

  The sun leisurely fell into the blue horizon, dousing the watery ceiling of bamboo auras. The sky rippled like we were under water during a rainstorm. A single stream of dream flies flew in wavy loops around Safe’s head, jumping in and out of his halo. Dev wanted me to rest after casting, but I felt primed and ready for more. Thoughts of Raven and Ozwald crept into my consciousness, setting up camp. I missed my newfound family of superheroes. A Canite and an Avian would complete my metaphysical menagerie.

  “Are you ready?” Safe’s voice bellowed from behind us. My little red fox friend squeaked, scurrying off my lap. I spun around, leaving the ground. Safe was standing tall in brilliant platinum, taking deep breaths. He rose into the air in a volcano pose, looking like an uber-charged Oscar. His halo spun perfectly laminar. From the direction of his transfixed eyes, I knew the question was aimed for me.

  15

  Red Light, Green Light

  “R

  eady for what?” I asked Safe, wondering what was next. A measly five hours of sleep had completely recharged his mind. He stuck his masking diamond into his left ear, smothering his brilliant platinum aura. However, his physique remained ripped and pumped.

  “To become more,” Safe answered with daunting seriousness. He turned his attention to Dev.

  “Post a circular area within five seconds of sound,” Safe ordered with the indifference of a command.

  Dev brushed up against my shoulder conveying his dislike of our separation, peppered with a mild aversion for Safe’s cold direction. He complied without countering for my sake. Dev took off his masking collar, jumping high. He skimmed the blue bamboo aura, splashing through a ring of molten silver, morphing into the sabertooth. Roaring a guttural roll aimed at Safe, he sped off between the stalks of bamboo. He kept his aura p
redatorily low, slinking like a snake through spinning gears.

  Safe’s face was crinkled in distress. “Are you alright?” I asked him.

  “You have much to learn,” he said sternly.

  “Dev taught me many Vampacoti spells.” I smiled, filling him in on our enchantment session.

  “Ah, yes. We have much to discover about you.” He paused, lightening his heavy mood a tad. “More importantly, I must teach you the art of escape,” he added ominously. “Although you continue to grow more powerful, you cannot stand against Eli or a brigade of Guardians in your present capacity. Your number one thought must be to run. Do not hesitate for me, or Raven,” Safe intensified, “or Dev.”

  I felt my makeshift mask warm with my resistance. His tone felt like a reprimand. I generally went with the flow, but if someone I loved was in need, laws reduced to mere suggestions.

  “Piper.” Safe enunciated my name, throttling my defiant thoughts. “This is very important. You are a catalyst for all of life. You are the bringer of change. For the sake of every being, conscious or not, you must preserve yourself.”

  “If I don’t fight for the people I love, what else is there?” Old and new cherished souls planted in my mind, fortifying my stance.

  “Think of every infant and mature, now and those to come. Do it for life itself.” Safe’s eyes bulged under the pressure of his plea. “Your mother laid down her corporal existence for you to fulfill your destiny.”

  Pain gushed through my cracked heart, vacillating my aqua aura to deep-sea blue. With the loss so fresh, thoughts of Mom came with waves of intense hurt. I blinked fast, fighting back another wound that would never heal. Merlin, my new fox friend, brushed up against my leg. His sunshine aura beamed a common caring, taking me by surprise. The simple and small act of kindness released my tears.

  “I say these things to increase your grasp on the magnitude of our situation,” Safe said, putting his hand on my shoulder. His building trifecta of buried grief, empathy, and protection melted the floor away from my opposing stance.

  “How long did you know Mom?” I asked softly, evaporating my face dry.

  Safe cracked a wide and kind smile, lowering his gaze. “I was your mother’s envoy for many centuries. She selected me out of many candidates for the honor. Esther said that she recognized me although we had never officially met.” Safe’s eyes defocused as though he was entranced. His voice held pride. “We had a long run with many dangerous trials and campaigns trying to keep Eli at bay.”

  Safe snapped out of a pleasant memory, honing into the present. His hands easily wrapped around mine as though I were a child. The intensity of his blaring feelings felt like a loud speaker. “The only reason I am alive with you today is because of your mother.” Safe’s heart overflowed with loving gratitude.

  “Eli’s paranoia grew with his power. He birthed most of the Guardians that supported Esther. Somehow, she convinced Eli that I was not a threat. He eliminated my position as her emissary and forbade me from any Arbitri involvement.” Safe’s head sank further.

  Eli’s insatiable ego spit shrapnel, leaving degrees of sorrow through so many past, present, and possible futures. “I cried the day I left your mother’s service, but we both knew if either of us crossed Eli’s decision, I would be birthed. Since I was born into maturity from infants I had no family left, only Esther and Cal. Being forbidden to be with them caused painful loneliness.”

  In the mature world, family was not only by blood, it was also chosen. “I roamed Africa alone as my spirit withered. I wanted to birth, but my soul would not let me.” The vulnerable, destitute feelings from the brick house of a man moved me to new heights. Olo felt like a brother. Like Charlie, he connected me to Mom.

  “When Esther revealed your miraculous existence, I knew why I had persisted when life seemed so fruitless.” Safe held my hands tighter, raising the hood on his heart and the pressure in my veins. He elevated me in bows of light until I was a head above him. “My service is now passed on to you, my lady. Your mother and I discussed what would happen when she was birthed. I promised her that I would care for you as my own.”

  The intenseness made it hard not to break sight. Torrents of fear and family love settled into a composed hope driven by duty. He placed me down, releasing his embrace of light.

  Safe closed his eyes, taking in a long breath. “As I stated to my queen many times before,” his lids rose like a stage curtain exposing his key lime star, “it will be done.”

  He lifted into the air. “Let us begin your path to becoming a warrior.” Following with undeniable determination, I stepped into the air. I was unprepared to become something I had never desired or thought was in my repertoire of possibilities. I flexed my muscles as we flew, preparing to channel heavy light.

  We weaved through the bamboo for a short distance until we reached a bigger clearing with bunches of fully exposed deciduous trees. Nature was pulsating everywhere. The closeness of the sun gently tipped the late spring into early summer. The late afternoon sun tide pulled the tromboning tree auras until they touched the first halo of the sun before falling back to the earth. We were covered in crests of color rolling over the aqua bamboo.

  “You can remove your mask now,” Safe instructed, spinning to face me.

  Removing my twin emeralds with black pearls was like opening the window on the first tepid day following a long, hard winter. I drank in the spirits of the trees and freckled sun, invigorating my resolve to overcome the stacked odds. Without my partial mask, I effortlessly summoned torrents of light from the mecca of star maple trees, preparing myself to work it deep.

  Safe glided over to me, negating my building charge with a grounding cast. “What?” I asked, perplexed. “Aren’t you going to take off your mask?”

  “First, you must master active listening,” Safe said with a partial grin. “Constantly evaluating your present is paramount in any situation. We must practice this until it is second nature.”

  Safe flew backward until he was a good distance away. “Close your eyes.”

  “Ok,” I said, taking one last look around before complying. This was a far cry from building mind-blowing bolts. Curiously, I felt fully sighted with my eyes closed.

  “Become one with your surroundings. Your platinum will mingle with all of nature.” I picked up Safe’s faraway whisper and pulse. “Where is Dev?” he asked.

  Instantly, I blasted spirit feelers out with the speed of thought. From the copious amounts of instantaneous feedback popping through my head, I knew my senses were continuing to develop. The earth was filled with divinely diverse beats and pulses of life. I forked my attention, seeing without vision, taking in more than just Dev. My interest piqued at Dev and his present state of being.

  Dev was a mile away to my five o’clock and moving slowly south. His needle-sharp focus felt close, pensive, and vigilant. Uncontrollably, my heart reached back to Oak Creek. Charlie, Lisa, and Josh were vacant, deep in sleep. I twitched at Josh’s magnitude. He came in louder than any other infant that I pinged. I reached out to Raven and Ozwald, who both caused me to wince but for polar reasons. Ozwald radiated a non-physical hurt. Raven shot out fresh anger as though she was in the thick of an argument. I shadowed her being, shifting through her presence out of concern. It was like I was lying next to her; our bond was greater than space or time. When she sensed me back, goose bumps prickled up the back of my neck.

  “Keep your attention local.” Safe’s voice was extraordinarily loud and near.

  Cracking a peek with my left eye, I flew backward, smashing several bamboo stalks like dried twigs. Safe was so close his face was in full IMAX 3-D. While I was mulling my senses, he had moved within a millimeter of my nose.

  “What the …” I said, falling down from surprise.

  “You have the ability to scan through matter and distance, but when in combat, constrain your senses to close proximity.” Safe held back laughter but decorated the air in crystal flakes. “Let’s try it again.�
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  We worked for hours fine-tuning my perceptions until they were automatic. It was hard localizing my global receptors. The space around me became a dimensional spiderweb for my plethora of senses. Although Safe was masked, I followed him by sensing the pressure changes in the wind and his body heat. The reflections of nature told dimensional stories.

  The drills were a lot like the game Red Light, Green Light we played growing up. I tracked the birds swooping, the squirrels flying, and my pretty red Merlin scurrying about. I always kept part of me on Dev as he did to me.

  Interestingly, using my eyes set back my ability to observe. Relying on visual cues steamrolled the significant subtle details. With the many perceptions blended together in harmony, I was able to perceive the distance light traveled.

  “Keeping centered during times of stress is very important. Don’t let fear deaden your senses, even when the situation appears dire. Calmness, not panic, produces the highest solutions,” Safe said as we talked in midair. “Your shell can be used to deflect incoming bolts. I was impressed when you impeded Eli’s cast during the assault on the Avians.”

  He removed his earing, exposing his aura. Even our combined light didn’t break through the curls of mature tree lights. “Did Esther show you how to do that?” Safe asked.

  “No, it was …” I searched for the word. “Involuntary, like a reflex.”

  “Excellent, you have natural talent,” Safe said, rising several feet away from me. He did a jiujitsu move woven with romantic ballet, crafting an incredible disk of dense light resembling a gladiator’s shield. The thick, fibrous energy was beautiful, a work of living radiant art that generated heat. It was way more descriptive then my crude concoction, but my field was thicker.

  “How did you do that?” My curiosity remained lit despite the hours of grueling training. Generating a defensive shell was the easy part. Holding and manipulating it was more challenging than playing spicy, soulful saxophone. I could deflect and scatter a fully charged fast-pitched bolt from Safe, but it always resulted in my shield collapsing. We practiced until the sun began to rain, marking the end of another day at otherworldly university.