Night wing chronicles I: Blue Eyes of Night Chapters 8-14

[aquario007]

Chapter 8

As he ducked around the corner, Xuxa turned back into his rogue form. He ran to where his master was waiting. “Well?” Zuza asked as he walked up.

“He is headed out of Los Angeles. He is going somewhere in Indiana, and there is reason to believe the Fire Heart of Phoenitera is hidden there.” Xuxa reported.

“Impressive. Although, it wasn’t smart to walk in front of his vehicle. He’s going to be suspicious of. . .” Zuza was saying.

“. . . an innocent little boy. Believe me, he wasn’t suspicious of anything.” Xuxa finished. “You need to trust your soldiers a lot more. I’m a professional.”

“Ok, you win. Now go before I change my mind.” Zuza said, sending his second in command to relax. Zuza knew that Xuxa will soon come to request the spy mission, and he will need to be well rested if he was to vanquish the painsome teenager. Son Of The Night, or no Son Of The Night, The kid would be no match for the Rogues, or so he thought.

Chapter 9

When Carlos and the group had driven to the L.A. River, Carlos turned around to Leondra and Karon. “Ok, Astound us. Tell me what to do to get us to my mother.”

“Well, if you’ll give me a minute, I’ll tell you.” Karon said. “Ok, get us up to about 120mph.” Karon said, looking at Leondra and nodding.

“Ok. This car is capable of doing more.” Carlos said, as he put the car in gear, and started driving down the access ramp to the river. He then gunned it, getting the car to 125 in record time. Karon and Leondra grasped hands in the back seat, and the light around them sparked, but not much else.

“Faster Carlos, and could you throw some of your power to us and drive?” Leondra asked exasperatedly.

“I can try, but I can’t take my hands off the wheel.” Carlos said, putting the pedal all the way to the floor. The car responded quickly and shot to 185. Carlos offered a shoulder, and Leondra grabbed it. The ambient air around them started shimmering, and the skyline in front of them turned white. When the vision cleared, they were heading up a skyscraper! They all turned and looked behind them, took one look at the ground, and screamed as the car started rolling backwards. The car rolled so fast, it looked like it was about to hit the ground full force, at the last second, the scenery changed, and the car was resting on a rock formation in the land of his mother. “We did it!” he said excitedly, as everyone stopped screaming. He got out and walked up to a tall gate that he was almost sure wasn’t there before.

“Who are ye that ye may dare enter the queen’s land without an invitation, and to walk into her throne room unannounced?” The guards standing at the door asked the group.

“I am Night Wing, and I have come to speak to my mother. These are my escorts. I go nowhere without them.” Carlos said, trying to project authority in his voice.

“If you are the son of our queen, you will do one thing to prove your royal blood. You will summon a borglebeast from thin air.” Guard 1 said, pointing at Carlos.

“Ok, one borglebeast, coming right up.” Carlos said, shooting Karon a worried look.

“Don’t worry, just summon your smallest dog.” Karon whispered.

“Ok.” Carlos said, as he focused his power into a ball on the ground. The ball rotated, and started to take the form of a Chihuahua. When it completed, it looked at the guards, looked them up and down, and started yapping.

“You pass, young prince.” The guards said, giving the dog a piece of cheese, then allowing the group to pass through the doorway. They were greeted by Raven in a white hoodie. “Hello, Son. I take it you have found your first assignment.” She asked, looking at Leondra and Karon.

“Yes he has. He has reason to believe that the Fire Heart of Phoenitera is located in the town of Evansville, Indiana, on a college campus.” Karon said, pulling the drawing of Carlos’s vision out of his bag, and handing it to Raven.
“This is the Fire Heart of Phoenitera, and that is the ancient location of Phoenitera, however, the historians say that stone was moved to Ireland. Ireland will be where you will find the third stone, the Emerald of Athenra. This one possesses strong power over the Earth. Secure both the Fire Heart and the Emerald, and you will know the location to one of the other 5 stones, for the power of the Blue Eye, the Fire Heart, and The Emerald is strong enough to locate 2 others. You must get started. The Fire Heart is waiting. Here, take this, this will give your powers a full charge, plus power up a shield around everyone with you for up to 2 hours.” She said, handing him a necklace with a blue crystal. “Now, I understand you got here by car, but I doubt that you have time to drive to Evansville, and you can’t fly commercially. No, You’ll have to take your car, but put these discs on all four hubcaps, and this button on the dash within easy access. Don’t hit it until you have reached 200MPH, or it will not work. Now go, my son, Azarath and your worlds’ futures rest in your hands.” She Said, as the throne room disappeared, and they were left standing back by the car. “Ok, let’s start by putting these on the car.” Carlos said, placing the discs center on the hubcaps. He unlocked the door, and placed the button next to his nitrous switch, amidst puzzled looks from Ryan and Sabrina.

“What, I won’t forget it if it’s there.” he said, catching them looking at him.

“Ok, whatever.” Sabrina said, rolling her eyes at him. They all piled in the car, and Carlos started it up and rolled down the window. Raven appeared next to the car. “Son, I’ll get you home, remember what I said.” With that, she waved her hands, and a doorway appeared in front of the car. Carlos drove through the door, and into the driveway of his house. “Ok, Sab, go home and pack. We only have a few minutes.” Carlos said, kissing her on her forehead. She in turn blushed, then ran to her house and up to her room.

Chapter 10

Carlos, Ryan, Leondra, and Karon walked in the front door of his house, and Aunt Meg was there waiting on them. “So, when do you leave, and when do you think you’ll be back?” she asked.

“We leave as soon as possible. We will be back probably next week.” Carlos said, looking at her confused.

“You’re wondering how I knew. I can pick up on ambient auras. All Azarathians can. You’ll develop it later. Now go pack, and I’ll hold the fort down here until you return. Oh, and take the cane I have laid on your bed up there.” She shouted at him as he walked up the stairs. She gave Leondra and Karon a knowing look.

Carlos bounded up the stairs anxious and nervous. “Cane, what cane?” he wondered as he came to his room. He stepped in, grabbed a few of his Tripp outfits, a Second pair of shoes, and a few pairs of underwear. He then noticed the cane on his bed. He walked over to it, and the stone on the top started pulsing and glowing a bright blue. Intrigued, he raised his hand and the cane floated upward a little bit. He then opened his hand, and the cane floated in his hand. He grasped it, swung it around, and aimed the stone at the door. It immediately fired an energy bolt at the door, nearly frying Karon’s hair off as he stepped in the room. “What is with you and my hair? I might as well go bald around you. I take it you found the Staff of Isis.” Karon said, checking his hair for singed ends.

“The staff of what?” Carlos said, looking at him weirdly.

“The staff of Isis. It is so named because its energy projectiles, as well as all of its attacks, deal with light. Try one that won’t destroy the surroundings. Try Isis Stare.” Leondra said from behind Karon, noticing the burnt hole in the door.

“How do I do that?” Carlos asked, looking at the stone in the staff.

“Just think about what you want to do, and do it.” Karon said, passing out sunglasses to himself, Ryan, and Leondra.

Carlos let go of the Staff, and it started floating to the center of the room, up towards the ceiling, and the stone in the Staff started glowing a brighter and brighter white. It flashed a brilliant white, almost angelic white, and then flashed a super bright light, holding the flash for several seconds. It then darkened quickly, and the staff returned to his hand, the stone a dark blue. He watched as the stone brightened to a bright sapphire blue and leapt out of his hand into the bag he was packing. The only thing that snapped him out of his trance was Sabrina climbing through the window and falling hard on the floor next to the ledge. She looked dazed.

“Sabrina, are you ok?” Carlos said, running to her.

“She’s fine. She’ll not be able to see for a while, though. The Isis Stare draws power from you, and bathes the surrounding area in a light so bright, that nothing can escape it. It works well on night enemies, but day walkers occasionally face its force too.” Karon said, pointing to Sabrina.

She just scowled and said, “Karon, you just wait. When I can see again, I’m strangling you.” She said, shooting the bird at his general direction.

“Ouch! I’m hurt.” Karon said jokingly, as Sabrina rushed at him.


“Sab, I think you need to chill.” Carlos said, making a stop motion at her. She stopped in her tracks, and a block of ice crashed in front of her. He looked astonished, as 3 more crashed around her.

“Carlos, what’d you do? It’s cold!!” She said, panicking.

“Oops.” Carlos said, as Leondra removed the ice.

“Be careful Carlos. Your powers are still developing. You can’t over gesture.” Karon warned.

“That’s gonna be a problem, because I talk with my hands a lot.” He winced.

“Well, Learn not to talk with your hands. A simple gesture to you can cause some serious ramifications on the outer plane. For example, the ice incident.” Karon said, glaring at Carlos.

“Well, I’m packed and ready to go, so why aren’t we going?” Sabrina said, rubbing her eyes.

“Depends on whether or not you can see or not.” Leondra asked.

“I can see a little bit. Not well, but enough. Now, let’s go before we end up missing our opportunity.” Sabrina said, walking over to a dresser, hitting a button, and revealing a mini fridge. She then pulled out a water, and looked at Leondra and Karon. “You guys want anything?”

“We’re fine, thanks for asking.” Karon replied, as Leondra grabbed a Mountain Dew from Sabrina. “Leondra, what is that?”

“It’s Mountain Dew. It’s probably fresher water than that spring water we got in our dimension.” Leondra explained, as she unscrewed the cap.

“Um, Leondra, that’s not water.” Ryan warned, as she started swigging it.

“This isn’t water. It’s so much better!!!” She said, downing the rest of the bottle.

“Oh great. You had to give her Dew, didn’t you?” Carlos said, glaring at Sabrina.

“She grabbed it, I just was getting it for you.” Sabrina countered.

“Why, what’s wrong with Mountain Dew?” Leondra asked, bouncing in place.

“Look at how she’s acting.” Karon said, pointing at her. He then grabbed the empty bottle, and started reading the label, frowning with each line. Near the bottom of the label, he freaked. “127 milligrams of Caffeine?!?!?!?!?! What is wrong with you people?!?!?!?!”

“That’s just for starters. Just be glad I didn’t give her a Java Monster. That thing has 27,000 milligrams.” Sabrina said, packing 2-3 more Dews, and putting them in Carlos’s bag. She then slipped one of Ryan’s Java Monster into Leondra’s knapsack.

“Ok, let’s go.” Carlos said, grabbing his bag and winking at Sabrina.
They walked to the car, threw everything in the back, and piled in the car. Carlos started the car, peeled down the driveway, and pulled onto Highway 101 in a matter of minutes. Once he got on open freeway, he floored it, Pushing the car to about 175. “You have to go faster.” Ryan said from the back seat.

“Give me a second, will you? Karon, open the computer facing you tell me what level the orange graph is reading, and the temperature.” Carlos said.

“Ok, orange bar is at 91%, and the temperature is about 130degrees.” Karon said, reading the computer screen.

“Ok, thank you.” he said, flipping the nitrous switch to prime. He then primed the switch his mom gave him, and within seconds, both lights turn green. “Hang on, guys.” he said, hitting the Nitrous switch. The car rocketed to 225 in seconds. He then reached down and flipped the second switch. He heard a loud roar, like jets firing, and he felt the car accelerate rapidly. He looked down At his speedometer, and the needle was going haywire. He then looked down at the pavement, and realized he was no longer on the pavement, but hovering 2 feet over it. The tires had switched from being perpendicular to the ground to being parallel to the ground. He then looked at his steering wheel, and there was a button flashing in the center of the wheel, one he hadn’t installed before. “Karon, what’s that?” he asked, pointing to the button.

“It looks like a new switch. Hit it.” He replied as Carlos hit the button. The steering wheel switched to a bowtie shape, and the windshield started adding flashing lines, fuel levels, and thrust levels. When it was all complete, it looked like the Cockpit of a plane, only in the car.

“Wow, cool.” Carlos said, as a green arrow appeared on-screen, and pointed Northeast. “”Follow the arrow?” he asked.

“Follow the arrow.” Leondra said, as he jetted through the afternoon sky.

Chapter 11

A rogue scout was standing on the dress plaza when Carlos flew in. He wandered around for a little bit, trying to find a quiet place to make a very important phone call. He finally found a place under the Dress Plaza, where a teenage couple were in the process of making out. He walked over to them, as they looked up. “Your parents know you’re here?” he said harshly.
“No sir, they don’t know we’re dating.” The girl, who appeared to be about 14, replied.

“Well, if you want to keep it that way, go find somewhere else to get it on.” he said, shooting the boy, who appeared 16 or 17, an evil look.

“Yes sir.” The girl said, as she pulled her boyfriend away from him. As they left, he pulled his cell phone out, and started dialing.

Zuza was having a meeting with his counsel, trying his best to conceal the fact he lost his lead on the gem, when his phone rang. He answered with an irate, “What?!”

“Sir, I got a lead.” The voice on the other end said, noticing the rancid tone in his boss’s voice.

Suddenly, Zuza was all charm. “What kind of lead?” he asked, intrigued.
“Like, I know where the boy is at, and where he can be headed.” The scout replied, pacing as he walked.

“This could be anyone. What is your status in the rogue community?” Zuza asked, his curiosity piqued, but suspicious.

“I am scout 473ICY. My name is classified in the rogue database.” the scout replied.

“Well, Mr. Smith. From our database, you’re based out of Evansville, Indiana.” Zuza said, as he typed in the scouts Identification Number in the computer in front of him.

“Yes. He is here in Evansville, and he has a flying vehicle. He is headed west in Evansville. There is a university there, and there is speculation to believe that he is seeking something out of one of the bell towers on the campus there.” The scout said.

“This is very good news. We shall have a team there in 10 minutes. Are you at a secure location to where we can meat you?” Zuza asked.

“No, but I can be in 10 minutes.” The scout replied.

“Get there, and call when you do. You are going to be rewarded for this information. Thanks for helping your community and your race out.” Zuza said with gratitude.

“No problem sir. That’s why I was placed here by his Majesty himself. “ The scout replied, as an elderly couple started walking towards him. “Sir, I’ll call you in 10 minutes, ok?” he said quickly, hanging up and walking up to the main plaza.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Zuza said to a dead receiver. He then turned to his counsel sitting at the table behind her. “Well, we might be able to regain control of the Blue Eye of Azarath. That was a scout rogue, based in Evansville, In. He has a reputation of being very good at his job, and this time makes no exception. He has spotted our targets in Evansville, and has reported their possible destination. When he calls back, we are to send him a team by materialization immediately. We are also to bring him $1.5 million as a reward for his services today.” he explained.

“Even though he just hung up on you?” an elder asked, raising an eyebrow.

“His position was compromised. He said he will call back when he was in a more secure location.” Zuza said, as the phone rang again. “That must be him now.” he added, opening the phone.

“Sir, I’m at a secure spot for the moment, but it’s not the best in the world.” The scout said hurriedly into the receiver.

“Where are you?” Zuza asked.

“An abandoned parking garage.” The scout replied.

“Ok, on the way.” Zuza replied, and hung up. He turned back to his counsel. “ Ok, that was him. He’s in a parking garage. Get there before he is compromised again. The money is ready to go.” Zuza said as a silver suitcase was carried in the room. He opened it quickly, pulled a stack out, and counted the stacks. He frowned at the last stack. “Who packed this?!” He asked suddenly, his eyes filled with anger.

“Our junior accountant on the counsel.” A warrior replied, pointing to a sniveling kid if, he was human, would’ve been 15. “Did you pack this?” he asked the kid.

“Yes sir, I followed protocol to the core.” The kid stammered, wondering why he was being yelled at for.

“This is an award drop, not a ransom offering!!! Unless we want the case back, which I doubt we will, there is NO NEED FOR A GPS TRACKING DEVICE!!!” Zuza yelled, pulling the bug out from under the last stack in the upper right hand corner. “Next time, ASK about whether or NOT you are to follow protocol, AM I CLEAR!?!?!?!?” Zuza barked.

“Yes sir, sorry sir.” The kid stammered, looking like he was about to cry.

“Give the kid a break, will you? It’s only his first day here.” King Kanashi said from behind them in the doorway. He snuck in unaccompanied.

“Your majesty.” Zuza said, as the counsel members bowed at the sight of the king.

“Yes, please, as you were. What’s the Reward money for, and why so much?” the king inquired.

“One of your scouts, one that you hand picked for Evansville, called with information leading us to the Blue Eye of Azarath, and possibly a couple of others as well.” Zuza said.

“Oh, you mean agent 473ICY, my best correspondent. Even though he is human, he is a great scout.” The king said.

“Sir, he’s human?” Zuza asked, horrified.

“That’s why I handpicked him. I knew he wouldn’t pass the entry exam because he is human. However, he does have some abilities that some humans don’t possess. He can fly, at will, has a stare that will melt even the strongest of wills, and he has an affinity for all 5 elements, plus the weather.” the king said.

“So, in other words, he’s a human warlock.” Zuza said.

“Well, if you want to put it that way. He was born a son of Ipswitch, and has been on the dark side of magic since his 18th birthday. Some say he has charmed blood in him as well, but I can’t get him to offer a family history to prove it. What makes him so perfect for us, is that he is totally unpredictable. Everyone that has crossed his path ended up either dead, wished they were dead, or in the hospital for a good long time, thinking they had an accident. I’m telling you, he’s powerful enough to take you out in 3 blows. Don’t get on his bad side. Better yet,” the king said, pulling his spectacles off his face. “Take him to your fight with the son of the Night. He’s the only one I would trust to take out the Chosen One.”

“You really think this agent is that powerful? If so, why is he not a hunter?” Zuza asked.

“I don’t think, I know. The reason he’s not a hunter is because that would be limiting his talents. What he is doing now is letting him to reach his full potential. Tell him when you get there that there will be another $15million wired to his account by the end of the day. Take him with you, he’s your one chance at success.” The king said, walking out of the room.
“Great, we have to take a human along.” Councilman Lekashinga said.

“Think of it this way, he is a rogue, with the perfect disguise, and is the only one powerful enough to take on the Son Of Night, without dying in the first 5 seconds of battling him. Plus, he can cover us, since we are going to a place where humans are abundant. Now, warriors, let’s go.” Zuza said, as 15 rogues vanished in a dark cloud of sparkles. They reappeared in a parking garage in Evansville, right in front of an impatient scout. “greetings, scout.” Zuza said, bowing half waist. The scout returned the bow.

“The king sends his regards, and also that you are to accompany us on this battle. He thinks you are the only one to take on the Son Of Night. He also says you will receive a wire transfer of $15 million by the end of the day.” Zuza said. He then snapped his fingers, and a warrior brought forth the case containing the $1.5 million.

“Thanks, I accept. I’ve been working on a few things that I can’t wait to try out on this Son of Night punk. I can’t wait to get him. No time to waste. They may already be there.” The scout said, pulling his dark hood over his head, and walking out into the opening, where the sky was darkening. A stray lightning bolt struck the ground in front of the rogues, and all but Zuza leaped back in terror. “Chill, guys. I won’t hurt you, I’ll just singe some of you.” The scout said with a smirk.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what can we call you?” Zuza asked the scout, as a dark cloud surrounded the group.

“Call me Amaris.” He said, as a pair of handlebars rose up in the front of the cloud.

“Amaris, I like it.” Zuza said as the cloud rose and took them towards the University.

Chapter 12

Carlos flew the car expertly towards the arrow, until he saw the campus ahead. “There it is.” he said looking for a place to land. “Now, where’s that, there it is.” he said, pointing to the cone thingy in his vision. He landed smoothly on the main drag, and slowed the car to the speed limit. He then noticed the dark clouds rolling in, and frowned. “That’s going to make flying home difficult. There wasn’t supposed to be any rain here.” He said, pulling up the weather on his Droid Phone.

“That’s because this isn’t a natural phenomenon. What do you think, Leondra?” Karon said, looking at Leondra, who was staring out the window in amusement. “Leondra? Leondra!” Karon said, as she snapped out of her daydream.

“What? I was staring at the people.” she replied.

“What do you think about these freak rain clouds?” Karon asked pointedly.

“Well, I would say they were a work of a demon demigod, but since they haven’t been around for almost 300 years, I would say a warlock of high caliper who has the affinity of at least weather, and is a son or daughter of Ipswitch.” Leondra said, licking her finger and feeling the air.

“I thought so. How did they find us so quickly?” Karon asked himself.

“Hello? Who’s Ipswitch, who are you talking about, and what does that have to do with me?” Carlos asked, as the wind whipped around his hair. They were parked, and out of the car, walking to the conical structure, trying to blend in, since there were college students everywhere.

“The sons of Ipswitch refer to the Salem witches. Since the trials, there has been one for each family condemned to death, from each generation. Which means, there has been 5 per generation. They have been on the Dark side of magic since. The storm clouds are a warning. I suggest we move quickly, for they tend to pair up with rogues.” Karon said, as the group hurried to the conical structure. Once inside, they looked up to see the ceiling, and a partially hidden door up at the top, but no way there.

“Ok, how do we get up there?” Carlos asked, looking up at the door, which was marked by the universal symbol for fire.

“ I would suggest flying, but that would give away too much information.” Leondra said.

“Like I don’t know who you are anyway.” A voice from nowhere said, causing everyone to jump, and Carlos to form plasma balls in his hands.

“Who are you, and where are you?” Carlos said, adding strength to his voice.

“I’m right here.” The voice said, as a person formed out of thin air. “ I don’t think you can find the strength to use those plasma balls on me. Besides, it would give me everything I need to know about you.” Amaris said, slipping off his hood. When he did, Carlos gasped.

“Omar?” Carlos asked.

“Yes, that’s a form of my name. How do you know me?” Amaris asked.
Carlos whipped off his hood. “I’m Carlito. We had a discussion on power in an internet chatroom last month. I’m 2hotcarlito.” Carlos said.
“You’re 2hotcarlito?” Amaris said.

“Yes, that makes you omar4higher.” Carlos said. “I have a feeling about you. You’re a son of Ipswitch.”

“Yes, and that makes us enemies, because you have something my employers need. Are you going to hand it over peacefully, or shall I have to take it by force?”

“How about this; you can pry it from my cold, dead, bony fingers, because short of me dying is when you’ll ever get it.” Carlos said, as his eyes started glowing. Ryan pulled out the Staff of Isis from Carlos’s bag and tossed it to Leondra, who caught it and waved it around menacingly.

“That was foolish, kid.” Amaris said, shooting an energy ball at Ryan, which Leondra batted away with the Staff.

“You leave my friends out of this. The fight is between me, my guardians, and you.” Carlos said as he fired the plasma balls at Amaris.

“How about we make this just between me and you?” Amaris said, as the rogues materialized and started fighting Leondra and Karon.

“Sabrina, Ryan, run!” Carlos said, As Leondra tossed him the Staff. They took off into the adjacent building, and stood at the door, watching the fight.

Amaris floated both Carlos and himself up to the level where the door was. He then started hurtling energy balls at Carlos, which bounced off an energy field around him. “Oh, I forgot. The Staff of Isis projects an energy field around its user, protecting it from any attack.” Amaris said, spewing the words like they were acid.

“You’re just jealous that I inherited my power, and your bastard family stole yours.” Carlos said, using the staff to fire lightning projectiles at Amaris, which he blocked.

“You’ll regret that, son Of Night.” Amaris spat.

“I doubt it, Bastard son of Ipswitch.” Carlos said, as they lunged at each other.

Back downstairs, Ryan paced back and forth, freaking out. “Ryan babe, calm down. Carlos has this.” Sabrina said.

“No he doesn’t. You heard Karon. That guy is a son of Ipswitch. Short of a miracle, Carlos may not survive this battle. We gotta get up there!” Ryan shouted.

“Ryan, look.” Sabrina said, pointing to a staircase that had a sign next to it that said “stairway to mezzanine level of cone tower."

“That’s where we need to be.” Ryan said, running up the stairs, Sabrina close behind.

Back upstairs, Carlos and Amaris were locked in a battle of orbs. Carlos kept firing orbs at Amaris, he blocked and retaliated. Amaris caught Carlos off guard for one second, and knocked the Staff of Isis from his hands with a well placed energy ball. “Looks like you’re defenseless.” Amaris chuckled as he advanced slowly.

Ryan chose that moment to run out to grab the staff. “Ryan NO!” Sabrina yelled as he sprinted through the door over to where the staff lay. He picked it up and without hesitation whacked Amaris upside the head with it. “Lay off My BOYFRIEND!!” he yelled, swinging with every word. He connected the first few times, until Amaris registered that someone else was attacking him. “Carlos, catch!” Ryan yelled, as he threw the staff at Carlos. Carlos caught it as it bounced off a wall, then floated upward with it.

“That was the stupidest thing you have done, human. Time to die.” Amaris said, shooting an energy orb at Ryan. Ryan looked scared as the orb hit him full force in the chest, knocking him through the glass doors where Sabrina was watching, screaming her lungs out. He crashed through the door full speed, and crashed into her, knocking them both down the steps. They landed on the first floor, with him on top of her. She got out from under him, and checked his pulse. It pulsed 3 times, then stopped altogether. The sky crackled with thunder as she screamed Ryan’s name, slapping him trying to get him up. Leondra heard her scream, and got a break from fighting to see what was going on.

“Only Carlos can save him now.” Leondra told Sabrina when she checked Ryan. Leondra hugged Sabrina, and went back to help Karon.

“You killed my boyfriend?” Carlos asked, his eyes turning white with rage.

“You were better off without him. Too abusive to your guests.” Amaris said.

“You will PAY!!!” Carlos screamed, as a lightning bolt struck the stone on the Staff of Isis. The stone absorbed the energy, then pulsed the energy through Carlos’s arm. Carlos levitated to the top of the cone, where he rotated upside down. He then held the Staff at full extension above his head, as a light emitted from it, swirling around Amaris.

“What, NO! Not the lights of Tarterus! NO!!” Amaris shouted as the lights swirled faster and faster, glowing brighter and constricting Amaris from moving anything further than a few inches. The light then glowed blue, then white, then covered the entire area. It soon pulsed 3 times, each time swelling bigger, covering more area in light, until it covered the entire building in light. It then flashed an ether glow, and the rogues screamed in terror. The sky cleared, as the rogues made a hasty retreat via teleportation back to home. Amaris shrieked as the light burned his retinas, binding him in its power. The light quickly sucked back to the Staff. Carlos landed on the ground, next to Amaris, who was shivering and cowering on the ground. He then got up, walked to the edge, and before anyone could say anything to him, he walked off the edge of the level, only to be beamed into a black vortex on the ground.

Chapter 13

Carlos flew to where his Boyfriend lay dead. “Leondra, what can I do to help?” he asked desperately. Before they could answer, a beam of light shot from the stone on his forehead, scanned Ryan from head to toe, then came out completely, forming itself into a human form in front of Carlos. Carlos immediately bowed, at which the beam lifted his head, shook its finger in his as if to say ‘none of that’, and floated over Ryan’s dead form. It then lowered itself onto Ryan, and then sunk into Ryan’s form completely. Ryan in turn started floating upward, then rose forward, facing everyone. A small stone formed in Ryan’s forehead, and was sealed with the same seal on Carlos’s. Ryan’s eyes shot open, and he looked around him.

“What Am I doing floating?” He asked, bewildered.

“At least you’re alive.” Carlos said, as Ryan descended and landed in front of Carlos.

“ I was dead?” Ryan asked.

“It was a stupid and brainless thing you did trying to save me, but you did.” Carlos replied as he hugged Ryan. The moment they touched, A bright beam touched around them, surrounding them in light. Leondra and Karon exchanged confused looks, then looked at Sabrina, then looked back at Ryan and Carlos.

“What?” Sabrina asked, taking notice in Leondra’s behavior.

“Well, The only time the Etheral lights surround 2 people like that is when soul mates that are destined to be together realize that they are supposed. . .” Karon started.

“. . . What Karon is saying is that Ryan and Carlos belong together, well, according to Destiny, and Carlos just came to realize that. What we’re finding strange is that he is also dating you, and that it has never happened for, ahem, . . .” Leondra interrupted.

“. . . What Leondra is saying is this has never happened for a gay couple before.” Karon clarified.

“Precisely. Not that it’s A bad thing or anything, it, just never has happened.” Leondra explained.

“I should’ve known. The signs were everywhere. Carlos was always giving goo-goo eyes at Ryan. I should’ve gone with my gut instinct that told me that they were meant to be together.” Sabrina said as a tear rolled down her cheek. Leondra went to put a hand on her shoulder, but Sabrina pulled away. “I don’t know if I’ll be ok with this, or if I’ll ever recover from this, but I will want to be friends with them. Just let me have some time alone for a while.” she said as she ran for the car, opened the door, slammed it shut, and locked herself inside.

“She’s taking that really hard.” Leondra said, as the embracing couple came out of the light holding hands.

“Where’s Sabrina? Ryan asked.

“She’s in the car. Ryan, I suggest you go talk to her, We will be with Carlos, he still has a job to do here.” Karon said, as he pointed the way.

“Ok, I guess I can sit the rest of this out. I did die, didn’t I?” Ryan smirked As he walked to the car.

“Carlos, we need to talk about what just happened. The only time that light that surrounded you and Ryan ever appears is when 2 soul mates realize they are soul mates.” Leondra said, as the 3 of them flew back up to the mezzanine level of the structure.

“What are you saying, that Ryan and I are soul mates, and Sabrina feels jilted because of that?” Carlos stopped, and looked at them.

“That would be the Sunday School version, yes.” Karon replied.

“ I’ll talk to her on the way home, right now, we have a job to do. I need you guys to be looking for a star shaped, never mind.” Carlos Said As he found the cutout he was looking for. He pulled the dragon out of his bag, and slid the dragon on the cutout. It made an ominous click, and a hollow point above the dragon glowed blue. He carefully pulled the stone from the dragon’s clutches, and slid it in the hollow spot. A second click sounded as a hand shaped cutout slid forward. He stuck his hand in, and rotated it to the left. It rotated 90 degrees to the left, then slid back in. A doorway slid upward to the left of them, and inside, the room was dark. “Who wants to go in first?” he asked, after the dust had settled.

“You should, you opened the room.” Karon replied, as Carlos cautiously stepped into the room. He saw statues of Mythological Creatures everywhere, and a stone table where his dragon Statue sat, completely intact. “That’s cool.” he said, pointing to his statue. He then saw A red figure descend from the top of the room, and land on the table with his statue. It took the form of a bird, and screeched at him. He just looked at it with intent. The creature pecked at his statue, then pointed its beak at him. “Yes, that would be my statue.” Carlos said to the creature, as if it was asking ownership over the statue. The creature picked it up in its beak, and flew it to Carlos. Carlos took it from the birds beak, and the bird squawked in delight, then flew headlong into the table, where it collided and shot up flames. The flames spewed out on the table, and shot a red statue, a bird with a red stone in it. Carlos went for it, but Leondra stopped him.

“Leondra, that’s the fire heart!!” Carlos protested.

“I know, but it may be trapped. You need to pay a little more Attention to what you are doing. Hmm. . .” Leondra replied, looking at the floor, which was forming patterns on the tiles. It looked like an ancient alphabet. A similar alphabet appeared in front of them. “Hmm. It would Seem that every time you get a new statue, you will have to pass a test, in which , if you pass, it will get you to the statue safely.” She said, after studying the alphabet on the floor and projected in front of them. “They start easy, but get harder. This one is just a simple question. I can solve it for you.” Leondra said, quickly reading the question, and fixing to make a step, but a bird squawked at her.

“But he don’t know how to read the writing!” Leondra said to apparently nothing. Another squawk.

“Fine.” she said, stepping back. She then looked at Carlos. “In order to get the fire heart, you have to be the one to answer the question. Otherwise, you are not deemed worthy of receiving it, and would be lost, forever. We are allowed to help you, just once. The other 6, you will have to do on your own. Now, the first one is easy. The question is, ‘What is your true name?’”
“That’s easy, Carlos.” he replied.

“No, your true name. The one your mother called you.” Karon said. Carlos looked down, and saw 9 rows of letters, 7 letters across, with a break right behind the 5th row.

“I know it, but I can’t spell it in this language.” Carlos said, looking back at Leondra.

“We’ll teach you this language when you get back, but for now, Follow our command on the first set. Hit the center letter in the first row, then the far left on the second, and walk it back to the Center like that, skipping the center letter when you get there. I’ll guide you the Rest of the way when you get to the blank.” Karon said, as Carlos stepped onto the center letter. It sunk, and then settled, lighting green under Carlos’s feet. He then proceeded to hit the other four letters in the sequence, almost forgetting to skip the center, like he was told. When he touched the center letter on that row, it lit up red, and the block fell through the floor, opening a hole that led to a drop to nowhere. “Careful, Carlos!!! The drop below is to nowhere, and you will also be lost forever if you were to fall.” Leondra said, as he recovered his footing. He managed to get to the blank spot without any further incident. “Ok, the last 4 letters are far left, far left, center, …” Leondra yelled, but was cut off by the bird squawking again as she said the last letter.

“What was the last one?” Carlos yelled back.

“I can’t tell you apparently. You’ll have to figure it out.” Leondra said sadly, shaking her head.

“I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.” Carlos said, as he took his first step.

“The last person who said that fell through at the last letter, and was never found again.” Leondra said.

“Believe me, I’ll make it.” Carlos said reassuringly, then stepped to the last row. He about stepped on a letter when Leondra let out an involuntary gasp. He quickly retracted his foot, and closed his eyes. He then started humming, and a stone 3 to his right started glowing. He stepped on it, and it held.

“You have made it, young prince, and your reward is the Fire heart of Phoenitera. Guard it against evil, and it can never fail you.” A voice rang out from within the statue, and a bird squawked again, before flying down and out of the cave. Carlos grabbed the statue, and ran the bricks back to the entrance where Leondra and Karon were standing. A note was attached to the tail of the Phoenix surrounding the Ruby on the statue. Leondra pulled it off, and read it with minor difficulty.

“It’s a riddle!” She exclaimed as she read it again. She read it a third time, then had a confused look on her face. “ I don’t get it. Karon?” she asked.

“Let me see it. ‘ The emerald light, in a land of green. The horseman cometh, causing a scene. Nasty of nasties, you must face, to free the gem from its place. They come in packs, their teeth are fierce. One false move and you get pierced. Avoiding the light, they live in the dark. They even have their own theme park. The bridge kind, is a myth. These guys are more terrible than the sith.’ odd.” Karon said, as he read the riddle.

“I got it!!!” Carlos exclaimed as he thought for a minute.

“WHAT?!?!?!?” Leondra and Karon said together.

“I have it figured out. The emerald light, which would be the next stone, right? It’s in Ireland. The horseman cometh, causing a scene , that would be the guardian over the Stone, a centaur. With me so far?” Carlos paused, looking at Leondra and Karon, who exchanged bewildered looks, then nodded dumbly. “ Ok, the rest of it, talk about the challenge I must face to get the stone. What can you think of, that’s evil, lives in the darkness, has sharp teeth, and has a myth about living under a bridge?” Carlos asked them.

“A troll?” Leondra answered.

“Yeah. A troll. That is my next challenge. I got to fight one or more trolls!” Carlos said.

“We got to get you home to prepare for that kind of fight.” Karon said, as the three of them walked to the car.

“There is a chapter on trolls in the book mother gave me, if I can have time to sit down and read it.” Carlos added, as he unlocked the car, and slid in the driver’s seat. He almost didn’t even look at Sabrina at first, but her sniffling tore him from his thoughts. “Sab, you ok?”

“Carlos, I don’t know if I can ever feel the same way I did before about you, knowing that I’ll only be second rate.” Sabrina said.

“Sabrina. . .” Carlos started, but was cut off by Sabrina.

“Carlos, let me finish. I love you, but I realize that we’re not meant to be together. We’re not Soul mates. However, I’m not going to stop hanging out with you or Ryan, and I’m not going to stop coming over just for the fact that we’re not dating. Yeah, this is really hard to handle, but if I separate myself from you guys, it’ll make it harder to handle. I want us to continue being friends, because we’re good at that. Deal?” she said, as tears ran down her cheeks.

“Deal, Sabrina, I don’t want it any other way.” He said, hugging her from the front seat. They got the jets fired up, and soon headed back to Los Angeles.

Chapter 14

Zuza, furious at his troops, and the scout, blasted the door to his room wide open, causing his apprentice to jump.

“Rough day?” he asked.

“You don’t know the half of it. I lost the most important battle of my career, plus lost track of what our race needed most to survive. Now we’ll never find the other 7 gems.” Zuza sighed, as he fell into a chair.

“Relax master. You’ll find them. Now, the gem you were after today, that was the fire heart, was it not?” His Apprentice asked.
“Of course it was, and it was in an odd place. A college campus in Evansville.” Zuza said, wondering how his apprentice knew.

“Not that odd of a place, if you knew the history behind that city. It used to be named Phoenitera, after a ravaging fire destroyed it the first time, back in the 1530’s. When a fire took the city a second time, the government officials named it Evansville, after the guy who started rebuilding the city. Now, based on that, if the fire heart of Phoenitera was in the ancient city of Phoenitera, then the remaining gems must be in their native cities, which means you can beat Night Wing To a few of them. I’ve been doing research, and I think I know where one might be hidden. Ancient scholars have been documenting about a rare gem found in the desert. It is the color of liquid gold, and few have seen it. Archaeologists have called it the Core of The Sun, and it has been documented last as being held by King Akumenrah. Rumor has it that It is still in his temple, in the lost city of Hammunaptra.” the apprentice suggested.

“In Egypt?!?!?!? You know how impossible it is to find that city, right? It only shows up for one day a year, for 12 hours, and only in the right conditions. To replicate that, it will take more than the power of Rogues, it will take a miracle.” Zuza said.

“ I know. Luckily for us, miracles on that scale can easily be predicted. It appears only during a total solar eclipse over Egypt, after the first day of their spring.” The apprentice said, as he pulled up a calendar on his palm pilot. A date was marked red, and had the words, ‘send troop to Cairo’ as an event for the date. He showed it to Zuza, who gasped, and looked back at his apprentice.

“That soon? Do you realize we could have the Core of the Sun before the son of Night even realizes it?” Zuza said, as he tried to process all of the information. After he recovered from the shock he asked his apprentice, “How soon can we get my troops ready for this?”

“They’ve already been prepped. They await your shipment orders.” The apprentice said, as Zuza pulled out his cell, to call Xuxa. “Don’t call Xuxa. He already knows. Just go, and be careful. The winds out there are supposed to be fierce this time of year.”

Zuza thanked his apprentice, and ran to his council room, where his troops were checking weapons, cleaning knives, and chatting amongst themselves. When he stepped in, they snapped to attention. “Relax, will ya? We have a new assignment.” he said, as he slapped the plans from his apprentice on the table.

“How soon do we ship out, boss?” Xuxa asked.

“Tomorrow. Get some rest. Tomorrow, we go to Egypt.” Zuza said as the room cheered.

“Good. That’s one they won’t have.” Xuxa remarked.