The Seven (Fist of Light Series) (7 page)

Jas saw my interest and returned me to reality with a smack. “Stop daydreaming, man. And be careful. You set off a bunch of alarm bells with what you did today.”

I returned his swipe with a slightly harder punch while yawning extensively behind an upraised hand. It had been an eventful day and I was exhausted. “All right. I’ll keep an eye out, though I don’t know what I’m looking for yet. How are you getting back?”

He saluted me over his shoulder as he strode back into the park. “If you don’t know that yet, I’m surprised they have you in the same classes as me.”

I watched him amble toward the closest strand of shrubbery and trees before I turned away and confronted the house. At least it felt like I was confronting it. I felt the girls’ eyes settle on me. Intrigue was never one of my stronger suits, and so I gave them as direct a stare back before looking away and going inside. I waved and smiled amiably at Sam as I passed through the dining hall toward the boys’ dormitory.

A few boys and girls chatted in groups among the tables, no doubt procrastinating on homework. I wouldn’t have any part in that, though. It had always been within my reach to maintain my grades without doing the schoolwork. So if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. I sat down on my rickety bed, one of many strewn identically about the room. Cupboards and drawers sat underneath and behind it, presumably meant for any possessions and clothes that I had.

My breath exploded through my teeth with a rasp. “Dammit. Forgot my backpack.”

A deep-basso chuckle exploded into my hearing, as if from a distance. “
Look on the bright side. You still have me
.”

I made my voice as sarcastic as possible without sounding like a twelve-year-old. “I’ve got a magical amulet that gives me random tidbits of information, so instead of stranding me on an island I’m stuck in a brand-new world without any bearings.”

“
You desire information
?
You think your delicate mind can handle it
?
You’re a wolf cub in a lion’s den. You don’t know what Darkness looms in the deepest night, and the less you know, the less danger you’re in
.”

I chuckled mirthlessly back, and it crossed my mind that anyone passing me would think I was crazy. Let them. The bed squeaked in protest as I got comfortable and closed my eyes meditatively. That way, I’d only be seen as moderately crazy to the passing inmate.

I idly traced images into the bedspread. “Chicken shit. So instead, should I walk blind down a dark alley with my hands tied behind my back?”

“
All right boy, I understand your meaning. Ask, if you are so dead set upon this course
,” came the booming laugh that emanated from the amulet, one that hinted at a breadth of knowledge that I would never achieve.

After rolling over onto my chest, I fired off my questions. “What the hell’s out there? What am I looking at? All my nightmares come to life?”

“
Weren’t you paying a whit of attention to the Skin Walker
?
Of course all your nightmares exist
.” Images flashed through my mind at the speed of thought, almost too fast to comprehend. They came in the form of memories long past, as if I had lived them myself at one time. I was the invisible passerby, unable to touch or interact with the memories, only stand in tormented agony as I
remembered
.

Vampires seduced and fed off their victims, trolls bludgeoned and ate their prey. Monsters of the Fae, with no name that can be understood in the human tongue, killed others for pleasure. Goblins, little creatures with preternatural strength, attacked in teeming masses, bringing down their prey while screeching with delight. Necromancers raised the dead and used them for their gruesome will. Magicians, corrupted by the promise of power, destroyed cities, towns, and villages. Then there was a pack of Were, relentlessly pursuing their prey, silent as death. There was no escape, only a lingering death awaiting all pursued by them.

Countless images forced their way into my consciousness, fighting for supremacy. The knowledge with them was jumbled; my mind had already gathered all that could be stored. The information receded, slowed, and then tapered to a stop, allowing me to gather my wits.

The amulet’s deep voice filled my mind once more. “
But then there are all your dreams
…”

My mind was filled once more, but this time with beautiful and fantastical images. Fae, beautiful and dangerous, in buildings straight out of fantasy, went about their life in a separate world all their own. They ambled along in forests unknown to this world, and the leaves of their trees caressed them like an ardent lover. Vampires lived off of donated blood, rather than directly from the source, or if they had to, taking diminutive portions from their victims so as to not endanger lives. A coalition of vampires and Were protected humans in a war fought across the ages. Ogres fought goblins that were threatening the livestock of an unassuming farmer. Magicians fought for humanity, fighting off the forces employed by the Dark with fervor next-door to righteous vengeance. Various other images filled my mind: that of preternatural beings coexisting peacefully with humans, merely desiring to live their life peacefully and without outside intercession.

Then the flood of information sped up once more to be filed away, and the glimpse of the past dissipated. No longer was I unseen and unnoticed, and I touched the ground around me in order to convince myself of my return to reality.

“So… People like me. What you’re saying is that they’ll be both good and bad?”

“
Certainly, they will. The myths pertaining to the matter are vague, even to me. But one thing’s glaringly evident
:
when you put a big red button for a nuclear warhead in the same room with children not provided their ADHD meds, all that’s going to be left is rubble. You Seven all have more power than can be imagined, and there’s a reckoning impending. Get your affairs in order, boy, because if you don’t you won’t last past the weeks end, and that means that I will no longer be cognizant of this world, either
.”

“Fine. Then let’s start with what I call you. I can’t just call you Amulet.”

A dry chuckle wafted up from our connection. “
Jeeves. You may call me Jeeves. This newly developed language would mangle my true name unbearably. Names have power and true names more so when given from your own lips. Remember that, if nothing else
.”

I laughed when Jeeves provided his name. I was garnering peculiar looks all across the room and wasn’t surprised. It wouldn’t be out of place for me to be avoided like the plague from this point forward, but that suited me.

I concentrated on the topic at hand. “Okay,
Jeeves
. I won’t ask how you decided on that one. But, if you are so tied to my own destiny, then it would be wise to provide me with some instruction regarding these newly developed abilities.”

Sarcasm was evident in his response when Jeeves bothered to respond. “
Of course. First things first, then. You need to learn basic control over all five elements. It will be an easy task. It’ll take you time, something you don’t have an excess of. You will have a propensity for two elements. No matter what, you’re far behind your lady friend, and that is unacceptable. The other persuasion comes into their power up to a year before males, so she already possesses a large advantage
.”

I started with a response that I thought would be the least likely to be seen as incredibly stupid, directing my thoughts internally. “
Well then, can’t I just ask Em for some pointers
?”

Jeeves’ laughter pounded on the air like a living thing. Apparently my question was stupid after all. “
You must be joking, boy. You’re priceless. Let me just take a moment to bask in your ignorance
.” He paused, and I stewed and waited, just barely containing a biting response. “
Each person goes about manipulating the elements in a specialized manner. They all acquire a unique skillset when touching their power. You’ll need to uncover your own path, but only after will I begin direction of your training, so you don’t spontaneously combust
.”

“
All right, sounds like I should get to work then
,” I replied, preparing to leave the relative comfort provided by the bed. “
Wait, What
?!
Spontaneously combust
?
Are you kidding me
?
Yeah, that’s it, right
?
You’re just pulling my leg. Ha ha, very funny
.”

“
It’s not as common as it once was, when the leading technology consisted of basic metalworking. Those who went without training and didn’t have the will to conquer and control their powers eventually self-destruct
:
spontaneously, destructively, and all over the place. Gruesome, really, but there’s nothing to be done when they cannot be trained in time to avoid such fate
.”

“All of a sudden, I feel like learning basic control. How do I begin? Concentrate or something…?”

Oddly enough, Jeeves responded without employing sarcasm. However, he did employ lip. “
Yes, of course, that should be done post haste. But I’d relocate to a position more isolated, and far more flame retardant
.”

I tried to contain my shivers of excitement. Who wouldn’t want to be caught inside a burning building? Being a human torch was
so
last week. With that in mind, I made my way outside the flammable building through the back entrance. It’s wasn’t my intent to avoid Em. I just didn’t want anyone to see where I went if I was going to raze the place in the near future. It wouldn’t be good for my image if everyone discovered I was a genetic freak. They’d already done a movie on that one, and I coveted no desire to be experimented on. That was me, caring about my image, if you weren’t listening. I don’t avoid anyone,
seriously
.

The grass had withered ages ago. All that was left were the last desperate vestiges of growth, the final splotches of green that proclaimed triumph over insurmountable odds.

I figured that if I were going to open my eyes to the world and see it for what it truly is, it would be necessary to break out from my dismal cloud of pessimism regarding the nature of man. You can fight eternally, but is it of value if there’s nothing to believe in? Except now there was a cause, a reason to fight. I had been living in a world where the only thing that existed was the need to run, to hide from perceived pursuers on the word of another. It was the only rule that had never been broken. Supposedly, if I had, it wouldn’t have been possible to evade what would have caught me. If I had this kind of power at my fingertips, surely it was likely that my parents did as well. The only unclear part was the guns, when you can be slinging around the elements, what’s the use of human technology? Who could have been able to take my parents with such a mundane weapon? Were they trying to protect me, allow me to escape?

All these questions, and I wouldn’t be able to find the answers on my own. But, maybe, if I chose to enter this new world and make use of my power, the answers would be unveiled to my sun-blinded eyes. The status quo had been irrevocably altered. Before, there had been nothing to do but run. Now,
if
I could stand up for myself,
if
I didn’t spontaneously combust, and
if
I could get my newfound muscles under control, there would be an opportunity for the revealing of the truth. With exaggerated caution, I sat down on the ground, making sure not to trample any grass underfoot, then closed my eyes and voyaged inward, into the abysmal depths of my psyche.

I delved deep into my mind, farther and farther, searching for a beacon, a light,
something
. And the farther I traveled, the more assured I became. I passed bright gyrating thoughts and snaking emotions that filled my consciousness like twinkling stars. I went through black voids of space, empty save the passing of a stray thought. I traversed a field composed of my memories, whirling masses of swirling shapes that rotated, allowing a glimpse of the recollection inside. Beyond that, amid the chaos, there were two sparkling nexuses of power, illuminating my mind like two miniature suns.

Although immediately drawn to the larger, my curiosity was piqued and demanded investigation of the other before further progression to my ultimate destination. Upon closer inspection, the second spherical orb had a mystical tether tied securely to it, connecting it to the larger one. Gliding hesitantly forward toward it, my suspicion was verified. As I closed in on the glowing globe of untapped power, out popped…
me
? What walked before me, however, was infinitely different.

Even though his features were similar, the overall image created by slight divergences was a different person entirely. Where I was rugged and dirty, he was refined and sparkly clean, without a speck of visible dust. Where my clothes were torn and shabby from the day’s tribulations, his were immaculate, creased from recent purchase. And his overall air was one of supreme confidence; no one and nothing would faze him. His poise was unsurpassed, and overall, he was just a damn sight
better
than me. But, I wasn’t going to let that rattle me. I was the one at the wheel.

My voice was only slightly sulky. “Hello, Jeeves. Nice to finally meet you, face-to-face. You’re looking very refined, and, very… me.”

The similarity in his voice was now evident, although it was dramatically altered by the conviction and composure it seemed to possess in boatloads. “Personally, I think you were assembled poorly, but I’ve seen worse jobs.” He glanced around himself, apparently scrutinizing the setting. “This is interesting… very interesting. Quite exceptional, really, you might hold some potential after all. Who knew it was within your grasp.”

I let my gaze settle on the surroundings, on the compilation of memories, thoughts, and emotions. It seemed to me that I was inside a galaxy all my own, which stretched into infinity. If Jeeves informed me adequately, then this wasn’t the only way to establish the connection from which the nexus of my power resided. For all I knew, a giant pink daisy could have been waiting for me on top of a mountain of rocky road ice cream. Although probably delicious, it would have been highly unnecessary.