 
# The Wizard's Journal

# **Blood Moon**

# **by**

# **T. J. Hunter**

**Copyrighted 2014 Fantasy Realm Press**

**Smashwords eBook Edition**

**www.fantasyrealmpress.com**

**ISBN Paperback: 978-0-615-94898-0**

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, including electronic or mechanical means or storage or retrieval systems, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews, unless obtaining written permission from the publisher.

This novel is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are solely the product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, either living or dead, establishments, events, or places is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over the author's work and does not assume any responsibility, including web-sites, other publications, or similar content.

**A note from the author:**

Thank you for downloading The Wizard Journal – Blood Moon.

Since being a kid, I have always enjoyed stories about the classic monsters that made me spill my popcorn in movie theaters. Who could resist Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula, Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man, or Boris Karloff as Frankenstein. In honoring these classic greats, I wrote a novel series that reflects our modern time and society for a new generation of monster fans.

I hope you enjoy Blood Moon available on paperback and eBook at quality book retailers.

Best wishes,

Thadicus J. Hunter

https://www.facebook.com/thadicus.hunter

https://twitter.com/ThadicusHunter

**The Wizard Journal series currently scheduled for publication – Copyrighted 2014 all rights reserved:**

Blood Moon (book 1) – first printing and eBook scheduled July 15, 2014

ISBN eBook: 978-1-311-53188-9

ISBN Paperback: 978-0-615-94898-0

Vampiric Curse (book 2) – first paperback printing and eBook scheduled for September 30, 2014

Witches Brew (book 3) – first paperback printing and eBook scheduled for January 30, 2015

Darkzon Endgame (book 4) – first paperback printing and eBook scheduled for June 30, 2015

# Chapter 1

"Professor Willington, how long do you plan on staying at the university this evening? I'll be leaving the building soon and don't want to lock you in accidentally."

"Hello Tom. It looks like I'm going to be here for a while longer."

"I thought you'd say that professor," he said and paused for a moment knowing full well that the professor sometimes got locked inside. "You didn't forget your keys again did you?"

"Nope, got them right here," I answered while feeling my jacket pocket to be sure I actually did.

I glanced at my watch noting it was already 9:20 PM. It was likely I was the last workaholic or diehard in the building, except for Tom who was completing his security shift.

"Very well professor," Tom said and then he smiled at Sally. "You have yourself a good night too, and make sure the professor gets some dinner."

A tail wagged and thumped against my desk. Sally is my faithful assistant who happens to also be a Golden Retriever that thinks she's human. Sometimes I think she is as well, or at least darn near smart as one.

I suppose everyone thinks their dog is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I once described Sally to my students as the perfect partner who always listens and never argues, which are two prerequisite traits for any serious laboratory intern. This endorsement always drew laughs from students, despite it being very true.

I returned to studying my current puzzle of the day. Well, more like ten months to be exact. Puzzle is a comfort word I use when having no idea about what I'm studying. In this case, my puzzle is an artifact having unusual etchings from what appears to have originated across several ancient cultures.

I narrowed my eyes while turning the cylinder shaped object side to side. Some of the etchings on its surface were almost worn off, but it was still in great shape for being at least 2,000 years old.

"Damn it Sally, when will this ever make sense?"

Sally looked up and began thumping her tail against my desk again, probably thinking a snack was coming her way. I reached down and scratched her behind her ear while continuing to stare at the object. It looks like a toy rocket without fins, was light as a feather, and measured 12-inches long with a one inch radius. The entire surface was smooth showing no indication of what tools might have been used to make it or the etchings.

My graduate student, Jackie Swanson, actually discovered the artifact last summer while assisting me at an archeological dig near St. Peter's Monastery in Egypt. Jackie had all the qualities of a top graduate intern: enthusiasm, intelligence, hard worker, and as a bonus, great looks. Thinking about her caused my mind to drift back to when she first saw the artifact sticking out the desert sand.

"Professor Willington, I think I've found something," Jackie said excitedly, as if finding a gold mine or something even more valuable.

At the time, I was brushing sand off small pieces of pottery about twenty feet away. I looked up and saw Jackie pointing her finger toward a small mound of sand. As I approached to examine what she was so excited about, I made the mistake of looking into her eyes while the wind blew her long blonde hair gently across her face, which was all it took for me to lose focus – not my fault, not really. Jackie's eyes are nothing short of amazing and would challenge any emerald for perfection. A man would have to be dead not to take notice.

"There professor, right there," she said, franticly pointing to something in the sand.

After a moment, I refocused my attention and saw what she was so excited about.

"What is that?" I asked, thinking it looked like a stone rod sticking out of the sand.

I bent down to pick up the object and felt a slight electrical field. The hairs on my hand rose up and a tingly sensation run up my fingers.

"What the heck was that?"

Jackie looked at me confused and her smile faded.

"What is it professor?"

"I'm not sure. It felt like static electricity, like when you drag your feet against carpet and get a slight shock."

Perhaps it was just my imagination or from being in the sun all day. It wouldn't be the first time someone imagined things in the desert. Being in the hot Egyptian sun all day can make anyone a little loopy.

"How is that possible out here? Are you sure you felt something professor?"

"Not really," I answered while bending down again to take a closer look.

I moved my hand slowly toward the object and this time didn't feel anything. I lifted it out of the sand and Jackie stepped forward for a closer look. We were both curious and a little confused – actually, a lot confused.

"What do you think it is professor? Is it important? This is so cool. Please tell me the find will qualify for my graduate project."

"I think it just might Jackie."

"This is so cool," she said, jumping into the air and clapping her hands together.

I lost my concentration again. There was nothing odd about my attraction to Jackie. She's 23 and I'm 32, which is not a terribly big age difference. On the other hand, she was my intern and a graduate student at one of the most prestigious universities in the United States, and that alone was enough to put away any serious thought of romance. Losing my tenure from being caught in a romantic scandal with an intern was about as close to taking a cold shower as it gets.

The sun was setting now, so we drove back to our base camp conveniently located just 20 minutes away. The excitement from possibly discovering something of archeological importance kept smiles on our faces and the adrenalin flowing in our bodies made us a little giddy. The plan now is to freshen up, eat some dinner, and get a good night sleep.

Culinary experiences in the desert are not like sitting down at a five star restaurant. If lucky, someone would have packed something tasty, like smoked sausages, but that was not the case this evening. For tonight, our culinary delight was hot dogs and beans mixed with occasional grains of sand that the desert breeze graciously provided. No complaints mind you. After a long day in the hot sun, it was easy to image we were eating New York prime steak.

Having satisfied our nutritional needs, we retired to our individual tents for a good night sleep. As usual, morning came much faster than expected and the desert sun left little desire to remain inside a tent that was rapidly increasing in temperature. The smell of breakfast cooking, however, provided additional encouragement for me to drag my butt outside to see Jackie turning eggs in the frying pan. Like I said, she's a great intern.

After a good breakfast, we drove to the Cairo University to make good use of the best archeology equipment in the world. If the object we found was important, we'd find out there.

Jackie and I were becoming increasingly anxious during the several hour drive, mostly because we were not sure if local authorities would welcome us. To our pleasant surprise, Egypt's Department of Antiquities granted us full access to the university's archeological lab. Evidently, my credentials were provided to the officials by Harvard University before I even entered the country.

Normally it's not easy cutting through Egypt's red tape because so many thieves have stolen their national treasures throughout history. The Egyptians took no chances now, and I didn't blame them. In fact, I fully support their cautious paranoia to keep national treasures in museums for everyone to admire. Too many antiquities have been tucked away in private collections or stolen by greedy thieves. In archeology, such transgressions are unforgivable.

My initial test indicated the object was indeed an authentic antiquity. Strangely, the pentacle etching on the artifact was only visible under x-ray light, as though designed to be hidden from sight. Equally strange was the middle section carbon dated 931 to 973 B.C. during King Solomon's rule in Israel while the two ends dated back 25,000 years ago. Neither end of the artifact had any visible seams, suggesting that advanced technology must have joined them together. Having two different carbon dates on a single stone was more than odd, it was archeologically impossible. I have never seen anything like it before, not even in the many volumes of archeological research stored in Harvard's libraries.

How could a single stone have two completely different carbon dates?

Various etchings were also on the top and bottom of the artifact representing Hebrew letters and numbers. I recognized a few of the etchings scattered across various ancient symbols, but most I've never seen.

Different carbon dates, separate sections attached with no seams, Hebrew letters and numbers, and all this sticking out of sand in the middle of an Egyptian desert. None of this makes any sense.

I didn't find any evidence linking the artifact to Egyptian origin, and neither did the Egyptian Department of Antiquities, which meant the country couldn't place a national claim on it. Even so, they agreed only to loan it to Harvard for further study. A week later I returned to Harvard with the artifact to solve its mystery.

My mind drifted back to the present day and I heard my stomach making all sorts of hungry noises.

"Well, that's enough for today. Come on Sally, let's go home for dinner."

Sally jumped to her feet and ran to the door. I paused for a moment scratching my head thinking the artifact might remain an unsolvable mystery indefinitely. Sally woofed to get my attention and we finally left the lab to go home.

After having a good dinner made from the best microwavable entrees available, Sally and I hit the sack. Sally always slept on the bed next to me no matter how many times I put her on the floor. When the lights went out, thump, Sally was back in my bed pushing against me for warmth.

"Alright Sally, settle down now. Tomorrow's a new day, and it's going to come sooner than we might want."

Harvard professors usually begin their days early in order to prepare for classes, however, today was different. I decided to present my puzzle to a graduate antiquities class and see what the brightest minds in the country might come up with. It was not uncommon for professors to challenge students on research work, so I began class by displaying pictures of my findings.

Several students quickly recognized a few artifact symbols as reference to the Great Pentacle from King Solomon's Key, but said nothing. They all just curiously stared at the pictures showing Hebrew numbers etched on the stone's ends with conflicting carbon dates.

"Professor, how can there be two different carbon dates on the same stone?" a student asked.

"Good question. If what we see is real, it would seem that more than one set of hands worked on this antiquity, and did so separated by thousands of years. Somehow this stone was left undiscovered until found at a dig thought to have revealed its secrets long ago. I've been studying it for nearly a year now and am no closer to unlocking its mystery than I was on day one."

None of my students had any idea what all this meant. They were dumbfounded – just like me – which I expected would be the case, but a fresh perspective never hurt anyone conducting research. At the end of class, one student stayed behind at her seat unnoticed as I packed up my notes and pictures.

"My grandmother has things with markings like those in your pictures," the student said.

"Oh, hello, I didn't see you there," I said. "I thought all the students left. What's your name?"

"My name is Carmela."

She was a petite girl with long dark hair and eyes, and she dressed as one would expect a young college student to look like: university sweatshirt, blue jeans with a hole on one knee, Smartphone stuck in her pocket, and leather sandals.

"I don't recall seeing you in class before Carmela. Are you a new student?"

"Yes, today was my first class."

"Where are you from?

"I was raised in the United States, but my family moved here from Peru about 25 years ago."

"Well, welcome to class Carmela. You said you have seen something like this before?"

"Yes, professor, my grandmother collected things having similar markings like what you showed us today. They are children puzzles in Peru."

"Really,? How do you solve these puzzles?"

"Sometimes you can use mirrors and slowly move them at angles to see what the markings mean."

"Huh, I never heard of Peruvian puzzles with these kind of markings."

"It is an old custom passed down from families to entertain children," she explained. "My grandmother told me our ancestors would etch things on objects that showed where a hidden treasure was located. Only mirrors could reveal where the treasure was hidden. She would hide presents and have me figure out how to find them, but I had to first learn how to use small pieces of mirrors to read her clues."

Carmela put her backpack over her shoulder and headed out of the classroom.

"See you tomorrow professor."

"Yes, see you tomorrow Carmela."

After getting the class materials together, I headed down the hallway to my lab without giving much thought to what Carmela had told me. A child's game? Nothing is ever that simple. I dismissed the idea as a local custom.

I opened the door to my lab where Sally was waiting to great me with her tail wagging. No matter how my day went, good or bad, Sally was always in a great mood and cheered me up.

"Well, where should we begin Sally?" I asked, and she titled her head as if about to answer.

We walked over to my desk and she sat at her usual spot and I scratched my head while staring at the artifact. Sally always watched me with interest while I worked. Sometimes I thought she was taking mental notes and understood more than me. Like I said, she's an excellent lab assistant, not to mention great company.

I started my evening as I have these past ten months by holding the artifact in my hand, as though the ritual might cause my mind to suddenly be enlightened. Einstein defined insanity as 'doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'. Yea, that pretty much describes my state of mind.

"What in the world are you?" I asked the artifact, thinking that somehow talking to an inanimate object might cause a cerebral revelation. "I guess we'll have to wait for an answer because I'm hungry. How about you Sally, want to go get some dinner?"

Sally, who very well knows the meaning of the word dinner, or any other variation of food words, woofed in agreement.

"Okay, give me a few minutes for a quick shave and change of clothes, then we'll find a greasy spoon restaurant that allows dogs."

I guess I was preoccupied about my lack of research progress when I accidentally knocked over a small shaving mirror onto the floor.

"Damn it," I said, causing Sally to investigate what was going on. "No big deal Sally, I was almost done anyway."

After wiping my face clean of shaving cream, I started to pick up the broken pieces of glass from the floor and recalled what Carmela had told me earlier in class.

Could it really be that simple?

I took a larger piece of the broken mirror and carefully aligned it to one side of the etching. Nope, nothing made any intelligible sense. I repeated the procedure, but this time took digital pictures of the images and uploaded them to my desk computer. Using a decipher program, the images on the computer screen began to look like something as they were turned in various directions and angles ... but what? The program continued to decipher the images while Sally tilted her head side to side listening to the computer make clicking and chirping sounds.

"Okay Sally, let's go get something to eat."

I took a another look at the artifact and resigned myself to accepting that no progress would be made tonight.

Sally jumped to her feet and followed me out of the lab. As the door was being locked, the computer program ended and announced in an automated voice, "Program translation completed."

That's odd. Usually decipher programs take days, and this time, it took only a few minutes without even fouling up or crashing.

Sally and I reentered my lab and I saw six numbers with words 'Location Gate' flashing on the computer screen.

Location gate ... must be a program glitch after all, but the six numbers looked familiar and reminded me of map coordinates.

Skeptically, I pulled a world atlas from the book case and looked up what I thought might be a longitude and latitude displayed on my monitor. To my surprise, the location was at Puerta de Hayu Marca, a mountain region 35 kilometers from the Peruvian city of Puno.

"Wait a minute, I know this place. It's the City of the gods."

Puerta de Hayu Marca, also known as the City or Gate of the gods, was exactly dead center on at the map coordinates my computer translated. I looked back at the computer screen and read the words again.

"Location gate ... maybe it means Gate of the gods," I mumbled.

I got online to video conference with my old friend Manco who is a respected Peruvian archeologist. He must have been nearby his computer because he answered quickly.

"Willington, how are you my old friend?

"You know me Manco, I get by. How have you been?

"Well as can be expected and more."

"Manco, tell me about your work at Puerta de Hayu Marca."

"Why do you want to know about that place? There is nothing there but what everyone already knows. I have been to the Gate of the gods dozens of times. It is boring research these days old friend."

"Manco, you saw the doorway?"

"Doorway ... perhaps, or just some ancient vertical sacrifice slab supporting an arch ... who knows for sure."

"In the center there is a hole, correct?

"Yes Willington, but it is very worn and has no important meaning."

"Tell me Manco, do you recall the radius of the hole?"

"Let me see, I have it in my notes someplace."

Manco was not the most organized researcher. He had paper piled up on his desk and maps with too many Post-its to count stuck on the wall behind him. Manco may be disorganized, but he is also the most respected archeologist in South America, and an expert in ancient western civilizations.

Manco pulled a piece of paper pinned to a corkboard behind his seat and placed it near his webcam.

"Ah, here it is. It measures exactly 12 inches deep with a radius of one inch."

The measurements are exactly the same as the artifact. It can't be mere coincidence – there must be a connection.

I felt a surge of excitement that archeologists always get when a new discovery is about to be made.

"Manco, how soon could you meet me at Puerta de Hayu Marca?"

"How soon can you come to Puno?

"As fast as the next available flight can take me."

Classes at the university still had a couple of weeks before summer break, but I was able to make arrangements for a colleague to cover my early departure. I gathered my traveling clothes and put everything inside a backpack along with the stone artifact. Without hast, I caught the first plane to Puno Peru to meet my old friend.

# Chapter 2

The long flight to Puno Peru gave me plenty of time to think about when Manco and I were undergraduate students. Manco attended the university on a full scholarship while I delivered pizza at night and worked at various university jobs to help fund my education. He was the pragmatist and I the dreamer. I guess this is why I choose archeology so that I could live out my dreams by traveling to the many wonders of the world.

Manco returned to Peru after graduating and became an expert in Central and South American history while I accepted an associate professorship position. We were best friends in our college days, and still can count on each other despite living far apart.

As the plane rolled to a stop on the tarmac, I saw Manco. He was wearing a light colored suit and fedora trimmed with black ribbon. Good old Manco. He looked good, much like he did that last time I saw him ten years ago. You know how some people always make you feel good to be around? Well, that's the kind of person Manco is, and no matter who you were, or what station in life you had, he always made you feel important.

When I disembarked from the plane, Manco began waving his fedora above his head, as if I might miss him. I found this amusing since he was easy to spot from the waiting crowd totaling all of four people.

"Greetings dear friend, welcome to my country," he said with his arms stretched high above his head.

"Hello Manco. It's great to see you again," I said, then we embraced each other as good friends do.

A few feet away stood a woman with children and Manco turned to them and smiled.

"Willington, this is Wanita, my wife, and these are my children. And this Wanita is my dearest friend Jonathan Willington."

"Wife and children? When did all this happen?"

"You have not visited for some time Willington, and as you can see, much has changed," he said, then let out a big laugh while wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "Come, tonight you will feast on the finest Peruvian delicacies and be a quest at my home. After a full belly, good conversation, some tequila, and a restful sleep, we will go to the Gate of the gods. For what reason you want to go there, I can't imagine, but it is your wish, so we will go."

Manco led me to his Jeep where his wife and children had already piled into the back so I could sit in front.

"Just you wait Manco. I think I am onto something really big."

"Big you say ... good for you ... maybe good for me too."

It was a short ride to Manco's house from Puno and the scenery looked much the same as it did when I last visited. The dirt road was pocked with holes and cactus were blooming vivid colors of red, yellow, and white. Ahead I could see grassy hills and every now and then some local wildlife. I had forgotten the natural beauty of this country. Manco was right. Ten years was too long of an absence from such a beautiful place, and certainly too long for us to have a reunion.

We arrived at Manco's house quicker than I expected. Upon entering, I stood quietly and looked around at what was a very clean and domestic interior. My surprise must have been easy to notice because Manco smiled and slapped me on the back.

"Ha, not the same place you remembered from your last visit, hey Willington?"

"Things do look quite different now," I said, looking at native weavings, carved dolls and animals, and handmade wooden furniture neatly placed as his home decor, not to mention a lack of empty tequila bottles that use to litter his floor.

"Family life suits you well Manco, and the touch of a beautiful woman has turned your hole in the wall into a real home."

Manco laughed and Wanita smiled showing she was happy to hear my compliment and seeing her husband so proud of his home.

"I suppose it seems a bit alien to you my friend, being a lab rat at a Harvard. What can I say? Being married and having children can change even the most stubborn of us," he said, then cuffed his hand near his mouth and muttered, "to tell you the truth Willington, I do miss my tools and antiquities that once adorned this humble place."

I nodded in agreement, then we laughed and slapped each other backs like we use to do after completing research projects at Harvard.

"It's good to see you again Manco. Really good."

"Yes, just like old times Willington," he said and opened a door. "Here is your room my friend. Put your things over there next to the bed and Wanita will prepare a nice hot bath for you. Soon, dinner will be ready, and after dinner, we drink tequila, tell stories, and when our eyes are too heavy to keep open, we shall sleep. At sunrise, may it not come too quickly, we shall go to the Gates of the gods."

Manco let out another loud laugh as he closed my bedroom door and began chasing his kids pretending to be a bear. The children were laughing and shouting, "No bear can catch us. We are too fast." For a moment, I felt a little old having no family, except for Sally, who I suppose is my family.

I actually have no memory of my biological parents and only vague memories of being raised in foster homes. I was told my parents died in an automobile crash when I was 12, which caused a form of amnesia. My childhood became less relevant once I became a student at Harvard. Burying my head in books all day and delivering pizza at night didn't leave much time for thinking about my past.

"Señor Willington, your bath is ready," Wanita said. "Come now while it is still hot. Dinner will be ready soon Señor."

"Please, call me Jonathan, and thank you Wanita for being so hospitable."

"You are most welcome Señor Willington ... I mean Jonathan."

The bathtub in the center of room was larger than I expected and made out of copper sheets banged together in artistic fashion. Its edges were adorned with cactus, suns, moons, birds and various other things one would find in a desert wilderness. There was no plumbing, except for a single pipe exiting from the bottom of the tub to a small metal grate in the floor.

The bathwater was hot, but not so hot for me to step in, albeit I had to do so slowly. I got myself into a comfortable position and closed my eyes while listening to music playing in the living room. The smell of fine home cooking kept me from falling asleep, but just barely.

"Willington, did you drown in that tub?" Manco asked. "It is time to eat dinner my friend and taste the delicacies of my country."

I was already drying myself off when Manco told me dinner was ready. Perhaps I overstayed my time enjoying a hot bath, but I felt so refreshed that there was little room for feeling guilty.

"Be right there," I said.

When I came out from the bath, everyone was sitting quietly at the dinner table waiting for me to join. I sat in the empty seat next to Manco and gazed at a feast of vegetables and meats that nearly made me drool with anticipation. Manco made a couple of grunts like he was clearing his throat. I looked at him and saw he was holding out his hand to me as was Juan, his eldest son sitting at my other side. Everyone was holding hands, except me.

"We will thank God for our many blessings," Manco said, wiggling his fingers at me as a gesture to hold hands.

I placed joined hands with Manco and his son while Manco thanked God for a wonderful life, family, food, and the company of an old friend. Once the prayer was done, food began being passed around the table in an amazing orderly fashion, especially given such young hungry children. The food was incredibly delicious and I ate enough for three full grown men. It was the best food I've had for a very long time.

After dinner, Wanita got the older children settled down in their bedrooms and put the youngest in bed to sleep. Manco and I sat at a table next to a warm crackling fire and drank tequila and smoked cigars.

"Life is good, hey old friend?" Manco asked.

"Sitting here in your home, I'd have to agree with you Manco. I doubt it could get any better than this."

After a few minutes of staring into the fire and making smoke rings from our cigars, Manco looked at me with a familiar and curious archeology demeanor. He had held back his curiosity since my arrival, which surprised me given what he already knew about the nature of my visit. It was time to get down to business.

"Tell me all about this stone of yours and what you expect to find at the Gates of the gods."

"Manco, you won't believe it. The artifact has two different carbon dates."

"Two different carbon dates you say. How is that possible on a single stone?"

"That's just it Manco, it shouldn't be possible" I said, then took the artifact out of my backpack to show him.

"Look, it's as though there were three stones made into one. There are no lines or indication of breaks anywhere. It's solid, has no magnetic characteristics, and weighs almost nothing. Here, let me show you," I said, placing the artifact onto Manco's palm and moving it slowly to the left, then to the right. "See Manco, there is no feeling of weight displacement when the stone is moved. Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

Manco didn't need to reply because the expression on his face said it all. He moved the stone side to side and extended it out horizontally.

"Remarkable ... never in my life have I seen such a thing," he said and narrowed his eyes to inspect the artifact more closely. "Some of these etchings are Mayan."

"Yes, but these other etchings are something I have not seen before. It does not appear to be from any language on record, and look, there's more Manco."

I took the x-ray pictures out of my backpack and handed them to Manco.

"Look here, a pentagram with strange etches along the sides and ends," I said, pointing to a drawing, then to numbers on the ends.

I explained how the numbers appeared to be a map location for the Gate of the gods. Manco's eyes shifted back and forth from the artifact to the picture.

"Remarkable. Simply remarkable," he said, narrowing his eyes as though not believing what he was seeing.

"What puzzles me Manco is that I doubt any modern day technology could have made this stone, never mind thousands of years ago, and why was it discovered now sticking out of the sand in an Egyptian desert? It should have been buried deep in the desert after all these years. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Willington, do you really believe this stone has something to do with the Gates of the gods?"

"I think it might be a code of some sort. Perhaps as the legends say, the gate is a portal to another dimension or world not of this Earth."

Manco looked at me very seriously for a moment and then laughed.

"Good, then you go to the gate first and I'll wait here."

We laughed some more and then reminded ourselves how important the artifact might be if evidence could be found linking it to the Gate of the gods. Tomorrow the artifact will be placed into the gate's hole and hopefully bring us one step closer to solving the mystery.

Manco looked tense. "Who will place the stone into the gate?"

I grinned. "Don't worry Manco, I'll do it."

"Okay, if you insist my friend," he said and then relaxed while lighting up another cigar.

After Manco's children were all tucked away in their beds, Wanita came out and joined us by the fireside. She smiled, gave Manco a kiss on his check, and began knitting.

"It is a scarf for Juan to keep him warm," she said. "The night will become cold in a few weeks."

I smiled. "It's a nice scarf. Your son will be proud to wear it."

Manco began telling stories from Mayan history. As is the case with any archeological conversation, various interpretations of how and why the Mayan calendar was created took us into late evening. Wanita excused herself and wished us a good night and told Manco not to stay up much longer. Not long after, Manco and I finally exhausted our theoretical interpretations and went to our rooms to sleep.

When morning arrived, rosters let everyone know sleep time was over. I opened my eyes and saw Manco's two youngest children at the foot of my bed staring at me.

"Good morning," I said while rubbing and blinking my eyes.

With big smiles and giggles, the children replied in a cappella, "Good morning Señor Willington," and scooted out of my room shouting "He is awake, Señor Willington is awake."

"It's about time. I swear Willington, working at the university has weakened your sense of adventure. Come on man, let's get moving before the sun is gone."

"Gone, it still looks dark outside to me," I said, pointing to the bedroom window.

Manco opened the bedroom room door wider, extended his arms in the air, and said in a loud voice with a big smile, "Let us go to the Gate of the gods."

I asked Manco, sarcastically, why he let me sleep so long if he was anxious for adventure. Manco raised his eyebrows and his smile faded.

"Me ... you say I let you sleep," he said and left the room muttering something in Spanish. "Come on Willington, breakfast is ready and my Jeep is packed. The adventure you seek is waiting for us at the Gate of the gods."

Manco's enthusiasm made me smile and wake up enough to get out of bed. I looked toward the bedroom window again while buttoning my shirt and saw a roster on the windowsill staring at me.

"What are you looking at? Are you the one who woke everyone up?"

The rooster turned his backside to me, hopped off the windowsill, and made a long noisy crow – just to tick me off. As I exited my room, I saw Manco packing up the last few things into his Jeep. Wanita smiled and told me to take care of her husband and not be gone too long. I promised to do as she instructed and went outside. The sun was now rising from the eastern horizon causing the night chill to fade quickly. It was going to be a great day.

Juan, the oldest boy, was in the back of the Jeep sitting on duffle bags.

"Look Willington, my son Juan is the next archeologist in the family."

Juan smiled and stiffened his posture, showing pleasure in his father's approval. He was lucky to have a father like Manco who understood the wonder of discovery. Not many children have the opportunity to learn about past civilizations from a renowned expert.

"This is my first adventure Señor Willington," Juan said. "You and papa must teach me everything."

Manco paused before sitting in the Jeep and looked at me with a big smile, then looked back at Juan.

"Everything you say? That is a tall order my son, but we will teach you at least something today."

The drive to the Gate of the gods took about two hours on a poorly maintained road. All the bouncing around was enough to make me consider walking, but I survived and we reached our destination. Manco stopped the Jeep at the top a hill overlooking a mountainside.

"There is the Gate of the gods," Manco said, pointing toward the Gate's arch a few hundred feet away.

Until now, I had only seen the Gate of the gods in pictures presented in National Geographic magazines. It was less impressive and seemed smaller than what I expected. A few moment later, Manco started driving again and stopped about 20 feet in front of the arch.

Juan stayed in the Jeep while Manco and I started walking to the gate, but Manco stopped after a taking a few steps. I guess he was a little spooked about the artifact and what might happen when it came into contact with the gate. Me on the other hand, I couldn't wait to see what happened.

"What now?" Manco asked.

"Now we see if the artifact is a key or a hole filler."

"We?" asked Manco.

"Wait here. I'll check it out."

"Well, if you insist. I'll wait here as you say," he said, then took several steps back towards the Jeep.

I took the artifact out of my backpack and moved it near the outside edge of the hole – it looked like a perfect fit. After brushing away some loose dirt, I moved the artifact closer and felt an electrical field, like the one at the dig site in Egypt. Before I could react, the artifact jumped out of my hand into the hole. A moment later I felt a vibration and the static field intensified. I stepped back a few feet and kept my eyes fixed on the artifact, fascinated by what I just saw.

"Okay, it's not a hole filler," I muttered.

"Willington, perhaps you should not stand so close," Manco said. "Something is not right here and we should leave this place."

My wrist watch then flew off my hand and stuck to the stone gate. A moment later, the Jeep began moving slowly toward the gate, its wheels locked and digging into the dirt. Manco's mouth dropped open and he quickly stepped out of the Jeeps way. Juan jumped out of the Jeep and fell to the ground.

"What sorcery is this?" Manco asked, then his metal medallion rose from under his shirt and pointed horizontally to the gate. He pulled the medallion down, but when he let go, it snapped back toward the gate and pulled the chain around his neck, enough so that Manco put his foot forward to keep from falling.

As quickly as everything began, it was over. My watch fell to the ground, Manco's medallion fell to his chest, and the Jeep stopped moving. The three of us stared at the gate dumfounded by the experience, which was not yet over. The artifact began to turn clockwise for a few turns and then counterclockwise. The back and forth movement continued, increasing in speed, while a blue-white light on the tip of the artifact glowed brighter with each rotation.

"Willington ... we should go now," Manco said as he and Juan got back into the Jeep.

The ground around us began to shake causing me to sway. I extended my arms to balance myself and Manco held both of his hand tight on the Jeep's wheel.

"What the heck." I said and a second later the artifact stopped turning, but the light emitting from the gate intensified so brightly I had to cover my eyes. I took a few more steps backwards and a bolt of light shot out from the gate hitting me square center on my chest. There was no sound and I felt no pain. I brushed my hand against my chest thinking I might be on fire, but there was nothing. No marks, burns, not so much as a wrinkle. The artifact then fell to the ground and Manco ran to me thinking I was injured.

"Willington, are you alright?"

"I'm okay Manco," I answered and started walking to where the artifact fell.

As I got closer, I could see it was no longer a stone, but had turned translucent like glass. The gate looked as it did before, except a larger opening appeared and revealed something inside.

"What just happened?" Manco asked while staring at the new opening, noticing something was inside it. "Willington, what in the world are those things?"

Three metal tubes with elaborate etchings and artwork were resting inside the gates opening. I removed the tubes and found three ancient scrolls inside each that measured eight inches square. I put the scrolls back inside the tubes and handed them to Manco.

"First things first Manco," I said and turned my attention back to the artifact, which was not only translucent, but also had many more etched symbols than before.

I rotated the artifact and saw that the etchings covered its surface in a spiral pattern. There was no visible beginning or end to the pattern and it had multiple layers on the inside that were too small to distinguish. As strange as it might sound, the artifact felt familiar in someway, like when almost remembering a dream just before it vanishes from memory.

"Manco, those tubes you're holding were designed to preserve the scrolls inside the gate and this artifact is obviously a key. I've never seen anything like it and doubt anyone on this planet besides us has either."

"Nothing that has happened here today is natural Willington. Many believe these mountains are cursed, and after all this, I am inclined to agree."

I smiled. "Many people also believe it is blessed. This all means something Manco. It's as if the artifact and scrolls were waiting for us to find them after being hidden for thousands of years. Whatever they are, there might very well be a connection to King Solomon's Key."

Manco's eyes widened as he began to understand the possible significance of what we found.

"Let's get back to Puno," I said excitedly. "We have much work to do Manco."

# Chapter 3

When we arrived back at Manco's house, Manco swept his hands across the dinning table sending napkins and flowers to the floor. He then spread all nine scrolls on the table for us to study, not noticing that Wanita was looking at him as if he was crazy.

"Manco, what are you doing? Please stop, don't wreak our home," she pleaded.

Manco grabbed Wanita's arms and began singing and dancing in circles with her. She was shocked by her husband's behavior and clearly frightened.

"We are going to be rich and famous dear wife. Isn't that so Willington?"

Wanita pushed Manco aside and took their children outside. She said something in Spanish, and by the tone, I was pretty sure it wasn't polite.

Manco stopped laughing. "Huh ... I guess she thinks I lost my mind."

"You think?" I asked and began organizing the scrolls in various patterns, moving them back and forth as three rows of three so all nine scrolls were placed into one large square.

"What are you doing?" Manco asked.

"I'm not sure yet. It looks like these scroll are a piece of a large single scroll. Look here, see how all the outside edges of each scroll have the same Mayan symbols. Each symbol represents a classical element: this is water, this is fire, this swirling one is wind, and this one here is Earth."

"Yes, I see what you mean," Manco said, then pointed to the middle page. "What does this one mean?"

"It looks like some sort of astrological pattern connected to our solar system. Most interesting is that the outer pages are written in Mayan and some other language I've never seen. The center page is mostly in Hebrew along with what looks like our sun and planets in alignment. I'm far from being sure, but I think these might be the missing pages from King Solomon's Key."

"What connection could there possibly be between the Hebrews and Mayans and these ancient scrolls?" Manco asked.

"There shouldn't be any connection. It makes no sense. Each civilization was separated by thousands of years and great geographical distances. Whatever this is, it appears to have somehow crossed over in historical record keeping. Manco, someone hid these scrolls at the Gate of the gods to protect them, but for what purpose?"

"Someone you say ... who?

"I don't know, but whoever it was, they didn't want just anyone to find them."

I began translating the writing and symbols on the eight outer scrolls. They which described an ancient race of visitors who came to Earth at the last Galactic Alignment 25,000 years ago.

"The scrolls say these visitors traveled in great fire spitting birds as bright as our sun. Giants come forth from the birds possessing godlike powers. The Mayans called one of them Itzam-Yeh, meaning the Celestial Bird, and they made him their god. Itzam-Yeh in return made the Mayans his slaves to gather sacred elements from the Earth. Strange beasts were set upon the Mayans to make them work day and night mining precious elements. Some of the visitors also took Mayan women as mates and produced offspring."

"Go on Willington, what else do the scrolls say?"

"Evidently there was a big battle when benevolent beings came to Earth and fought the visitors. Many Mayans died and their cities were destroyed during the battle. Eventually, the visitors were driven from Earth by the benevolent beings that became friends and protectors of the Mayans, and lived with them in peace for many years."

"Folklore," Manco said. "There is no historical records or evidence that the Mayans were visited by aliens, at least nothing credible. What am I saying? There is no evidence of aliens."

"Perhaps, but look here Manco. The inside edges on the eight outer scrolls tells a different story. It says Itzam-Yeh would leave and return according to the position of a large and small sun. The large sun indicates when he would return and the small sun when he went away. And look here ... do you see the planets in this first circle with a sun in the center?"

"I see eight and this little dot at the outer edge," Manco replied.

"Just like our solar system, right? Now look at this second ring. It's elliptical, like an egg, with a sun on the narrow tip of the elliptical ring. There is a group of objects like planets clustered together on the far side of the ring."

Manco scratched his head. "This makes no sense Willington. Every school child knows there are only eight planets in our solar system, excluding Pluto"

"Yes, but this cluster of planets is not in the same rotation pattern as our planets. Look at the scale of the rings. Our system is separated from the rotation of the outer ring for most of the time. The outer and inner rings intersect here for what appears to be a shorter period of time."

"What does it mean?

"I believe it means our sun appears small when the objects are outside our solar system rotation, and looks bigger when inside our rotation. If my translation is accurate, and the scrolls are not folklore as you believe, it would suggest that we have neighbors."

"Neighbors? What kind of neighbors?"

"According to what is written on these scrolls, the kind of neighbors nobody wants. Look here ... this word Tanniyn means dragon or monster in Hebrew and is repeated on the scroll here and also here."

Manco pointed to other symbols. "I believe these represent time," he said. "If so, the first symbol here at the far edge of our solar system means one. The marking at the top means thousand, which would suggest the first ring represents 1,000 years and increments by a factor of five. This means the second ring is 5,000 and the third is 25,000. According to this map, the outer and inner rings intersect every 25,000 years."

Manco eyes widened. "Willington, this timeframe of solar rotations corresponds to the Mayan calendar and their prophecy."

"I think you're right. The Mayans may be telling us that this other group of planets intersects our solar system every 25,000 years. The Mayan calendar completed its last cycle on December 21, 2012. Finding the scrolls now can't be a coincidence."

"But Willington, that date has come and gone and nothing happened. I remember all the crazies hiding in the mountains thinking the world was coming to an end. When they returned to their villages, thieves had stolen their possessions. I kept my shotgun loaded the entire week and barricaded my house."

"The Mayan calendar represents a beginning and end, not necessarily Armageddon," I said. "It is like an hour glass filled with sand. When one side of the glass is empty, you turn it over and begin again. The Mayans thought of each cycle as a new beginning."

"A beginning to what?"

"That's what we need to find out," I said while putting the scrolls back into the metal tubes. "I need to return to Harvard and review everything with Professor Benjamin Clarke. He's an astrophysicist and can verify our calculations and theory."

"Why wait Willington? You can use my computer now to contact Professor Clarke."

I hesitated. "No, we can't use computers or cell phones, not here. This is too important to risk using unsecure lines, and we don't want to start rumors or a panic."

"Yes, of course. I also don't want to load my shotgun again worrying about more crazies."

It was a long day and the adrenalin from all the excitement had worn off making us tired, so I decided to wait until morning to schedule a flight back to the States. Meanwhile, Manco went outside to comfort Wanita and urge her to come back inside. She was still upset and he needed to convince her that his sanity has not escaped him. Juan was not very concerned and peeked through the window to observe his parents.

Manco and Wanita needed time alone, so I decided to go to bed now and get a good night sleep. It seemed like only a few minutes passed when Manco woke me up to travel to the airport.

"Do you always get up so early?"

"Yes, of course ... don't you? One should not waste the day Willington."

"The sun is not even up Manco. How can anyone waste the day before it begins?"

"Nonsense," he said, then looked over his shoulder to see if anyone else was up. "I think we shall skip breakfast this morning Willington. Better not to wake Wanita and the children."

That's guy talk for Manco being in big trouble with his wife.

I got dressed as quickly as possibly, trying not to wake anyone, then jumped into the Jeep. Manco wasn't the only one who wanted to avoid another family episode.

The ride to Rodríguez Ballón International Airport in Arequipa was an annoying and typical, bumpy ride. The scenery, however, was spectacular making the 172 kilometer trip somewhat bearable. Manco figured since he was going to be in Arequipa, he might as well visit his brother and sister-in-law in the city, so he was in a very good mood.

Along the way, I purchased a one-way air fare using my cell phone because my current return ticket had a later departure date and couldn't be used. The airline was kind enough to issue me a full credit toward the new ticket because it wasn't a direct flight. There was, however, an overnight layover in Las Vegas, so I also booked a hotel on the strip. I've never been in Las Vegas and thought this was a good opportunity to check the city out and relax before restarting my busy life in Boston.

"Willington, you will keep me well informed of what you learn back in the States, won't you? If something is going to happen, I would like to know about it."

"You're a dear friend and colleague Manco, and you were with me at the Gates of the gods. Not only will I keep you informed, but your name will appear on any publication should any of this ever make press."

Manco made a big smile and began singing loudly in his deep voice. He sung in Spanish and every few minutes broke into English. I tried to join in on the English verses the best I could, but my timing was off and the sounds I made could hardly be called singing.

We arrived at the airport and Manco walked with me into the building near the security gate. He grabbed both of my shoulders, squeezed them so tight I thought they would dislocate, and then embraced me.

"Stay safe old friend," he said.

When Manco stepped back, I saw tears building up in his eyes. This was a man I could always count on no matter what. He was more than a friend. He was a brother to me.

I smiled. "You stay safe too Manco. Take care of your beautiful family."

"Yes, of course I will Willington."

Manco turned and began singing another local song again as he walked away. He sang loud enough to cause people to turn, and a few tried to join in on a few notes as he passed by. I was already beginning to miss him.

After getting my ticket at the airport KIOSK machine, I stood in the security line and waited my turn to be scanned. I understood the artifact in my backpack might cause concern, so I prepared myself to explain what it was. Sure enough, when my bag went through the scanner, a red light lit up and a buzzer sounded. Two security guards asked me to step aside while they looked inside my backpack. I did as they instructed, smiling of course to not increase their concern, and watched a guard take the artifact out. This will be interesting. The guard examined the artifact with a confused expression.

"What is this Señor?" the guard asked.

"Oh, that ... it's a souvenir I purchased from an artist friend of mine in Puno."

The security guard called a couple of his buddies over to take a look and they all began conversing among themselves in Spanish. Even though I don't speak Spanish well, I could tell by their body language that they were not only confused, but also didn't know what to do with a 12 inch transparent rod being brought aboard an airplane.

One of the guards ran a metal detector wand over it a couple of times. After a few minutes, and more discussion in Spanish, the guard returned the artifact to my bag. He thanked me for visiting his country, apologized for the delay, and waved me through the gate to board my flight.

It wasn't long before the plane was airborne. I decided to take a long nap, hopefully all the way to Las Vegas. I must have been really tired, because when I opened my eyes, I was looking at the Vegas tarmac – that was a very long nap.

My legs felt like rubber from sitting so long. I wasn't sure if I could stand without falling into another passenger, but did okay, thus managing to keep my dignity. The stewards said their typical, "Bye bye, enjoy your stay," and I was off to catch a cab.

When I stepped outside of the airport, there were five cabs lined up waiting for business. Unfortunately for me, I happened to get a cab with its air-conditioning not working – not a lucky sign for being in Vegas. It was a hot night with enough humidity to soak an Olympic sized pool. All I could think of was air conditioning and an ice cold beer.

The cabby pulled up to the hotel entrance and said, "Stay cool if you can man."

I smiled, barely, and quickly paid the cabby so I could get out of the sauna posing as a cab. When I walked into the hotel lobby, a sudden change in air temperature stopped me in my tracks. I closed my eyes taking in deep breaths of the welcomed air conditioning when a hotel worker asked if I was alright.

"I am now," I said and opened my eyes, then walked to the front desk where a middle-aged women greeted me.

"Good evening sir, do you have a reservation?

"Yes, I do. It's under the name Jonathan Willington."

The clerk typed my name into a computer as I thanked the stars above for whoever discovered air conditioning.

"Room 1301 Mr. Willington, but maintenance is currently repairing your room air conditioner. We weren't expecting you for several hours sir."

Say it isn't so. I felt a panic attack coming on.

"It's being repaired?" I asked in disbelief. "And it's going to take a couple of hours? Are there any other rooms available?"

"No sir," she replied. "Please accept our apologies and free admission to the show beginning in the main theater at 8:00. It begins 45-minutes from now."

The desk clerk looked at the ticket and moved her eyebrows up, then smiled and handed it to me.

"Wow, a front row center seat sir. How unusual given the show is also fully booked," she said, then handed me what looked like a poker chip.

"Please also accept this token for food and refreshments at the bar. It's complimentary, no charge of course."

Not bad. I get a dinner and show, all for a little bit of sweat – actually, a lot of sweat.

I accepted the hotel's consolation gifts and went to the hotel bar. A cold beer sounded like what any good doctor would order for a man who lost five pound in sweat. After I had a beer and a steak sandwich, I felt almost human again. I thanked the bartender and gave him my token, then headed out to find the theater. People were pouring in to a large open area having their tickets punched – that was easy to find.

I fell in line with the human tide and entered an impressively sized theater able to hold 3,000 people easily. I showed my ticket to one of the doormen who looked at the seat location.

"VIP," the doorman said and motioned to a young lady who would show me to my seat.

"Right this way sir," she said, then led me to a front row center seat. "Enjoy the show sir."

I thanked her and sat in my seat while extending my feet outward like I owned the place. I kept feeling the side of my backpack every few minutes to be sure the artifact was still there. It's not every day someone carries an ancient artifact and scrolls around in a backpack, especially in a city where a few drinks and a poker table could easily gamble it away.

The show began in a typical fashion, albeit my first, but I do occasionally watch television and understood the basics. Lots of girls were dancing in skimpy costumes, feathered hats, sequins glittering, and music filled the theater with sound only a live orchestra could produce.

The first half of the performance lasted about 30 minutes. Once the dancing girls exited, a tall lanky man came out from a side curtain. He asked if everyone was enjoying the show and received enthusiastic clapping and several whistles from the audience.

"Well then, if you enjoyed the show thus far, you will love what is in store for you during intermission," the man said. "It is my pleasure to present to you, in his first ever performance, a man who defies the natural order of our world. Indeed, you won't believe your eyes. Please welcome Jules the Elementalist."

People began to clap as a man walked out to the center of the stage and stopped directly in front of me. The performer was average height with white hair tied into a ponytail that fell nearly a foot below the collar of his dark colored suit. He looked out at the audience with no expression whatsoever, which surprised me being because he was a performer. You'd think a little smile would be a standard procedure in Vegas shows, but Jules the Elementalist was absolutely stone faced.

"Welcome," the performer said, then raised his hands above his head.

Long sheets of colored silk shot out of the entertainer's jacket sleeves and floated above his head. A moment later, a gust of wind appeared from nowhere carrying the sheets over the audience, circling and dipping in every direction. There must have been 100 sheets whipping around making a fluttering sound that were not more than 20 feet above us. As fast as it started, the sheets returned to the performer and disappeared back inside his sleeves.

Cool trick. I wonder how he concealed so many sheets in such a tight suit jacket.

The audience erupted into a loud applause while the performer folded his hands and placed them in front at waist height.

"You believe this was magic," he said. "As you understand such things, perhaps. What you actually experienced was a manipulation of energy that exists in everything surrounding us. The natural or classical elements as you might say."

Ah, thus the name Jules the Elementalist. Is elementalist even a real word?

"Another illustration," he said, then looked at a young girl about ten years old sitting two seats to my left. "Child, I know what you dream of when sleeping. You have drawn many pictures of what you wish to be true and pretend your dreams are real."

This is when I first noticed the performer's brilliant blue eye color, which pierced the air with intensity without blinking. The young girl smiled while looking at her mother and then back at the performer.

"So be it," the performer said, maintaining his stone face gaze, then stepping back several feet.

Jules the Elementalist raised his right hand at shoulder height, muttered something too soft to hear, and a bright green sheet of silk flew out his sleeve. It was a very large sheet and it circled him several times before moving to his right whirling in long circular motions. The bottom of the sheet dragged across the stage and the top rose up twenty feet. I once again wondered how he hid this in his jacket. All of a sudden, the sheet shot up into the air out of sight revealing a white horse with a spiral horn coming out of his head. It was a unicorn, or a horse with a Styrofoam horn glued to his head. The horse bobbed its head up and down snorting breathes while pawing the stage with one hoof.

The audience gasped and the little girl's smile turned into a look of amazement with her mouth wide open. Jules looked at the young girl and said, "See child, what you dream of is indeed real."

The girl began laughing and applauding as did the audience. In a flash, the green sheet descended from above and danced around the unicorn, horse, or whatever. After several fast circles around the animal, the sheet vanished up the performer's sleeve from where it came and the horse was gone.

Now that's an Impressive trick.

"How many of you truly understand nature's wonders or remember what you know deep inside is true?" Jules asked, then looked directly at me, his eyes even more piercing than before.

"What do you believe sir?" he asked me. "Do you remember what you have always known to be true?"

Okay, Jules is a weirdo. I tried not to blink in a vain attempt to stare him down. It didn't work. I blinked.

Jules moved his gaze back to the audience and said nothing while a sheet, this time red in color, shot out from somewhere behind him and began circling him. After a few moments, the sheet shot up into the air and disappeared, as did Jules. The audience again gasped in surprise, then fell into silence. A few hands began to clap and the entire audience joined in while dancers flowed back onto the stage with music playing.

I bet there is a trap door on the stage, but if there was, I can't see it. How in the world did he do that?

Too bad the magic act was so short. I would have enjoyed watching Jules show us more tricks despite him creeping me out with his stare.

It was getting late, so I decided not stay for the remainder of the show. I needed a good night sleep since my flight to New York would be boarding at 7:30 AM, which meant an early wakeup call. After the front desk confirmed that my room was ready, I headed up the elevator and was please to easily find my room. A sign posted on the hallway wall showed me that my room was to the left, and as one might hope after a long day, just a couple of doors down the corridor.

Hotels all use electronic card locks now on their room doors. I never trusted these things and thought some wiz-kid with a tablet and Mission Impossible code breaker might find a way in. To make my paranoia even more acute, I reminded myself that I was carrying an ancient artifact pre-dating the history of modern man, and to combat the unseen enemy – teenage wiz-kids – I decided to keep the artifact in arm reach at all times.

As hotel rooms go, my room was exceptionally nice and clean. It had a large king sized bed with a fresh pillow and new bed covers. Equally satisfying was seeing clean white towels neatly folded to welcome guests and a wall caddy filled with dispensable soap and shampoo. The very thought of taking a long hot shower and having a clean bed to pass out on was almost too much to good to be true.

# Chapter 4

There are few things in this world as good as a hot shower, but at the moment, I couldn't think of anything even remotely close. Without hesitation, I undressed and soaked myself in a long hot liquid piece of heaven for what had to be at least 40 minutes. All the aches and pains washed away while my mind relaxed as best possible knowing what I discovered.

When I opened my shower curtain, I couldn't see anything because there was so much steam – it looked like a foggy bog. I had to feel my way along the wall to turn on the ceiling fan and vent the steam out. The artifact was still safe in my backpack sitting next to the towel rack, albeit a little wet from all the moisture.

"Arms reach ... keep the artifact at arms reach," I muttered.

After completing all the nighttime procedures one does before going to sleep, I grabbed my backpack, placed it next to the bed, and pulled the sheets up to my chin. I was in a state of bliss and just closed my eyes when the phone rang. I looked at my watch showing it was 11:30 PM. Really, someone is calling me now at this hour. I considered whether or not I should answer, probably a wrong number, but I answered with obvious irritation in my voice.

"This better be good."

"Um ... excuse me Mr. Willington, sorry for disturbing you at this hour. There is a package at the front desk addressed to you marked urgent. I thought you would want to know."

"Who is it from?"

"I don't know sir. There is no return address or anything indicating who it is from. You will need to signed for it sir."

"Alright, I'll be right down."

I got dressed and stuck the artifact under my coat in the small of my back, like someone might do when carrying a concealed pistol, then headed to the lobby. While in the elevator, I began thinking about the series of incredible events that occurred over these past couple of days.

What happened at the Gate of the gods? Are the scrolls a warning? How is the Galactic Alignment related?

There was no Armageddon or significant world event when the Mayan calendar ended on December 21, 2012. What does it all mean?

"Lots of questions and no answers," I muttered, watching the elevator numbers count down to the lobby.

Gaining an understanding of what the etched symbols on the artifact meant dwarfed all my other concerns. Until that mystery was solved, nothing else would make any sense.

The front desk clerk recognized me from checking in earlier. "Mr. Willington, please accept my apology again for placing a call to your room so late."

"No problem," I said.

There was not much time before having to get up for my flight, so I wasn't overly concerned about offending the clerk. My mouth may have said no problem, but my mind was saying: get on with it lady.

"Please sign here sir."

I signed a form and the clerk handed me a small package. It was one of those mailer envelopes with an inside layer of bubble wrap. Everyone says they hate hearing bubble wrap being popped, but everyone still does it, so in keeping with tradition I popped a couple bubbles myself. The clerk looked up and smiled.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," I said, smiling back at the clerk. "It's been a long day."

Inside the envelop was a small quarter sized stone attached to a silver necklace. For a second I thought the stone glowed and felt a slight static shock.

"What in the world is this?" I asked, again gaining the clerks attention.

"Is everything alright sir?"

"Are you sure that you didn't see who left this for me?"

"I am sure sir, it just appeared on the counter top while I was keying information into my computer. One moment the counter was clear, the next your package was on it."

"Okay, thank you."

I held the necklace in my hand as I rode the elevator up to my room. It was intricately designed with a silver clasp on top of a deep blue stone and that six thin silver strips wrapped around it. Both the silver and stone looked high quality and there were strange markings on them.

Maybe it's more than a trinket. Nah, someone must be playing a gag on me, perhaps Jackie my lab assistant ... but she doesn't even know I'm in Las Vegas.

After entering my room, I placed the artifact back in my backpack next to the nightstand and continued admiring the craftsmanship of the necklace. Whoever owned the necklace will be looking for it early tomorrow after realizing the package was addressed to me in error. Right now, finely crafted jewelry was not on the top of my list of things to be concerned about. I placed the necklace on the nightstand next to my watch and was ready to call it a night – again.

A do not disturb button on the phone caught my attention. I thought about pressing the button so no additional calls could come through, but that would also prevent my wakeup call, so I left it alone. After a good yawn, I decided everything could wait until tomorrow morning and resumed what I hoped would be a comfortable uninterrupted rest under warm bed sheets. I reached over the bedside again, feeling into my unzipped backpack to reassure myself the artifact was still there. Yup, all is good, and seconds later, knock, knock, knock. Someone was at the door.

"You've got to be kidding," I said while thrashing my arms and legs, which tossed the sheet and blanket onto the floor. I got up and peeked through the tiny glass hole on the door and saw a man standing on the other side. It looked like the magician from the show.

"You got the wrong room buddy," I said.

The man lifted his eyes up as though he could see me through the other side of the peep hole, which startled me and I instinctively stepped back.

"Sir, I need to speak with you about the amulet you picked up at the front desk."

"Amulet ... ah, the necklace. Yea, okay. Hold on and I'll get it."

I put my pants on and picked up the amulet thinking again that I saw it glow a little. I opened the door and there was no one there. Must be sleep depravation. I closed the door and double locked it. When I turned around, I saw the magician sitting in the chair facing the door.

"What the hell ... how did you do that?" I asked, pointing to the door.

"My name is Kyiel. I am here to assist you in your journey of recognition," he said.

"Recognition? Look pal, I don't know what you're selling, but I'm not buying. I also make it my policy to steer away from lunatics, especially those who break into my hotel room trying to sell me some motivation program, or whatever it is you're selling."

Granted, this guy has some talent on stage, not to mention accessing electronic door locks, but he must have a screw or two loose in his head. I turned and opened the room door.

"Now, get the heck out of my room," I said and turned pointing to the hallway.

When I turned back around to where the guy was sitting, he was gone – again. I mean poof, no where to be seen gone. I must be dreaming. I slapped myself thinking it would wake me up if I was dreaming.

"Ouch ... not a dream," I muttered. "Maybe I'm hallucinating."

My room was small with nowhere to hide, except maybe under the bed, which is the first place I checked. Nope, no one there ... thank goodness, that would have been beyond freaky strange. I checked the window, which was not really necessary because my room was on the 13th floor with no fire escape, but wasn't taking any chances. I scratched my head and thought a hallucination was the only rational explanation.

I heard the guy's voice again and jumped tangling myself in the window blind pull cord. The guy was not in sight and I could not determine where his voice was coming from. It sounded like someone was speaking in a tunnel with an echo.

"Azul, you must keep the amulet with you at all times," the voice said. "Wear it always. Only the amulet can protect you during recognition."

"Where the hell are you?"

"They know you have returned Azul and will try to destroy you," the voice warned.

"Who the heck is Azul? Oh, I get it. This is one of those hidden videos pranks, right? Am I on television?"

There was no response. I stood still for a moment in silence thinking that jolt I got at the Gate of the gods did some neurological damage. First thing to do back in Boston is see a doctor. My heart was pounding and adrenalin raced through my system as though I drank a pot of coffee. I checked the room again, even under the bed, and found no one anywhere in the room.

What did this guy call himself? Kyle, Cal? No, it was Kyiel. I thought his name was Jules.

I was still holding the necklace in my hand and expected to see something weird happen, like more glowing, but it appeared completely normal. Not surprisingly, I felt the urge to get as far away from my hotel room as possible, so I grabbed my backpack and rode the elevator down to the lobby. I tried to convince myself along the way I imagined the whole thing, or maybe I was sleep walking.

"Right, just my imagination getting the better of me," I muttered sarcastically. "Okay then, it must be a gag."

I exited the elevator and walked over to the front desk where a man was now working.

"Can I help you sir?"

"I hope so. There was a stranger was in my room."

The clerk frowned. "A man was in your room sir?"

"Yes. He called himself Kyiel, but it was that Jules guy from the magic act in your show earlier this evening. His stage name was Jules the Elementalist."

The man raised his eyebrows. "A magic act?. I'm afraid you must be mistaken sir. We have not had any magic acts here at the Sierra for sometime now, at least a year or two."

"No, I'm afraid you're the one who is mistaken. I saw his act from the front row during intermission. He was introduced as Jules the Elementalist and did floating sheets with unicorns and stuff."

Just then I realized how crazy I sounded. The clerk cleared his throat and blinked several times.

"You say this person was in your room and calls himself Kyiel?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. He was in my room a few minutes ago."

"In room 1301? Uninvited?"

"Yes and yes," I answered, irritated with the line of questioning.

The clerk looked at me like I was at a DUI stop with empty beer cans rolling around the backseat of my car.

"Please wait a moment sir while I check," he said, then keyed something into his computer. "I'm sorry sir, we have no guests or anyone registered at the hotel named Kyiel or Jules. Perhaps you are mistaken."

I gritted my teeth. "I am not mistaken and I am not crazy. A guy broke into my room. It was the same guy doing all that hocus pocus crap in your show tonight."

The clerk frowned again. "Should I call for hotel security sir?"

"No, that won't be necessary."

The last thing I needed now was for more people thinking I was a crackpot. It would be better to let the clerk believe I had too much to drink.

"Do you have any other rooms available?"

"No sir, we are fully booked."

I shook my head and went back to my room. If I wasn't hallucinating and don't have brain damage, that means I have a ghost or freaky magician stalking me.

I was a bit jittery and dropped the electronic card key trying to open my room door. Once inside, I again looked in the closet, bathroom, and of course under the bed. No spooky guy was found. I double locked the hotel door and peeked outside the peep hole to the hallway. No one was there.

Get a grip. There are no such things as ghosts. Maybe a freaky magician stalker, but not a ghost.

This time I kept a light on and held the artifact in my hand. I figured the solid artifact would knock Kyiel's teeth out should he return. Using an artifact as a weapon was, of course, a last resort. I'd hate to break something this old, especially if swinging at hallucinations and hit a wall.

My eyes remained wide open for about an hour, but I finally did fall asleep and began dreaming. At first my dream was disjointed as usual. You know, one moment walking down a street, the next sitting on a mountain top watching eagles fly by. It wasn't long before my dream got strange when everything went black. I could hear myself breathing, but saw nothing.

A light began to emerge with clouds passing all around me. It became brighter, like mid-day, and I realized I was flying through clouds at an increasing speed. All I could see were clouds, then I heard a loud crack of what sounded like thunder followed by blinding light. I found myself standing in ... well ... nowhere. There were no doors, windows, clouds, or anything that looked real, just white all around me. I could move around, and I saw my hands and feet, but there was no place to move to. Everything was the same white nothing.

I heard something from behind, and when I turned around, there was Kyiel wearing the same emotionless expression and dressed in a white suit.

"You again. First you break into my room and now you're in my dreams. How about cutting me a little slack here pal and let me go back to flying in clouds and sitting on mountain tops."

"Azul, I am binded to you and am your guide. I will assist you during recognition."

"Really? You're my guide? Let's start with telling me why you call me Azul."

"That is your name."

"Okay, I'll play along. I'm all ears pal. Fill me in on why you think you need to guide me anywhere, and then get the heck out of my dream."

Kyiel told me his body perished after a battle on a planet called Zeshtune and that his conscious mind has since been compelled to assist me until the end of days. As he spoke, the whiteness around us began to take form and dark clouds with lightening filled the sky above with mountain ranges below.

We drifted to a large plateau where two men were finishing their ascent up a mountain path. One of the men was Kyiel, who looked very much the same as he did now, except for being dressed in a white robe draped with a blue sash. The other man appeared much older with long white hair waving in the wind. He wore the same garment and held a staff in his right hand.

As we got close enough to see details, I noticed both men had blue eyes that glowed with an unnatural brilliance. Kyiel was a few steps behind the older man when he stopped and called out to him.

"Azul ... I can go no further. I am sorry, but I can not join you in this battle."

The other man turned to face Kyiel. "You must not do this Kyiel. You will suffer tremendous consequences if you fail to join in battle. You know this and must not make the wrong choice when our people need us most."

"It is a choice already made Azul. You have sensed this and know it to be true."

At that moment a dragon carrying a rider dressed in black and red robes swooped down from the sky toward Azul. The rider lifted a large sword over his head poised to strike, and as the sword swung down, Azul turned and blocked the blow with his staff. An ear piercing crack of thunder sounded and sparks flew into the air when the staff and sword met, knocking Azul off his feet. He pointed his staff at the dragon and shouted, "Aknor stellara."

Lightening fell from the sky onto the top of Azul's staff and he shouted, "Aktum," which redirected the lightening toward the rider and encompassed him and the dragon in bright blue-white light. The dragon roared in pain, drowning out any sound its rider made, and both exploded in a flash creating smoke trails that fell to the ground.

Azul turned back to Kyiel, but he was gone. He shouted out Kyiel's name while moving closer to the cliff's edge where they had ascended. There was no response nor any sign of Kyiel as wind whipped furiously in the air and thunder and lightening grew louder in the sky. Azul called out again to Kyiel, but there was still no response nor was his companion anywhere to be seen.

Azul frowned, then he turned to face the battle waging at the center of the plateau. His face stiffened and he charged into hordes of monsters of all sorts. As he ran, Azul rotated his staff in circles above his head while shouting words to difficult to distinguish over the battle cries and roaring wind. Bright blue-white lights flowed out of his staff and cut through the monsters, turning them to flames and ashes. The images then faded and I was back in the white place feeling a little motion sickness.

"You were right about the consequences of my decision," Kyiel said.

"I was? Are you saying the old guy shooting those bolts of lightening out from his staff was me?"

"That is correct Azul."

Kyiel explained how he no longer had any concept of free will and was compelled to serve me because of his decision on the Zeshtune battle field.

"I stood with others who watched the battle, choosing neither side, and have remained a construct without physical form even since. I have served you Azul during many recognitions over millenniums and will continue to do so until the end of days."

"Let me get this straight. You have served me for millenniums, like in one-thousand year millenniums, and you say this recognition thing has happened before?"

"That is correct. The battle on Zeshtune occurred long ago. This in one of thousands of recognitions you have completed in years past. Your last recognition occurred 25,000 years ago."

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. "So you're saying we are thousands of years old?"

"We are among many who have existed over eons of time."

"Really pal? I'm only 32 years old, so if I'm so old, where have I been all this time?"

"You last lived on this planet for nearly 600 years during your last construct."

"Construct ... what is that?"

"It is the coalescence of universal elements that give you physical form. In between recognitions, you possess no physical form and your conscious mind sleeps in your amulet. The form you have now was constructed 20 years ago. You began aging at 12 years in age, which is why you have no memories of your existence prior to that age."

I grinned. "Well then, since we have some sort of magical power, perhaps you wouldn't mind conjuring up a burger and fries? After all, this is some kind of crazy dream, so why not get us some fast food so I can enjoy the ride?"

Apparently, my dream pal Kyiel was not familiar with sarcasm because he didn't even smile. Kyiel then told me that the process of recognition would take time due to the limited capacity of human like brains, even it was a construct. He also told me I would not be able to master the full knowledge that I once had in my original form.

"You will become more aware of who you are and what your purpose is with each passing day," he said. "In time, you will reacquire more of your ability to protect yourself, mankind, and Zeshtunians on this plain of existence. The amulet that you carry was made by you on Zeshtune and carries great power. You must keep it with you always to protect you through recognition and thereafter."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that there are others like us?

"There are many, but none possess your ability and knowledge. While you are powerful Azul, always remember that your physical form can still be destroyed. Should this happen, the inhabitants of this world will fall to the Darkzon."

Things went black and I was then surfing in Hawaii. One minute I'm fighting dragons, the next I'm shooting the waves off Maui – go figure. Maybe next time I might fight sea serpents while surfing and drinking a margarita. I was beginning to enjoy this crazy dream, until the phone rang.

"Good morning sir. It is 5:00 AM. As instructed, we will have hotel transportation waiting to take you to the airport in one hour."

I thanked the clerk for the wakeup call and stared at the ceiling thinking about my crazy dream. Normally, I don't recall many details of my dreams. The dream I had last night was fresh in my mind. In fact, I could recall every detail and it seemed very real.

# Chapter 5

Honestly, if anyone had magical powers, they'd hit all the casinos and drain them dry at the poker tables. Okay, I probably wouldn't, but it's a tempting thought and made me smile as I envisioned myself rolling in plies of money. I picked up the amulet from the nightstand and stared at it. If this amulet is authentic and as old as my dream pal Kyiel says, I'll be a wealthy man if no one claims it. I've seen many fakes in my time and this thing looked brand new and real.

After a good stretch, I got out of bed and took my backpack, artifact, and amulet with me to the bathroom. Arms reach, I reminded myself, then hung the amulet on the bathroom door hook and placed the artifact inside my backpack on the floor. I was in my shower for only a couple of minutes when I heard what sounded like my hotel room door closing. I turned off the water to hear better, but it was quiet.

"Hello, is anyone there?"

There was no response. I looked out from behind the shower curtain and saw the amulet glowing on the door hook. I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was seeing things, and when I looked again, the amulet had stopped glowing. I wrapped a towel around my waist and opened the bathroom door and saw my bed mattress overturned, draws pulled out, and other things tossed around.

How could anyone get in with the door latched from inside, and what were they looking for? Enough, I'm getting the heck out of this place.

I got dressed, gathered my things, and exited the room to checkout. About twenty feet down the hallway, I suddenly felt nauseous, so I went back to my room, kneeled on the bathroom floor with my face hugging the toilet ready to ... wait ... the nausea stopped. I splashed some water on my face and then noticed the amulet's reflection in the mirror – it was glowing brightly, but dimmed when I turned to look at it. I had accidentally left the amulet behind when I bolted out of the room.

It did glow. I wasn't seeing things and am not going crazy.

I placed the amulet in my pant pocket and again left the room, hopefully for the last time. I didn't mention the condition of the room when checking out because of my complaint last night. If they didn't already think I was crazy last night, they certainly would now if I told them someone broke into my room again while the door was securely locked. Hopefully, I would not get billed for anything since the room was only messy and not damaged.

"Thank you for your stay with us at the Sierra Mr. Willington. Your limo is waiting out front sir," the clerk said.

I nodded and returned her smile thinking to myself this place would never see me again. I'm not superstitious, but things were a bit too spooky for me at the Sierra.

"What happened in Las Vegas, better very well stay in Las Vegas," I muttered, then exited the hotel where a long stretch limo was waiting.

Alright, things are looking up.

As I approached the limo, I heard a voice call out from several cabs behind.

"Mr. Willington, over here sir."

I should have known the sweet ride wasn't for me – too good to be true.

The driver of the cab was an attractive young lady, shoulder length chestnut colored hair, average height of about 5' 7", and wearing black dress pants and navy blue jacket. As I got closer, I saw she had the same brilliant blue eyes as my dream pal Kyiel.

On second thought, the cab is not such a bad idea because the limo driver looked like he overdosed on steroids and belonged to the Russian mob. In any case, having a pretty driver with a great smile would do just fine.

"How are you today sir?" the driver asked.

"I'm okay I guess, thanks."

I sat down in the back and she closed the door. When I looked out of the window I noticed someone wearing a hooded robe, like one of those monks wear in medieval movies. The robe was a dark grayish color and covered the face, hands, and feet of whoever was wearing it. The monkish character was just standing there staring at the cab and no one seemed to notice. Maybe he's an entertainer for one of the shows.

"Just a few moments longer sir, the traffic lane is moving along now."

"Excuse me driver. Is that person standing next to the front entrance actually a monk or part of a show?"

"Who are you referring to sir?

"That guy over there," I said, pointing to the entrance, and when I turned back to look, the monk was gone. "Never mind, whoever it was, he or she must have went inside the hotel."

"How long will it take to get to the airport?

"About 30 minutes. Don't worry sir, I promise you will get to your destination on time."

I could only see desert in any direction after riding in the cab for 10-minutes and began to think I'd be late for boarding my plane.

"Are you sure this is the way to the airport?"

The driver looked at me from the rear view mirror and then took a sharp turn onto a dusty dirt road causing me to bang my head against the window.

"Hey, what are you doing driver?"

A moment later she stopped the cab suddenly and I lunged forward banging my head again, this time on the on the front seat.

"Damn it driver. If you do that again, you'll be taking me to the hospital instead of the airport."

Almost as fast as I said this, I realized how stupid it was making threats to a stranger in the middle of a desert. Okay, don't say anything more to tick off the crazy cabby. I rubbed my head and the driver turned and looked at me.

"Azul, we knew you returned when you unlocked the Gate of the gods. Kyiel and I have been sent to help you during your recognition."

"What did you say? Do you mean the same nonsense in my dream with the magic guy? And how do know about the Gate of the gods?"

"It wasn't a dream Azul. Everything you experienced last night was real."

"Look lady, the police don't take kindly to kidnapping. I'm a university professor and have friends who are expecting me."

"Are you sure professor? I'm afraid that part of your life is over now and there is no one waiting for you. You must not contact anyone you have known prior to this moment."

"The heck you say," I said and took my phone out of my pocket to call the university.

The driver turned and faced forward while watching me from the mirror. Seconds later, an automated machine answered my call.

"Good morning, thank you calling the Harvard Cambridge campus. If you know your party's extension, please enter it now, or stay on the line for someone to assist you."

I keyed in my office extension and was very happy to hear a familiar voice.

"Hello, this is Jackie Swanson. How may I help you?"

"Thank goodness. Jackie, it's great to hear your voice."

"Who's calling please?

"Jackie, it's me, Professor Willington," I said, followed by a long pause. "Jackie, are you there?"

"Is this some sort of cruel joke? What kind of sick creep would do this?"

"Do what?"

"Listen up creep. Professor Willington died this morning on a flight out of Las Vegas and only a sicko would pretend to be him."

"What? No, Jackie it's me. I'm still in Vegas and haven't even got to the airport yet."

"Don't call back again creep or I'll contact the police," she said and hung up the phone.

I looked up at the cab driver who was still watching me from the rear view mirror. She arched an eyebrow like someone does when saying or thinking that they told you so. I frowned and narrowed my eyes in response.

"What's going on here?"

"Why don't you check the news Professor?"

"The news? What for?"

"Just check it," she said.

I accessed the Boston Globe online from my phone and the front page had a picture of me with a headline announcing: 'Promising young Professor Willington from Harvard dies in plane crash'."

My mouth dropped open. "That's impossible. We just left the hotel not more than 10 minutes ago. My plane hasn't even begun boarding people yet, not to mention I am right here and very much alive."

I looked at my watch which should have shown 7:10 AM or so, but it was 5:10 PM. Ten hours had passed since I left the hotel. That's just not possible. The driver turned around again and looked at me with a smirk.

"The funny thing about time is how relevant it is. Isn't this what your Einstein said? By the way, my name is Alura and I'm here to help you," she said and then muttered something I couldn't hear.

Wind began to swirl around the cab like a tornado. I looked outside and saw blue-white light all around the cab as it lifted off the ground into the air. Seconds later the cab landed back on the ground and the wind and lights disappeared. When I looked out the window, there was no desert. I was now on a mountain plateau covered with snow. The driver exited the cab and opened my door.

"Come on Azul. All your questions will be answered soon."

I must still be dreaming. There's no other explanation. Yea, this is all part of the same crazy dream and I'm still sleeping in the hotel bed.

I smiled. "You're part of my dream, aren't you?

Alura didn't respond, but extended her arm out to suggest that I exit the cab. I stepped out, reluctantly, and followed her to a narrow pathway with walls of granite rising at least fifty feet into the sky. The pathway led to a solid wall of granite about five feet wide and about 100 feet long. Alura looked at me over her shoulder and said, "Follow me", then she vanished through the wall.

Okay, now I'm certain this is a dream.

I heard Alura speak from what sounded like inside the granite wall. "Come on Azul, don't waste time," she said, then her hand came out of the wall, grabbed my shirt collar, and yanked me through the wall into a large opening on the other side.

Dream or not, I was beginning to hyperventilate and felt like everything I ate the last 24 hours was about to exit my body. I looked over my shoulder and the granite wall I was pulled through was still there.

"Relax, you're among friends," she said and walked up stairs leading to another wall.

This wall one was much bigger and had two gigantic columns holding up a monolith slab. After climbing fifty or more stairs, Alura stopped and I noticed she also had a glowing amulet, but hers was on a ring instead of a necklace.

Alura grinned at me and said, "Entrunezum Keob," and the wall got fuzzy and then vanished revealing a large chamber. She then walked through the opening, and this time I followed her without being asked – but I did close my eyes.

The chamber was circular, about 50 feet across, and the ceiling was at least several hundred feet high. At the center of the ceiling was a bright light that created a spotlight effect on the floor of the chamber. Sitting at a half circle shaped stone table were four men and three women. There were also three empty seats to the left and two to the right of the last seated figures. All of them had white hair at or below shoulder length, some pulled back in pony tails, others falling straight down. The men also had white beards of varied lengths and they all had the same brilliant blue eyes as Alura and Kyiel. The man sitting at the center smiled and greeted me.

"Welcome Azul. We have been waiting for your return," the man said, then he looked at my crazy cabby. "Kysna almat Alura."

"Grasna Micha" Alura said, then she bowed and moved off to the side into shadows as Micha spoke again.

"The amulet you have in the small pouch of your garment must be kept with you always."

"Small pouch ... oh, you mean my pocket," I said, trying to appear confident and unafraid. "Can someone please tell me what's really going on?"

Micha pointed to a similar amulet he was wearing around his neck and I noticed everyone sitting with him also had an amulet.

"Put your amulet on now Azul," Micha said. "Do not be afraid. You are among friends here."

I took the amulet from my pocket and placed it around my neck expecting a shock or something worse, but nothing happened. Okay, I'm still alive.

"You must unlock the amulet by speaking the words used when it was first made," Micha said.

"What words might those be?"

"Only you know the words Azul. You made the amulet long ago and only you can unlock its power."

"Sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. I think this is all some of a big mistake. I'm not Azul."

Micha joined hands with his companions and they closed their eyes. I began hearing their voices in my head chanting something, but I could not understand the words. My amulet began to glow blue-white and everything in the room darkened.

I felt as if I was alone and became very relaxed, then heard a new voice begin to take over the chanting. It was faint at first, but as it got louder I began to hear some of the words ... icea ... isha, no it was ichsna. I began to slowly distinguish other words flashing in my mind, and after a number of mispronunciations, I involuntarily shouted aloud, "Icksna, polaratoo, amulatay."

The room lit up again and the seven figures were smiling as blue-white streams of light encompassed me. At first, the light traveled across my chest to my arms, then to my legs, neck, face, and head. I closed my eyes again as chills covered me from head to toe. In my mind I saw the same old man's face from my vision of the battle on Zeshtune with Kyiel. He appeared to be looking at me and spoke.

"Azul, do not be afraid. We are the same you and I, and now exist on the Earth plane once again. There is much to do and no time to doubt who you are or why you're here. Listen to the elders of the Zeshtune Council. Your sister Alura will help you, as will your friend Kyiel. Don't despair and remain strong for the task at hand. Time is short Azul, and the enemy is coming."

The image disappeared, and when I opened my eyes, no one was sitting at the stone table. Alura came out of the shadows and stood in front of me.

"You're my sister?"

Alura smiled and tears filled her eyes. "Dear brother, I waited so long for your return."

I smiled and felt a quiet peace come over me while Alura embraced me, squeezing tightly.

"Welcome back Azul," she said. "Welcome back to Keob."

Alura led me out of the chamber into another room. It looked modern with earth tone colored walls, hardwood flooring, leather furniture, and a large kitchen.

"This is our home at Keob. It is also our safe place, especially while you continue recognition."

"Not bad, not bad at all. Sure beats my place back in Boston by a long shot," I said and Alura laughed.

There was a hot dinner prepared in various sized dishes neatly arranged on the kitchen table. I took a deep breath to take in the sweet aroma.

"Something smells really good," I said, still not sure I wasn't dreaming, but slowly coming around in understanding all this was real.

"Sarila's assistant made us dinner. She is somewhat of a culinary master, which comes in quite handy around here."

"I bet it does. Did she use magic to make all this?"

"No, magic was not used."

Alura explained how magic must not be used for personal gain. Doing so creates some kind of bad mojo that weakens a wizard's ability. She told me wizards could do almost anything to help another person, even whip up nutritional meals if needed, but never for personal satisfaction or vanity. The only exception is if a situation presented itself jeopardizing a wizard's life.

"So, you're telling me that I'm a wizard?"

"Yes, a very powerful one."

I grinned. "Like Merlin in the King Arthur story?" I said, thinking she was kidding me.

Alura laughed. "Yes, but you are a real wizard with extraordinary magical power."

I scratched my head. "Are you sure you have the right guy? I can't even conjure up a microwave pizza."

"Oh, you can do a whole lot more than simple things like that."

"This is a lot to take in Alura. I mean, a few hours ago I was a professor and now you're telling me I'm an all powerful wizard. It's the same kind of crazy stuff that Kyiel told me, but up to now, I thought I was dreaming."

"It's all very real Azul. You are my brother and a powerful Zeshtune wizard."

"Let me see if I got this magic stuff right. I can't conjure up a pizza and six-pack while watching a movie, but if I'm about to take my last breath in a hot desert, magically created water is okay?"

"That's right, you got it. There are other rules we'll discuss later, including rule number one."

"Rule number one? What might that be?"

Alura poked her finger in my chest. "A wizard may never ever use magic to harm any human or other living beings. This is rule number one Azul and there are only two exceptions. The first one is that creatures of the dark are not protected by Zeshtune laws because they kill humans and beings of light. Also, if you have no other choice to preserve a human life, magic can be used to take a life, but there must be no alternative."

Alura sat down at the table to eat and I joined her. She then began to explain how the sole purpose of a wizard's magic was to preserve and protect life. Destroying dark creatures are an exception because their sole purpose is to destroy life.

"In short, killing bad guys saves good guys," she said.

"What exactly happens to a wizard if he takes a life that is not dark?"

"Taking a human life, or any being of light, would cause all other wizards to have visions of the act. Eventfully, they would find and destroy the wizard responsible in order to restore balance in the magic continuum. Only the Zeshtune council would be able to intervene, which is unlikely. So big brother, unless you have no other choice and can prove it was absolutely necessary, never cause harm to any thing good."

Alura and I finished our dinner and she excused herself to meet with someone named Sarila, who was the person responsible for all this tasty food.

"You clean things up brother. Next time will be my turn. Right now I have to catch up on things, but I'll be back later."

I washed the dishes and placed them in a cupboard while trying to recall things about my past. There were fragments of thoughts all jumbled up like when you almost remember a name or place but can't. After I put the last plate away, I stretched out on the leather couch to relax and recount the events that have turned my life upside down. A few hours ago I was a professor, now I'm supposed to believe that I'm some sort of ancient wizard. It's hard to explain, but it felt good having a sister and an important purpose in my life. It actually feels very real and no longer like some mind melting hallucination.

I soon fell into a deep sleep and for the first time in days felt refreshed and energetic when I woke. I was still alone, which provided me a good chance to explore my new home starting with the refrigerator. A big smile covered my face upon seeing turkey, chicken, roast beef, and ... I blinked my eyes to be sure I wasn't dreaming ... there were several six packs of my favorite domestic beer. Fantastic, I thought as my eyes widened.

Even though I had eaten a few hours ago, my stomach was making noise telling me to eat more. I loaded up a plate with various meats and grabbed a can of beer. Ahhh .. life is good.

On the table in front of me was a note with the name Azul written of the folded half. I unfolded it and saw two words.

"What the heck does 'aptier Kyiel' mean?"

No sooner than I said those two words, Kyiel appeared sitting on the couch in front of me, which startled me enough to cause minor choking on my food and dropping a beer.

"Crap ... what the heck are you doing here?" I asked him, jumping to my feet and wiping spilled beer off my pants. "Are you going to keep popping in without warning?"

"You summoned me," Kyiel replied.

"I summoned you? How did I do that? You mean speaking those words written on that paper called you here?"

"Yes, I am compelled to answer your summon."

I scratched my head again, which I seemed to be doing a lot today.

Just when I was thinking things couldn't get weirder, it does.

# Chapter 6

Alura must have returned while I was sleeping and placed the note on the table. Funny girl ... she knew that Kyiel popping out of nowhere would scare the crap out of me.

"Let me make sure I got this right. What you're telling me is that I can summon you anytime when I say aptier Kyiel?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"What do I say to get rid of you?"

"You simply dismiss me."

"Who came up with this idea?"

"You created the summon spell to preserve your privacy and maintain my counsel," Kyiel said. "Only you can use these words. It will not work for anyone else because the spell is unique to your will and power and not germane to any language or other being."

Pretty cool. This should prove to be handy from time to time, especially with all the questions I have.

"Alright Kyiel, grab some grub and a beer. I have a thousand questions to ask you," I said and drank some more beer, but Kyiel sat motionless on the couch staring at me.

"Hey, don't you know it's rude to watch someone eat, especially after being offered their hospitality? What's wrong, are you a vegetarian or something?"

"No Azul, I am not a being of flesh and do not require sustenance."

I stopped chewing and raised my eyebrows.

"Really? What exactly are you?"

"I am not a corporeal being and have no physical form. I am imprisoned in a limited state of existence on this plane to serve you. Think of me as a collection of molecules arranged in a way to make sense while in the presence of physical beings."

I took another sip of beer emptying the can and thought Kyiel was pulling my leg.

"You're a collection of molecules and not solid? Seriously?"

"Not solid in the sense a corporal being thinks of such things, but I am real just the same."

I got off of my chair and walked closer to Kyiel. His eyes followed me as I looked closely at his face, only a few inches away.

"You certainly look solid to me."

"You are thinking you should be able to pass your hand through me if I am not solid," Kyiel said. "Proceed."

I narrowed my eyes and moved my hand slowly through his head. Swirls of light moved out like air displacing smoke and then reformed back to the shape of his head. I returned to my chair and quietly stared at Kyiel for a minute.

"What exactly did you do to deserve this state of existence? I know the short of it, that something happened at this place you call Zeshtune, but what exactly did you do?"

"Zeshtune is our homeworld where a great battle once took place. It was where choices were made, sides chosen, destinies created, and punishment administered. Dark and light exist throughout the universe, and as with all living beings, Zeshtunians have free will to decide for themselves either dark or light. Most chose light and battled the dark on Zeshtune and have continued doing so through the ages in an eternal struggle of good against evil."

I frowned. "Imprisonment until the end of days seems a bit harsh for getting cold feet during a battle if you ask me."

"You choose light Azul, as did Alura and countless others, but I chose neither light nor darkness. I stood by watching the great battle on Zeshtune unfold and was indifferent to any outcome. The elders and their wizards drove out darkness from Zeshtune to the void of empty space. Those who stood by were spared from the void, but we were condemned to exist in between light and dark until the end of days. I am one of those condemned."

I was feeling a little sad for Kyiel, realizing the punishment explained his lack of emotion and stone like appearance.

"If those who stood by, sitting of the fence so to speak, were condemned to an existence between light and dark, how is it that you are here right now?"

"A few had someone advocate for them to the elders of Zeshtune for mercy and a pathway to undo their punishment. You were my advocate and the council agreed to your plea. I and the others who had advocates have been given a chance to overcome their indifference while existing between light and dark."

"That's a tall order," I said. "Overcoming any shortfall of character would be a difficult task, if not impossible, without having free will. So, you're telling me that I have some clout with these elders?"

"You are the Council of Elder's most honorable colleague and a wizard possessing great power and knowledge. It is because of you that I am here now to serve you."

"Are you saying I am one of those people I saw in the chamber room?"

"Yes, you are an elder and came to this world to protect it from the Darkzon and all those who exist in darkness."

"Are you kidding me? I can't even ride a bike without a safety helmet. I am nobody's hero, believe me."

"There is no other who is more capable than you Azul. You have saved this world many times from the Darkzon and I have been with you for each battle. It will take time for you to realize your destiny and importance in protecting this world. First, you must complete recognition."

"Who exactly are the Darkzon?"

"They are beings from another world who harbor great evil towards all beings of light. Humans are insignificant to them and only slaves to do their bidding while they are here on Earth."

This was a lot to take in. I asked Kyiel to leave so I could think about all he told me. He bowed his head and dissolved into thin air. Feeling confused, I did what anyone else would do in my situation. I grabbed another a couple of beers to engage myself in some serious thinking.

What the heck did I get myself into?

"A little overwhelming, isn't it?" a voice asked.

I looked toward the kitchen and saw Alura grinning. She walked over and sat down on the couch and I tossed her a beer.

"Overwhelming is putting it mildly. I was beginning to understand who I was back in the day, then Kyiel tells me I am one of those spooky people I met earlier in the chamber. If any of this is true, why can't I remember?"

Alura reminded me how long full recognition may take before I could recall much of what has been forgotten. She repeated what Kyiel had told me about a human like mind being unable to store all my past knowledge, both mentally and physically. My brain had to adjust and rewire itself slowly to accommodate even a fraction of my past knowledge.

"Be patient. Let's first start with something simple," Alura said.

"Okay, I'll try almost anything at this point, but keep in mind the adage: 'the simpler the better'."

"Great, that's the spirit. Now, hold out your hand with palm up."

I did as she asked. Alura then focused on her palm and said, "Aknor firster." A baseball sized blue-white flame appeared in the center of her palm. She smiled and said, "Firster Azul," and the flame jumped from her palm to mine. I jerked a little in surprise, but kept my hand extended watching the flame which was neither hot nor cold.

Sure seems real.

"That's because it is real," Alura said.

"What ... does everyone around here read minds?"

Alura laughed. "You will too in time Azul. It's quite simple really. Minds think first and then use words to express thoughts. Zeshtunians learn to hear the mind thinking words before speaking them. It is more intuitive than actually hearing words. Anyone can do it to some degree, but Zeshtunians are much better at it than other races."

"I see. So what are we going to do with this flame in my hand?"

Alura smiled. "Try moving it back to my hand. You already know the words in your memory, and you heard me speak them, so it will be easy for to send the flame back to me."

I looked at the flame and said, "Firster Alura," and the flame jumped back to Alura's hand.

"See how easy it was. Now, create your own flame," she said, extending her other hand palm up, and I did the same.

"Aknor firster," I said and another blue-white flame appeared in my other palm. I then said, "Firster Alura," and the flame jumped to Alura's hand.

Alura laughed and said, "Firster numerat," and the flames split into ten separate smaller flames resting on each of her fingers, then she said, "Firster Azul Alura," and the flames bounced back and forth to our fingers in a progressive wave.

We repeated the game until Alura raised her hands up with all ten flames on her fingers and smiled. She then placed her fingers in front of her face and blew them out like a child would on a birthday cake.

"Did that really happen?" I asked.

"Yes, and it was real fire. It's not hot to our touch, but if focused on a dark being in the right way, it can burn it to ashes. Magic that we create can not intentionally hurt us Azul, which brings us back to rule number one ..."

"I know, I know. Magic can't be used to harm any being of light, especially humans. The only exception is when trying to protect yourself or other beings of light, which even then, will result in being called before the Council of Elders for trial."

Alura reached over and tapped me on top of my head.

"Precisely, well said brother. Another thing you must remember Azul is the amount of power conjured up depends on how much emotion is behind the spell. You should avoid casting spells when angry because it could have very destructive consequences. A wizard might want to scare away an agent of darkness with a simple fireball, but it could end up destroying an entire building or city block if the spellcaster's anger is not controlled."

"Good to know," I said.

"This is important Azul. You don't realize it yet, but when you unlocked your amulet in the chamber room, all its power stored for thousands of years rejoined with your human form. It is in you now and will remain there for as long as you live in this form."

"Okay, I got it. That brings me to another question. Kyiel told me we have existed for eons. If that's true, where were we before coming to Earth?"

"Zeshtunians have continued to place their conscientiousness inside their amulets ever since the great battle on Zeshtune and return to physical form as needed. Since the great battle, wizards in particular have returned to human form every 25,000 years to battle against the Darkzon. Before your last sleep, you left clues on Earth to lead you back to start your current recognition."

"I left clues?"

"Yes, that is why you chose to be an archeologist. The profession prepared you to find your staff and the Gate of the gods. Once your staff was placed into the Gate of the gods, it announced your return to all Zeshtunians."

Alura also told me that I actually built the Gate of the gods with the Mayans for this specific purpose, which is surprising since I can't even build a house of cards. My skillset was restricted primarily to academics.

"So, how long do we actually live in physical form?"

"Zeshtunian souls are immortal, but being in human form is a fragile state of existence. Magic can heal many injuries, and wizards can live in human form for hundreds of years, but these physical forms will eventually die from either old age or battle wounds. When that happens, our conscience mind is stored in our amulets until the next Galactic Alignment."

"This is all very difficult to accept Alura. I mean, I feel very human and always believed that people only come around once to Earth."

"Yea, I know how weird this all seems. Keep in mind though that your return to Earth is not coincidental to the celestial alignment measured by the Mayan calendar. You already understand that the calendar announces a new beginning, or cycle, not doomsday. The thing is, life on Earth keeps repeating the same cycle galactic cycle every 25,000 years, starting with the powers of light and darkness doing battle. It is our job, especially wizards, to make sure light forces darkness out from the Earth."

"When does this grand battle begin?"

"The time is close upon us and we need to prepare. Humans and this planet will become part of the Darkzon reign if we fail in our mission, but don't worry. There is plenty of time to prepare. Come on, let's go outside and practice some magic."

It was early morning and much warmer than when I first arrived when snow covered the ground. I stretched my hands into the air taking deep breaths and froze still when I saw two moons in the sky. Alura looked up to the sky where I was looking.

"Beautiful, aren't they?"

"I thought we traveled to someplace on Earth, such as the Himalayan Mountains. Guess we're not in Kansas anymore, huh Dorothy?"

"Nope, not even close. We're on Keob, a planet revolving around the sun directly opposite to Earth and at the same speed. Scientists on Earth can't see Keob and are unaware of its existence."

"We're on another planet right next door to Earth? Wow, things just keep going from crazy to crazier."

"We're safe here Azul. Keob has been our home for millenniums and Earth is our sister planet under Zeshtune protection. Come on, it's time for your lesson."

Alura reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring amulet like the one she was wearing and tossed it to me.

I smiled. "Oh, you shouldn't have."

Alura rolled her eyes. "It's your ring Azul. You made it when you made mine, millions of years ago."

I held up the ring looking at the craftsmanship thinking a millions years is a very long time. That may make this the oldest antique in the world, or worlds to be more precise.

"Stop glaring at it Azul and put it on your right hand middle finger. Go on, it won't bite you."

I put the ring on and watched it glow. A tingly sensation flowed through my body, sort of like pins and needles when your foot falls asleep. My attention then drifted back to the two moons above reminding me I traveled to a different planet in a few seconds while sitting in a Las Vegas cab.

Alura told me to summon Kyiel. I looked back from the moons and said, "Aptier Kyiel," and he appeared standing a few feet in front of us.

"Good morning Kyiel," I said. "Long time no see. How long has it been anyway?"

"Azul, you know such things are relative and I do not distinguish between linear expressions of what you call time. However, using Earth time as a measurement, you have been on Keob for two days."

"Two days? How is that possible? I just got here last night."

"Keob rotates four times faster than Earth," Kyiel said. "A full rotation on Keob is completed every six hours Earth time.

"For every day on Earth, four days pass here? Are you serious?"

"One can not measure all time from sunrise to sunset. Time here and on Earth is passing at a different acceleration."

Six of one, half a dozen the other. What's the difference?

"So, if I heard you correctly, you're telling me that in the 12 hours I've been on Keob, two days passed on Earth?"

"That is correct," Kyiel said.

"Doesn't make any sense to me, not to mention defying everything I learn about physics, but you know what? Nothing that has happened to me since arriving in Las Vegas makes any sense."

I shook my head like one of those cartoon characters with their cheeks flapping in the wind and Alura starting laughing. Being on a different planet was more than enough to deal with at the moment, so time and relativity will just have to wait for another day.

"Alright then, let's keep moving along," I said, then pointed up to the sky and looked back at Kyiel. "Come on Kyiel, even you can't be a rainy cloud on such a beautiful day. Look at the sunrise and those two moons."

Kyiel looked to where the sun was rising and said, "I suppose so."

Alura laughed again and told me to stop teasing him.

"Azul, you know he does not understand these things. Even so, he has always been there for you and is a loyal friend."

"Yea, I suppose you're right. Sorry for teasing you Kyiel."

"No need to be sorry Azul. I have no emotional component in my construct."

No kidding. If Kyiel smiled, I think his face would crack.

"He can learn Azul," Alura said. "Why do you think you advocated for him and he was compelled to serve you?"

"He can learn? Exactly how does that work?"

"Never mind for now. We have to begin your training."

I looked at Kyiel who had his eyes fixed on me as usual.

"Well buddy, perhaps one day we'll share a beer together after all."

"Perhaps we will Azul," he replied.

The three of us proceeded down the same path where Alura and I ascended after she kidnapped me. When we reached the bottom, I saw the same cab she used still sitting exactly where it fell out of the sky. It looked out of place under two moons and would drive any scientist back home nuts if spotted from the Hubble telescope.

Who would ever believe it anyway? People would chalk it up to a PhotoShop makeover. That's certainly what I'd believe.

# Chapter 7

"Do you remember the words you used to conjure lightning from the sky and destroy the dark rider on Zeshtune?" Alura asked

"Yes, it was 'aknor stellara'."

"Very good. Try summoning lighting with just enough emotion to turn that bush over there into a fireball."

I looked at the bush Alura was pointing to and raised my hand up toward it. My ring amulet glowed, and I then shouted, "Aknor stellara." A slight rumble of thunder followed, but nothing happened.

Alura told me it does not matter how loud I say the words because, without the right emotion behind the words, it was just noise. She raised her ring amulet to the sky and said in a normal voice, "Aknor stellara," which instantly created a bolt of lightening that bounced off her ring into the bush causing it to burst into flames.

"Show-off," I said and frowned a little. "Remind me to never get you mad sister."

Alura smiled. "Yea, that is a good thing to remember brother."

"Hey, this magic sure beats playing bounce the fire from our fingers, don't you think?"

Alura grinned. "I suppose it does. Okay, now you try. Remember to focus on your emotion in proportion to the size of your target. Focus on the bush over there."

"Okay, here goes."

I pointed my ring at the bush and said, "Aknor stellara," in a more moderate tone. A bolt of lightning raced down from the sky, bounced off my ring to the bush, and instantly turned it into smoldering ashes.

"Not bad hotshot," Alura said.

"Yea, it was pretty good," I said, feeling strangely comfortable with using magic, certainly more so than what one might have expected.

"Indeed, an impressive beginning," Kyiel said.

"Did Kyiel just give me a compliment? Kyiel, I do believe you expressed some emotion, albeit without a smile."

Alura laughed and punched me in the shoulder. Kyiel just stared at me as if he had no idea what I was talking about.

"Come on, the light of day runs short on Keob and we have much more to do," Alura said. "Follow my lead and do what I do."

Alura pointed her ring at a small pool of water about 50 feet away and said, "Hydlama." Water began to rise swirling up into a cone high in the air. She began making small circle motions with her fist closed and the cone of water circled above us. When she stopped moving her fist, the water stood still except for some small splashes casing a drizzle. Alura then took a step to one side and lowered her arm in my direction causing the water to pour down and completely soaked me.

I stood there with my mouth open in shock while Alura broke out in hysterical laughter, nearly falling on the ground from amusing herself. She pointed her finger at me, then bent over and continued laughing.

"Not very funny and a bit immature," I said.

Alura straightened up and stopped laughing, for a moment. I could tell she was trying to hold her laughter back and her grin left no doubt she would fail. She burst into laughing again.

"Oh, you want a water fight do you?" Fine little sister. Game on."

I pointed my ring at another pool of water and said, "Hydlama," causing the water to rise to a cone shape, then moved my hand in Alura's direction. The water hovered over her head about 20 feet high, but she didn't seem concerned and arched her eyebrow in a way that told me, 'go ahead buster, I dare you'. I raised my eyebrow back at her and grinned, then let my arm fall to my side. The water came rushing down, but before it could soak her, she raised her arm up creating a shield that deflected all the water back on top of me. Not a single drop of water touched her, but I got soaked again.

"Well brother, at least you won't need to take a shower today," she said, still laughing, but managed to regain her composure and explained. "Our amulets recognize danger when present and will protect us if necessary. This small amount of water can not harm us and our minds know it, thus so do our amulets. The exception is when a wizard suddenly moves or acts in a reflexive manner, which raises our defense shield. I guess I forgot to mention this," she said with a mischievous grin.

"I guess you did. What else have you forgotten to tell me?" I asked, shaking water from my drenched clothes.

"A girl doesn't share all her secrets, especially with the grand wizard of Zeshtune. What fun would that be?"

Over the next few days, my training included shooting lightening bolts from the sky, exploding rocks, moving water through the air, but nothing could prepare me for the monsters Alura and Kyiel described. Not just one type, but all the ones in every child's worst nightmares: vampires, werewolves, witches, zombies, ghouls, and more. Alura told me that these monsters are agents of the dark and those who do battle with them are of the light.

Makes sense. Dark versus light is the foundation of most human belief systems.

At first I believed Alura were exaggerating, but she wasn't. The library on Keob is filled with the history of monsters, including how they came to be and why they're here. What was most frightening is that these creatures have been among us everyday of our lives. They work in offices as accountants, customer service reps, musicians, even at McDonalds.

Hmmm ... I wonder if that freaky Paul guy who worked at the university library was a zombie. He never said a word, was pale skinned, and moved like a tortoise. I guess I'll never look at people the same way from now on.

Alura explained how some dark use glamour to hide themselves from humans, which is an illusion in appearance only. While someone might see a perfectly healthy and attractive person, they could very well be a dark grotesque being that sucks the life out you during an office break. She also told me that wizards can detect their presence when in close proximity, and when really close, glamour spells won't work. Amulets, as it turns out, are an extension of a wizard's internal magic and warn of the dark by increasing apprehension, such as raising neck hairs or causing nausea.

Once the dark are revealed, their auras can be seen when a wizard narrows his eyes to focus. Auras come in different colors depending of what the creature is: vampires are red, werewolves are yellow, witches are dark grey, and so on. Creatures of the light, such as yours truly, have an aura of blue and white light. Cool detection system, but the kicker is that seeing auras works both ways. If you can see them, they can see you.

"Now comes the interesting part," Alura said.

"Really? Monsters from every possible nightmare are not interesting enough, in a really bad and scary sort of way?"

Alura sat next to me on the couch and placed a large book on my lap. It was old, leather bound, and smelt like a musty antique. I opened it up at the first page and saw a drawing of a werewolf with fangs and long sharp nails extending from each finger. At the top of the page were the letters liciavat, which made no sense to me until they began to swirl in a pattern of smoke that translated the letters to English. The letters read 'lycanthrope', which essential means werewolf. I would soon learn that lycanthropes are the ancient and most deadly of kind of werewolves.

"How does this book work? I mean, those swirling letters."

"It gets much better," she said. "Wizards are able to see any word translated from any language, whether Earthly or from other known worlds. In your case, it translates to English, but there is a more efficient way for a wizard to learn. Reading the old fashion way, page by page, takes too long and is unnecessary."

"What's better than reading page by page?" I asked in a reminiscent tone, being a university professor who poured over journals and books all day long.

"It will be easier to show instead of explaining," she said and placed my hand on the book cover. "Okay brother, close your eyes and say the word 'recalisa'."

"What's going to happen?"

Alura grinned. "Don't be a baby. It won't hurt, I promise. Come on, close your eyes and say the word."

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and said, "Recalisa." Seconds later, I saw a small speck of light in my mind which exploded into a cyclone of yellow lights swirling in all directions. Images of lycanthropes flooded my mind revealing transformations, killings of people, hunting villagers from medieval times, and a host of incantations. The entire history and knowledge of lycanthropes was being downloaded into my brain. As fast as the images started, they ended, and then there was only darkness. I opened my eyes feeling dizzy and started to fall over to the side of the couch. Alura grabbed my arm and pulled me back up.

"What just happened?" I asked.

"You learned all there is to know about lycanthropes in less than five minutes, all 836 pages in fact. It's a wizard's speed reading method that only a professor like you can appreciate."

I still felt dizzy. "Is my head going to explode?"

Alura gave me that don't be a baby look again and said, "Relax, it gets a lot easier with practice."

Alura told me my speed reading ability was more impressive when I was a seated member of the Council of Elders on Zeshtune. During that time, I was able to walk into a library and acquire all the knowledge from every book simultaneously without touching anything. Alura reminded me that human brains are more delicate and I would have to settle for one book at a time, and not too many at once. Finally, my dizziness wore off and I could see more clearly.

"So, what happens if I mind melt with too many books at once?"

"Mind melt ... really Azul?"

"Hey, just asking. After all, we're talking about my head here."

Alura smirked. "At first, you'll just get a massive headache, then a nose bleed, and perhaps you'd faint," she said. "Don't worry too much because fainting is how magic protects you from having your brain explode."

I frowned. "Are you serious?"

"Let's not find out, okay?"

Okay then one book at a time it is.

Alura got up off the couch and pointed to a wall, then said, "There is your personal library. Now, go and learn."

I looked to where Alura was pointing and saw nothing. I walked over to the wall thinking it was an illusion and knocked on it – yup, it's solid.

"Okay smarty pants, what's the trick with this one?"

Alura grinned. "All you have to do is say the magic word to open the door."

I waiting a few moments for her to tell me the magic word, but she only stared at me with a cleaver grin.

"Not this time brother. I used the word you need when we first entered the Elder's of Zeshtune chambers. If you don't remember, you'll have to search your mind for the word. It is there, you only need to recall it from your sleeping memory. Concentrate."

I looked back at the wall and placed my hand on its surface, then closed my eyes. Almost instantly I began hearing sounds, not enough to distinguish at first, but soon could hear and see hundreds of words zipping by like I was racing in a car. I heard Alura telling me to concentrate on entering the library, and as I did, a single word emerged from hundreds off words. I heard how the word should be pronounced.

I said, "Entrunezum," and my hand moved forward through air. I opened my eyes and the wall was gone revealing a massive library. There were at least 20 floors with multiple sections of walls that ran down isles filled with books as far as I could see. At the center of the ground floor was a podium with a single book resting on it's top. Finely crafted designs in gold adorned the book edges and spine. It was exquisitely crafted, measuring two feet square, and I would not venture a guess as to how many pages were inside. On the front cover was a drawing of a man with long white hair holding a staff up toward stormy clouds, clearly a wizard casting spells.

I opened up the book and the first page was blank. When I reached to turn the page, I saw words appear as though someone was writing them in front of me, but no one was there. Normally seeing words appear on blank pages of a book would freak me out, however, this was pale in comparison to everything else I've seen lately. As the words appeared, I heard a man's voice speak each word as if in a theatrical performance.

"Azul, this book is to complete the first of your many recognition phases here at Keob. Remember, a complete recognition will take years, and when you finally achieve it, you will become the leader of your people in fighting against the Darkzon once again. Magic is not enough to win the day, and you will need more than the knowledge in this library or that Kyiel and Alura can provide. You will need courage, conviction, and purpose."

The voice went silent. I turned to the next page and it was blank. I skimmed past a few more pages and they too were blank. I raised my eyebrows, disappointed that the writing had stopped.

That's a lot of book for only a few words written on the first page. Maybe it's broken.

"No, Azul, the book is not broken," the voice said as those same words appeared on the first page.

"Neat trick," I said.

"No, not a trick," the voice said.

The voice responded to what I said or was thinking and were written inside the book. Must be some sort of interactive book.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am you Azul. I am your memories, knowledge, and history. We are one. What you hear is not physical in nature, but a single conscience mind made of three parts: this book, your amulet, and your thoughts."

"Forgive me for saying, but all this kind of goes against what I was raised to believe. You know, God being the Creator, man suffering here on Earth pending judgment, heaven, hell, being born, and dying. There was nothing about other planets, universes, or dimensions."

"The great Creator is He who created all things in the beginning," the voice said. "We are merely servants who battle the dark to help preserve the light as best we can. Earth is where man is tested, protected, and prepared for the end of days, as are all living beings throughout the universe. All what you have come to know, even the role of Zeshtune and Darkzon, is not new to Earth history. The battle continues without pause, and intensifies every 25,000 years according to Earth time."

"25,000 years keeps coming a lot up these days," I said.

"Yes, the people you call Mayans were taught many things about time, science, architecture, and more. Their calendar is one of the measurements used to determine when the Darkzon return and depart from Earth. It was you who showed the Mayans how to construct their calendar at the beginning of the last eternal cycle. Now listen closely Azul. The Darkzon are coming once again and you must prepare yourself."

The voice continued explaining how the Darkzon are pure evil in the darkest sense of the word. These dark creatures only know conquest and placing other beings in slavery and will stop at nothing short of jeopardizing their own survival. Driven by conquest, the Darkzon are relentless, show no mercy, and have many dark allies on Earth who anxiously wait for their return.

"These agents of the dark on Earth will try to destroy you Azul," the voice said.

"Okay, you see ... right there ... the whole thing about my mortality. Kyiel said he has known me for eons and a great battle occurred on Zeshtune many millenniums ago. How is that possible? What am I, some sort of reincarnated thing bouncing around the universe?"

"Not reincarnated," the voice replied. "All souls are forever whether in spirit or physical form. Wizards preserve their souls in amulets when outside their physical forms so the Darkzon will not find them. When they are awakened, wizards return to physical form to once again protect humans on Earth. Time is relative Azul, and when a wizard sleeps for many thousands of years, it is like man sleeping for one night on Earth. Your soul has existed from the beginning when souls were first created."

"The old guy with long white hair and beard fighting a dragon on Zeshtune was really me ... I mean us?

"Yes, the man you saw was your original physical form. At the time of your first sleep, you were already many eons old. You do age, but not in the way you currently understand time. Zeshtunians live for many millenniums on their homeworld before entering sleep. On Earth, however, the aging process occurs much quicker. A wizard on Earth may live hundreds of years, but they will age and die as do all men. Your amulet keeps you safe while awake or sleeping, and during recognition."

"And I signed up for all this voluntarily?" I asked.

"Protecting the Earth from the Darkzon is the purpose you chose to undertake – it was not forced upon you. This has always been as it will always be until the end of days."

"What about Alura. Is she my real sister, and how old is she?

"Alura is indeed your sister, born of the same spiritual union and has always been with you. For these past 100 years, she has prepared for your return and will help you, as determined by the Council of Elders."

"What about Kyiel?"

"Kyiel is your friend and has been with you long before his fall at the great battle on Zeshtune. You can help him Azul. You can help him become what he once was and restore his free will knowing light from dark. He is wise and possesses much knowledge about magic. Kyiel's mind is also not restricted by the limited capacity of the human mind, as you are on the Earth plane."

The voice and I continued in a series of questions and answers until my head started swimming again. I began thinking how nice it was to have been clueless like everyone else on Earth. It was much easier getting up each day, going to work, enjoying simple things, and sleeping without knowing monsters existed. That life is over for me now, and it looked like it could be over soon for everyone if things don't go as the Zeshtune prophecies predicted.

"Azul, it is now time for you to leave Keob and engage in your first battle against the lycanthropes. You already posses the knowledge to defeat them and Alura will help you. When the task is done, return to this room and say the words 'tranpla domas' and your adventure will be recorded in this book. Fear not Azul. I am always here for you, and let's not forget that you're the most powerful wizard Zeshtune has ever known."

The book closed and there was no further conversation. I left the library with many unanswered questions, but also had more answers than before. I knew what the voice told me was true – I mean what my older self said. It was a strange feeling to know Jonathan Willington was actually an alias for Azul. It's even stranger being told I'm a hero wizard destined to save Earth. Like I said, life was much easier a few days ago.

# Chapter 8

The wall of the library reappeared after I entered the living area. I placed my hand on it to be sure it was solid – it was – then turned to see Alura comfortably sitting on the couch reading a magazine. The fireplace had a nice fire going and I could smell the scent of burning wood.

"How did it go?" Alura asked.

"How do you think? Nothing like finding out you're the appointed protector of planet Earth. It was certainly a first for me, and how weird is it talking to a voice from a book large enough to crush a small car."

Alura closed her magazine and grinned. "Yea, I guess it would be a bit unsettling the first time. Don't worry though, you'll get the hang of it with more practice. Once you came into contact with the amulet in Las Vegas, your brain began to rewire itself."

"Rewire? What happens when a brain gets rewired?"

"My goodness brother, you are a bag of nerves, aren't you? Look, you will still be you. Professor Willington is Azul and vise versa, but I do remember you having a better sense of humor during your last recognition. Even so, what's going on is that your brain's ability to store information and develop greater capacity has begun to take shape. With every passing day, you will become stronger and more comfortable with being a wizard. Trust me, I know my brother, professor or not, and we have traveled this path together many times."

Not like I have a choice. Alura kissed me on my check and headed toward another room.

"It's going to be a big day tomorrow preparing to battle the lycanthropes and I'm exhausted. See you in the morning dear brother, or should I say 'great wizard'," she said, then pointed to a door. "This is my bedroom. Yours is over there with the two big doors. Wizards always get the best accommodations."

I grinned. If those doors reflect what the inside of my bedroom looks like, I'm in for a treat."

Alura chuckled a little as she closed her door, obviously knowing what I was thinking.

I opened the double doors expecting to walk into the Waldorf Astoria. It was fairly large, but those mammoth doors were misleading for what was actually a less than humble setting. The room had dark brown colored walls with wide wooden floorboards. If that wasn't gloomy enough, thick dark brown wooden beams were abundantly in place to support the ceiling, making the room look like something out of the middle ages. Candles arranged at several tables lit up as I entered the room, but did little to change the dreary decor.

There was a single leather chair in the middle of the room surrounded by a pentagram with strange symbols along the outside edges. I walked over the circle surrounding the pentagram and was startled when it glowed. I turned and stumbled backward several feet into the chair and the pentagram stopped glowing. After calming down, I walked to the inside edge and jumped over the pentagram outline hoping that nothing would happen, and nothing did. I took a closer look around the room and saw a wall lined with shelves with various sized jars, cans, and small boxes. I didn't investigate any further what was on the shelves because I had enough adventure for one day, plus I was tired and wanted to go to bed.

Wait a minute, where's my freakin bed?"

I turned to face the living area and shouted, "Bet someone else I know has a nice bed, and probably down feathered too."

I scratched my head thinking I'd have to sleep in the chair. A second later, and without uttering a single word, the chair disappeared and an inviting bed appeared in its place, which meant I'd have to cross over the Aurora Borealis again to reach it. I moved to the edge of the pentagram, closed my eyes and hopped over it, then opened one eye a little. The pentagram wasn't glowing, so I opened my other eye and then checked out the bed by pushing my hand on it. After assuring myself it was real, I flopped down on it and quickly fell asleep.

A few hours later I was awakened by what sounded like an animal inside my room. When I opened my eyes, I saw a rooster sitting on a bedroom window watching me. Odd, I didn't notice the window before. There was no sun yet, but enough daylight was beginning to light up outside the window to see chickens running around in a barnyard.

Wait a minute ... I'm sure there was no window here last night. Everything went silent and the window disappeared when I stepped out of bed. No more rooster or chickens either. At the same time, candles flickered on and the room filled with light. Very weird.

I felt fairly rested and decided to check out my bedroom more closely. It didn't take long to decide the room must have been decorated using a Spanish Inquisition mail order catalog. It was hard to believe I once liked dark gloomy decor, but here it is. If it were not for the fact I was going to be sleeping here for who knows how long, I'd definitely give it an 8 out of 10 on the creepy scale.

My bedroom wall got fuzzy and disappeared when I got a couple of feet in front of it. I went into the living area and saw Alura's bedroom door still closed and wondered if she also had a crazy barnyard alarm clock. Not wanting to disturb her, I decided to use the time to ask Kyiel some more questions. After clearing my throat, I looked around to be sure no one was around and said, "Aptier Kyiel."

"Hey buddy, did you get a good night sleep?" I asked.

"Azul, you know that ..."

"Yea, I know, you don't sleep. By the way Kyiel, don't you have any other colors in your wardrobe to choose from? I think dark grey is out of season."

Kyiel didn't respond. I think he was getting use to my sarcasm, even though he had a sense of humor akin to a store manikin. It's hard to think of someone as a close friend who never smiles or doesn't crack a joke once in awhile.

"Today will be your first battle in many thousands of years," Kyiel said. "You will need the tools from your wizard bag to help destroy the lycanthrope pack."

"Tools ... are we going to build cages for these wolves?

"No, not cages," Kyiel replied. "Your wizard bag stores a combination of spells, silver, and wolfsbane which you in the past have called tools. You selected to use this word to avoid others overhearing you say magic or spells, especially when such things resulted in being burned alive or beheaded back in those days."

I grinned nervously. "Okay ... not being thrown into fire and keeping my head sounds like a good reason to keep using the word."

More likely I'd be shot today than burned at stake, which is not much better, but that's beside the point.

"Most important are the water and fire spells, which as you now know, are formidable weapons against lycanthropes," Kyiel said.

"Yea, I remember that from the book Alura gave me. You'll have to show me where my tools are located. I don't remember anything about a wizard bag."

"Your memories will begin to return soon Azul. You must remain patient."

One would think that anyone in their right mind would be scared to death fighting werewolves, or lycanthropes to be politically correct. Strangely, the thought of coming face-to-face with these creatures didn't frighten, but it did fill me with anger. The images I saw when downloading the Wolfpedia book into my brain would make anyone angry. What I saw – men, women, and children being torn apart – was beyond horrifying. These creatures destroyed entire villages and turned innocent people into their kind.

Real lycanthropes are worst than anything Hollywood ever produced. They are six to eight feet tall, 300 or more pounds, and have razor teeth and long claws. They smell like roadkill and have heightened senses making them extraordinary hunters. They're also nearly impossible to kill without lethal doses of silver or having their heads cut off. If that wasn't enough, lycanthropes are able to regenerate damaged tissue quickly, including new limbs. They have weaknesses though, such as not being able to cross running water, and wolfsbane throws their senses off.

What is most scary about lycanthropes is how they evolved. There are two kinds now. The first is the ordinary run of the mill four legged variety seen running free in the Northwestern United States woodlands. The second is a more cunning creature able to shapeshift and blend in with society. Shapeshifters live, work, and even eat fast food, albeit humans are their favorite dish. They also use a glamour spell to hide their stench and true form in order to integrate into society.

"Ready hot shot?" Alura asked as she came out of her bedroom, wearing army fatigues, two swords cross strapped on her back, grenades strung across her chest, and a two Desert Eagles strapped to her legs.

I felt quite underdressed wearing jeans and an untucked t-shirt. Did I miss the war fashion memo?

"Damn Alura. Do you think you might be overdoing the war girl look a little? What about all that magic you have?"

"Dear brother, as you will soon learn, magic only can go so far. Magic requires concentration and focus, whereas my grenades filled with silver pellets don't – they just go bang and kill lycanthropes in all directions. I also have my silver swords and hollow-point silver nitrate .44 mags as backup."

"So you're not going to use magic to fight the lycanthropes? You were awesome when training me."

"Unfortunately, my magic is quite limited off Keob. Sarila invented a amplifier to boost my magic while here and close to her lab. I can still do some basic stuff elsewhere, like transporting, night vision, shooting flares into the sky, but that's about it on Earth."

Alura smirked. "Not all of us have the natural magical power of master wizards like you Azul," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "A little help with these toys do just fine, especially when caught between a rock and a hard spot."

"Where can I get some of those toys?"

Alura took the artifact out of my backpack and tossed it to me. "Here you go."

I caught the artifact and as it passed through the air, nearly dropping it because it suddenly grew two more feet in length. It also had a stone on top similar to my amulet necklace and ring, but larger, that was held on top by the same six webbed silver strips connected to a band – it resembled a gentleman's cane.

"Hey, what did you do to my artifact?"

"Like it?" she asked and grinned in anticipation of my response.

"Yea, it looks great. Seems it stretched out a bit, but the stone makes all the difference. I guess while you're blowing up and slicing wolves into tiny pieces, I can poke their eyes out with it."

Alura grinned and Kyiel chimed in to correct me.

"Azul, that is your staff, the same staff you used in the battle on Zeshtune. It channels magic much more powerfully than either the ring or necklace amulets you now wear."

I held it up closer and noticed the stone on top of the staff was glowing. It then made a crackle sound and the staff expanded to nearly six feet. I know this because I'm six feet tall and was eye to eye with the stone.

I smiled. "It does look more menacing now," I said. "Now I can whack a wolf on top of its head without getting too close."

Alura laughed. "Pretty cool, huh? It works the same way your ring amulet does, but better and at greater distances with many with more spells. When you hold the staff in the same hand as you ring amulet, your power increases 10 fold, so be careful not to blow yourself or us up. As an extra bonus, it can change to any thing you wish, such as a cane, pencil, or whatever."

Kyiel instructed me how to make my staff change using the magical word 'unclass', such as 'unclass pencil' or 'unclass staff'. I tried a few sizes and shapes and became convinced that it was indeed very cool and would come in handy during covert situations. Still, having grenades filled with silver pellets seemed pretty cool too and I decided to get me some one day. I practiced one more time using my new toy.

"Unclass coin," I said and watched my staff change into a quarter, then flipped the coin into the air, caught it, and placed it into my pants pocket.

Alura grunted and shook her head. "Boys will be boys."

"What? You don't like coin tricks?" I asked.

Alura responded with a smirk and said, "Come on Houdini, we have just enough time to find the lycanthrope pack," she said while walking to a wall filled with books, then turned to wait for me.

"Okay, I got this," I said and faced the bookshelves, then using a confident voice said, "Entrunezum."

Nothing happened. I noticed Alura had her hand covering her mouth trying to keep from laughing.

"What, this wall has a different magic word?"

Alura raised her hand and tilted a book from a shelf outward. I heard a click and a door on the wall opened.

"Very funny," I said. "So, some things are low tech around here."

"A few things, but most are magic or high tech. Wait a minute and you'll see for yourself."

We entered a long hallway leading to a large steal door. Alura turned a bank vault style wheel several times and pulled the door open revealing a massive cave.

"Whoa, how big is Keob anyway," I asked.

"Big," Kyiel answered.

He wasn't kidding. This area of Keob looked a lot like the Batcave. All kinds of electronic equipment were humming, blinking, and it was all hooked into the Internet. News networks displayed on gigantic screens and satellite images were tracking who knows what. Up to now, everything I experienced was mostly related to magic, so all this technology seemed out of place.

There were three people wearing white lab coats who had long white hair pulled back into ponytails. As we got closer, I noticed they all had the same brilliant blue eyes that Alura and Kyiel have. Apparently I was the odd man out having the only brown eyes on Keob.

Alura smiled and said, "Greetings Sarila."

"Alura, I am happy to see you, and you have brought a friend."

"This is Azul," Alura said, placing her hand on my shoulder to make me feel more at ease.

"Ah, the long awaited brother and wizard," Sarila said. "I hope Alura has not exaggerated your importance in the Zeshtunian prophecy."

You're not the only one. I smiled, but kept my thoughts to myself while checking the place out.

Sarila looked young, about twentyish I'd guess, and carried herself with the confidence normally found in a much older person. She had beautiful features and radiated with intelligence. After staring at me for a few moments, she smiled.

"Welcome dear wizard. All you see here is at your disposal. We are, so to speak, your employees. But we are employees who are not paid, get very little sleep, and have a fondness for certain foods," she said and with a wide grin, pointing to a few dozen empty pizza boxes.

My eyes widened. "Wow, you certainly do like pizza. I can most definitely appreciate your appetite."

Sarila curled her arm under mine and led me to what looked like a helicopter pad with a large pentagram. Alura and Kyiel followed.

"I see you have one those circle things too," I said. "I had the pleasure of sleeping with one surrounding my bed last night. Is it nap time already?"

Sarila looked over to Alura and back to me.

"He has a sense of humor."

Alura smirked. "Yup, but I'm not sure I'd call it humor."

Sarila grinned. "Good, you will need a sense of humor after tonight," she said and gestured with her hand for us to enter the pentagram.

Alura and Kyiel went inside first and I reluctantly followed. Sarila arched her eyebrow and grinned again, which made me feel like a mouse being trapped by a cat.

"Happy hunting," she said. "Be sure to stay inside the pentagram wizard. We don't want you to lose any limbs."

"Lose limbs ... what does that mean?"

"Well wizard, you keep your arms inside while riding a roller coaster, don't you?"

"Sure, but what does that have to do with this?"

"Let us not find out," she said and winked at Alura, who grinned as though I was the most gullible wizard alive.

Alura took a blue coin shaped object from her pocket and placed it in the center of the pentagram. She closed her eyes and crushed the object under her foot, then said, "Transmati pack." Blue-white streams of light began flowing out from under her foot and encircled us in swirling motions, then shot up to the cave's ceiling. I felt a static electrical field as wind whipped around us, then everything went dark, except for something resembling a wormhole from a science fiction movie. There was a sudden pop and lots of bright daylight appeared causing me to squint. I looked around and realized we were transported to the middle of a desert with nothing but sand and rocks as far as I could see.

Roller coaster ... now I get it. Sure hope Sarila was only kidding about losing limbs with the whole 'stay inside the pentagram' warning.

"What was that coin shaped thing you stepped on?" I asked.

"It's a variety of herbs and natural elements used to contain spells. We actually do call them magic coins because of how they look."

Alura handed me one of the coins. It felt weightless and brittle like an anti-acid tablet.

"You will find them useful while undergoing recognition, especially since they have a long shelf-live and are easy to carry."

Alura noticed me studying the etched symbol on the coin and further explained.

"Each coin has a unique color with a symbol on its sides for specific spells. They can only be used once by crushing them and speaking the correct ancient words, which amplify the magic within us to cast specific spells, such as transporting us here."

Alura pulled out two more blue coins showing different symbols etched on top. She handed me one and I recognized the symbol was the same as on both pentagrams back at Keob.

"I assume this one is for getting back to Keob."

"You are so cleaver brother," she said and handed me the second coin.

"What does this symbol mean?" I asked.

"That's for another place in New York," she replied with a sly smile. "Don't ask brother, I won't tell you because it's a surprise. Another thing ... if you need to use a coin to return to Keob, first construct a pentagram out of stones, sticks, or even a drawing in the dirt. Place the coin in the middle and say the words 'transmati domas' while thinking of your destination to transport to either Keob or Manhattan. You can also say 'transmati Keob' and you will transport to Sarila's lab."

"Is a pentagram always needed to transport?"

"No, not for everything, but we will cross those bridges as they come. Think of pentagrams as a way to channel your magic and keep it localized so you don't end up inside a cactus or rock."

"That can happen? Are you kidding?

"It happened once when a young new wizard sneezed while casting a transportation spell. All that was left of him was one foot sticking out of the side of a mountain."

"What happened to the rest of him?"

"Solid rock," she replied. "What do you think happened?" she asked, watching for my reaction, and got one when my mouth fell open.

Alura laughed. "I'm just kidding Azul. That never happened, but it could and that's the point. Magic is not to be taken lightly, so stay on your toes buster, and whatever you do ... never, never, never ... sneeze."

"Ha-ha, you are a real riot among comics," I said, feeling a little silly having believed her in the first place, but joined my sister in the moment and laughed – albeit a nervous laugh.

"Azul, be sure you only use the coins when needed. You can construct new spells later, but it takes time. That coin you now have is needed to get us back to Keob. Having just one will help prevent making a mistake by using the wrong coin and ending up who knows where."

"Okay, good to know," I said and put the Keob coin in my pocket, then gave her back the other one.

"So, here we are," I said while looking around at the strange landscape. "And where exactly is here?"

"We're in Iraq," Alura replied.

My mouth dropped again. "Iraq? Maybe a heads up about the travel plans would have been a good idea. Did we really travel back to Earth in less than five seconds?"

"Yup, we sure did, just like your first trip from Earth to Keob. Get use to it brother because time and distance is not what you think it is. You will get the hang of it soon enough, so don't get your draws in a bunch."

"Don't get my draws in a bunch? The humor never stops with you, does it funny girl? We're both lucky that I don't have to change my draws, never mind bunching."

Alura shook her head. "Yea, that would be much worse."

"Hey, didn't Kyiel transport with us?" I asked.

"No, he's a collection of molecules and has no physical mass. He only entered the pentagram on Keob to help build your confidence. Don't forget, he is tied to the power of your amulet and you can summon him anytime and anyplace."

"Well, let's not leave the guy out of all the fun," I said and summoned Kyiel who appeared several feet in front of me, still wearing his same dark suit.

I was actually happy to see my stone faced friend, even given his dreary sense of fashion.

"Come on Kyiel, join the party, and remind me to discuss some dress for success tips with you later."

# Chapter 9

While mind melting with Wolfpedia on Keob, I learned the Middle Eastern deserts were one of a few isolated places where lycanthropes found refuge and bred fighters. They're like ant colonies having specific roles and duties and included guardians, which are like the half-human-half-wolf beast pictograms found inside Egyptian pyramids. Guardians protect lycanthrope lairs and will take your head off should you wander to close. There are also the four legged woodland type wolves created from a lycanthrope bite or deep scratch. None of these are deadlier than the third kind, shapeshifters, who blend in among humans.

Shapeshifters are very intelligent predators and feed on human flesh for sport. Given the opportunity, they'll tear your throat out as quickly as their less evolved cousins will, but you are more likely to be surprised when they do it. The doctor, accountant, or teacher living next door could be waiting for an opportunity to eat you. Believe me, Alura and I are doing the world a huge service hunting these monsters, and I was looking forward to putting some of the fur balls down tonight.

Alura began walking up a rocky path and stooped down near the top. She turned back to me motioning to be quiet by pressing her finger to her lips. I looked around, but only saw stars above. There is no ambient light in deserts, at least not this one, and I could barely see my hand in front of my face.

Alura leaned in to me and whispered, "Close your eyes and say 'clarisim'."

I did as she instructed, and when I opened my eyes, the darkness had peeled away. I could see outlines of cactus, rocks, brush, and even a bat that flew by. Alura grabbed my chin turning it to a direction at my right. They were large shapes moving around and guarding a perimeter. I squinted my eyes a little and could actually see the outlines of wolves, some walking on two feet, others on all fours. At least twenty of the creatures were patrolling around a large single Bedouin tent.

"Be quiet," Alura said. "We are downwind, so they can't smell us, but they can hear almost anything at this distance. Remember your training Azul, especially the lightening and water spells. Focus your energy through your staff and hold it in your amulet ring hand."

Alura looked concern, uncertain about how I might perform during my first battle.

"Brother, while you are a wizard, you are not unbreakable. You can die if injured bad enough. Do not hesitate, no matter what. We must destroy them all or they will kill us."

I should have been frightened, at least a little. Instead, I felt the same anger when I mind read Wolfpedia. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and adrenalin began flowing through my body. I felt strong and confident as Kyiel and I followed Alura down the backside of the cliff.

I still had my night vision and noticed the wolves were acting differently. They were now pacing back and forth more quickly and in shorter runs. A few had their noses pointed in the air as though smelling something, and as we got about 300 feet in front of the Bedouin tent, the wolves started circling it in a tight pattern. More growls and yellow eyes blinked in the dark, which sent chills down my back.

Alura looked at me with a coy smile, and without warning, charged towards the wolves while tossing a pouch into the air. She drew a dagger from her belt and threw it into the pouch to disperse its contents, then shouted, "Aska illuminata." Several balls of white light emerged from whatever was inside the pouch and floated above the wolves' camp. Clouds formed over the Bedouin tent and thunder rumbled across the sky as the dark desert became as bright as midday.

Is she nuts? What am I suppose to do now?

Several wolves started running towards me from both sides readying themselves for a kill. I raised my staff up to the sky and shouted, "Aknor stellara," causing the amulets in my ring and staff to glow bright blue-white. Clouds above swirled like a hurricane and a crack of thunder followed by a lighting bolt connecting to the top of my staff. I pointed my staff to where the first wolf was closing in said, "Aktum." Three lightening bolts shot out from my staff setting the wolves into white burning flashes. I quickly turned and pointed my staff to the other wolves nearly upon me. Another loud crack of thunder and more bolts rushed from my staff, obliterating the other wolves.

Easy enough, but these were the four legged wolves. The bigger and meaner ones were up ahead. I ran forward and saw Alura somersaulting and dodging in various directions while slicing wolves and Guardians into piles of bloody arms, legs, and heads. A white light trailed each swing of her silver swords striking wolves coming from all directions. Alura squatted down on one knee, pulled the pins out of two grenades, and threw them out to each side. A bright flash and two loud bangs sent silver pellets flying into the air piercing through wolves and turning them into a fiery ash.

I raised my staff to the sky, swirling it in a circular motion above our heads and again shouted, "Aknor stellara." Loud thunder erupted and formed a circle of blue-white light around as I continued rotating my staff. I then shouted, "Aktum," sending bolts of lightening outwards into wolves and Guardians in wide sweeping attacks. A few more howls and bright flashes, and then there were only piles of fiery ash around us.

I quickly drew a pentagram in the dirt using the end of my staff. If any more wolves came at us, I wanted us to be ready to get the heck out of here. I reached into my pocket and took out the blue coin Alura gave me, but before I was able to use it, someone starting clapping from the Bedouin tent. We turned and faced the tent where a medium height man was smiling and clapping his hands together. He was about five and a half feet tall, broadly built like a wrestling steroid freak, and wore an expensive three piece brown business suit. His hair and eyes were jet black and he had a neatly trimmed beard.

"Very good, and very entertaining," the man said.

Alura pointed both Desert Eagles at his head and I pointed my staff at his chest.

"Please, no more violence," the man said. "My children would not understand. They are very protective, and as you can see, are many in number. Too many for you to kill them all should I be harmed and unable to keep you safe."

Alura and I looked around and saw hundreds of yellow blinking eyes. We were surrounded.

"Who the heck are you"? I asked.

"My name if Lupzarro. This is my home which you have come uninvited. Nonetheless, it would appear your arrival is good timing just the same. I know who you are wizard and sensed your presence at the Gate of the gods. Do not be alarmed. If we wanted you dead, you would not have made it this far."

"So says you," I said.

"He's a shapeshifter," Alura said as she tightened her grip on her pistols.

The wolves around us were circling, growling, and showed us their long white teeth with noses pushed up in snarls.

"Alura, there are too many. We can't win this battle."

Alura kept her pistols fixed on Lupzarro while shifting her eyes side to side. She then lowered the pistols slowly from Lupzarro's head and held them steady at an intimidating angle. Having two .44 mag caliber Desert Eagles pointed at his manly goods got Lupzarro's attention, but he showed little concern.

"That's much better," Lupzarro said. "We should look at this misunderstanding as an opportunity to negotiate a truce."

"Truce ... what kind of a truce does anyone make with a man-eating wolf?" I asked.

Lupzarro smiled showing what looked like perfectly normal teeth, but his eyes turned yellow.

"You know wizard, my lords will soon be here and your kind will once again serve them as will all the inhabitants on this planet. I offer you safe passage from certain death here this night if you agree to stop pursing us, and how do you say ... ah, 'burry the hatchet'. In return we will not hunt your kind."

Alura raised one pistol and pointed it at Lupzarro's head while keeping the other locked on his wolf jewels.

"What about the others?" she asked, her fingers pulling slightly on the pistol triggers which caused Lupzarro to stop smiling.

"Man is our food. You know this. We can not simply stop hunting our food, it's not natural. The truce I offer is for your kind only."

"That's not much of a deal," Alura said. "If I'm going to die here and now, I think I'd like to take you out with me."

"Don't be too hasty, there is more. If you agree to this truce, we will not harm your warrior. He is not well and could use your help. I can tell you where to find him, or if you continue being disagreeable, my children can make him a visit."

"What warrior do you think you have"? Alura asked.

"Don't worry," Lupzarro said. "You will be pleased to know he is safe for the time being. Fortunately for him, he does not remember who he is. We are keeping a close watch so he does not get into trouble or hurt himself."

"You're a liar" Alura said. "Even if you were able to hold one of us briefly, we would fight to the death before being a hostage."

"Ah, but that would mean such a warrior knew who he was, am I correct?"

Alura stared hard at Lupzarro while he grinned. It was a tense few moments and I wondered if Alura was going to blow Lupzarro's brains all over the Bedouin tent, but she showed surprising restraint. Maybe the boss wolf did have one of our people after all, which would explain why Alura had not already shot Lupzarro.

The wolves were gathering in greater numbers and began growling louder while moving closer. During the verbal exchange between Alura and Lupzarro, I managed to drop the blue magic coin on the ground inside the pentagram and crushed it, then shouted, "Transmati Keob."

Blue-white light instantly encompassed the pentagram sealing the edges and rose up to the clouds. Lupzarro's smile turned to anger and he growled showing his long teeth, but still remained mostly human.

Several wolves that jumped up to attack us and were turned into fiery ash as they touched the light emanating from the pentagram. Hundreds of wolves howled as everything went black inside the pentagram and we were transported back to Keob.

"Greetings, and how was the hunting trip?" Sarila asked.

Alura's face was filled with anger and she went directly to a computer without acknowledging Sarila. She typed something, placed her hands on her hips, and stared at the monitor.

"I see," Sarila said. "Not very well I guess. What happened wizard?"

"We were outnumbered and this Lupzarro shape shifting creep said he had a Zeshtune warrior. He wanted to make a deal."

"Lycanthropes don't make deals wizard. They have no sense of honor and eat people for fun."

I walked over to Alura and asked her if is she was alright.

"I'm fine," she said angrily, then took a deep breath and spoke more calmly, "I'm alright Azul. Do you think Lupzarro was telling the truth about knowing where one of our warriors is?"

"I don't know Alura, but if he is telling the truth, we'll find him. I Promise."

Alura put her arm around my waist and tilted her head on my shoulder. Her eyes carefully watched the monitor as names scrolled by in white and red colors.

"What does all this mean?" I asked, watching the names scroll by.

Sarila was now standing at Alura's side and explained how the computer was listing names of Zeshtunians who returned to Earth and have gone missing. The names in red are those who were scheduled for recognition and remain unaccounted.

"We have scouts looking for them," Sarila said.

"And not all have been found," Alura added, her voice shaking. "Azul, we know all these Zeshtunians. They are our brothers and sisters and some have not been seen or heard from for many years. They are alone, maybe even dead."

"Dead? I thought Zeshtunians went into a spiritual sleep if their bodies are destroyed."

"That is true wizard, provided recognition has been completed," Sarila said. "The power of Zeshtunians resides in knowing who he or she is, not just their amulets. This awareness guides them to sleep after their bodies die. If on the other hand a Zeshtunian fails to complete recognition, or believes he or she is someone else who can die, their conscientiousness will remain in empty space until the end of days."

I looked at Alura and saw tears falling down her checks. This was the first time I saw her become so emotional, which was not part of her warrior repertoire.

"One can only assume the many names you see here are Zeshtunians who are lost, do not know who they are, or have died," Sarila said. "Wizard, if you had died before going to the Gate of the gods, you too would exist only in space until the end of days. Once you placed your staff into the gate and unlocked your mind, your recognition began. Now you are aware of who you really are, so if your body dies, your spirit will sleep in your amulet waiting for the next recognition."

I took Alura's hand. "Come on Alura, let go home and I'll make you a nice cup of hot tea."

Alura smiled a little. "That sounds good. By the way brother, your first transportation spell worked out well."

"I guess so, given we didn't materialize inside a rock," I said, causing Alura to make a bigger smile.

We silently headed down the tunnel into our home. Alura tried her best to hide her sniffles and wiping tears from her eyes. As soon as we got inside, she stretched out on the couch while I made hot tea. A few minutes later, I carried a tray with two cups of hot herbal tea and placed it on the table next to the couch.

"There you go little sister, the best tea Keob has to offer."

Alura was sound asleep, so she didn't hear me. I sat on my chair and thought about how quickly this fierce warrior had turned into a tearful girl. Warrior or not, she's an incredible person and I was lucky to be her brother. Even though I haven't known her long in this recognition, I knew we had each other's back and would always be there no matter what came along. That's what families do – they look out for each other and are there for them when it counts.

Lupzarro was probably telling the truth. Why Lupzarro is interested in this Zeshtune warrior, and who the warrior actually is, falls on my mysteries to solve list. I am going to find this warrior. I had to because I promised Alura we would.

My mind drifted back to what Alura said earlier when talking about magic coins. She said one of the coins was a surprise and had something to do with New York. I assumed Manhattan, because this is what New York is to most people, and Manhattan would be a good place to start looking for a lost warrior.

# Chapter 10

Manhattan is no different than any other large metropolitan city. It has a large population, people ridding subways to and from work, and at the end of each day its city dwellers went home or clubbing. Then there were the not so visible city dwellers who for whatever misfortune came their way, have no jobs, homes, or family. Many of these unfortunate souls find abandoned buildings, out of the way alleys, or corners behind commercial trash containers to call home.

Some of the more physically fit homeless find their way each night to an overpass connecting to Interstate 95 off the Housatonic River. Heat generated from passing motorist made living under the overpass more hospitable. The local homeless called this place 'OZ' because its long time resident Lou told everyone his tent was protected by a good witch from the north. No one actually believed anything Lou said, but his story about his tent falling from the sky on top of an evil witch never seemed to get old among the transient homeless.

Lou's makeshift tent was littered with what one might expect to see: needles, syringes, and empty whiskey bottles. Large cardboard boxes provided shelter to several neighbors who went unnoticed except for the occasional grunt or series of snores. Lou, once a proud navy seal serving his country, was like many other vets returning home to find no job or place to live. He had no family, no money, and no one who cared if he even existed.

OZ was Lou's home for the past five years, and while not much, it was his home. While only thirty years old, he looked much older from living on the streets, at least twice his real age. He was tall and thin with grey hair and a grey beard. His skin was riddled with deep wrinkles and leathery in appearance from exposure to year round weather. On most days, when he was not passed out from alcohol or drugs, Lou was a friendly man who had not let his soul become hardened by bad luck. He would pass people on the street and smile saying hello, even though most people ignored him.

As part of Lou's daily routine, he collected empty cans and bottles to cash in for deposit refunds. Today was a particularly good day because he collected enough cans and bottles earning him nearly fifteen dollars. He looked into his large plastic bag as if it were a pot of gold and smiled.

"Today was a great day. Yesiree, it was a great day indeed. There is enough here for a hot coffee and sandwich and I'll still have money left over. It doesn't get any better than this – hot coffee and a sandwich."

After receiving his deposit refund from a local store, Lou hurried to a nearby delicatessen.

"Please good sir, a roast beef sandwich with all the dressings and a cup of hot coffee."

The server behind the counter looked at Lou's clothes, eyeing him up and down, and asked, "Do you have money?"

A big smile came to Lou's face as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a fist full of dollar bills.

"Yes sir, today I have money, and I can't wait to taste your wonderful roast beef sandwich and hot coffee."

The server grinned and said, "Roast beef with everything and a hot coffee coming right up."

Lou's eyes opened wide as he watched his sandwich being made, and the smell of coffee drew his attention to several pots simmering near the cash register. Finally, the person manning the register handed Lou his order and change.

Lou smiled. "Have yourself a very good evening young lady."

The cashier smiled and replied, "You too, and enjoy your food."

Lou paused outside the delicatessen to take a sip of coffee and closed his eyes. His stomach growled with hunger as he smacked his lips savoring the sweet taste of sugar and cream.

"Yes sir, nothing like a good cup of hot coffee to brighten up the day."

It didn't take long for Lou to finish his meal and head back to OZ. It was getting dark, but the moon providing light and made the walk home more interesting than usual. Lou always enjoyed seeing moonlight reflect off the rippling water. It was soothing and the lapping water always washed away his troubles.

Most days, any number of people traveled this route, and the absence of people caught Lou's attention. "It's odd that no one has come along this way," he muttered.

As Lou got closer to OZ, he smelt the familiar scent of wood burning and could see ambers shooting up into the night sky from a rusted steel drum. He squinted his eyes to see who might be standing near the fire, but no one was in sight.

It was too quiet. Lou cautiously entered the camp and an eerily chill came over him. When he got closer to the fire, Lou froze in terror.

"Oh no, what ... what happened here?" he said, grimacing at an horrific sight.

Still frozen and unable to move, Lou's eyes scanned the camp and saw pools of blood with body parts strewn about everywhere. Several bodies had only torsos with big chunks missing as if something had eaten them and his tent was shredded. Lou took several steps back and tears filled his eyes.

"My home ... my friends ... no, please no," he said, his voice trembling with fear.

Lou froze again and his knees began shaking. A low growl then sounded from above and he looked up toward the steel beams of the overpass. He saw two yellow dots shinning in the dark that blinked. A second growl, this time much louder, sent chills down Lou's back. There in the shadows, the yellow dots get bigger and began to move.

"Those are eyes ... not human ... not human eyes," Lou muttered, his own eyes bulging as his knees almost gave in from shaking.

Another loud growl erupted and two more sets of eyes appeared. Lou turned and ran screaming, "No ... no ... please no, please no."

Several thumps sounded from behind Lou. He knew whatever was hiding in the darkness under the overpass had jumped down and was now chasing him, and he knew whatever it was, it killed everyone in the camp. Run, run, run, is all he could think as angry growls raced toward him

"No, don't hurt me, please don't hurt me," he shouted, then tripped over an abandoned tire and fell into the river. The splash surprised him and he thrashed his arms and feet in confusion. A few moments later, Lou realized that he was in shallow water and still alive.

"I'm alive," he said.

Lou regained his footing and was standing chest deep in the river 10 feet away from shore. He rubbed the water from his eyes and heard more growling behind him. Lou quickly turned and saw the silhouettes of three large creatures with yellow eyes pacing back and forth, watching him, their teeth dripping with drool and blood. He rubbed his eyes again, not sure if what he saw was real or a hallucination. The creatures had long teeth and hands with long black nails. He rubbed his eyes a third time, hoping he was just seeing things, but the creatures were still there watching him.

"Werewolves ... they're werewolves," he muttered.

One werewolf looked down at the edge of the water and back at Lou. It howled, pointing its nose up to the sky, and the other two werewolves joined in making long bloodcurdling howls. The werewolves kept looking down at the water, then back at Lou, but would not enter it. After a few minutes the werewolves fell to the ground on all fours like a dog and disappeared into the darkness. Lou stayed in the water. Hours passed while he shook from the cold and remained motionless from fear.

Meanwhile, Alura and I transported to a ground floor office with an apartment in the textile district of Manhattan. Evidently, my little sister used chalk to make a temporary pentagram, and the sneak never told me. Instead, she told me that we were going on a training mission. Now that we were standing in a city apartment, my suspicious nature kicked in.

"What kind of training is this?" I asked. "Are we going to untangle paperclips and sharpen pencils?"

Alura smirked. "Go ahead, knock yourself out."

Typically, the textile district saw a lot of hustle and bustle from commercial activity during the day. Night time, on the other hand, was always quiet and almost desolate except for a few homeless people and occasional drug activity.

"Like it?" Alura asked.

"Sure, whose place is this?"

Alura smiled. "It's yours big brother. Welcome to your other home."

"Other home? Wow, I guess some perks come with being a wizard. How many homes do I have?"

"Don't get too greedy brother. This one and the one on Keob are yours officially, but ZWC does have offices and apartments all over the world should we need one."

As an added bonus, the apartment is conveniently located a few blocks away from shops and restaurants making for easy city living. It included a front office, nicely balanced with new and older architectural features. Large wood beams ran across the ceiling complementing brick walls and a Persian rug stretched across wide plank floorboards. A comfortably sized office desk and leather chair was unobtrusively placed along one wall. As an additional bonus, a large bay window and painted bench and coffee table offered a decent view of the neighborhood.

To make the place homey, a large solid mahogany half wall separated the office from the living area. The apartment was also nicely decorated in a masculine style, but nothing overpowering like a man cave. Best of all, the refrigerator and pantry were stocked with all kinds of goodies, and most importantly, it was stocked with plenty of beer. All in all, my New York apartment is a great place to call home, or my home away from home if taking into consideration the one on Keob.

"Alura, this place is amazing. Is it really my apartment or are you playing a cruel joke on me?"

"It's all yours brother. Try not to burn it down with your magic newbie," she said while walking to the door.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I've got an apartment too and it's much less cluttered than yours. It's simple, just the way I like it. I'll come back tomorrow and check up on you."

For the first time in several weeks, I found myself alone and it felt strangely weird. Things just seemed a little out of place not having Alura around to keep me on my toes. We make a good team on the battlefield and have a chemistry that only family could have. Still, having a place completely to myself might be good for lowering my stress level. Fighting lycanthropes halfway across the world does take a toll on the old nervous system, so I'm good with having some downtime.

Before Alura left, she told me my apartment is protected by magic called wards. Only the two of us can pass through the wards without being harmed, but she didn't get into any details. Apparently, the wards glowed around the door and window frames when they armed and disarmed. Having a security system is a good idea, especially when living alone in a new neighborhood.

My first morning started out as usual with a couple eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee. It was my first day as a New Yorker and having an empty stomach simply would not do. Smelling the bacon cooking reminded me of what Francis Bacon once said: 'A bachelor's life is a fine breakfast, a flat lunch, and a miserable dinner'. True enough. No matter what, I just have to start each day with a great breakfast.

I never felt comfortable when visiting Manhattan in the past. Boston was smaller and always felt more manageable. Large cities seemed to swallow me up, but here I am. I guess an adjustment period is to be expected, which shouldn't take too long having a great apartment.

I had only eaten half of my breakfast when someone knocked on my back door facing the alley.

"Wake and shine brother," Alura said. "There is no time to be a bag of lazy bones," she added and again banged on the door. "Are you going to open up or should I let myself in?"

I opened the door and welcomed her inside. The door and window frames glowed with a blue-white color and then dimmed, just as Alura said they would. The same thing happened when I closed and locked the door. Cool security indeed, I thought as I watched the light show. While I was momentarily distracted, Alura darted to the kitchen table and began eating my toast.

"Hey, I wasn't finished with that."

Alura laughed. "Snooze and you lose buster," she said while licking her fingers. "So, how was your first night in your new city home?"

"Not bad at all. First quiet night I had for ... say, how long has it been exactly since Azul came into the picture and turned my life upside down?"

Alura tossed a newspaper that she brought with her and told me take a look. I checked the date.

"Not too bad. Just a few of weeks have passed like I guessed."

The front page headline stated that a Daniel Zane was appointed Chief Field Reporter of Zane Worldwide Communications.

"Lucky guy. Do you know this Zane?"

"Sure do, he's you," Alura said.

"Yea, I wish. He must be loaded with money as the top field reporter. Seriously, do you know him?"

Alura grinned. "He's you Azul. Daniel Zane is your new identity and you are now the top reporter at Zane Worldwide Communications. Everyone calls the company ZWC, it's much easier to say and you are top dog there."

A new identity makes sense since Jonathan Willington died in a plane crash. At least that's what everyone thought. Daniel sounded good for a first name, but Zane reminded me of some cowboy riding off into the sunset in an old western movie.

"Not sure if I like the name Zane. Can I change it?"

Alura rolled her eyes. "Daniel Zane is the grandson of Peter Zane founder of ZWC, who is now officially your grandfather, at least on paper. By the way, we own the majority of ZWC common stock, so technically you are a very man rich even though we never see actually see paper money."

Alura explained how having credentials as a reporter from ZWC has a lot a clout. No one, not even the police, can keep a reporter like that away from anything he or she might wish to poke their nose into. Private property, well, not so much clout there, but most people know ZWC and would rather talk than become a byline in a newspaper or cable news.

"Chief Field Reporter. Huh ... I guess that makes me your boss."

Alura smirked. "Keep wishing hot shot. Step out of line and I'll teach you what a Zeshtune warrior can really do when angry."

I smiled at the thought, but then again, Alura could kick some serious butt. It was better to never find out.

"Okay then, what's on the agenda for ..."

Before I finished my sentence, both our cell phones rang and the ID screen displayed Sarila. We answered the call making it a three way conversation.

"Good morning children," Sarila said. "We have a possible situation for you to investigate. I am sending you both the GPS coordinates now."

Apparently those folks back at the Batcave don't sleep after all. I still had sleepy sand in my eyes and Sarila sounded exactly as she did the last time I saw her – all bright eyed and bushy tailed. She expressed concern for an increase in 'unnatural chats' with cell phones in the city. Apparently, there has been talk about animals roaming the riverbanks and screams near the Interstate. Obviously, Sarila and company had some serious eavesdropping technology, which is good to know for when I use my own phone.

"Okay, we're on it," Alura said.

We put our phones away and Alura headed out the door ahead of me. I quickly changed my staff into a coin and placed it in my pocket. While I was putting on my shoes and stumbling out the door, Alura had already started her car and had the passenger door open.

"You have a Porsche? Your day job must pay well."

I slid into the front seat barely getting my legs in with my knees tightly pressing against the dash. I was still trying to buckle up when Alura took off like a rocket, pushing my head back against the seat. My eyes widened, my mouth dropped open, and my knuckles turned white from squeezing the door handle tight.

"Darn it Alura. Let's try to get where we going in one piece."

"Relax. We'll be there in a few minutes, and I'll have you know brother that I've never been in an accident."

"Yea, but how many have you caused?"

Alura smirked. "Would you like to walk?"

"I might if I knew where we we're going. You do know where we're going, right? I don't think I can tolerate your driving much longer, so let's not get lost."

Alura looked at me and arched her eyebrow and scowled at me.

"Keep your eyes on the road, please," I said, which only made her drive faster and smirk more.

"We're going to a homeless camp under an Interstate overpass," Alura said. "We'll be there in a few minutes."

The police radio in Alura's car sounded out a call for any nearby patrol officers to check out complaints at the OZ camp.

"The OZ camp ... like in the Wizard of OZ?" I asked as Alura made a sharp turn, nearly scaring the you know what out of me.

"Similar to the Wizard of OZ, but it has a history all its own," she said. "I'll explain later."

Alura was now driving between cement columns. I looked up to the highway from the windshield and wondered how many deadly tons of asphalt and steel might squish us like bugs. The excessive speed became more tolerable once I closed my eyes. Childish perhaps, but it helped to keep my white knuckles from splitting out of my skin. A few minutes later her car came to a screeching halt and nearly ran into a New York police car.

"Don't worry, I know this cop," Alura said, then she and the police officer exited their cars. The officer placed his hands on his hips and shook his head.

"A little early to be chasing fires, don't you think Alura?"

"Hey Pauly, how's it going?"

"Well, up to this moment not too bad, but the day is young."

I was still in the car trying to pry my white knuckled hand free of the door when Alura look over at me and grinned.

"Daniel, come on out and meet the best cook in the city who also happens to be one of our finest officers."

At first I just sat in the car, then realized she was calling me by my new alias. Pauly smiled and tipped his hat as I stepped outside. I nodded and smiled back to make a good first impression, trying real hard not to lose my breakfast from Alura's daredevil ride.

"What do you think all the hoopla is about?" Pauly asked.

"Perhaps the locals partied too much last night," Alura answered, but knew that would be the best and most unlikely case.

The officer nodded in agreement. It wouldn't be the first time parties were broken up down here, mostly at night. If there was a crazy party last night, this would be the first time Pauly investigated it during daylight.

The three of us began walking toward the riverbank. It was 8:20 AM, so most of the partied out homeless would still be sleeping. As we got closer, there was a distinct smell of something rotten, like bad chicken kept too long in a refrigerator. Alura looked at me and frowned from recognizing the smell. We covered our noses and mouths as we came around a corner to an opening, then froze staring at body parts and pools of blood.

"What the hell happened here?" Pauly asked, and then picked up the mic hanging from his shoulder and called in the scene. "Central, we have a 187 down at OZ. Multiple casualties."

"Roger that 21. Patrol officers in the vicinity of Interstate 95 near the river, officer reports 187 under overpass at OZ. Report locations."

Several patrol officers reported they were on their way to assist Pauly. Seconds later the good officer's face turned pale as he bent over throwing up.

"Come on, let's check it out," Alura said.

I followed her while we both still held our hands over our noses and mouths. The smell was horrible. I never smelt anything like it before.

Pauly looked up and said in an officer's voice, "Hey, make sure you two don't touch anything. This is crime scene, so be careful not to get anywhere near those bodies, or whatever is left of them."

"Sure Pauly, I know the routine," Alura said.

It seems Alura's press clearance sure did have clout, at least with Pauly. Wasting no time, we walked along the edge of the river front and Alura noticed large animal footprints. We stopped walking when we saw a man standing in the water, which even for New York, seemed a bit weird.

"Wait here Azul," she said and waded into the water. "Hey, are you alright?"

The man didn't respond. When she got closer, she asked again.

"Mister, are you okay? What are you doing in the water?"

Again there was no response. The man stood motionless with his eyes staring towards shore.

"Alura, are you sure you shouldn't wait for the police to handle this?"

"Something is wrong here Azul, and this man knows what that something is."

Alura gently took hold of the man's arm and began leading him to shore, then she jumped and pulled her hand back.

"What's wrong," I asked.

"This man ... he's a Zeshtunian. He's one of us."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Our amulets glow and give us a sensation when coming in physical contact with Zeshtunians."

I looked at my amulet which wasn't glowing, but I hadn't touched the man. Alura grabbed the man's arm again and her amulet glowed even brighter than the first time. Moments later she had him safely ashore, but the poor guy looked like he was in some sort of zombie trance. He stared without blinking and didn't make a sound. Not surprising given at all the bloodied bodies laying around.

"Wait here and I'll get the car," Alura said.

"You're going to leave me here alone with this strange and scary man?"

Alura frowned. "He's not a stranger. He's Zeshtunian," she said in a scolding tone and sprinted to her car.

"Okay then, I'll stay here then with our scary new friend. Hurry back."

I asked the man if he was alright. He looked at me and I noticed his blue eyes. Yup, probably a Zeshtunian. The man grabbed my arm without saying a word. Suddenly, I was in some sort of a vision and could not move or speak. Images began to flow in my mind and I was once again back on Zeshtune in battle. Just like I experienced in my first vision, I was the old version of me when first seeing Kyiel.

I saw myself on the ground facing up towards an ape like creature that was wearing armor. It had a gigantic ax raised above its head ready to drop on me, and right before the ax dropped, a blue-white light glowed through the middle of the ape's chest and stuck out about 12 inches. The ape gasped, tilted its head back and rolled his eyes, then fell to ground barely missing me. A tall muscular man with long white hair and beard stood in front of me with blood dripping from his claymore sword. He also had the same Zeshtunian blue eyes.

"Wizard, good thing for you I was near, yes?"

It was Thyzil, one of the elite Zeshtune warriors who had saved my butt by shish-kabobing the ape. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up and laughed.

"Indeed my old friend," I said. "Your timing is impeccable, as always Thyzil."

We embraced each other as Zeshtune warriors do after killing monsters in battle. Thyzil was six inches taller and 100 pounds heavier than me, so when he put his arms around me in an embrace, it felt like my body would break.

"Makes 83 for me wizard. How many you destroyed?"

I laughed. "Lost count my friend. Plenty I suppose, but not as many as you."

"Come wizard, we fight more. No time to babysit," he said, lifting his claymore above his head and ready to charge into the battlefield.

"Babysit you say. Well, let us see who destroys more enemies this day old friend," I said and we ran to where the main battle was being fought.

In a flash I was back under the overpass in Manhattan. The man smiled at me and spoke.

"You're the Wizard of OZ," he said, his voice coarse and barely audible.

"Wizard of OZ ... hey, is your name Lou?"

For a brief moment the man appeared lucid, but then his eyes clouded up again with confusion and he turned away staring at the river. In a quieter voice, but still audible, he managed to again say, "You are the wizard," and then passed out in my arms.

My amulet was glowing as bright as Alura's, who sped around the corner and jumped out of the Porsche.

"Hurry Azul. We have to get him out of here before the other police show up."

"What about Pauly?" I asked,

"He's busy wiping sweat from his brow and still throwing up. The rest of the police will be here in minutes. Hurry, let's get him in the back seat."

You call that a seat?

Porsches are not really designed for carrying a third passenger. This is especially true for a tall man who has passed out and had to be stuffed inside. Even so, we managed to get him in the back and Alura sped off kicking dirt and pebbles into the air.

"We'll have to take him to your place for the time being," Alura said.

"Sure. Will he be alright?"

"I don't know. I'll take a closer look when we get him out of the car."

"I think he may be connected to a Zeshtune named Thyzil."

Alura looked surprised. "Thyzil ... are you sure?"

"I think so. He grabbed my arm and put me in some sort of mind blowing Zeshtune battle vision. But, the man in my vision had long white hair and a beard, and he was extraordinarily large as in Schwarzenegger large, only bigger. This puny guy can't be the same warrior I saw, so I figure he might know this Thyzil guy."

# Chapter 11

Alura glanced back at the man and her face filled with stress and confusion. I think she was equally doubtful that the man in the backseat could be the same Thyzil in my vision.

"Did he say anything to you when I was getting the car?"

"Yea, he called me the Wizard of OZ, so I thought he might be that Lou guy you told me about. After that, he grabbed my arm and put me into a mind blowing vision where this Thyzil guy killed a giant ape creature trying to take my head off."

Alura told me that Thyzil was a great warrior on Zeshtune and thought to be still sleeping, not yet returned to an Earthly existence. No one has seen or heard from him for many thousands of years.

"It's possible Azul," Alura said. "It could be Thyzil."

"What? If this guy is Thyzil, what was he doing under the overpass looking like a bum, and what happened to all his muscles?"

"Thyzil's name here on Earth might be Lou."

"Lou, as in the same homeless Lou from the land of OZ, who is now passed out in the backseat of your car?"

"Yes, this man might actually be Thyzil. If he is, something very wrong happened during his recognition."

I looked back at the man. "Yea, I would say something went wrong. This guy doesn't look anything like the fighting machine I saw in my vision."

Alura swerved around several cement columns under the overpass, and finally we were back on regular streets. She then slowed down to avoid being pulled over by patrolling police cars. Thank goodness. I finally relaxed my grip on the door handle.

"If he is Thyzil, he must have become confused and lost most of his memory," Alura said. "If this happened, his reconstruction into human form did not complete."

"Yea, about this reconstruction business. How exactly does a Zeshtune become reconstructed into human form? Is it by possessing another body?"

Alura grimaced. "Goodness no, don't be ridiculous. Zeshtunians take the form of a human, but we retain our original birth appearance. We have our same bodies, organs, blood, and can die like any human, but we are reconstructed by magic stored in our amulets."

"I was constructed from magic and not actually born? Are you saying I look, talk, and act like a human, but just not really one. Is that about right?"

"Yes, Zeshtunians are born only once in a natural physical form similar to our human cousins. We lived in our first state for many millenniums. Like humans, our bodies age and die, but we have a much longer physical lifespan. You and I now look as we did when we were young Zeshtunians millions of years ago, however, we will age much quicker here on Earth. On this planet, our physical lifespan is only a few hundred years before we enter sleep again."

"So I'm a copy of the famous old Zeshtune wizard in my visions. I guess that would explain the lack of childhood memories, as Kyiel already alluded to."

Alura pulled into the ally behind my apartment and we hauled the man inside, placing him on the couch. She then called Sarila and put her phone on speaker mode so I could hear the conversation.

"Sarila, something important has happened."

"Do tell. Wait, let me guess. Lycanthropes are running around the city killing humans?"

"Yes, we found evidence of lycanthropes, but ... I think we also found Thyzil."

"Thyzil the great warrior? How do you know?"

"Both of our amulets glowed when we touched him, and Azul had a vision."

"Send me his profile right away. We need to know for sure."

Alura disconnected the call and held her amulet and the man's hand. Her amulet began to glow while she closed her eyes and muttered a few words, then I heard a small crack sound and saw a puff of smoke as her amulet stopped glowing.

"Did you just blow out your amulet?" I asked.

"No, I sent his bio information to Sarila. It's a simple spell. I'll teach it to you someday."

The man began to move his head side to side and opened his eyes. He looked more lucid and relaxed.

"How are you feeling?" Alura asked.

The man looked us, but didn't reply. A few moment later Alura's phone made a sound indicating she had a text message. She read it and then looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"Azul, it's him. It's Thyzil."

We both looked at the man and he looked back at us. Tears continued to swell in Alura's eyes and she began shaking.

"Come on Azul, let's get him to your lab pentagram. Sarila wants us to transport him to Keob right away. Hopefully, she will still be able to complete his recognition and save him."

Alura was shaking so much she could barely help lifting the man. Granted, Thyzil was one of us, a Zeshtunian, but Alura's reaction seemed more personal to me. Tears kept running down her face and I didn't know what to do or say to comfort her. Still, I was curious about recognition, especially since I was going through it myself.

"Alura, what happens if Sarila can't complete his recognition?"

"If recognition is not completed, he will never know who he really is, where he's from, and what purpose he has on Earth. He will live out his days as Lou from OZ, and once his body dies, he'll exist in the void of space until the end of days. If that happens, he will never be able to return to Earth or anyplace else, not ever."

Crap, that doesn't sound good at all. "You said we have to move him to my lab pentagram. Where exactly is the lab?"

Alura pointed to a solid brick wall as we pulled Thyzil up from the couch.

"Come on Azul, hurry."

I looked forward and said, "Entrunezum." The wall blurred and then vanished revealing a room similar to my bedroom back at Keob. The adjoining wall to the room where I slept in last night – apparently a guest bedroom – also vanished.

We placed Thyzil in the center of a pentagram located in the middle of the lab floor, then Alura took my arm and pulled me outside of it.

"Only Thyzil can be inside for the transportation this time," she said, then took a blue magic coin from her pocket and handed to me. "You must perform the transportation spell because it your pentagram. Break the coin in your hand and throw it into the pentagram, then point your amulet ring at Thyzil and speak the magic words."

I did as Alura instructed and said, "Transmati Keob." A ring of blue-white light rose from the pentagram edges along the floor up to the ceiling. Thyzil turned transparent and disappeared and the light from the pentagram abruptly went dark. Alura continued staring at the pentagram without saying a word.

"Alura, are you alright?"

"I will be. Give me a few moments."

"Sure, of course. I'll wait for you in the living area," I said and the brick wall reappeared behind me as I left the lab.

Feeling a little shaken from the experience, I decided to start a fire in the fireplace to warm things up. Once I got the kindling going, I sat on the couch and kept looking at the brick wall, wondering how my sister was doing. A few minutes later Alura came out and sat next to me placing her arm around mine. She rested her head on my shoulder and gazed into the fire which was now burning nicely. We said nothing and sat still for what seemed like an eternity, at least for me given all the questions I had. About 20 minutes later Alura fall asleep, so I gently got up and placed a pillow under her head and a blanket on top of her to stay warm.

It's been a hell of a day. After that enlightened thought, I went to bed hoping tomorrow would find Alura as her old self.

When my bedroom alarm went off in the morning, it wasn't an annoying roster crowing in a window. This time it was much more subtle and tasteful. The pentagram circling my bed glowed ever so slowly while music began to fill the room with sounds of running water, gentle breezes, and a pan flute.

Nice ... very nice. I stretched my arms over my head and jumped out of bed. Well, more like nearly falling from muscle fatigue. The music stopped when my feet hit the floor and candles around the room lit up. There were no electrical switches, plugs, lamps, or anything post Benjamin Franklin era in my bedroom, so I was curious how all these things worked.

I moved closer to the adjoining lab wall, said "Entrunezum," and watched it disappear along with the wall leading to the living area. When I moved back, it reappeared. Cool ... a two-way magical doorway that connects all three rooms.

Alura had told me that only I could enter my lab because the magic is linked to my amulet as are the wards protecting the front and rear entrances. Anyone my wards didn't recognize who tried to enter would get zapped by a magical Taser, or worse.

I decided not to say anything to Alura about Thyzil. She was shaken up badly yesterday and things could wait until she was ready to talk. My only memory of Thyzil is from the brief vision of a battle on Zeshtune. The old beaten up man we found standing in the Housatonic River meant something special to Alura. What she felt was something more than finding a lost Zeshtune warrior, but what?

Alura was still sleeping comfortably on the couch when I began cooking breakfast: eggs, toast, bacon, and coffee. Once the smell of coffee began filling the living room, Alura turned on her side and rubbed her eyes.

"Me too big brother. Double up on the eggs," she said and pulled the blanket over her head.

I was about to respond with one of my wisecracks when I heard something move outside the front door. I listened closely and watched the door ... there, I heard it again. Sounds like something moving or scratching. Armed with a stainless steel spatula, I went to the window next to the door and looked out through the edge of a blind. There was nothing there, so I turned back to the kitchen and heard the noise again.

It's probably just my imagination, or rats – I hope it's not rats. I turned the deadbolt and opened the door a crack. When I looked down, I saw a dog curled up near the doorway.

"Oh my gosh, Sally."

Sally jumped up and knocked me to the floor with her paws pressed on my shoulders. She was barking and wagging her tail furiously and slobbering all over my face. Alura sat up on the couch with a big smile and then moved to the floor where Sally had me pinned down.

"Alura look, it's Sally."

"Good girl Sally," I said. "How in the world did you ever find me?"

I heard about pets traveling great distances to find their owners. Boston was not far from Manhattan, but the city is a navigation nightmare, at least for me. Jackie, my lab assistant at Harvard, had been taking care of Sally since I disappeared off the grid.

"No fake obituary will fool you, huh old girl," I said and Sally woofed in agreement.

After a few minutes, Sally ran to the front door and made a low growl.

"What's the matter Sally?" I asked.

Alura got up and looked out the front window and said, "It's a watcher."

"It's a what?"

Alura waved her hand for me to come see. I looked to where she was pointing and saw a black crow resting on top of a street light. It was staring at us, and if not for an occasional flicker of one of its wings, I would have thought it was a toy placed there as prank. I mean, really, who has ever seen a crow in New Your City?

"Don't worry, they won't harm us," Alura said.

"I sure hope not. Hate to start the day fighting off a creepy black bird. Why is it sitting on a light pole outside watching us?"

Alura closed the window shade and sat back at the kitchen table. I followed closely to make sure she didn't eat all the toast this time.

"Here, let me get your breakfast and a cup of coffee," I said while she explained.

"Watchers are Darkzon spies. They show up occasionally where beings of light are to keep an eye on them, especially Zeshtunians. They are naturally drawn to and sense magic, such as your wards. Most likely Lupzarro owns this watcher and already knows where you live."

"I don't like the thought of having a spy snooping around where I live, even if it's only a dumb bird."

"Not to worry Azul, we have Sarila, and a she's a better spy than any dark creature we'll come across."

"What does Sarila do besides call us to battle monsters?"

Alura smiled while continuing to eat more eggs.

"Well, for one thing, she's connected to all the satellites orbiting the Earth and retrofitted all the Keob technology to track the dark. She probably knows exactly where Lupzarro is right this minute."

Not bad. Sarila seems to have landed the most covert job in America. I felt a little jealous, but only for a moment. After all, Sarila doesn't have magical ability or a cool staff capable of throwing lightening bolts from the sky ... or does she?

Sally finally settled down at a spot next to the fireplace after eating a few hot dogs and drinking a large bowl of water. She kept her usual keen eye on me like when we were at the university lab.

"I know what you're thinking," Alura said.

"You do? How could you possibly know what I'm thinking when I rarely know myself."

"Azul, your being a professor and archeologist was all planned by you long ago. It was the life you needed to protect yourself and lead you to your staff."

Alura reminded me how I buried my staff in the Egyptian desert and built the Gate of the gods thousands of years ago before entering my last sleep.

"Your staff – the artifact you found – was hidden by you to keep it safe. Do you think finding and placing it in the Gate of the gods was mere chance? It was all planned by you," she said and added with a smirk, "you already know all this Azul."

True, but that story never gets old.

Normally, I'd be impressed hearing a story like this about someone else, but it was about me, and that made the story both interesting and worrisome. Strangely, the first thought I had was about how much time and money I invested in my education, which had nothing to do with being a wizard. It seemed to me that a tuition refund would only be fair. Nice thought, but it wasn't ever going to happen. Alura must have guessed what I was thinking because she started to laugh.

"Are you reading my mind little sister?"

"Not actually reading your mind. Remember? I'm only sensing the impressions your mind is creating. You will see into my mind too after learning to focus your abilities. After all, you are the greatest wizard ever to rise from the ranks of magical realms, even though you sometimes act like a dork."

"Dork you say. I'll show you who's a dork."

I grabbed a tube of ketchup from the kitchen table, opened the cap, and aimed it at her. Alura stopped eating and froze.

"You wouldn't dare," she said with her eyebrow arched as a sibling dare.

I smiled and raised the ketchup bottle in line of sight, and without hesitation squeezed the bottle, which shot a stream of red liquid splattering all over Alura's face. She jumped up out of her chair and her mouth dropped wide open in shock. I then did what anyone having a battle advantage would do. I shot another stream of ketchup at her as a second preemptive strike, but this time she ducked and it splattered on the wall.

"You are so dead mister," she said.

Alura darted the refrigerator and armed herself with her weapon of choice: a tube of mustard. She raised her eyebrow while pushing ketchup off her hair and face.

"My turn buster," she said, then shot a long trail of yellow yuk at me.

Luckily, I managed to get out of the way and the mustard went over my head hitting the wall. Not bad, one to zero, my advantage. Sally also got in on the fun by licking up all the condiments she could find. More streams of red and yellow condiments filled the air as Alura and I covered each other until the tubes emptied, then we laughed while licking our fingers. It was good to see Alura happy again after last night. We both needed a break from our reality.

Alura raised both eyebrows again and looked at the bathroom door in a sneaky way not to give away what she was planning. I did the same, but she was quicker and got to the bathroom first, then locked the door behind her.

"Getting old brother? Hard to keep up with your little sister?"

I frowned. "It doesn't matter because I won."

It might have been fun having a food fight, but everything was smelly and sticky where Sally couldn't reach. Not so much fun now, but totally worth it. I placed a towel on my chair and sat down waiting for my turn to shower. After resting a few minutes, I decided to clean up what Sally missed.

"I don't think I'll be eating anything with ketchup or mustard again for a long time Sally."

Sally burped while her tongue continued licking her nose free of the tasty spoils of war. I'm sure she was hoping condiments would stay on the menu, even if only by way of food fights. A few minutes later, Alura exited the bathroom clean as a whistle.

"All yours brother," she said and poured herself another cup of coffee.

"Next time I'm going to use the mustard," I said, causing Alura to grin and shake her head.

"Go on, take your shower Azul. You look like a diseased sunflower."

I got a good look of my condiment face in the bathroom mirror and had to agree with Alura. I did look like something diseased, flower or otherwise. I chuckled at the sight.

Mustard face and all, I began thinking again how strange it is being some sort of a great wizard from another planet – who wouldn't? I felt too normal and ordinary. I wasn't really human having been created as some sort of magical construct, but my heart beats, I breathed air, and I have red blood. I can even catch the flu like anyone else. Still, I was not exactly human in the way science would determine. I guess I can live with this – not like I have a choice.

I finished showering, put on some clean clothes, and entered the living area cautiously in case Alura was planning to ambush me with more kitchen goods. Instead, she was putting on her leather jacket and holding her car keys.

"Going somewhere?" I asked.

"I'll see you later today for dinner. I have to run some errands and do some errands. Why not do some shopping for yourself? Perhaps buy a car? I left a ZWC credit card for you on the table and it has no credit limit, so have some fun," she said, then blew me a kiss and walked out.

More alone time. I guess now would be a good time to continue sorting out all the crazy stuff that happened yesterday. On second thought, trying to sort out anything crazy is crazy in itself – my new reality I suppose.

# Chapter 12

Sally was sprawled out on the floor next to the fireplace and she looked fat and happy. Let no one can ever say my dog doesn't know how to take it easy when she puts her mind to it. I admire that and am somewhat jealous of her relaxing capabilities.

"Hey Sally, think we should summon Kyiel for a question and answer session?"

Sally slowly thumped her tail on the floor once without lifting her head. I guess traveling all the way from Boston has finally caught up to the old girl. If it were me, even if I had four legs, I'd be in a comma from exhaustion. I summoned Kyiel using the words, 'aptier Kyiel' and he appeared. Sally lifted her head, but didn't show any concern over someone who just magically appeared out of thin air. Sally is friendly, but her reaction was not what I expected.

"Good morning Kyiel. This is my dog Sally who will be living here with me."

"Greetings creature," he said and Sally tilted her head and perked her ears up."

"Don't worry Sally. Kyiel never smiles, but you'll get use to him."

"Where do I begin?" I asked.

"At the ..."

I interrupted Kyiel. "Yea, I know, at the beginning. Yesterday, Alura and I found a lost Zeshtune who calls himself Thyzil."

"Yes, I know."

"Oh yea, you know what I know. I forgot. Seems like everyone around me already knows what I know these days."

Kyiel made no response and maintained his usual emotionless expression. Not that I was expecting a response from my stone faced pal, having now know him for a while, but his prior explanation about his cosmic link to my underdeveloped wizard brain still perplexed me.

"Okay then, tell me all about Thyzil. Who was ... I mean who is he, and why did Alura act the way she did last night when learning his identity?"

"Thyzil is a Zeshtune warrior unlike all others. He possesses superior battle skills and abilities and is fearless. He also is a champion of light, a good friend, and is engaged to Alura."

"He's engaged to my sister? Wow ... that sure explains things. When did that happen?"

"The day before the battlefield at Zeshtune, he and your sister planned to be joined in marriage at the rising of Zeshtune's sister planets, which occurred three months later."

"So they've been engaged for millenniums?"

"Yes, however, such timeframes were not relevant when living in our original forms on Zeshtune. A millennium is as though living one moment on Earth."

"I would guess that since Thyzil was engaged to my sister that I knew him pretty well."

"Yes, you and Thyzil are very good friends. He was at your side when you defeated the Darkzon on Zeshtune. He has also been at your side during the many Galactic Alignments since then and is willing to fight to the end on your behalf. Even with your great magic, the Darkzon might not have been defeated if not for the battle skills of Thyzil and others like him."

"What happened to him and why does he look so worn out?"

"Thyzil's body was destroyed by dark magic as the Darkzon departed Earth after the last Galactic Alignment. A dark evil was released that threatened Alura's life and Thyzil stood in her place before a fatal blow could befall her. The last thing Thyzil saw before his body died was Alura lying in her own blood. He died not knowing she had survived and this memory has remained with him while his conscience mind slept. Upon awakening from sleep, his body reconstructed while still tormented by this dark memory, which interfered with completing his recognition, thus his mind and body did not properly develop."

"How long has Thyzil been back on Earth?"

"Most likely not longer than a normal human lifespan. Thyzil does not possess the knowledge of who he truly is, and now exists in a fragile state of guilt and pain while he ages as humans do."

"Will he be okay? Can he complete recognition now?"

"No one knows for sure Azul. Ordinary Zeshtunians normally recover and complete recognition, but Thyzil is not ordinary. He has great power, strength, and loves Alura very much. There has never been a Zeshtunian warrior who possessed such a powerful love and not able to sort out their feelings before sleeping. This situation is most unusual."

"Thank you Kyiel. I need some more alone time to think about all this," I said and dismissed him.

Poor Alura ... no wonder she was so upset. What am I going say if the subject comes up?

I decided to get some fresh air to clear my head. I gave Sally a pat on her head and told her to watch the place while I stepped out to explore the neighborhood. It will take a few days rest to get her strength back, so taking her on a long walk was out of the question. Sally wagged her tail, but stayed put on the floor in silent gratitude for my not suggesting she accompany me.

I put the credit card Alura left for me in my wallet and looked up at the light pole where the watcher was sitting earlier. It wasn't there, which made me feel less creepy about the whole bird stalking thing.

Things were quite busy for a weekend morning. People were carrying shopping bags, eating lunch at sidewalk cafes, and cabbies drove too fast while constantly honking their horns at anything with two feet. Best of all, there was warm sunshine and a perfect blue sky.

I saw an old shoppe about a block from my apartment. It looked out of place among skyscrapers and cement architecture. I crossed the street to get a closer look, barely missing being run over by a couple of crazed cabbies. One cabby even made a point to call me a jerk and raised his middle finger to emphasize his sincerity.

I smiled and waved. "Have a wonderful day. Try not to run over anyone ... jerk."

The shoppe had real charm and displayed a hunter green colored wood sign hanging above the front door. Gold lettering with the words Magical Herbs and colored stars surrounding a blue moon adorned the top and sides. The window display had various colored glass jars in different sizes and shapes filled with herbs. Several books titled up from small pedestals showing exquisite leather binding and artwork.

A bell rang from above the door when I opened it. It was one of those small old fashion metal bells with a spring mechanism that rings when the door pushes it. Nice authentic touch. Incense laced the shoppe's air, but it was a pleasant scent, not like the strong smells in candle shops at malls. Several round tables arranged in the center of the floor displayed products and bookcases at the back lined up like a library. Both sides of the room displayed more jars, cans, books, and jewelry. A long enclosed glass counter was neatly placed along one wall and it reminded me of an old fashion candy store. Underneath the counter were all types of herbs neatly labeled and added more scents to the room. On top was an antique cash register with numeric key levers to record sales.

A few customers were casually eyeing items on the round tables and another was completing a purchase. An attractive girl wearing a peasant style outfit with a white bun hat tied in a bow under her chin added to the authentic atmosphere. She had long wavy red hair pulled back into a pony tail and possessed a perfect smile and had gleaming emerald eyes.

"Come back again soon ma'am," the girl said, handing her customer a bag and sales brochure, then she greeted me. "Hello sir, may I help you?"

"Well, this is my first time here. My name is Daniel," I said and extended my hand to shake.

"Hi, I'm Melony," she said and shook my hand, her face beaming with a big smile.

"I have never been in a place like this before Melony. Perhaps you could suggest a gift, but I only have a credit card," I said, looking at the antique register which predated anything electronic.

Melony took an electronic card reader from under the register and said, "Technology is a friend to us city merchants," then laughed. "Perhaps your friend would enjoy some organic herbs to make tea. Everything you see here is all natural. There are no pesticides or anything bad."

"I'll buy of whatever you suggest."

Melony placed a colorful bag on the counter and said, "I think your friend will love this one. It's my favorite tea."

I handed Melony my credit card and she ran it through the electronic reader. A few seconds later told me that I had an open account with no restrictions.

"Really? An account, and with no restrictions?"

"Yes, it was set up a few weeks ago by someone named Alura. She has your name listed on the account also, so you don't even need to use your credit card. All your purchases get billed to a bank clearing house for payment."

Melony reached behind the counter and pulled out a shoe box sized package neatly wrapped with colored ribbons.

"This package is for you Daniel, and it's already paid for."

I moved my eyebrows up in surprise, took the box, and shook it. Melony was amused by my behavior and giggled.

"I guess you have a secret admirer."

"Looks like," I said. "Well, thank you Melony, and it was a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine Daniel. Please come back again soon."

After leaving the shoppe, I stood on the sidewalk inspecting the box more closely and shook it again while listening if a ticking noise could be heard. I guess I've been a little paranoid lately, especially with wolfs trying to eat me. Not likely someone would put a bomb in a box of herbs, but then again, I never thought I'd ever fight lycanthropes in an Iraq desert. I shook the box again, just to be sure.

My attention shifted to a light pole where I heard a caw. Sitting on the pole was that creepy crow tilting in its head and starring at me. It reminded me of one of Edgar Allen Poe's stories, but I could not recall which one. No matter, spooky is spooky, whether in a book or on top of a light pole. I thought for a moment to zap the bird with a bolt of lightening, and might have done it too if there weren't so many people around.

I wonder if there is a city ordinance prohibiting stoning crows that loiter around on city property, which would be less attention grabbling by a passersby than bolts of lightening. Nah, perish the thought. Maybe it's not a watcher and just a lost bird ... yea, right.

What was also strange is that no one seemed to notice the bird or a six foot 190 pound man looking up at a light pole from the middle of a sidewalk. I guess New Yorkers are use to seeing weird things. This sight was probably mild to nothing on the meter of strange things in Manhattan. Anyway, Alura did say watchers were harmless despite looking like some sort of hell pet.

As I got closer to my apartment, I felt my necklace amulet emit a slight vibration and the hairs on my neck stood up. I pulled my amulet out from under my shirt and saw it was glowing. That can't be good. I stopped about 100 feet from my apartment where a black Mercedes with dark tinted windows was parked. I kept an eye on the sweet ride while approaching my front door and the passenger side window of the car rolled down. A young man leaned forward and called out to me.

"Mr. Zane. Please, a moment of your time sir," the man said.

I walked closer to the car and got a whiff of wolf, and remembered that magical clamor doesn't work in close proximity to wizards.

"Mr. Zane, my name is Robert Moon. I represent a client who I believe you recently meant."

I grinned. "Oh, let me take a wild guess ... Lupzarro?

Moon smiled and nodded his head.

"You should advise your client concerning laws about stalking people, especially by the wolfy kind."

"Stalking? Hardly Mr. Zane. We are simply having a polite conversation on a public street among many of the fine residents of this great city. There is no reason for any hostility to occur."

"So, what does your client want to tell me?"

"Mr. Lupzarro wishes to express his sincerest apologies for the recent misunderstanding that occurred in Iraq."

"Misunderstanding? Oh, you mean when he and his wolf buddies tried to eat me?"

"Nonsense Mr. Zane. You clearly have misinterpreted my client's wishes. All he wants is to be left alone and enjoy this great city without being harassed."

"Lupzarro is here, in Manhattan? Well that's the worse news I've heard all day."

"Come now Mr. Zane. Surely your kind and ours can live in peace. It would be in your best interest to have an understanding with my client. He worries for your safety and that of your sister should things get out of control."

"My sister? It's bad enough that you come to my place of business uninvited, and now you threaten my sister?"

Moon frowned while his eyes lit up yellow and whoever was driving let out a low growl. Moon looked forward and instructed the driver to be still, like one might do when a dog sees a postman delivering mail. Moon looked back at me and his eyes returned to a grayish color.

"Think about my client's proposal Mr. Zane. Everyone would benefit from an understanding that promotes peace among our kinds, however, I must inform my client of your answer before the end of business hours tomorrow, say 5:00 PM."

Moon held out a business card for me to take, but I stood back from his car. He grinned, then dropped his card on the sidewalk.

"Very well Mr. Zane. I'll wait for your decision. Remember, no later than 5:00 PM tomorrow."

Moon sat back in his seat and instructed the driver to leave. I noticed the license plate spelled out LAW-WIN. I half expected BITE-ME, or more appropriately, BITE-U as a vanity plate. I picked up the business card from the sidewalk and it read: Robert Moon, Senior Partner of Moon, Stillman, and Kragen.

Figures, the freakin wolf being chaffered around in a $100,000 Mercedes is a lawyer.

I thought Moon's car would be more appropriate for a vampire because the look of luxury and dark tinted windows just didn't suit these fur balls. Maybe a Gypsy wagon would provide a more authentic look, given how werewolves are often portrayed in Hollywood movies.

After the air cleared of wolf stench, I opened my apartment door and saw Sally sitting hunched over looking right past me where Moon was parked, as if planning to attack. I locked the door and a blue-white light glowed along the frames of the door and window rearming my wards.

"Hey Sally, did you miss me? You didn't like those nasty wolves, did you?"

Sally wagged her tail while rubbing her head on my hand. I bent down and gave her my usual hug and she proceeded to slobber all over my face with her usual affection.

"Don't worry Sally, the bad guys are gone," I said, then told her how much better she smelled than those stinky fur balls.

I settled down on my couch and opened the box from Magical Herbs. It was filled with purple flowers that smelled like marijuana. Not that I use the drug – I don't – but I occasionally came across a student who reeked of it at the university. Must be wolfsbane. The herb had a much stronger smell and different color than what we used when fighting Lupzarro's flea bags. Sally sneezed and went to her usual spot next to the fireplace not wanting anything more to do with the herbs.

"Yea, I know what you mean Sally," I said and covered the box, then placed it on the floor.

It was already after 4:00 PM and normally I'd be hungry by now, but felt a short nap was needed first. I stretched out on the couch to relax for a few minutes, but soon fell asleep. Sally woke me with a muffled bark and was wagging her tail at the front door. My watch showed it was 6:50 PM, which meant that I was asleep for almost three hours. I heard the deadbolt on the door turn and saw my wards disarm. Alura walked wearing a big smile and was carrying several large shopping bags.

"Looks like someone had a nice day shopping?" I said.

"Everyday is a nice day when shopping," Alura replied with a big smile and a glow about her. "Hey, your eyes are puffy. Were you sleeping? I hope you didn't waste the entire day lying on the couch."

I didn't want Alura to know the extent of my outside venture was one shop around the corner, so I told a small fib.

"Of course not, I actually did a lot of things toady."

"Really, like what?" she asked and sat next to me on the couch.

"Well ... a lot of things."

Alura smiled and held up her phone showing a message: 'Package picked up, come again soon, Magical Herbs Shoppe'. She stood up and let out a big laugh while taking things out of her bags.

"Wonderful, I not only have a creepy bird following me, but apparently my sister as well."

"Relax Azul, your phone does the same thing. We both have Sarila designed Smartphones, remember? They have a built in GPS and either of us can see where the other is anytime, and we get each others messages."

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and sure enough, I had the same message from Magical Herbs.

"Funny, ha-ha," I said and Alura grinned. "Now that you had your fun, perhaps you can tell me about the law firm of Moon, Stillman, and Kragen?"

Alura stopped shuffling things in her shopping bags and made a sour face.

"Lycanthropes, and they own one of the most prestigious law firms in the city."

I held Moon's business card up and Alura said, "Ah, had a visitor did you?"

"Yup, sure did. Moon wanted to deliver a message of peace from Lupzarro."

Alura grinned. "That was to be expected Azul. Moon represents all the lycanthropes in the city and most on the entire eastern seaboard. He can be a dangerous enemy if paid enough, otherwise, he and his partners are content becoming rich by getting criminals acquitted for murder, drugs, prostitution, and all sorts of evil things."

"Well, apparently I have until 5:00 PM to tell him if I agree to a truce with Lupzarro, or else."

"Or else what?"

"Wolf boy didn't say, but he mentioned your name in an implied threat."

"Ha, he's threatened me before. Moon prefers to avoid our kind whenever possible because he knows we can dust him."

Alura tapped the top of the box of herbs I placed on the floor and said, "Hence the wolfsbane dear brother," then informed me that there would be a full moon tomorrow night. "Lupzarro will make his move when the moon is up – that's when lycanthropes are strongest. He will be more discrete in Manhattan than he was in Iraq, which unfortunately puts us at a disadvantage. A lycanthropes greatest power is remaining allusive and existing only in nightmares of children, so he'll be able to move around freely and pick where and when he attacks."

"Yea, I wish they were only nightmares," I said.

Alura laughed. "You ain't seen nothing yet brother, not even in your dreams. Lupzarro will send a handful of lower level soldier wolfs under the control of one or two shapeshifters. It won't be here at your apartment – that's too obvious. Maybe at a mall or office building, but definitely someplace where the police and media can whip up a story about terrorists being responsible. We won't know where he attacks until it begins, or if Sarila comes up with some intel in advance."

"Great ... does that mean my house warming is over?"

Alura smiled and took my hand. She reminded me that lycanthropes have been among us for nearly as long as man first walked on the Earth.

"It has always been this way Azul – dark versus light – and we do what we can to keep the world from spinning out of control. Evil acts are going to increase as the Darkzon lords get closer to Earth, as it does at the beginning of every 25,000 year cycle."

Alura smiled, then pulled me toward the shopping bags.

"Come on brother. Take a look at what I bought for you."

She shuffled around inside one of the bags and took out a bomber style leather jacket and Indiana Jones type felt hat. Both fit perfectly and were a style I could easily become accustomed to wear. I confess though that I thought the hat was somewhat a cliché, being a former archeologist, and couldn't say when I last saw anyone wearing one outside a dig site, including. Even so, the hat looked great with the jacket, and I was never one to abide by strict fashion trends.

"Do you like them?" she asked, watching my expression for a sign of approval.

I smiled and hugged her. "Yes, I like them a lot. You're the best. Thank you."

"I knew you would, and that's not all. Tonight we are going to dine on the best home delivered Chinese food in the city," she said while taking out several containers of spicy treats.

Alura and I ate our dinner while Sally sat patiently for anything that fell to the floor. Nothing did, so we each took turns sharing pieces of tasty morsels with her, and she expressed her gratitude with a thumping tail.

The evening passed uneventfully, thank goodness, and we decided to get some rest for the upcoming fight. Tomorrow night would be when Lupzarro makes his move and we had to be at our very best.

# Chapter 13

I'm getting use to my medieval style lab and find it more relaxing. The city sounds of cars honking and buses rolling by are completely blocked out making uninterrupted sleep a welcomed retreat. When I wanted to really chill out, I'd sit in my lab, close my eyes, and let the troubles of the day melt away.

The pentagram was had become an ordinary fixture now and fit in with my wizardry lifestyle. My lab had an alarm too, and waking up was an entirely different experience than in my bedroom. Instead of environmental music gradually building up with amber light, the wall adjoining my bedroom disappeared and another magical window appeared. This time there was no roster like back on Keob. Instead, there were horses galloping outside what sounded like the Sioux nation in a battle with General Custer.

Honestly, what in the world was I thinking when creating these annoying alarms ... and what happened to the wonderful music from last time?

Granted, alarms are designed to be somewhat annoying to get sleepyheads like me out of bed. No matter, because rosters and horses are on the delete list when I figure out how it works.

The smell of eggs and bacon cooking got my attention, so I knew Alura had let herself in. She told me her apartment was located a short distance uptown. I haven't yet seen it, but it's on my list of things to do. Being my sister, it seemed only right to have big brother check her place out, and eat her food for a change.

Sally was waiting for me when I came out from the lab. She jumped up placing her paws on my shoulders, nearly knocking me over, and starting licking my face. The pleasant smell of breakfast that had filled the air turned into bad breath reeking from dog biscuits and a variety of other less than appealing foods.

"Remind me to teach you how to use a tooth brush Sally," I said, which only made her lick my face harder.

"Hey there lazy bones. If you're nice, I'll let you have some breakfast," Alura said, pointing a ketchup tube at me. Otherwise ..."

"I surrender el capitán," I said with my hands raised in defeat. "Glad to see you're in such a happy mood given that Lupzarro is planning to have us torn into pieces tonight."

Alura smiled. "Okay, be that way if you want, but I'm going to enjoy this breakfast with or without you."

Alura lifted a plate in the air moving it side to side and closed her eyes while taking a long deep sniff.

"Yummy ... a healthy body is a healthy mind," she said and then sat at the table grinning at me.

"I believe you got that backwards sister. It's a 'healthy mind is a healthy body'."

Alura smirked. "Whatever professor, but if you don't sit down and eat, I'm giving your share to Sally," she said, causing Sally to wag her tail and watch more intensely for an opportunity to eat my breakfast. "Sally, tell your papa to give you some of his breakfast."

I gave Sally a piece of bacon. "Be patient with your auntie Alura. She's a known instigator and disturber of the peace."

Alura smirked again and pushed her tongue against her check, about to respond, but I got the jump on her.

"You see Sally, some people have little manners when visiting the home of others. Not everyone uses hungry animals as a wedge to make a point."

I waited for Alura's comeback, but instead of witty sarcasm, she put her thumb to her nose, stuck out her tongue, and waved her fingers at me. I pretended not to see her and put Sally's breakfast into her bowl. When I sat down at the table, I stared at the food without eating.

"What's wrong?" Alura asked.

"Nothing I hope. I'm just waiting to see if Sally survives your cooking before risking it myself."

Alura arched her eyebrow. "Aren't you the funny wizard this morning."

I smiled. "Well, Sally is still standing, so I guess I'll give it a try," I said and Alura replied with another stuck out tongue and wag of her fingers.

Huh ... Not bad. Food always does seem to taste better when someone else cooks it.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked.

"Same as last time. Load up and kill the lycanthropes."

I grinned. "Okay, that's a simple but good plan, despite having no specific plans and an element of likely doom."

"You'll need to replenish your wizard bag. Kyiel can help you with the needed spells. It won't take more than a couple hours to make them. We'll also need wolfsbane, which is why Magical Herbs had that package ready to go."

"How did you know I'd stop at Magical Herbs?"

"Come on Azul. A shoppe around the corner from your apartment with a large Celtic sign saying Magical Herbs ... duh, what wizard could resist such a place?"

She had a point. The shoppe was unique and near impossible to miss. Alura was cleaver and had a sense of humor only a brother could love, but predicting where I'd walk is a bit too cleaver.

How did she know I would walk in the direction toward Magical Herbs?

"Wizards tend to travel north when having do directional preference," she said. "Something to do with magnetic fields. No one knows for certain. I'm sure you were just thinking about that, right?"

"Maybe, and maybe not" I said, stiffening up my posture, unwilling to give Alura the pleasure of knowing she was right, but she knew she was and grinned.

We finished our breakfast and Alura filled me in on Lupzarro's history. She told me he had his hands in many businesses, especially in Manhattan, ranging from restaurants to multibillion dollar corporations. He even owned some stock of ZWC, not enough to have any influence, but still owned some just the same. In other corporations, however, he owned substantial shares of stock and had lycanthropes sitting on boards and others in powerful political positions.

Recently, the various lycanthrope packs had begun to jockey for dominance by making headlines reflecting their vicious nature. Alura told me several times before that things would get worse as the Darkzon lords got closer to Earth. Once here, the Darkzon would destroy all of their dark agents except for the strongest, those who demonstrated dominance above all their own kind. As bad as lycanthropes are, there are more dangerous dark creatures that soon would respond to the influence of the Darkzon – I suppose that creates job security for wizards.

Lupzarro is a relatively young member of his pack. Records show he is only a couple thousand years old and born from royalty, at least among wolf types. This was his time to prove himself among all the packs, or be killed by them. Failing to eliminate Alura and me tonight would be seen as weakness and his furry pals would kill him. If this happened, the packs would start warring among themselves for dominance and leave behind countless human casualties as a new alpha rose to the top of the fur ball heap.

Contrary to myths, lycanthropes are not created from a wolf bite as are their lower level four legged soldiers. Being a lycanthrope meant you were born a lycanthrope. These creatures actually have babies, or pups, that learn shape shifting as early as 12 in human years. Until then, young fur balls are raised by their packs in remote corners of the world while learning how to blend in with mankind.

Lycanthropes don't consider humans only as a primary food source like vampire clans do – they also killed for sport. To avoid detection, they developed an appetite for store bought meats to help supply their dietary needs. During full moons, however, lycanthropes can't hold back their animal instincts and will hunt, mostly homeless or isolated people living in remote areas.

"This fight will be different from the one in Iraq," Alura said. "Lupzarro may have human mercenaries with AK-47s and other military hardware to back up his wolf soldiers. The whole point tonight is to draw us out and kill us in a very public way. Everything else is just collateral damage."

Alura grimaced. "Azul, people will die tonight brother. All we might be able to do is try to stop a lot of people from dying," she said, then paused for a moment while nervously tapping her fork. "Sarila is tracking all known lycanthropes and any unusual activity among their packs. We need to be ready for her call because everything will happen fast once Lupzarro begins his hunt."

Being an agent of light bore a heavy weight of responsibility, especially for wizards. I understood this and how important wizards are to humanity. Still, the unknown element of what was coming stirred up fear in me. Anger was also present, and I'd be counting heavily on it tonight to keep me motivated.

"Summon Kyiel and get the spells prepared. Each time you use magic, your memory of who you are will strengthen," Alura said, then headed toward the front door. "I'll be back before sunset. For now, I need to get a few things and check in with Sarila."

Sally gave a gentle woof while thumping her tail against the floor, causing Alura to smile.

"Bye Sally, see you soon sweetheart," she said and shut the door.

Sally must have seen Alura's departure as an opportunity to go for a walk. She got up and stretched, then walked over to her leash hanging on a wall peg. I clipped the leash to her collar and she led the way outside to take care of her business. As I locked the door behind me, I checked to see if the hell pet crow was watching. Nope, no annoying bird in sight. Things appeared normal, as far as normal goes for a city filled with monsters lurking in shadows.

After walking a couple of blocks, Sally and I headed back to our apartment and passed the Magical Herbs Shoppe. I looked into the shop and saw Melony smiling and waving at me. I smiled and waved back as she finished ringing up a customer purchase. Melony motioned with her hand to come in, so I poked my head into the shoppe.

"Can Sally come in too?"

Melony looked down at Sally and let out a soft laugh, like when people sometimes do when seeing a new baby.

"Oh my gosh, how cute. Sure Sally can come in. You both are always welcome here."

For a brief moment, I thought I saw an unusually large white aurora surrounding Melony, but decided it was probably a reflection from the sun light coming through the window. Sally's tail wagged as she towed me behind the counter to greet Melony.

"Oh my, you are such a beautiful girl, aren't you?" Melony said and hugged Sally. "Yes you are. You're a sweet girl, and I see you're taking Daniel out for a walk."

I smiled and nodded while Melony gave a herbal treat to Sally, who showed her gratitude by making a couple woofs.

"I have something for you Daniel."

"Another package so soon?"

"Yes, but this one is from me welcoming you to the neighborhood."

Melony handed me a small package of white colored powder.

"What is this?"

"It's for you and Sally. Just sprinkle a pinch into your coffee, water, or on your food each day to promote good health and long life. My customers love it and it's our most popular product."

"Thank you Melony. We'll give it a try," I said. "Magical powder you say," I said , then gave it a couple of sniffs.

"Good health is always magical Daniel."

Another customer walked up and placed some items of the counter. I smiled and said goodbye, not wanting to take any more of Melony's time while she worked.

"How about that Sally. Looks like we both made a new friend."

Sally looked back through the shop window and woofed to concur with my assessment. A few minutes later we were back at my apartment and I unlocked the door, disarming my wards. I realized then that Sally would also need an amulet to protect her in case she ever crossed the threshold without me one day. I'll put this task on top of my list should I survive the werewolf fest tonight.

Given the situation, I was relatively relaxed. With about six hours of daylight remaining, I had plenty of time to complete the spells and replenish my wizard bag for the fight.

"Aptier Kyiel," I said and my molecular buddy appeared.

"Shall we get started," Kyiel asked.

"What, no hello or how was your day?"

"How was you day Azul?"

He's learning. I knew Kyiel had no emotions, but Alura was right, he can learn.

"Fine, thank you Kyiel, and yes let us get things ready."

Kyiel, not having a solid form, walked straight through the wall leading to my lab. I followed him after saying, "Entrunezum," which made the wall disappear for corporeal beings like myself.

"Okay, where do we begin?"

Kyiel told me I needed four spells: one for invisibility, one for transporting, one for freezing time, and one to charge up my defense magic. Charging up my defenses sounded like a darn good idea. Invisibility and freezing time ... well, that's way beyond cool.

"The powers in your amulets are limitless – your mortal body is not," Kyiel said. "You will become exhausted if too much magic is used during your current state of recognition. When this happens, only a long rest or casting a defense spell will restore energy to your body for channeling magic. Understand Azul, spells only work for the wizard who creates them, so if you can bring anyone with you during a transportation spell, they must be in physical contact with you – otherwise, they will be left behind."

Too bad Kyiel has no physical form, because if he did, I could watch him make the spells. The last time I worked with anything like this was in a high school chemistry lab, and after blowing out the windows and creating a small fire, I swore off working with anything that involved such experiments. But that was then and this is now. I guess there's no substitute for a hands-on approach to things, even magic, and hoped my new lab would not be destroyed.

Kyiel pointed out which items to take that were stored in various jars. First was a single clear crystal about the size of a dime. He instructed me to place the crystal in a small bowl on the table and slowly crush it.

"Wow, I haven't seen a morter and pestle like this since watching old movies as a kid. It's an antique you know."

"I suppose it is, and it works as well as it did thousands of years ago," Kyiel said.

"I stand corrected. It's much older – an artifact actually."

After grinding the crystal down into powder, Kyiel instructed me to add three drops of liquid from another jar and mix it into the powdered crystal. When this was done, he then told me to search my mind for the correct magical words to use.

I closed my eyes and concentrated while images of words and letters streamed past in my mind. Slowly the images faded leaving three words, and when I opened my eyes, I said, "Trans parda viota." A blue-white light emerged from the center of the mixed powder and began swirling with increasing intensity. A few seconds later, there was a crackle sound and flash of light, then the powder transformed into a coin shaped object.

"So, this is how those magic coins are made," I said.

There was a symbol on the center of the coin that I didn't recognize. I asked Kyiel what it meant and he told me it represented the magic spell for invisibility.

"Magic symbols are part of the ancient Zeshtunian language and are drawn out from universal elements of a wizard's internal magic," Kyiel said, and then he instructed me to place the magic coin in my wizard bag.

The items needed to complete the next three spell came from different jars containing various small crystals: blue for transporting, green for strengthening defenses, and grey for freezing time.

"About freezing time ... isn't such magic against one of the rules? It seems to me anything affecting a timeline could have dire consequences."

"One may not alter temporal time Azul. It is, as you say, against the rules. You may not risk undoing what has already been done. Any attempt to alter the past will destroy the wizard who attempts such magic, however, this spell does not change or interfere with time. When cast, the spell speeds up a wizard's relationship to time by making everything near him appear to be standing still. While the spell only lasts for a few seconds, it is those seconds when life and death decisions might be made."

"Really? Everything around me stands still?"

"That is correct. Your body, staff in hand, and personal items on your body will be unaffected by the spell within a short range of space. Other objects near you will remain frozen, unmovable, and unchangeable."

"Sounds like a rather handy spell should I get myself into a pinch. Okay, not a real time spell. It's a freezing things around me spell – got it. How does the defense spell work?"

"Simply place a green defense coin on the ground and crush it while saying the word 'relesa'. When the coin breaks, it immediately channels magic through your amulets to provide maximum defense and energy. Keep in mind that spells are temporary and that magic stored in coin form last only for a few months of the shelf."

Apparently, my amulets were like super batteries. The more I used magic, the quicker the power drained. I recalled feeling very tired after battling Lupzarro's wolfs in Iraq, and that involved only night vision and one transportation spell to Keob.

"So, the defense spell is used when I feel like falling asleep?"

"You will know when the time comes as such decisions are instinctive to wizards," Kyiel replied, then he noted there was an exception. "Transportation spells works much like a GPS. To cast the spell, you must first make a pentagram and place the coin in the middle before crushing it. The pentagram can be made from anything, such as sticks, rocks, drawing, or anything else able to form a circle. Once completed, it acts like a compass."

That explains the chalk I have in my wizard bag, which seemed odd until now.

"Yea, I know about this spell. Back in Iraq, I drew a pentagram in the dirt with the end of my staff and it worked fine. Alura and I were able to transport back to Keob before Lupzarro's wolf soldiers had a chance to tear our throats out. Okay, what's next?"

Kyiel instructed me to repeat creating the spells two more times so I'd have a total of three coins for each spell. I did as instructed and he asked if I had any questions.

"Actually, I do have one question. Why is it that everything involving magic results has a blue and white light? Why not yellow, purple, or green with red stripes?"

"Do you recall what we were wearing in your visions of Zeshtune?"

"Sure, we wore white robes and with blue sashes. See, that's my point. Why is everything blue and white?"

"These are the Zeshtune colors for peace and friendship. What other color combinations do you think would be chosen by a race that discovered magic?"

"Zeshtunians discovered magic ... for real?"

"Our race was the first to harness white magic for promoting peace and friendship. Is there anything else I can do for you Azul?"

"Nope, that covers everything for now."

"Very well," Kyiel said, then he bowed and disappeared.

With twelve magical coins tucked away in my wizard bag, I headed out into the living room to wait for Alura. Sally was still lying at her favorite spot and found enough strength to wag her tail twice, but didn't move her head. I said good morning and let her continue resting.

Only a few hours of daylight remained and Alura said she'd be back before sunset. There was nothing to do now but wait, so I took a can of beer from the refrigerator and wondered how the night might unfold. I began to draw a mental image in my head of what Moon would look like with my staff pushed up his nose – that thought put a big smile on my face.

Hmm ... I wonder if the fur ball is sharpening his teeth and grooming his tail.

# Chapter 14

Sally finally showed some life and wagged her tail while looking at the door, so I knew Alura was back. The deadbolt unlocked and my wards disarmed.

"Hey brother, ready to play whack the wolfy?"

"Hello there, I was hoping you would be here sooner than later. Don't really want to face the beasties all by myself."

Alura was dressed in dark fatigues without weapons, which meant her Porsche was chock-full of things that go boom.

"Is this your casual war-day look?"

"Just for a couple more hours," she said, went to the kitchen for an apple, and then sat next to me on the couch.

"So, what did you find out from Sarila?"

"Nothing yet, only typical chatter on cell phones, and things have gotten much quieter in the past hour. I assume Kyiel has tutored you in the fine arts of spell casting?"

"You know it. I have 12 magic coins tucked neatly away in my magic bag of tricks," I said with an accomplished smile and tapped my wizard bag

"Good boy, you're such a good wizard."

"When do you think Lupzarro will make his move?" I asked.

"It might take a few hours after the moon rises before we receive any actionable information. Time is clearly on Lupzarro's side, and he'll choose when, where, and his victims. There is nothing we could do but wait."

I reached over to the coffee table and picked up Moon's business card facing it toward Alura.

"Why wait? Want to go for a ride?"

Alura smiled. "Heck yea, beats sitting around waiting for Lupzarro to make the first move. If nothing else, we can shake things up by letting him know we're ready."

"Well alright then little sister, let's roll."

Alura grinned all the way as she drove to Moon's office building. I could see the wheels turning in her head making battle plans, or maybe fantasizing about kicking Moon's fury butt. Twenty minutes later we arrived in swanky uptown Manhattan. Meh ... not impressed. Alura parked her Porsche in a lot of a tall modern skyscraper. It was one of those typical sterile buildings, probably designed by a rising star architecture, but to me it looked like a tall shoebox with lots of windows.

"We need to hide our amulets out of sight because of the silver," Alura said. "Moon's security will not let anything that is unusual or with metal properties get through."

Makes sense Having a deadly allergy to silver would make wolves jittery.

Alura pulled her necklace amulet out from under her shirt and held it in her hand, palm up at me.

"You need to cast a clamor spell Azul. My magic is not strong enough, not even on Keob."

"You mean invisibility?"

"No, not an invisibility spell. We want them to see us coming, just not our amulets. A clamor spell will hide objects that you touch, including our amulets."

"I'm afraid Kyiel didn't teach me that one."

"That's because he doesn't need to teach it. It's like riding a bike. Once the spell is learned, you never forget it, except perhaps during very early stages of recognition, but you can recall how to cast the spell by concentrating."

"Magic without a magic coin ... okay, if you say so, but don't get mad if one of your fingers disappears, figuratively speaking of course since you I won't be able to actually see your fingers.

Alura smirked. "Spare me the dry wit brother."

I placed one hand over Alura's amulet and another over mine, then closed my eyes to concentrate on the right magic words to use. Images and letters streamed across my mind and coalesced into two words that I spoke: "Cova nutra."

When I opened my eyes and loosened my hand, the amulets could not be seen, but I could feel them. Alura and I were completely visible, or non-clamored to be more precise.

"Cool trick," I said. "Sure will be handy for hiding my beer and toast from you know who."

"I still have a nose to smell toast and fingers to feel beer cans, but go ahead, knock yourself out Mr. Cheapo."

My staff was inside my pocket in coin form, so I guess we were ready to go. Alura stepped out of her car and walked toward the building, but I paused to look at the trunk.

"Hey, aren't you going to arm up with something? At least a wooden baseball bat, squirt gun filled with holy water, or anything pointy and sharp."

"Nope, it won't help here. We'll never get any of that past Moon's security. Only your innate magic can help us if we get into trouble," she said and added, "at least I hope it will."

Alura shook her head. "Holy water ... really Azul? There are no vampires here. News flash brother – holy water also doesn't work on vampires either."

"What about wooden stakes? Do stakes kill vampires?

"Can't kill something already dead. If you stake a vampire, you'll only leave a big hole in its chest and really piss it off."

I looked back again at Alura's Porsche as we walked toward the building's entrance.

"Hey, remind me to get a nice car when all this is over."

Living in the area my apartment was located didn't really justify owning a car because everything was only steps away. Having my own car, on the other hand, would grant me easy access outside the city, like getting away from all the monsters to breathe fresh air in the countryside. Besides, my sister has a Porsche and supposedly works for me at the ZWC Empire, which I haven't even visited. It seems like my apartment and Magical Herbs has been the full extent of my exploring Manhattan these past couple of days, but hey, I might get a chance to use a car one day – who knows.

As we got closer to the front entrance, I saw at least a dozen surveillance cameras mounted on lamp posts and at corners of the building. Cameras were not the only thing watching us. On a lamp post was my unwelcomed and annoying hell pet glaring at us. It spread its wings and cawed, and I responded by giving the bird a bird, making sure my middle finger was high above my head so everyone watching could see.

"What are you looking at you annoying pest?" I said, resulting in a nudge from Alura.

"Stay focused Azul. We're about to enter a lycanthrope den. Most certainly it will be a trap."

"Yea, I figured it would be. Do we have health insurance at ZWC?"

Alura smirked. "Get real. If we ever need health insurance, it will be too late."

"Why is that?"

"Because dear brother, we'll be dead."

"Well that's not a very good health plan. I'm guessing there is no dental either."

Alura gave me one of her looks that essentially said 'duh'. We entered a revolving door leading to a metal detector where two armed security guards and an unfriendly dog were waiting. It was a real dog, German Sheppard, not a wolfy beast. I narrowed my eyes to see if either guard had a non-human aura around them and was pleased to see a thin veil of white light around them – good, they're human. One of the guards placed a plastic tray on a table in front of us.

"Please place all your metal objects into the try and walk one at a time through the detector," a guard instructed.

Alura and I placed our watches and phones into the tray and proceeded through the detectors while I held our clamored amulets. After passing through satisfactorily, Alura and I gathered our things from the tray and proceeded to a front desk where another armed guard was watching security monitors. He also was human.

"Who are you here to see?" the guard asked.

So far so good. The guards were polite and professional.

I wondered if they knew their employer was a big bad wolf. Probably not, because if they did and still worked here, that would make them polite, professional, and completely nuts.

"We're here to see Mr. Moon," I said.

The guard looked back and forth at us and asked if we had an appointment.

"No appointment, but Moon will want to see us. Tell him that Daniel Zane from Zane Worldwide Communications is here."

The guard gave Alura a look up and down several times, undoubtedly curious about her military fatigues.

I smiled. "She works at the office in shipping," I said, causing the guard to raise his eyebrows as if he just heard the biggest lie ever, but he picked up the desk phone anyway to announce our presence.

"Mr. Zane from Zane Worldwide Communications is here with a young lady to see Mr. Moon. Yes sir, I'll tell them."

The guard gave us another once over look, but didn't appear overly concerned.

"Someone will be down shortly to greet you both," he said, then told us to sit on a bench next to a wall.

While we were waiting, I noticed there was no company directory hung on any of the lobby walls. There was, however, large chrome letters bolted to a wall spelling out Moon, Stillman, and Kragen as Attorneys at Law.

I leaned in to Alura and said, "This entire building for a single law firm. Business must be very good."

Alura arched her eyebrow and said, "It would appear so," then grinned and shook her head in contempt.

Several minutes passed before a man dressed in expensive business attire walked out of an elevator. I could see a yellow aura around him and he smelt like a wet dog, so I knew it was one of Lupzarro's shapeshifters.

"Good evening Mr. Zane," he said. "Mr. Moon has been expecting you. Please, follow me," the fetch dog said, gesturing with his hand toward the elevator.

Expecting us? That's interesting ... and scary.

Alura gave a look letting me know she was thinking the same thing. Moon had set a 5:00 PM deadline for me to accept a truce with Lupzarro, and it was now 7:45 PM, way pass the deadline.

Why was he expecting us? Maybe he thinks I was stuck in traffic ... or maybe Alura and I are on his dinner menu.

Moon's fetch dog walked pass the elevator he had previously exited to a door on the other side of the hallway. It looked like a supply closet until he opened it revealing an electronic keypad and private elevator. The lycanthrope entered a code and the elevator door opened. We had to squeeze in because it was not big enough for the three of us, and instead of going up as I expected, the elevator went down.

"Where is this fire trap taking us?" I asked.

"Please be patient sir. Mr. Moon's office is located a few floors below the lobby. He often conducts conferences there with clients and guests to provide the highest level of security."

Yea, and to silence all his victims screaming.

I checked inside my pocket to be sure my staff was still there – it was – and I kept my hand on it ready to go as the hairs on the back of my neck stiffened. When the elevator door opened, Moon's fetch dog gestured for Alura and I to exit into a narrow and tastefully decorated hallway.

Two more beasties wearing thousand dollar suits joined the pet parade. These two were gorillas, not the kind in a zoo, but the kind you see at gyms and wonder how much steroids they took to look like gorillas. We now had three lycanthropes leading us down the hallway to a certain trap.

Alura's magic skills were only modest at best, but she could fight like no one I've ever seen, not even in movies. Hopefully she watched all those old Bruce Lee flicks and learned some hand-to-hand combat because all her weapons were left in the Porsche.

What am I saying? These are werewolves ... large, ugly, smelly beasts with razor sharp teeth and a never ending appetite. What chance do we have for surviving if they go all out on us?

My feet kept walking, but my brain was telling me to run as we came to the end of the hallway. Moon's fetch dog opened one of the two large doors with long brass handles and asked us to make ourselves comfortable.

"Mr. Moon will be you shortly," he said and closed the door.

"I'd bet my last dollar, if I had one, those two gorillas are standing outside the door," I said. "I suppose it doesn't matter much. It's not like we would get very far even if they weren't."

Alura ignored my pessimism and began checking out the room. It was a typical corporate business room with a long rectangle table surrounded by expensive leather chairs. There was one chair at the head of the table where an insanely large photo of Moon with two other legal eagles hung on the wall. Alura sat down on one of the chairs, put her feet up crossed on top of the table, and folded her hands behind her head staring at the portrait.

"Attorneys Stillman and Kragen I presume," Alura said. "Moon we already know."

"Comfy Alura? Doesn't it bother you knowing three or more lycanthropes are outside those doors getting ready to make us their dinner?"

"Actually, I'm wondering which of them I'm going to kill first," she said, looking at me with a serious face until we both burst out laughing.

"Really ... is that the plan?" I asked. "We wait in this room, with no possible way to escape, and you're contemplating which fur ball to kill first."

Alura stood up and kissed me on my check.

"Come on brother, we've been in tighter situations than this. At least I think we have. I mean we have survived for millenniums, so we must be pretty good at killing bad guys."

"Or, we got sliced, diced, and served as some wolf delicacy thousands of times," I said.

I heard a sound of metal clicking and knew the doors were being locked. I tried to turn the doorknob – yup, they're locked. I banged on the door and told the gorillas outside it was against the law to detain people, not to mention very rude. A moment later, a large flat screen monitor lowered from the ceiling and turned on.

"Very nice to see you again Mr. Zane, but I am curious as to what your intentions are since my client's truce proposal expired several hours ago. Please tell me why you have come to my office uninvited. It would seem such a decision could be, well let us say, an unhealthy choice at this late hour."

"Well, you know what they say Moony boy: It's never too late to tidy up loose ends."

"An interesting thought Mr. Zane, but please tell me what you believe will be the result of this predicament you have gotten yourself and your sister into."

Moon was grinning, the kind of grin that Tom the cat had when trapping Jerry the mouse. I'll admit, the situation was grim and Moon knew it, so I responded in the most careful possible way.

"I was thinking of asking you to speak with Lupzarro, you know, wolf to wolf, and stop any plans involving harming innocent people. If that doesn't work, well, I guess I'd settle for blowing up your shinny new building and killing you fur balls."

Moon's eyes lit up bright yellow and his voice became deep and course. Perhaps the fur ball was caught off guard hearing a threat from someone he considered a trapped rat. I grinned back at him and maintained eye contact hoping he might take me more seriously.

"You are fifty feet below the surface. No one can hear you nor can anyone save you. This will be your last few moments on Earth Mr. Zane," he said, his eyes turning back to grey, and his voice sounding more human. "Please excuse me Mr. Zane, I digress. It would be impolite for me to allow harm come to you and your lovely sister before my client has had a chance to bid you both farewell."

With those final words, the screen blinked showing the one and only, king of the Manhattan lycanthropes, Lupzarro.

"Hello ... hello there Mr. Zane. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to see you again. We departed so quickly the last time we met, I didn't have a chance to say goodbye. Too bad you would not accept the truce I wished to have between us. It would have been the easy way to settle our differences, but since you have come to Mr. Moon's office, you present me with a better choice. Better for me of course, not so good for you I'm afraid."

"Look Lupzarro, I'm here only as a professional courtesy, a last attempt to see if you'll listen to reason. It's quite simple. If you back-off your plans for tonight, I'll pretend we never met. This assumes of course you remain a good wolf in the city. The alternative is not as pleasing, I assure you."

"Yes, yes, I heard your threats issued to my attorney. Such nonsense is of no consequence, especially since you are ... how do humans say ... oh, yes ... trapped like rats in a cage. But not all is lost Mr. Zane, not for a little while at least. I have some entertainment for you and your sister to enjoy before things get messy in Mr. Moon's board room. Please enjoy the show. Goodbye Mr. Zane."

The screen went black.

The 'show' ... that doesn't sound good.

I took my coin from my pocket and said, "Unclass staff." The coin lifted into the air and turned into a blue-white swirl of color, and then changed into my staff. The amulets on top of my staff, necklace, and ring all began to glow.

Alura jumped off the chair and faced the door. About ten seconds passed, which seemed like hours when waiting for monsters to kill you, then the monitor flickered. We saw what looked like a train or underground subway terminal. The image quality was grainy and in monochrome showing people moving around with others sitting on benches. A subway car soon appeared from the tunnel and passed a platform. Alura looked at me and I saw fear in her eyes. She then looked back at the screen and made tight fists.

"He's going to attack people in that subway," she said. "Lupzarro's going to kill those people."

"Do you know where this place is Alura?"

"No, but I know how to find out. We need to call Sarila."

"Call ... as in call using a cell phone needing a signal? We'll never get any reception this deep underground."

Alura took her phone out of her pocket and, sure enough, there was no signal. She moved the phone close to her lips and said, "Keob." The phone's screen glowed brighter and began to ring.

"Not a normal phone brother, remember? Sarila made these from magical elements. They will work anywhere."

"Alura, fill me in my dear," Sarila said.

"Later Sarila. Right now I need you to lock in on the satellite feed coming from where I'm located. It's probably a metropolitan subway camera somewhere in the city."

"Yes, certainly," Sarila said, clearly hearing the urgency in Alura's voice. "Give me a second ... got it. It's at terminal 57 at 32nd 50 West Broad Street."

"Azul and I are at Moon's office 50 feet below ground and things are about to get ugly. We need boots on the ground at the terminal as soon as possible. No time to waste. People are about to be killed Sarila, so please hurry."

# Chapter 15

Sarila told Alura she would get help right away and the phone transmission ended. At that moment, Alura's eyes opened wide and she gasped. I looked at the monitor where Alura's eyes were fixed and saw several wolves attacking people. They were not shapeshifters, but the four legged wolf soldiers like those we fought in Iraq.

People were screaming and running in a panic. A few managed to get up the stairs leading out of the terminal, but several poor souls were being mauled to death. A few moments later the victims stopped moving while the wolves continued dismembering their bodies. Alura hid her face in my chest, but I kept watching, feeling anger building up a swell of magical power in me. Alura must have sensed it because she stood back and stared at me.

"Azul, your eyes ... they're blue. They're Zeshtune eyes."

Images and memories surged in my mind like a hurricane. I was remembering things: Zeshtune, battles, Kyiel, Thyzil, and the Mayans. I could remember everything now, at least what I believe was everything.

Wind began to swirl around the room and tossed chairs into the air. Alura took shelter under the conference table. I pointed my staff toward the doors and shouted words not used for thousands of years: "Raza zitum." Circular saws of blue-white light leapt out of my staff and spinned with razor sharp edges that hissed as they circled the room. I moved my staff forward and shouted, "Aktum," and the saws exploded through the locked doors. The lycanthropes on the other side were shredded into pieces and turned into burning ash so quick, they barely had a chance to yelp. The saws buzzed around the hallway, and after not finding any more fur balls to chop up, they disappeared.

Alura came out from under the table, still stunned by what had happened. She gently placed her hand on my chest.

"Azul," she said, her voice quivering.

I was still looking ahead, eyes bright blue and my amulets were glowing. I couldn't hear Alura because my mind was overwhelmed with anger and powerful magic.

"Azul," she said a little louder, and again I didn't respond. "Brother, can you hear me?"

The wind began to quiet down as I turned to look at her. My eyes turned brown again and my amulets stopped glowing. I had released my anger without causing unnecessary destruction.

Alura smiled. "Azul, you did it. You've completed recognition."

We embraced. "I know Alura, I know."

"Can you remember? Do you remember Zeshtune?"

"Yes, I think I remember everything. Come Alura, we have work to do. First we kill the wolves, and then we kill Lupzarro and his attorneys."

I placed the tip of my staff on the elevator door, which caused a bright flash and snapping sound. The door opened and we entered, then I looked at the ceiling and said, "Aktum." My eyes turned blue again and my amulets glowed as the elevator moved upward.

It occurred to me that when the doors opened at the lobby, Alura and I might be facing a couple of human guards who probably were just doing a regular job. I reached into my wizard bag strapped under my coat and took out one of the white coins to cast an invisibility spell. I took hold of Alura's hand and crushed the coin on the floor saying, "Relesa." Alura and I watched ourselves fade and disappear in the metal reflection of the elevator door.

When the door opened, the guards were at their post and only glance at what appeared to be an empty elevator. Alura and I quietly walked pass the guards and out of the building unnoticed until the revolving door spun. The two guards close by looked at the spinning door and then at each other with blank expressions. They couldn't see us.

Alura and I got into her Porsche and the invisibility spell began to wear off. I could see the outline of my hands and feet, but we were semi-transparent like a ghost. Alura raced her Porsche to the West Broad Street subway terminal faster than I have ever seen her drive, but this time I didn't have any white knuckles. I was as anxious as she was to take out Lupzarro and his wolf pack.

"Lupzarro will be there watching somewhere in the dark," Alura said. "He will join in on the hunt after his soldiers have their fill. Pack leaders are sadistic and find great pleasure watching their prey suffer before they themselves begin killing."

"We'll find Lupzarro Alura, I promise, and we'll find his lap dog Moony too in due time. They will pay for what they have done, every last one of them."

Alura screeched her car to a stop and double parked outside the subway terminal entrance. The police had already cordoned off the area and several police officers were managing onlookers who gathered to see what all the commotion was about. Another officer was interviewing a witness and more police cars pulled in behind us. We showed our press passes and were allowed to get as far as the officers guarding the stairs to the platform. There were two more officers at the corner of the first stair platform peeking around corners with their guns drawn.

"Can't go down there, press or not," one officer said.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Some kind of animal, or more likely a nutcase who thinks he's an animal."

"Really, how do you know that?"

"The perpetrator keeps howling up and down the tunnels. It's some kind of freaky crazed killer loose down there. Witnesses say wolves attacked them. You know what I think? It's some kind of hypnotist freak playing with peoples minds. One thing for sure, there is at least one victim below. That's all I can tell you."

"Thanks officer. We'll get out of your way," I said.

Alura and I headed back to her car which was now blocked in by a number of police cars. We sat inside to discuss what our next step would be realizing time was not on our side.

"Alura, do you know another way to the platform?"

"No. Police will have cordoned off all the entrances up and down from this one by now. We need to find a way in from here."

"Okay then. We'll get inside to the platform just like we got outside of Moon's office building."

"Hold on," Alura said, then turned and kneeled on the drivers seat. She pulled the rear back seat section off revealing an arsenal of weapons in a storage compartment and began grabbing the usual items: swords, pistols, grenades, and more. "These weapons must be on me when you cast the invisibility spell so they will be hidden."

It was interesting seeing just how flexible my little sister was as she maneuvered around inside a small car. She quickly strapped the Desert Eagles to her legs, the grenade belt across her chest, and packed her pockets with .44 magnum clips. Then something interesting happened. Alura's choice of weapons is her double edged 36" long silver swords. There was not 36" of room in the entire Porsche, and to my surprise, she twisted and turned in all kinds of ways that I thought humanly impossible.

Alura let out an exhausted breath and said, "I have to open my window to put the swords on my back."

The car windows were tinted dark to prevent outsiders from seeing inside. If the window was opened, we'd risked being discovered carrying a whole lot of weapons not covered by any weapon permit. I mean, how many New Yorkers carry grenades strapped across their chest? On second thought, don't ask – don't tell.

Alura reached inside the Magical Herbs gift box and took out some wolfsbane.

"Here, put this in your coat pocket," she said.

I decided to put wolfsbane in both pockets, to be double safe. Wolfsbane had the unique ability to throw off a lycanthrope's sense of smell. We used it when fighting against Lupzarro in Iraq and it drove his wolf soldiers crazy. They kept pointing their snouts in the air, unable to figure out what they smelled. For a natural herb free of magic, wolfsbane is a must have for anyone hunting werewolves.

"Wait until I tell you the coast is clear," I said and Alura nodded as I watched several police officers walk by the car. "Now Alura," I said and she lowered the window a few inches, then moved the swords out and back inside to the straps on her back, and did this within a couple of seconds.

She didn't even look, and no cuts. Very impressive.

We both looked around to see if anyone noticed – no one did – so I reached into my wizard bag and took out a white magic coin. I placed Alura's hand into mine and broke the coin in my free hand, then said, "Relesa." The inside of the Porsche lit up with bright blue-white light as Alura and I became semi-transparent and then invisible.

"Think anyone saw that?" I asked.

"Hope not, but if they did, all they'll find is an empty car should they check it out."

We had to exit my door keeping our hands held together for the spell to remain intact. I got out first, then Alura slid over and out from the passenger door. We looked around again to make sure no one had noticed anything unusual. Two officers were about 20 feet in front of us, but they were facing toward the subway entrance and unaware of our presence. Satisfied that no one noticed the crazy lights emitting through the windshield, I gently closed the car door and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's turn the hunt on the hunters," I said as quietly as possible, and although I couldn't see Alura, I knew she was smiling with delight at the thought.

As was the case when at Moon's office, no one noticed as we walked past the police and down the subway stairs. It wasn't long before I smelt wet dog, leaving no doubt what was ahead. We turned a corner passing the two officers who had their guns drawn and quietly walked down the last stairs leading to the final platform.

The wolf smell intensified, but there was also something else in the air – it was blood. I read somewhere when enough blood is gathered in a small area that it took on an unmistakable order. Blood was a smell you never forgot and I immediately made the connection with the blood spilled at the Iraq desert fight.

The smell was making me nauseous, but that was nothing compared to how I felt when we turned the last corner. There were pieces of human bodies and pools of blood all over the platform. I heard a dripping sound and saw splats of blood hitting the floor in front of us. When I looked up, I stepped back pulling Alura with me and almost unclasped our hands. Above was a human leg in blood soaked jeans and a sneaker dangling from electrical conduits. Our mouths dropped open and we grimaced.

A few moments later, growls sounded out from the dark tunnel and we saw six yellow dots moving closer to our position. Three lycanthropes came into view with their snouts curled up, showing long sharp teeth, and began scanning the area. They stopped about thirty feet ahead of us and began sniffing in the air, indicating our Wolfsbane was doing its job. The fur balls knew something was near, but were confused and unaware that we were only feet away.

Alura squeezed my hand to get my attention and whispered, "Get ready."

The lycanthropes began moving forward again as we readied ourselves to let go of each others hand. Alura grabbed the handle of one sword with her free hand and I reached in my pocket and held my staff coin in my hand. With one hard squeeze of our hands telling each other it was time to fight, we let go and the lycanthropes saw us. Before any of the fur balls got a chance to react, Alura had already pounced on one, and with a furious swoop of her sword, she severed its body in half.

A second lycanthrope ran toward Alura while a third started toward me. I took the coin out of my pocket and said, "Unclass staff," changing it into its full length staff. The lycanthrope targeting me leaped into the air growling with teeth as big as they come. Just before it got close enough to chew my face off, I clubbed it with my staff which sent it smashing into a concrete wall. The lycanthrope yelped and fell to the ground.

Alura was swinging her sword and dodging the other wolf attacks while the one I clobbered got up and started back toward me. I pointed my staff at it and shouted, "Aknor firster," producing a thick stream of wizard fire that consumed the beast into flames. I looked back at Alura who kicked the burning head of a wolf like a football and grinned.

"Hey there blue eyes," she said and started walking toward me, not noticing a very large lycanthrope was about to pounce on her.

"Alura, watch out," I shouted, but it was too late.

The 300 plus pound seven-foot tall lycanthrope had caught Alura by surprise and knocked her into a concrete pillar. She hit the pillar hard, cracking several tiles before falling limp to the ground.

"Alura," I shouted again, but she didn't move or respond.

The shapeshifter stood there staring at me. I think it was grinning – as much as an ugly werewolf face could – and it began walking slowly toward me on its hind legs. It was Lupzarro in his natural smelly wolf skin. He spoke to me a coarse almost intelligible voice.

"Time to die wizard," he said, then pointed his head at me with both arms extended outward ready to strike, and I pointed my staff at him.

"Aknor firster," I said, sending forth another stream of wizard fire.

Lupzarro managed to jump out of the way and the fire burst into a wall scattering blue-white light in all directions. I only saw a blur of movement and he was gone. Destroying Lupzarro was not going to be easy. He was fast for targeting with my magic, at least with any degree of accuracy.

A few seconds later, I was on the ground with Lupzarro on top of me trashing away with his claws. My eyes widened in surprise, not because he wanted to slice me apart with his six inch claws, but because he was not really on top of me. He was a couple of inches away on top of a transparent green shield that protected my body. Sparks shot out from the shield each time Lupzarro's claws struck. The shield was my defense magic kicking in, automatically, and it was keeping me alive.

Both my ring and necklace amulets were glowing and heating up rapidly. My strength was draining, so I reached for a green magic coin, but my wizard bag was no longer strapped to my belt. Along with my staff, my wizard bag was on the subway floor out of reach. The strap must have broken when Lupzarro hit me from behind.

I thought for a moment to use my amulet ring to cast a spell, but remembered that wasn't an option. Magic could not be used while my shield was active. I'd have to drop it, and even then using magic might only squish me like a bug at such a close range. Not that it mattered much either way because my shield was beginning to close in on me with each strike Lupzarro made. He kept trashing his claws wildly while staring into my eyes with a very hungry look.

Lupzarro's might actually win the fight. I looked helplessly over to Alura who was still motionless. Is she still alive? I never told her how much she meant to me, and now may never get the chance.

Bang, bang, bang. I heard gunfire and saw muzzle flashes coming from the dark tunnel. Lupzarro jumped up facing the gun fire and stretched his head in the air howling. This time his howl sounded like he was in pain as bullets exited his back and struck a nearby wall. Streaks of liquid silver dripped out of the bullet holes is his chest surrounded by trails of smoke. Lupzarro gave me another look with pure hatred eyes in his eyes, and then disappeared down the tunnel to escape more gunfire.

Five armed men wearing special force type military outfits with AK-47s ran past me to chase Lupzarro. Their helmets had white letters painted across the brim: KEOB. They were our guys sent by Sarila. A little late, but late is always better than never. I managed to stand up as my defense shield flickered and died out.

"Alura," I shouted and ran to her, kneeling at her side and putting her head on my lap. "Alura ... Alura," I said with tears in my eyes, as her eyes slowly opened and a small smile formed.

"Hey there blue eyes," she said.

I smiled and brushed my hand across her check. Alura's eyes then widened in fear as another growl came from behind me – it was Lupzarro – he doubled back. His growl startled me and I fell next to Alura. Unfortunately, I did not think to get my staff and wizard bag before rushing to Alura, so magic was not an option and Lupzarro knew it. He raised one arm up slowly to let us know we were about to become his dinner. Just as his arm got above his head ready to strike, a blue-white light stuck out from Lupzarro's chest. Lupzarro howled in horrible agony, dropped his arm to his side, and looked at the light coming out of his chest. He then looked once more at me, but this time he was dying and the bright yellow eyes dimmed into a dull dark grey as life left his body.

Lupzarro was dead, but he didn't fall to the ground. He went limp and just hung in the air until being tossed onto the middle of the subway tracks and engulfed into flames. Alura and I looked up and saw a tall muscular built man wearing a metal breastplate. His was holding a large claymore sword that glowed with blue-white light and dripped with blood. It was Thyzil, as he looked during the great battle on Zeshtune, but much younger. The skinny worn out man Alura and I found in the river at OZ was no more and now stood seven-feet tall with broad shoulders and arms that could crush a Volkswagen. His long black hair was pulled back with a leather headband and he had a friendly smile.

"Wizard, good thing for you I was nearby again, yes?"

I grabbed Thyzil's arm and he pulled me to my feet.

"Now, where have I heard that before?" I asked. "Yes dear friend, I am very glad you were nearby."

Thyzil roared in laughter while bending down on his knee next to Alura.

"Thyzil," Alura said in a soft breath and smiled. "It's you. You completed recognition."

"Yes my princess, and I once again saved the day."

The three of us began to laugh as Thyzil helped Alura to her feet. Her legs gave out and she almost fell, but Thyzil picked her up like a baby into his arms.

"Not this times my princess, not this time. I will never let you go," Thyzil said and he gently kissed her cheek.

Alura smiled as she wrapped her arms tightly around Thyzil's neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry wizard. My princess will be fine. I have seen many battles and know when someone is badly hurt. She has healing magic in her. Soon, she we be healed and killing more big doggies."

The five military men that chased Lupzarro down the tunnel returned and looked over at the pile of smoldering ashes on the tracks. One of the soldiers then looked at Thyzil and made a slight grin.

"Sir, all quarters have been secured. No enemy present," the soldier said.

"A good battle and good exercise, yes?" Thyzil asked, and the soldier smiled, then ordered his men to return to base.

Thyzil walked over to my staff and wizard bag and tossed both to me using the toe of his boot.

"See wizard ... no hands."

"Showoff," I said and Thyzil let out another boisterous laugh while Alura squeezed him tighter.

I took out the chalk from my wizard bag and drew a pentagram big enough for all three of us to stand inside on the platform floor. I dropped a blue coin on the floor and crushed it, then placed my hand on Thyzil's shoulder and said, "Transmati Keob." The pentagram lit up with a wall of blue-white light rising to and pouring across the ceiling above. Seconds later we were back at Keob facing a smiling Sarila.

"Well done wizard," Sarila said. "I see by your blue eyes that recognition is complete for you as well."

"Yes wizard, you are officially Zeshtunian," Thyzil said, then slapped me on my back, nearly knocking me to the ground. "Come my friend, first beer is on me. Of course, it is your beer, so maybe on you, yes?"

It's good to be back on Keob. It's better yet to have a sister and old friend with me, who by the way are the best wolf butt kickers ever.

This night was for celebration. Even Sarila and her lab assistants joined in as we ate pizzas and opened a keg of beer. We even summoned Kyiel to join us, even though he just stood there watching us like a party pooper.

"To the victor go the spoils," Thyzil said and raised his mug of beer.

"Here, here," Alura replied, still very much banged up, but healing nicely.

It was the best night of my entire life. I felt love, friendship, and a real sense of belonging to something bigger than myself. We were all safe now and Lupzarro was dead. While many more bad guys were out there waiting for us to stomp them, tonight was for us.

It's amazing that Alura and Thyzil's love stayed alive after all these millenniums. If that by itself was not enough, I gained a family, which until now was not complete. Life is good.

# Chapter 16

Keob felt like a real home and things were beginning to make sense to me, at least until the bedroom alarm went off. Seconds later my magic window was shinning bright and the roster was back with his annoying wakeup crow. I threw my pillow at him and he flew away, shooting feathers into my room.

Interesting ... a hologram roster afraid of pillow fights. Good to know.

My memory had improved significantly, but I was drawing blanks in about why a roster alarm clock was ever created. I must have had too much to drink when coming up with this crazy idea. Still, I have to admit the annoying thing did wake me more quickly than other traditional types of alarms.

I entered the living area and was surprised to see everything in immaculate order. While we didn't have a wild party last night, the place did get messy with empty pizza crust and spilled beer. Who cares, at least it's clean. I decided to cook some breakfast as Alura and Thyzil were coming out of her bedroom.

"Are we having company for breakfast?" I asked.

Alura rolled her eyes. "If you're cooking, we're eating."

I was about to make another wise crack when my phone rang.

"Mr. Zane, I suppose congratulations are in order."

"Moony, is that you buddy? Tell me where you are so I can come there and kick your furry butt."

I put my phone of speaker so Alura and Thyzil could hear the conversation.

"Mr. Zane, there is no need for a personal vendetta. After all, I only provide legal representation to powerful individuals. I have no interest in increasing hostility between us."

"It's a little late for that now fur ball. You may not have killed those people with Lupzarro, but you helped nonetheless. In my eyes you're just as guilty, and the next time I see you, I'm going to turn you into dust."

"As you wish Mr. Zane, however, there is something you should know. My new client wishes for me to express his curiosity about your activities in the city. He believes it would be in everyone's best interest for you to leave before other people get hurt, such as loved ones or other innocent people."

"More threats, huh Moony? It didn't work out so well for you last time, nor did it for your pack leader Lupzarro who is now a pile of burnt out ashes in a city subway."

I must have struck a nerve because there was a long pause, and then Moon surprised me.

"Mr. Zane, or should I call you Azul?"

Moon knew my real name. How does he know my name?

"How about not calling me at all. There are better things for me to do than have meaningless conversations with a soon to be dusted flea bag."

"I will come to the point Mr. Zane. My client has informed me that you both last saw each other a very long time ago, about 25,000 years to be precise. He tells me it was a glorious time in those days among the Mayans and other lost civilizations."

"Cut to the chase fur ball."

"My client told me you would recognize his name. Those of us in my pack call him by his ancient name Ah Chuy Kak. He hopes not to see you anytime soon, but should things work out differently ... well, I think you will find the outcome quite different from what you experienced last evening. Good day Mr. Zane."

Ah Chuy Kak was the Mayan title for god of war. I knew this name from Manco's archeological research in Peru, but that was it. Recognition or not, I don't remember anything about meeting Ah Chuy Kak.

Legends say Ah Chuy Kak was a bloodthirsty killer with supernatural powers who preyed on innocents. Some believe he was responsible for destroying the entire Mayan civilization. No one knows much about his reign of terror because the Mayans vanished without leaving a trace of what caused their disappearance. If Ah Chuy Kak has been hanging around on Earth for 25,000 years, one could safely assume he has had a hand in large scale enterprises involving wars and misery.

"Why would Ah Chuy Kak stay behind while his Darkzon superiors left Earth long ago?" I asked Alura.

"We know some underlords among the Darkzon stayed behind after the last battle on Earth, but no one has heard anything from them all these years. If Moon is telling the truth about Ah Chuy Kak, then the rules of this game have changed."

Alura looked concerned, and given her fighting skills, if she was concerned about a monster, so was I.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"To remain secretly in the dark for so long means Ah Chuy Kak has risen into power among the nations of Earth. It will be difficult to find him, and even more difficult to destroy him if found."

"That may explain all the corrupt politicians and Wall Street bankers," I said in a sarcastic tone.

"No, that would be too obvious. These monsters hide in the dark out of view from people. Politicians and businessmen may be their puppets, but their masters operate in the shadows. They are secretive and powerful enough to destroy entire nations without ever leaving their hidden chambers."

"Great, now I have to worry about beings that can destroy entire nations. Doesn't matter, I'm still going to turn Moony into dust no matter how many bad guys are out there."

Alura smiled. "Of course you are dear brother, and I'm going to help."

Thyzil took a bite out of an apple and said, "Me too."

I was anxious to get back to Manhattan and take care of Sally, who was probably hungry and needed a walk. I excused myself and went to my bedroom for my wizard bag and staff. The bed was gone from inside the pentagram and did not appear when I stepped inside the circle. Must be on a timer. I took a blue magic coin from the wizard bag and twisted it under my foot saying, "Transmati domas." Moments later I was back in my Manhattan apartment lab.

When I entered the living room, Sally pushed me to the floor and slobbered all over my face. It reminded me of Dino on the Flintstones cartoon tackling Fred when he came home from work.

"Yaba-daba-do to you too," I said. "Come on, give me a break Sally. Okay, okay, I missed you too."

Sally ran to the door and pulled her leash off the wall peg with her teeth. This routine was showing some stress on her lease, judging by all the teeth marks, but hey, no big deal. If new leashes had to be purchased occasionally, it's worth every penny because she never left me guessing when nature was calling.

"Okay you win. Let's go for a walk."

My wards rearmed as I locked the apartment door behind us. It was nice day with a cloudless blue sky and lots of sun. Best of all, the full moon cycle had completed. Frankly, I was all wolfed out and needed a break from the flea bags.

Sally walked over to her favorite light pole, relived herself, and then headed right back to the apartment door. She must be hungry. I put my key into the front door lock and heard a caw. Great ... just when things were looking up, the creepy watcher bird was back and sitting on a sign across the street. For a moment, I was tempted to extend one of my fingers, but thought doing so might only encourage the nasty hell pet. Sally looked at the bird and growled.

"Come on girl, the day is too nice to let that dirty bird annoy us," I said, then scowled at the bird as we entered the apartment.

"Bet you're hungry, huh girl?"

Sally woofed, then sat next to the kitchen table watching me cook up twice the normal size breakfast of eggs, beacon, and toast. I tossed a few sausage links into the frying pan as a treat.

The food couldn't cook fast enough for us, and once it was ready, we both ate like it was our last meal. A few minutes latter, I stretched out on my couch and Sally flopped down next to the fireplace. We both let out a satisfying exhale.

I got a little antsy after awhile and decided to do some shopping – maybe even for a new car – but first wanted to do a special errand. I left Sally in the apartment and waived down a cab to take me to the motor vehicle department. It occurred to me that vanity license plates would make excellent gifts, especially if they reflected the recipient's personality. Alura's plate read: BAK-OFF to reflect her heroine fighting skills. Thyzil's plate read: WAR-MAN for obvious reasons. For me, I got one to help motivate my interest in buying my own car – it read: MAGIC.

Moon got the best plate of all. I wrapped his up after placing a sticky note inside with the words 'very soon fur ball' written on it. What I wouldn't give to see his face when he opens the package. Instead of BITE-ME as I first thought when watching him drive off in his Mercedes, his vanity plate gift read: DUST-ME. A fitting plate that predicted his future.

On my way home, I got to thinking about what it would be like being stuck inside a car during city business hours. Traffic jams in Manhattan are as close as it gets to being stuck in a Wal-Mart cashier line during the holiday shopping season. Hmm ... perhaps owning a car could wait for the time being. I decided that I would hang my vanity plate on the apartment wall and continue using city transportation, at least the next few months. After all, being able to snooze while someone else was driving is a big plus.

Sally was snoozing away herself when I returned home, but did wag her tail a little. She was doing well as a New Yorker and needed no adjustment period. Her life for the most part consisted of going for walks, sleeping, and eating. By far, eating was her favorite thing to do and she made no qualms about it. Her appetite was extraordinary.

After eating her own food, Sally always focused her attention on my breakfast, lunch, dinner, or anything in between. She doesn't beg for food – she demands it – and uses annoyance strategies, such as pushing her head into my arm when I raised a fork to my mouth. Not hard enough to poke out my eye, but enough to throw food from the fork onto the floor.

I planned ahead today for lunch and fed Sally first thinking it might help to solve the problem – it didn't. By the time I got my own lunch to the kitchen table, Sally had already finished hers and was waiting for a sympathy snack.

"Darn it Sally, just because you wolfed down your food doesn't give you a right to have mine."

Sally titled her head and gave a lazy look pretending not to understand. I did my best to eat in peace, but she managed to nudge a few pieces of food to the floor. Some things just never change.

Not much time passed before I got to thinking about Moon and his new client Ah Chuy Kak. I wanted to teleconference with Manco, who knows everything about Mayan lore, but Alura warned me not to contact anyone from my past. I couldn't take the chance of putting Manco or his family in danger under any circumstances.

Kyiel or Yochi were the obvious choices because they knew everything about my past. I figured I'd be checking in with them about Ah Chuy Kak sooner or later, but for now was feeling nostalgic about my old profession. Instead of taking the easy 'tell me all about Ah Chuy Kak' tutoring lesson, I decided to spend some time at the New York City Library.

Not being in any particular hurry, I rode a bus to the Library and was looking forward to spending quality time with what use to be a big part of my life – books, and lots of them. After hauling as many books as I could carry to an obscure corner of the library, I spent several hours pouring over Mayan lore and various legends and myths about ancient deities. Surprisingly, there wasn't much information about Ah Chuy Kak other than short descriptions and a few drawings. The one drawing that caught my attention showed Itzam-Yeh sitting on a throne with several beings kneeling at his footstool.

Itzam-Yeh is the Mayan god whose name was written on the scrolls Manco and I found at the Gate of the gods. One of the creatures kneeling at his footstool was Ah Chuy Kak, and his being in the presence of Itzam-Yeh meant he was important in the Darkzon hierarchy. It also meant he was an overlord under Itzam-Yeh's rule. Overlords did not rise to such a rank without reflecting the same dark characteristics of their superiors, so Ah Chuy Kak is as nasty as they come.

The picture of Ah Chuy Kak was a black and white representation of a stone drawing Manco discovered years ago in Central America. It showed Itzam-Yeh dressed in a large head mask with his hands pulled together inside the sleeves of a ceremonial robe. There was enough detail in the picture to see that Itzam-Yeh was adorned with precious stones and jewelry.

The three overlords at Itzam-Yeh's feet each wore a single necklace and loin cloth. Two of them had their heads bowed, but Ah Chuy Kak appeared to be intentionally looking away from Itzam-Yeh, perhaps as a sign of having less reverence. Ah Chuy Kak was ugly if you go by the drawing in a literal way. His eyes were enlarged, mouth wide showing sharp teeth, long boney fingers and toes, and he was covered in splotchy matted fur.

I never placed much emphasis on taking ancient stone drawings too literally. For all I knew, the artist could have been an ancient Picasso putting together an abstract version of his nightmare after eating too many peyote plants. If Ah Chuy Kak was also a shapeshifter, I guess he could look like anything he wanted, including the ugly beast in the drawing.

There is no doubt in my mind that many lycanthropes continue roaming the Earth. Ah Chuy Kak probably had a wolf harem filled with hairy concubines on every continent adding to the ugly ranks of shapeshifters. The very thought of these things engaging in procreation sent shivers up and down my spine. Yuk ... I think that's enough research for one day.

I placed all the books onto a cart that had a sign written in bold letters: Place Books Here – Do Not Return to Shelves. I smiled, thanked the cart for being close by, and headed outside to catch a bus back to my apartment. Lucky for me, there weren't too many people standing in line waiting for the bus.

My new wizardry senses encouraged me to sit at the back of the bus and keep my eyes open. If danger presented itself, I could jump out of the emergency exit, get hit by a cabby, or smash my head on the pavement, but at least I'd escape the jaws of a monster. My cleaver strategy seemed less sound when someone sat next to me. Once that happened, I began looking at everyone wondering if they were about to shapeshift. Thank goodness the ride home took only 20 minutes. Any longer, my eyes would have dried out from not blinking.

I unlocked my door, disarming my wards, and to no surprise saw Sally waiting with her leash in her mouth. She obviously didn't want me to settle down before taking care of her needs first. Fair enough.

I smiled. "Okay, I get the message. At least you could learn to snap your own leash on for me," I said.

Once outside, Sally made a predictable left turn heading for Magical Herbs. I kept looking up at the lamp poles along the way, but didn't see any sign of the neighborhood hell pet, so I turned my attention back to walking Sally.

When we arrived at Magical Herbs, Melony was opening the shoppe door. She had her hair pulled back in a pony tail as usual, but was dressed in blue jeans and a light colored t-shirt with something printed on the front.

"Hello Melony," I said, catching her off guard. "Sorry, we didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, Daniel ... hello, how are you? I haven't seen you for days and wondered if you moved away without saying goodbye."

I could now see the front of her t-shirt. It read: Herbs Are Better Than Sex. Not exactly what I expected to see, but it did fit Melony's natural look and appeal. She stooped down and gave Sally a hug.

"Sally, has Daniel been treating you well?"

What I wouldn't give to be Sally right now. Melony was beautiful when dressed in her Celtic shoppe outfit, but in those tight jeans and t-shirt, she was more than beautiful – she was incredible. A few moments later I pulled my jaw back up and closed my mouth.

"Leave without saying goodbye. No, nothing of the sort. I was out of town on business."

"I'm glad you're still here. Come on in and I'll make you a cup of my special tea. On Sundays the shoppe opens at noon, so customers won't be showing up for a half hour or so. It will be nice spending some time with you and Sally, even if only for a few minutes."

Sally and I sat at one of the tables while Melony went behind the counter and wrote special prices on the On Sale white board. She then smiled and headed to the back room.

"Give me a minute to change and I'll make that tea."

"We'll be right here."

Sally looked at me, then at Melony, and back at me again.

"What?"

Sally let out a barely audible woof and laid down next to my feet with drooping eyes.

"So now you think you're a match-maker do you? Give me a break."

Melony returned in her Celtic costume as beautiful as ever. Sally kept shifting her eyes back and forth at us.

"There, that didn't take long," she said. "I'll make some tea now and you can fill me in on what you two have been up to all week. Have you checked out the city yet?"

I flashed back to when Alura and I destroyed Moon's office basement and dusted Lupzarro. If only she knew.

"Um ... no, not yet. I've been busy ... you know, getting settled in."

Melony smiled. "Poor thing, you should have asked for my help."

"I should have ... I mean, sure, help would have been nice. Maybe next time."

What a stupid response. A beautiful girl shows a little interest in me, and what do I do? I get flustered like a school boy with a crush.

"There weren't a lot of things to move and unpack," I said. "I was mostly keeping busing at work."

"What kind of work?"

"I'm a journalist and field reporter at ZWC here in the city."

Melony raised her eyebrows. "ZWC ... as in Zane Worldwide Communications? Are you related in some way to the Zane family?"

"Sure am. Well, I'm not the only one. There are a lot of us working there."

Melony laughed and I began feeling nervous. Most of my life was wrapped up in books and research. Having conversations with a beautiful woman, especially small talk, was not something I handled well. Even so, Melony was easy enough to talk to until I looked into her emerald eyes and my knees started shaking.

Okay, here I go with all the covert identity crap.

"The company was named after my great grandfather. It started out as a small family newspaper and now is a publicly traded company. I'm new there and still learning the ropes, so to speak."

"Wow, I'm impressed. I'm not a ZWC customer, but am impressed just the same."

Melony sat down at the table and asked Sally if I was giving her a daily sprinkle of the herbs she gave us last week. Sally woofed and wagged her tail knowing the conversation was all about her.

"Sure am," I said.

"Good. It will keep you both healthy and promote long life," she said, then smiled and walked back to the counter.

"Hey, I have an idea," she said and held up two tickets in her hand. "A customer gave me these the other day. It's for the new Broadway show everyone's talking about. I wasn't planning on going because I hate seeing shows by myself, but thought it would be nice to have your company. Want to go and see the show with me on Saturday?"

"Me? Yea, sure would, I'd like that very much."

Melony's smile widened. "Alright then, it's a date. Meet me here at the shoppe no later than 6:00 PM."

Huh ... only in the city for a few days and I've already met a nice girl. Manhattan is showing some promise.

The bell on the shop door rang and a woman straight out of the Victorian era walked in. She wore a dress covering everything from the tip of her shoe to the top of her neck. Her grey hair was wrapped up in a bun under a black hat. The fabric of her dress was dark grey and she carried a black purse. She was average height and weight, had pale white skin, and probably in her late 60s judging by the deep wrinkles on her face.

"Mrs. Greyson, how are you?" Melony asked. "I have your package wrapped and ready to go ma'am."

Greyson gave me a disapproving glare, the kind an overbearing parent gives a boy on a first date with their daughter.

"Thank you dear. I was nearby and thought I would stop by."

Melony went behind the counter for Greyson's package while I tried my best not to notice the parental glare. I could only imagine what the Victorian gal was thinking and again nodded my chin in a greeting gesture. She made no response. I didn't take it personal and chalked it up to a generation gap – more like a few generation gaps.

"Everything all right dear," Greyson asked, stiffening her glare at me as if I was an intruder. Honestly, she was acting like a chaperone at a high school homecoming dance. Not now, but back a few centuries when kissing was punishable by being burned at the stake.

"Yes Mrs. Greyson, everything is fine," Melony replied and then introduced me. "This is Daniel who lives in the neighborhood. He's new to the city."

Mrs. Greyson tilted her chin up arrogantly at me and said, "I see," then walked to the counter without so much as a simple hello.

Sally looked at me and let out a whimper. I reached down and lightly scratched behind her ears, almost whimpering myself. The old nag was not only unfriendly, but also very strange, not to mention having no fashion sense whatsoever, and for a second I thought of Kyiel. The door bell rang again and other customers entered the shoppe, so Sally and I got up to leave.

"Thanks for the tea Melony," I said and Sally woofed wagging her tail.

"Bye Daniel. Bye Sally. Don't forget about Saturday."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world", I said, then frowned when looking back at Greyson.

Grayson gave me one final ice cold stare that was more than disapproving, It was outright disdain. If it were not our first encounter, I would say her stare was pure hatred. It felt as if she punched me with her eyes.

Sally had her nose at the door and was anxious to leave. Once outside, I pat her again and said, "Don't blame you old girl, not one bit."

There was something very odd about Greyson. Whatever it was, it gave Sally and me the heebie-geebies and we were happy to be out of range from her piercing glare.

# Chapter 17

On a positive note, there was still no watcher outside the shoppe – maybe the damn thing flew south. If nothing else, the hell pet had made me more alert and increased my natural state of paranoia. I'm okay with paranoia, especially when considering all the things going bumpity-bump in the night ... and day.

"Okay, the coast is clear. Let's go home."

Sally stopped walking when the apartment was in sight and growled while looking down an ally across the street. At first I didn't see anything, but a moment later someone wearing a hooded robe appeared. It looked like the same monk character standing outside the Sierra back in Las Vegas. Moments later a bus drove by and blocked my view. When it passed, the hooded person or thing was gone. Sally relaxed and started wagging her tail again, so I knew the danger she sensed had passed.

Was this the same character who messed up my hotel room in Vegas?

I was about to unlock my front door and noticed scratches in the paint. Four long lines ran down the door that looked like they were made with claws. My wards were still armed, so if someone or something tried to break in, they got the shock of their life.

"Looks like we had a visitor Sally."

I looked around the street and didn't see anything unusual, but that doesn't mean nothing was there. Sally also surveyed the street and appeared unconcerned.

"Seems safe enough Sally, but let's keep our eyes open just the same."

I locked the door behind us and my wards rearmed causing the door and window frames to glow for a few seconds.

I smiled. "That light show just never gets old, does it Sally? Not to mention giving us peace of mind."

Sally woofed and went to her favorite spot to sleep while I started up the fireplace. It was a long day and it didn't take long before I fell into a deep and welcomed sleep.

My phone rang and woke me up. It was only 5:15 AM, which is still night time in my book. The caller ID showed it was Sarila calling, and when I answered her call, I naturally had a sleepy and sarcastic tone.

"Good morning Sarila. Do you know what time it is?"

"Don't you have a watch wizard?"

"Yes, I ... never mind. Who or what do I owe the pleasure for having a Keob wakeup call?"

Sarila made no response.

"Sorry Sarila, what's up?"

"Hopefully nothing wizard, but I have been trying to reach Alura at her apartment without success. How about running over there to check things out?"

I had not yet been to Alura's apartment and was curious what her place looked like. She could take care of herself, so I wasn't worried that anything happen to her, but it was unusual for Sarila to call me directly.

"Sure, I'll go there right now. Um ... where exactly am I going?"

"Select Alura on your phone contact list and the GPS will lead you to where she is. Her apartment is only a few blocks from you and it won't take more than ten minutes to get their on foot."

"Yea, it will certainly be by foot. Do you know why it will be by foot Sarila? Because everyone has a car in this city except for me."

"And this is something that needs to be addressed now wizard?"

"Okay, okay, I'll call you when I get to Alura's apartment. Bye."

Once outside, I selected Alura from my contact list and the screen showed a blue dot and a red dot on a satellite image of Manhattan. The blue dot showed where I was standing, so I figured the red dot was for Alura. All I had to do was follow the dotted line to the red dot. Easy enough, even for me.

Sarila was right. It took exactly 10 minutes to reach Alura's apartment building. The front door to the building was locked, so I waited a couple of minutes until someone came out and then slipped in before the door closed. My phone now displayed the building layout. It also showed Alura's apartment was on the top floor in a corner unit overlooking the street. Cool phone, but it does put into question the role of privacy. I suppose if I were cornered by a lycanthrope, I wouldn't care much about maintaining privacy, so I filed the issue in my 'who gives a darn' mental file.

I took the elevator up to the tenth floor and approached Alura's apartment door cautiously when I sensed her wards. I knocked several times in a respectful manner – no need to wake any neighbors or cause alarm.

"Who is it?"

"It's your brother who you have never invited over," I said, then paused for a response, but there was none. "Sarila sent me because she can't reach you."

Alura opened the door wearing a sheet wrapped around her and looked surprised to see me.

I smiled and raised my eyebrows. "Toga party?" I asked, and then a voice roared from inside the apartment.

"Wizard, is that you?"

"Thyzil?" I asked as a blushing Alura scowled at me. "Oh, I see."

"I do have a life you know," she said. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a break from all those dark battles."

I tried to not laugh. "No, not at all," I said while clearing my throat. "Nope, there is nothing wrong with taking a break ... not at all."

The door opened wider and Thyzil stood there also wrapped in a sheet. He began laughing loudly again – and to think I was worried my knock on the door might wake neighbors.

"Wizard, it is you," he said and embraced me.

Not cool. I looked down the hallway to see if anyone had noticed a naked giant wrapped in a sheet hugging a visitor.

Alura stepped to Thyzil's side, arched her eyebrow, and shook her head at me. She was embarrassed and now so was I.

"Come in my friend," Thyzil said.

Not like I had a choice. Thyzil was a foot taller than me and a whole lot stronger. He actually lifted me off my feet pulling me inside.

There I was with my sister and Thyzil who were dressed in sheets. Alura frowned and looked like she got caught with her hand in a cookie jar. She also looked like a child standing next to a giant, and on top of that, she looked at me as if this was my last day being alive. The tension didn't go unnoticed by Thyzil as he looked back and forth at Alura and me.

"What is this?" Thyzil asked. "I have been engaged to your sister for millions of years. Do not act surprised," he said and kept laughing while wrapping his gigantic arms around Alura

"Come my princess, let us get dressed before our wizard faints."

Alura whacked Thyzil in the arm and gave him a shut-up look. Thyzil just roared again laughing.

"See wizard. Look what trouble you make," he said.

Alura pushed Thyzil into what I assumed is her bedroom. There was only one door inside the large studio apartment, so unless it was another Batcave, it had to be a bedroom. In the center of the room was a pentagram showing standard wizard design, except it had different symbols drawn at the pointed tips. There was no furniture, no kitchen, nothing but the pentagram. Efficient living in an efficiency apartment makes sense I guess, but I would suggest at least a painting or picture be hung on a wall to liven up the place.

A few minutes later Alura and Thyzil came out of the bedroom fully dressed. Thyzil, still smiling, announced he needed to return to Keob to meet with Sarila. He stepped into the pentagram and crushed a blue magic coin between his thumb and index finger causing the powder to sparkle.

"Princess, want to blow out light and make wish?"

Thyzil spoke in a colloquial manner that would drive any English teacher crazy. English was his second language, and besides, the way he spoke actually increased his charisma and overwhelming charm.

Alura rolled her eyes and shook her head at Thyzil's offer, but she was holding back from laughing and he knew it.

"Very well princess," he said, then turned his hand letting the sparkling powder fall to the floor. "Wizard, you take care of my princess, yes."

"Sure will," I replied.

Alura smiled and said, "Transmati Thyzil Keob," causing her apartment to fill with light and transport her warrior back to Sarila's lab.

So this pentagram was made for Alura, and like mine, only works for the one who designed it. That's why it has different symbols.

I now realized why Alura hadn't invited me to her apartment. Thyzil was not visiting – he was sharing the apartment with Alura. Okay, I may be slow to catching on to the obvious, but I'm on board now. Alura didn't intend for me to see her smile, and when she looked at me, I scratched my head acting like nothing happened. She punched my arm, hard.

"Don't give me any sly looks buster," she said with her eyes narrowed. "Come on you, let's go outside and get some fresh air."

I barely could hold myself from laughing. "Sly look? What sly look?"

Alura smirked and locked her apartment door behind us rearming her wards. She had her phone in her hand and called Sarila who was less than happy about Alura not having her phone ready to answer calls. Albeit Togas don't have pockets, Sarila expects everyone to be on call 24/7. I could not hear the conversation except when Alura got in the last few words.

"Sorry Sarila, you're right. It won't happen again," she said, then looked at me as if I did something wrong and placed the phone inside her pocket.

I raised my hands in the air and shrugged, trying to look as impartial as possible, which I actually was. Alura wasn't going to see it that way no matter what I told her.

"Let's go," she said in a scolding tone. "Sarila wants us to check out something along the waterfront at Sunset Park in Brooklyn."

"Oh well, there goes our nice stroll on a sunny day," I said, which Alura completely ignored, obviously still miffed that I arrived unannounced at her apartment.

Sunset Park is located in Brooklyn on the western waterfront shore. Now abandoned for decades and in complete disrepair, it was once a booming business centerpiece of Manhattan. The Dutch first developed the park back in the 1600s, but it didn't take off until the early 19th century when Scandinavian and Irish immigrants arrived. Once the Bush Terminal was built – no relation to the former president, or more importantly, our domestic beer – manufacturing and warehousing took advantage of nearby railways and water transportation, making it a significant business hub in the city.

While driving to Sunset Park, I told Alura about my hooded monk friend standing in the ally across from my apartment. I also told her that I saw the same character outside my Vegas hotel when she picked me up in her cab.

"They're Hunter Demons who are drawn to magic like a moth to flames," Alura said. "They are not particularly harmful unless someone gets in their way or too close, which is why they have survived so long. We never paid much attention to them because they lurk quietly in the shadows."

"Are they like Kyiel? I mean no real physical form?"

"No, they are solid and use clamor to hide themselves. Wizards can see them easily because their clamor is a very low level magic, like a chameleon that camouflages itself in its natural environment."

"Damn creepy buggers. Is that all I should know?"

"There is one more thing to consider. If you see a group of them, watch out. This is when a competition chromosome kicks in and they become like sharks on a feeding frenzy. If this happens, they will attack everything in their path, including their own kind."

"Let's see. There are watcher birds stalking me, lycanthropes trying to kill me, an ancient race of beings called the Darkzon racing to Earth to enslave all mankind, and now Hunter Demons that dress like monks who want to steal my magic. Does that sound about right?"

Alura laughed. "Heck no, not even close. Did you forget what I told you before? How do humans put it ... it's the tip of the iceberg. Soon enough, as the Darkzon get closer to Earth, we'll be fighting vampires, ghouls, zombies, witches, and all sorts of dark demons trying to mark out their territory. The party has yet to begin dear brother."

"Some party," I said. "Sounds like every nightmare possible."

Alura grinned. "Yup, and it's a party where our kind are always the guest of honor, in a horrific blood thirsty sort of way."

I looked out the car window and remained quiet for the rest of the drive. The thought of being a main course at a banquet for dark creatures was unsettling and would take some time to digest – no pun intended.

We arrived at Sunset Park about a half hour later. I have ridden by the park on a train many times, but never saw it up close. There are a couple dozen abandoned warehouses overgrown with bushes and weeds, giving the park an eerie ghost town look. Alura stop her car near the end of the park outside an old building and checked her GPS.

"This is the place," she said. "Let's go check out what the big fuss is all about."

A rusty steel door at the front was the only entrance into a turn of the century brick structure. What were once windows are now bricked over and covered with dead vines giving it that special monster like appeal. As we approached the door, the hairs on my neck stood up telling me something was wrong. Alura felt the danger too, but kept her sense of humor.

"Well brother, are you going to be a gentleman and open that door for a lady?"

I took my staff coin out of my pocket and raised it toward the door, then said, "Unclass staff," turning the coin into my staff. The amulet stone on top glowed blue-white, and with one gentle tap on the rusty chained lock, it turned white hot and dripped molten steel onto the ground. I slid the door open and graciously gestured for Alura to enter.

"Beauty before age," I said, bowing my head in a chivalrous manner.

"You got it backwards old man. It's age before beauty."

I thought about it for a second. Yup, she's right, but I wasn't about to admit it.

"Well then, I guess your going in first makes sense then," I said while grinning. "I mean, you've been on Earth 100 years longer than me sister, so ..."

"You wish," she said, smirking and shaking her head. "You were on Zeshtune long before I was born."

The inside of the building had boxes and broken furniture piled up next to old machinery covered with cobwebs and dust. It was dark and difficult to see coming out of the sunlight, so I focused on my staff and said, "Aknor firster," creating a bright blue-white flame from my staff amulet to illuminate the inside.

We worked our way around piles of junk to a stairway leading the basement. Thick air with the smell of death caused me to gag and cover my nose. Alura stopped and pulled out a magical coin of her own and said, "Unclass blade," turning it into a double edge razor shape weapon with a handle to wrap your hand around.

"Huh, pretty fancy for someone that doesn't possess much magic."

Alura smiled. "Don't worry brother, you still have a monopoly on all the good magic. Unlike your staff, this spell only works once per coin and is considered low level magic."

"Well, if you want my opinion, that weapon is certainly easier to conceal than two swords strapped on your back."

"Perhaps, but I like my swords," she said and began leading the way down the stairs. "Keep your staff close so I can see where we are going. I don't want to bump into anything, dead or alive."

I followed Alura down the stairs hoping we wouldn't encounter more lycanthropes. Instead, we saw something much worse.

"What the heck?" I said, looking at dozens of human bodies piled up along the walls.

Alura grimaced. "Lycanthropes didn't kill these people. If they had, these bodies would be torn apart with blood everywhere," she said, then narrowed her eyes. "Look how thin they are Azul."

I took a closer look and saw they weren't thin at all. Their bodies were dried out like prunes with only a thin layer of skin covering their bones. Ribs were poking out of the bodies and some fingers were nothing but bones.

I moved my staff higher to light up the room better and saw a man staked to a wall. He was several feet off the ground with stakes through his hands and feet stretched out as though almost pulled apart. His clothes were drenched in blood and shredded as if claws ran up and down his body.

I grimaced. "There's a lot of blood here. Do you think lycanthropes kill this man?"

"Not likely. It's not their style," Alura replied, then looked at something written in blood on the wall. "What does that mean?"

"It's Mayan and translates to 'we come soon'."

"We come soon ... who's we and when is soon?" she asked.

"I don't know, and I'm not sure I want to."

There were also symbols written in Egyptian and various other languages.

"This man died a horrible death," I said and raised my staff closer for a better view. "Why was this guy killed differently than the others?"

"It's a feeding ground."

"Feeding ground ... for what?"

"That man is a territorial mark. Whatever did this wants anyone who sees this to know they're trespassing."

Alura was right. This poor guy looked as though he had recently died. He wasn't turned into a shriveled prune like the other bodies and his blood was still wet. This man was tortured beyond what most people could even imagine. Alura took pictures of what we found using her phone and sent them to Sarila.

"A feeding ground ... and we're standing right in the middle of it ... trespassing," I said. "Whoever or whatever did this got in here without using the front door, which means there must be another way in and out, which means we could become trapped likes rats down here."

Realizing the potential danger, Alura began scanning the room with her blade raised to strike.

"Over there," she said, pointing to the stairs.

There was a large hole in the wall behind the stairs, about four feet wide and tall. I stuck the top of my staff inside and saw an old drainage pipe a few feet inside the opening. A rusted steel grate had been torn off the wall and was half buried in broken pieces of mortar. The drainage pipe was three feet in diameter and probably led out into the river.

"Let's get the heck out of here," I said. "If something comes from upstairs and this drain pipe at the same time, we're screwed."

"Yea, let's go," Alura said. "I have surveillance equipment in my car. We can place a miniature infrared camera inside to keep an eye on this place. If anything with a body temperature comes down here, it will trigger a video stream to Sarila."

I frowned. "Putting a camera inside here means we have to come back into this death trap. What part of getting the heck out of here don't you understand?"

"It will only take a couple of minutes. I can place a camera on the side of the top step. We don't have to come back down into the basement."

It took a lot less time exiting the building than it took getting to the basement – big surprise. Adrenalin and fear, mostly fear, is a good friend in scary places.

I stood by the steel door while Alura went to her car to get the infrared camera. She came back with two cameras and tossed the first one straight up over my head, sticking it to the outside roof overhang. Alura then stuck the second camera on the first step of the basement stairs.

"What if the thing that did this has no body temperature?" I asked.

"No problem. We will still hear it moving," she said, then linked her phone into Sarila's satellite feed.

# Chapter 18

The cameras were working well. I could see the Porsche parked in front on one side of Alura's cell phone screen and the basement in complete darkness on the other side. I waved my hand outside the window and saw it on the phone's screen.

Now that's the way I like to track monsters – far away where it's safe.

Alura took off at her usual wheel screeching speed while I again held on to the door handle for dear life. I was about to ask her if she wanted to come over to my apartment for dinner, but before I had the chance, she answered.

"Sure, dinner sounds great. I'm famished."

"Will you stop doing the mind reading thing for Pete's sake? It's a little nerve racking."

Alura smiled and kept her eyes focused on the road. She had told me back on Keob that her skill wasn't actually mind reading. As she puts it, 'it's a heightened sense of awareness predicting thoughts'. What's the difference? This gift of prediction seemed to have skipped over my gene pool. I had enough difficulty predicting my own thoughts, never mind someone else's thoughts.

When we got back to my apartment, Sally was sitting next to the door with her leash in her mouth as usual. Alura wasted no time hugging her and saying how much she was missed. I scratched my head wondering if Sally had some innate mind reading talent of her own.

"Looks like you're not the only mind reader around here," I said while taking the leash out of Sally's mouth.

Alura laughed and Sally woofed.

"Alright, let's go for a walk before dinner."

The three of us started headed out to the Magical Herbs shoppe. It was 5:30 PM and I knew Melony would be closing up soon. I think Sally also knew this because she dragged me along faster than usual.

"Maybe Sally's trying to tell you something brother."

"Yea, like she wants an herbal snack."

"Maybe something else too," Alura said with a mischievous grin.

"What ... oh come on, don't be silly. Melony and I are only friends."

Alura arched her eyebrow and cleared her throat, then muttered something under her breath.

"Give me break Alura. Melony and I are just friends."

Alura laughed. "Sure you are. I didn't say anything otherwise, did I?"

"No, but you were sure thinking it."

"Nonsense. Who am I to interfere with the personal life of my big brother?"

"Exactly," I said, then Alura laughed again, shaking her head as I smirked at her. "Fine, believe what you want, even though what you believe is nonsense."

"'May be nonsense, may be true." she said.

"Whatever," I replied and said nothing more about it, but Alura grinned the entire way to Magical Herbs – annoying.

Melony was wiping down the counter top when we arrived. I tapped on the window and waved. She looked up and motioned with her hand to come in, which made Sally woof. Alura began browsing right away and held Sally's leash so I could say hello to Melony.

"Hi Daniel. Back so soon? You must want another cup of my special tea."

"Not right now, but thank you. I'm taking Sally for a walk and I think she believes Magical Herbs is her second home."

Melony laughed and looked over to Alura and Sally. She didn't say anything, but I could tell by her expression she was curious who Alura was.

"Oh, let me introduce you to someone," I said, then waved at Alura to come over. "Melony, this is my sister Alura."

Melony's smiled and her eyes sparkled. "I didn't know you had a sister Daniel," she said and extended her hand to greet Alura. "It's nice to meet you Alura."

"Same here Melony," Alura said, then she smiled at me like I did when finding her and Thyzil at her apartment dressed in togas. "Now I know why my brother keeps coming here and started dinking tea," she said, causing Melony to laugh and blush while a customer called out for assistance.

"Don't go away. I'll be right back," Melony said and went to help an elderly lady read some labels on products.

"You know she's a witch, right?" Alura asked, grinning ear to ear.

My mouth dropped open. "A witch, are you kidding?"

"Nope, she's a real witch. Don't worry brother. She's a white witch, a daughter of the Earth."

I had no idea what Alura was talking about and she was amused at my reaction.

"She's a good witch Azul. If she were a bad witch, her aura would be a dark grayish color. You know that."

"A good witch doesn't sound so bad," I muttered. "Good is good, right?"

I narrowed my eyes to focus and took a hard look at Melony. Her aura was definitely white and swirling around in gentle motions.

"Don't stare Azul. She doesn't even know she's a witch and is under our protection. We hired her to keep an eye on things so nothing could harm her."

"We hired her?"

Alura grinned and winked at me.

"Did I forget to tell you ZWC owns the Magical Herbs Shoppe?" she asked while thumbing through pages of a book. "Oops, it must have slipped my mind."

I looked at Sally and shook my head.

"I suppose you knew this too, didn't you?"

Sally wagged her tail, which was in effect an admission of guilt. It figures.

Alura placed a couple small boxes of herbs on the counter. Melony, still wearing a beautiful smile inspected Alura's selection and tapped on top of one box with her finger.

"I see you have good taste and are familiar with special herbs," Melony said. "My customers can't get enough of these. You must be very much in love with someone."

Alura smiled and nodded her head. I picked up the box that Melony tapped and read Anise and Balm on the labels. Never heard of them. I lifted the box to my nose and took a whiff, then sneezed. Alura and Melony laughed and gave each other one of those looks that girls give when saying something about guys without using words.

"Smells like trees," I said.

"Don't worry Daniel," Melony said. "The herb I gave to you and Sally was just Anise. No love herbs were included."

"Brother, I like this girl," Alura said, then butted her fists with Melony.

Great, now I have two wise gals in my life, three if counting Sally. Things appear to have gotten more complicated.

It was 6:00 PM and Melony prepared to close the shop. Alura looked at me with a coy expression so I knew she was up to something. At first I thought she was just teasing me, but then she spoke.

"Hey Melony, would you like to have dinner with us?" Alura asked.

"Why yes, dinner sounds wonderful. Give me a moment to lock up."

Alura moved her head side to side while pretending to bite the tip of her tongue. I expected her to stick her tongue out at me in retaliation for finding her and Thyzil wrapped in sheets, but she continued smiling like a cat holding a mouse by its tail. Sally then led Alura and me outside where we waited for Melony.

"Well, are you going to thank me Azul, I mean Daniel?" Alura asked, still smiling like a cat.

"Ha ha ha, thank you very much."

"You're welcome," Alura said, happy that she had the chance to play matchmaker.

"Why is Melony under Zeshtune protection? Is that like some sort of new identity program?"

"You have been watching too much television brother, but we do keep a close eye on her. She needs our protection because many dark creatures would cause her harm if they knew what she was."

"How does someone become a witch?"

"All witches are born human and most are black witches that practice dark magic. Every now and then a white witch is born, but they are very rare. White witches are pure in heart and commune with the Earth. They exist in harmony with nature and many of them learn to use magic for healing and protecting living things."

"How many white witches are there?"

"Melony is actually the first of her kind that we know of for many years, and when discovered, she was put under Zeshtunian protection. She lives in an apartment above the shoppe making it easy to guard her using magical wards."

"That's good. I'm happy that she's under our protection."

"Azul, Melony is a precious treasure and dear to all natural living things that are good. You especially must watch over and protect her. Otherwise, I'll have to kick your butt back to Las Vegas where I found you. Got it mister?"

"Yea, I think so."

I started to frown a little and the amazing mind reading Alura chuckled while pushing into my side.

"You can still date her silly. She won't break or turn you into a toad."

"A Toad? Can she turn someone into a toad?'

Alura let out an exhausted breath and shook her head.

"Really Azul, for being such a great wizard who has survived for eons, you know nothing about women. It's like you've been living under a rock."

"More like inside a rock, my amulet to be precise," I said.

It's true that I knew very little about women. I knew even less about witches, which I decided to remedy the next chance I get when visiting the library on Keob. Until then, I was going to enjoy a nice dinner with my sister and the good witch Melony.

Melony locked the shoppe's door. I could tell she was excited and nervous at the same time because she fumbled with her keys. A moment later, the three of us with Sally began walking to my apartment while engaging in conversation, mostly about how Melony's day went. I kept a eye open for anything unusual, such as watchers or Hunter Demons, and was thankful these pests seemed to be taking a break.

Alura was grinning at me. I narrowed my eyes, not knowing what she was thinking, and her grin widened into a smile – then the hammer dropped.

"Oh my goodness, I just remembered I have a business appointment," Alura said. "Sorry guys, you'll have to have dinner without me tonight."

Right ... a business appointment. I should have seen this one coming. I smirked at Alura and she pretended not to see, but I knew she did.

"Oh no, that's too bad," Melony said. "Don't worry Alura. We'll make sure to save you some dinner and you can join us later."

Alura continued smiling and was on the verge of laughing. She was quite pleased with herself at the moment.

"Sure, that sounds great. I'll see you two later. Have fun."

"Bye now, see you soon," I said with some anxiety in my voice.

Normally I'm not the shy type, but there is something about Melony that makes me nervous. I don't know why I get flustered and wobbly at my knees, but I do. Having Alura dine with us would have been a comforting first date security blanket. It's easier to hold a conversation with three people, but now, I was on my own. In addition, I had to cook something tasty and not poison Melony with my unhealthy diet. If all this wasn't enough, my knees began shaking as I pondered all the ways the night might turn into a disaster.

"Well Daniel, I guess we are on our own."

"Looks that way," I said, my voice crackling a little.

A few minutes later we were in my apartment and I started up the fireplace. Melony sat on the couch and Sally situated herself next to the fire. I was shuffling around in the kitchen trying to quiet my nerves and acted like I actually knew what I was doing.

"I'm sorry Melony, but I only can offer you water or beer for a beverage."

"A beer would be great. No glass."

My kind of girl: beautiful, charming, and she likes beer – without a glass. What more could a man want?

Melony politely watched me fumble around trying to be a good host. It was painfully obvious that I never really cooked a real meal before. After dropping a pan, some utensils, and spilling vegetable oil all over the kitchen counter, Melony came to the rescue.

"Daniel, let me help you cook dinner."

"Only if you insist," I said, realizing that I was saved in the nick of time.

I cleaned up the mess I made while Melony went into action demonstrating her experience in culinary art. She could easily become a chef if the witch thing doesn't work out. In what seemed like no time at all, Melony had prepared a nice salad and veggie burgers.

Veggie burgers? Hmm ... I suppose that goes with the territory of being a white witch and herb guru.

I didn't mind healthy food for a change and it actually tasted good. The two of us enjoyed our dinner and shared stories about living in Manhattan. My stories were of course censored quite a bit because fighting werewolves wasn't a great first date conversation, or on any date for that matter. No need to scare her away. Besides, having a conversation with Melony was easy because she had an energetic personality that was contagious. Even Sally was interested and wagged her tail when one of us looked at her or laughed.

Time passed by quickly, and before we knew, it was nearly midnight. Melony had to open the store early in the morning, so I walked her back to the Magical Herbs Shoppe. Her apartment has a rear entrance, but she told me it was scary at night and she'd prefer using the stairs inside the shoppe. We then stood in the shoppe doorway smiling without saying anything for what seemed like an eternity – those awkward moments of first dates.

Should I kiss her, should I shake her hand, should I run home and take a cold shower?

"I had a wonderful night Daniel. Don't forget about the Broadway show tomorrow."

"I had a great time too Melony. Goodnight, see you tomorrow."

Melony knew I was nervous and she smiled while kissing me on my cheek. She then unlocked the shoppe door and went inside while blowing another kiss from her hand to me.

Wow, what a great date. I was smiling all the way back to my apartment until I saw something standing in the shadows across the street. I narrowed my eyes to focus and saw a Hunter Demon. It was standing there watching me. No problem. Alura said these demons were harmless unless in a group.

"You're still a creepy date buster," I muttered.

I continued walking to my apartment and watched the demon keep his gaze on me. I couldn't see its eyes, only the dark space under a garment hood. As I got further down the street, the demon stepped out of the shadow and my neck hairs stood up. I put my hand into my pocket cuffing the staff coin in my hand. When I looked again, the demon was gone and my neck hairs relaxed. I checked behind me several times to be sure nothing was following, and nothing was.

Okay then, back to thinking about my great date with Melony.

Good things never last for long, not even recaps of great dates. As my apartment came into sight, I saw the demon standing a few feet in front of my door and it was making a hissing sound. I then heard more hissing sounds and saw two more Hunter Demons, which officially constitutes a group, and now potentially dangerous.

"Look guys, I don't want any trouble. Why don't you three mosey on back into your shadow world like good demons, okay?"

The demons hissed louder. I took my staff coin out of my pocket and said, "Unclass staff," causing it to change instantly with blue-white lights swirling in and out of its amulet. The demons seemed to be unconcerned and even attracted to the light. Each demon lifted their hooded head higher and pointed their boney fingers forward as they moved slowly toward me, hissing louder with each step.

"You know, I had a really great night up to now. How about we do a rain check and sort out our differences at another time?"

There was no response, unless you consider louder hissing a response. I thought maybe they can't hear or don't understand. Who cares, they're still coming.

"Really, you're going to make me do this tonight?"

I focused on my magic and said, "Aknor firster," which ignited my staff amulet with a large fire torch. I waved the staff side to side warning the demons not to advance, but they kept coming. I increased my concentration and made the blue-white fire roar out ten feet like a blow torch, and then something unexpected happened. The demons pointed their hands at each other and became angrier, no longer interested in me.

One demon lunged forward attacking the other while the third stood still hissing. The two demons tore each other apart with their long razor sharp fingers. Their hoods fell back and I saw deformed faces as though burned by fire or acid. After clawing each other and ripping large pieces of their bodies apart, one demon fell to street and stopped moving.

The third demon that was watching the other two rip each other apart lunged forward, and in a single swing of its long fingers, cut the other demon's head off sending it tumbling across the street. A few moments later the dead demons melted from their inside out into a deep purple goo color, then disappeared as vapor into the night air.

Only one left now ... much better odds.

"Hey, why don't we just call it a day and move on?"

The demon turned toward me and placed its hands together under his garment sleeves, then lowered his head. It stopped moving and didn't appear to be a threat, but I kept my staff pointed at it just in case. The demon turned slowly to keep its gaze on me as I unlocked my apartment door. The creepy thing was only 20 feet away and my heebie-geebies meter was all the way into the red.

"How about finding a new neighborhood far away from here to hang out?"

The Demon Hunter made no responses to anything I said and only stared at me.

"The farther the better you creep," I muttered.

I extinguished the fire on my staff and locked the door behind me arming my wards. When I looked out from my window, the demon had disappeared.

There was a time when I didn't think anything was more annoying than mosquitoes, but then lycanthropes came along, and now Hunter Demons are stalking me. Seems to me that since magic is in my life, I should be able to use a demon repellent spell to get rid of these things, or at a minimum, hide the field of magic emitting from my apartment. I summoned Kyiel to learn if he had a solution.

"Good evening Azul."

"Glad to see you buddy. What can you tell me about watchers and Hunter Demons, and more importantly, how to get rid off them?"

"Watchers are harmless and come and go as the spell caster pleases. You also can cast spells to create your own watchers. Hunter Demons, on the other hand, are the result of Darkzon gene manipulations. Basically, they are discarded laboratory mistakes. They barely are aware of their existence and operate instinctively like a honey bee constantly seeking nourishment from flowers. The magic in your amulets and apartment wards are nourishment for these demons, and they will constantly seek it out."

"Okay, so how do I get rid of them?"

"You can not be rid of Hunter Demons or watchers unless you abandon all magic. If one is destroyed, another will take its place."

They're like cockroaches. "Well, I don't plan of squashing one every time they cross my path, so what other options do I have?"

"You can also accept a Hunter Demon and use them to your advantage."

I arched my eyebrow. "Oh ... do tell Kyiel."

"If you make a light crystal having the same magical signature as your amulets and offer it to a Hunter Demon, and if it accepts your gift, the demon will be binded to you. The crystal has no power and only produces a harmless light that satisfies the demons hunger for magic."

I frowned. "Binding doesn't sound like a good option."

"It can be Azul. While the Hunter Demon is bound to you, it will guard the area where the crystal was given to him. If it senses any danger may fall upon you, the demon will fight to its death to protect you."

"How long does this binding last?"

"Bindings will end given any of three conditions: the crystal no longer emits a magical signature; the demon returns a similar gift of equal or greater value; or the demon is dismissed by the spell caster."

I smiled. "My own demon pit bull could come in handy guarding the back alley, provided it doesn't bring along any buddies. What about watchers? Can I shield the magic emitting from my apartment so neither watchers or Hunter Demons show up in the first place?"

"Yes, a shield will work. However, they will not prevent them from following you home, and unlike inanimate objects, such spells placed on yourself will last only for a few minutes. Even a shield placed on your wards is temporary and requires maintenance every few months."

"I should have asked you about this earlier Kyiel. Better late than never, right?"

"It would appear so great wizard."

"Why Kyiel, I do believe you're developing a sense humor. Saying good evening and making a sarcastic response is, how should I put it ... almost human."

"Perhaps you are correct Azul."

Hmm ... Kyiel is continuing to learn.

# Chapter 19

Okay Kyiel, let's do this. I took one the white crystals from my lab and invoked an incantation according to his instructions. The crystal glowed like my amulets, minus the magic of course. I hung the crystal on the outside door knob of the ally door and hoped it would work.

"That takes care of that," I said and dismissed Kyiel.

A few minutes later I started thinking about the vanity plate I mailed to Moon. Surely my message that he was next to get dusted irked him, at least a little, especially since of Lupzarro was taken out. Maybe not ... Moon is probably the new alpha now, unless some other uppity fur ball hasn't yet introduced itself to me. My curiosity got the better of me and I had to call his office.

"Moon, Stillman, and Kragen. How may I direct your call?"

"This is Daniel Zane. Is your boss in?"

"Please hold sir. I will see if Mr. Moon is available to take your call."

A few moments later Moon picked up his phone.

"Good afternoon Mr. Zane. I was just thinking about you."

"Hey Moony-boy, did you like my present?"

"Yes Mr. Zane. I found your gift to be helpful for sharpening my teeth. Unfortunately, the materials used in the manufacturing process must have been below standards because it tore up rather easily and I swallowed it."

"Oh yea, well I hope you choked on it fur ball."

"I'm sure you do Mr. Zane, but there is more urgent business for us to discuss at the moment. Apparently you have engaged in trespassing and breaking and entering at one of my client's properties near the waterfront. I don't need to tell you such actions are illegal."

I instantly felt anger rush inside me and had to focus on not letting it get out of control. Alura told me that wizards need to be careful about mixing anger with their magic because the wrong mix could level a building. Since Sally and I live here, I didn't want to find out is she was right, so I gritted my teeth and tried to relax.

"I should have known you had something to do with those bodies at Sunset Park. I wouldn't be surprised if you orchestrated the whole thing yourself."

"Mr. Zane, I assure you that I'm a businessman and very successful lawyer in this city. To step outside the boundaries of law is not something you will find me doing."

"What you really mean is that you believe I won't catch you in the act of doing something outside the law. Unfortunately for you, I operate on a different set of laws that don't work in your favor. You see, I don't need to catch you doing anything to dust you. You're one of the bad guys, and that's all it takes."

I never liked attorneys and thought of a line in Shakespeare's King Henry VI: 'the first thing we must do is kill all the lawyers'. Sure, there are some lawyers who are probably decent human beings and we all know stereotyping in not a good thing to do. In my own defense, no pun intended, I simply have never met a decent attorney. In fact, Moon was the only attorney I have had the misfortune of dealing with, so it's not surprising I developed some bias towards lawyers.

"Hey Moony, have you ever read any Shakespeare?"

"I hardly see what a dead writer has to do with our business Mr. Zane. But if you must know, I found my conversations with him somewhat boring."

Moon had conversations with Shakespeare? If true, Moon would be at least 400 years old, and since Shakespeare's cause of death is somewhat a mystery, I bet he might know something about it.

"I will get to the point Mr. Zane. My client is becoming increasingly concerned about your continued interference in his business. He feels it is unlikely you will listen to reason and leave the city, and as a result, believes a new approach is necessary to convey his concern."

"Moony-boy, your song keeps getting older each time you sing it. By the way, isn't threatening someone also against the law?"

"I don't make threats Mr. Zane, nor does my client. Think of it as free advice, a courtesy extended among professionals such ourselves. Of course, you could avoid any negative outcome if you would simply leave the city. I encourage you to take this advice Mr. Zane."

"It's not going to happen Moon, so go tell Ah Chuy Kak if he wants to keep breathing air, he should find a cozy cave to hide in and leave people alone."

"Yes, I have already informed my client knowing what you would say. Very well Mr. Zane, this concludes our business. One more thing, my client wants to know if you would recommend being a customer of the Magical Herbs Shoppe. He plans on visiting soon to sample their products."

Moon was making an implied threat to harm Melony. A chill ran down my spine and I nearly lost my temper again.

"Moon, if you ..."

The phone disconnected. I raced out of my apartment to Melony's place while trying to call her. No answer. Damn it.

I swear, if anything has happened to Melony, I will skin Moon his two partners alive.

I leaped up the stairs to Melony's apartment and pounded on the door.

"Melony, are you alright? It's Daniel. Are you alright?"

I heard the door unlock and Melony appeared in a bathrobe and had a towel wrapped around her head.

"Daniel, what's the matter?"

"Are you alright? I thought you might need help."

Melony became confused and frightened. I could see she was not in immediate danger, but that didn't mean trouble wasn't coming.

"Help? What kind of help? I just got out of my bath Daniel, what's wrong?"

Melony invited me in and we sat of the couch. She was visibly shaken by my freaking out – who wouldn't be? What should I tell her? Would she even believe me?

Anything about lycanthropes or the supernatural would not only make her more frightened, but if she didn't believe me, I'd become the village idiot in her eyes.

"Melony, do you trust me?"

She smiled. "Yes Daniel, of course I trust you. Please, tell me what's wrong?"

"We have to leave right now, this instant, and no questions. Can you do this Melony?"

"I guess so, but I don't understand Daniel."

"I'll explain later. Right now you need to get dressed quickly and we have to go to my apartment. Hurry Melony."

Melony got up without saying a word to get dressed. She was shaking and had tears in her eyes. I had to protect her. Something bad was coming soon, tonight I'm sure.

Ancient Mayan gods and their overlords are known throughout history for horrific acts against mankind, and whatever was coming, it would be much worse than any lycanthrope.

Melony finished putting on her jeans and a maroon hoodie while I called Alura for help. Before I could select her number, my phone rang. It was Alura.

"Azul, you and Melony need to get out of there right now. Sarila is tracking something very dark coming your way. You have less than five minutes to get back to your apartment."

"We're leaving right now. Meet us at my apartment Alura."

"Keep your phone on Azul and engage the global satellite tracker. Sarila is sending the satellite feed showing where this thing is as it approaches. I'm on my way."

I touched the global tracker icon on my phone and saw a real-time satellite image of the neighborhood. Whatever was coming for us was moving fast. I took Melony's hand and we ran down the stairs and street as fast as we could move.

"Hang on Melony, we'll be safe in my apartment. Just keep running as fast as you can."

Melony was terrified, shaking, and crying, but remained quiet. We were running as fast as possible and I hoped it was good enough to reach my apartment in time. As we turned the last corner, I looked up and down the street and everything appeared normal. My apartment was in sight now and I thought we would make it.

"Okay, just a few more yards Melony."

What was that? I saw something at the end of the street moving towards us. It was a dark green mist about the size of a bus and moving quickly.

Only a few more feet now. I took my keys out of my pocket to unlock the apartment door. We didn't look back, but there was something very close, moving fast, and almost upon us. I didn't have time to think, only act.

Get the door open ... get the door open.

"Daniel," Melony said in a shaken voice.

The lock on my apartment door turned and Melony and I pushed forward falling to the floor. I looked up and saw the dark mist just a few feet away before I kicked the door shut rearming my wards.

The mist hit my door hard enough to shake the walls and floor as my wards delivered a punishing array of energy. Blue-white bolts of light shot out from the door and window frames, like a Tulsa Tower. Whatever chased us was being struck repeatedly by my wards. It made horrible agonizing noises, unlike anything I've ever heard before. A minute latter, the attack stopped and there were no more sounds.

Melony was lying next to me with her face pushed in my chest crying and shaking uncontrollably. Sally barked furiously the entire time, but then laid down next to Melony and I after the attack ended.

"Melony, are you okay?"

"I ... I think so. I think I'm alright. Is it over?"

I rocked Melony in my arms.

"Yes, it's over. We're safe. It's okay now."

"What was that thing Daniel? Why was it chasing us?"

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it's something really bad. It's okay now Melony, we're safe here."

Sally got closer to Melony's face and gave her a couple of slobber kisses. Melony put one of her arms around Sally and hugged tight.

A car screeched to a stop outside and a moment later my door lock turned – it was Alura. Melony, Sally, and I were still laying on the floor hugging each other. Alura pushed the door open and stood in the doorway staring at us with her two swords in hands pointing to the ground.

"Is everyone alright?" Alura asked.

"Yea, I think so," I replied.

Alura closed the door rearming my wards and placed her swords into the straps on her back. I helped Melony get to the couch and Alura placed a blanket around her for comfort. Sally put her head on Melony's lap while I sat in my chair, exhausted, heart pounding, and shaking with fear.

"Alura, she can't go back to the shoppe. She'll have to stay here."

Alura nodded. "How about making some tea while I get Melony more comfortable?"

"Yea, good idea," I said.

Alura put her arms around Melony and rocked her, trying to make her relax as best possible.

"We need to get her to Keob," Alura said. "She'll be safe there until we can sort things. Right now though, I'll ask Sarila to have one of our doctors come here and make sure she's alright and give her a sedative. The tea your making will help relax her until the doctor arrives."

Alura called Sarila and filled her in on what had happened.

What did just happen? What the heck was that thing chasing us?

A dark mist without physical form, and it was alive. When it hit my door and triggered the wards, it screamed in pain. The only thing I know for certain is that it felt pain, and if it feels pain, it probably could be killed.

My wards are designed to compensate for kinesthetic energy and returns it with greater force. Basically, if something goes against my wards, it will kick back 10 times as hard. Whatever that thing was, it was definitely hurt and retreated faster than it had pursued Melony and me.

After pouring two cups of tea for Melony and Alura, I grabbed a cold beer for myself and sat back down on my chair. Alura still had her arms around Melony's shoulder and was softly rubbing her back. Melony stopped crying, but she had a distant look on her face that was filled with fear and confusion. I knew now that she would have to be told about me, Alura, and her being a white witch. The truth is the only way Melony can be protected now.

How do you tell someone you're a wizard and they're a witch? How can anyone explain the existence of dark creatures in the world that would eat your face off given a chance?

Melony had an innocent spirit, until tonight, and now she'd never be the same. It wasn't fair. A moment later my thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the front door followed by a man's voice.

"Hello, I am Doctor Herick. Sarila sent me here."

I opened the door to find an old man with white hair and thick glasses. I knew he wasn't Zeshtunian because his eyes weren't blue, and also because he wore glasses. Zeshtunians have excellent vision and don't need glasses. I invited him and locked the door, but this time the door and window frames did not glow as brightly. The wards must need to be recharged after tonight's attack, but this can wait until Melony was better and safe of Keob. Doctor Herick performed a brief examination and then gave Melony a sedative to relax her.

"Your friend has mild shock and needs plenty of rest. It's alright to send her to Sarila though, and I encourage you to do so."

"Are you a regular doctor?" I asked.

Herick smiled. "Yes, I certainly am. Sarila uses my services whenever special circumstances came up in the neighborhood. I work for ZWC, so I am your employee Azul and available any time you need me."

"How much do you know about what we do?"

"Details of your work are not normally discussed at the office, but I am aware of what you do and am most certainly happy to help when needed," he said, then looked at Melony. "Your friend will sleep like a baby through the night and wake feeling much better."

"Thank you very much for everything doctor," I said.

"Mr. Zane, you are aware there is a fully equipped medical facility on Keob with technology far superior than anything here on Earth?"

I didn't know, but thought I'd sound foolish saying so and replied, "Yes ... of course I know."

Doctor Herick smiled in a way telling me he knew I didn't know.

"Very well then, I bid you all a good evening, or I should say a better evening," he said, then exited the apartment.

Having a personal on-call doctor is something I did not expect. Good thing though because it would be difficult explaining to the police and hospital staff how some injuries come about. Better to keep our business on the low as much as possible.

I smirked at Alura. "Medical facility ... when was I going to be told about that?"

"When you needed to know," Alura replied. "We have a bowling alley too Azul, but knowing about it now is not a top priority."

Why is there a bowling alley on Keob? I don't bowl, or maybe I do and don't remember.

Alura was right. There were more important matters to deal with at the moment. For now, I was grateful the night didn't end in a worse way.

"Come brother, help me get Melony up and to your pentagram. We need to transport her to Keob for safekeeping and medical care. Sarila is expecting her and has things set up to attend to her needs."

For a petite girl, Melony felt like a ton of bricks and we barely managed to get her to my bedroom without throwing our backs out. While still wrapped snuggly in a blanket, we put Melony in the middle of the pentagram and Alura took a blue coin from a jar on a shelf and handed it to me.

"Remember Azul, only you can make your pentagram work."

I took the coin and crushed it on the floor, then stepped out of the circle and said, "Transmati Melony Keob," and Melony was transported safely to Sarila's lab.

Alura and I returned to the living room and I noticed something on the couch. When I got closer, I saw that it was the two Broadway tickets for the show Melony and I was going to see. They must have fallen out of Melony's pocket. I picked up the tickets and placed them on the end table knowing such a date won't be happening anytime soon. Our lives are now forever changed, especially for Melony.

We sat on the couch watching flames flicker back and forth in the fireplace. Alura tucked her arm under mine and placed her head on my shoulder. Sally also felt sad and put her head on my lap as she often did when seeking comfort. I stared into the fireplace in silence.

It wasn't long before Alura fell asleep. I placed a pillow under her head and a warm blanket over her. Sitting in my chair watching her sleep, I reminded myself how fortune I was to have Alura in my life. She is always there for me no matter what trouble comes along, and knows I'll always be there for her.

In every way, Alura looked like any ordinary young woman one might meet at a coffee shop or college campus. That's what made it hard to believe she could turn into a monster killing machine in a blink of an eye. She's a perfect sister and battle proven warrior, which is a bonus in our profession. I not only trusted Alura with my life, but I'd give it up in a second to protect her. Our bond is more powerful than any dark creature could ever imagine.

I began reminiscing about my old life as a professor. It was a lot easier teaching, hanging out at pubs near Harvard Square, and studying things that were long dead and not trying to kill me. Somewhere in the universe many millenniums ago, I apparently decided to be a hero and beat up bad guys to save the Earth from destruction. Now, when I finally meet a girl who I liked being around, a dark mist tried to eat us. Doesn't seem fair, but no one ever said life was fair. It should fair be though, especially for people like Melony.

Exhausted, I fell asleep in my chair and woke up to the smell of beacon and eggs. When I opened my eyes, I saw Alura smiling as she moved a plate of food under my nose.

"Rise and shine brother."

Sally already had her face in her own dish chowing down breakfast and wagging her tail in delight. I sat at the kitchen table with Alura who was eating more food than anyone could imagine possible. I wasn't actually hungry, which was a first for me. My mind was unfocused and all I could do was stare at my plate. Alura looked at me for a sign of life, but after a minute of silence, she started a conversation.

"So big brother, what are we going to do today?"

I kept staring at my breakfast and muttered, "Shakespeare had the right idea."

Alura stopped eating and narrowed her eyes, not sure she heard me correctly.

"What did you say?"

"The first thing we must do is kill all the lawyers. It's a line from King Henry VI, and it's exactly what we're going to do, kill all the lycanthrope lawyers at Moon's office."

"Now that's the spirit of a master wizard," she said and slapped her hands on the table causing Sally to bark. "You see, even Sally thinks it's a good idea."

Melony was now safe on Keob so that's one less thing to worry about. I had a score to settle with Moon and his fury pals. Moon's lineage automatically qualified him for a silver bullet, especially after what happened last night. I felt more than happy to help him along to his final destination. In fact, that is all I could think about.

"Moon will be expecting us to come after him," I said. "It won't be easy. We'll need a plan because his building surely has been fortified since our last visit. We'll also need a lot of weapons and magic."

We looked at each and both said, "We need Thyzil."

"Thyzil is always ready to beat up bad guys," Alura said, then she wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin before calling Sarila. "Finish your breakfast Azul. You will need all your strength more than ever."

The thought of having Thyzil help us dust Moon's furry pals was enough to restore my appetite. It also put a big smile on my face as I imagined Thyzil counting off his kills.

"Sarila, have Thyzil put together an arsenal to take out Moon and his lycanthrope pack," Alura said. "We also need to destroy his building, so make sure Thyzil has plenty of C4 explosives and crystals."

I waved my fingers gesturing for Alura to give me her phone. She finished listening to Sarila for a minute and then handed it to me.

"How is Melony?" I asked.

"Do not worry wizard. Your dear witch is being cared for by her own kind. Soon, she will understand what has happened and who she is. It won't be long before you will see her again."

"Thank you Sarila. Thank you very much."

"It is what we do wizard, but you are welcome just the same," she said and the call ended.

"Are you ready to go fry some wolf butt?" Alura asked.

"As ready as ever," I replied while stuffing wolfsbane into my pockets. "We're not in any particular hurry are we?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you don't have to rush to Moon's place in your Porsche like a bat out of hell, right?"

Alura smirked. "You're not going to start complaining about my driving again, are you?"

"I'm just saying, it won't kill you to obey the speed limit for once. Besides, I'd like to keep my breakfast in my stomach."

"Close your eyes you big baby," she said, then shaked her head and smirked. "What's the point of having a Porsche if you can't rev it up a little?"

Along the way, Alura and I discussed ideas about gaining entrance into Moon's building. None our ideas were particularly encouraging because we knew Moon had fortified his building with mercenaries that would be on high alert. We fully realized it wasn't going to be as easy as the last time we paid Moon a visit, which come to think, wasn't all that easy.

Alura parked her Porsche a block away out of sight and we found our way to a nearby rooftop. We kept low and moved to the roof edge facing Moon's building to check his defenses. Luckily, the edge of the roof had a three foot wall section that kept us concealed from view.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Now we see what we're up against," Alura said while pulling out a small spyglass from her pocket to scope out the perimeter.

"He has two snipers on the roof and five armed men patrolling outside. There are probably more I can't see and definitely more inside."

"Lycanthropes?" I asked.

"Doubt it. Military trained human mercenaries most likely. The bad kind who got dishonorable discharges or did time at Leavenworth Penitentiary. The lycanthropes will be holed up together somewhere inside the building."

# Chapter 20

Sarila sent a text message saying Thyzil was ready to transport pending our return to Alura's apartment. I easily imagined the big smile on Thyzil's face when Sarila told him about our battle plan.

"We kill every last doggy," I said in broken English, impersonating Thyzil's accent and causing Alura to laugh.

"Hopefully, Moon is holed up somewhere in his office building," she said.

"Yea, let's hope. If he is, this will be the last night on Earth he'll ever see."

Everything was moving fast and little daylight remained, so Alura drove to her apartment like she was racing in the Indianapolis 500. I must be getting use to her driving because my knuckles didn't turn white. In fact, I actually kept my eyes open the entire way and wondered if her car had some sort of magical charm, or maybe the police just gave up chasing her down.

"Hey, how is it that you never get a ticket for the way you drive?" I asked.

Alura smiled, then pushed a button on her dash that opened a glove compartment. Dozens of tickets fell out.

"Just part of the job," she said. "It's not like we have much time to respond to emergency situations, so a heavy foot on the pedal is justified, and it helps save the day more times than not."

"There must be thousands of dollars of unpaid tickets here," I said and added, "and they still let you drive?"

"Sarila makes sure the tickets are deleted from the police database. I guess I'm a little behind in cleaning out my car."

"Huh ... isn't deleting tickets illegal little sister."

"And monsters killing people isn't? Really Azul, we are no different than fire trucks or the police, and as I have always said, you can always walk if you don't like the way I drive."

Fair enough. We are the first responders of the supernatural world, so I shouldn't complain.

Alura parked the Porsche in her usual spot and we hurried to her apartment. Once at her front door, she paused before placing her key into the lock.

"You do it Azul. Both our keys open each others doors and our amulets protect us from our wards."

I used my key to unlock the door and her wards disarmed.

"Does this only work with keys?" I asked.

"No, you can also touch the lock with any of your amulets, or place your hand on the door and say 'entra Azul'. We actually use keys only to appear normal in case someone is watching."

"We can use a magic word? That would have been nice to know before I fumbled with my keys when that green mist tried to kill Melony and me."

"Who would have thought something might chase you down that you couldn't obliterate? But yea, sorry for not telling you sooner."

Alura sent a text to Sarila letting her know we were ready, and a minute later, her pentagram lit up shooting blue-white light from the floor to the ceiling. Thyzil appeared dressed in his medieval battle gear with two large cases, and of course, wearing a huge smile.

"Someone call for strong good looking warrior?" he asked.

"Good looking, perhaps," Alura said and jumped into his arms. "We'll see about the warrior part later tonight hot shot."

Thyzil roared in laughter. "Yes, tonight I battle again my princess. I look forward to splitting hairs with big doggies ... their hairs, not mine. Wizard, I see you are ready to fight our enemies, yes?"

Obviously, Thyzil was speaking in terms of my state of mind when saying I appeared ready. There was nothing new about my wardrobe. I was dressed in jeans, a navy blue t-shirt, and the brown leather jacket and hat Alura bought me. The whole military fatigue thing was not my style. My wizard bag was ready enough though and filled with a variety of magic coins.

"Good to see you Thyzil."

"Of course wizard," he said, still laughing with his baritone voice echoing throughout the apartment as he lifted Alura into the air.

Alura laughed and jabbed Thyzil in the ribs. He pretended to feel it, rubbing his side and making a fake frown.

"Working out Alura?" he asked.

Alura rolled her eyes while Thyzil winked at me, singling his pleasure in getting a reaction. Rolling eyes was Alura's way of protesting egotistical self-complements. Needless to say, she often rolled her eyes at Thyzil who was anything but humble.

"Okay you two," I said. "Grab what you need so we can get this show on the road."

Alura went into her bedroom to put on her own battle gear and emerged a few minutes later wearing black fatigues, two swords strapped to her back under grenade belts, and Desert Eagle pistols holstered to each of her legs.

I still had difficulty understanding how someone so petite could carry so many weapons or even fire a .44 caliber magnum pistol. The gunfire noise alone sounded like a stick of dynamite exploding. It didn't seem to bother Alura in the least because she fired those canons like they were toys.

"So, we remain inconspicuous by using keys to unlock your door, but walking in plain sight armed to the teeth doesn't cause you any concern?" I asked Alura.

She grinned and said, "Nope, not at all. If anyone should ask, we just say that we're on our way to a costume party. Don't forget, we're in Manhattan."

I looked at Thyzil, and yeah, he certainly did look like he was heading off to a costume party – as Atilla the Hun.

The three of us walked to the garage where Alura kept a white van to use when traveling with Thyzil, due to his physical size. I guess in a way the van was actually Thyzil's ride, which makes me the only one in this trio carless.

"Just go buy one Azul and stop complaining," Alura said.

"How about you stop listening in on my thoughts?"

"I wish," she said. "Honestly, how do you live with yourself with all that trivial nonsense going on in that head of yours?"

"It's not trivial to me. You know what? I'm going to wrap my head in aluminum foil the next time I go someplace with you sister."

Alura laughed. "Go right ahead. If you want to look like a baked potato, be my guess."

Thyzil smiled. "I would like to see this wizard. How much foil will wrap your head?"

Alura laughed again. "It would take a lot given his ego."

"Sticks and stones Alura, sticks and stones," I said.

My curiosity about what Thyzil was carrying in the two cases was getting the better of me. After he put the cases into the van, I took a look inside one and saw Thyzil's mammoth claymore and an assortment of silver weapons, such as darts and daggers. There was also something I have not seen before – two crystals about the size of cucumbers. One crystal was a deep ruby color and the other yellow.

The second case had the usual arsenal of silver laced grenades and silver filled hollow point bullets. There were also large blocks of C4 the size of melons, enough to level Moon's building to the ground, and perhaps half the city.

"What are the crystals for?" I asked Thyzil.

"Big surprise for doggies. First we kill doggies we see, then put crystals together and boom," he said, moving his hands in a large circle. "No more doggies not seen."

Cool weapon. Maybe we should throw it inside Moon's lobby and sit back to watch all the fun.

Of course, Alura knew what I was thinking.

"We have to place the crystals as close to the middle of the building as possible to have maximum effect," she said. "The blast is not an explosion and won't harm the building or humans, but it will shake the ground. It produces a wave of high molecular energy that destroys living cells of anything not human or Zeshtune with an effective range of an entire city block, so all the lycanthropes should become crispy critters. The downside is that we must be at least 300 feet away from ground zero or the molecular wave could put us in a comma."

"No problem. I can run 300 feet pretty darn quick when I have to," I said.

"Don't forget that Moon has heavily armed mercenaries," Alura said. "We'll may have to fight our way into the building and place the crystals at the center of the 10th floor. It won't be easy,"

"It never is, easy that is," I said.

Even so, it was a simple plan. Lot's of shooting, sword slicing, and magic. The crystals are a nice touch, like icing on a war cake.

When we leave Moon's building this time, I wanted to be sure I'd never have to think about the irritating little fur ball ever again. So far, he has been like a bad rash that won't go away.

"What if he isn't there?" I asked. "Has anyone thought about the possibility Moon may not even be in the building?"

"Sarila is 99% positive he has been in the building since Lupzarro was destroyed," Alura said. "It's the safest place for him because he knows that anyplace else might make him an easy target. He also knows we're coming for him and believes he'll win this fight, especially on his own turf."

The reality of having to fight our way through mercenaries and lycanthropes was setting in, but we have Thyzil this time. All magic aside, nothing beats having a great warrior, two counting Alura, who will watch your back in the thick of things. Alura and Thyzil were incredibly fearless and fought monsters like they were taking a walk through Central Park. They counted on each other to survive and will never know how much I counted on them for my own survival.

It was dark outside by the time we arrived where Alura and I first conducted our reconnaissance. We parked the van and went to the same rooftop to meet someone sent by Sarila. Like the good Dr. Herick, these allies pledged to help fight against the dark despite being exposed to great risk. Our ally waiting for us today was a tall man in military uniform.

"Good evening. My name is Lieutenant Mack. I have a team standing by as backup should you need help. We are not authorized to kill any humans as you already know, but we can stick them with tranquilizers, effectively taking any mercenaries out of play."

The Lieutenant handed each of us a two-way radio ear piece set on a military frequency and pointed to where snipers were stationed on Moon's roof. He told us to signal when we were ready to breach the building perimeter and his own snipers would take out the enemy outside the building, including Moon's rooftop snipers.

"If you get into a jam, say so and I'll send in the troops," Mack said.

Things were looking better. Two Zeshtune warriors, a master wizard, and a team of Special Forces make the odds of surviving the night much more favorable. I wondered how deep Sarila's organization reached. Maybe tomorrow I'll ask her, assuming there is a tomorrow, but now it's time to kick fur ball butt.

After a few minutes reviewing our battle plan with Lieutenant Mack, we headed to position ourselves at the perimeter of Moon's building. We had the cover of night as an advantage, but could not pass the corner of the adjacent building without being seen. Alura took the lead.

"Are you two ready?" Alura asked.

I took my staff coin out of my pocket and turned it into a staff, then said, "Yup, sure am."

Thyzil nodded in agreement and Alura pushed the com-link on her ear piece telling Lieutenant Mack to take out Moon's security.

Phew, phew, phew. A series of tranquilizer darts flew over our heads and we saw the mercenaries outside the building drop like flies. Now was our chance to breach the building.

I gathered the magical energy inside me and could feel it surging through my body. My necklace and ring amulets began to glow as did the amulet on top of my staff. Thyzil had his claymore stretched out to one side and Alura's Desert Eagles were in her hands ready to fire. We ran across the parking lot to the front of the building and looked through the glass doors – there was no one in the lobby.

"Where are the security guards?" I asked.

Alura shrugged. "Hiding and waiting most likely."

I touched the door lock with my staff and it liquefied into molten steel, hissing as it hit the cool ground. Alura moved inside first, slowly keeping her eyes open for a trap, but nothing happened. Thyzil and I followed her watching with equal attention.

Once inside, we noticed the elevator doors were open. Alura and Thyzil shook their heads side to side recognizing the convenient death trap. Alura pointed her finger at Thyzil and then to the rear stairway door. Thyzil nodded and he darted off to it. She then looked at me and pointed toward the front stairway for us to go up.

The stairway was very dark, except for the small amount of light generated by my staff amulet. I concentrated and my amulet provided more light for us to see 10 feet ahead. We continued up the stairway until Alura raised her hand up in a fist to signal stop moving and looked down the stairwell. She then put her finger to her lips telling me to remain quiet.

There was something coming up the stairs and not far behind us. A few moments later I smelt wet dog hair and knew lycanthropes were near. Alura motioned to start up the stairs again, but this time, we were running as fast as we could while growls got closer from behind us.

When we reached the 8th floor and looked back, there were four yellow eyes glaring at us from about twenty feet down the stairway. Alura tried to open the 8th floor door, but it was locked. We then saw the outlines of two lycanthropes as they moved towards us. Alura pushed me aside and shot both Desert Eagles at the same time hitting each lycanthrope dead center in their heads. The fur balls yelped and fell down the stairway as they burned into ashes. A few moments later, only dim ambers could be seen flickering in the dark, so we continued up to the 9th floor.

"We're close Alura. I can sense it. Let's check out this floor first so nothing follows us up to the 10th floor."

Alura checked to see if the door was locked – it was. I touched the handle with my staff and melted the lock causing both the inside and outside handles which dropped on the floor. Alura looked through the hole and didn't see anything, then slowly pushed the door open with the tip of her pistol.

We walked into an office setting filled with cubicle workstations and five foot tall sectional walls. Each cubicle had the standard office furniture: desk computer, phone, and usual assortment of nine-to-five underpaid workplace charm. The ceiling lights were off, but low watt lights were working inside emergency exit signs above both stairway doors. There was not much light, but enough so someone would not break a leg tripping over something.

The smell of lycanthropes filled the room and my neck hairs stood up, warning me of eminent danger. There was an eerie stillness, like the calm before a hurricane blows up your house while you're making a sandwich.

Alura paused, and then looked at me to check if I was aware of what was coming. I pointed my staff forward and she had both her pistols extended straight out ready to fire. As we passed each cubicle, Alura pointed one pistol to her side while keeping the other aimed straight down the corridor.

I kept my staff fixed on the other side, ready to release a flurry of magic, and its amulet began making swirls of blue-white light that moved in and out like solar flares. Magical energy was surging through my body, increasing my sense of awareness as the smell of lycanthropes intensified.

We reached the center of the room, and even though we didn't see any fur balls, we knew they were there. Alura and I stood in place back-to-back and continued scanning the room.

"They're here ... very close," I whispered, tightening my grip around my staff and ready to smoke anything that moved.

The stairway doors at each end of the room opened slowly and something entered. I couldn't see what it was because the cubicle walls obstructed most of my view, but I didn't need to see. A low growl sounded in front of me and another from behind where Alura was facing. More growling then sounded out from all directions in the room – we were surrounded.

My heartbeat raced and adrenalin raged through my bloodstream. I was ready, focused, and barely able to hold back the magic swelling inside me – bring it on.

In a single coordinated attack, cubicle walls began being tossed into the air as lycanthropes leapt towards us. Three were coming at me and I assumed as many were heading towards Alura. Boom, boom, boom. Alura's pistols fired off hollow point silver bullets in rapid succession.

I moved my staff side to side and said, "Aknor stellara," sending bolts of lightning that struck the three approaching lycanthropes. They howled in pain and turned into balls of fire. I heard Alura reloading new clips into her pistols as the spent ones dropped to the floor.

"Got three here," she said.

"Me too."

"Keep your eyes peeled Azul. There are a lot more nearby, and don't forget, they're shapeshifters. The older ones know how to take inanimate forms, or make you think they have, so don't pass a water cooler or vending machine thinking what you see is real."

A water cooler? She's got to be kidding.

The stairway door we came up from had debris blocking the door from the office wreckage, so that wasn't an option for escaping. In slow deliberate steps, we moved toward the unblocked stairway door, still scanning the office for any movement. Alura reached for the door handle, but it moved open several inches before she touched it. Clawed fingers began curling around the door edge and we heard a deep angry growl. Alura jumped back from the door and nearly broke my nose when her head hit me.

"Oooouch," I said in a soft voice, rubbing my nose with one hand and keeping my staff steady with the other.

Alura continued pushing her back against me, moving us both back several feet as we both prepared to let Armageddon loose on whatever came through the door. We didn't have to wait long when a large metal object glowing with blue-white light pierced through the center of the door. The angry growl turned to a loud whimper and as the door slowly opened.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Thyzil was holding a lycanthrope on his blade through the door with one hand. He smiled like he won the Oscar, and then kicked the door forward, pushing the fur ball off his blade. A few seconds later the dead lycanthrope turned into a fiery dust ball.

Alura lowered her pistols and grinned. "Took you long enough," she said.

Thyzil looked around the room seeing the havoc and six piles of smoldering wolf meat. His victorious smile turned into a frown as he lowered his claymore as though defeated.

"You started party without me?"

"Snooze and you lose mighty warrior," Alura said.

Thyzil looked at me for support as Alura and I headed up the stairway to the 10th floor. There was nothing I could say to contradict my sister, not this time anyway, so I raised my eyebrows and shrugged while looking back at him.

"Okay selfish people, but next doggie is mine," he said and pushed his way ahead of us.

"That's fine with me," I said. "You can take them all on if you want."

"Don't encourage him Azul. You know how he keeps score."

True enough. Thyzil was always in a compete mode and counted each kill like a Roman solider put notches in his belt. I shouldn't encourage the big guy because I'll only have to pay for it later, most likely with another beer can head-crushing contest.

The 10th floor stairway door was already opened revealing an office floor in pitch darkness. Thyzil reached into his pocket and took out three glow sticks, snapped them, and tossed each into different areas to provide light.

This floor had a modern style decor with offices lined up along the outer walls. The glow sticks didn't provide much light, but we could see well enough to make out potted plants, a sitting area with couches and chairs, and what looked like a conference room at the far end of a corridor. Everything looked like what one might expect to find on Wall Street.

I smiled. "The lap of luxury."

"Not my style," Alura said. "It seems a bit sterile for lycanthropes, don't you think?"

"It's all about image, money, and power sister. Too bad for them it's all coming to an end."

Alura grinned. "Maybe you'll see something you like and take it home as a souvenir."

"I don't think any of this stuff would fit in with my apartment decor. Perhaps a wolf tooth or a paw like a rabbit's foot, you know for good luck. Now that would be cool."

Alura smirked. "Not if you want me to ever visit you. A bit creepy, don't you think?"

I shrugged and said, "Perhaps."

The smell of lycanthropes was not as heavy in the air as the floor below, but it was there, and we knew that fur balls were watching us. None of this bothered Thyzil who smiled knowing his scorecard would soon have a new total. As Thyzil pondered the upcoming battle, he sat down on a rich leather chair and stretched his feet over a table.

"What are you planning to do Thyzil, take a nap?" I asked.

"Not bad wizard. Sad we must blow up cushy seats," he said.

"Don't waste time Thyzil," Alura said. "The sooner we use the crystals, the less lycanthropes we will have to deal with to get out of here."

# Chapter 21

Thyzil took the red and yellow crystals out of his bag and held one in each hand, and then smiled.

"Crystals touch, then boom in about 10 minutes," he said, making a large circle with his hands to illustrate an explosion.

"About ten minutes ... as in maybe seven or eight minutes?" I asked.

Thyzil laughed. "Don't worry wizard. We have plenty of time."

"Wait, wait, wait," I said excitedly. "What if one of Moon's lap dogs comes along and throws the crystals out a window, or worse, it throws them at us?"

"This is not possible," Thyzil said. "Crystals weigh more than building. Except for us Zeshtunians, doggies can not pick up."

"But only ten minutes?"

Thyzil laughed again. "You worry too much wizard. Ready?"

Alura nodded. I hesitated and then nodded, hoping we would get out of the building in time. Granted, the weapon was designed to not harm humans or Zeshtunians, but I still had to contend with my natural paranoia which told me 10 minutes may not enough time to get clear of the crystals, especially if we encountered fur balls along the way. The very idea of having molecules race through my body and possibly put me in a comma was not a pleasant thought.

"Okay, here we go," Thyzil said, then put the crystals on the floor and pushed them together.

There was a snap of electrical energy and the crystals melded together. A couple seconds later, the crystals started to pulsate with red and yellow light in synchronization to a humming noise.

"Now we leave wizard, yes?"

Thyzil did not need to ask a second time. We headed for the nearest stairway, but stopped after opening the door and hearing lycanthropes running up the stairwell. Alura jumped into action grabbing two grenades from one of the belts strapped across her chest, pulled the pins, and tossed them down the stairwell. The grenades thumped down the stairs and exploded setting off whimpers and howls, but more lycanthropes kept coming. Not satisfied with the results, Alura took both belts off holding eight more grenades, pulled all the pins, and threw them into the same stairwell. We closed the door and quickly stepped back. Seconds later, a massive explosion collapsed the stairway and completely sealed it off with large sections of concrete and steel.

"So much for that exit," I said. "Anyone have another suggestion, because I think more fur balls are coming up the other stairway across the room."

"Yes wizard. I say we fight," Thyzil said.

Why did I even bother to ask?

The lycanthropes reached the stairway door. I pointed my staff toward the ceiling and said, "Raza zitum," releasing blue-white saw discs hovering above the top of my staff. I moved my staff forward toward the stairway door and shouted, "Aktum," sending the saws through the door into the lycanthropes. The saws ripped through their arms, legs, heads, and swirled in circles for repeat attacks. As more lycanthropes appeared, the saws also attacked them in fierce rapid motions tearing them to pieces until all in sight were burning piles of ashes. Smoke and ambers rose from what was moments ago 20 or more angry fur balls.

More growls continued coming from the stairway, but no lycanthropes came near the door. I guess they understood the consequences and decided to hold their ground out of sight. The magic saws swirled in circles above the ash piles, and with nothing nearby to chop up, they flickered and disappeared.

Exiting the building through the one open stairway was no longer an viable option, at least not if we wanted to stay alive. Using magic in such a tight area would destroy the lycanthropes, which was fine, but it might also kill us, which was not so fine. Hand-to-hand combat would also be difficult and risky with fur balls crawling over each other to get us.

If the thought of battling more lycanthropes wasn't bad enough, one only needed to listen to the crystal weapon pulsating faster from behind us. We were to close and time was running out.

Great, we get to decide between being fur ball dinners or risk having a crystal induced comma.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that fighting fur balls was a better choice, but wanted to get a consensus just the same.

"Okay, do we wait for the crystals to fry our brains or take the stairway and fight hordes of fur balls?" I asked.

We looked at each other and said, "stairway," and moved toward the door, but stopped when the office lights and computer monitors turned on showing Moon's face.

"I hope that's only a creepy screen saver," I said.

"Mr. Zane, you certainly can be a persistent complication. It would appear what has developed into a personal matter between us will have to be settled tonight."

"Well, well, if it's not my old pal Moony. Are you ready to get dusted?"

"I believe my correct response should be: 'don't count your chickens before they hatch'. Is this the correct expression to use Mr. Zane?"

"What do you want Moony-boy? We're a little busy here, so make your point and buzz off. Don't worry though, we'll soon see each other face to face, or fur to face in your case. I'm guessing you'll be a pile of burning ashes in a few minutes from now."

"Very well Mr. Zane, as you insist. As I see the situation you are in, you have two choices. The first choice is to take your chances using the stairway to escape. The second choice is to take the elevator which will bring you to a specially designed hunting area buried 500 feet below the surface of this building."

A bell rang and an elevator door opened from behind a hidden wall panel. At the same time, all the computer monitors began displaying a large underground area the size of at least five football fields. It had trees, rocks, and a number of structures resembling the 16th century. The area was dimly lighted like what might be produced by a full moon.

"This hunting arena is where my partners and I get in touch with our ancestry," Moon said. "Many have visited us here, but sadly, no one has ever left. I very much would like you and your friends to join us for a game of survival. Should you win the game, you will be free to leave as you came, hopefully not too badly damaged."

Lousy choices. I looked back at the pulsating crystals knowing time was not on my side. After a long pause, Moon grinned and spoke again.

"Mr. Zane, please don't be concerned about your interesting toy. The discharge may very well destroy my pack, but it will not reach my partners and me here. Since you have come to my place of business to share quality time and to get better acquainted, this is the opportunity to fulfill that purpose, however, you must make your decision quickly Mr. Zane."

Now we have three options: brain fry, stairway slicing and dicing, or playing in a lycanthrope reality show.

"Decisions, decisions ... what should we do?" I asked, rubbing my chin as a sign of indifference and to tick off Moon.

"Perhaps this might help you to make a decision," Moon said.

The camera at the arena panned to an area showing three human hostages chained to a wall. There was a man, women, and young child.

Moon has hostages – that certainly narrows down our options.

Anger built up in me triggering a reaction on my staff amulet that created sparks and intense illumination. I again recalled what Alura told me about controlling my emotions with magic. I concentrated on calming down and my staff amulet became less intense.

Moon presented us with no real choice. If we did nothing, our brains might turn into mush. If we chose the stairway, we'd likely become wolf chow, the hostages will die, and Moon would escape to kill more humans. If we chose the hunting area, it is also likely we'd become wolf chow, but there's a chance to destroy Moon and maybe save the hostages. We had to go to the hunting arena.

"The crystals will destroy the lycanthropes inside the building and Lieutenant Mack will be sure none escape," Alura said. "We must take this fight to Moon and finish it."

Thyzil raised his sword. "I never fought inside an arena. Sounds exciting ... count me in. Besides, you need my protection, yes?"

Alura rolled her eyes. "Who's going to protect you from me?"

Thyzil laughed. "My warrior princess is ... how you say ... a tough cookie, yes wizard?"

"She sure is," I replied and Alura smiled, then I pointed my staff at Moon's face on the monitor. "We're coming for you fur ball."

"An excellent decision Mr. Zane. I look forward to our sharing quality time on a more personal level."

The computer monitors went dark and we entered the elevator. There was only one button, obviously programmed to bring us to the arena. Or maybe just blow us up. Moon was a hunter and had us trapped. It's not likely he would find much enjoyment blowing us up when he can hunt us on his own grounds, traps and all. Even so, I still considered the likelihood we were being taken to an underground tomb with no arena.

If there was an arena, it didn't mean Moon would actually be there. The last time Alura and I were in this building, Moon appeared on a monitor that could have been broadcasted from anywhere in the world. This time was different. Moon had a plan, and as any evil dark lawyer would do, he puts his business first. Plus it was more personal now. He wanted to rip out my heart and eat it while I watched. Moon will definitely be at the arena.

Alura kept both Desert Eagles ready to fire and I tightened my grip on my staff as we entered the elevator. Thyzil, on the other hand, was checking out his smile on the side of his shinny claymore blade.

"Really Thyzil ... we're about to be torn apart and you're worried about your smile?" I asked.

Thyzil kept checking his teeth like a dentist and was unmoved by my insinuating he was vain.

"One never knows when time is up," he said. "If my time is up, I shall look good when Zeshtunians gather to honor me."

"They are not going to see your teeth Thyzil," Alura said. "Your mouth and eyes will be closed at your funeral."

Thyzil lowered his sword to his side and frowned.

"Is this so? Too bad, I have good looking teeth."

Alura rolled her eyes and shook her head at me. "You gotta love the big clutz."

Thyzil laughed. "Yes, I am lovable, like big teddy bear," he said and pulled Alura close to his side.

A bell rang and the elevator door opened. It took a few moments for our eyes to adjust to dimmer light as we stepped out onto a wide ledge about fifty feet above a forest. I looked up at the ceiling that was a couple hundred feet higher from where we stood. The ceiling had stars and a moon that created artificial light. Crickets were making noise and the sound of a distant owl could be heard. There was even a gentle breeze blowing making the leaves in trees rustle. Everything looked very real.

"This is good place to die," Thyzil said, taking in a deep breath of air as if today was like any other day.

I raised my eyebrows at Thyzil from being surprised to hear this renowned Zeshtune warrior may have a death wish. Thyzil noticed and grinned.

"Not me wizard, those big doggies."

"Oh ... yeah, that's a much better way of putting it."

A moment later the area shook.

"The crystals went off," Alura said. "Any lycanthropes inside the building above us are now dust."

"Good to know," I said. "At least we won't have to fight our way out of the building above, assuming we ever make it out of this hell-hole."

As I thought about our possible doom, a light turned on behind us. We turned to see where the light was coming from and there was Moon with two other lycanthropes dressed in their expensive business suits. I recognized Moon's companions from a large portrait in his conference room during our first visit. They were his law partners and the three of them were now standing in a skybox about thirty feet above us. I thought for a moment to blast them out of the box with magic, but Moon spoke before I decided.

"Good evening and welcome to our special hunting arena."

Moon must have known I was thinking about blasting him to smithereens because he told me not to waste my wizardry talent. Evidently we were seeing only his reflection coming from behind a fortified wall where the three fur balls actually stood.

"I didn't take you for the cowardly type Moon," I said. "Are you and your partners afraid to come out and fight like big boys?"

"On the contrary Mr. Zane, my partners and I are very much looking forward to joining you in the arena – you can count on it. First, however, you will need to consider the other invited guests you saw earlier. Should you and your friends survive and find the humans, we will be close by to engage you in a final resolution. Be quick Mr. Zane. There are dangerous things in this arena."

The skybox dimmed and blended into the background. I turned back facing toward the arena and saw a path leading from the ledge down to the forest floor.

"Looks like that's the way down," I said. "Come on, let's go find the hostages. I doubt Moon will keep them alive very long, so we best not waste even a second of time."

"We will find them Azul, and save them," Alura said. "And when they're safe, we'll put an end to Moon and his partners. This very day is the last those beasts will live."

We began the descent from the ledge on a narrow path of solid rock. It wasn't steep, but jagged at spots required careful balancing to avoid falling. A few minutes later we reached the forest floor and looked up at tall evergreens that created a thick canopy.

There was only one path visible through the trees, leaving us no choice but to take it. The moonlight sprinkled through the tree canopy creating a chilling effect and reminded me of one of Lon Chaney Jr.'s old black and white werewolf movies. I expected to the actor to jump out from every corner we turned. Damn spooky place.

There were sounds of things rusting in bushes, causing us to raise our guard up, at least for Alura and me. Thyzil looked like he didn't have a care in the world. It was times like this when I truly appreciated Thyzil's confidence and lack of fear. If he were surrounded by a pack of lycanthropes, I'd expect him to wave them forward to attack while laughing and swinging his sword in the air as a taunt.

We soon came to a small clearing with a log cabin with a fenced in section that looked as though it housed livestock at one time, but now was empty. Our eyes had now fully adjusted to the moonlight and we could see well ahead in all directions up to the tree line. I started to move forward and Thyzil put his hand on my shoulder stopping me.

"Let me go first wizard. Could be trap."

"Okay, if you insist big guy. Alura and I will cover your back."

Alura's had her Desert Eagles pointing at an angle toward the ground and I gripped my staff tightly in both my hands ready to release the magic I stored up. When we reached the front porch of the cabin, Thyzil stopped.

"Wait here," he said. "I will check little house," he said.

Thyzil exited the cabin a few moments later and leaned against a porch post with his head hanging down. His face was pale and he had a distant look about him. Something in the cabin frightened him.

Thyzil frightened? Not possible. No, his look was shock, not fear.

"What is it Thyzil?" Alura asked.

Thyzil didn't reply and kept looking down at the ground with his head hanging.

"Thyzil, what did you see? Alura asked and still there was no response.

Alura and I looked at each other knowing that whatever Thyzil saw, it had to be horrible. Alura and I went inside the cabin and our eyes widened in horror. Three dismembered heads were on a table next to their skeletal remains sitting in chairs. It was as if the bodies were a warning to anyone entering entering the cabin.

Alura gasped when she recognized the bodies were dressed in the same armor Thyzil was wearing.

"They are Zeshtune warriors," she said. "They are our people Azul. It is likely Thyzil knew these men, perhaps as close friends. Look, they each have the same tribal insignia on the hilt of their claymores."

"How long have they been here?"

"A very long time," she said as her eyes filled with tears. "There is no record of any Zeshtune warriors who have gone missing for thousands of years. These men died here long ago."

"What about Thyzil? He went missing, didn't he?"

"Yes, but not after achieving recognition. These Zeshtunes warriors are from days long past and died after recognition. There should have been some record of their disappearance."

We left the cabin and saw Thyzil still leaning against the porch post and looking at the ground. Alura went over and hugged him with tears running down her checks. They stood there in silence as I sat on the porch floor and stared out into the forest.

What happened here? How could three Zeshtune warriors be defeated? I've seen Alura and Thyzil take out dozens of lycanthropes as if they were nothing more than annoying flies. Three Zeshtune warriors defeated and killed like this seemed impossible.

Alura wiped her tears away and looked up at Thyzil.

"We need to go Thyzil. We'll come back for them, I promise. We will bring them back to Keob and one day to Zeshtune. They will be remembered as heroes and honored by our people for all time."

Thyzil lifted his head and looked into Alura's eyes. He wiped a tear off her check and nodded, then looked back at me.

"Come wizard, we will destroy the beasts that did this terrible thing," he said, then looked at the cabin door. "Our children's children will tell stories of your courage brothers. We will avenge your deaths and come back for you soon."

Thyzil turned and began walking toward the new path at the tree line. His walk was clearly more determined and I had to pick up my pace to keep up. Alura remained quiet and in full alert mode ready to take action, her tears now replaced by anger.

Thyzil stopped just before the tree line and looked around. Alura did the same and I felt the hairs on my neck and spine tingle. Thyzil then raised his sword above his head.

"What are you waiting for?" he shouted. "We are here. Come forward and die."

Not exactly the strategy I would have used.

"Thyzil, do you think you should be yelling out like that?"

"They watch us wizard, from behind trees since entering this place."

I looked to the tree line and saw two yellow eyes blinking. Then there were four more, then ten more, and then dozens of wolves watching us. Growls and howling sounded off along the tree line. We started backing up while keeping our eyes on the trees and more growling sounded off from behind us – we were surrounded.

One large wolf walked out from the trees and stopped twenty feet in front of us. It was a regular Alaskan type wolf on all fours, not a lycanthrope. These guys were at the bottom of the lycanthrope pack hierarchy and once human. A single bite or deep scratch by a lycanthrope turns humans into solider wolfs that become slaves to their pack alpha. Since Lupzarro was dusted, it was most likely that Moon is the new alpha who pulled the strings of these wolves.

# Chapter 22

It wasn't long before more wolves emerged from the trees. They stared us down with their backs hunched forward, noses curled, and teeth ready to attack. We formed a defensive circle in the center of the clearing readying ourselves for their attack and didn't have wait long. The wolf leader began walking slowly and stopped ten feet in front of Thyzil.

"Little boss doggy scared to play?" Thyzil asked, taunting the wolf while shifting his claymore from hand to hand, all the while grinning.

The wolf snarled and lunged forward. Thyzil stood still and swung his sword in one quick motion pivoting in a circle. His sword was glowing blue-white and dripped with blood as two halves of the wolf fell to the ground. Thyzil had severed the charging wolf clean through its mid section. The lifeless head of the wolf still had its eyes open and showing its teeth. Each halve then turned into fiery ambers.

The other wolves went silent and looked at their former leader burning into ashes. A few started growling and soon the others joined in. Here it comes. I pointed my staff it at the closest wolves and said, "Raza zitum." Blue-white saw discs swirled around my staff stone and I pushed it forward and said, "Aktum." The saws shot into the wolves with deadly force, and like a hot knife cutting through butter, the saws zigzagged in and out of the wolves dismembering their heads and limbs. The wolves howled in agony as they turned into piles of ashes, and after a couple dozen were dusted, the saws flickered and disappeared.

Alura continued firing sliver hollow point bullets in rapid succession until all her clips were empty. She holstered the pistols and pulled both swords out from her back strap while somersaulting in the air, slicing away into the pack. More ambers rose into the sky and the wolves cut by Alura's glowing swords piled up on one another, all of them burning to ashes. She landed on her feet and started running into more wolves slicing and dicing them without so much as getting a single scratch.

Wolves were howling trying to retreat as Thyzil swung his claymore mercilessly in all directions cutting down anything in its path. He could move almost as quickly as Alura, which surprised me given how large he is. While Thyzil may be a little slower than Alura, and not as agile, he was a wrecking machine that could not be stopped once started. He cut through two and three wolves with single blows throwing their burning body parts into the air as if they were weightless. The remaining wolves still breathing disappeared quickly into the forest and Thyzil raised his glowing claymore above his head in victory.

"Not easy fighting Zeshtune warriors. Come back soon doggies. I bring death to you."

"Did I ever tell you how much I appreciate you Thyzil?" I asked.

Thyzil laughed. "Yes, always wizard. Well, not in words, but I know how you feel."

Alura and I laughed so hard our eyes teared up as the three of us came together and placed our hands on each other's shoulder to form a victory circle.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," I said, impressed with our team work, and happy to still be alive.

"You have come a long way since Harvard brother."

Alura was right. Being Azul was much more exciting than Professor Jonathan Willington, albeit considerably more dangerous. Azul was also easier to say and sounds cool.

I smiled and said, "Azul ... master wizard of Zeshtune, brother of Alura, and friend of the great warrior Thyzil. Now that's an introduction no one could refuse."

At first Alura and Thyzil just looked at each other grinning. A moment later we all burst out laughing again.

"Okay 'master wizard', let's get going before those wolves double back on us." Alura said, still laughing, but in a more sarcastic tone.

"There are more stars ahead than behind us," I said. "That means we have a way to go before reaching the center of the forest."

I looked ahead to the tree line and saw two paths. Divide and conquer came to mind. Moon obviously created the paths to separate his visitors, or more accurately his captives, and make them more vulnerable to being hunted.

"Wizard, you and Alura take right path. I take left path. Simple plan, yes?"

Simple perhaps, but was it smart?

It would have been unlikely Thyzil could have survived the attack we just won if he was alone – none of us would. If separated, we would be doing exactly what Moon wanted us to do. On the other hand, Moon has demonstrated a capacity for making errors in his calculations before, so maybe it's not as dangerous as it appears. After all, I'm sure Moon never faced off with two Zeshtune warriors and a wizard during his hunting experiences. Even if he did, taking both paths increases the chances of finding the hostages, and this was a priority.

Hmm ... Moon did have three headless Zeshtune warriors inside the arena. Maybe I'm being too confident, but there was no real choice, so onward and forward to victory or death.

"Okay Thyzil, we'll do it your way."

I noticed Thyzil was looking strangely at me and he frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Wizard, you look not so good."

My magical energy was nearly depleted and I suddenly felt weak. I leaned on my staff trying to catch my breath, but to no avail, and the amulet on top of my staff barely emitted any light. I took out a green magic coin from my wizard bag and crushed in on the ground and said, "Relesa." Green light rose from the ground, swirled around me from head to toe, and replenished my strength.

I felt magical energy surging through my entire body. My necklace and ring amulets glowed brightly for a few moments before dimming as the green light disappeared. My staff amulet was glowing brightly again and the exhaustion I had felt left me.

"Wow, that was interesting, in a very odd way. It was like drinking a gallon of espresso. No ... it was better than espresso."

My eyes popped out as if I had too much caffeine and Alura and Thyzil laughed.

"You look better wizard," Thyzil said.

"Keep a check on your energy level brother. All this magic is still new to you and your body is adjusting."

That was the first time I used one of the green magic coins. I needed one when fighting Lupzarro, but was separated from my wizard and couldn't get to it. Luckily, Thyzil destroyed the fur ball, and after a few hours of rest on Keob, I was as good as new.

"Yea, I'll keep a check on things. By the way, the light from the coin was green. I thought everything involving magic had a blue-white color."

"The green coins are a healing power and derived from the Earth," Alura said. "The magic collects power and delivers it to your organic system, thus restoring your strength. Only pure Zeshtunian magic has a blue-white color since it originates from the entire universe."

"Will it work on you and Thyzil?"

"Nope, it only works on you Mr. Wizard. Since you are filled with natural magic, there is not much distinction between your organic and magic composition, thus your body strengthens and your magic restores."

"Nothing is simple, is it?"

Alura smirked. "Get over it brother, you think too much. At least you can restore your energy. Thyzil and I have to check into Sarila's medical facility if hurt badly enough, so count your blessings."

Good point. I had instant get up and go magic, so green, blue, or any other color was irrelevant. As an extra bonus, I now have a backup should I ever run out of coffee.

"Alright then, shall we part company and venture forward?" I asked.

We embraced each other and agreed to meet back at the clearing in six hours. If the hostages have been separated, it would be more difficult to find them in this maze of trees and traps. Six hours may not be enough, but we had to stay positive and believe we'd find the hostages.

Destroying Moon and his fur ball partners was a high priority, but it wasn't as high a priority as saving three humans from death, or worst, from being transformed into wolfs. Once the hostages were safe, we would find and destroy the freakin fur balls, even if it was the last thing we ever do.

Thyzil ran down the path he had chosen. The path Alura and I took was covered with less treetops and the moonlight from above produced enough light to see without help from my staff.

"Sure looks like a real moon, don't you think?"

"Keep quiet Azul. We don't want to give away our position."

Like the wolfs don't already know where we are. I bet Moon was watching us on a monitor right now and placing bets with his partners on who will die first.

The tall trees and thick bushes on each side of the path presented some risk because it would be difficult to get through it if needed. Only forward or backward on the path was possible and that made for an ambush all the more a real possibility.

Alura followed my lead with both swords held at her sides. I guess the narrow path made it difficult to manage her Desert Eagles, but then again, she did like to mix things up to keep her skills sharp. The further along the path, the more she cautiously swept her eyes side to side. We walked quickly, but not carelessly.

Rustling in the brush meant what was left of the wolves were still following us. They would probably have attacked again if not for Thyzil killing their wolf leader so easily, not to mention seeing so many from their pack dusted. Thinking this, however, did not make me any less diligent to remain on guard.

As Alura and I rounded a bend in the path, we saw another small clearing with a cabin, which was different from the first one. This cabin had smoke coming from the chimney and a light shinned from inside, meaning that someone or something was home.

We approached the cabin with the same caution as before and peered into the window. There was someone rocking in a chair facing a fire burning in the fireplace. It looked like an old women with long white hair.

"How in the world is someone still alive down here?" I muttered.

"Probably not human," Alura said.

We opened the unlocked door and slowly entered. The cabin had only one room with a rocking chair. A long chain bolted into the stone fireplace strung across the floor and was shackled around the old women's ankle. She was rocking back and forth making what sounded like soft crying sounds.

Alura and I approached the old women from opposite sides. When we got in front of her, we saw she had physical deformities: pointed ears, nose extended, fingers elongated with black nails, and yellow eyes. There was blood all over her shoulder where deep puncture marks were oozing with a yellowish liquid. She was transforming into a wolf.

"Ma'am, can you hear me?" I asked.

The women didn't show any sign that she knew we were in the cabin. She kept rocking back and forth as her yellow eyes reflected brightly against the light from the fire.

"Ma'am, we are here to help you?" I said and the old women stopped rocking, then she moved her eyes up to meet mine.

"Help me? No one can help me," she said with an almost inhuman voice. "No one can help you either. There is only death here ... only death ... only death."

The women turned back to the fireplace and began rocking again.

"She does not have much more time before transformation is complete," Alura said. "There is nothing we can do here Azul. We must go."

"There must be something we can do. Anything."

"No Azul, the bite from a lycanthrope is incurable for humans. Once bitten, transformation into a wolf is completed very quickly."

"Death ... there is only death here," the old women kept repeating.

"Alura, we can't just leave her here like this."

"Yes, we can. We can't kill her because she is still partly human and you know our law and obligation to never harm humans. We have no choice but to leave her here. Stay focused brother, there are hostages to think about and little time remains before we are to meet Thyzil back at the clearing."

Looking at the women transforming into a wolf was surreal. Who was she and how did she get here? Did she have loved ones, children, and a home? There are no words to fully describe how these poor victims must suffer.

Zeshtune law prohibited harming humans in any way – I knew that. If the old women completed the transformation, we could kill the wolf, but full transformation may be a couple of hours away. Even so, if there was any chance to save the three hostages from a similar fate, we had to leave.

Alura and I stepped out of the cabin and shut the door behind us. She put her hand on my shoulder and told me it's never easy to see such horrible things.

"Brother, every time I see something like this, I want to end their torture. Laws of our people have survived through the ages and are protected by our high council. Our laws draw a line between good and evil, the light and the dark. If we break any of the laws, the dark wins. It is not easy, but very necessary if humans and Zeshtunians are to survive."

I frowned. "Yea, it's not easy at all, but I understand. Let's get going."

Alura and I stepped off the cabin porch and a light turned on a few feet ahead of us. It was a small notebook computer and the screen had numbers counting down in hours, minutes, and seconds. I picked the notebook up and the screen flickered showing Moon and the young girl hostage.

"Ah, Mr. Zane. I see you have meet Mrs. Williams who is also one of my honored guests. Forgive her appearance. My partner lost control earlier in the day, and as you can see ... well, she is a good example of what might happen to this young child should you not save her in time."

"Moon, if you harm a single hair on that child's head ..."

"Really Mr. Zane, you have already announced your intentions to destroy me on more than one occasion. You don't believe another threat will make any difference, do you?"

Moon was holding all the cards. He was a monster and killing a little girl would mean nothing to him. She was only a pawn in his sick game to lure me into a trap.

"Alright, what do you want?"

Moon smirked and his image grew larger on the computer screen.

"You already know Mr. Zane. I want you. Your friends, this girl, and her parents are merely my desert. You are the main course Mr. Zane."

"Why don't you just tell me where you are so we can settle this once and for all?"

"I am afraid that would not be very sporting of me, and I do enjoy our little game. After all, I did promise you a chance for survival, as small as it might be. I even left you this computer showing exactly how long you have before this child falls to the same fate as Mrs. Williams."

Moon's image disappeared and the timer continued counting down on the computer screen. It showed two hours and 23 minutes. Moon's voice then sounded from behind the countdown screen.

"Tick tock Mr. Zane, tick tock."

I synchronized my watch to match the computer countdown and then threw the computer it into a tree, smashing it to pieces.

Only a couple of hours to save the girl and her parents. I don't know where to begin ... she could be anywhere.

Alura walked over to the smashed PC and said, "I have an idea. Moon probably wasn't the one who handled this PC, but someone near him did."

"And that is important?" I asked her.

"Maybe, if the handler wasn't using gloves and touched the computer, there might be DNA residue on it. If there is enough, you may be able to create a tracking spell."

"Tracking spells were not part of my training back on Keob. Do you know how to make one?"

"No, but Kyiel does. He can show you."

With all the fighting, I had forgotten all about Kyiel. He could be summoned anywhere, anytime, even down in this hell-hole. I focused my mind and said, "Aptier Kyiel," and he appeared a few feet in front of me.

"Man, am I glad to see you," I said and nearly fell on my face after trying to embrace him and spreading his molecules into the air.

"Sorry, I forgot."

Kyiel always knew what was going on since his conscience was linked to mine, so I skipped over all the details.

"Kyiel, I need you to show me how to cast a tracking spell. All we have is this broken computer and we're hoping Moon or someone near him left some DNA on it."

Kyiel told me to gather a handful of dirt and cover the computer with it. After I did this, he told me to place my right hand on the dirt and say trako three times. He said I would have to concentrate hard because DNA from mere touching something was not a strong connection, like a personal item or blood would be.

I placed my hand on top of the dirt and said, "Trako, trako, trako," and nothing happened.

"Try again Azul, with greater concentration," Kyiel instructed.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and again said trako three times. I was startled when an electrical charge made a white flash and then watched as the dirt gathered into a small pile on top of the broken computer. After another flash, the dirt turned white and glowed as bright as my staff amulet.

"It is done," Kyiel said. "Now, pick up the dirt and put it in your wizard bag except for a small amount to begin tracking."

"Okay, now what?"

"Raise the dirt in your hand to you mouth and blow it toward the trees."

I did as Kyiel instructed and the dirt sparkled as it lifted up in a stream and slowly moved toward the trees. There were three paths this time and the dirt moved down the center path vanishing out of sight.

"You can repeat the same procedure as needed until the dirt is gone."

Wow, pretty cool magic. I use to get in trouble as a kid when playing in dirt, but right now, dirt was my best friend.

I thanked Kyiel and told him he could go. He bowed his head ready to disappear, but then paused and looked at the cabin.

"The old woman is no longer human," he said. "She is still chained to the chair and has some human features, but her spirit is gone. Only the wolf remains."

Alura grimaced. "I'll take care of this brother. Wait here."

Alura went inside the cabin and closed the door. I heard growls and the chain thrashing on the wooden floor. There was a swoosh sound and then complete silence. Alura exited the cabin and placed her sword in the sheath on her back, then walked toward the center path without saying a word. Her eyes didn't have any tears because she was filled with anger.

"Thanks again Kyiel," I said and he bowed his head and disappeared.

I pointed my staff forward and followed Alura to the center path while thinking how she always came through in dire situations – she is amazing. Alura looked back at me with a big smile letting me know my thoughts were understood. There she goes again with her mind reading. She shook her head and let out a little laugh.

We came to a few more paths along the way and I repeated the tracking spell sending sparkling dirt to point the way. My watch showed the counter had only 12 minutes remaining, but I sensed we were getting closer. Moon's continued ability to miscalculate combined with my tracking spell will give me the advantage. How much of an advantage I may actually have or need was unknown.

More rustling in the woods continued on both sides of the path as wolfs watched and followed. As long as Moon wasn't being tipped off by his four legged friends, he'll be surprised when I show up – I was counting on it. The element of surprise could be the difference between being the hunter or the hunted, and there was no doubt which one I wanted to be.

We continued walking for ten minutes before coming to another clearing. As we got closer, I saw a barn next to a cottage and stone well with a crank handle and wooden pale. I have to give credit to Moon for being able to accurately reproduce 16th century English settings, which is nothing compared to the engineering required to create an arena 500 feet below the surface. Who would have thought that lycanthropes were so capable?

We pushed forward. Everything was eerily still, even the crickets were silent. The hairs on my neck warned me certain danger lurked ahead, so I was hopeful the two minutes we had remaining might just be enough to save the day. Alura pointed to me and then the barn. I nodded and headed toward the barn and Alura entered the cottage.

An old kerosene lantern hanging from a post lit up most of the barn's inside revealing bales of hay and animal stalls. I checked each stall, ready for an ambush, but they were all empty. As I was leaving to join Alura in the house, I thought I heard something and stopped to listen. There, I heard it again. It sounded like rustling, but this time it wasn't coming from the trees – it was coming from inside the barn. I slowly moved toward the back of the barn and the noise stopped, but I kept moving to where it had originated. Something was definitely here.

# Chapter 23

I heard more shuffling sounds to my left and pointed my staff ready to blast anything with fur or yellow eyes. Instead of lycanthropes, there was a man and a woman chained together and gagged. The woman began screaming, but her gag only let muffled sounds escape. I raised my finger to my lips telling them to be quiet and they stopped making noise.

"Can you understand me?" I asked as quietly as possible and they both nodded. "I'm here to help you. I'm going to take you somewhere you'll be safe."

The tension in their bodies relaxed, obviously relived to see something that wasn't going to eat them. I tapped my staff on the lock holding their chains and it melted to the ground. I didn't try to remove the wrist shackles because the man and women would get burned. I also left their gags on in case they got frightened and made more noise.

Moon's countdown ended several minutes ago and I sensed that something dark was nearby. I could feel it, and it was more dangerous than solider wolfs. The young girl must also be nearby – alive I hope.

I thought now would be a good time to see if Alura could hear my thoughts, so I spoke to her in my mind.

<Alura, if you can hear me, I found two of the hostages in the barn. Leave the house now and I'll meet you at the well.>

The hostages and I walked quietly to the barn door and stopped. I opened it a few inches and saw Alura running out of the cottage to the well. Guess she heard me. Once I opened the barn door all the way, the three of us ran as fast as we could toward the well where Alura was waiting.

Maybe we were going to get out of here alive after all.

Out of nowhere, Moon appeared standing next to the cottage still in human form, but his eyes were glowing bright yellow, and he was growling at us. We froze in our steps and the women began screaming through her gag.

Alura and I exchanged looks and her chin and eyes moved to the well. I was still new at being a wizard and my mind was not yet able to hear Alura's thoughts. She repeated the gesture and I looked at the well.

It was the water – she wanted me to see the water.

Kyiel and Alura taught me how to manipulate water during my training on Keob. I had only cast a few water spells working with small puddles, but the volume shouldn't matter. If there was enough water in the well, and because fur balls can't cross moving water, I might be able to make a barrier between us and Moon.

I pointed my staff at the top of the well and shouted, "Hydlama." My staff amulet glowed with intense blue-white swirls of light and a small spurt of water burst out of the well. A few seconds later water came roaring out and up into the sky. I slid my hand to the bottom of my staff and began swinging it around my head. The water followed my motion like a hurricane, and in one quick move, I pointed my staff at Moon and said, "Aktum," and the water raced forward enclosing Moon in a swirling 30 foot tall liquid prison.

Moon made a ferocious howl and turned into his natural wolf self almost instantly. He was huge standing eight feet tall and probably weighed 500 pounds. He panicked at first, being caught off guard by the swirling water, and then turned several times in full circles before fully realizing what just happened. When he stopped turning, and he glared at me and narrowed his eyes while making a vicious snarl.

The fur ball was trapped and he knew it, but not for long. Keeping my mind focused on moving the water was draining my strength and magical energy. A minute or two longer and the wall of water would fall to the ground, and then there would be no magic left to fight him. I had to think of something fast.

Moon lifted his head and let out a series of ear piercing howls. He was calling out to his partners and any other wolves still alive to come to his aid. Yellow eyes began appearing along the tree line behind him and howling sounded out from all directions. Moon glared at me again and smirked in a way that tells someone they're screwed.

My options were limited. I could swamp Moon in water, but not much more given the drain on my magic. Hopefully I'd catch him off guard again and be able to summon some lightening. If I failed ... well, I don't even want to think about what might happen if I failed.

I moved my staff downward and the water surrounding Moon collapsed with enough force to knock him off his feet. He trashed his arms and feet as the water flowed over him, but it didn't last long, and he got up on all fours coughing and spitting out water. That was when Alura sprinted into action and leaped over Moon dragging both her swords across his back. Moon arched his back and howled in pain.

I focused my mind on all the magic I had left to summon lighting from the sky and shouted, "Aknor stellara." Clouds formed near the arena ceiling with thunder and flashes of light, but no lightening bolts. I could barely stand from being drained both physically and magically.

Alura was about to attack Moon a second time when I again shouted, "Aknor stellara." I then pointed my staff at Moon just before he leapt at Alura and bolts of lightening rained down from the sky. The first bolt hit Moon and tossed him up in the air. A second bolt pushed him back on the ground yelping in pain, and to my surprise, took his arm off. This gave Alura a few seconds to ran back near the well and raise her swords to continue fighting.

Moon was hurt badly with his arm completely severed from its shoulder. He hobbled into the barn and the wolves along the tree line disappeared after seeing their alpha take such a beating.

I took my last green coin from my wizard bag and crushed it under my foot, then said, "Relesa." Green mist once again swirled up from the ground covering me from head to toe and magic flowed back into my body. My staff amulet glowed blue-white and the exhaustion I felt was gone.

"Alura, I'll go after Moon. You stay here and protect these people."

"Be careful Azul. The beast you chase will not die easily, wounded or not."

I ran into the barn where Moon had gone and saw drops of blood along the way. The blood trail led to a bale of hay that was turned over exposing an opening in the floor – it was a tunnel. I looked down and saw a closed metal door with an electronic keypad.

Damn it. Moon escaped ... again.

"That son of a mangy dog," I muttered. "Well, you won't be coming back this way fur ball."

I pointed my staff toward the tunnel and said, "Aknor stellara," sending a bolt of lightening into the opening that destroyed the tunnel entrance, and the recoil from the blast knocked me on the ground.

I already hated Moon and now I hated him more. He was cleaver, no doubt, which is why he has survived so long. Chasing him in the tunnel was my fist thought, but I had a better way to find him. I had his blood, and as Kyiel pointed out earlier, blood was a great source for casting a tracking spell.

Wherever Moon escaped to, I was going to find him and finish the job. I gathered some of his blood drops and placed them in a small container inside my wizard bag.

"Catch you later fur ball," I muttered while looking back at the destroyed tunnel.

Alura had freed the hostages from their shackles and gags by the time I got back to the well. The women was crying and pleading to find her child.

"My baby girl, where's my baby girl?"

"We will find her, I promise" Alura said.

I couldn't hide the frown on my face because Moon's countdown expired 20 minutes ago. The girl may have already been killed or bitten. Most of the arena remained unexplored and she could be anywhere.

Alura looked up at me. I knew she wanted me to confirm her promise, as did both parents. I hesitated for a moment, feeling such a promise would not likely be kept.

"Of course we're going to find your daughter," I said.

Alura smiled and continued comforting the women.

It was late and Moon's partners were still roaming the arena. For now, we had to head back to the clearing to meet up with Thyzil as planned. Hopefully, we would find the girl unharmed along the way.

A couple hours later we arrived at the clearing. There was a small camp fire where Thyzil and the young girl were sitting and singing songs. You've got to be kidding me. Alura beamed with a big smile and the mother ran to her daughter, her arms spread out in the air, shouting, "Baby, my baby girl."

"Thyzil, you son of a gun. How in the world did you find the girl," I asked.

"Well," Thyzil said, uneasy about answering my question. "You see, I found two big doggies, then lightening fell from sky. Was that you wizard?"

"Yes, it was me. I put a couple bolts into Moon and tore one of his arms off."

"This is good, yes?" Thyzil asked, but didn't answer my question, so I repeated it.

"How did you find the girl?"

"When doggies saw lightening, they ran toward it. Did you see them?"

"No, but I know where they went. Moon escaped through a tunnel. Bet you my last dollar his partners escaped through another hidden tunnel."

"So ... Thyzil, how did you find the girl?" I asked, knowing he was intentionally delaying a response.

The young girl giggled. "I sneezed and he tripped over a log into the bushes where I was hiding."

Thyzil's blushed. I never thought I'd see the day when the great Zeshtune warrior would be embarrassed.

I grinned. "Do tell," I said, trying not to burst into laughing.

"Old warrior trick wizard," Thyzil said. "Fake falling to make enemy think they won."

"Poor baby," Alura said, also trying her best not to laugh.

"Do not worry my princess. I am not injured."

Alura rolled her eyes. "Not you knucklehead. I was talking to the girl."

Everyone bust into laughter, including Thyzil, and for a moment we forgot about the horror inside this arena.

It felt good to know we saved three human beings from a horrible outcome and lived to talk about it. As a special bonus, I could now track Moon any time using his blood, which pleased me to no end. I kept grinning thinking about Moon hiding in a hole somewhere licking his wounds. All things taken into account, today turned out to be a very good day.

We all walked up the path to the ledge where the elevator was located. It was too small for all of us to ride up together, so Thyzil and I stayed behind while Alura and the happy family rode up to the surface.

"Don't forget to send the elevator back for us," I said in a joking manner.

Alura arched an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Oh, you're real funny Alura. Just don't forget to send it down for us."

The elevator door closed and Thyzil and I sat down with our backs leaning against a large boulder.

"Not fair wizard. You and Alura killed most doggies today. I think you both owe me."

"Sure, next time you take the lead Thyzil. You know that I'd be more than happy to watch you deal with the bad guys."

Thyzil smiled. "We have deal wizard."

It wasn't long before the elevator door opened. I stood up and brushed dirt off my pants while Thyzil looked back out at the arena.

"I will miss this place wizard," he said.

I laughed. "Really ... well don't worry my friend, they'll be many more battles and little time for you to miss this hell-hole. Don't forget, we still need to destroy Moon and his partners."

Thyzil laughed and slapped me on my back.

"Yes wizard, many more battles. This is good."

We rode up the elevator to the surface and shared our different versions of what happened along the way. It was like a telephone game where a person says something into the ear of another person and by the time what was said passed through a number of other people, the last person heard something completely different. Such is life I suppose.

When the elevator door opened, I saw Lieutenant Mack and Alura reviewing an architectural map of the building. The good lieutenant had made the tenth floor into a command station and his soldiers were already packing up the electronic equipment. Mack waived for us to come over.

"Glad to see you two made it out okay," Mack said.

"Yea, me too. What's all this?" I asked.

"Standard operating procedure sir. Sarila had us sweep the building for possible threats and now everything is clear."

I looked around and saw Alura speaking to three Zeshtune men wearing familiar military style fatigues with a Keob insignia, and of course, they had brilliant blue eyes.

Interesting ... these are the first male Zeshtunians I've seen, except for Thyzil. I wonder where these guys came from.

One of the Zeshtunians picked up a silver case and followed Thyzil into the elevator to return to the arena.

"I can guess what's inside that case. Crystals, right?" I asked Alura.

"You are correct dear brother. The crystals will destroy any remaining wolves attempting to flee through tunnels that we don't know about."

"What about the three Zeshtune bodies?"

"Thyzil will retrieve them. Once everyone is back on the surface, he'll set off the crystals in the area. Lieutenant Mack's men will then setoff the C4 explosives to collapse everything and seal this place off forever.

"Does 'everything' include the building we are standing in?"

Alura winked. "That's the idea Azul. We're going to level this place to the ground."

Having thousands of tons of rock and cement crash down on the arena would certainly make it disappear for good. I Hope Lieutenant Mack brought enough C4 because I'd hate to think any wolves might get loose in the city, which leads me back to finding Moon. The building was shielded, so Sarila wouldn't be able to lock onto Moon's DNA signature. No matter because I have his blood. If the fur ball was anywhere in the building, my tracking spell would lead me right to him.

I found my way to a small kitchen where there were packages of sugar next to a coffee machine. Perfect, powdered sugar will do just fine. I poured a half dozen of the sugar packs onto the counter and mixed in some of Moon's dried blood. I then placed my hand over the sugar and said, "Trako, trako, trako." The sugar began to sparkle and swirl on the counter until it gathered into a neat pile. I used a coffee cup to collect the sugar and blew away what little was left off the counter. Instead of spreading out and disappearing from sight, it coalesced and moved out of the kitchen to the unblocked stairway.

"Moon was here inside the building," I muttered.

The tunnel Moon escaped through must lead back here and he slipped by Lieutenant Mack's sweep to avoid detection.

Gotcha now fur ball.

Alura and Lieutenant Mack were still looking over the building schematics when I interrupted.

"Alura, we got a problem, or an opportunity depending how you see it. Moon ... he's here inside the building somewhere above this floor."

Alura's eyes widened and Mack went silent.

"What? How do you know?" she asked.

I poured a small amount of the sugar into my hand and blew into the air. Alura and Mack watched as the sparkling sugar moved across the room and up the stairway.

Alura grinned. "Alight, let's go get him," she said while pulling the slides back on her pistols to load each chamber. "I am fully loaded with a fresh supply of grenades and a desire for revenge."

"Hold on," I said. "I'm going after Moon alone this time while you and Lieutenant Mack stay here and guard the stairway. We can't risk Moon getting away, not this time."

Alura hesitantly agreed and told me I had 15 minutes before she would come looking for me. I was about to question the little amount of time, and she repeated it with emphasis before I could say another word.

"15 minutes brother, not a second longer. I mean it."

I frowned a little, then reluctantly nodded and moved to the stairway entrance.

Alura is not accustomed to sitting on the sidelines, but this was now my fight. I wanted to be the one to dust Moon. It was personal.

"Good luck sir," Mack said.

"Thanks Lieutenant. Hopefully this will be the last time any of us have to deal with Moon or his partners ever again."

I started walking up the stairs with my staff in one hand and the cup of sugar in the other. This was the first time I would be facing a lycanthrope entirely alone, and more than one if Moon's partners were also in the building.

Once at the 11th floor door, I took some sugar from the coffee cup and blew it into the air. The sugar continued moving up the stairway and I followed, blowing more into the air at each floor. Upon reaching the 20th floor stairway, I was completely out of breath.

Perhaps an exercise routine might be a good idea. Then again, just getting through each day without being eaten alive was probably more than enough exercise for anyone.

I blew the rest of the sugar into the air. With nowhere to go but the rooftop, the sugar traveled under the door.

Thank goodness. Fighting a lycanthrope on a roof without walls to stop my body from falling 20 floors was about as bad as it could get.

"Okay guys," I said, pushing the button on my com-link. "Looks like Moon is on the 20th floor. Stay put and keep an eye open for his partners – they could be anywhere – and I'll let you know what I find up here."

"Roger that," Mack said.

"10 more minutes Azul. If I don't hear back from you in 10 minutes, I coming up there."

I smiled. "I made it up 10 flights of stairs in five minutes. Not too shabby, huh? What do you think about your big brother now?"

"Only 9 minutes now, so stop wasting time chatting."

I didn't have to see Alura to know she smirked and rolled her eyes. But hey, getting a reaction from her was half the fun even if I wasn't able to see it first hand. The other half was to help me relax as best possible.

I opened the unlocked door and was surprised to see bright light everywhere. The exterior walls were all glass and daylight flooded in from all directions, which I considered a fighting advantage. Offices lined the walls and typical corporate furniture filled work areas in the middle of the floor. There were a lot of places to hide and I knew each office and cubicle I passed might be an ambush.

Moon was here somewhere and he had no place to run – so I kept telling myself while trying to forget he had escaped twice before. Sure, he could go up to the roof, but Lieutenant Mack's snipers would pick him off as soon as he stepped out into the open. Unless he could grow wings, he's trapped here and one of us was going to die today – hopefully not me.

Hold on, Moon is a shapeshifter. He probably could grow wings and fly away. I hope Mack is planning on shooting anything leaving this building, with wings or anything else.

Blood drops on the carpet – Moon's I hope – provided a perfect tracking trail. Normally a blood trail is a fighting advantage, but being injured could make Moon more dangerous, which is a disadvantage.

Alura was right ... I do think too much.

With each step I took, the smell of wolf got stronger, but the blood trail led further down the corridor. One or both of Moon's partners had to be nearby.

Off to my right was a sitting area that had some chairs, a couch, tables, and vending machines with assorted junk food all neatly lined up along a wall. There was no one there, but I sensed increased danger and the wolf scent got much stronger. I turned to look out across the open office area to my left and didn't see anything there either. A moment later a reflection on a computer monitor appeared, and when I turned around, the last vending machine was missing and in its place was a lycanthrope.

You have got to be kidding me ... a vending machine? Alura did say that the older lycanthropes learned how to take on the form of inanimate objects, but I wasn't sure if appearing as a vending machine was actually a transformation, or merely an illusion. This is the fur balls home turf and where their clamor would be strongest.

In either case, that was my last thought before the fur ball was on top of me. My defense shield kicked in, thank goodness, and surrounded my body with a green transparent field that didn't bother the fur ball in the least. After trying to bite my head off, he lifted me up by my throat with one hand and moved me close to his teeth. Then, in one quick jerk, it threw me like a bag of feathers into a cement column which nearly knocked me unconscious.

Man, these fur balls are stronger than I had thought. The damn thing tossed me across the room like I was a rag doll.

Thankfully my defense shield kept my bones from breaking, but everything still hurt like heck nonetheless. It felt like I hit a brick wall while driving a car, and while the seat belts might protect your skull from being smashed like a Halloween pumpkin, stopping suddenly on solid cement takes your breath away in a big way. Nonetheless, I was still alive and happy to have a magical version of a seat belt.

I looked up as the fur ball was on top or me again wildly thrashing with its arms and trying to bite my face off. There wasn't anything I could do to fight back while my defense shield was up, which was the downside of the shield – nothing gets in, and nothing gets out, not even magic.

The fur ball paused every few seconds to lift its head toward the ceiling and howl – this was my window to attack. When the fur ball lifted its head again, I gathered my magic energy, and as it lowered its head from a long howl, I pushed my staff through the defense shield into the fur balls mouth and shouted, "Raza zitum." My defense shield collapsed as magic rush out as the fur ball went silent and stopped thrashing. Its eyes grew large from being surprised, and then it happened ... blue-white saw discs began swirling around inside its head and exited in a number of directions. The fur ball was still staring at me with big yellow eyes as sections of its head slid onto the carpet. I pushed myself away using my feet and watched the lycanthrope burn into a pile of ashes.

"Wow, that was extreme," I said, not entirely believing what happened, and checking myself for broken bones.

The fur ball I dusted had white markings on its ears and nose making it one of Moon's partners. Moon was larger and had a solid black coat, and smelled worse.

One down, two to go.

I got up off the floor and thanked the stars above for still being alive. Despite feeling like a bus ran me over, I was good to go because I knew Moon was only steps away from getting dusted.

# Chapter 24

I reached for my com-link to contact Alura and Lieutenant Mack, but it was gone. Must have fallen off during the fight. No time to waste looking for it.

If Moon and his other partner attack together, I may not be able to beat them with magic alone. It could be lights out for good if I'm caught off guard. I began to think that leaving Alura behind was may have been a bad idea.

I continued tracking Moon's blood trail and it led me to a large door with a bronze plate mounted on it that spelled out 'Robert Moon, Attorney at Law'. The blood drops stopped at the door, so I was fairly certain he was in his office. I pointed my staff forward and slowly opened the door and there he was, in human form sitting at his desk. His head was drooping and his right side, still missing an arm, was drenched in blood. He hadn't enough time to regenerate from such a wound, which meant he wasn't at full strength, and in turn gave me the advantage.

I grinned. "Hey Moony, not feeling so well?"

Moon lifted his head and looked at me. He didn't have his usual cocky grin telling the world how superior he was. Instead, he looked drawn out, weak, and pale as a ghost.

"Mr. Zane, I must compliment you on your fighting and survival skills. I was told of this, but one has to experience such things personally. Wouldn't you agree?" he asked, taking slow measured breaths.

"I guess so. Did your pal Ah Chuy Kak tell you this?"

"Yes, he and others have said as much. Mr. Zane, you and I are merely pawns in a game that is far beyond our control. We are nothing more than puppets that do what our masters wish. This is how things have always been."

"Looks to me like Ah Chuy Kak has cut your strings Moony."

"It would appear so, but not unexpectedly Mr. Zane. Ah Chuy Kak does not respect any form of weakness, and as you can readily see, my strength is leaving me. This brings me to the one proposal you might find acceptable Mr. Zane. If I were permitted to leave this building without further harm, I would help you find Ah Chuy Kak. Finding him should be more of interest to you and the Zeshtunians than destroying me."

"Oh really ... why is that?"

"You see Mr. Zane, Ah Chuy Kak is the the first lycanthrope. My kind were originally bred to protect Ah Chuy Kak and his regions of power, which since the last Great War has been confined to this world. So long as we serve him, he allowed us to pursue a small portion of wealth and power, such as this law firm. Ah Chuy Kak's reach is deep and far Mr. Zane. He owns the very thoughts of your most powerful politicians, businessmen, and secret organizations."

"And I'm suppose to believe that a lap dog like you is going to help me destroy his master?'

"I want to live Mr. Zane. The help I am offering you is far more valuable than my death."

"I'm not so sure about that. I mean, I've been looking forward to dusting you for so long, days I think," I said sarcastically. "Besides, I'll eventually find your fur ball master without your help, so you can understand my reluctance in making a deal."

"Perhaps you will find him Mr. Zane, however, there are more powerful masters coming soon who may destroy Ah Chuy Kak. Before this happens, Ah Chuy Kak will call upon his legions to do terrible things in an attempt to gain pleasure with those who would seek his destruction. Many humans will die in the wake of his quest to build an army to fight on his behalf."

"You're talking about the Darkzon."

"Yes Mr. Zane. Only I can help you find Ah Chuy Kak before it is too late."

"Tisk tisk, naughty wolf," I said, wagging my finger side to side like a scolding parent. "Making deals with fur balls doesn't seem to be a good idea to me. What deal did you make with the little girl in your arena or those Zeshtune warriors before removing their heads? I think I'm going to decline your less than generous offer Moony. No offense ... well yea, there is some offense intended. Actually, there is a lot of offense intended."

Moon took a deep breath of air and stiffened his body.

"Very well Mr. Zane, very well."

In an instant Moon transformed and smashed through his desk. He was fast, too fast for me to react as he grabbed my throat and tossed me through the wall to the next office. My defense magic kicked in keeping me in one piece and I was able to get up and ran down the corridor. Moon was not far behind running on all fours – well, less one arm of course, so all threes – and considerably faster then I was using my two legs.

I knew out running Moon was not going to happen and that he was too close for me to turn and blast him with my staff. I felt my defense shield strengthen as Moon yanked me up off my feet and tossed me again into a nearby office, this time right through a solid two inch thick mahogany door. When I stopped bouncing on the floor, I found myself up against a large glass window. I also saw that my staff was now behind Moon who stood 10 feet in front of me and looked extremely ticked off.

Well, if I can't destroy him, at least I can tick him off some more before he takes me out.

I stood up and brushed pieces of glass off and then proceeded to laugh.

"Was it something I said Moony?"

Moon snarled and slowly approached me when an idea popped into my head. I took a grey coin that freezes time from my wizard bag and cuffed it inside my palm. Maybe I can turn this situation to my advantage after all.

I tried not to show any fear, which is hard to do when thinking my heart might be ripped out of my chest any second. Moon sensed my fear and narrowed his eyes as drool dripped from his teeth to the floor. He raised his one arm forward making a loud steady growl, ready to strike, and I dropped the grey coin on the floor. At the moment Moon leapt into the air toward me, I crushed the coin under my foot and shouted, "Relesa."

I had closed my eyes when casting the spell, because if it failed, I didn't want to see what came next. A few seconds later I was still alive with my back against the window. I slowly opened one eye and then the other. The spell worked. Moon was frozen still about three inches from my face with his mouth wide open. Strange, but the first thing that came to my mind was that Moon looked like he had a bad hair day with a taxidermist. I guess this was simply a reaction to realizing I wasn't dead.

I slid along the window away from Moon's hungry mouth and darted behind him to pick up my staff. I couldn't move my staff because it was frozen on the floor like everything else nearby. I kept my hands on it though, ready to lift it when the time spell wore off.

In a flash, normal time restored and Moon went crashing through the office window. I lifted my staff up and said, "Aknor stellara," sending a series of lightening bolts straight into the fur ball while he was in mid-air. Moon bust into flames and howled in agony as he began his decent. When I looked out from the smashed window, I saw Moon turn into a cloud of ash as he hit the parking lot.

I couldn't have asked for a more fitting end. That leaves one more fur ball – Moon's second partner.

If the partner was here, I would probably have been attacked before reaching Moon, so chances are he's hiding on a another floor. If not, he could be anywhere in the city.

I was banged up with an assortment of bruises, scrapes, and aching joints. Not too bad though considering I had two overweight fur balls smacking me around like a piñata. I could only hope that Moon's last partner would not be as difficult to take down.

I started down the corridor to the stairway and heard someone or something running up the stairs. I stopped and pointed my staff toward the door.

"Here we go again," I muttered, and then the door slammed opened.

It was Alura and Thyzil with their swords held up ready to slice more lycanthropes. I lowered my staff and noticed their swords were dripping with blood.

"Huh, have a visitor come your way?" I asked.

"One of those big doggy lawyers tried to leave without saying goodbye," Thyzil said. "This is rude, yes? We taught doggy manners. Maybe, we taught it too well," he said while holding up his bloodied claymore and laughing."

Alura and Thyzil placed their arms under mine to help me down the stairs back to the 10th floor. Each step I took hurt a little bit more and I groaned from the pain.

"Wizard, maybe we train together soon, yes?" Thyzil asked. "Make you strong like me."

Alura smiled and I agreed. It was good to be finally done with Moon and his furry pals, but the fight wasn't yet over. Even so, we could take a breather and bask in the light of victory, at least for a while.

Once we made it to the 10th floor, Alura and Thyzil helped me over to a couch where I stretched out and closed my eyes.

"That's it ... we did it," I said. "What I need now is a vacation. Someplace with warm beaches and no animals, especially no dogs, or anything that has fur."

Alura and Thyzil laughed. "Yea, good luck with that dear brother. Sarila has already called us back to Keob for a briefing."

"Not all bad wizard. You will see Melony," Thyzil said.

I opened my eyes and smiled showing obvious satisfaction. Melony ... now she was something to look forward to and much better than any beach.

The three of us relaxed while Lieutenant Mack and his men finished packing up and left the building.

"Thyzil, did you take the Zeshtune warriors back to Keob," I asked.

"Yes, far away from this dark place," he said, his voice somber and drawn out.

"And the arena ... is it gone?"

Thyzil made a circle with his hands and said, "Boom."

The elevator leading down to the arena was filled in with rock, but the building was still here, and so were we.

"What about the building?" I asked.

"Lieutenant Mack's team is placing C-4 charges around the building and will set them off as soon as we leave," Alura said.

I was curious how someone could destroy an entire building without getting permission and permits from local authorities, but remembered how resourceful Sarila is for getting things done. For all I know, the mayor and building inspector might be Zeshtunians. So long as this place crumbles to the ground, after we leave of course, I'll be a happy wizard.

Lieutenant Mack's radioed to Alura's com-link that his them had exited the building and the C-4 would detonate in 10 minutes. Oh boy, another 10-minute death window.

Thyzil cleared a small area away of furniture so I could draw a pentagram. When I was finished, we stepped into the center of it and I crushed a blue magic coin under my foot. We nodded to each other and I said, "Transmati Keob."

The Batcave team was smiling and bowed their heads as a sign of respect when we appeared in front of them.

"Well done Zeshtunians," Sarila said.

I looked around for Melony, but she wasn't there. Sarila picked up on this, of course, and her smile widened.

"Wizard, the white witch is safe and you will see her soon," she said while inspecting my injuries, and then introduced me to an assistant. "This is Balya, one of our top medical residents who will see to your injuries."

It was for the best that Melony wasn't here to greet me given my the way I looked. I'd rather wash up first, get a few minutes rest, and change my battle worn wolf stink clothes to look presentable.

I smiled. "Okay Balya, perhaps a Band-Aid or two, but no needles."

Balya bowed her head slightly and motioned with her hand to walk into the medical room. Alura made an exaggerated smile while blowing a kiss and wiggling her fingers goodbye thinking, but not saying, ha ha ha. Thyzil was also smiling and pretended to inject needles in his arm as he followed Alura to my apartment.

"Hey you two, better not drink all my beer. I keep an accurate inventory."

"Don't worry wizard," Balya said. "We have plenty of your favorite beer in storage."

"You do? Good to know," I said. "Balya, why does everyone except Alura always call me wizard instead of Azul?"

"It is what you are. Wizard is a title of high respect and honor. Your sister, immediate family, and the Zeshtune Elders are permitted to address you informally by your birth name."

Makes sense, I guess.

After having a closer look at my injuries, Balya had me stand with a towel around my waste in what looked like a round shower tube. I expected water to come raining down on me, but instead, the tube flooded with white light and rushing air. As first it was uncomfortable, but after a couple of minutes, it felt refreshing as if I was actually taking a hot shower. All too soon the high-tech experience ended and Balya checked me over with a handheld scanner.

"You are healed wizard," she said.

I checked my face in a mirror and was surprised to not see any bruises or cuts. Even the cuts on my hands and arms were gone, and best of all, I didn't feel any aches or pain.

"Not bad. I have to get me one of these healing showers installed back in my Manhattan apartment. Thanks for putting me back together Balya."

"You are very welcome wizard."

I headed to my apartment expecting to see Alura and Thyzil eating pizza and drinking my beer. To my surprise, Sally was the only one there to greet me.

"Hey Sally, what have you been up to old girl?" I asked and hugged her, trying to dodge her slobbering kisses.

I guessed where Alura and Thyzil were when I looked over to Alura's closed bedroom door. A couple of empty beer cans were on the coffee table. Another can was crushed and placed in the middle of my favorite chair.

What a show off. Thyzil was challenging me again to another stupid can smashing macho game. Really? Give me a break.

I grabbed a cold beer out of the refrigerator and relaxed in my chair to clear my mind. I closed my eyes and smiled. It's great to be back on Keob where there are monsters trying to eat me. I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes, my beer was unopened and had become warm.

Holy cow ... it was 10 AM. I slept for five hours, which was a three day record.

I suppose I needed the rest after what I've been through, but that was a real knockout sleep. After grabbing a fresh cold beer from the fridge, Sally and I shared eating and a bag of chips.

"Nothing like cold beer and junk food to wash away sleep depravation," I said and scratched Sally behind her ears.

Seconds later someone knocked on the door leading to the Batcave. Odd, I thought since everyone usually walks in uninvited. Sally jumped up and went to the door wagging her tail, which is always a good sign. I opened the door and someone dressed in a full white hooded robe covering their face stood motionless.

"Hello, what can I do for you on this fine day?" I asked.

The hooded figure lifted its head up and pulled the hood back – it was Melony. My mouth dropped in surprise.

"Melony," I said excitedly.

Melony's eyes sparkled and she wrapped her arms around me.

"Daniel, I missed you so badly."

"Me too. I mean I missed you."

"Really? Did you really miss me?" she asked, smiling and hugging me tighter.

I tried to answer her, but it was as if no air was inside me to make a sound. Her eyes were so beautiful I became unable to speak and all I could do was kiss her for what was the longest kiss I had ever experienced. When it was over, she opened her eyes and placed her head on my chest with her arms still tightly wrapped around my neck.

"I have so much to tell you Daniel."

I bet. It's not everyday a dark mist tries to kill you, not to mention going to hidden planet and finding out that you're a witch.

I took Melony's hand and we went the couch to sit and talk. I had things to tell her too, but after that kiss, half of those things had already been communicated. Melony was simply more beautiful than I remembered. There was something different though and she had a brighter glow about her. I narrowed my eyes and saw a healthy and much larger than usual aura around her that produced streams of white light.

"Daniel, I'm a witch. Not a bad one, a good one."

"I know Melony. How do you feel about being a white witch?"

She made a huge smile. "Wonderful. I feel simply wonderful Daniel. I always felt different in some way, as though I didn't belong in a world of automobiles, technology, and skyscrapers. I suppose that's why I liked working at Magical Herbs so much and being surrounding by herbs and books."

Melony arched her eyebrow and said, "And you're a wizard, aren't you Daniel?"

"Yea, about that ..."

Melony grabbed my hand pulling me up from the couch before I could finish the sentence.

"Latter Daniel, you can tell me all about being a wizard later. I have something special planned."

Alura and Thyzil conveniently walked out of Alura's bedroom smiling.

"Melony, I'm so happy to see you," Alura said as Melony rushed over to hug her and Thyzil.

"I'm so happy to see you both too."

"Little butterfly, you hug like Zeshtune warrior. How you get so strong?" Thyzil asked.

"Never as strong as you Thyzil. That will never happen," Melony said.

"Perhaps not little butterfly, but who knows. Maybe Zeshtune children will sing songs about you too someday."

"Unlikely," Melony said laughing.

Alura gave me her coy look. "Well, I'm sure you too have a lot of catching up to do, so don't let us stop you."

Melony took my hand and pulled me toward the Batcave.

"Yes, I have a wonderful surprise for Daniel."

Alura wiggled her fingers up and down and said, "Bye now. You two have fun."

Melony led me to the Batcave pentagram where there was a picnic basket, blanket, two glasses, and a bottle of wine. She began swinging our hands gently back and forth smiling while waiting for my reaction.

"Are we going somewhere?" I asked.

Melony laughed and pulled me into the pentagram as Sarila approached.

"Good day wizard. I trust you have rested well."

"Well enough I suppose."

Sarila lifted her hand and blew a powdery substance at us and said, "Transmati Galbria," causing blue-white light to rush from the pentagram to the Batcave ceiling. In a blink of an eye, Melony and I were someplace else very different from Keob or Earth.

I could not believe what I was seeing. The sky was yellow, orange, red, and crimson along the horizon with deep cobalt blue high above. There were mountains and valleys with meadows, flowers, and fruit tress everywhere I could see. A gentle breeze carried the sweet fragrance of lavender while beautiful birds of all colors sang in the tress and flew above us. Deer, goats, bears and other animals walked around barely noticing us as the warm sun shimmered on a lake below and a nearby stream.

"What is this place?" I asked, mesmerized as I gazed into the sky.

"It's Galbria, my home," Melony said.

"Your home?"

"Well, it's my new home. Like your home on Keob."

"Is this place on Keob?"

"No Daniel, it is not on Keob," she said, pointing her finger at a large disk in the sky. "That's Keob."

I looked to where Melony was pointing and saw a cream colored circle half set along the western horizon.

"Why does Keob look so big?"

Melony explained that Galbria is the smaller of two moons orbiting Keob. She told me her kind made all the nature here from what was once a lifeless rock. The Sisters of Galbria, as she calls her kind, has maintained this moon for thousands of years and live here in peace with nature.

The entire population of Melony's coven totaled only 76 white witches, including her. Most have mates, who are lifelong companions, but only the coven could live on Galbria permanently. Melony also told me that companions can visit as often as they liked.

# Chapter 25

"Does being a man on Galbria mean one of those bears might eat me?" I asked.

Melony laughed. "Of course not, you are perfectly safe here Daniel. My sister's companions visit here often, and not one has ever been eaten by a bear. Everything here is part of nature and lives in peace."

Good to know, but I couldn't help feeling like I was walking in an open zoo.

"Come Daniel, I want to show you something."

Melony kneeled down and placed her hand on a patch of green grass.

"Watch this Daniel."

She closed her eyes and small white flowers spouted up from the grass all around us. When she opened her eyes, she could barely control her excitement and started laughing as she jumped into my arms.

"Wow, that's pretty cool," I said. "You learned how to do this in a couple of days?"

"Over a week in Earth time. Isn't it wonderful?"

"Yes, it sure is. It's wonderful and very beautiful."

Melony spun in circles with her hand stretched out.

"I knew you would love this place Daniel. I couldn't wait to show you how beautiful Galbria is. It's truly a magical place."

Melony jumped into my arms again and gave me another long kiss, weakening my knees as usual, and then picked up the picnic basket and began pulling my arm.

"Come with me Daniel. I have a very special place for us to picnic."

We walked down a path under branches of willow trees to a meadow next to a pond and waterfall. Swans and ducks were wadding up and down the shoreline without a care in the world, or moon in this case. The waterfall poured into the pond from a granite cliff 100 feet high and set the stage for a truly majestic view.

Melony spread out a red and white checkered blanket and began organizing plates, glasses and containers of food all the while smiling and telling me about Galbria. She was always cheerful, more so than anyone I ever met, and had recovered remarkably well from the horrible night when I last saw her. Watching her now so happy and full of life, well, she looked as perfect as nature itself. The nightmarish reality we faced back on Earth had become a distant memory.

We finished our lunch as it was beginning to get dark. The setting sun reflected off Keob providing a twilight ambient atmosphere – I wished this day would never end. Melony and I were lying on our backs looking up at the sky, and a few moments later, we found ourselves in a romantic embrace.

The strangest thing then happened. Flowers began blooming all around us and the branches of the willow trees swayed back and forth even though the air was still. I didn't want any of it to end, but it did when my phone buzzed telling me I had a text. I looked at Melony and pouted. She laughed and so did I as we sat up to read the message.

"I have to go Melony. Sarila says Alura and Thyzil are waiting so we can be briefed on a new problem."

Melony got up and started packing things up.

"Okay Daniel, but you must come back to me very soon," she said with a big smile, then wagged her finger at me to emphasize a note of seriousness. "Wizard or not, I won't take kindly to your absence if too much time passes."

Sarila had placed a blue coin in the lunch basket to use for my transporting back to Keob. I placed the coin in the center of the pentagram and Melony kissed me goodbye.

"Remember Daniel, for every one day on Earth, four days pass here. Please come back to me soon."

"I'll be back soon Melony. I promise."

I wonder if she knows that Daniel isn't my real name.

"Melony, you should know my real name is Azul."

Melony put her hands on her hips and tilted her head.

"I know wizard, but I like Daniel better."

I crushed the coin and said, "Transmati Keob," and was transported back to Keob.

"Welcome back lover," Alura said.

Thyzil had his eyebrows raised and was rubbing his chin hiding a smile. Sarila made no effort to hide her smile and Alura was the worst of the three.

"Did we interrupt anything important dear brother?" Alura asked in an attempt to embarrass me, which worked because I felt flush and was sure my face turned red.

"Ha ha, very funny. If you three are going to stand around and make jokes all day, I'm going back to Galbria."

"Very well wizard," Sarila said. "Let us begin."

Sarila nodded at one of her assistants who then placed a blue crystal into an opening on a console. The crystal lit up and a hologram of our sun and planets appeared above our heads. There were more suns and planets outside our solar system as well as asteroids and a host of other objects moving in a circular pattern like clockwork. It was quite beautiful to see the Earth in relationship to other galaxies.

Sarila nodded again and her assistant turned the crystal more which made the hologram separate into nine squares having various Mayan symbols appeared along the edges.

"I've seen this before at the Gate of the gods," I said. "In fact, I have this same map stored in ancient tubes at my apartment."

"Yes wizard, you made the map a very long time ago, about 25,000 years ago to be more precise," Sarila said.

"I made it?"

"Yes, you did so to help design the technology you are now looking at. The map was your blueprint. Don't worry wizard, in the centuries to come your human mind will adjust and remember how to perform the same complex mathematics and physics as before."

"I thought the scrolls were connected to missing pages from King Solomon's Key."

Sarila grinned. "Yes, I must admit this was one of your more cleaver deceptions. You left false clues with a number of artifacts in case anyone got close to discovering your staff or the true nature of the Mayan prophecies. It was quite ingenious."

I felt my ego deflate. For nearly a year I struggled over what the artifact meant and now I learn it was a deception that I created. True, I did find my way to the Gate of the gods, but a self made deception seemed over the top.

Sarila nodded and her assistant turned the blue crystal again. The hologram folded just as Manco and I saw when organizing the nine sections of the scrolls. Now the planets in our solar system were shown in alignment with the Milky Way to the galactic equator on December 21, 2012. There were also a number of red dots blinking at the outer edge of the hologram.

"What are those dots?" I asked.

"Those dear wizard are ships from the Darkzon Armada," Sarila said. "The Darkzon are able to leave their void of time and space every 25,000 years as space folds upon itself. The most recent fold occurred on December 21, 2012 and they have been traveling to Earth since then. We expect they will reach our solar system in 100 Earth years, depending on how many planets they pilferage along the way. This, however, is not you immediate concern."

Yea, 100 years is a long time away and I'm in no condition to deal with an alien invasion.

Sarila made another nod to her assistant and a new map appeared showing the Earth slowly spinning on its axis. There were small red dots, mostly located in developed countries, but every continent had some. Sarila explained that each dot represents a hundred dark crimes against mankind over the past twelve months. Additional red dots appeared with each rotation of the Earth. Sarila had her assistant turn the blue crystal once again making the hologram zoom in on Manhattan. A counter was flashing months and years rapidly upward to the future and projecting more crimes.

"As you can see wizard, the number of dark crimes in New York alone will grow at an exponential rate unless we are successful in intervening. As the Darkzon get closer to Earth, more dark creatures will seek out dominance among their kind in order to survive under Darkzon rule. These creatures respond to hard coded instincts triggered by the Darkzon's presence during each galactic cycle. They will not stop creating havoc until either dead or in full power over their own kind and humans. Your job wizard is to make sure they are not successful."

"All those red dots are just in New York? How many crimes against mankind are being committed in other cities and countries around the world, and who's going to take care of those?"

"There are other wizards in a number of hot spots all having the same agenda as you. Your territory is Manhattan, which unfortunately, is the most prolific place where dark creatures exist."

"Did you say there are other wizards?"

"Yes, and their identities, as is yours, are kept secret to protect them. When the Darkzon finally arrive on Earth, it will be your task to lead all the Zeshtune wizards into battle as you have for millenniums."

This is what Kyiel had told me and played out in a vision when I achieved recognition in the subway after defeating Lupzarro. Memories flooded my mind then and I remembered what I thought was everything. I remembered the great battle on Zeshtune and expelling the Darkzon, but have no detailed memories of prior recognitions on Earth, except for a couple of prior visions.

When first visiting the Keob library, the voice of my older self told me it would take years to achieve full recognition and explained how my memories and knowledge would come in stages.

"Sarila, destroying lycanthropes is hard enough, but leading an army of wizards in the future against some technologically superior alien race sounds delusional."

Granted, I was learning a lot of magic and getting good at casting spells, but I am far from leading a group of wizards, or anyone else for that matter, into a battle against an army of technologically superior beings. Alura sensed my doubts and attempted to clarify what Sarila had told me.

"Azul, you always return to Earth for recognition years ahead of the Darkzon's arrival in order to prepare for battle. It is what you do big brother. With each day passing, you become stronger and more aware of your responsibilities."

"We're talking about an army Alura, of who knows what exactly, not a few lycanthropes which by no means were a stroll in the park to defeat."

"The Darkzon have been defeated throughout the ages and will be again," Alura said. "Thyzil and I have been at your side during every battle and will be there with you this time. As your power increases, so will your knowledge of the past and all fear and doubt will disappear."

Alura always had a sense of calm about her while I often felt like a bag of nerves. Then again, she completed her recognition a hundred years ago and had more time to work out all the self identity bugs.

"Thyzil, do you remember any of these past battles with the Darkzon?" I asked.

"Sometimes, yes, but not everything. I have visions of battles in dreams. I also learn from great library."

Good idea. I need to spend some serious time in the library as well, or if I had half the brain I think I have, hide out with Melony on Galbria and live happily ever after. Having a picnic by a waterfall with a beautiful girl beats fighting monsters any day of the week, month, year, or eon.

Alura smiled. "I have something to show you," she said and took a small wood carving from her pocket. "It's a carving of a pig called a Peccary by the Mayans."

Alura placed her hand over mine and folded my fingers over the Peccary.

"Close your eyes Azul and concentrate. Think about the day when you gave this to me at the great Mayan city of Tenochtitlan. Concentrate brother."

I closed my eyes and focused on the Peccary. A small light appeared in my mind that took the shape of trees, clouds, and ancient Mayan structures. I saw native Mayans walking on roadways lined with stone who were carrying blankets, food, and vases of water as children played near stone walls. It felt very real, if I was walking with these people myself.

"Azul, come see what Inca has made," a voice said.

I turned and saw Alura standing next to an artisan table. She was dressed in white cloth painted with bright colors. A leather headband with small beads wrapped around her head and she wore leather sandals laced up over her ankles. Alura was younger, perhaps 12 years old, and full of energy that only children possess.

"Look brother, Inca has made a Peccary. Isn't it wonderful?"

I held the carving of the Peccary, a small pig, and examined the fine detail and artistry. Alura was beaming with a smile. I smiled back and asked her if I should make a trade for the Peccary, and if so, why? Alura arched an eyebrow and kept her eyes focused on mine.

"Of course you should trade for it brother. Why? Because you're my brother and you love me."

"Precisely," I said, then traded a small bag of cocoa beans for the carving. "Inca, your artistry gets better everyday my friend. My sister and I are honored to have such a beautiful example of your great talent."

Inca smiled while nodding his head in a thankful gesture and Alura kissed my cheek.

"Thank you brother, thank you. I will keep the Peccary with me always for good luck."

The images in my mind faded and I became aware that I was standing in the Batcave. When I opened my eyes, I saw Alura smiling.

"Do you remember brother? Can you name the artist who made the carving?"

"Yes, Inca made it. You were very young Alura, not even yet a teenager and it was so real. We were among the Mayans at Tenochtitlan thousand of years ago. It was as if I were there only minutes ago."

"Very good wizard," Sarila said. "All your memories are locked up in that advanced wizard brain of yours. Nothing has been lost and your many memories will surface in time. All you need now is patience and determination to keep focused on the present."

Alura held her hand open. "The Peccary ... it's mine buster," she said with a big smile. "Ancient or not, it was a gift from you and it's my lucky charm."

I handed the Peccary back to her and she put it back in her pocket.

"Now children, time to turn our attention to more immediate problems facing your Earthly home," Sarila said, then nodded to her assistant who replaced the blue crystal with a white crystal which created a another hologram.

The new hologram looked like a transparent wall and had a number of televised news broadcasts, police scanners, maps, and more. Sarila touched the hologram where a news broadcast image was playing coverage of a fire burning out of control at Sunset Park. It was the warehouse where Alura and I found all those shriveled up bodies, and now it's engulfed in flames that stretched into the night sky. The fire was so hot that it was melting the brick walls. No ordinary fire could produce enough heat to melt bricks – magic was involved.

"There is more," Sarila said, then touched another section of the hologram. "It appears our electronic surveillance at the park was successful in taking a message."

The hologram widened to a full screen view showing an infra red outline of something not human. The message was a warning translated using an animated computer voice.

"You have desecrated this sacred place with your foul presence and will pay for your transgression with your lives," the voice said, then continually repeated the message in an audio loop.

"Simple and direct," I said. "It's not much for mixing words, is it? A get to the point kind of monster. What the heck is that thing?"

Sarila wasn't sure what killed the humans we found at Sunset Park, but she did know what the creature was delivering the message.

"It is an assassin demon who should be taken seriously," Sarila said. "They are called Hyzits and can remain motionless for months hiding in shadows and small places unnoticed. They don't require nourishment because they absorb carbon dioxide in the same way trees do. Once they have an contract, they will observe all the routines and behaviors of their targets before attempting to kill them. Hyzits never waiver from their task and few have seen them, and those who have, usually do not live long to tell."

I grimaced. "And this thing is after Alura and me? What about other people around us? Can others get hurt, or killed?"

"No, Hyzits take pride in secretly assassinating their targets," Sarila replied. "They will not hurt or attack anyone else and only act when their target is alone. There is time to prepare wizard. Hyzits hibernate underground until mid-winter and are unable to reach you until then. Kyiel will show how to prepare a defense and offense."

I frowned. "Wonderful, we just dusted a bunch of wolfs and lycanthropes, barely escaping with our lives, and now we have our own personal assassin coming after us. Things keep going from bad to worse."

Alura grinned. "Azul, there is always something dark trying to kill us, yet we have survived through the ages while our enemies perished. Plus, it's only June and winter is six months away. There will be other things to worry about before Hyzits end their hibernation."

Thyzil wrapped his arm around my shoulder and had a serious look on his face.

"Do not worry wizard. I will help destroy Hyzit. We will teach it how Zeshtunians fight, like we did with big doggy lawyers."

As I've said before, one can't help but admire Thyzil's ability to simplify the possibility of eminent death. He usually laughed when thinking about fighting monsters. Thyzil's semi-broken English and fearless manner continues to make the big guy such a lovable character, even when facing nasty assassins.

"Yes Thyzil, we will be ready and destroy the Hyzit too."

"Let them come," he said and raised his claymore above his head. "I am ready."

"Well, I'd say we have had quite a day in the Batcave classroom," I said. "If it's alright with you Sarila, I'd like to have a couple beers and spend some time in the library."

Sarila made a slight bow of her head in agreement and Alura, Thyzil, and I headed to my apartment for refreshments and some down time. The three of us nearly knocked each other over trying to open the refrigerator at the same time. I bowed to Alura and said, "Ladies first."

Thyzil smiled. "She is too ferocious to be lady. More like tiger I think."

Alura arched her brow. "Watch it muscle man or you'll be sleeping in the Batcave."

Thyzil laughed and winked at me. "I mean lady tiger," he said while ginning, then grabbed a six pack of my favorite domestic beer.

Not to be outdone, I grabbed my own six pack. If we were going to have another testosterone contest, I wanted to be at least a contender, even though winning a crushing anything contest against Thyzil was a foolish hope.

Sally must have already been fed and taken for a walk. Normally, she is all over me when I come home, but this time she only wagged her tail while half asleep next to the fireplace. Having a full belly and nice walk always put her into slumber mode, which I didn't really mind because it gave me some time to relax.

Speaking for myself, I was lucky if I could ever get a few hours sleep or a burger before all hell broke loose. Sally, well she had a pretty easy going and happy life – a sharp contrast to my wacky world. Okay, that's enough self-pity.

I put some more wood in the fireplace and sat down with Alura and Thyzil to drink some brews. As always, the first cold beer taste like liquid gold. Thyzil looked at me while placing an empty beer can on his forehead and then crushed it with the palm of his hand. So much for my testosterone preemptive strike, but to be fair, he practically inhaled his beer before I had a chance.

Thyzil was challenging me again, in a manly prehistoric sort of way. Alura jabbed him in his side while rolling her eyes then looked at me shaking her head.

Hmm ... if I ignore the challenge, Thyzil will never let me live it down. If I crush the can on my forehead, I'd likely knock myself out and get a bruised ring on my head.

I had to do something less physical, but of equal or greater manly value. I got up and walked over the wall behind my chair and placed my empty can of beer on the floor against the wall. I casually walked back to my chair without taking my eyes of Thyzil as he kept a serious gaze on me. I sat down and took one of my shoes off and held it for a few moments while tapping it on my leg. Thyzil narrowed his eyes and looked puzzled, but said nothing.

Alura must have figured out what my next move was because she bit down on her lip to hold back grinning more than she already was. I arched my eyebrow, tilted my head slightly at Thyzil, and tossed my shoe backwards without looking. The shoe hit the corner of the shelf knocking a stone sculpture off directly onto the empty beer can. It not only crushed the can completely, but is stood perfectly upright on top of the can as if it was carefully placed there.

I never took my eyes off Thyzil and didn't blink or smile. I extended my arms outward palms up and said, "Tadah." Thyzil looked at the can, then back at me, and then at Alura. He wasn't sure what to say at first. Then a smile began to form at the corner of his mouth while he tried to hold back his emotion, but his face gave way to a big smile. I smiled in return and Alura started laughing, which was too much for the Zeshtune warrior to handle. Thyzil slapped both his hands on his knees and laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes.

"Pretty good wizard, pretty good," he said. "Never underestimate a wizard, yes?"

"Let's hope not Thyzil," I replied and the three of us leaned forward, tapped our beers together, and cheered.

"To Zeshtune, family, and our fallen comrades," Alura said and raised her beer.

Thyzil and I seconded the motion, then tapped each others beer cans and and enjoyed our tasty brews.

"Let's see," I said. "We destroyed Lupzarro, Moon, Moon's partners, hundreds of wolves, saved three hostages, and we found and recovered three brave Zeshtune warriors. Not bad for a couple of days work."

Alura smiled. "Not bad at all. But we still have a loose thread to take care of."

# Chapter 26

"Yea, a big loose thread," I said. "Ah Chuy Kak could start up another lycanthrope pack anytime. Heck, he probably already has other packs in Manhattan that we don't know about. How are we going to find this badass?"

Alura shrugged. "It won't be easy. He has remained undetected among mankind for many thousands of years. He hungers for power and seeks it constantly. A number of politicians and world leaders are likely under his control, whether they know it or not, and Ah Chuy Kak will use them to protect himself."

"Yea, and let's not forget that the grand fur ball is a Darkzon overlord. Even if we find him, we don't know what to expect, and that puts us at a disadvantage."

"Not easy, many bad guys, much danger," Thyzil said, rubbing his chin in thought, then added, "count me in."

"Okay, looks like we're going hunting," I said. "Where do we start?"

"You dear brother can start by spending time in your library and learning everything possible about Ah Chuy Kak. Thyzil and I will consult with Sarila about lycanthrope packs that we know about. Maybe we can find a connection."

With that said, Alura and Thyzil left for the Batcave while I finished my beer and organized my thoughts for a productive reunion with books. Up to now, I have not had time to revisit my library, and quite frankly, I wasn't particularly interested in a return visit anytime soon. There was something unsettling about talking to a great grandfather version of myself. Then again, after being nearly eaten alive by lycanthropes, speaking to my older should be like having a vacation from monster land.

I wonder if there is anything in the library that can tell me how to get rid of watchers and Hunter Demons. My life back on Earth was beginning to resemble a carnival in a post apocalypse sort of way. Any help to restore even a small sense of normalcy would be welcomed.

I reluctantly forced myself up from my comfortable chair and walked to the concealed library entrance, then said, "Entrunezum." The wall blurred and disappeared revealing the massive library and podium at the center of the ground floor. I stood in front of the book that rested on the podium and spoke the words as instructed during my last visit: "Tranpla domas." The book glowed and my older self, Yochi, spoke.

"Welcome wizard. You have successfully completed a major stage of recognition and defeated our enemy. Let us begin by recording the events of your journey to date. Place your hands on the book cover and close your eyes."

I did as instructed and gradually began drifting in my mind. Bright lights raced by with images of every event since my wizardry adventure began. I saw Manco when we were at the Gate of the gods, Kyiel on stage in Las Vegas with a unicorn, Alura opening a cab door for me, meeting the Elders of Zeshtune, Lupzarro, Moon, and more. The images ended in a sudden flash, and when I opened my eyes, my knees had buckled and my hands were still on the library book.

I thought motion sickness was going to get the better of me, but it quickly passed. I stood up and tried to remove my hands from the book, but they were stuck as if glued in place.

"I could use a little help here," I said.

A few moments later, a blue-white light shined from above on the book and my hands were released. Some sort of magical seat belt. I didn't protest though because having my hands stuck on the book while going on a magical spooky tour kept my head from cracking open on the floor.

I felt odd referring to the voice in my library as my older voice, and using Azul would be awkward, like speaking as a schizophrenic.

"What should I call you?" I asked.

"I am you. If you wish to use another name instead of Azul, perhaps the name Yochi will do. It is means hope and was your name among the Mayan people when constructing the Gate of the gods."

Yochi ... sounds like a sidekick in a fantasy video game, but I can get use to it.

"Yochi will work fine," I said, grinning a little about the video game thought. "So Yochi, one of the Manhattan lycanthrope pack leaders told me I fought Ah Chuy Kak during my last recognition. I have no memory of this fight, but I did have a vision of being at Tenochtitlan with Alura. Can you help me remember anything about Ah Chuy Kak?"

Yochi told me to place my hand with the ring amulet on the book and speak the words: recalisa Ah Chuy Kak. I paused for a moment wondering if a magical handcuff or something worse might hold me prisoner, but before I had a chance to say anything, Yochi spoke.

"Wizard, do not concern yourself about your interaction in this library. Besides, a one handed vision is only half as bad as a two handed vision"

Yochi, make a joke. Leave it to my older self to become a spooky librarian with a sense of humor.

"Funny, you know, the one hand two hand thing," I said and let out a little laugh. "Okay, let's give it a whirl."

I placed my hand on the book and my ring amulet glowed. I then closed my eyes and said, "Recalisa Ah Chuy Kak," and instantly began traveling on another magical mind trip. At first, only a small speck of light appeared, but it soon turned into a cyclone of bright yellow lights swirling in all directions. Images of forest canopies, winding rivers, and Mayan cities flooded my mind.

I saw myself as an older wizard standing over city maps and talking to several Mayan men. Alura and Thyzil were dressed in their usual battle garb, except the Desert Eagles normally strapped to my sister's legs were missing. Instead, one leg had five silver throwing knives tucked under strapped leather laces. The other leg had what looked like a miniature crossbow. The grenades were also missing, but six leather pouches in the shape and size of a baseball were tied to a double strap running across her chest. A familiar sight was Alura's double silver swords also strapped on her back with the hilts pointed up ready for action. Thyzil, as always, sported his claymore strapped over his back.

The three of us were in our upper years with long grey hair and battle scars on our faces and limbs. Age didn't appear to be slowing us down though, and Thyzil even had his pre-battle ear-to-ear grin. All eyes were focused on the battle map as I issued orders and pointed to the top of a Mayan temple.

"Thyzil, you and Alura must be ready to strike before the Mayan children reach the top temple stair. We can not risk their safety. I have men who will attack from inside the temple room, and when it begins, that will be our signal to take out Ah Chuy Kak's guards. Let us not forget what the lycanthropes have done to the Tenochtitlan people. We will end Ah Chuy Kak's terror, disease, and slavery this very day. We win or die my friends."

A new vision began and this time I was seeing things through my own eyes. I was dressed in a ceremonial garment that covered my body in red linen, beads of varying sizes, colorful feathers on a head dress, and a gold mask showing only my mouth and white beard. I was walking inside the main city temple somewhere underground. Torches hung from stone statues providing ample light and the air smelled of burning oil. Rats scurried along the edges of the wall unconcerned about my presence, however, I was quite concerned about them – I hate rats.

I came to a large room where six wooden cages were raised several feet off the dirt floor. The cages were small, about four feet wide and tall, and tied to ropes strung from the ceiling. The scent of death and blood polluted the air making me nauseas enough to try holding my breath, which worked until exhaling and taking a deep breath – that nearly caused me to pass out.

Pools of blood drenched the dirt beneath each cage and fresh body parts were strewn about the room. The dismembered arms and legs were decorated in traditional Mayan paint with custom jewelry wrapped around their wrists and ankles. These Mayans were killed recently and viciously torn apart in what looked like a lycanthrope feeding frenzy.

I looked into a leather pouch underneath my ceremonial robe and saw wolfsbane, silver nuggets, and various familiar items – it was my wizard bag. Well, my wizard bag many thousands of years ago made out of old leather, and there was something was missing ... there were no magic coins. What happened next explained the absence of the coins.

I took a few nuggets of silver out of my wizard bag and held it in the palm of my hand, then said, "Clotasia soot." White light swirled around the nugget turning it into silver dust that rose into the air. I stretched my hand out and it began swirling in circles.

"Ecasenah," I said and the swirling dust became larger, and then everything in sight, except me, was coated with a sparkling coat of fine silver dust. I had cast a spell using only words, without magic coins. How did I do that?

A third vision began and I found myself standing on the temple top high above roads and structures. Stairs led down from all four sides of the temple to thousands of Mayans gathered at the bottom. Four temple guards stood at each corner holding spears with tips pointed up. The guards wore large gold medallions engraved with the image of Ah Chuy Kak sitting on a throne, which looked very much like the five feet tall throne in front of me. Mayans observing from below would see Ah Chuy Kak as their god sitting above all on plush red and gold linen.

A horn sounded from somewhere and the throne began to move slowly backward revealing an opening with stairs coming up from the level below. Two additional temple guards began walking up the stairs as and a large figure appeared in red and gold ceremonial garments wearing a head dress decorated with colored feathers – it was Ah Chuy Kak.

I struggled to not turn and blast Ah Chuy Kak with wizard fire. I very much wanted too annihilate the grand fur ball and could feel anger even though it was only a vision. There was a plan was in motion and many lives were at stake. Understanding this kept me focused and controlled my anger.

Ah Chuy Kak ascended from the stairs as two more temple guards followed him. He turned to face the children walking up the stairs from where Mayans stood below and then sat on his throne.

I could see Alura with several other Mayan friends following the children as if in a parade. Her weapons were fully hidden by the robes she wore. Thyzil was not in sight because his large muscular frame following small children would stand out and undoubtedly raise suspicion among the temple guards. He was somewhere near though and probably had already destroyed a dozen lycanthropes traveling up through the temple layers.

When the children were a few steps away from the temple top, Alura made eye contact with me and slowly nodded. I returned the nod, threw my ceremonial robe off, and raised my staff.

"Ah Chuy Kak," I shouted.

The temple guards immediately turned to me pointing their spears.

I tapped the bottom of my staff on the temple floor and focused on my magic causing its amulet to glow brightly, then shouted, "Cellvarim."

Blue-white lights flowed down from my staff amulet to the temple floor, spreading out to the edges along the stairs, and then rose up to the sky creating a semi-transparent 50 foot curtain. A magical barricade now had the temple guards and Ah Chuy Kak trapped.

At the same time, Alura had thrown one of the baseball sized leather pouches into the air and pierced it with a dagger once it cleared the top of the barrier. After a loud pop, silver dust fell inside the barrier on top of the temple guards. Ah Chuy Kak quickly covered himself with his robe to avoid the dust.

The temple guards screamed as the dust burned their skin and eyes. All eight guards had breathed in the dust and fell to the temple floor thrashing in agony. Four guards lay still while smoke rose from their dead bodies. The two guards closest to Ah Chuy Kak shape shifted into seven foot razor teeth monsters, and while still smoking and sizzling from the silver dust, they looked at me and snarled.

Ah Chuy Kak took his robe and gold mask off and stood up screaming in anger. He was uglier than the drawing I saw at the New York Public Library. Dark eyes, the size of tennis balls, set deep into his leathery skin. His blue lips stretched tightly from ear to ear revealing razor teeth and large nostrils. A few long greasy strands of matted hair draped down to his shoulder from what was an oversized bald head. His feet and hands were also oversized for a seven foot height body and both had long black nails.

I pointed my staff at the guards who were moving toward me and said, "Raza zitum." Blue-white disks shot out from my staff and proceeded to make mince meat out of the four fur balls.

Ah Chuy Kak faced the stairs leading down to the lower level as I reached into my wizard bag for a five pointed wizard star, like those ninjas use in movies. When Ah Chuy Kak stepped onto the first stair, I threw the star at him and shouted, "Markas aktum." Ah Chuy Kak turned to see what was coming as the star turned white hot and landed on his forehead. He screamed in a monstrous roar and held his hands to his face while the wizard star burned through his leathery face, melting into his skull. Ah Chuy Kak continued to roar in pain as he fell down the stairs out of sight.

The temple guards were all smoldering ashes as I ran pass them to the stairs. I expected to see Ah Chuy Kak thrashing on the floor below, but when I looked down the stairs, he wasn't anywhere in sight. The grand fur ball had disappeared somewhere down the temple tunnels.

I could not see Alura or Thyzil from where I was standing, but did see more baseball pouches thrown into the air sending silver dust onto other lycanthropes. I could also hear Thyzil counting his kills.

"Ten, no twelve. Keep up my princess," he said, all the while laughing, full of pride while counting more kills.

Alura and Thyzil had things under control, so I tapped my staff on the temple top and said, "Celldos," and the magic barrier melted away into the temple stone.

I turned my attention to pursuing Ah Chuy Kak and quickly moved down the stairs into a dark chamber. My staff amulet glowed and lit up a chamber about twenty feet long and wide. What I saw took my breath away. There were shriveled bodies piled up along all four walls. No blood or body parts, only dried out bodies with looks of horror on their faces. They looked the same as the bodies found at Sunset Park.

Ah Chuy Kak was the monster responsible for killing these Mayans and the people Alura and I found at the warehouse.

I followed the corridor in pursuit of Ah Chuy Kak and found my way into a labyrinth with various chambers and corridors. Each time I thought progress was made, I found myself turned around and back in the same chamber under the temple throne. There was no way I would find Ah Chuy Kak by running around in circles. I had to use a different approach.

I closed my eyes and focused on the design of the temple. The corridors and chambers became clear in my mind showing an underground tunnel. I tried to see if Ah Chuy Kak was anywhere inside the temple, but did not sense his presence. The corridors and tunnel in my mind lit up bright yellow showing a path that led into the forest. Ah Chuy Kak undoubtedly took this path and was long gone.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Alura and Thyzil looking down at me from above.

"Well, is it over?" Alura asked.

I frowned. "No, it's not over yet. He got away."

"Do not worry wizard, we will find and destroy ugly beast," Thyzil said, raising his claymore above his head triumphantly as if he already had.

"Yes, we will," I said and grinned. "Ah Chuy Kak now has a wizard star burned into his skull."

Alura and Thyzil looked at each other and also grinned knowing the fur ball was marked.

My vision began to fade to blackness. I opened my eyes and removed my hand from the book on the library, and this time, there was only a slight sense of nausea. I'm getting use to this thing.

I had marked Ah Chuy Kak with a wizard star that is forever burned into his forehead. Unless he's wearing a fedora, bandana, or some other top of the head fashion statement, the star will be visible to any wizard. Now I can pick the grand fur ball out from a crowd if he shapeshifts, but finding the crowd he hangs out with is an entirely different matter. Ah Chuy Kak had been feeding at Sunset Park and is most likely still in New York, unless he owned a jet and only stopped by for lunch.

"Azul, Darkzon overloads can't be destroyed," Yochi said. "Overlords can only be banished into the dark void, and doing this will not be a simple task. Ah Chuy Kak is the original lycanthrope and a cunning creature possessing great power. In fact, you have tried to banish him a number of times over the millenniums and have not yet succeeded. Even though Ah Chuy Kak has continued to survive, you have always managed to destroy his empire and make him hide deep into the shadows. You also have now marked him with a wizard star, making him vulnerable and at the same time more dangerous than ever before."

"It sounds par for the course Yochi. What's one more monster who wants a piece of me?"

"You must be careful wizard. He will seek your destruction before you have another chance to destroy him. To banish Ah Chuy Kak, you must touch the wizard star with your staff amulet, and that won't be as easy as it was placing it there. There is a chance for success, albeit a small one, and when a chance exists, there is always hope."

"I use to buy lottery tickets. Any chance is a good one to me in this monster game. Besides, if I don't get him first ..."

Yochi interrupted. "Exactly, so be sure you do wizard. Very well, return to Earth and protect the humans under your guard. Stay alert and be prepared."

I left the library and found Alura and Thyzil fat and happy sitting on the couch with pizza crust, empty cans of beer, and empty bags of chips piled on the coffee table. Sally had her head in one bag and was wagging her tail as she licked out crumbs.

"Having fun?" I said sarcastically.

Thyzil grinned. "Wizard, I thought you got lost. Any longer, I might not move from couch," he said, patting his stomach and letting out a deep exhale.

Alura was also grinning and put a large chip between her teeth making a taunting crunch, then said, "Yummy, too bad this was the last one brother."

I went into the kitchen and pulled out a bag of chips from underneath the sink.

"Ha," I said and shook the bag in the air, then stuffed a handful of chips into my mouth and made yummy noises while giving Alura a gloating smile.

Alura rolled her eyes. "Maybe you should check your beer."

My smile quickly changed to panic. No, not my beer. I opened the refrigerator door and there was not even a single beer inside.

"Really ... you two couldn't leave me one lousy beer?"

When I looked up, I saw Alura tapping her fingers on a six pack on her lap. She arched an eyebrow and made a coy smile.

"Oh, you're so funny, a real comedian that makes me laugh non-stop," I said.

Alura and Thyzil began laughing and Thyzil tossed me one of the beers.

"Fill us in brother. What did you learn?"

"I learned that Ah Chuy Kak is most likely in New York with a wizard star stuck on his head, waiting for me to send him back to the dark void."

"Do you know where in New York?"

"No, but Yochi told me that he'd find me, so I guess we won't have to look for him."

"Who is Yochi?"

"It's what I call my library voice. It means hope in Mayan."

"I see," Alura said. "Well, keep in mind that having a Darkzon overlord choose a time and place to kill us is a big disadvantage."

"Perhaps, but a well planned defense and offense can turn any disadvantage into an advantage," I said.

Thyzil laughed. "You see Alura. This is why he is powerful wizard. You should think like him."

Alura rolled her eyes. "Oh yea? Well, I'm powerful enough to turn you into a bug."

Thyzil's smile faded. "Really, you can do that? I don't think I like being bug."

"Don't worry Thyzil. Alura is only kidding."

Thyzil cleared his throat. "Oh ... yes ... I knew this, of course," he said letting out a cautious laugh.

Alura grinned. "Maybe I am, and maybe I'm not."

Thyzil laughed. "Another joke, yes?"

Alura sat back down on the couch and kissed Thyzil on his check. She then put her arms around him and smiled saying, "What do you think big guy?"

"A joke, yes?" Thyzil asked again and paused for a moment, then added, "if not, make me eagle, not bug."

Alura shook her head and gave Thyzil another kiss causing him to beam with pleasure.

"You see wizard. I am lucky man," he said, and I agreed.

# Chapter 27

"Okay guys, let's do what we do best and kick more fur ball butts," I said.

The three of us walked into the Batcave where Sarila and her cohort were busy as usual. Computers were prowling the Internet, large screen televisions were showing the latest news, and hologram programs were being tested.

"Sarila, would you like to be debriefed on my visit with my older self?" I asked.

"No need wizard. Yochi, 'your older self' as you say, has already uploaded the transcript of your visit."

"Transcript ... really? Isn't that an invasion of privacy?"

"Not at all wizard, especially since you designed the library yourself. If you want to keep something confidential, you will have to tell Yochi of your intention to do so," Sarila said, her face perfectly straight and eyebrow slightly arched. "Of course, anything pertaining to dark beings can not be censored, so be warned wizard."

Okay then, from now on I'll be extra careful not to disclose anything personal in my library. If I think about Melony, I'll just keep saying baseball over and over in my head to drown out all the little Batcave eavesdroppers.

I started to think about Melony and how it would be nice to see her again. Perhaps a short visit before facing off with a Darkzon overlord would be in order.

"Hey guys, I was thinking I'd stop off on Galbria to say hello to Melony and catch up with you tomorrow."

"I am sorry wizard," Sarila said. "This is the time of Naril on Galbria. Melony will not be able to leave or receive visitors for a month Earth time."

"A whole month, seriously? What is Naril?"

"It is a time when the Sisters of Galbria meditate and commune with nature. Melony will be in a deep state of mediation until Naril is completed. You may leave a message for her here and I will be sure she receives it."

"Nah ... I'll contact her later," I said, then gave the Batcave a quick scan. "Has anyone seen Sally?"

"Sally is out on the surface playing with Bayla and a few other technicians," Sarila replied as she turned her attention back to work. "It appears your dog is quite fond of fresbies."

"Yea, and anything else flying through the air or bouncing on the ground. Well, since she's having a good time, she can stay and get some exercise."

"You two go," Thyzil said. "I get more weapons to fight bad guys. Maybe two hours I meet you."

Alura grabbed a large duffle bag stuffed with grenades, silver dust, hollow point magnum bullets, and of course her two faithful silver swords. I was the economy version of Zeshtune warriors in my family, but had an arsenal of magic in my wizard bag and a staff coin in my pocket. Even so, I'd like to have some of those grenades with silver pellets if only for the entertainment value.

Alura and I transported back to her apartment. It was 11:20 PM and everything appeared deceptively quiet. We stored her arsenal inside the Porsche and arrived at my apartment a few minutes later, then parked in the rear alley. The fire truck red Porsche looked odd parked along side a large rusted metal garbage bin, but in a way, also made the ally feel a little safer.

Loose newspapers littered the ally and were blowing around randomly creating an eerie setting. I rarely use the ally entrance at night because I watched too many horror movies as a kid. Dark alleys are where monsters hid and ambushes took place. Not my first choice, but there were no parking spots available outside in front, so it was either ally parking or walking several blocks. I was too tired and hungry to walk, so I let my grumbling stomach make the decision for me.

I was about to place my key inside the door lock when I heard a yelp sound. Alura immediately turned around and pulled her compact magic sword out of her pocket and said, "Unclass blade," extending it to full size. I was a bit slower and dropped my keys, and when I turned around, I saw a Hunter Demon kneeling on one leg between two soldier wolves. The demon's long razor finger nails were sticking into the back of both wolves heads while two other wolves lay nearby cut cleanly in halves.

Alura stepped forward with her blade raised to strike. I put my arm in front of her to stop.

"No, wait," I said. "If it wanted us dead, we'd be dead already."

The demon stood up slowly with blood dripping from its fingers and reached under its hooded garment, then pulled out the white crystal necklace I had left in the ally the other day. When the demon held up the glowing crystal, I saw its grotesque face and felt a little sad for the creature. The demon placed the crystal back inside his garment and put his hands together inside its sleeves, then bowed its head and stood still.

The demon had giving me something of greater or equal value in return for the crystal – it saved my life.

"I guess this makes us even. I release you from my service."

The Hunter Demon turned and jumped on a wall of an adjacent building, then raced up like a spider on fire and disappeared into the night shadows.

Alura lowered her blade and asked, "Making new friends brother?"

"Looks like," I replied, smiling a little knowing my bargain with the demon paid off.

The dead wolves did not burn into ashes until Alura stuck each with her silver blade. Once she did this, fiery ashes floated into the night sky creating the effect of an upside down snowfall.

"Merry Deathmas," I said which caused Alura to chuckle.

"Come on brave wizard. Let's get inside before any more surprises come our way."

My defense shield would have protected me from the wolves attack, but Alura may have been seriously hurt being caught off guard.

Make note to self: have staff ready when entering rear door in ally, or walk a couple blocks and use the front door for Pete's sake.

I picked up my apartment key from the ground and unlocked the door. As always, my wards disarmed then rearmed once we were safely inside. Alura sat on the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table, then tilted her head back letting out a long exhale while I went to the refrigerator for a beer.

"Get me a cold one too brother."

"It's going to cost you."

"Put it on my bill," she said, then took another long breath and exhaled. "Where did those wolf soldiers come from? Moon's building and arena were destroyed and Lieutenant Mack would have taken out any strays trying to get away."

"Elementary my dear Watson," I said. "There is trouble afoot elsewhere in the city."

Alura grinned. "And you know this how Sherlock?"

"Simple Watson. I used my superior deductive reasoning. It's quite simple really. Moon's pack is destroyed. Ah Chuy Kak, the original grand fur ball is ticked off and wants to kill us. So, you see, papa wolf sent his cubs to check us out." I frowned and added, "Or to take us out."

Alura shook her head. "Wow, if I ever become a master wizard like you, will I have incredible intellectual prowess too?"

"Perhaps one day Watson, but first things first," I said and chugged my beer down as Alura rolled her eyes and smirked.

"What ... it helps me to think," I said, then sat in my chair and put my feet up on the table next to her. "Aha, I have an idea. See little sister, beer actually does help me to think."

"Spit it out Azul ... your idea, not the beer."

I told Alura about my vision of the Tenochtitlan where my magic barrier curtain sealed Ah Chuy Kak in at the top of the temple. "If I could create this barrier, a sort of impenetrable magic box, perhaps it could trap and hold Ah Chuy Kak long enough for me to banish him."

"How will you touch the wizard star if Ah Chuy Kak's inside the barrier while you're on the outside?"

Good question. "One step at a time my impatient trainee. First the idea, then the plan."

Alura lifted her head from the couch and said, "Call me a trainee again and I will punch you in your nose."

"Okay, don't get your ..."

Alura arched her eyebrow and tilted her head as a warning for me to carefully choose my next words. I decided to turn the conversation in a more productive and safer direction.

"Okay, check my thinking. Assuming I might actually accomplish this awesome wizardry spell, touching the wizard star with my staff will not be easy as you noted. If I am inside the barrier, Ah Chuy Kak could keep dodging me until my magic power weakens and the barrier fails."

"And then you would have to fight hand-to-hand combat," Alura said.

"Yea, and there's that too."

"So brother, what is your solution?"

Fighting combat style up front and personal was Alura's and Thyzil's strength, not mine. The magical barrier is my best option to defeat Ah Chuy Kak, so I took my staff coin out of my pocket to give the spell a try.

"Let's first see if I can cast the spell inside the apartment."

Alura nodded, but I sensed she was concerned such a spell may be beyond my current abilities. Or worse, she was more likely thinking I'd screw it up and blow the building up with us inside.

In my vision, I tapped the end of my staff on the temple floor, and with one spoken word, sent a barrier up fifty feet into the air that encircled the temple top. It was fluid and semi-transparent, like thick Saran Wrap, except it had blue-white lights moving up and down.

"Okay, here goes," I said and changed my pocket coin into a staff causing the amulet to glow brightly. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and felt magic surging through my body. I then tapped my staff on the floor and said, "Cellvari." Magic flowed from inside me down through my staff and blue-white light covered the floor and walls. And then ... all the lights in my apartment blew out, the microwave exploded, and my refrigerator door opened spewing out its entire contents.

Alura arched her brow. "Azul, maybe you shouldn't use this spell yet. Maybe you're not ready."

"Hold on, it wasn't cellvari, it was cellvarim. Oops, I mispronounced the spell."

"Oops ... that word has killed more wizards that I can count," Alura said.

"Don't worry, I got it. Let's try again with the correct pronunciation this time."

Alura raised both eyebrows and her mouth dropped. I didn't mention her hair was sticking up from the electrical discharge. Angering a female Zeshtune warrior about having a bad hair day seemed a needless risk at this point. Besides, ruining my apartment was enough for one night.

I held out my staff and said, "Cellvarim." Magic flowed from inside me again and through my staff as blue-white light rushed along the floor and covered the walls. This time there was no damage, but my apartment was already ruined, so whatever happened next couldn't be any worse – at least I hope not.

Alura reached into the top of her boot and pulled out three silver daggers. She placed them together between her thumb and fingers, raised her hand over her shoulder, and threw the daggers at the front glass window. The daggers bounced off without leaving a scratch.

"Not bad," she said.

I was surprised by her action, which clearly showed in my face. Alura grinned at my response knowing what I was thinking.

"Hey, did you ever consider that someone might be walking by that window? If the spell didn't work ..."

"Not that kind of a dagger brother. These neat little weapons won't piece human flesh. At worse, they might leave a nasty bruise."

Not fair. Alura definitely has all the cool weapons. I appreciate my magic, but saw no harm having a few toys for myself, just in case, and for pure fun.

"Anyway, congratulations brother. You are bonding with your staff better than I expected."

"Bonding with my staff? What does that mean?"

"Your staff amulet has unlimited magic. Your body, however, is weak as are all physical bodies. Magic coins are needed to recharge your body's magic and channel it through your staff and amulets. Bonding means that your staff and mind are becoming more connected, which allows for magic to be used more efficiently. More power, bigger spells, less coins."

Alura was right. I didn't feel any drain of strength and the barrier was holding.

I grinned while tapping my staff on the floor and said, "Celldos," causing the barrier to recede and disappear into the floor.

"Don't get too cocky brother," Alura said while picking up her daggers off the floor. "You almost destroyed this place, remember?"

I continued grinning. "You're such a nitpick," I said, then opened another beer to take a well deserved drink in celebration of my magical bonding.

"Hey, I think I have another idea. Each time we transport from a pentagram, the perimeter of the base shoots up light. Remember in Iraq when I made a pentagram in sand for us to escape Lupzarro and blue-white light rose up all the way into the clouds? Is the light solid?"

"It is not only solid, but also impenetrable so nothing can interfere with the transportation spell."

"I thought so. What if we had a second pentagram high above, say a ceiling, and cast a barrier instead of a transportation spell that connected to a pentagram on the ground. Would it enclose both pentagram?"

Alura's eyes perked up. "It just might, and that would give you a magical box, or can so to speak. Good thinking brother."

I grinned with satisfaction while holding my beer can up and proudly said, "Never underestimate the power of hops and barley dear sister."

A second later, something moved near the front door and my wards lit up. Someone, or something, slid something under the door. I slowly walked toward the door pointing my staff ready to let hell loose on anything that might get past my wards, as unlikely as that might be. As I got closer, I saw that it was an envelope. I hesitated for a moment in opening it as my imagination conjured up all sorts of booby traps. To my surprise, inside was a backstage pass for a concert at a nightclub not far from Alura's apartment. The words written on the envelop read: Important – 7:00 P.M. – ask for Tommy.

"What is it?" Alura asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Looks like I'm invited to a concert tomorrow at Penzdor's Theater."

Alura laughed. "You're invited to a concert? Why would anyone invite an old man like you to a punk concert?"

"Hey, I'm not that old sister, at least not physically. Besides, I don't think it has anything to do with the concert. The note says it's important and to ask for Tommy."

Alura grabbed the pass. "This band is very popular. Not my type of music, or yours, but they have been around for a couple of years and always sell out their shows," she said, tapping the pass on her chin. "Hmm ... only one pass. Which of us should go?"

I snatched the pass out of Alura's hand and said, "Why me of course. If who ever left this wanted you to go, they would have slid it under your apartment door."

Alura frowned. "Could be a trap you know."

"At a sold out concert? Not likely."

"Just the same, I'm coming with you. I may not get backstage, but I can get awfully close should you need me."

"Okay, but don't expect me to get you any autographs."

"Oh please, spare me the late night humor," she said, then put her coat on and opened the door. "I'm going home to take care of few things and sleep. Goodnight Mr. Punk."

"You're just jealous," I said and waved the pass at her as she shut the door.

I finished my beer and soon fell asleep in my chair. When I woke up the next morning, my neck was killing me from sleeping slouched over to one side. Nothing a good breakfast can't cure.

I made both coffee and tea along with my usual supply of eggs, bacon, and toast. The coffee was to wake me up. The tea from Magical Herbs was to help relax my neck muscles. Melony told me her special tea had healing properties, and since there was no aspirin in my cupboards, her tea was the next best thing.

I drank down the tea like I take medicine, in one big gulp. It didn't taste bad, but for me morning time was for coffee. Tea didn't fit into my morning repertoire. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: "Sleep is the result of caffeine deprivation."

I drank my java in cherished sips and polished down my breakfast in record time. It had been a long time since I ate so much food, mostly because Sally wasn't here bumping it off my fork with her cold wet nose

The rest of the day was all mine. I caught up on my reading, watched an action movie, and organized my apartment a little. It was a great day with no monsters – just pizza, beer, and quiet solitude. Later, I heard Alura's Porsche come to a screech. I looked at my watch as she entered and noted that it was already 6:00 P.M. She smiled and then poured herself a cup of coffee, took a sip, and spit it out into the kitchen sink.

"Yuk, how old is this?" she asked, then continued spitting into the sink. "Are you trying to poison me brother?"

"You are always welcome to make a fresh pot."

Alura smirked and took a beer from the refrigerator.

"No thanks, this will do," she said and sat next to me on the couch. "I bet you got a lot of rest, didn't you?"

"Sure did. It was the best do nothing day ever. Does it have to end?"

"Yup, sure does," she said, then proceeded to tug me off the couch. "Come on lazy wizard, we have a concert to attend."

Penzdor's Theater would normally be a five minute drive. Alura made it there with her Porsche in two minutes – so much for my relaxing day. I showed my backstage pass and ZWC credentials to the concert security. They gave me a look up and down and waved a metal detector wand over me. I had already changed my staff coin into a walking cane in the event some quick magic was needed – the guards barely noticed it.

"He's good. Let him pass," a guard said.

A young girl opened the door and led me down the hall to another guard.

"He's here to see Tommy," the girl said.

The guard stood aside and we walked into a worn out room right out of an old black and white movie script. Three young people were plucking away at instruments and barely glanced at me before playing some unrecognizable tune.

The young girl who led me into the room shouted, "Tommy, he's here."

A man in his mid-twenties came out from behind a curtain. He was completely punked out. Orange and purple spiked hair, piercings in his ears, nose, eyelids, lips, and I don't even want to guess where else. He wore jeans, a black t-shirt, and blue sneakers with orange laces. He smiled and then held out his hand to shake.

"Thank you for coming Mr. Zane."

I shook his hand. "No problem. How could I resist a cultural experience like this?"

The girl who led me down the hall giggled and placed her hand over her mouth.

"Let me introduce you to my band. This is Grover, Miles, Brandy, and of course you already know Robin who is trying to hide her beautiful smile."

Each band member nodded during the introduction and went about plucking away on their instruments.

"So Tommy, what's this all about?"

Tommy told me to make myself comfortable and offered a can of beer, which I gladly took, but decided not to sit down until I knew why he wanted to see me.

"Mr. Zane, we are in desperate need of your help."

"You need my help? What is it that you think I can do for you?"

"We first saw you at the Sunset Park warehouse. At the time, we weren't sure you could be trusted."

"You were at Sunset Park?"

"Yes, watching from a distance. It wasn't until you destroyed Robert Moon's building that we were sure our enemy is the same."

"Saw that mess too did you? Who are you people?"

"We are friends Mr. Zane, or at least not enemies, and seek the destruction of the same demon."

Tommy raised his hand up and changed it into a hairy lycanthrope paw and back to a human hand. I looked around at the others were grinning and flashing their bright yellow eyes.

"Don't be alarmed Mr. Zane. We are also human, and I am happy to say, mostly human – hybrids to be exact."

Maybe Aura was right about walking into a trap, but I didn't sense any danger. The hairs on the back of my neck did not stand up and I didn't smell anything wolfy. I raised my walking cane up across my chest and the handle glowed bright blue-white.

"You see, I told you he was a wizard," Robin said. "He is the one we have been told about all these years."

The other hybrids eyes turned normal and they looked at Tommy waiting for his response.

"Yes, it's true," Tommy said. "Mr. Zane, we are the children of lycanthrope fathers who took upon themselves human wives – some willing, some not. The children of this unholy union took on characteristics of both parents, but not all retained their humanity. Those you see here in this room are mostly human and able to control the beast within them. We do not harm humans and have continued to live among them as friends for many hundreds of years. I am the eldest of my pack, 826 years old. Robin is the youngest, a mere 63 years old."

"Okay, so we're not enemies, I can sense that. What do you know about Sunset Park?"

"It is where the bodies of our brothers and sisters were piled to rot. You see Mr. Zane, in the eyes of full blooded lycanthropes, we are a disease and embarrassment to the perfection they see in themselves. Many of the bodies you saw in the warehouse were hybrids like us,"

"What happened to them? I mean, how did they die?"

"Our ancestors have prophesized of a great evil feeding on human and hybrid souls. I have seen it happen only once, more than four hundred years ago. This creature gets close to its victims and sucks their life out. In a few seconds the victim's body shrinks to a lifeless shell of what they once were. Our ancestors also prophesized about a great wizard who would appear during the Galactic Alignment to defeat the great evil."

# Chapter 28

I already knew Ah Chuy Kak was responsible for the bodies at the Mayan temple and almost certain he was responsible for those at Sunset Park. What was new is who the bodies were. So far, there was nothing written in the Wolfpedia book about soul sucking lycanthropes attacking hybrids. None or my visions even hinted of the existence of hybrids.

"We can help you too Mr. Zane. My brothers and sisters have many of the same powers of pure lycanthropes: smell, hearing, speed, and strength. We can be your eyes and ears and help you rid our world of this evil."

Tommy and his friends must be on the up and up because I didn't sense any danger, and having allies with such heightened senses could be useful in tracking Ah Chuy Kak. What the heck, I can use all the help I can get.

"Okay Tommy, we can work together, but it has to be on my terms. You and your pack will have to follow my orders without question. Can you do this?"

Tommy looked at each hybrid who nodded in acceptance.

"Yes Mr. Zane, we all agree to follow your orders."

"Great, and call me Daniel."

All the hybrids smiled and began singing an old Beatles song: "You say you want a revolution, well, you know, we're all doing what we can ..."

Now there's a song I recognized and one I bet they don't sing on stage.

"I would like to introduce you to my sister," I said. "May I ask her to join us?"

"Of course Daniel, and please help yourself to another beer," Tommy replied and then asked Robin to find Alura.

I closed my eyes and called out to Alura in my mind. <Alura, I'm backstage with friends. Meet Robin at the stage entrance and she will bring you to me>.

A few minutes later Robin brought Alura in to meet everyone. One of the hybrids looked Alura up and down and his jaw nearly hit the floor.

"Hey, she's my sister buddy. Back off."

The hybrid closed his mouth and starting playing his guitar again.

Alura smiled. "Always the big brother, aren't you?"

"It's better he hears it from me than Thyzil, who surely would make the poor guy wet his pants," I muttered.

Alura laughed, then she introduced herself to the pack. We then we sat at a table with Tommy to share what we knew about Ah Chuy Kak. Surprisingly, the hybrids had collected a wealth of intelligence, including the names and locations of business and political leaders who were either pure lycanthropes or in league with them.

We only had about 20 minutes to talk before a man opened the door telling Tommy he was due on stage. The pack picked up their instruments and headed up some stairs toward the stage area.

"Daniel, there is rumor of a meeting among the lycanthrope pack leaders to determine who will be the new alpha in this city," Tommy said. "After you destroyed Moon, they have been at each other's throats. My pack and other friends are keeping a close watch on things. I will contact you as soon as I learn more details."

"Okay Tommy, keep in touch."

We shook hands and Tommy went up the stairs to the stage. A minute later, loud music poured through the basement and I covered my ears while Alura shook her head and laughed.

"What? I asked. "You're not going to tell me this noise is music, are you?"

Alura stood still for a moment with a serious face and then broke into a fit of immaturity saying, "Old man," while pretending to dance to what only she could believe was a music beat.

"You can be really annoying when you want to be," I said.

Alura kept dancing around me in circles and chanting, "I know you are, but what am I?"

It is near impossible to be truly annoyed by Alura. She had that special something about her that people liked, so I responded in the best way I knew how. I stuck my tongue out and gave her the raspberry, which did absolutely nothing to stop her from chanting, "I know you are, but what am I?" Give me a break.

Alura dropped me off at my apartment. She wanted to get up early the next morning to meet Thyzil, so I once again had some time alone. Fine with me, because I was looking forward to making breakfast without having to worry about her snatching toast from my plate. Sally was bad enough, but not nearly as sneaky as Alura and hardly ever stole my toast.

Morning arrived and before I broke my first egg, Sarila texted me saying she was tired of dog sitting. Apparently Sally howled and barked all last night from having severe cabin fever, or cave fever in this case. On the other hand, a dog can only stay so long on a distant planet before missing my special sausage link breakfast.

Sally was good to go between Earth and Keob now that she had an amulet clamped onto her collar. I texted Sarila back and asked her to have Sally stand inside the Batcave pentagram to be transported back to Manhattan. Breakfast will have to wait a few more minutes.

I went to my bedroom, snapped a blue magic coin in half, turning it to powder, then blew it into the pentagram saying, "Transmati Sally." Almost as fast as the blue-white lights shot up from the pentagram, Sally leapt through it and knocked me down on the floor to slobber on every inch of my face.

"Sally, you're suffocating me you old goofball. Come on, let's make some of your favorite sausages and then go for a walk."

Sally woofed and followed me to the kitchen. Just as I cracked an egg into the frying pan, my phone buzzed indicating I had another text message. It read: Package ready for pickup – Magical Herbs. I hadn't thought about the shoppe since taking Melony to Keob and wondered who was running it now.

Sally looked at me in a way that suggested I keep making breakfast, or else. Food first, walk second, and then we visit the Magical Herbs Shoppe – a daily routine that's easy to follow. When breakfast was finally ready, we ate until our bellies were full, then I put the plates into the sink to soak in water. Sally sat by the kitchen table hoping a treat might be given to her, so I guess her belly never gets full.

"Okay Sally, let's go see who the new manager is at Magical Herbs."

Sally jumped up and ran to the front door pulling her leash off the coat rack. After stepping outside, we looked around to see if any watchers were hanging around. Now that Lupzarro and Moon were out of the picture, I was hoping the nasty hell pet is now unemployed.

Nothing but sunshine and everyday people – fantastic.

"Looks good Sally. No freaky bird to worry about."

There were a number of people browsing inside Magical Herbs when we arrived. Sally showed interest in what the patrons were doing and almost knocked over some jars with her wagging tail. I looked over to the counter and was surprised to see Balya, Keob's in-house doctor smiling at me.

"Balya, you're the new shoppe manager?"

"Good day Daniel, and yes, shoppe manager is my new side job. Sarila thought you might need me nearby in case of an emergency," she said, then frowned. "I am afraid Dr. Herick passed away in his sleep the same night he last visited your apartment. Natural causes, nothing unusual."

"I'm sorry he's gone. Dr. Herick was a good man," I said, then Balya pulled a package out from under the counter.

"Alura ordered this earlier. She wanted to be sure you had fresh supplies for your work, field trips, and general good health."

Balya looked down at Sally and asked her if she was checking out the old neighborhood. Sally woofed twice and Balya laughed.

"It's good to know you'll be close by Balya. I'll see you again soon."

"Bye Daniel. Bye Sally."

As I turned to exit the shoppe, I felt Sally's leash tighten and she made a deep growl. I looked up to where she was growling and saw a lady outside the shoppe slowly walking by while giving me a chilling stare. It was that women who Melony introduced me to. What was her name ... Swanson, Mrs. Swanson. Sally's growl got louder and I saw a dark grey aura swirl in and out of Swanson's body – she was a black witch. Not a big surprise and it sure explained her attitude.

When Sally and I stepped outside of the shoppe, Swanson was no where in sight. Sally looked up and down the street making a woof each time her head turned. Swanson had simply disappeared.

A gust of wind rushed down the street and I barely heard a women's voice whisper, "You got away last time wizard. Next time you will not be so lucky."

Last time? As in last time when a green mist tried to eat Melony and me?

Great, now I have a crazy mist conjuring black witch to place on my Who Wants to Kill the Wizard enemy list.

Swanson, if that was even her real name, may have sent the mist demon after Melony and me, but it was likely she was taking orders from Moon or Ah Chuy Kak, or both.

Employing a witch to cast spells actually make sense because lycanthropes don't possess magic. If Lupzarro or Moon did hire Swanson, I wonder what she got in return for her services. Anyone who could conjure up what chased Melony and me nearly to our deaths was not someone to take lightly, nor would their talent come cheap.

Werewolves, demons, spooky green mist, and now black witches. Granted, I am becoming a stronger wizard who doesn't scare as easily as a few weeks ago. Even so, I can't help feeling as if my neighborhood has become an eerie version of the Bronx Zoo in a Twilight Zone episode.

Sally and I returned to our apartment where Alura and Thyzil were waiting. It should always be expected that when these two are unsupervised, pizza crust and empty beer cans will be littered around the room. This time was no different, except some pizza was still in the box and a few cold beers were waiting for me.

"Hi kiddies," I said.

"Wizard, do you see unopened beers?" Thyzil asked, pointing to a six pack. "True warriors resist temptation, yes?" he asked, then proceeded to make a long and loud burp.

Alura threw an empty can at Thyzil, calling him gross and disgusting. Thyzil shrugged and let out another even more offensive burp.

"What princess, would you rather my eyes pop out?" he asked, then opened his eyes wide to exaggerate the point. ""Bubbles must go somewhere,".

Sally wasted no time in begging Alura for some pizza while I had myself a cold brew.

"Did you guys know Balya is the new manager at Magical Herbs?" I asked.

"Yup, she transported to my apartment with Thyzil early this morning," Alura said.

I suspected as much. Alura was always a step ahead of me on current Zeshtune events.

"I bet you don't know a certain Magical Herbs customer, one who goes by the name of Mrs. Swanson, is a black witch."

"Azul, half of the Magical Herbs customers are witches, or related in some way to the occult," Alura said.

"Well, this particular black witch may be the one who sent the mist demon after Melony and me. She was probably hired by Moon to snuff us out on behalf of Ah Chuy Kak."

Alura frowned. "There are several black witch covens in the city. All of them practice dark magic and offer their services to a special clientele, mostly business men and politicians. They have no loyalty to anyone outside their covens, and once they are contracted for services, nothing short of their deaths will stop them from completing it. Was this Swanson inside the shoppe?"

"No, she walked by on the outside giving me a witchy look. A dark grey aura was easily seen weaving in and out of her body, and her eyes were black as coal. She warned me that the next time I would not be so lucky."

"A black witch becomes fully consumed by evil once they either take a human life or summon a demon to take a life," Alura said. "If she summoned the mist demon to kill you, she has become fully corrupted by dark power and the shoppe wards will prevent her from entering. Don't worry brother. If she was hired by the now deceased Moon, her contract is null and void, unless she was compensated or promised something in advance, which would make things a bit more complicated. Kyiel can show you how to whip up some charms to increase your protection against black witchcraft."

Alura moved the pizza boxes onto the floor and opened the package that I picked up from Magical Herbs. She removed the contents and placed each item on the coffee table according to either size or shape. Several small tubes, the size of lipsticks, were placed together along bags of herbs and what looked like bars of soap. Her arrangement reminded me of an Avon or Mary Kay home party. I have never been to such a home party, wouldn't want to, but I've seen pictures. Cosmetics and giggling women plastering their faces with petroleum byproducts is simply not my thing.

I picked up one of the soap look-a-likes and smelled it, expecting a rose or lavender aroma, but there was no scent, not even a soapy smell.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Bees wax," Alura replied. "You'll find it handy for making pentagrams in damp places where chalk won't work well."

Alura held up an aerosol can. "And this dear brother is liquid bees wax for getting to those hard to reach places, such as a high wall or ceiling. Both the bars and aerosol have magical properties to magnify a wizard's spell."

We needed to have a pentagram above and around Ah Chuy Kak to trap the fur ball before he changed into a bird and flew away. The trap had to be perfect. Even the smallest opening, such as an air duct or electrical socket, would be enough for him to escape. Whatever the case may be, Ah Chuy Kak would have to be caught in the right place and at the right time. If he had to be lured, well ... I guess I was going to be the bait. Lucky me.

My older self, Yochi, told back me on Keob that I didn't have to seek out Ah Chuy Kak because he would find me. I didn't fancy an encounter while at the market shopping for groceries – too many innocent people. The trick will be to set a trap for Ah Chuy Kak's on own territory where he'd feel safe. So far, all the top dogs in the lycanthrope packs I've met were egotistical and over confident, which makes them prone to mistakes. I had no reason to believe Ah Chuy Kak was any different and assumed he survived mostly by keeping himself well hidden, not by being smart. Well, hiding and being surrounded by hundreds of flesh eating shapeshifter offspring is sort of smart, but also cowardly.

My phone rang. "Daniel, this is Tommy. I have some news."

Alura and I were with Tommy just yesterday and I had not expected him to contact me so soon. Whenever someone says they have news, in a dreary tone like Tommy used, it was almost certain the news was bad.

"Hey Tommy, what's up?"

"I heard from another pack upstate at Howe Caverns. They found more bodies, like those at Sunset Park. I'm sending you some pictures now."

The pictures Tommy sent me showed piles of shriveled up bodies stacked against a natural stone wall. All the bodies had horrific expressions with their eyes and mouths wide open. Some had no clothes, which was also the case at Sunset Park.

"Tommy, do you know why some of these bodies are naked?"

There was a long pause.

"Uh ... yea, I do. Their hybrids," he said. "Daniel, I knew them. They were family. Some are as old as me."

"Sorry Tommy, but why are they naked?"

"Unlike purebred lycanthropes who can change shape into many things, hybrids can only change into wolfs, you know, the four legged kind. When we hunt, we take our clothes off before turning to avoid ripping everything apart. You can imagine how difficult it would be explaining to law officials why a group of kids are naked, or wearing shredded clothes, when returning to town."

"Yea, explaining nakedness would be difficult," I said. "What exactly do hybrids hunt?"

"Not humans, if that's what you're thinking. We go out every so often to hunt deer and other wildlife. We're human Daniel, but still have our primal desire to hunt, not unlike many humans up this way with rifles."

"Tell me more about where the bodies were found."

Tommy told me that bodies were in a hidden cave near Howe Caverns located in Howe, New York. Howe Caverns are New York's largest tourist attraction, second only to Niagara Falls, and is touted as a family adventure park. Located 160 miles from Manhattan and northwest of Albany, Howe has about 1,200 people living on less than 14,000 square miles of land. It's a small town tucked away in a corner of New England and is sustained mostly by tourist dollars

"There's more," Tommy said. "Purebreds from the city have been gathering nearby, mostly in Schenectady. They are VIPs, wealthy business professionals, and state politicians. Senator Kendrisol is hosting an economic summit at the Howe Pike Hill Inn, but it's a ruse to gather purebreds without raising suspicions."

Senator Kendrisol is a slippery politician who is always being investigated for ethic violations. Most recently he has been accused of being mixed up with the New York mob and disappearance of a young intern.

"Kendrisol is a lycanthrope?" I asked.

"He has been around almost a long as me Daniel. I first knew of him back in the American Revolution when he was a British General. Since then he has changed identities and professions many times. Kendrisol may appear polished and upright with his expensive uptown lifestyle and Wall Street friends, but he is one of the most vicious of all lycanthropes in New York."

Silly me, I thought Lupzarro and Moon were the worst.

"Do you want to drive up to Howe with me in the morning and check things out?" I asked.

"I should stay here," Tommy replied. "No offense, but being seen with a wizard might jeopardize the safety of my own pack."

Tommy felt that since Twyer's pack was already under attack, a prolonged meeting with a wizard might not matter much, but his own pack was unknown and he wanted to keep it that way. Fair enough.

"You need to meet a man named Henry Twyer who owns and operates the town general store. Henry is the pack leader of the northwest New York hybrids and will fill you in once you arrive."

"Okay then, I'll let you know how it goes once I meet up with Henry. Thanks for calling Tommy."

"Sure Daniel. Take care of yourself."

Alura wished me luck and headed out to do some errands and meet up with Thyzil. Meanwhile, I hung around the apartment for the day, had some more pizza, a couple beers, and read some magazines. As relaxing as my day was, I reminded myself that I was getting closer to finding Ah Chuy Kak, the final loose thread.

The next morning a rental car was waiting for me outside my apartment, care of Sarila. Nothing special, a later model compact car, but it had ice cold air conditioning. Since it was mid July with temperatures expected to hit 95 degrees in the shade, air conditioning was second only to having an engine that works.

It take about three hours to reach Howe once getting out of Manhattan's carmageddon gridlock. Once out of the gridlock, the more scenic and enjoyable the drive became. After one long stretch of road where no living thing was seen, I followed a sign to Howe that pointed left onto a dirt road filled with potholes. The small compact car managed to hold up well, except for a few water filled potholes nearly breaking the rear axle and pushing my head into the roof.

A large sign posted next to a smaller Welcome to Howe sign notified tourist that the caverns were closed due to a West Nile virus outbreak. Nothing like a viral infection scare to keep away picture takers and rock collectors. As I passed the signs, a police car pulled onto the road behind me with its lights flashing.

"Nice welcome," I muttered and pulled over waiting for the officer to approach.

# Chapter 29

The police car door opened and a tall muscular officer stepped out. He was a big man, not Thyzil big, but intimidating just the same. No one would ever give this guy any trouble.

"License and registration," the officer said.

After the officer looked at my documents he handed them back and smiled.

"Thank you Mr. Zane. Henry is expecting you sir at the general store. It's the first building you see when pulling into town."

I thanked the officer and began to drive off toward town. From my rearview mirror, I saw him pull a road block across the dirt road and position his car sideways behind it. Looks like no one would be going in or out of the town on this road, at least not by car.

Being a wizard, I could always transport out of town should any pitch fork and sickle crazed townspeople think I was Frankenstein, but hey, why think about the worst case scenario. Like I say, paranoia is a good ally is one wishes to stay alive.

I arrived at the general store at lunch time and had expected to see people going about their business. Instead, everything was quiet with no one in sight. Several pickup trucks were parked unattended with bales of hay and oats piled in their flat beds. A hound dog sleeping on the porch of the general store was the only sign of life.

I parked my car in front where a wooden sign hanging above a door read: General Store, Henry R. Twyer, proprietor, est. 1883. If this is the same Henry, he'd be well over 100 years old, which is actually not that old for a lycanthrope, or hybrid.

As I reached for the store's doorknob, someone inside opened it. A tall thin middle aged man with red hair and a beard greeted me. Several people standing behind him were smiling in a curiosity manner, clearly not accustomed to having visitors.

"Welcome Mr. Zane. My name is Henry Twyer and I am the proprietor of this store. Tommy is a friend of ours and told us you would be coming."

The other people continued smiling and nodded as they introduced themselves. I sensed no danger, didn't smell any wolfs, and felt very welcomed. A young woman handed me a warm glass of cider and cinnamon stick.

"Stir the stick in the cider sir," she said. "It makes it taste so wonderful,"

"Thank you for your hospitality, and please, everyone call me Daniel. Henry, can you take me to the area Tommy talked about?"

"Yes sir, I can. Come with me. We'll use my truck to get there and my two sons can ride in back."

As we drove to the caverns, I had to ask. "Your store sign says established 1883. Did your grandfather start up the store?"

Henry laughed. "Yes sir, outsiders think of me as Henry Twyer III. Locals know me as the one and only original Henry Twyer."

"I see. How many hybrids are there in Howe?"

"That would be the whole town, all 1,203 of us," he said. "Not all of us are shapeshifters. Only a few hundred that are can actually change form. Most of the pack lives out their time as ordinary humans, as is the case with most other hybrid packs. Tommy and I have known each other for hundreds of years. We use to farm together until the electric guitar was invented. That's when Tommy went all crazy for rock and roll and city life. Damn noisy contraptions, those guitars."

I smiled and nearly laughed. It was hard to imagine Tommy pulling a plow with Henry, who looked very much the part, but Tommy was clearly born for rock music.

"Have you seen Tommy recently?" I asked.

Henry frowned. "You mean all those tattoos, crazy hair, and metal things stabbed through the face of what use to be my Tommy boy? No, I haven't seen him for years. Once was enough to scare me right back to the farm in a jiffy. We keep in touch by phone now."

Henry stopped his truck at a cliff wall covered with brush. His sons hopped out from the back and we followed Henry to the cliff.

Are they expecting me to climb that 100 foot granite wall? Not going to happen.

Henry paused at some brush and pulled it aside revealing a narrow passage.

"This way Daniel. It's a tight fit, but we only have to go in a few feet."

When I entered the passage, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I smelt wolf. After a few more steps, we entered a cave about 30 feet square filled with shriveled corpses, all piled up in the middle. Sunlight was shinning down from a large hole 30 feet above onto the corpses.

"Some of these bodies are city folk," Henry said, pointing to bodies fully dressed. "These three over there without clothes are ours who went missing a few weeks ago."

"Has anyone gone missing since then?" I asked.

"No, the last full moon hunt was when our townsfolk began disappearing. This sort of thing has never happened before up these parts."

The bodies Alura and I found at Sunset Park were just like these victims, making me think that Ah Chuy Kak's new feeding ground was 30 feet above my head. If so, this is where the grand fur ball will probably be during the next full moon.

"Henry, when will the next full moon occur?"

"In two days time."

"Okay, I'll be back before then. You and your sons should return to town and stay away from this mountain. I need to return to Manhattan for some help."

"Don't you need a ride back to your car?"

"No, I have another way. I'll see you again in a couple of days."

After Henry and his sons left the cave, I summoned Kyiel to take a look around up above inside the cavern. It was weird watching him float up and back down again through the hole like a ghost. He only took a minute to complete his inspection and report what he saw, which was conveniently presented in 3-D holographic images.

The area above the hole was a like a mini Roman Coliseum with large monoliths supporting three levels of stone ledges. At the center of the dirt floor were three wooden stocks where heads and hands are placed to imprison someone while standing. At the far end were stairs leading to a raised platform, and to no surprise, there was a throne on top laced with gold and red linen. The throne was exactly like the one in my vision of Tenochtitlan and most definitely belonged to Ah Chuy Kak. This place was his hideout and main feeding ground now that Sunset Park was destroyed.

I dismissed Kyiel and looked around for a good place to make a pentagram. Holding my pocket coin in my hand, I said, "Unclass staff," causing my staff to appear. I used the end of my staff to draw a pentagram on the dirt floor at the far side of the cave and crushed a blue magic coin under my foot saying, "Transmati domas." When I opened my eyes, I was back in my Manhattan apartment bedroom and the hairs on my neck relaxed, but the stench of death was still very much present inside my nostrils.

I exited my bedroom and saw Thyzil taking inventory of five large aluminum locker style cases. He had plenty of time to do what he loves doing – getting ready to kick monster butt – and was smiling ear to ear with his arms stretched out over the cases.

"What do you think wizard? Nice weapons, yes?"

I looked inside the cases, each neatly packed with everything a Zeshtune warrior could possibly dream. The first two cases were filled with a hundred silver laced grenades. The third case had two hand Gatling guns with dozens of magazines filled with hollow point silver bullets. A fourth case was filled with wolfsbane, two red crystals, and pouches filled with silver fragments. The last case had something different: two shotguns and a couple hundred shells filled with silver pellets. Oddly, there was also a nicely wrapped package with a ribbon and bow sitting on the coffee table.

Thyzil bought an engagement ring for Alura? Nah, not his style. Thyzil's more likely to think a new battle sword was an appropriate engagement gift for Alura.

I looked at the cases again and said, "We're going to need bigger weapons."

Thyzil narrowed his eyes. "Bigger?" he asked while scratching his head, then began laughing. "Bigger ... I like how you think wizard. We make bigger bombs, yes?"

I smiled and nodded in agreement. "Thyzil, where's Alura?"

"She's walking your beast. I wanted to go, but my princess told me people get nervous. Why she thinks this?" he asked, looking at himself up and down wearing Zeshtune battle garb. "Perhaps it's sword, yes?'

Alura returned before I had the chance to explain the dos and don'ts of public attire to Thyzil. Not that explaining would do any good since the big guy was uncomfortable in anything other than metal breast plates.

"I knew you were back," Alura said. "Sally turned around and dragged me all the way here barking."

Sally pushed me to the floor and began her slobbering routine.

"Hey old girl, you missed me didn't you? Good girl."

Sally rolled over on her back for a belly rub. I complied while Thyzil asked Alura if she would give him a belly rub later, to which she rolled her eyes, but also smiled.

Thyzil laughed. "A warrior never knows unless he asks, yes wizard?"

I winked at Thyzil in agreement.

"So brother, was your trip eventful?"

I summoned Kyiel and had him show Alura and Thyzil the 3-D holographic images of the cave and cavern. Among his many talents, not least was magical knowledge, was Kyiel's math skills. He provided the exact dimensions of the cavern, throne, and number of seats. Math was never my strong suit, but I could always hold my own when needed. Kyiel was one of those natural gurus who could answer any math question with precision and without pause.

"Kyiel, in my vision of the Mayan city of Tenochtitlan, I cast a spell inside a room that covered everything with silver dust by using only a few pieces of silver. The cavern at Howe is much larger. How much silver do I need to cover it?"

"The half acre cavern will require one hundred pounds of silver to cover the walls, ceiling, and floor. The two tunnels and opening in the ceiling would not be affected except for the most inner edges."

"What would happen to the fur balls inside the cavern?"

"Silver dust burns a lycanthropes skin, eyes, lungs, and causes disorientation and possible death, just as you saw in your vision. The spell you refer to will not necessarily destroy lycanthropes, but it will hurt them badly. If a lycanthrope breathes in enough of the dust before it adheres to solid surfaces, it will destroy them."

I can see it now. Dozens of fur balls running around in circles rubbing their eyes as if shot with pepper spray.

"Such a spell may create just the distraction I need to take them out and catch Ah Chuy Kak off guard," I said.

"We'll need someway to keep them from escaping through the tunnels and ceiling," Alura said. "I will ask Sarila to craft titanium nets coated with silver. Not even a tank can break through titanium. Lieutenant Mack's team can guard the exits just in case a few strays get loose. Once the lycanthropes are destroyed, we'll use the two red inferno crystals to seal the cave permanently."

Alura looked at me and grinned, again knowing what I was thinking.

"These crystals don't explode brother. Instead, they will fuse the entire cavern into solid hot rock."

I smiled. "Excellent. Looks like we have a plan."

"Plan good, these better," Thyzil said while bending down and tapping one of the silver cases.

Assuming things go well, having a pentagram placed above Ah Chuy Kak's throne still remains a problem. The cavern ceiling is ragged with ancient drip stone making drawings with chalk or bees wax not an option. This meant a pentagram would have to be made at ground level, hoisted up above the throne, and hung from dripstone.

As I thought about the problem, I remembered an old pirate movie where a lantern wheel was raised and lowered from a hook in a castle ceiling. All I needed was a hook embedded in the cavern ceiling, some flexible PVC pipe, and a clamor spell to hide the pentagram.

"Alura, would you be able to shoot a hook and small pulley into the ceiling directly above the throne?"

Alura smirked. "Do fish swim in water?"

Such a smarty pants, but then again, it was a dumb question. Alura could shoot a tick off the nose of a deer a mile away while blindfolded.

"What kind of fish?" I asked, just to be a smarty pants too.

Alura arched her brow. "A shark ... what else?"

"That's what I thought you say."

Alura snapped her teeth at me a couple of times to imitate a shark, then called Sarila to have a 100 pounds of silver transported. Evidently, precious metals are readily available in the Batcave vaults. They also discussed the details necessary to build titanium silver coated nets using Kyiel's measurements.

"Hey, ask Sarila is she can spare 50 feet of half inch PVC flex pipe and a 30 foot rope ladder," I said.

Sarila heard this and Alura smiled, then turned to me and said, "She wants to know if you would like your shoes shined too."

I grinned. "No thanks. I only need the piping and ladder, but will gladly take a rain check for the shoeshine."

Alura put her phone away and informed Thyzil and me the nets would be ready in a few hours. The silver and piping would be transported after Alura returned to Keob.

To save time, Alura decided to transport to Keob from my bedroom. As she stepped into the pentagram, she told Thyzil and me to play nice while she was gone. Thyzil put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me tight enough to take my breath away.

"Don't worry princess. We have much work to do," Thyzil said, laughing while squeezing me tighter, which made Alura also laugh.

After Thyzil released me from his death grip, I broke a blue magic coin in half and tossed it into the pentagram.

"Transmati Keob," I said and blue-white light filled the room as Alura disappeared and a large stack of silver bars, two rolls of black PVC flex pipe, and a rope ladder appeared where she had stood.

"Wow, Sarila is quite the efficient one, isn't she? Come on Thyzil, we'll have to make two trips to Howe with all this and the weapon cases," I said, then we stepped inside the pentagram. "Better cover your nose. The smell of death is overwhelming on the other side."

I broke another blue coin in half and said, "Transmati Howe."

I had my nosed pinched with my fingers of one hand while changing my pocket coin into a staff that lit up the area. Thyzil looked around and took a deep breath.

"I want to remember this place," he said and looked up at the hole in the ceiling. "I want to remember when heads of big doggies fall to ground."

"You'll get your chance soon enough Thyzil. The full moon tomorrow will bring those fur balls here to feed. This time, however, instead of their feeding on innocents, we're going to dust every last one of them. And if things go as planned, you can take the first wolf head."

Thyzil smiled. "You always know what to say wizard."

We returned to my apartment and transported the five weapon cases to the cave. Once there, I asked Thyzil if he had any idea how we were going to get everything up through the cave hole. He went over to a weapon case and took out a small crossbow, spool of wire, and several darts.

"Watch wizard. Zeshtune warriors can fly."

Thyzil tied a wire to the end of his dart and shot it up through the hole into the cavern ceiling. He then pushed a button on the crossbow which tightened the wire and pulled him effortlessly up through the hole. Once he reached the top, he swung his feet back and forth until he was able to land on the cavern floor, then snapped a few glow sticks for light and looked over the edge at me.

"Want to fly wizard?"

"No thanks. I'm a wizard, not an acrobat. I'll use the rope ladder after we get the silver and PVC piping up to you. Can you rig up something to pull all this stuff up?"

Thyzil shot another dart into the ceiling and then dropped the wire spool down to me. The wire was flexible, like string, and didn't look as though it would hold much weight, however, it did pull Thyzil up as though he was a bag of feathers.

I tied the wire to a handle on a weapon case for Thyzil to haul up. We repeated this until all but one of the weapon cases were hauled up to the cavern above and emptied, then Thyzil lowered one case back to me. I filled the case with the silver bars and he hauled it up too.

"Ready for ladder wizard?"

"Yup, send it down."

"Maybe you change mind and want to fly."

"Nope, I haven't changed my mind. You can send the ladder down."

Thyzil laughed. "As you wish wizard."

I grabbed a large bag of wolfsbane from the one weapon case left in the cave and started up the ladder. Wolfsbane would hide our scent and throw off the lycanthropes when they arrived for the full moon fur ball festival. I was counting on the element of surprise which would not happen if they smelled our presence.

Thyzil and I hid 15 silver bars with wolfsbane at each of the cavern corners to provide maximum damage. I looked back and saw Thyzil, always the big showoff, juggling several silver bars. Big deal ... well, actually it is a big deal, but I wasn't going to let him know. If I were to even hint that it was a big deal, he would only brag about his strength and there was too much work to do for that nonsense.

I placed the last three silver bars closer to the tunnel behind the throne to keep the fur balls inside once I cast the dust spell. I also placed wolfsbane on top of the silver bars and covered it with dirt to hide everything. Hopefully, none of the fur balls would sense anything was out of place.

The spell I planned on using was the same one used in my vision of Tenochtitlan. In the vision, I turned a few pieces of silver into a swirling wind that coated the temple walls, ceiling, and floor with silver dust. This magic was a cleansing spell that made the entire area inside the Tenochtitlan temple wolf proof, and I was hoping it would work just as well here.

There was not enough time or silver to practice, so the spell would have to work the first time. If it didn't, we'd be fighting a lot of angry fur balls without having the advantage of pepper spraying them first with silver dust.

Thyzil zipped back down the hole using his crossbow wire and hid a few weapons near the pentagram. We had plenty in the cavern, but hiding a few down below as extras was a good precaution. I stayed behind to discuss another idea with Kyiel.

"Aptier Kyiel," I said and my old pal appeared as usual.

"Kyiel, how have you been?"

"I am as you last saw me Azul. How may I help you?"

No small talk with Kyiel. He always gets right to the point.

"I have an idea. Remember how you did all that magic stuff in Las Vegas?"

"Not magic Azul. It was illusion and manipulation of the elements."

"Yea, that's what I meant. I was wondering if you would help me out here tomorrow night with another performance."

I discussed my idea with Kyiel and he told me everything could be done quite easily, and for a second, I thought I saw a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. Maybe he enjoyed performing illusions, but that would mean he could feel emotion. I looked again and his eyes were stone cold. Still, I swear I saw a spark of life in those bright blue eyes.

After dismissing Kyiel, I used the rope ladder to rejoin Thyzil in the cave below. He finished covering the last spare weapons with a few rocks and then stood still staring at the corpses.

"It's been a busy day Thyzil. Let's go home, eat pizza, and have a few beers. Tomorrow night is going to be another crazy battle."

"Good idea wizard. I could eat horse, but pizza and beer much better."

"Yup, pizza and beer are the best," I said and slapped Thyzil on his back.

We stepped into the pentagram and transported back to my apartment where Alura was waiting. When Thyzil and I entered the living area, we saw 10 pizza boxes and a tapped beer keg sitting in a barrel of ice. Our mouths dropped and eyes widened.

Did we die and go to heaven?

"Hi boys," she said, wearing a smile as if she won the lottery. "I thought you might be hungry and thirsty after a long day in those dark dirty caves."

Thyzil and I stood still looking at all the pizza and keg of beer. We were speechless.

"Are you two going to stand there and look like idiots all night, or are you going to help me eat and drink?"

"Oh man, you are an angel sister, a real angel."

Thyzil walked slowly toward the beer as though he was in a trance.

"I agree wizard ... a warrior princess angel."

After a few hot slices of pepperoni pizza and a couple mugs of cold draft beer, I noticed the neatly wrapped box was still on the coffee table. It must be a world record having a gift within Alura's reach and her mustering up the will to not open it.

"Alura, are you ever going to open that box?" I asked.

"It's not for me you dork. It's for you from Melony."

Melony got me a gift? Now that I think about it, Thyzil could never wrap a box so perfectly.

I opened the box up under the watchful eyes of Alura and Thyzil, and then my eyes widened when I saw a silver bracelet with four brilliant runes embedded on the front.

"Wow, look at the craftsmanship," I said. "It's beautiful."

"It's more than beautiful," Alura said. "It a charm bracelet made by the Sisters of Galbria. Each rune has special powers to protect and heal when needed. This bracelet, dear brother, is one of a kind and the first to be gifted by the white witches to anyone outside their coven."

"One of a kind you say."

I looked on the backside of the bracelet which had an engraving. It read: Love always, Melony.

"What does it say?" Alura asked with a coyish grin.

I put the bracelet on my wrist. "Never mind Ms. 'none of your business'."

I felt flush and Alura and Thyzil grinned, so my face must have been a little red. If that wasn't enough, Alura began singing that annoying kids tune: "Daniel and Melony, sitting in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage."

Give me a break.

# Chapter 30

Annoyed by Alura's silly rhyme, I threw my pizza crust at her and she caught it in her teeth, and then proceeded to eat it. Good reflexes. Thyzil asked what a baby carriage was, which caused Alura to almost choke on the pizza crust. Serves you right smarty pants. She didn't respond, but I nearly bust my gut laughing.

The remainder of the evening went by in a relaxing way. Empty pizza boxes littered the floor and Sally was sleeping next to the fireplace with a full belly of her own. It was good to be home.

Alura told me that Sarila sent Lieutenant Mack and his team to maintain surveillance at Howe. Good idea, don't want fur balls sneaking in on us. Sarila also sent the three titanium nets to Howe. Once all the lycanthropes were inside the cavern, Mack would seal it up tight – with us inside. If things went bad, we'd be trapped and thinking what a terrible idea it was to seal the exits. But then again, this was an opportunity to dust some big shot VIP fur balls, and hopefully and banish their boss – totally worth the risk. We reviewed our battle plan and Alura then headed to her apartment with Thyzil to get some rest.

Every muscle in my body was aching. I was aching in places where I didn't know muscles even existed. Hauling silver bars and climbing rope ladders was not easy work for a couch potato like me. What I need is to learn a levitation spell for the next time lifting more than the weight of my staff was required, and my staff is nearly weightless.

Exhausted, I fell onto my bed and began a nightly routine of trying to clear my mind, which is not the easiest thing to do when considering the upcoming battle. If our plan worked, we might actually survive the day.

It has to work. Ah Chuy Kak must be banished even if it takes my last breathe to send the grand fur ball to the dark void.

None of this second guessing was a recipe for a good night rest, so I tried to stay positive. I finally fell asleep, but it seemed as if it was a short night when my alarm went off. No annoying rooster this time. Instead, the entire wall of my bedroom became a rainforest, complete with a cascading waterfall.

I walked over to the wall and felt a breeze and mist from the waterfall. I knew the image was a hologram, but it seemed real enough to walk into. I touched the wall with my finger and a ring of light formed spreading out like ripples on water, then the rainforest slowly disappeared.

Whoever constructed this alarm system, most likely me, did so with a strange sense or humor, or just screwed up the design entirely. On a positive note, my aches and pains were gone.

Sally looked up with her bright eyes and thumped her tail on the floor when I entered the living area. Alura and Thyzil had already let themselves in, so more eggs and bacon went into my flying pan to ensure Sally and I got our fair share. Actually, a lot more eggs and bacon went into four frying pans in anticipation of the hardy appetites of my breakfast companions.

"Do you two have a food detector hidden in my apartment?" I asked.

Thyzil tapped his nose while taking a deep breath and said, "Here wizard. Good detector, yes?"

"Less talk cook, more food," Alura said as she sat at the kitchen table. "Don't forget the coffee dear brother."

"Sure, why not. It's not like I have anything better to do, such as banishing an ancient Mayan overlord."

Alura and Thyzil held up their empty cups.

"Blah, blah, blah ... always thinking of yourself," Alura said. "Alright brother, I'll help you and get my own coffee."

After breakfast was over, Alura opened her duffle bag and began loading up with all her usual arsenal. Thyzil took his claymore out of a golf bag that had a golf sock over the sword's hilt.

I laughed. "A golf bag ... really Thyzil?"

"Your baby sister says I need to fit in. Look like other city people."

Alura frowned and shook her head. "He needs some more work with this image thing."

Thyzil could try until the cows come home to look normal and fit in, but it's just not going to happen. I doubt anyone in Manhattan would even notice the claymore strapped on his back, but I bet he got a lot of looks at that golf bag. I mean, who carries a golf bag in Manhattan? I'll try to help him with the 'fitting in' thing later, assuming we live through the night and there is a later.

Alura tossed a small lipstick style container to me and another to Thyzil and said, "Rub some of this under your nose to help with the smell in the cave."

I opened up the container and held it up to my nose, but smelled nothing. It looked like bees wax. I rubbed some of the ointment under my nose as Alura instructed and hardly notice it was there. If it works, great. Any help would be welcomed to reduce the smell of dead bodies. Alura and Thyzil also rubbed the ointment under their noses.

"Sally, take care of our home," I said and she woofed and rubbed her head against my leg.

Each of us took turns patting Sally's head and said goodbye. I frowned thinking this might be the last goodbye I say to Sally and looked back at her hoping it wasn't. She sensed something wasn't right and put her head down on her paws and whimpered.

We stepped into my bedroom pentagram. I held my staff above the center of the pentagram and said, "Ready to enter the belly of the beast?"

Thyzil grimaced. "Ready to split beast belly with sword."

I closed my eyes and crushed a blue magic coin under my foot.

"Transmati Howe," I said, causing blue-white light to pour up from the pentagram and transport us to the cave.

The ointment Alura gave me worked. I couldn't smell anything, which helped me to keep my breakfast inside my stomach and focus. Thyzil and Alura wasted no time uncovering the weapon cases and making a final inspection. Sure seemed like a lot of weapons to me, but Alura and Thyzil are the weapons experts and they always preferred more than less.

Alura placed all the grenades on the cave floor in neat rows of five secured to straps. She put a wire through the grenade pins with a leather pull loop to set each strap off simultaneously if needed. She also stuffed silver daggers in her boots, under her wrist sleeves, and under her pants belt.

"Alura, won't all those grenades put us in jeopardy when they go off?" I asked.

"No, the silver fragments will not penetrate anything but lycanthrope skin. If fragments hit you, it might feel like a hornet nest fell on you, but it won't break your skin. Placing these belts at different areas of the cavern will allow me to swing out five grenades each time to cause maximum damage."

"Sure are a lot of grenades."

Alura grinned. "The more the merrier. Besides, who's counting, except you?"

"You're the expert grenade handler, so who am I to question."

"Darn straight wizard boy, and don't you forget it," she said, then winked at me as she started reloading the weapon cases.

Thyzil loaded up on Gatling gun wheel magazines and was smiling ear-to-ear like a cat with a mouse in its mouth. He tucked the two inferno crystals under his belt and went up the rope ladder leading to the cavern while Alura tied the case handles with a rope. Thyzil then pulled up all the cases effortlessly and began emptying their contents.

"Heads up brother," Alura said, then tossed a couple bags of silver fragments to me. "Hang on to those. They may come in handy if we find ourselves in a jam."

I stuffed the bags into my coat pockets and followed Alura up the rope ladder. Thyzil had already snapped several glow sticks to light up the cavern so I could begin constructing a pentagram from the PVC pipe. I decided a having a ten foot diameter pentagram would suffice, provided that Ah Chuy Kak is sitting in his throne. After all, there is no need to have a throne unless he plans on putting his furry butt on it.

A larger pentagram would make it difficult for me to touch the wizard star on a dodging Mayan overlord. A smaller pentagram might miss the fur ball altogether and risk having Ah Chuy Kak escape again. This reminded me of Goldilocks and the Three Bears – everything had to be just right. Sure, the bear story was about beds, but the concept is the same. The slightest error in constructing the pentagram could ruin everything, not to mention increasing the likelihood of being torn apart by a bunch of fur balls.

I first made a circle joining the PVC pipe ends together with pipe cement. Then I cut six straight sections of the pipe to form two triangles. I placed the triangles into the circle and tied them off with zip locks to form a pentagram. It wasn't very sturdy, but it didn't need to be. Pentagrams only directed magical energy once a spell is cast – it could be made with toothpicks and still work.

Hopefully, Ah Chuy Kak would soon be inside my trap while he watched all his groupie fur balls get dusted. The thought of waiting another 25,000 years to dust the flea bag was disturbing to say the least. We had to trap and banish Ah Chuy Kak tonight, period.

Alura finished placing grenade belts around the cavern with wolfsbane to hide any scent of gun powder. Once done, she came over to inspect my plastic pentagram.

"Ready to lift this work of art above the throne," she asked.

"Yup, let's get it done."

Alura tied the end of a wire spool to the center of the pentagram and we held it up over the throne. The neat thing about PVC pipe is that it doesn't weigh much and is easy to balance. With one hand holding the pentagram and the other a crossbow, Alura shot a dart dead center into the cavern ceiling over Ah Chuy Kak's throne.

"Not bad, and with your first shot." I said.

Alura grinned. "As always brother," she said. "It looks like the dart set well and will hold your pentagram."

After hoisting the pentagram up 30 feet to hide it among the dripstone formations, I took a white magic coin from my wizard bag and snapped it in half. The two halves sparkled and turned into powder in my palm. I then raised my hand and blew the powder up toward the pentagram and said, "Ecasenah," causing the PVC pipe to fade and disappear. Bees wax aerosol spray made a perfect second pentagram around the throne. Once the bees wax dried, it too could not be seen.

"Okay, the trap is set. Now we cross our fingers, wait until the party begins, and hope everything goes according to plan."

Thyzil finished hiding weapons and wolfsbane in various nooks and crannies of the cavern and then joined Alura and me at the rope ladder. I noticed our footprints were everywhere on the dirt floor – a small detail left out of our battle plans – so I summoned Kyiel and asked if he had any idea how to make the footprints disappear.

"This is a simple spell Azul that requires no magic coin," Kyiel said. "All you need to do is call up your internal magic, speak the work windstar, and what you wish erased will be made so. First, find a spot where you will not make more footprints."

Sound simple enough. I found an out of the way spot near the hole leading to the cave below. We stacked the emptied weapon cases next to large rocks and I cast another clamor spell making them invisible. We could see from behind them, but the other side looked like rocks and blended in with the cavern wall. I then pointed my staff toward the cavern floor and said, "Windstar," creating a light breeze that turned into a gust and swirled the dirt around on the cavern floor. When the wind subsided, our footprints were gone and the wolf footprints remained.

"Okay guys, nothing left to do now but wait for the fun to begin," I said. "Make yourself comfortable and get some rest. It's going to be a long night."

"Should I take my leave Azul?" Kyiel asked.

"You might as well hang around and keep an eye on things. Let us know if anything unnatural moves."

"About Kyiel ... exactly what is his role in all this?" Alura asked.

I sat down leaning my back against the wall and tilted my hat over my eyes.

"It's a surprise. Don't do anything until after Kyiel finishes his magic show."

It didn't take long, maybe a couple of hours, when Kyiel appeared as instructed and announced he detected movement in the tunnel behind the throne. A few minutes later, several men wheeled a wagon into the center of the cavern. I wiped the ointment off from under my nose and smelt wolf. They were lycanthropes, not men.

The wagon had portable flood lamps attached to telescopic stands. Large batteries were taken off the wagon and placed at each corner of the cavern. The flood lamps came off next and the first one was hooked up to a battery only a few feet away from our weapon cases. I held my breath while one lycanthrope lifted his head up and sniffed. Could he smell us? Wolfsbane was all around where we were hiding to hide our scent. The fur ball made a quick inspection turning his head back and forth, then went about his business placing flood lamps at other areas.

Wolfsbane ... don't leave home without it ... at least not on a full moon.

Several minutes later, a bunch of well dressed lycanthropes entered and took seats on the benches carved into the cavern walls. Things were taking on a real carnival atmosphere, missing only vendors selling balloons, soft drinks, and cotton candy.

Two large lycanthropes dressed in tradition Mayan garb placed drums on each side of the throne and began banging a beat. Then there was a sight I did not expect, not in the twenty-first century. Two fur balls walked out into the center of the cavern floor, faced each other, and turned into their natural ugly selves. They were large, seven or eight feet tall, and growled loud enough to nearly drown out the sound of the beating drums.

So, this is a lycanthrope's version of a night out on the town. Their own members only fur ball fight club.

The two lycanthropes circled each other with their long black claws scratching at the air. Snarls and teeth gnashed as they drew closer to each other and began landing bloody blows. Some of the seated fur balls began changing and howled while the light of the full moon shined down through a ceiling hole at the top of the cavern. I'll say one thing for the smelly wolfs. They can take a beating and keep on fighting like there was no tomorrow.

The two drummers began to slow down their beat and then stopped. Another fur ball came out from behind the throne, also dressed in traditional Mayan garb, and blew an ear piercing note from a long horn. The two fighting lycanthropes backed off from each other and limped slowly away.

Another wagon that looked like it belonged to a circus was rolled in. This wagon had bars on it, like a jail, and three people were inside. They were showing signs of transforming into wolves and it reminded me of the old lady in the cabin at Moon's arena. Still human enough to recognize what was happening, they kept screaming in terror, which excited the fur ball audience.

Three lycanthropes pulled the infected prisoners out and placed their heads and arms into the stocks, like those used at the Salem Witch trials. All three prisoners were young and one was a women. The lycanthropes then walked over and stood next to their cheering audience.

Another horn sounded, this time three blasts in succession, and everything went completely silent. A gust of wind rushed from the tunnel behind the throne and a large eagle flew in circling the cavern several times to loud cheers and howls. The eagle swooped down in front of the three prisoners and changed into Ah Chuy Kak.

The grand fur ball stretched his slimy body into the air with arms raised high. Then he made a nightmarish scream that silenced all his cheering groupies. Strands of misty light began to leave the prisoners and enter Ah Chuy Kak's mouth. He was sucking what was left of their life out of them. In a few seconds, the prisoner bodies shrank and shriveled up. Their eyes and mouths remained wide open showing the horror they had experienced, just like those at Sunset Park and in the cave below.

There was nothing we could do. They were still part human and Zeshtune law prohibited harming humans, even for mercy killings. Any harm against a human, even if only part human, carries serious consequences. The Zeshtune elders would not accept an emotional defense. I grimaced and Alura looked furious with tears running down her face. Thyzil gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the large claymore hilt he carried.

Ah Chuy Kak changed back into an eagle and flew to his throne where he transformed back to his hideous self. His audience howled and cheered as one well dressed fur ball approached the center and faced him. It was Senator Kendrisol, and this time he was campaigning to be named alpha. He spoke to his master in ancient Mayan.

"Great one, your children are here to honor you once again in celebration of the new moon. We ask that you name a alpha this night to bring order once again to the packs who serve your pleasure. Lupzarro and Moon are no more and I am next in line to be your first servant, should you find me worthy to receive such an honor."

Politicians ... I'm not sure what's worse, the fur balls or our elected officials.

While Kendrisol continued his sucking up routine, I focused on building up my internal magic to cast the impenetrable barrier around Ah Chuy Kak's throne. Magic surged inside me and it required all my effort to hold it back. While still invisible, I opened my eyes, raised my staff pointing it at Ah Chuy Kak, and shouted, "Cellvarim."

The spell worked. Blue-white light rushed from the pentagram around the throne up to the one hanging above and trapped Ah Chuy Kak inside. The fur ball jumped off his throne and slammed into the barrier which made a loud crack sound while pushing him back. He tried again and again, and each time was pushed back by the barrier. Ah Chuy Kak then stood still looking around his magical prison and let out a terrifying scream.

Kyiel appeared in front of the lycanthrope audience who had now all changed into their natural selves, including Senator Kendrisol. Kyiel held out his hands and palms up with fire blazing out ten feet high, which stopped Kendrisol from advancing toward him. Then, five Alura and five Thyzil holograms appeared at different areas of the cavern, each with swords drawn and swooshing in the air as they stared down the snarling lycanthropes.

The real Alura smiled. "Nice diversion brother."

Thyzil also smiled and said, "I look good out there, yes? Five Thyzils better than one."

I had built up more internal magic and was ready to cast a silver dust spell. I raised my staff and shouted, "Clotasia soot," causing a stream of white-silver light to disperse from where we hid the silver bars and race up the walls to the ceiling, as well as cover the dirt floor. Silver strands of light also stretched out into the air across the cavern.

Ah Chuy Kak pointed at the hologram warriors and screamed, "Kill them."

The lycanthropes started chasing ten holograms that continued somersaulting and dodging in all directions. A few lycanthropes crossed paths with the silver streaks of light and were cut into halves that burst into fiery ash. Once the fur balls cornered the fake Aluras and Thyzils, they attempted to tackled them, but to their surprise went right through the holograms and tumbled across the dirt floor. All the fur balls were stunned and went silent.

"It's the wizard. He is here. Find him, kill him," Ah Chuy Kak shouted.

It's too late you slimy freak. I shouted the word, "Ecasenah," which created a vacuum and expansion of air that pushed silver dust all over the floor, walls, ceilings, and of course, the angry fur balls. The dust stopped them in their tracks while they howled, coughed, and rubbed their eyes. Some fell to the ground gasping for air

Three loud explosions went off and I saw the hole in the cavern ceiling sealed off with a titanium net. Lieutenant Mack also sealed off the other two access points. No way out now. Kill or be killed.

I looked at Alura and Thyzil and grinned. "Your turn," I said.

The silver dust made the fur balls perfect targets for the real Alura and Thyzil who sprang into action. Alura ran forward jumping from the top of a rock and somersaulting into to several rolls. She bounced off one lycanthrope to the next all the while slicing them with her two silver swords. By the time she landed on the ground, more than 10 fur ball were burning piles of ash.

Thyzil ran into the battle with a Gatling gun in each hand shooting bullets filled with liquid silver into anything with long teeth and furry faces. Lycanthropes dropped to the cavern floor howling in pain as they also burned into piles of red hot ashes.

Not to be left out of all the fun, I ran into the battle swirling my staff shouting, "Raza zitum," sending blue-white saw discs out like Frisbees with razors. One fur ball jumped in front of me as I ran toward Ah Chuy Kak. My reflexes caused me to point my staff forward which struck the fur ball turning it into flames. Another two came from each side as I turned in a circle repeating the words raza zitum, sending out more magic discs – they were like hot knifes cutting through fur ball butter. The discs entered and exited them repeatedly until they fell to the ground in flames.

Ah Chuy Kak kept screaming, "Kill them, kill them, kill them," while banging on the barrier with his fist. I looked up and pointed my staff at him.

"Be patient ugly, I'm coming for you next," I said, causing Ah Chuy Kak to pause and stare me down, to which I grinned and nodded. "That's right, your time on Earth is up, and this time there's no escape."

Ah Chuy Kak continued staring showing pure hatred and contempt. "Kill them, kill them, kill them," he shouted again as he banged his fist against the barrier. The great Mayan overlord was acting like a toddler having a tantrum – not so tough now.

Alura jumped up in the air and spun like a deadly top as her swords glowed blue-white and swooshed through the air. At least eight fur bars were taken down before she landed and rolled picking up two grenade belts that were covered under dirt. She swung the belt around her head and released them pulling the pins free. When the grenades exploded, several nearby fur balls lost their heads – I mean they literally lost their heads. Their bodies fell to the ground and burned while other fur balls lost arms and legs that also burned into ashes.

# Chapter 31

Thyzil used up all his Gatling gun magazines and was now shooting a shotgun in one hand and swinging his claymore in the other as only he could. Lycanthrope heads, arms, hands, and even legs flew into the air in all directions creating trails of smoke and fire.

"Want to play doggies? Come, we play more," he said and roared in laughter.

You would think after seeing a few dozen lycanthropes get chopped into fiery body parts, the fur balls might back away from Thyzil. I guess they are less intelligent when in their furry state because more rushed Thyzil and their body parts also were sent burning through the air.

Alura threw more grenade belts that pierced lycanthropes with precise explosions. A fragment from the grenade hit my hand and it burned like hell, but didn't pierce my skin. Alura's daggers were flying in all directions hitting fur ball after fur ball, mostly dead center in their heads. When the daggers were gone, she pulled out both Desert Eagles and began shooting with her usually accuracy while running, jumping, and somersaulting.

I finally got closer to Ah Chuy Kak while some of his groupie fur balls were trying to free him from my trap. They were clawing at the barrier in a ferocious but futile attempt while their Mayan overlord continued banging his body into the barrier with greater velocity. Ah Chuy Kak kept screaming, "Kill them ... kill ... kill ... them ..." He sounded desperate now and realized he might not escape this time.

The fur balls tying to free Ah Chuy Kak saw me coming and faced to battle me. I didn't get a chance to accommodate them because Alura and Thyzil ran past me and cut their heads off.

Ah Chuy Kak stood still glaring at us with his eyes wide open, no longer showing arrogant confidence. Instead, the mighty fur ball had fear in his eyes. For millenniums the Darkzon overlord walked this world infecting and murdering innocent humans without answering to anyone. He had escaped me 25,000 years ago in the Mayan city of Tenochtitlan, and according to Yochi, it wasn't the first time. It was different now. The fur ball was trapped like a wild animal and he knew it.

I looked over to Thyzil and saw blood running down his arm. It didn't seem to bother him in the least.

"What happened to you?"

Thyzil looked at his arm. "This ... it is nothing. Doggy bit me."

"You're not going to grow pointy ears are you?'

Alura laughed. "Azul, you know that Zeshtunians can't be turned. We are immune to a lycanthrope bite."

Thyzil rubbed his ears. "Pointy ears maybe good look on me, yes?"

"No, it would not look good Thyzil, not at all," Alura said, laughing and shaking her head in disagreement.

"Perhaps you are right princess. I am plenty good looking now," he said and winked at me, causing Alura to smirk and stick her tongue out at him.

I turned my attention back to Ah Chuy Kak and looked at the top pentagram, which surpassingly was undamaged. If I penetrate the barrier with my staff, it will disappear and Ah Chuy Kak would likely escape. I had to make his prison more compact, but knew of no magic word or spell that could help me.

I raised my staff up pointing it to the top pentagram, closed my eyes, and focused on lowering it. A light began to take shape in my mind and words of many tongues rushed by until one word stood alone. I opened my eyes and said, "Levitsum," causing the wire holding the top pentagram to snap. I then moved my staff slowly down and the pentagram followed as Ah Chuy Kak watched in fear. The ceiling of his prison was closing in as he feverously slammed against the barrier and watched the pentagram get closer. A few moments later, Ah Chuy Kak curled into a ball as the barrier encased him completely leaving no room to move.

"You can not kill me wizard. If my body is destroyed, I'll take another," Ah Chuy Kak said. "You can not kill me," he repeated with hatred, and in a sign of renewed confidence, he growled.

I pointed my staff a few inches from the barrier that was covering the wizard star on Ah Chuy Kak's forehead. The star began to glow white hot and Ah Chuy Kak screamed in pain, once again appearing vulnerable.

"I'm not going to kill you Ah Chuy Kak. I'm going to send you back to oblivion," I said and pushed my staff forward toward the wizard star.

A loud clap of thunder unexpectedly sounded when my staff touched the barrier. The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back 30 feet away looking up at the cavern ceiling. I was barely conscience. When I lifted my head up, I saw Ah Chuy Kak stretching his arms and head as he howled, and then he glared at me.

"See wizard, I told you so. You can not kill me, but I can kill you," he said, forming a grin so wide it nearly engulfed his twisted face.

What the heck just happened? I felt like I stuck a screw driver into an electrical socket. The bigger shock though was that fur ball somehow freed himself from my trap and zapped me across the cavern floor.

Ah Chuy Kak pulled the necklace off his neck and tossed it to the floor. The center stone of the necklace, which moments ago was an amber color, was now blackened and shot sparks and small trails of smoke into the air.

It's not a stone. Must be a technological gadget, some sort of a Darkzon magic repellent. If it were magic, like my amulet stones, I would have sensed it. Sensing technology is not a talent I possess, at least no more so than anyone who is or is not a wizard.

I stumbled to my feet as Ah Chuy Kak transformed into something that is difficult to describe. He tripled in height, grew a lobster like claw out of one arm and a long octopus tentacle out of his other arm. A long beak with a double row of three inch teeth grew out from his face and a serpent tongue stretched out of his mouth wagging like a dog's tail. It was like watching a genetic disaster come to life in a cheap science fiction movie.

Alura saw what happened and threw a half dozen or more silver daggers into Ah Chuy Kak, but they had no effect. The fur ball casually glanced at her and grinned while the daggers popped out of his body and fell to the ground. Alura then unloaded her silver filled magnum bullets into Ah Chuy Kak which made ripples in his skin like when a stone hits water, but didn't cause any damage.

At the same time, Thyzil began his attack from the other direction and swung his claymore clean through the fur ball's octopus arm. The severed arm fell to the ground and began flopping like a fish out of water, causing Ah Chuy Kak to roar in pain.

I actually thought for a moment that we might have the upper hand – no pun intended – but another octopus arm grew back in seconds. The Darkzon overlord was once again his ugly whole self and ready for a fight.

The daze I felt had cleared up, except for a headache and few muscle spasms, and my shoes were no longer on my feet. What in the heck ... where's my shoes? I then saw my shoes exactly where I was standing when trying to touch the wizard star on Ah Chuy Kak's forehead. I also noticed that my socks were smoking a little, which oddly almost made me laugh. I looked back at Ah Chuy Kak and shrugged.

"Is that all you got? You know, I'm not really sure what to call you now. Honestly, that entire lobster-octopus-beak look is confusing, not to mention really gaudy."

I picked up my staff and swirled it around my head, then said, "No matter, because in a few minutes you'll look like fried calamari."

The last breathing lycanthrope, who was standing next to Ah Chuy Kak, poised itself ready to defend its master. Ah Chuy Kak grabbed the lycanthrope with his claw and tossed the yelping beast at me, as if it was a sack of potatoes. No loyalty whatsoever from the upper fur ball echelon.

I shouted, "Aknor stellara," and a bolt of lightning split the airborne lycanthrope in half and also pierced through Ah Chuy Kak's leg. I then shouted, "Raza zitum," and swirls of blue-white light shot forth magical saw bands from my staff that tore through Ah Chuy Kak's body.

It was an amazing sight. Chunks of Ah Chuy Kak fell to the floor as he screamed in agony. As much fun as it was to watch the creep suffer, each body part grew back almost instantly, and that was much less fun to watch. My saw bands kept working though, and each time a body part was regenerated, the bands chopped it off again.

At first, Alura looked confused at all the regeneration, but then she laugh a little as though watching a Road Runner cartoon where the coyote often gets run over by a truck, or endures other painful events. Thyzil wasn't amused by the situation and wasted no time throwing his claymore at Ah Chuy Kak. Bullseye – the blade entered one side of Ah Chuy Kak's head and stuck out the other side. The fur ball became silent as his eyes bulged to twice their normal size, then he slumped to his knees. My saw bands finished taking his legs and head off causing what was left of him to fall into the dirt. There was no regeneration this time. Ah Chuy Kak appeared defeated.

My magical saw bands circled his body a few more times, and with nothing more to slice and dice, they flickered and disappeared.

That was too easy. Ah Chuy Kak is a Darkzon overload, who supposedly is unable to be killed. The best one could hope for was banishment into the dark void, but there he was, all pieced out like a daily special in a meat butcher's shop window.

"Nice shot Thyzil," Alura said.

Thyzil smiled. "Of course princess, what else could it be from a warrior?" he said with pride, then put his foot on Ah Chuy Kak's head to pull his claymore out.

"Careful Thyzil," I said. "This thing is a Darkzon overlord, and as far as I know, it can't be killed."

"Azul's right Thyzil," Alura said. "Be careful."

Thyzil slowly pulled his sword out of Ah Chuy Kak's head and I pointed my staff ready for the unexpected. Nothing happened at first, but a few moments later, Ah Chuy Kak's chopped off head gasped and transformed into an eagle that began flying around looking for an exit. His other body parts were obviously no longer needed and turned into gooey piles of green puss.

That's more like it. I pointed my staff at Ah Chuy Kak and missed several times trying to hit him with lightning bolts, but got him on the fourth try. He fell to the cavern floor and transformed back into his true form. Ah Chuy Kak tried unsuccessfully to push himself up off the floor, then he glared at me while on his hands and knees.

"You can not kill me wizard ... can not," he said, but this time he wasn't grinning and he looked weak and in pain.

"Gotcha now fur ball," I said and threw my staff like a javelin, and it slammed into Ah Chuy Kak's wizards star.

Ah Chuy Kak lit up as bright as the sun. He screamed one last time in horrible agony, and in a brilliant flash of light, the Darkzon overlord was banished into the dark void.

I looked at Alura thinking a compliment was coming, but she just dusted off the dirt from her pants.

"What, no 'nice shot' or 'that a boy'?"

Alura smirked. "Okay, nice shot," she said, arching her eyebrow and folding her arms across her chest.

She wasn't very sincere in responding to my solicited compliment, but hey, I'll take even the slightest praise at this point.

I picked up Ah Chuy Kak's charred necklace and examined it more closely. Only a burnt out stone set in a gold plate remained. No wires, crystals, or anything electronic were present, and only a faint sign existed that a stone was ever set inside the necklace plate.

I put the necklace in my pocket to bring back to Keob for further examination. Perhaps Sarila or Yochi may be able to figure out how it worked so effectively against my magic. Can't have Darkzon magic repellent being used against us, so Sarila was my best shot at figuring out how to neutralize it.

The one flood light that survived the battle popped sending sparks into the air and the cavern went dark. I heard snapping noises and saw Alura and Thyzil tossing glow sticks around on the cavern floor to provide light. As we looked around to check for anything alive besides us, we saw piles of smoking ashes, but nothing was moving.

"Well, that sure went better than I thought it might," I said and let out an exhausted breath.

Thyzil smiled in agreement. "Yes, today was good day," he said and Alura raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"What princess? It was good day, yes?"

We all started to laugh and moved to the center of the cavern when where Lieutenant Mack and his men were shinning lights through the ceiling hole.

"You people alright down there?" Mack asked.

"Yea, we're good," I responded, glad to see the Lieutenant again.

"How are you getting out of there? Do you need our help?"

"Nope, we're good," I said. "We're going to make our own exit. Hey Lieutenant, thanks for all your help."

Mack smiled. "Always a pleasure Mr. Zane."

"You know wizard, we have many weapons not used," Thyzil said. "I was looking forward to using shotguns."

"Maybe next time Thyzil, but you did dust a lot of fur balls with you claymore and Gatling guns."

Thyzil smiled. "Yes, I did kill many doggies today. Maybe shotguns next time, like you say," he said, then got the crystals he hid and held one in each hand.

"Here we go again wizard," he said.

"How long this time?" I asked.

"Plenty of time ... 10 minutes."

Same as last time. "Is that really 10 minutes, or about 10 minutes?"

Thyzil shrugged and placed the two crystals on the cavern floor, then pushed them together. The crystals started to glow and hum in the same way the other crystals did when destroying Moon's office building.

"Time to go," Thyzil said.

We used the rope ladder to descend to the cave below and saw something moving. It was a badly wounded lycanthrope crawling toward the titanium net covering the cave's exit. As we got closer, we saw it was Senator Kendrisol. The sleazy fur ball left the battle to save its own skin – big surprise.

"Hey Kendrisol, going somewhere?" I asked.

The Senator rolled over on his back and looked up at me. He was wounded more that I thought. Half his face was missing and blood was pouring out from his chest.

"Let me go wizard," he pleaded. "I am a powerful Senator and businessman. I can help you live a life without wanting anything."

"You don't look well Kendrisol," I said. "I don't think you're going to be able to deliver on any more promises, not that you ever did."

I took the two bags of silver fragments Alura gave me before the battle began and held them over the soon to be departed senator.

"Even so Kendrisol, let me help you out with a final donation for your campaign to nowhere," I said, then poured the silver onto him as he let out one last long scream before bursting into flames. "Say hello to your boss Ah Chuy Kak."

"Good doggie ... stay," Thyzil said.

I held out my staff and tapped the titanium net causing it to turn white hot and melt to the ground. We exited the cave and began walking to a safe distance before the crystals cleaned things up. We didn't get far before several military vehicles approached and stopped with their headlights pointed at us. It was Lieutenant Mack.

"I'm glad to see you all made it out in one piece. Do you need a ride back to the city?" Mack asked.

"No thanks Lieutenant. We have our own way home," I said.

"Alright sir, you all have a safe trip," Mack said and saluted us, then drove off with the other vehicles including the rental car I left in town.

Bright red lights began to emit from the cave exit and hole in the cavern ceiling. The light grew more intense, causing us to hold our hands over our eyes while we peeked through open fingers. The cave and cavern were melting fast into molten rock.

I heard a noise from behind us and turned quickly pointing my staff while Alura and Thyzil drew their swords ready to strike. The light from my staff stone showed a man walking toward us, and as he got closer, I saw it was Henry Twyer accompanied by three wolfs that were walking on all fours. Henry stopped ten feet in front of us and the wolves, appearing to be friendly, calmly sat at his side.

"It is over," Henry said. "We owe you and your friends a debt of gratitude Daniel. Our pack will never forget what you have done for us."

I lowered my staff and Alura and Thyzil lowered their swords.

"No problem, it was nothing really," I said, causing Alura and Thyzil to arched their eyebrows, then they looked at each other and grinned.

The three wolves slowly walked over to us wagging their tails and dropped something from their mouths at our feet, then darted back to Henry's side. We each bent down and picked up what was finely crafted leather bracelets.

"What are these for?" I asked.

"Outsiders are not normally welcomed into our pack," Henry said. "There are exceptions, and in those rare cases, our custom requires a pack member to give a gift to the outsider as an invitation."

Henry began to pat one of the wolf's head. "This is Felicia, my youngest daughter. She and her two brothers made the bracelets for you and your friends. Accepting them will make you honorary members of our pack and always welcomed here in Howe. We will become family."

I looked at the bracelet and then at Henry and Felicia. Thyzil and Alura looked at each other and then to me and nodded. We then smiled and slipped the bracelets over our wrist.

"It is an honor for us to accept your gifts," I said. "Thank you."

Henry smiled and the three wolves began jumping and chasing each other in a playful manner.

"Please come visit us again soon," Henry said as he walked away into the night with his children happily scampering behind him.

The entrance to the cave continued glowing white hot as rocks melted together. It was fitting to have fire cleanse the stench of Ah Chuy Kak who was now banished into the dark void. It wasn't over though, not by a long shot. The picture I saw showed Ah Chuy Kak with two other overlords at the feet of Itzam-Yeh. Who or what these other dark creatures are is anyone's guess, not to mention the big enchilada Itzam-Yeh. All I know is that they are Darkzon, and that makes them my enemy.

Lycanthrope packs still existed all over the world, but now they would begin fighting each other again for the position of alpha. With Ah Chuy Kak out of the picture, I suspect the fighting will wage among the packs for a very long time. Good, let them tear each others throats out. When the new alpha shows its furry face in New York, or anyplace else, I'll be ready to dust it.

I drew a pentagram in the dirt and reached in my wizard bag for a blue coin. Instead of removing the coin, I paused.

"What is it?" Alura asked.

"Not sure, but I think we can transport without the coin."

I stepped into the pentagram with Alura and Thyzil, then placed the end of my staff in the center. I closed my eyes and focused on my magic and said, "Transmati domas," and nothing happened. I opened my eyes and saw Alura jab Thyzil in his side while letting out a little laugh.

"Let's try that again," I said and focused harder, then felt my magic flowing inside me out through my staff onto the pentagram. "Transmati domas," I said in a slow deliberate voice, causing blue-white light to shoot up into the clouds and light up the night sky.

When I opened my eyes, we were back in my Manhattan bedroom. I smiled and raised my eyebrows up and down several times giving them a silent I told you so look.

"Impressive," Alura said. "Looks like you have bonded well with your staff big brother. Now, all the magic you need is in you."

Thyzil put me in one of his death grip hugs and said, "Reminds me of old times wizard."

I somehow knew what Alura told me was true. I held my staff up and thought to put it away and it disappeared. It wasn't gone, only not there physically. I could sense it was with me ready to be summoned by a single thought. Magic coins were no longer needed because my staff was now a part of me.

My phone buzzed. It was a text message from Sarila that read: Need to meet. New situation. Very serious.

"Are you kidding me? I didn't even get to sit down," I said and let out a long sigh.

Alura laughed. "I told you brother. Things really never quiet down for us."

In the course of only a couple months, I went from being a Harvard professor to becoming a master wizard from a planet called Zeshtune. I traveled to another planet called Keob and its moon Galbria, which no one knows orbits the Earth's sun. I discovered I have a sister, can summon a magical construct named Kyiel, and am friends with a warrior of the likes only seen in movies. I learned that the dark creatures, once only existing in my dreams or late night television, are real and roam the Earth. I also met and fell for a white witch and became a member of a wolf pack.

That's a lot to take in, and you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.
