• Chapter 5

    The rest of the time spent with Derek flew by
    quickly. We left the park and he walked me back
    to my house, all the while laughing about random
    things. Finally, when we reached my house, he
    smiled and asked, “So, did you get what you
    wanted?”
    “What?” I asked, mildly confused.
    “The kiss? Is that what you wanted?” he
    asked and looked into my eyes questioningly.
    “Well, yeah, I guess,” I said.
    He took my face into his hands and kissed me
    for a second time that night. The same feelings
    rushed through my body, as they had earlier.
    When it ended, I was once again grasping for the
    light that I couldn’t touch.
    He left me standing there on my porch as he
    trudged through the snow that was gradually
    building up on the streets and sidewalks.
    I stood there for a long time, my eyes trailing
    him until he finally left my line of sight.
    I rushed into my house. As I was heading for
    the stairs, I passed the living room, where Peter
    was sitting on the floor trying to finish a project
    that was due the next day, and Nick was in the
    corner reading a lengthy book. Neither took notice
    of me as I ran up the stairs and into my room.
    My room was very dull and plain compared
    to my friends’ ornate rooms- it only consisted of a
    bed, a dresser, and a closet on the other side of the
    room. My window looked out upon the back yard
    full of trees and forestry.
    I took off my sweatshirt and lay on my bed,
    staring up at the tan-painted ceiling.
    I went over the day’s happenings in my head-
    from the weird occurrences at school to the
    amazing conclusion with Derek.
    Throughout the school day, everything that I
    did turned out great. I didn’t get in trouble for
    anything and everyone acted like they had always
    been my friends, like Chris Marco and Amanda
    Riles. I had never even talked to Chris one day in
    my life before today and there was no way
    Amanda could actually be nice to me. It had even
    started snowing today! In May!
    And Derek.
    He had kissed me today. After only this long
    of dating, he had kissed me. And twice, for that
    matter!
    It couldn’t be that today was real. Nothing
    made sense. I really don’t know why this was
    happening today. Unless-
    -Wait. What was that sound?
    I froze and listened intently over the sounds
    of the house and the howling winds outside.
    There! I heard it again. The sound came from
    above. It had sounded like banging.
    I must be imagining things. Nobody could get
    inside the house from the attic and somebody
    would have noticed if they had come from
    anywhere else.
    And yet…
    Suddenly, a loud bang made me jump to my
    feet.
    That was no ordinary house noise.
    As the sound continued, I cautiously made
    my way out into the hallway. As I passed Nick’s
    room, I took the bat he usually kept by his bed,
    just incase of situations like this. I went into the
    hallway again and edged up the stairs and to the
    attic door. As I listened closely through the door, I
    noticed that it was too quiet.
    Where had it gone? Why couldn’t I hear
    anything now? Had I really heard it…?
    Then, there was a terrible crash that rumbled
    throughout the house. I nearly jumped out of my
    skin.
    So, it’s safe to say I hadn’t imagined it. But,
    that leaves one more question.”
    Who- or what- was in the attic?

    Chapter 6

    My palms were sweaty and I had to wipe
    them on my pants to get a proper hold on the door
    knob. As I slowly turned the knob, my heart raced
    faster than ever before. It took me nearly a minute
    while I argued silently in my mind.
    What if it was someone dangerous?
    How can I know until I see for myself?
    This is crazy! I should just go tell someone
    else!
    No, I have a feeling about this…
    Finally, I decided that it would be better to
    just get it over with.
    I pulled back the door and cringed at the fear
    of whomever I was facing.
    But my fear was short lived. As I opened my
    eyes, I realized- it was empty. Not a living soul.
    I breathed a long sigh of relief and turned to
    leave. But, just as I faced the hallway, I heard
    another small sound.
    Again, I turned around, just in time to see a
    small beam of light fade from the crack of a
    distant box at the corner of the room. I dropped
    the bat.
    My curiosity moved me across the room. As I
    moved, I noticed an unbearable silence. The wind
    had stopped.
    The silence before the storm.
    I stopped a couple feet away from the box as
    I heard the first clap of thunder nearby.
    That’s strange. It took just a minute for the
    storm to set in.
    Finally, as I bent down to open the box, the
    tears of the sky dropped onto the roof. I stopped
    halfway when I realized what box this was.
    My grandparents’ chest?
    It was old and worn down. I had never
    opened it because my father had told me long ago
    when I was very young, “No, Carmen. Your time
    will come when you may finally open this.” I
    never knew what he was talking about. Not until
    today.
    I unlocked the chest. My heart was once
    again thumping like the beat of a drum. It was
    easy to unlock the chest, though. My grandparents
    never took precautions, in life or death.
    So, finally, when the chest opened, I peeked
    inside. The fear inside me evaporated like
    afternoon fog.
    It was a book.
    There was only one small book, so tiny I
    could fit it in my hands.
    I sighed.
    The front cover was incredibly preserved for
    it’s old age. The leather binding was slightly
    worn, but much better then any of my used book
    downstairs. I couldn’t read the writing in the
    front; it was a language I couldn’t read. It might
    have been Polish since my grandfather had lived
    in Poland during World War II. But, as I stared at
    the words, they shifted and scrambled to form
    English words right before my eyes. I looked
    away and when I turned back, they were once
    again in another language. The words from before
    had said, “Ancient Book of Magic”.
    Stunned, I reached for the book, and as I
    reached, it began to glow once more. I hesitated.
    But, then found it safe to continue. It grew
    brighter as I drew closer to it until it was nearly
    blinding. Sweat rolled down my face.
    Finally, I picked up the book. It was small,
    but heavy, like metal was concealed inside. It was
    also incredibly hot, has if the sun had heated it for
    decades.
    I opened the book and a ray of sunshine hit
    me, full force. Then, it finally faded and again I
    could see the entirety of the attic. Through which
    the moon shone through the window on the wall, I
    saw the first page of the book. When the words
    finally assembled themselves, this is what they
    said, “This book of magic belongs to Carmen
    Black, lone heir of the ancient tribe of Mersili.”
    And near the bottom of the ancient, yellowed
    parchment, is said, “Heed this warning: Any
    words read out of this book will, in turn, come
    true.”
    This is crazy! How did they know my name?
    What’s this about a warning?
    Curious, I flipped the page only to find one
    lonely verse. My eyes easily deciphered it this
    time; it was getting easier every time I read. This
    verse said:
    “Oh, Guardian of the Shadows,
    Come guide me through my ways,
    Guide me through triumph and sorrows,
    Through whatever I must face.”
    Then, I read it aloud once more.
    Thunder shook the house and there was a
    large roar behind me. Scared of what I may find,
    but unable to stop myself, I turned around.
    What I found shook me up so badly, I fell to
    my knees. There was a large vortex at the center
    of the attic. The inside was dark like a world full
    of shadows and the surrounding area warped into
    a masterful mix of colors. The moonlight was the
    only thing unaffected by it.
    Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and started
    to cry. I had finally cracked and couldn’t stop the
    tears as they flowed freely down my face. Streams
    fell softly to the hardwood floor. With my eyes
    blurry and unable to see, I remained there for
    awhile. Then, over the roar of the vortex, I heard
    the most beautiful voice I had ever heard come
    out of a mouth.
    “Why are you crying, Miss Black?”
    I wiped back any tears and dried my face.
    Then, I looked up to meet the most gorgeous face
    ever. He was even more handsome than anything I
    thought possible. I looked upon him in stunned
    silence.
    His hair was long and jet black. His eyes
    were piercing and a strange yellow color, but I
    could detect a gentle side behind the wall of
    hatred. He wore a sleeveless coat that covered the
    bottom half of his face with the collar. Both his coat
    and pants were torn with years of hard use.
    He wore heavy boots and I was surprised I hadn’t
    heard him walk into the attic from wherever he
    had come from.
    That reminded me of the vortex, but behind
    him, all that remained was the other side of the
    attic.
    His voice pulled my eyes back to his face.
    “Miss Black? Are you alright, Miss Black?” His
    voice was more beautiful than I remembered, even
    though I heard it mere seconds ago. It was gentle
    and soft, yet low and rumbling.
    I smiled. “I’m fine. What is your name?”
    “My name is Irueku Hazaro. You may call me
    Irueku, if you would prefer, Miss Black.”
    “Your first name’s Irueku?”
    He nodded.
    “Then you may call me Carmen.”
    “Yes, Miss Carmen.”
    I sighed.
    “Who exactly are you, Irueku?”
    I heard a chuckle. “I’m you guardian of
    magic. I am the Guardian of the Shadows.”
    I frowned. “Guardian of the Shadows?”
    He nodded again. “Yes, Miss Carmen. I am
    the Guardian of the Shadows.”
    “I hope you do realize that I have no clue
    what you are talking about.”
    He hesitated. “You really have no idea who I
    am?”
    I shook my head.
    “Tell me that you at least know what Shiko
    is.”
    “Not in the least bit.”
    He sighed. “Then I must start from the
    beginning. It all began- wait!”
    I was surprised, but didn’t say anything.
    “I hear someone downstairs. They’re about to
    come up to see what all the ruckus is.”
    I jumped to action. “Then come with me!”
    I grabbed his hand and ran quietly down the
    stairs and into my room. I herded Irueku into my
    closet and closed it just before my father walked
    through the doorway.
    He eyed the closet suspiciously, but said
    nothing.
    “Uh, hi, dad! What brings you up here?”
    He blinked. “What do you mean, Carmen? I
    am your father after all.”
    I smiled.
    His eyes slid down my face and to my hands.
    “What do you have there?”
    My smile faded. I forgot that I was still
    holding the book from upstairs in my hand. “It’s
    just a textbook, dad.”
    “Just a textbook? For what subject?”
    “Math,” I lied quietly.
    “May I see it?”
    I hesitated, then sighed. He’d find out
    anyway. I handed him the book and closed my
    eyes.
    He laughed.
    I had never heard my father laugh; he was
    incredibly stern all the time. But, sure enough, he
    had laughed. I opened my eyes as he handed the
    book back to me.
    “Alright, then. You may continue.”
    He left the room, shutting the door on the
    way out and I stared at the book rested in my
    hands.
    It was a math book.
    I quickly opened the closet and let Irueku out.
    He walked out quietly and sat gently on the bed.
    He looked like he was tired.
    “Are you alright?”
    I could tell from his voice that he was
    smiling. “Yes, Miss Carmen. I’m fine. It used up
    some of my energy to create that illusion.” he
    pointed at the book as it turned back into the
    Ancient Book of Magic. “I’m not as used to using
    magic in this realm and it seems to be more
    difficult to use it here. You must be truly powerful
    to have summoned me in this realm.”
    “Realm?” I asked quietly.
    “Yes. I shall now start at the beginning of the
    story.” He closed his eyes, then began, “A long
    time ago, our clans lived as one. The humans
    lived with the Shikoroni in peace and all were
    happy. The Shikoroni were the group of people
    who could use magic and we, the Shikoroni,
    protected humans from disaster. Then, thousands
    of years ago, the humans went to war with the
    Shikoroni because of their jealousy and pure
    hatred of people who were different. Families
    fought against families, friends against friends. In
    the end, the noble Shikoroni realized that it would
    become a mass genocide if the fighting continued.
    “Even though the Shikoroni were far
    outnumbered, we had incredible advantage over
    all humans. So the great family of Mersili took
    over for the Shikoroni as the leaders. They created
    a vortex to another realm unknown to all. There,
    we would stay and live for centuries to come. We
    were greatly saddened when we realized how
    many people, humans and Shikoroni alike, died in
    the fighting. We were even more saddened when
    we heard what the world had turned into after we
    left. Have you studied the Dark Ages?”
    I nodded.
    “The Dark Ages started after we left.
    Corruption was in every corner of the world and
    we felt pity. Pity knowing that we had caused it,
    that we were cause of so much pain and
    suffering.”
    “Why didn’t you come back and save them?”
    He looked up at me, sorrow plain on his face.
    “We couldn’t. If we had, we would have caused
    more corruption than help. The human clan has a
    very long memory.”
    “How come I haven’t heard about it, then?”
    “It was forgotten centuries ago, but it was far
    too late to do any good. So, both clans have lived
    separately for a long, long time.”
    “So what does this have to do with me?” I
    asked quietly.
    He looked into my eyes, then said, “About 70
    years ago, one especially powerful Mersili told of
    a prophecy. He said there would be a time, once
    again, when the Shikoroni and humans would live
    in peace with the humans. A time with no war or
    feelings of hatred. He said that the lone heir of
    Mersili would bring us to that time once again.
    But,” he looked down again, unable to meet my
    eyes. “We lost faith in that prophecy. About 15
    years ago, every single one of the Mersili tribe
    was murdered in cold blood, assassinated by a
    long time enemy of the Mersili, the Konmeru
    tribe. The Shikoroni now live like slaves under the
    rule of the Konmeru. We had lost hope in ever
    returning to the ways of before. Until now.”
    He looked up and his eyes softened.
    I was confused. “I still don’t understand why
    I have anything to do with this.”
    His eyes brightened. “Hand me the book, Ms.
    Carmen.”
    I obeyed and gave it to him silently.
    He opened to the first page and read, “This
    book of magic belongs to Carmen Black, lone heir
    of the ancient tribe of Mersili.”
    My mouth fell open. I finally understood.
    I, the normal uncomplicated girl from Coren,
    Wyoming, was related to the Mersili?
    Reading my mind, Irueku nodded. “Yes, Miss
    Carmen. It is true. You are the lone heir to the
    Mersili family!”
    I backed away. “No! It can’t be! How come I
    never knew? Why wouldn’t my parents tell me?”
    As Irueku was about to talk, I heard a voice
    from behind my door.
    “I never told you, Carmen, because I was
    giving you the chance,” my father opened the
    door, “the chance to live a normal life before we
    had to leave.”
    I stared in astonishment as Irueku got off the
    bed and kneeled down on his right knee. He
    bowed his head and crossed his right fist over his
    chest. He whispered almost inaudibly, “May the
    gods guide you, Raven Black.”
    Irueku stood and said lightheartedly, “It is an
    honor to serve you once again, Raven of
    Shadows.”
    A tremor shook my body and I had to sit
    down. “You know each other?”
    My father nodded. “Of course we do. This is
    my student. I trained him with all I know.”
    “Indeed he did. Of course you do not
    remember me. You were too young to realize your
    friend was actually taking lessons from your
    father.”
    My heart stopped. I remembered now. A long
    time ago, when I was around 4, a child with black
    eyes and striking, yellow eyes, emerged from the
    shadows. He stayed with us for only a year, but in
    that time, I had come to adore him. He was only 7
    when he left but he still seemed too stern for a
    child so young. I had come to know him as
    Sparky for his flashing, yellow eyes.
    He had never told me his name, but now I
    know it. Irueku Hazaro.
    I jumped up and hugged Irueku. He chuckled,
    but hugged back.
    Tears streamed once again down my face and
    for once happiness was clear on my father’s
    Usually unemotional face.
    I stepped back.
    All this had happened so quickly. “This is
    great! How long will he be staying this time?”
    Then, the happiness fell away and left his usual
    wary expression. “He’s not staying, Carmen.”
    I frowned. “But-”
    “We’re leaving,” he said.
    I looked at him astonished. “We’re…
    leaving?”
    Irueku nodded. “You will have one day to say
    farewell to your friends and family. Not including
    Raven, of course.”
    Hopeless despair crossed my face. “But-”
    Irueku shook his head. “There is nothing that
    can be done now. You must come with us or leave
    the Shikoroni to fall into chaos.”
    “But, why me? Why now?” I sulked.
    My father sighed. “Carmen, we have to.
    There’s no other choice.”
    “Yes there is!” I yelled suddenly. Irueku
    cringed. “There is always a choice! That’s what
    you always told me, dad! Always!”
    Father shook his head. “Not this time,
    Carmen. I’m sorry.”
    I sank to my knees.
    What can I do? Why must I have to leave?
    Why do I have to leave everyone behind? Why…?
    But, suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
    Irueku was kneeling before me. “Look at me,
    Miss Carmen,” I obeyed, “You must do this. For
    the sake of our country and people. Please, Miss
    Carmen. Have the strength and courage. Without
    your help everyone will die! Everyone! Not a soul
    will be saved if the Konmeru tribe succeed.
    Please, Miss Carmen, for me.”
    I looked into his beautiful eyes. Deep inside, I
    could see the pain and suffering. They all needed
    my help.
    And in that moment, I made the decision that
    would change my life forever.
    “I’ll do it!”