The Bloodstone Prophecy - Book 2 (complete)

Chapter 18 - The White Desert

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“You’re crazy,” Kami told Haji as they drove back to his home in Al Farafra. “I’m no warrior.”

Haji glanced over at her, then back at the road.

“It is true you are not trained,” he said. “But you did just command that shadow creature.”

“I think it was mostly the stone doing the work,” Kami said doubtfully. “I don’t know if I could do it again. I have no clue how I pushed that shadow squid away.”

“My father used to tell me stories of the shadow warriors,” Haji said.

“Let me guess.  More forbidden stories?” Kami smiled.

“Of course,” Haji grinned back. “My mother does not care for any stories that include the supernatural. My father said that the warriors were trained from the time they were young. They lived an ascetic lifestyle by eating only vegetables and fruit, meditating, and fasting often. They kept very few possessions, believing them to be a distraction from their training. Their teachers believed in a mind and body connection that could only be obtained by subjecting the body to the spirit. They called it studying the mysteries. Even young warriors would train intensely, sometimes up to ten or twelve hours a day.”

“Wow. Sounds intense,” Kami said. “Even more reason to believe I couldn’t be one of them. I don’t think I could survive without a good steak. So how does the magic fit into it?”

“They were very secretive about their methods. Somehow, they gain the ability over time to bend the laws of nature and control the elements. Some of them were able to channel energy so strongly they became walking flames that would light up the desert.” 

When they arrived at Haji’s home, Kami stumbled into the bedroom and, not even bothering to change, she instantly fell asleep. She awoke after noon, but she felt more refreshed than she had in a long time. She took a quick shower and joined Haji and Chris in the kitchen.

Lying on the table was the blade that Haji had found at the bottom of the sea. Kami examined it closely. She admired the wavy pattern on the blade that was encrusted in places with mineral deposits. Then she examined the hilt. It was made from a green stone, lighter in shade than her bloodstone. An intricately carved demon curved around the pommel.

“It’s made of emerald,” Haji said, as if reading her thoughts.   

“I think the stone in Alexander’s dagger was a bloodstone like yours, Kami,” Chris said.

“What?” Kami said.

“Oh that’s right. You never got to see it,” Chris said. “You weren’t at the museum either, were you Haji?”

“If it has a bloodstone, perhaps it has some connection to Kami’s necklace,” Haji said.

“And it’s likely in the hands of the Shadow Queen now,” Kami said.

“Ah, yes. Not good,” Haji said.

“That’s interesting,” Chris said. “Samuel has this total obsession with Thoth, as you know.”

“Wasn’t he the one that brought the Emerald Tablet to Egypt?” Kami asked.

“Yes. The emerald was a gift from him. It represented eternal life,” Chris said. “Can I hold it?” Haji nodded.

Chris picked up the dagger and but after holding it for a few seconds, he dropped it with a clatter on the table.

“What’s wrong?” Kami asked, noting his discomfort.

“I don’t know. It made me feel funny, almost as if it didn’t want me to hold it. It’s weird. How can you hold it Haji?” Haji looked surprised.

“It does not affect me that way,” Haji said.

“You try it, Kami,” Chris urged.

“Okay,” she said, picking up the blade gingerly, and almost instantly recognized the feeling Chris had described. It was almost as if the dagger was repelling her. She didn’t like the sensation and set it down even faster than Chris had.

“It really doesn’t bother you Haji?” she asked.

Haji picked the dagger up and shrugged. 

“Not really, other than sometimes it feels like it is magnetic.”

“My necklace was like that!” Kami said.

“It feels almost like it’s connected to me. I think it belongs to me now,” Haji said.

“So did it attach to you because you picked it up?” Chris asked. “Like if I had found it, would it have attached to me?”

Haji shrugged. Kami shook her head and tried to hide the little smile that crept onto her face at Chris’s enthusiasm. She thought of the shadow squid and the smile faltered. It seemed incredible that she’d somehow been able to stop it. Kami wished she understood how she had connected to the necklace, and how her power worked.

“I found this book in Samuel’s library,” Chris said, opening a battered, leather-bound volume entitled Mystical Weapons. “We were lucky it wasn’t messed up too bad in the raid. We only lost a couple of pages. See these drawings. The pattern is pretty distinctive. It’s definitely a Damascus blade, just like Haji’s dad said. They are super strong, but still flexible enough to bend from hilt to tip. According to this, the blade is sharp enough to cut through a silk scarf and strong enough to slice through a man.”

“I read about this online,” Haji said. “If I remember correctly, a few years ago some researchers from the University of Dresden discovered the secret behind Damascus steel—carbon nanotubes. They analyzed a Damascus sabre created by a famous blacksmith in the seventeenth century. He would begin with wootz steel from India. Wootz steel alone is strong but worthless for a weapon when used alone. It is too, what’s the word in English, brittle? It would shatter against another sword or shield. The trick was to add other minerals, then alternate between hot and cold phases to create the nanotubes. That’s why you see the wavy bands on the blade. So I’ve been wondering if the weapon was created by someone who wielded magic? What if it wasn’t just metal poured into the blade? What if he poured layers of magic into it?”

“That would be cool,” Chris said. “So you were able to slice the shadow squid’s tentacles with the blade. Would a regular weapon work on a shadow creature? Or is it something about the combination of the metal and stone that allows them to cut shadow?”

Kami rubbed a sore shoulder absently. Her body still ached from the exertion in the water. Her thoughts turned toward Neina and Yasmin and Liam. She hoped they weren’t too late to save them. Between Chris and Samuel’s weapons, and Haji’s dagger and her necklace, they might have a shot. At least they were returning a lot more prepared. She thought of the similarities between her necklace and Haji’s dagger. Both, it seemed, had the ability to fight shadow creatures. And both obviously had a precious stone worked into the design. But that’s where the similarity ended. It seemed Haji’s weapon involved straightforward slashing. But her necklace was more complex. It produced a healing oil, yes, but she could also connect to it with her mind. Maybe there was a mind connection between Haji and the dagger too, or other facets to it he hadn’t tapped into yet.

Chris eyed the weapon enviously.

“What does it feel like to use it?” he asked.

Haji paused. “To be honest, I feel clumsy. It feels like the blade has the potential to be more deadly, but I am just not wielding it quite right.”

“Welcome to the club,” Kami commiserated.

“All I know is I want one. What do you say Haji? Do you want to do another dive so Kami and I can find some weapons?”

“Only if Kami is willing to be shark bait again,” Haji said, smiling.

She shuddered.

“I wish we could,” Haji shook his head. “But I do not dare. Not until Kami is sure she knows what she is doing with her powers. I was within inches of that thing’s mouth.”

“You’re welcome,” Kami said. “I did save your life after all.”

“Yes,” Haji replied. “But would it be too much to ask that next time you do it before the saliva is dripping on me?”

“Haji, did you just make a joke?” Kami laughed.

“Maybe,” Haji said with a grin. “We need to get ready to leave.”

“Where are we going?” Kami asked.

“You’ll see,” Haji said, glancing at his little sisters who shoved past him giggling. “Chris, be sure to bring you know what.”

 They walked out to the SUV and Chris loaded a pet carrier and a smaller rusty metal cage into the back of the vehicle.

“Is that what I think it is?” Kami asked.

“Probably,” Haji said.

They drove about 28 miles, or 45 km north, and stopped the SUV.   

“Welcome to the White Desert,” Haji said.

Kami took a deep breath and stared out at the white bizarre-shaped limestone outcroppings and monoliths. Some jutted out of the ground as small as two feet tall, some loomed large at 14 to 20 feet, and others towered hundreds of feet in the air. It felt like she was on an alien planet.

 “Kind of odd mushroomy shapes, huh?” Chris said.

“Is mushroomy even a word?” Kami said. She wiped away the perspiration beading up on her forehead. The day was likely to be a scorcher. She would need to remember drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. She moved to the shade under one of the stone pillars, but it wasn’t much cooler.

Kami crouched down, picking up a handful of the chalky white sand.

“This place is amazing,” Kami said. “It looks like everything’s covered in snow.”

“That’s why I chose the White Desert,” Haji said. “It is shady during the day, light during the night with the reflection of an almost full moon against the white sand. It is the perfect spot to test our skills.”

“It’s like something out of a Salvador Dali painting,” she said.

“Kami, look at this,” Haji said, leaning down and picking something out of the sand. She walked over to inspect it.

“Are those seashells?” she with an incredulous voice.

“Yes, fossils. You’re standing on a prehistoric coral reef. This used to be the ocean floor. The sandstorms have eroded away the limestone to create these formations, leaving shells and fish and seaweed fossils behind.”

“Amazing,” Kami said.

Chris had brought out the box and the cage. He carefully opened the box and, using two laser sabers, transferred a creature into the metal cage. Kami wasn’t sure what it was at first, but upon closer inspection, the floppy ears gave it away. A shadow bunny? What an odd combination.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to discover this little one’s secrets. I’ve left plenty of food and water. I’ll be back in a few hours with Samuel. From every report I’ve heard of the White Desert, the shadow creatures don’t come out until the evening. But be careful just in case. Make sure you constantly wear your scarab Kami.” She nodded. He patted the cage and stood up.

“My father needs some help gathering reinforcements to fight the Shadow Queen, and Samuel may need some assistance finishing up his shadow displacer. He wants to try it out this evening. We must return to the queen’s cave quickly if we are to beat the army there. If we don’t…” He trailed off. He didn’t need to finish. They all knew that if the army attacked, the Shadow Queen had already threatened to kill Neina. From what Liam had said, she wouldn’t hesitate to do it, or use the prisoners as hostages, or do whatever she needed to do to protect herself.

He climbed into the SUV and drove into the desert, a trail of dust pluming up behind him. Kami stared after him thoughtfully.

“So, are you going to tell your grandfather about your little underwater adventure when he gets back?” Chris asked as he stooped down near the cage. The bunny hissed at him. 

“No way,” she said. “If he finds out, he might insist on protecting me at everyone’s expense.”

“So you ready to try commanding one?” Chris asked, pointing to the shadow creature in a cage. “I tried to choose one I thought might be easier for you.”

Kami groaned.

“I really have no clue what I’m doing.”

Kami looked at the bunny hesitantly. She kept expecting it to spit out venom through concealed fangs. She’d read Bunnicula in the third grade. The cute ones were the ones you had to watch closest.

“Whatever gave you the crazy idea to even try this?” she asked.

“It was your Gedo, actually,” Chris said. “When he said the Shadow Queen held a shadow creature in her lap, I realized she had some kind of mind control powers over them. It got me to thinking that if she could command the creatures for evil purposes, maybe they could be turned and used for good. Then you were able to use that mind trick on the shadow squid …”

“Yeah, but I still don’t know how I did that. Besides, it’s not like I turned the squid good. I just pushed it away.”

“Yes, but what if you had given it a different command, like giving you a ride. Man, you should have commanded it to give you a ride. How cool would that be to say you rode a shadow squid?” Chris said.

“I’ll have to remember that next time I’m about to be torn to bits by a giant shadow squid. Gee, wouldn’t it be fun to take this thing out for a joyride?” Kami said.

Chris laughed. It was good to see the kid laugh. He was usually so serious, too serious. Of course their current predicament only exacerbated the condition.

“It wasn’t like I even knew I could command it. I was just desperate to get rid of it,” Kami said. “I don’t know how to repeat it. Besides, we don’t know if eating me would be considered an evil action. The creature might just be going off instinct.”

“But we have to try,” Chris insisted. “Just think what a powerful weapon it could be if you could get into the shadow creatures’ minds and stop them, or direct them. Tell me exactly what happened right before the shadow creature was sucked into the cave. Maybe we can recreate the situation.”

“Let’s see, I was wrapped up in the squid’s tentacle. How do you plan to recreate that?”

Chris rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t mean literally. What were you thinking? What gave you access to your power?”

Kami thought about it.

“I was feeling panicky, and I was about to give up, then I remembered Gedo’s words and I knew I couldn’t. I thought about everyone I knew, everyone who was counting on me. And then I felt this overwhelming anger at what was happening to us, and it was like the anger didn’t have me, but I had it, and I focused that anger on the necklace and, that’s it! That’s how I tapped into the power. I was able to focus the energy.”

“Sweet,” Chris said. “So just do it again. Only this time focus the energy on the bunny, and when you feel like you’re ready, command it.”

“Okay,” she said. “But you might want to get back a bit, just in case.”

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Hey all - if you think the White Desert is cool, please click on that star and vote. This place is so on my bucket list to visit.

Of all the sites the gang has been to so far in Egypt, which would you most want to visit?

Dedication today goes out today to @SkyLabyrinth for all the awesome comments. And you're from France. And you have a quote from Born of Shadow on your board, so doubly cool. You rock!