Enigma of the Soul - Book 1 - Pieces (8 page)

Black and blue striped puzzle pieces float through the void, bumping into floating stones with spirits chained to them. Blood red pieces float in the same direction as the black and blue striped ones. A few stray white puzzle pieces bump into the black and blue striped ones. Those pieces combine to form substantially larger, multi-colored pieces. The bigger pieces bump into the blood red puzzle pieces and golden sparks fly off the even bigger piece. The multi-colored blob acts like a magnet. More pieces are drawn closer as it becomes stronger and larger. One of the last parts to join this new soul is a deformed black ball with golden lines. A sphere is formed around the chunky puzzle piece blob. It is semi-transparent with golden lines keeping it together. A figure begins to form within the sphere as hands and feet are seen first. Legs and arms are formed with the body. The head comes last as the soul becomes whole. Red eyes peer out from within the sphere to see the world they are born into. The new soul's skin hardens, and it becomes aware of its surroundings. Moving its hands, it breaks out of the transparent sphere and braces its feet against the other side of the sphere. The transparent sphere shreds apart to release the new soul.

The new soul arrives on earth in a dense part of the woods near a lake. It drifts over to the lake. It sees its reflection shimmering back in the water. The new soul leans closer to make out what it looks like. It only sees two red eyes from a shadowy figure glaring back. The dark figure walks along the riverbank taking in all that its eyes can see. It comes to a clearing with a sandy beach and an old man in a black robe sitting on a log gazing up at the sky. The dark figure floats within five yards of this old man. The old man pays no attention to this shadowy figure that is watching him. He just sits there staring up at the sky watching all the clouds change shape and float by.

“Pretty aren't they? I especially like that one right there because it reminds me of a little white rabbit hurrying along,” the old man says out loud.

The evil spirit moves closer to him, wanting the old man to talk some more. Floating motionlessly, its red eyes peer through the old man’s face as it waits for him to speak.

“I'm sorry I did not introduce myself. My name is Donald, and I am a wizard for the great king. That is why I can see and talk to you.” Donald turns to look at what the spirit. “So, you are a lost soul? I have heard of your kind before but not for a very long time. You are wondering what this is place and why are you here. Well I can answer one of those right now. This place is called Cardoon Forest, and it is the backyard of the mystical castle of Griddoff.”

The dark figure nods and floats closer to Donald. Donald stands up and walks to the edge of the riverbank. He looks one way then the other to make sure that it is just the two of them. Donald turns around and faces the dark figure.

“Do you know how to speak?”

The dark figure shrugs its shoulders and shakes its head.

“Don't worry. It shall come to you in time. I wish I could remember the spell to give you your speech back, but I am getting to old to do much of anything,” Donald rubs his head.

The dark figure cocks its head to one side and copies Donald. Donald stops and the dark figure stops. Donald puts both of his hands in the air. The dark figure repeats it.

“You are a very quick learner. I am very impressed. I think you should come home with me. I have not had many guests over the last couple of years. It would be nice to talk to someone,” Donald walks in the direction of the castle with the dark figure trailing slowly behind him.

They arrive at the castle shortly after dusk. Donald walks up to his study and stops in front of the door.

“Hubert the Magnificent.”

The door unlocks and opens. They walk into Donald's study. Donald waves his hand and the door closes.

“The code word was an old nickname, a running gag with the other wizards back when I was just a young boy. They would call me that and try to tease me all the time, but I just kept my head down and studied all the time learning new spells, incantations, and potions. Well, you get the idea.”

Donald sits down on his chair by the window overlooking the courtyard and the riverbed they just came from. He motions the dark figure to do the same thing in a nearby chair.

Donald continues to rattle on, “There was a time that I got into a little bit of trouble with the local gang of wizards. They chased me down an alleyway and backed me into a corner. What they didn't know was that I just completed the last of the final book ever written and memorized it all,” Donald begins to laugh. “You should have seen their faces when I changed the first boy into pig. I thought it was only fitting for someone of his size.”

Donald laughs harder, and the dark figure begins to do the same.

“I turned all of those boys into some kind of animal. After the last boy had changed, I walked right past them singing. I never heard from them again.”

The dark figure smiles at Donald with a friendly face. Donald sticks out his hand and motions for the dark figure to do the same.

“Ha, he, he, h, h, Hi mmmy nnname isss Dev.... van, Devan.” The dark figure begins to speak. Donald is stunned by how fast it is learning. “I, I, I remem...ber mag....ic, magic words.”

Donald leaps from his chair as he is ready for anything. The dark figure continues to speak.

“I call upon the dead souls of the past, present, future. The souls that have no voice, the body that can not rest. I call upon you, lost souls, to help me with this spell. Take this man's soul and leave me his magic and body so I may do your bidding”

Donald immediately chants a counter spell. He waves his hands to create a shield around himself and watches every move that the dark figure makes.

“That will not help you, old man. Pieces of my soul command me to do this. These pieces are more powerful and older than you can ever imagine,” Devan floats towards Donald and reaches towards him. Their eyes lock, never looking away for a second. Donald hears the pounding of his heart echoing against the walls of his chest. Devan's hands tear open his shield. Grabbing Donald by the throat, Devan begins to cast the last spell.

“Donald your body is strong, but your soul is weak. I shall release you to free from this body to die in another plane of existence. Don't worry, old man, this will be over before you know it.  Then I shall do the bidding of the souls of the dead as they command me to do.”

Devan puts one hand to the sky while the other still holds Donald's throat.

“By Death's hand, I extract your soul from your body, along with your magic, and replaced it with my soul. Let the pieces of your soul tear apart and your magic shall remain with me, trapping you to the soulless wastelands. You shall exist on this plane no more. Never to be made whole again.”

Donald's skin slash open with cuts and rips covering his body. Three-dimensional puzzle pieces begin to leak out. The warmth drains from his eyes and turns to blackness. The smell of burning flesh fills the air and spills out windows to cloud the air of the castle. Two guards walking by the door in the outer chamber become ill from the stench. One of the guards notices where the smell is coming from and knocks on the door. Devan knows that he has only minutes before they come barging in. His dark figure breaks into a thousand pieces and slips into Donald's body. As the cuts and rips seal up, Devan concentrates so he can change his appearance. The guards pound on the door yelling into the room.

“Is everything all right in there, Donald?”

The door magically opens for the guards to enter. They find the body of the wizard floating about the floor spinning around in circles. Golden black light surrounds the body as it changes before the two men. The guards tremble in fear, too frightened to move. The wizard's body descends to the floor to land feet first. Devan's hands come to rest on the sides of his new body. A hood covers his face and head, not allowing anyone to see him.

One guard pulls out his sword, “Who are you and what happened to Donald the wizard?”

“You may call me Devan Doyle Tzalmon. Donald left me in charge due to his recent illness. He will not be coming back for a long time.”

Devan turns to face the two guards, holding out each of his hands in front of him as if begging for help. “But for right now I need some practice with this new body. Will you two assist me?”

Devan notices a suit of armor standing up in a corner behind the two guards. He chants an ancient spell a portion of his soul remembers. This spell joins two souls together. The second half of the spell, places the new soul into a hollow shell of the caster’s choosing. The last thing that the two guards remember is the feeling of their eyes being torn out of their eye sockets as their screams filling the air.

Time quickly changes as five years have passed and the spirit of the land has become darker. Devan tries to seduce the queen, but she turns him down repeatedly. His intention to become king by manipulating the queen becomes more trouble than once thought. Devan takes a little time to think and decides to take a different approach. He lusts for the princess, which gets him into more trouble than he wished. The town’s people talk about the evil sorcerer that has taken over the castle and what he is doing. Rumors of troops appearing in the middle of the night taking families away never to be heard from again. Rumors of the disappeared becoming the evil wizard’s mindless slaves to serve him until they die circulate also. None say the rumors are true because they may also disappear like the others that spoke up. Dark clouds loom over the towns one by one, because the evil wizard ordered them to be cleansed. As they are cleansed, Devan uses his dark powers to turn the towns’ residents against the king.

David has also been busy during these five years. He has not seen the horrors that others have seen. His life has changed due to the deal with the phoenix that night. Most of his wounds and scars have healed and entirely disappeared from his body. Suezy and Jasper are shocked at his full recovery and thank God for it. David never told them about the deal. He told no one since he knows what will happen. They will say that he made a deal with the devil. Sometimes some things are better left unsaid.

It was a tepid, sunny September day when David was sent out to chop down a couple of trees. A tree falls with one axe swing. David loves his newfound strength easily that of a thousand men. David’s speed, balance, stamina, and all other senses were heightened a thousand fold.

David picks up a thirty-foot long tree and tosses it to the side only to hear it explode on contact. Wood splinters and the smell of burnt wood fill the air. David takes a fighting stance and glares, waiting for whatever may come out from the smoke.

“Excuse me, didn't anybody tell you that throwing trees a person’s head is quite rude,” a person comes out from the smoke, dusting himself off.

“Who are you, and what do you want?” David digs his feet into the ground getting ready to pounce.

“Dear boy, I was just passing through to see an old friend when I happened to come across you and thought that I should come and see what was going on? Did you know that you are making a lot of noise? You should keep it down because you don't want everyone to know what you can do.”

“Just who were you going to visit?” David asks.

“My dear friend David Turner. I have not seen him in a long time.”

“Then you have found him,” David puts down his fists and starts to walk toward the person still covered in dust.

“I am sorry, sir, but I do not know thee,” the figure chants a spell and he becomes like new again.

“Merlin! My old friend, I thought that was you. I haven't seen you in five years now,” David tries to hug Merlin, but Merlin the stops him.

“I am sorry, but you are not David. He is scarred all over. You can't be…”

“Yes, it is I. I have told no one about the deal that I made the last night that you and I talked. I came across a fallen phoenix and made a deal with it. I had no clue that it would give me all of these powers or cure me the way that it has.”

“You made a deal with a phoenix?” Merlin shakes his head. “You have no clue to what you have done, do you?”

“What do you mean? What I've done?” David stops dancing.

“Do you even know that name of the phoenix?”

“Yes...” David stops to think. “No, I don't”

“Alfonzo, the name of the phoenix is Alfonzo. David, you have done something very stupid,” Merlin looks around for the phoenix. “Alfonzo! Show yourself!”

“Here I am, Merlin. Long time no see. Not since that night, I wanted your help so I could be reborn on your private island. You turned me away and told me never again. So I went to the outer forest and came across David. I think that we make a great pair together.”

Alfonzo lands on David's shoulder. “Why don't you just leave us alone just like have done me all these years.”

“So be it. David, I am sorry to see you suffer,” with that, Merlin disappears.

At that moment, David realizes that there is a lot that he doesn't know. Standing there with millions of questions racing through his head, he needs just the right one.

'Ah-ha, I've got it.' David thinks to himself.

“Alfonzo, please tell me who you are and why did Merlin turn you away?” David asks as Alfonzo flies over to a branch.

“My name is Alfonzo, and I am more than just a phoenix. I am a half-angelic and half-demonic spirit. This is just one of the forms that I have. When you found me I was getting ready to regenerate. What you said to me made me think about myself and how I was always being short-changed. Yet, what happened when we joined our souls together was simply magical. I honestly did not think that it could be done. The reason that I said nothing for five years was that I was trying to recover from what happened that exact night. As a matter of fact, I don't think this has ever happened at all. I have never heard of someone doing this before. You need to trust me because I have been around longer than Merlin. I mean that I am much older than Merlin. For every earth year equals one hundred years where I’m from to be exact, so a pinch over seven earth years.”

“Wait a minute! You are older than Merlin? What we did has never been done before?” David sits on the ground in shock.

“Yes, and to answer to your other question, Merlin turned me away because we used to look out for each other. He changed some how. I don't understand it. Well of course that was over 1,000 years ago,” Alfonzo keeps on rambling.

“Wait, you're over a thousand years old?” David cannot believe what he has heard.

“Well, I guess what I'm really trying to say is that we are one in the same now. That means you can do just about anything. You can fly as high as you wish to go.”

“Through the trees and up into the sky?”

“Yes. You don't have to worry about air and breathing because I can breathe anywhere I fly. I guess that the only question to ask is where you would like to go.”

“I wish to see my brothers and sisters, if that is not too much of trouble for you?”

“None at all. We just need to change you into a phoenix and we are off.”

David stands there with his eyes closes waiting for something to happen. Alfonzo starts to chant an extremely old spell. David doesn't feel anything happening to him. Alfonzo gets louder as she chants the old spell. David still waits for something to happen. Alfonzo stops chanting and tells David to open his eyes. He opens them to realize that he is a phoenix now.

“Where are we going?” Alfonzo checks her wings.

“To my sister Sara’s home, then my brother Gale’s home. After that, to my other sister Joanne’s home and finally to my oldest brother’s Dave house,” David spreads his wings for the first time.

Just before lifting off he thinks. 'I am doing this for real and not just a dream.'

“Okay, the first thing that you need to know about flying is that you must flap your wings. The second thing is that the ground does hurt, but it will not kill you. It will only give you a very bad headache. Third thing is to think like a bird, to become the bird. Now follow me and you'll be fine,” Alfonzo lifts up off the branch into the air and makes it look easy.

David puts both wings out and begins to sway ever so gently. He notices that he is getting nowhere. He flaps harder and harder until he lifts off.

“Look. I'm flying. I'm flying!”

David unsure what to do, he leans head first to move forward. He leans in to far and nosedives.

“I'm flying! I'm…”

David falls head first into the tree Alfonzo was sitting on. David’s screams is all Alfonzo heard for five minutes.

Trying not to laugh Alfonzo asks, “Are you alright?”

“I'm okay! Just my pride broken.” David replies getting back up to have another go around.

David starts to think like a bird this time. He used to watch many birds lying on his back in the grass looking up at the sky. They would fly here and there. Making loop and dive-bombing the land getting so close to it that they could scoop up a worm no problem. This time around, it is going to be different. With a swooshing of his wings, he ascends into the air and impresses Alfonzo as he leaves her behind.

It was hours before David and Alfonzo would reach Sara’s house. Alfonzo flies close to David and tells him that he must keep his distance or his family will notice the pair of phoenixes flying overhead instead of regular birds. David nods. He looks down upon his sister's house and something unexpected happens. His eyes adjust and new powers amplify his normal vision, allowing him to tune into what everyone is doing. David watches his sister's children play around the house. Her husband comes up the road carrying a brown bag filled with fruit and vegetables from the local market. Sara greets her husband at the front door and gives him a kiss. From that moment, David’s knew in his gut that she was fantastic and that he should leave.

During the next couple of hours, David continues to visit his other brothers and sisters, they are all well. David feels tranquil.

“Would you like to fly some more just for fun?” David asks Alfonzo.

“I would love to,” Alfonzo replies and lets out a shriek.

They spend the rest of the day flying all over, enjoying one another’s company.

As night falls, David and Alfonzo find themselves hundreds of miles away from where his family lives.

In the darkness of the night, a young man stands peering into an open window watching a mother and father tell them a bedtime story. The kids lie in their beds listening to their parents. The father acts out different parts while the mother narrates. His mind races with all kinds of thoughts-some good, some bad, and some unpleasant memories from his past. The parent’s kiss their children's heads, tell them goodnight and then blow out the candles that light the room. This is when he knows that he must make his move. He walks around to the front of the house and knocks on the front door waiting.

“Who could be knocking on our door at this time of night?” Sara says as she walks to the window to see who is knocking. She sees a young man pacing back and forth, stopping to wipe his nose.

“Are you going to answer the door?” Jair asks while staring at the front door.

“I better. The way this young man looks, I don't think that he is going away anytime soon.”

Jair walks towards the door, dreading what is passing on the other side.

Just before Jair opens the door, Sara says, “Jair, don't do it. This does not feel right. Something is just not right. Something is terribly wrong. Please, Jair, don't do it. Maybe, maybe he will just go away.”

“You know he won't go away. This won't take but a minute,” Jair smiles back at Sara to ease her thoughts.

Jair opens the door and finds the young man looking right back at him. The young man's clothes are dirty and raggedy. Some do not fit right but others are too tight for his body. Jack just stands there looking back at Jair as he waits for him to make the first move.

Then Jair speaks, “Can I help you young man?”

“Sir, I have no place to stay tonight. Can I please stay here tonight? I won't be any trouble. I could be gone before your kids wake up,” He rubs his nose waiting for his reply.

“What is your name?”

“Jack, sir,” Jack replies.

“Well, Jack, I am very sorry to tell you this, but we have no room. We barely have enough room to house our little family. Our kids share the larger room, and we have the smallest room in the house.”

“Okay, I'm sorry,” Jack replies and walks away.

Jair turns to Sara with a puzzled look upon his face. He closes the front door. Sara says that was the weirdest thing to happen in a long time. They both agree to let it go and just get some rest.

Jack argues with himself as he walks away from Sara and Jair’s house. Walking deeper and further into the woods his tone of voice gets more erratic as time passes.

“Shut up!” Jack screams at the top of his lungs Frightening some animals. “I will do no such thing. Just keep quiet so I can find some place to sleep tonight.”

“Well, Jack, is starting to grow a backbone. I'm impressed, by the way you said that. Now if only you said that to your step-father maybe you could have found your real mother a long time ago,” The dark, evil voice begins to take shape inside Jack's head. “Now, you just lie down and go to sleep. In the morning, everything is going to be different. I promise that I will start working together with you.”

“You promise?” Jack says.

“I swear! Now to sleep, nighty night little Jack,” The dark figure smiles as it contemplates on what to do next.

“Tell me a story,” Jack says.

“Okay, once upon a time...” The dark figure tells Jack a story and he slips into a deep sleep.

The dark, evil figure in Jack's head switches places with Jack taking control of Jack's body. The dark figure tries to stand but falls over injuring Jack’s body.

“Ow! This is harder than I thought.”

The dark figure takes complete control of Jack's body and it starts to walk towards Sara and Jair’s home ready for revenge.

Creeping around the house, the dark figure looks for ways in that will not disturb the family. He stumbles upon an open window in the dining room. He almost knocks over a chair climbing through the window. Taking his time, he tiptoes through the house. He comes across a couple of pictures hanging on the wall in the hallway, but they are hard to make out due to the darkness. He hears a man snoring behind a door and to the right he hears kids talking in their sleep through the second door. He tosses am imaginary coin in the air and it lands on heads.

'First the parents then the children,' The dark figure thinks to itself.

He walks back to the kitchen to get a knife. Then he slips into the parent’s room.

“Danny's home!” The screaming jars the parents awake.

He jumps onto their bed and repeatedly stabs the parents to death. The youngest child wakes from the parent’s screams. He rushes into his parent’s bedroom and finds Danny. The child runs out of the room and back into his bedroom. Danny chases the child and finds him hiding under his bed. He drags the child out from under the bed.