Keeper's Knowledge (Balancer's Soul cycle) (65 page)

Damian stood and looked over the railing with astonishment.
“Father
,
what are you doing? What about the
secret
plan
we’ve clung to for the past thirty million years
?”

The real Head
Elder stopped and looked up.
“My Son, how easily you forget. This was
exactly
how the plan was supposed to go
. I allowed you to be the temporary Head Elder for one reason… do you remember
why I did that
yet?”

Recognition lit in his brown eyes
a few seconds later
.
“You mean he’s
a
…”

“Yes,”
The True H
ead said in interruption
of his son
.
“H
e is my brother. Now if you do not mind I must have a word
with him.
It has been long overdue.
”
Without another debate he turned and started walking
again
.
H
e stopped about five paces away and
Connor
looked up into his calm and
knowledgeable
eyes.
He
then realized
t
his
creature’s
extraordinary
age.
Connor
poured energy into
his
eyes so
he
could
understand what he was understanding by
look at his aura. His aura
of this Keeper revealed itself as a
pure
white color and was as large as
his own
and Sarah’s.
The enormous Keeper
got down on one knee and asked
“Before we have a discussion, can you guess my age?”

Connor
smiled and spoke physically and mentally again.
“Yes I can.
I estimate your age to be just over sixty million years old.” His head reared back as he roared
out
in laughter.
The sound was defining
,
even in his echo.
He fell onto his massive back
side
and panted once he was finished laughing so hard. “Now it is my question.” He turned his head on the ground to look at
Connor
with a twinkle of curiosity
. “You know my name, but I do not know
yours
.”

He smiled again and sat up. He crossed his tree trunk like legs as he looked down
upon
his sibling
.
“You are correct and I apologize for n
ot telling you sooner. I am Head
Elder Sorono, but since we are siblings you can just call me Sorono.”

In his eyes
Connor
could tell his words were true.
Connor
hoped for a miracle to
his many
questions and finally found
a creature with the
answers
in the fathomless depths of his gaze
. He
leveled
his tone
and with all
his
remaining courage asked with
his
voice alone “Do you know what I am?”

His mind shifted and Connor
knew that only the two of
them
were linked.
“Yes, I do.”
He leaned forward and
they
were face to face.
“Like me, you are a
Harmonizer
!”

Knowledge and Ignorance

In
his
head
Connor
kept
repeating
over and over what
exactly
t
he
true Elder
just said. His word felt
oddly
familiar
.
I am a Harmonizer… Really? What is a Harmonizer? I found an answer, but now I have so many new questions…

Sorono remained
in
Connor’s
mind, but said nothing. He allowed
the young one
time to think
without hindrance or judgments
for such a momentous event
.
The look in his
large
eyes said he went through the same feelings and processes
a very
,
very
long time ago
.

Veronica
lightly
tapped
Connor’s
shoulder with one claw and
he
turned to look at her.
“Um
…
Connor what is going on?”

“I found what I have been
searching
for, but I still need to look for
more answers
.
You know how it is.
Just w
hen you learn something
valable
, more questions
seem to
arise.
”

She looked at
him
and then
turned
to Sorono
and her mental voice quivered
.
“Um H
…H
ead
Elder…?”

“What is it,
y
oung one?”
His
tone
was c
a
lm and relaxed
as he spoke
.

“What is
to happen to Connor and myself? What is to be our punishment
or fate
?
”
Her eyes dropped under his calm gaze.

He looked over her shoulder and
Connor
couldn’t help but do the same
.

Everyone in the crowd watch
ed
the stage with
highly
curious eyes.
Never before has something like this transpired.
Fights were common but not during meetings. Most have never heard anyone talk back to an Elder as he had done.
Connor
could tell that
the
peace
of the gathering
was being held
on by
only
a thread.
Many were whispering so that if anything else was said they would be able to eavesdrop on this unprecedented situation.
He then
turned
his
attention to Sarah and the others. Their eyes were also curious about what was happening, but they
continued to
remain battle ready. The other Elders were no longer shaking, but they were st
ill hiding behind their seats. He
wasn’t sure if
he
should let
the
captive
Guard
s go, but
he
didn’t take the chance yet.

“Hold onto that thought.”
Sorono
effortlessly unbound
his
enormous
legs and stood up with grace
and a physical strength that exceeded the normal bounds of his body
. He took a ste
p and stopped to look down at Connor
.
“If you wouldn’t mind, please release the guards from your powers.
They look rather uncomfortable
hanging in the air and set in stone
.
”

He walked towards the front of the stage with both of his arms behind his back. He
became
all authority right now.
Connor
decided to do as he politely asked.

Connor
pulled the Cheetah’s
bindings to the
fore
front of
his
mind as
he
walked
and
stopped the flow of cool flowing energy and the water
rope
splashed against the
cool
marble. She realized she was free and slowly stood and rubbed her wrists from her struggle.
To quickly alleviate the pain her eyes began to glow.
She didn’t make a single move
against him
as she watched
his
movement with fri
ghtful eyes. He
stopped once
he
made
it over
to where
he
needed to be.

He
stopped under
the
three
solidified
Pressure nets. Each of
the
captives eyed
Connor
and stopped struggling
again
.
He
brought their image
s
forth and stopped the flow of the first net. The w
oman screamed as she plummeted, but before she landed
he
opened
his
arms
,
caught her
and
sat her feet first
on the floor to say
“I wasn’t going to let you hit the ground.” She didn’t reply, but looked up at her
dangling
mate.
Connor
moved under him and stopped his net’s
supply of
energy. He didn’t screa
m as he knew Connor
was going to catch him
as well
.
He
put
the ancient man
on his feet a
s
his mate rushed up to hug him. He nodded once as thanks and they
backed
away from
the boy of immense power
.
Connor
looked up at the last aerial captive. “Ready to come down, Big Guy?”  In answer he grunted like a
n
actual
gorilla.
He
stopped
the
flow and caught him. Once on th
e ground he walked with his knuckles
,
like a true gorilla. He made his way
over
to the Cheetah and took her hands and kissed them.
Connor
didn’t notice before, but they were
also
mates.
She nuzzled him before standing at his side

Now to the
last victims,
Connor
walked
over
to where
Cassie a
nd Marik were still buried and he
imagined the
compacted
marble dust spreading
and separating
from their bodies. As
the
power flowed
along each of
his
outstretched arms
,
the dust began separating. He
offered
his
hand to Cassie first and she took it because she wanted out
more than anything
, definitely claustrophobic in tight spaces
.
He
did the same for Marik
as well
and once he was out he brushed the dust from his clothes and his
from the
broadsword strapped to his back. Marik asked “This is twice that you have outmaneuvered us. I won’t try a third time.”

“That
is a wise decision.”
Connor turned around and made his
way back to Veronica.
By that time
Sorono made his way to the end of the stage.

The c
rowd was starting to get louder until
Sorono stopped all chatter when he held up his right hand.
“I am sorry for the deception
young ones
, but you
will
listen to what I have to say to you all
and save your anger for another time
.”
Connor
could have heard a feather land in this silence of the room.
“I will explain why I had my son
pretend
to be the Head Elder
for so long
, but not today. We will hold a special meeting tomorrow morning and I will explain everything
then
. For now
, the meeting of
today is dismissed. You may do as you like for the remainder of the day, but any riots and fights during now and until tomorrow will mean instant death to the guilty party.”
Sorono
looked over at
Connor’s
family.
“Sarah May?”
She brought her blad
es up into a battle stance and her husband
felt instant pride
in
her.
“Very good, Hatchling. That is the spirit. But your defensiveness is not necessary
…
I would however
,
like for you and your entourage to please make your way up here and stand with your mate
. We have
personal
and private
matters to discuss.”
He looked at the Guards before him and said
“Firon, hand me your mother’s egg.”
Firon
wasn’t about to offend his highest ruler so he
cautiously walked before Sorono and carefully laid his
unhatched
sibling into
Sorono’s
awaiting
arms.
“Now there is something I need for you to do.”
Firon puffed out his chest
proudly
.
“Withdraw all Immortal Guards and tell them to get down here
immediately
. All other orders are now suspended until I say otherwise. They will be among the first to hear what I have to say
to understand the
full
nature of the situation
.”
He looked back to the crowd.
“You are all now dismissed. Please make your way back up the central spire
until tomorrow morning and have a pleasant night
.”
He turned around and walked back
,
carrying Veronica’s egg.
Connor
looked
up
at
his friend
and she was frozen
in place
.