Page 8 of Keeper of All

The Thalassa brothers work fast, and three hours later Ekon was back at the airport ready to board the jet, his only regret was the man clinging to him. He patted Marvin’s shoulder. “I’ll be back, and I promise it won’t be a year this time.”

“Promise?” Marvin questioned, sniffing as he let go, swiping the back of his hand over his rosy nose.

“Of course,” he assured, offering a smile that lacked enthusiasm when it meant being around all the happily mated couples, but this was Marvin. “And I’ll make sure it’s a much longer visit.”

He patted Marvin’s shoulder one last time and walked up the steps of the plane, sighing in relief when the door shut. He sagged into one of the seats and rested his head back, shutting his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. An ache at the back of his eyes kept them from opening as the steward busied themselves for take-off.

You must return. They must return, or we are doomed.

Ekon jerked up, blinking rapidly at the voice… he glanced about the empty cabin, his hand pressing to his pounding heart at the distress he could feel flowing through him as if it was his. Except, it wasn’t. It belonged to the shadowy figure, one who had never fucking spoken to him before.

“You need to buckle up sir, we are ready for takeoff,” the steward murmured as he approached from the flight deck.

Ekon clipped his seatbelt in, following instructions. They were way easier than attempting to work out if he was having audible hallucinations now to top off the rest of it.

The need to close his eyes and rest came with apprehension he hadn’t felt since the first experiments they did on him. His original animal spirit was a cougar. The torment inflicted on it made it cagier than the other animals inside him. He had always kept his natural animal when shifting, but he had abilities that weren’t natural to a cat. Although cats were strong, his strength came from rhino. His speed came from a peregrine falcon, he couldn’t fly but could achieve speeds of over three hundred and twenty kilometers an hour. His stamina came from an arctic tern. He could travel thousands of miles and not feel tired. This was one of the reasons he knew something was wrong, besides the sense of expanding. His usual abilities were nowhere near what they were. For how long they’d been depleting, Ekon couldn’t say with not using those skills daily like he once had.

He looked out the small window at the cloudless sky as the plane rose effortlessly. His mind drifted as his breaths slowed, centering himself, and before he knew it, his eyes drifted shut.

Kelvin spoke aloud, “These shelves are the ones I’d empty and take away with us.”

Ajani eyed the shelves. “That’s still thousands of files, and how can you be sure they’ve not been meddling with other files?” He pointed to the extensive shelving. “There are so many, and as you said, they’ve been here a long time by the dates. Aren’t the files at risk if we leave any behind?”

“My kraken, once it has a scent, can process it uniquely. It also never forgets a scent it’s collected. Ever.”

“Isn’t that so cool?” Marvin bounced next to Ajani.

Ajani nodded. “We won’t be able to carry that many files between us. The plane is miles away. How do you propose we transport the ones you want to take? Then how are we gonna secure this place and prevent anyone coming in? Marvin figured it out. There might be others who can.”

Kelvin answered. “You don’t need to worry about that. My kraken can handle that. As for securing this place, we can conceal its whereabouts, the same way we do for our island.”

Bits from that visit filtered through his mind as Ekon dream walked, watching the sequence unfold but standing there now as an observer, looking through someone else’s eyes.

They took what was ours to keep. Keeper of all, hear me. Come to me before it’s too late, and all is lost.

Once more jerking up, Ekon rubbed at his eyes as the wave of tiredness swept through him like a river bursting its banks. The sense of urgency increased by the second. He released a shuddery breath, noticing they were descending. He checked his watch, blinking owlishly at how long he slept for. What had felt like seconds was hours, yet he didn’t feel refreshed. If anything, he felt worse.

Not long later the jet landed on a private air strip thirty miles from where the bunker was. The small warehouse had storage facilities for the freeze-dried food and water he’d brought to last two months if he needed it. It paid to be prepared. It was the closest they could get because of the forest. Ekon planned to trek back and forth under the cover of darkness to get what he needed.

For now, he slung an enormous pack over his shoulders which contained food and water, enough for several days, clothes, sleeping bag and his throwing knives along with other weapons.

Todd had wrapped and tucked the scanner in the top of the pack. Thus far, Ekon had avoided touching it. The nagging feeling in his gut said he didn’t want an audience when he finally laid hands on it. Why, he couldn’t say, but he trusted his cat’s instincts on such things.

He waited until the jet took off before he started his trek. He didn’t expect trouble, but years of being prepared for every eventuality were ingrained, so he kept himself alert using all his additional senses.

Around the twenty-mile mark, Ekon sensed a change in the air. It hummed against his bare arms, his jacket removed after mile four. He stopped and dropped to one knee, careful with the weight on his back not to topple as he reached out to touch the earth. Against his palm the soil felt warm… inviting.

The strange notion lingered as he brushed the dirt off his hand and rose to continue. He didn’t need a compass or a map having been before, only this time, there was something different. Something was calling him.

He picked up speed and the forest around him grew quiet. Only broken by the sound of his boots hitting the ground.

Sweat glistened on his skin as the sun set and the forest grew shadowy with the breeze moving the leaves in the canopy above his head. He slowed and came to a stop at the edge of where the magic began. Like an invisible line only he could see, he paused, the sense of expanding inside him grew when he lifted his foot and took a deep breath, stepping past the magical barrier.

A heat powerful enough to incinerate an army gathered in his core. His arms flew out without control and his neck arched back. Breathing became impossible as his skin became drenched in sweat, his clothes clung uncomfortably. His ears popped and his vision wavered before everything snapped into focus. Almost like he’d needed glasses and had surgery, and they had taken the pads off for the first time he could see… everything.

What the fuck is that?

You’re home, the unknown voice replied simply.