The Sage Chronicles: Family Matters, Book 1: The Sage Chronicles, #1

By Michael Jerome Johnson

A secret war to save two worlds has been waged for generations - over and over, again. The three principle combatants - the Black Elf known as Sage and his adversaries, the demigods Simon and the Unicorn - have their own reasons for saving the worlds. No matter how many times they've waged the war, and which side won, the worlds died, anyway. Each time, Sage returned to the past to correct the mistakes he made, making sure to obey the laws of time and space, and magic, to save the two worlds. This time, Sage is breaking all the laws, as well as enlisting allies he never imagined having in his previous attempts. So have Simon and the Unicorn. All three know this is their last chance, and they will stop at nothing to succeed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MJJ
• Release date: May 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781513084305

Michael Jerome Johnson

Michael Jerome Johnson is the author of The Sage Chronicles: Family Matters, Books 1 and 2. He also contributed three pieces to the anthology - Campfire Tales From Hell: Musings on Martial Arts, Survival, Bouncing, and General Thug Stuff." Gods, Created is the first of three novellas featuring characters from The Sage Chronicles. The next two will be released in 2017.

Book preview

Dedication

To Lettie Moses: who influenced my life for forty-seven wonderful, frustrating, challenging and inspiring years. Your memory continues to influence me.

Elsewhere

The Wylde held her up by the neck, with one hand, waiting, patiently, for her to stop breathing. As he waited, he observed how the warm, slick placenta pored from the woman’s abdomen, down his legs and onto the stillborn baby that lay askew at his feet. He enjoyed the smell of the fluid as it rolled down his legs. Wondered how it tasted he reached inside the woman’s abdomen with one finger, scooped up a bit of it and licked it. Sweet. Salty. Pungent. The woman gasped one last time and went still forever. The Wylde snapped her neck and dropped her atop her stillborn infant, which lay in the puddle of blood and other bodily fluids of her dead toddlers. The Wylde studied the gory scene for a moment, relishing the swiftness, and efficiency, and brutality of his work. There wasn’t much left of the children, which was fine as far as he was concerned. Such putrid offspring of Dociles should have never been born in the first place. These Dociles have infected the gene pool long enough. It was high time the world was rid of them. If the father of these things had been here, the Wylde would have killed him also. Oh well, another time.

He heard a siren approaching. Time to go. He leapt into a huge oak tree that stood upon a hill to his right. By the time the first police car arrived, the Wylde was on the other side of the park, slipping into a hidden entrance behind a huge boulder.

Elsewhere

Tsetu stood over the remains of the mother and her children trying to control his rage. This was the fourth similar murder scene in as many days and he’d had enough. He wanted this serial killer brought in NOW – dead or alive – it didn’t matter to him which way at this point.

Tsetu, you need to see this.

It was his wife, Teya, calling him telepathically. She had gone up the hill beyond the huge oak when he stopped to survey the bodies.

The scene is yours, Tsetu told the forensics team waiting nearby. He turned and started walking up the hill, his long, black tuxedo coat flapping in the mild breeze as he walked. The coat reached down to his knees and was tailored to fit his athletic build perfectly. He wore a Black and silver vest instead of a cummerbund. The silver headband on his baldhead matched the silver in his vest. He was dressed to attend a formal dinner and dance celebrating the graduation of the new Shadow Guard class. Tsetu and Teya were already late getting to the dinner/dance when they received the call about the murders. There was no chance they would attend the dinner, now. That upset him even more as he was slated to make the keynote address. He had contacted Zara about his situation and told, her of his back-up plan. They both agreed it was a good idea. 

Arrived at the top of the hill, he saw the XhinTe Park Police cordoning off an area with yellow tape. Inside that area were two dead XPP officers with their heads ripped off and resting in the crook of their respective arms. Teya stood nearby the taped area, her back to Tsetu. Her beauty always comforted him even in the most gruesome of crime scenes. There was no exception this time. The short, black dress Teya wore complimented her tanned complexion well. The low-back cut reached down just below the middle of her back. The length of the dress came down to the middle of her long thighs. Her high-heeled, black and silver shoes, white gold watch, with matching earrings accented her pure white hair, which she put mostly up for the evening’s festivities. Teya would have dazzled the guests at the dinner/dance when she walked into the room, turning the heads of men and women alike. The women would re-check themselves to see if they at least matched her beauty. Some of the women would have thought themselves lacking in comparison. Even if the women did, indeed, match Teya’s beauty, there is something about a XhinTe woman that set her apart from every other woman except for a very few Black Elfin women. Tsetu had been looking forward to seeing the reaction of the guests tonight, but that would not happen now.

As Tsetu got closer to Teya he saw, by the way she stood, that she, too, was ready to explode after viewing the murder scene. XhinTe women are much more dangerous when they are angry than XhinTe men. They were also highly unpredictable once they reached a certain level of anger. Tsetu stepped beside his wife and placed a comforting hand at the small of her back. Done correctly, and a XhinTe woman’s anger will subside considerably. Done incorrectly and the offensive hand will be bitten off before the owner of it could scream. Tsetu knew how to do so correctly, and Teya’s anger did, indeed, subside – but not as much as he had hoped.

We will find him, Tsetu whispered in Teya’s ear.

When we do, Teya said, I want to castrate him and feed him his genitals before we cut off his head.

Agreed. Tsetu said.

Teya turned to Tsetu. Her big, brown eyes were beginning to tear. Her nostrils flared and turned violet.

What he did to the children. That poor unborn baby...

Unspeakable, Tsetu said. A tendon in his jaw twitched at the thought of that vision.

The looks they gave each other said everything. There would be a reckoning, one day, with whoever was committing these murders.

Inspectors?

A young Black Elf wearing a red Sci/Tech uniform approached them. He looked to be just out of school on one of his first crime scenes, but a Black Elf’s age could never be fully guessed on looks alone. A Black Elf that looked 25 years old could easily be ten times that age. Such was the blessing of the members of that Nation – to grow old so gracefully, that they never looked like they aged at all.

You have something, Officer? Tsetu asked, allowing Teya a moment to get herself together.

Yes, sir, the Black Elf said. We have a preliminary report on the energy signature of the assailant.

He handed the energy scanner to Tsetu.

Tsetu frowned as his eyes widened.         

Are you sure of this?

As sure as I can be in the field, Inspector, the Black Elf said. I’ll finalize the results when we get it back to the lab.

Teya looked at the findings, her professional demeanor intact again. She, too, frowned.

Show me where you did this reading, Officer, she said.

This way, Ma’am.

The Black Elf led Teya to a spot behind the bush where the last of the bodies was being bagged. Two deep footprints were embedded in the ground there. Teya could feel the hatred emanating from the spot. It was such a powerful feeling that she shivered a little.

I feel it, too, Ma’am, said the Black Elf. It’s sickening.

Because of their history XhinTe and Black Elves share certain abilities with each other – empathy being one of them. They can feel the emotions of people and recent incidents that are uncanny. The major difference is that XhinTe use their psionic powers to detect emotions, while Black Elves just feel them without any powers at all. Legend has it that the two Nations are related to each other. But since Black Elves are completely mundane and cannot wield magic or psionic powers, or objects that are doused with those powers, the legend has been deemed just that – a legend.

I suspect the smell of the energy signatures left by the murderers and his victims are sickening to you as well? Teya said.

Putrid, Ma’am, the Black Elf said. Even through the nose filters.

Wait a minute, Teya said. How can I use psionics with you near me?

I’ve learned to control the range of my Void a little, Ma’am, the Black Elf said.

On your own or with a teacher?

On my own, Ma’am. That’s why I can only do it a little.

He smiled, sheepishly. Teya couldn’t help but find his smile rather cute, and him as well. She smiled back at him and winked.

Well if you’re ever interested in expanding your control, let me know, Teya said. I’ll see if I can get Sage to help you.

To his credit, the Black Elf was able to contain his excitement for the most part. He knew Teya could detect his excitement but, to her credit, she didn’t mention it. Still, to have the opportunity to learn from a living legend – a man who has learned to live without even a Void to protect himself – how could he refuse?

I would be honored if you would speak with him, Ma’am, he said. At your convenience, of course, he added, quickly.

What’s your name, Officer?

Skylar, Ma’am. I’m with the Second Division Lab.

He reached into one of his pockets.

Here’s my card, he said, handing it to her. Then he realized that his enthusiasm had gotten the better of him, and he had revealed to Teya that he was, indeed, rather young.

I’ll remember you, Teya said.

Yes, Ma’am. Of course, Ma’am.

And you don’t have to call me ‘Ma’am.’ It makes me sound old. ‘Inspector’ or even ‘Teya’ is just fine.

But we were taught in the academy...

That XhinTe have a different protocol than other Nations. And we allow certain members of other Nations to follow that protocol if we so desire. I desire.

Yes, Ma’am...um, I mean...Inspector. 

Teya liked Skylar even more. There would be some positions opening in her squad soon. She would keep him in mind.

She got back to the business at hand. So, is it a Wylde?

This is only a preliminary report, Ma—Inspector. Skylar said.

What does your gut tell you, Skylar?

Skylar hesitated for a moment.

It’s a Wylde with a twisted energy signature, he said. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Me, neither, Teya said.

She looked around the area, again. The wretched emotions of what occurred sickened her even more. She controlled a reaction to gag.

Let me know the minute you have your final report, Skylar," Teya said.

I will, Skylar said.

Thank you, Skylar.

Thank you—Inspector.

Skylar walked off, getting back to work.

So you’ve found your next pupil to mentor, My Love.

Tsetu walked up behind Teya and smiled. Teya smiled back.

He has a lot of potential, Teya said.

So much that you’re going to ask Grandfather for a favor, Tsetu said.

You were eavesdropping, Mister.

And you’re giving into your maternal instinct.

Pot, meet Kettle.

Yes, I feel that paternal instinct myself. Just tread carefully, Sweetheart. The last time we did this...

I know. Teya said. I know.

Tsetu put his arms around Teya’s waist and kissed her on her forehead.

Perhaps it's time we seriously consider adopting. Tsetu said.

Teya leaned her head against Tsetu’s shoulder.

I'd like that. She said.

They stood holding each other for a few moments.

Thank you for coming with me, Tsetu said. I miss you as my partner.

Me, too. Teya said. We need to do something about that, too. We are Chief Inspectors, after all.

Agreed.

Teya surveyed the crime scene once more.

But first, we need to tell them about this, Teya said.

I dread breaking their hearts once again, Tsetu said. Especially now that Grandfather has learned to enjoy his retirement after all these years.

They’re tough. They can take the news. And they have us, to help them through this.

Yes.

Tsetu released Teya’s waist and took her hand in his.

Let’s go tell them, he said.

Chapter 1

I am gonna be late. Again.

I never used to be this way when I was younger – when I was still in the business. But now that I’m retired, I can’t even get to bed on time any more. It’s downright ridiculous how much I lose track of time these days. Sometimes, I admit, I don’t mind being late. I never seem to be on time for my therapy sessions. I’ve had about enough of reliving my failures every damn session. And I do mean reliving them. Whoever invented those damned memory spheres should have their ass kicked all over town. Twice. They are so friggin’ invasive I can’t stand it anymore. I’ve already lived through that stuff once before, why do I have to relive it over and over again?

Then there are the times that I despise being late. This is one of those times. Tsetu asked me to replace him as the keynote speaker for the Shadow Guard graduation ceremony. An emergency case came up that he and Teya had to investigate. Since I’m on the faculty of the Shadow Guard Academy, and was going to the dinner anyway, I was glad to cover for Tsetu. I have copies of several keynotes I’ve delivered in the past, so I knew I could whip something up rather quickly. I should have known better by now. I am such a perfectionist when it comes to speeches that I take more time than is really necessary to write them even if they're culled from previous speeches. So here I am, once again, leaving the loft later than I'd planned.

The hotel, where the dinner was being held, is only five subway stops away from my downtown loft where I was living these days. So when Teya’s car broke down this morning and she sent it to the shop, I told her to take mine. She asked if I needed her to pick me up on the way to the ceremony. I said no. Since she knows her old man very well, Teya set my alarm clock to remind me of the time I would need to get ready for the ceremony and get my sorry ass to the hotel. She also called me three times during the day to remind me of the time. 

I actually left the apartment an hour before I planned to be there. Hell, I could have walked there and still have twenty minutes to spare. But I thought of some finishing touches to add to my speech. Walking the streets working on the speech would be tactically unsound. Taking the subway made much more sense.

So here I am, sitting in the third car of the train, near the middle doors, in one of the seats that face the opposite side of the car. I like those seats, as opposed to the ones facing toward the front or back of the car because I can move easily and quickly should trouble approaches. I could also read the updated headlines on the news feed that streamed across the overhead borders of the car. I like them much better than the ads that run there, even though the news was bad. This was no exception:

Nine More Xhin’Te Children Are Missing!

The total number of missing children this month had now surpassed. Everyone was getting worried. I had contemplated launching my own investigation, but decided to wait until I talked to Teya and Tsetu before doing anything. Meanwhile, I kept a file on the stories on my home laptop and my smartphone. I did the same with this story.

I was dressed to the nines – wearing a black tux with a matching vest, a pair of sleek, Black leather dress boots, and a gray cashmere coat to stave off the chill in the late autumn air that comes down from the mountains, through the valley and clashes with the cool air coming from the bay. Combine that with my smooth, baldhead, my trimmed mustache with a touch of gray, a still-athletic body, a milk chocolate complexion, and a sleek pair of reading glasses and I’m a fine-looking middle-aged Black Elf. Maybe not as elegant as a tall XhinTe fellow, but I hold my own very well. Women, even XhinTe women, still swoon when I walk by, thankyouverymuch.

I was going through my notes on my smartphone when I sensed trouble coming into the car from my left. I look in that direction and saw five young bucks enter the car from the one in front of mine. They bashed the door open and swaggered in. Most of the passengers worked very hard to be inconspicuous. Some suddenly fell asleep, others got very interested in their newspapers, or books, or electronic notepads. I saw one passenger, out of the corner of my eye, use her magic to shrink down to about half-an-inch and then hide in the corner of her seat. I felt, rather than saw two others use their psionics to become invisible.

The boys stood by the front door surveying the car, looking for victims to pick on. They saw someone just past me to my right and start their bad ass bitch walk down the aisle. They harassed several of the passengers as they passed by – ripping a newspaper from one commuter’s hands, knocking the hat off another one, attempting to flirt with another one. The passengers tried to ignore the boys. Most succeed.

I purposely kept my eyes on them for a few seconds until the lead bad ass caught me watching. He stopped and stared at me. His nostrils flared out. The boys behind him bumped into each other trying not to run into the leader. They looked ridiculous.

Lead Boy took a step closer to me.

Da fuck you lookin’ at, Bitch? Lead boy said to me.

I held his gaze two seconds longer and then went back to my speech. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lead Boy hesitate for a moment, wondering if I had just challenged him. Technically, I did. But since I held his gaze for two seconds instead of three, it wasn’t an out and out challenge.

Dat’s right, Bitch, Lead Boy, says to me. Keep yo eyes in yo romance novel.

He and the other boys laughed. I let them walk past me and almost to their intended victim.

Keynote address, I said.

Whuu—? Lead Boy said with as much badassness as he could muster.

I turned my head to Lead Boy. Slowly.

Keynote. Address. I said. Not a romance novel.

Lead Boy now knew that I was challenging him. His eyes flared with anger. Literally. He was a Fire Mage – a low-level one from the smell of his energy signature. But he was still dangerous enough to set this entire car on fire if he wished. I also smelled his fear of being revealed as a coward. His fear threatened to overwhelm him. Somehow, Lead Boy found a way to repress his fear and activated his bravado. 

Fuckin’ bitch! He said.

Lead Boy had to stumble past his boys to get to me. Which made him look silly. Which made him lose his grip on his fear for a moment. Which pissed him off even more. He slammed the last boy into the center doors on the opposite side of where I was sitting on his way to intimidating me. I let him get five feet from me. All of a sudden I made a move and my reading glasses and my smartphone had completely disappeared. All he saw was me, calmly sitting on the edge of my seat, my arms leaning on my thighs, my hands gently clasped, a neutral expression on my face, looking directly into his eyes. He stopped quite suddenly, as if an invisible shield had appeared between us. He had the good sense to take a few steps back and re-evaluate the situation. One moment, he was about to kick the ass of an old fart that dared to challenge his manhood. The next moment, the old fart had turned into something Lead Boy hadn’t counted on just by the way I’d gotten rid of my stuff. So before he proceeded with defending his manhood, he had to see if I was really worth the trouble.

Lead Boy and I continued staring at each other. It didn’t matter to me that he had the stench of a Fire Mage with a mean streak or that his boys smelled of Half-Blacks who could wield both psionics and low-level Voids. Nor did I care that their combined Voids could short-circuit all the passengers’ powers in the subway car. Not that the passengers would do anything to help me.

We stared at each other some more. I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Little Bits shrink a quarter-of-an-inch more, and the two invisibles become even more so.

More staring.

The train started slowing down as it neared the next station.

Something shifted in Lead Boy’s eyes, as he finally comprehended the subtle message I was sending. He also realized that I wasn’t going to just hurt him and his boys, I was going to maim, if not kill them, if they decided to push it. He had to find a way out of the mess he’d stepped into and save face with his boys in the process. Usually, I’d have helped him find a way. But I wasn’t in the mood to be gracious this time. Lead Boy had to get out of this all by himself.

As the train entered the station, Lead Boy signaled for his boys to get behind him and closer to the center doors. I could see confusion and disappointment in the others’ eyes. Not only were they not going to harass the victim they’d picked out, but they also weren’t gonna kick the old fart’s ass. Lead Boy sensed their attitude, tilted his head to them, keeping an eye on me, and said, We outta here.

The train stopped in the station, the doors opened, and the boys half-walked/half-stumbled, backwards, out of the car. Some of the passengers, who were waiting at the door to get on, started fussing about rude kids. One look from Lead Boy and they shut right up, hurried into the car, and found a seat, preferably one that didn’t face the platform and the boys.

Little Bits has returned to her normal size. The Invisibles has become visible again and continued their conversation.

As the doors closed, Lead Boy pointed his right index finger at me, raised his thumb and pretended to shoot me. I gave him my coldest, most pleasant smile. He quickly lowered his hand. Then he realized what he’d done in front of his boys and tried to raise his hand again. But the train was moving again and I was swiftly disappearing from his view.

I considered feeling sorry for Lead Boy, as I knew he must have been trying his best to get back the power I’d taken from him. I decided he wasn’t worth my sympathy. The thing is Lead Boy and his homeboys had gotten off at my stop. But since I didn’t really want to have to kill them and mess up my outfit in the process, I decided to ride a couple of stops and walk back to the hotel. So I leaned back in my seat and pulled out the case that held my reading glasses from the left inside pocket of my long coat. I took off the top, pulled out the glasses, put them on, put the top back on the case, and put it back in the same pocket. Then I reached inside the inside right pocket of my long coat, pulled out my smartphone, turned it back on, and looked over my keynote address to see what I could tweak.

That's when he sat down beside me.

Sweet move, Babe, he said.

I turn to him and I saw...myself...smiling back at me. Not someone masquerading as me. I can sense that immediately. This man was me, smiling at me. Still, it was disconcerting.

Duet

Where did you come from? I asked.

Your future, I...he said. Or rather, a future I created when I was you.

I frowned at him.

Right, I said.

He said, Which one don’t you believe? That I’m from your future, or from a future I created when I was you?

Yes.

Yet you believe I’m you. Not a clone, or a doppelganger, or someone from a pocket universe. You.

How would I know that?

He smiled.

I’m you, he said. I see it in your eyes.

The way he said it, the way he looked at me, I knew he wasn’t bluffing. He did, indeed, see it in my eyes. I had no reason to bluff...myself.

Okay, I know you’re me, I said. But you can’t be from my future. My past, yes, but not my future.

Why can’t I be from your future? He asked.

Because you’re alive, I said, and I’m dying. You have to be from my past.

He leaned in closer to me.

Look in my eyes, he said. Tell me what you see?

I had every intention of hesitating before I did what he asked. But the way he said it, combined with how close he was to me, made me lose my resolve. Just as I’d done to countless others, he’d done to me. Only better. Smoother. Easier. I had no choice but to lean forward and look into his...my eyes.

If the fact that he was better than me in compelling people to do what he asked didn’t prove he was from my future, the things I saw in his eyes did. I saw everything that I’d done in my life up to this moment in vivid detail. And for a moment I saw everything I would do in the future – what he’d done – before it faded back into my Future Self’s memory. Then I promptly forgot. What I could not forget – what I could no longer deny – was that I did, indeed, have a future.

I sat back in my seat as the train stopped at the next station. My keynote address that was displayed on my smartphone was completely forgotten. People filed out and in. A young boy, holding onto his mother's hand pointed at us.

Look, Mommy, the boy said, twins.

It's not polite to point, dear, his mother said.

And they’re Blacks, Mommy. I can feel their Voids. Can’t you feel their voids?

Sweetheart, please.

The boy’s eyes widened.

No, Mommy. They don’t have Voids. He said. Dad said Blacks who don’t have Voids can steal your souls when they steal your powers. That is so cool!

Hush, Baby! His mother said. She turned to us. I’m so sorry, sirs. He’s only a boy. He didn’t mean any harm. Please forgive him?

Nothing to forgive, ma'am, I heard my Future said. My brother and I don’t take such stories, personally.

Thank you, sir, both of you. It won’t happen again. She hustled her son to a seat in the front of the car.

You all right? My Future Self asked.

I will be, I said.

Take your time.

My Future Self took out a pair of reading glasses from his inside trench coat pocket. They were the same ones I wore. He pointed to my smartphone.

"I'll finish