Fire Moon: Keepers of the Earth, #2

By Lorraine Lander

Fourteen-year-old Angel has just escaped from an evil wizard after being tricked into training to be a servant of evil by a Black Heart spell. She and her Spirit Council friends have traveled to Sedona, Arizona to find and destroy the evil book that gives power to the dangerous wizards in the area. No one knows, though, that Angel’s air affinity powers are gone. She’s determined to keep it that way as she tried to remove the dark energy infecting her.

A Native American spirit advises Angel that she must create a Fire Moon to regain her powers. A visit to Limbo, the “in between” world of dreams and imagination, gives her and her friend, Nina, the chance to make one in a dangerous ceremony that will either return Angel’s powers or destroy them both.

Not only is their new mission important to protect life on Earth, but it will also free Kardun, the last of a mythical race of horses who is bonded with Angel. In a final dangerous mission, Angel and her Spirit Council must harness the power of the Fire Moon and figure out how to work together as a team or the visions that she’s had of her friends dying will come true.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lorraine Lander
• Release date: Apr 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781945280078

Book preview

© Lorraine Lander, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-945280-05-4, Wellbrook Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author's imagination or are fictitious. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author.

Acknowledgements

There are so many people that I need to thank that helped me take the idea for this story and hone it to its current form, that I apologize, in advance, if I have left anyone out. First, I need to thank my critique partners, Laurie Gifford Adams and Dorothy Callahan, for their thoughtful comments during the writing of the original manuscript. In addition, I thank my sister, Barbara Burger, as well as my sister, Marilyn Bridge, for reading the original draft and providing feedback for revision. My daughter, Cheryl Gianvecchio, also provided very extensive and thoughtful suggestions for improvement.

What is Sustainability?

Author’s Notes and Dedication

Sustainability is about living our lives so that others, now and into the future, can also have good lives. It sounds simple, but actually can involve thinking in new ways and doing some things differently. The Keepers of the Earth series is dedicated to trying to help readers think about important ideas that may help them move to living more sustainably. Below are a few ideas to think about. If you’d like to know more, please check out my website www.lorrainelander.com.

The Good Life is an idea that’s been around for centuries. It isn’t about just being happy, it’s also about taking care of others and our planet. The idea of the Good Life has been studied by psychologists who have found that there are two types of happiness. The first kind is about laughing and having a good time, but the second kind turns out to be stronger and last longer. That kind comes from caring about others and not just ourselves.

Greed is a problem. There can be a lot of peer pressure on us to live our lives in ways that are not very sustainable either for the planet or for other humans. Greed can also be a problem because we are bombarded by messages in the media about buying and owning things. We need to be careful consumers and think about how what we buy affects others and the planet.

Awareness is the first step toward being more sustainable. All humans are part of interconnected systems, so try to learn about who else is in those systems with you and how your actions affect others, as well as the plants and animals around us. As well, learn as much as you can about where things come from and where they go when you’re done with them.

The Keepers of the Earth series also raises awareness of important environmental problems like the importance of taking care of the planet so it continues to support life of all kinds and not just humans. Our planet is changing and there is much that we can do to help direct those changes in positive directions. I hope you’ll join me in working toward living a more sustainable life and help others to do the same.

Synopsis of Black Heart: Keepers of the Earth

Volume One

Fourteen-year-old Angel is offered a job working for the summer on a local farm for Brian Feathers, a Native American biologist, who grows rare plants and makes herbal teas. Nina, a local girl, also works there, although she and Angel don’t get along. Soon, two more teenagers join them, Kallan, a Native American boy from California, and Wiki, an Aborigine from Australia. Brian wants the teens to form a Spirit Council, a group dedicated to helping animals harmed by habitat loss, as well as saving species from extinction.

Angel visits an old growth forest on the farm and is given a liminal stone by a Native American Spirit that allows her to travel in her dreams. When she uses the stone and enters Limbo, an 'in between' world, she meets Caleb, a teenage boy from Thera, the world of magic and mythology that was separated from Earth centuries ago. Caleb can do magic and tells Angel that she can, too, although she has no idea how to use her powers. According to Caleb, she and the others have affinities for the basic elements. Angel’s affinity is for air, Wiki’s is earth, Kallan’s is water, and Nina’s is fire. Caleb soon travels to Brian’s farm from Thera on a quest to destroy a magic book named Lucrum, which is giving power to evil.

The group goes to High Tor, an ancient Native American site, and during a power ceremony are given totems that increase their magical abilities. While the others have someone to train with, Angel does not and her potential for powerful magic makes her a target. She's tricked into the Nagin Chante, a black heart spell, and as a result has to train with two evil magi (wizards). At the end of two months of training, one month with each, she been told that she can choose to either stay with one of them or return home.

Angel first trains at the palace of Sedit. There, she is trained to fight by a woman named Betty, who is also trapped by the Nagin Chante. Angel also bonds with Kardun, a mysterious horse that Sedit allows her to ride only if she cooperates with his plans for her. Ultimately, when she angers Sedit, he puts a spell on Kardun, trapping him in a water globe to force Angel to choose him at the end of her training. Sedit also tells Angel he has information about her father, who disappeared mysteriously before she was born, but he’ll give this information only if she chooses to work for him.

At the palace of the second magi, Azar, she has several teachers. One of them is Merak, a teenager not much older than herself, who tries to romance her in order to gain her loyalty to Azar so she’ll stay with them. Newan, the aviary keeper, teaches her to work with flying creatures and they become friends. Seropa, Azar’s girlfriend, pretends to teach her how to control weather, but does little to help her learn. Tyll, her music teacher, shows her how to play the Native American flute. Angel eventually learns why she is so important to Sedit and Azar. They want her to magical read their evil deeds into the book that Caleb is trying to destroy, since it will greatly increase their powers. Worse, she learns that they have no intention of ever letting her leave. Once Angel knows she won’t be allowed to go home, Newan and his magical bird, Quetzal, offer to help all of them to escape.

Angel also finds magical books at Azar’s that help develop her powers in ways that Azar doesn’t know about, as well as determine that the palace of both magi are located near Sedona, Arizona. When Newan steals magic to power their escape plan, he’s caught and killed. Angel teams up with Quetzal and he teaches her to play a sleep song during dinner on her last night of training. This is her one chance to escape, but she’s caught by Merak. They fight and she ends up hurting him with her powers. Angel doesn’t know if he’s alive or not when she leaves, although injuring him causes her black heart to turn darker. This will only make it harder to ever be free of the Nagin Chante, black heart spell.

Angel and Quetzal return to Brian’s using a magical device that transports them through time and space and which allows Angel to arrive back just two hours after she left for her two months of training. She’s determined to return to Sedona in order to rescue Kardun and Betty, as well as learn more about her father. Helping Caleb destroy the book he’s targeting may be the only way to free her friend and her horse, but will the others in the Spirit Council cooperate?

Chapter One

I stared down at the thousand foot drop below me, my feet scrambling for footing. My fingers ached with the strain of hanging onto the small handholds that I’d found in the red rock cliff. I questioned once again if I was crazy to be doing this just because I felt so drawn to investigate a cave that was only accessible by rock climbing.

The piercing cry of a hawk startled me as I concentrated on my next move and I stopped to watch it soar across the valley. Too bad I wasn’t a bird; it would make getting to the cave so much easier. The powers I’d gotten from my air affinity, abilities like controlling the wind that might help me if I fell, were gone.

I looked down at my eagle totem, wrapped in wire and hanging from a chain around my neck. Dark energy swirled in it since I’d escaped. The shimmering white lights that had danced in the stone when one of the Great Spirits gave it to me had disappeared. In the days since I’d come back there had been no sign of them returning. Brian and the other members of the Spirit Council had no idea I was powerless.

I was glad for the muscles that I’d built from my two months of forced training, first with the Theran magus, Sedit, then with his brother, Azar. It still made me angry when I thought of how Sedit had trapped me with the Nagin Chante, an evil spell that had forced me to be his servant and left me with a black heart tattoo on my chest.

My fingers began to tremble with the strain of staying where I was. As I planned my next move the bright rays of the sun cleared the top of the mesa and turned the rock cliff in front of me a fiery red. The changing light showed me a small foothold about two feet away. It might just support a toe, if I was lucky.

I reached out with the tip of my shoe and felt to see if the rock was solid. I slowly slid my hand across to a tiny crack in the rock face, then shifted my weight fully onto this new projection. The cave entrance was my next target. Just two feet to go. 

Several places to grab stuck out right before the cavern’s ledge, but were well above my head. Could I reach and would they hold? The cry of the hawk distracted me as he swooped so close I felt the air movement from his wings.

A slight wobble from the ledge below my feet convinced me that I had to move forward or fall. I centered my energy, took a deep breath, and leaned far to the right while I moved my hand along the rock face toward my goal of a secure spot to grab on.

Seconds ticked by and I still lacked confidence that I could safely move. I wondered if I’d miscalculated. An especially strong updraft whipped my t-shirt against my skin, momentarily shifting me back. I quickly rebalanced and slid my hand toward something, anything, that I could get a grip onto. Sweat began to make my hand slippery as it searched.

Anger at how hard this was becoming burned in my chest making the black heart tattoo ache. A spell from my friend, Quetzal, was keeping the heart from letting Sedit or Azar know where I was, but the negative energy of my anger was counteracting his protection.

I gathered what nerve I had left and swung my weight forward, hanging by my fingertips on this new handhold. It was only a second or two but seemed far longer as I moved through the air, brushing against the rock wall. Another updraft surged past me from below and I thought it would ruin my momentum. My breath caught, then the toes of my right foot found solid ground on the big ledge in front of the cave. I teetered on the broad rock surface for several seconds, not sure which direction I’d fall. Finally, I collapsed in a crumpled ball onto the rock and lay there panting.

Seconds ticked by. When my breathing quieted, I could hear noises from the cave set deep in the rock. It sounded at first like groans. I focused my hearing. My muscles tensed when I realized that it was growling.

I shifted closer to the cave opening without getting up. I needed a better view into the deep shadow cast by the overhanging rocks. As my eyes adjusted, I saw a yellow glow from the depths. I crouched, then slowly stood up, peering into the recesses of the cave for some sign of what might be there.

I saw nothing so slid a step closer. That’s when I felt the trembling that I’d come to associate with my travel stone. My vision darkened as I moved to Limbo, an in-between place of dreams and imagination.

In seconds I was aware of a misty forest around me. A campfire burned in the distance, casting a warm glow in the dim light. I smelled smoke and heard the crackle of the flames as I slowly walked closer. A shape on the far side of the fire moved and I froze. It was something covered with white fur. I heard a low growl again and studied the creature, unsure if it was an animal or something else.

Angel, it said in a deep, female voice.

I peered closer, surprised to now make out the face of a Native American woman under a pelt of white fur across her head and shoulders.

Yes, I responded, a small tremor in my voice.

Come to the fire. You have been judged worthy to speak with me.

The glow of the flames cast an eerie, whitish-yellow glow. As I stepped closer, the firelight glinted off a long hunting knife that the woman held in her hand. I chose a spot across the fire from her, not sure I wanted to get any closer.

There was a long silence, when I finally asked, Who are you? What am I doing here?

Her dark eyes examined me as if they could read the depths of my soul, then she said, My name is Bacho. I am the Spirit of the She-Wolf.

I tried to meet her gaze but finally looked away, watching the fire spark and listening to it sizzle as flames licked their way toward new places to burn. I waited for Bacho to tell me what it was that she wanted from me and why I’d been drawn into Limbo, yet I jumped when she spoke.

You have spirit and potential, she said, then a low growl escaped her lips as she went on, but a long way to go to be the leader of a Spirit Council.

I know, I blurted out. I never wanted to be the leader. Everyone expects so much of me. Besides, I don’t have anyone to train with that has an air affinity or who’s been a leader before—Can you help me?

Another low growl escaped her lips as they curled up enough for me to see the white of her teeth. Then she shook her head slightly and looked off into the misty woods around us. The she-wolf is strong, Bacho finally said. She leads by example. And she must be willing to do what is right–always.

Right for who? Me or the Council?

A loud snarl echoed in the damp, misty air as she gnashed her teeth at me. I jumped backward.

The Earth must be your focus, she snarled. A she wolf always protects her pack and her territory.

I know we all have to worry about the environment, but first I need to rescue Kardun, a horse that I knew at Sedit’s. He’s trapped by a spell in a water globe. I think he’s dying. And, I want to help Betty, who works for Sedit to escape. Some members of the council won’t agree to help. If they won’t help me why should I help them?

Bacho gnashed her teeth at me. If your purpose is true, with effort you will convince them.

My heart sank. I wasn’t sure I had the energy to do all the things that were expected or necessary.

I took a deep breath and continued, There’s also this evil Book of Power called Lucrum. It needs to be destroyed to help Kardun and Betty to get away. I don’t know where it is or what to do to get rid of it. There are less than two months to figure all this out.

Bacho’s dark eyes glimmered as she listened. The book you speak of, Lucrum, is a source of great evil in the world. She paused and studied me. It almost seemed like her gaze softened a little when she said, So, you have loyalty to someone other than yourself?

"Of course, I owe a lot to Kardun and Betty. My friend, Quetzal, as well. He’s a magic bird that helped me escape from Azar. He’s using magic on the Nagin Chante, this black heart that Sedit gave me to make me into his servant. Can you do anything about the heart?"

She shook her head slowly and I wasn’t sure if she was saying no or thinking. Then, Bacho looked up at the sky and put her head way back. I followed her gaze and saw the moon overhead. It looked bigger than normal and was milky white, but with the shadow of a wolf’s face, rather than the familiar pattern of craters.

A bloodthirsty howl burst forth from Bacho, making me shiver where I sat. Suddenly, a thin stream of white light separated itself from the moon overhead and flowed down toward us. It looked as if a sweater was being unraveled. As the white thread got close to the fire, it stopped and hovered near Bacho.

Show me the Nagin Chante, she said.

I pulled down the neckline of my t-shirt to reveal the black heart tattoo. I, I did something, hurt someone when I was getting away from Azar’s palace and it’s made it fill in with more black.

Bacho nodded. There is good and evil in all of us. This mark gives you a way to see the balance within yourself. Do not ignore what the heart tells you about your deeds.

But it can bind me to be a servant of evil, then I won’t be able to make the balance go more positive, I blurted out.

This will help, she growled, as she moved her hand and muttered words in Native American. Then she said, Do not move.

The white thread wafted over to me and I tensed when it got near. As it hovered in front of my face, the glowing string of light formed into a small white circle that floated closer and closer to my chest until it touched the skin around the tattoo. The milky whiteness burned with a frigid pain. It took all my willpower to keep from shrinking back. I gasped, though before I could stop myself, then closed my eyes and held my breath. Tears of pain dripped down my cheeks as the cold circle cut deeper into my skin. I prayed for the discomfort to be over.

The pain was just easing when Bacho spoke again. My eyes shot open as she said, You have two months to prove yourself and show the spirit of the she-wolf. The wolf moon will protect you until then, but no longer. You must be strong to continue to be found worthy.

I looked down to see a faint raised white line surrounding the black tattoo. A shimmer of light flickered off the inside edge of the circle as if there was energy flowing toward the heart. I was discouraged, as always, to see how much of the heart had filled with black since escaping from Azar. It meant my balance of good versus evil had shifted in the wrong way. I quickly covered it and tried not to think about what would happen if it filled completely. At least Bacho’s white circle kept it from hurting anymore.

I looked up to thank Bacho. Her yellow eyes were boring into me, as she lifted her knife and shoved it into her waistband. If you can find your way to my sister, Hanwi, speak with her about the Fire Moon, it may be of use to you about your totem and your pack.

I opened my mouth to ask where to find Hanwi and what a Fire Moon was, but the scene faded and the world around me trembled as I traveled out of Limbo. I found myself back in the cave, now empty.

Thank you, I whispered, hoping that Bacho could hear me.

I looked back toward the ledge and the way I’d come, not looking forward to climbing the cliffs to leave. However, the sunlight barely illuminated what looked like a passage at the back of the cave. I felt the need to keep moving. After a couple steps, I could make out shapes in the distance. I paused and listened for any sounds, but the air in the cave was dead.

Caves were not the best place for someone with an air affinity and it felt like the walls were closing in. I could now see that the shapes were vertical and horizontal like something man made. A couple more steps and I could make out a stairway made of old boards with jagged outlines leading upwards. I looked back toward the ledge. My only option to leave was climbing the stairs into the darkness above.

Chapter Two

The board under my foot creaked as I took a cautious step upward. There wasn’t enough light to really judge how sturdy it was. I gripped hard to the wooden handrail, in case a step gave way under my weight and started up. Soon I was climbing in pitch black, feeling my way along.

A calming ritual came to me, but that also brought images of Merak, my former meditation teacher. The last I’d seen him he lay on the terrace at Azar’s palace. His body was crumpled and his hands burned. I had no way of even knowing if he was still alive. Guilt over what I’d done to him when he tried to stop me from escaping flooded through me. I wasn’t sure if it had been self-defense, but my black heart had gotten much darker after that. Maybe he’d gotten his revenge though. Before I made him let me go, he’d touched my totem. Now all I could see inside were these swirls of dark energy. The white lights that had danced inside it had deserted me.

When I finally reached the top, I found a small room, lit from an opening in the rock, partially blocked by a stone door. I hurried toward the sunlight, blinded by how bright it was after so much darkness during my climb. As I stepped out into the warmth, the stone door behind me groaned, then slid back into place with a loud crunch, causing me to jump back. Some magical power, maybe Bacho, did not want anyone else to enter or leave. Again, there was no going back the way I’d come.

I explored the top of the flat mesa. It was small, studded here and there with red gravely rock fragments and small sage brush and wild grasses. I walked to the edge and stared down at the sparkles of sunlight off the water of Oak Creek far down in the valley below. It promised a cool dip later in the day when Sedona baked in its summery heat. With more exploring of the edges, I found a narrow path leading down toward the valley on the far side from the cave entrance.

I had descended for some time when I heard a rustling sound up ahead. I froze, then slipped quietly behind a pinyon pine and waited. Some animal nearby was panting and snuffling. I didn’t know of any dangerous ones in the area, but stayed in my hiding place, wishing my air affinity worked so I could ensure my scent didn’t go toward whatever it was.

I jumped as someone called, Angel? then I moved branches to get a better look. Down the path, I saw a man and a dog.

As I stepped out from behind the tree, Wolf, Brian’s dog, rushed up to sniff my shoes, like all dogs, curious about where I’d been. I wondered if he could sense my meeting with Bacho.

Angel? Brian called again, relief in his voice.

I was surprised he’d come this high up considering his limp. Hi, Brian, I responded and hurried down to him.

Can we talk? he asked, a concerned look on his face.

I shrugged. Sure.

Brian said nothing for long minutes as he looked out into the valley below and gathered his thoughts. I studied his dark skin and long ponytail and thought how the sage brush and blue sky of the Southwest made him look even more Native American.

Finally, he shifted his gaze to me and said, I’ve noticed you’re not training. And Lonely Dove says that you’re not sleeping.

I cursed to myself that the ranch was so small that I’d had to choose to either share a room with Nina or Lonely Dove. The elderly wise woman seemed by far the better choice, although Nina and I were the same age and should have had more in common. I wondered if her fire affinity and mine for air would ever work well together.

I reminded Brian, I’ve trained intensively for two months when I was with Sedit and Azar. Besides, my energy got drained from escaping. Keeping it a