The Shaman's Secret: Kalika Magic, #2

By Karen Hughes

In the second book of the popular Kalika Magic series, Kai and Indie must leave the forest to find the missing king. As the Emperor of Moto gathers his great army and the Dasa warriors prepare for battle, Kai and Indie search for the shaman who will help them on their quest.

The magic of the mountains is different to the magic of the forest. The only way they can succeed is if they make the perilous journey to the spirit realm to find their power animals. But can they trust the shaman? And will they discover the secret of the mountains before it's too late?

An epic adventure of courage, creativity, and wonder for kids aged 9+

'An engrossing tale of magic and mystery. The Shaman's Secret is well worth unlocking.' – The Sydney Morning Herald

'What a wonderful adventure for younger readers. I was completely taken into the worlds of mystics and powers. A great read.' – Canberra Muse

'I read this book on holidays and couldn't put it down. Loved the messages and mystical magic woven through the story.' – Elephant Journal, USA

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kalika Magic
• Release date: Sep 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9780994157928

Karen Hughes

Karen Hughes is the author of the Kalika Magic series for children aged 9+, exploring themes of courage, resilience and the power of the imagination. Karen grew up on a cattle station on the Liverpool Plains, where she spent her childhood climbing trees, riding horses and reading magical books. She attended a primary school with only 6 pupils, before being packed off to boarding school at age 12. Karen has been a lawyer, a herbalist and a web designer, but being a storyteller is her favourite job. She now lives in the Hunter Valley. #1 'Emerald Child' explores earth magic and the power of the four elements - earth, water, air and fire.  #2 'The Shaman's Secret' is a quest into the mountains in search of a mysterious shaman.  #3 'The Sorrow of the Waters' is a thrilling journey, with the spirits of the water grieving over the destruction of the land.  #4, 'The Howling Sands' is an exhilarating adventure, where the children encounter wind spirits, sand ghosts and shadow animals, and learn more about themselves and their magical world.

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Copyright © Karen Hughes 2018

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Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

Ordering Information: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.

Hughes / Karen — Draft2Digital edition

ISBN 978-0994157928

The Apiki Flower

Kai stood in silence , watching Brek fumble with wood and flint. The medicine man handled his tools gently, as if he feared they would break. He crouched by the pile of sticks, blowing softly and cupping his hands around the flame.

The fire sprang to life. Brek bustled about with his charms and his incense, muttering in the ancient tongue of the Kalika. He sat on a faded cushion in front of the fire, closed his eyes and began to chant.

Nothing happened. He opened one eye and motioned with his head for Kai to sit next to him. Kai took a deep breath and plonked himself on the ground.

‘Hold this,’ muttered Brek, passing the boy an old book wrapped in oilskin and tied with a strip of leather. It was the spell book of the great Wicasa, ancient chief of the Kalika.

Kai held the book to his chest, remembering how he had used it to call on the four elements – Air, Fire, Water and Earth – to defeat Aunt Sofia’s army. He’d been so sure of the magic then, so confident that potions and spells could make everything better.

It seemed a very long time ago.

‘Concentrate,’ Brek said, poking him with a bony elbow.

Kai gazed into the fire. He could feel the flames dancing through his body, rolling in waves up his arms and legs, burning into his heart. He took a deep breath and whispered, ‘Koko mi ki-somma.’

The burning grew stronger. He braced himself. It was always like this: the rush of heat and pain, almost too much to bear. He gritted his teeth. ‘Ki-somma.’

Brek was beside him, holding his arm. The medicine man was singing. Kai heard his thin, quavering voice and clung to it with his mind. It would keep him safe, keep him sitting on the ground when every part of him felt like it was about to break into pieces and fly into the sky.

Smoke swirled around him, forming shapes and patterns. He saw an old man sitting in a lonely cave; fierce warriors with animal skins and snake tattoos; a small white flower, growing in the snow.

The smoke changed from white to a deep dark grey. Kai pressed his fists to his eyes to stop them stinging. When he opened them again, he could see a man with a scar on his cheek, a long crooked nose, and the eyes of a wolf.

The picture flickered and faded. The man disappeared. In his place, Kai saw a fat emperor sitting on an elephant. He saw thousands of soldiers in red and white, lining up across the plain. And then there was darkness – darkness and shadows, and children screaming and women crying out, and the villages of Gort burning, burning to the ground.

Kai felt tears on his cheeks. He looked at Brek and saw that his face was white.

Brek was rubbing his hands together in his lap and shaking, rocking back and forth. ‘It is worse than I imagined,’ he whispered. ‘Far, far worse.’

‘What is?’ Kai scrubbed angrily at his face. ‘What did you see?’

Brek looked at him with narrow eyes. ‘The same thing you saw.’

Kai looked at the ground. ‘Just because you see something in the smoke doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.’

Brek frowned. ‘That may be so, but it doesn’t mean you should ignore it and pretend it will go away.’

Kai was silent. He stared into the flames.

Brek reached for the spell book and thumbed slowly through its pages. ‘Chief Wicasa wrote that the smoke may not always be right, but it is a worthy guide.’

‘The things I saw were terrible,’ said Kai. ‘They won’t happen. They can’t.’

Brek threw a handful of white sage into the flames. There was a hiss and a scattering of sparks, and Kai smelt the pungent smell of the herb in the night air. He fought the picture that came into his mind.

It was a girl. Clasping a tattered purple cloak around her shoulders, she curled her body against a cave wall, shivering. Her hands were chapped and raw, and her face was streaked with tears.

‘No,’ he pushed the picture away and jumped to his feet, looking wildly around.

Brek climbed to his feet and put his hand on Kai's shoulder, but the boy shrugged him off and ran out of the village into the darkness.

KAI STOOD AMONG THE shadows of the forest. He could hear the magic humming in the trees, whispering all around him.

‘You should be out with the king, learning to be a man,’ his mother had said. ‘Not sitting under a tree with your nose stuck in a ratty old spell book.’

He thought about all the things he had learned from that book – how to fly across the sea with nothing but his arms flapping and the wind in his hair, how to call on the elements, how to battle dark spells and know that he was strong.

His mother’s voice whispered in his ear. ‘The magic is dangerous. You are the Prince of Gort. You live in the royal city of Ballyndor. You don’t need magic any more.’

He looked up at the night sky. The power of the forest hummed through his body, the magic beat inside his heart. How could he pretend it wasn’t there?

A strong hand clapped him on the back and he stumbled forwards.

‘Follow me,’ said Brek. ‘If we’re going to find the apiki flower, we need some answers.’

‘The apiki flower?’ Kai stared at him.

‘The white flower in the snow,’ said Brek. ‘I know you saw it.’

‘You think that was the apiki flower?’

‘That’s exactly what I think,’ said Brek.

Kai shook his head. ‘Dargan says the apiki flower is a fairytale.’

Brek frowned. ‘Dargan has no time for magic,’ he said. ‘He knows only how to fight.’

‘He is the leader of the Kalika – ’

‘For now,’ said Brek. ‘But the world is changing. Our next leader will not be a warrior; he will be a healer. He will touch the spirit of the living earth and make this land whole.’ He gave Kai a long, searching look. ‘He will not be able to do this without the apiki flower. If the flower is a fairytale, there is no hope.’

He turned and disappeared into the forest, his feet swift and sure.

Kai looked back at the lights twinkling in the trees, at the cosy tree houses tucked among the leaves. He looked at the trail Brek had taken through the darkest part of the forest. For a moment he hesitated. Then he took a deep breath and turned to follow.

BY THE TIME THEY REACHED the Seeing Tree at the edge of the forest, the moon was high and the clouds glowed silver in the black night sky.

‘Are you sleeping, Kaosha?’ asked Brek, patting the ancient trunk.

‘Hardly,’ rumbled a voice from deep inside the tree. ‘I never get any sleep these days; there’s always someone knocking.’ The leaves rustled loudly. ‘And the questions they ask me! Who shall I marry? Where should I live? What should I call my first-born son? Harrumph. Questions they ought to figure out for themselves.’

Brek laughed. ‘I’m sorry to hear that, old friend, but at least they’re keeping you busy.’

‘I don’t want to be busy,’ muttered Kaosha. ‘I was quite happy being asleep.’

‘You knew this would happen. It was your prophecy, remember? The Emerald Child will return to Gort, the trees will wake up, and all will be well,’ said Brek. He was quiet for a moment. ‘Except that it isn’t,’ he said.

‘That’s not exactly right.’ The leaves rustled again and Kaosha’s voice seemed to move around them – drifting down from the branches, whispering from the bark, calling from the saskaberry bushes on the other side of the tree. ‘I said that if the Emerald Child didn’t come back there would be one hundred years of sorrow. Things could be much worse, you know.’

‘I doubt it,’ said Brek. ‘Sofia may be gone, but she has left behind a dying land.’

There was a long silence. Something very like a sigh came from the old tree. ‘I knew this would happen,’ said the voice. ‘People are like mosquitoes. They suck you dry. They swarm through the forest, buzzing and buzzing. Such a nuisance.’

‘Sofia was a nuisance,’ corrected Brek. ‘The children of Gort are not. While the tree spirits were sleeping, the young prince grew up with Grandma Helki in the Kalika Forest, a stranger to his sister, who was hidden away on a secret island, far from Ballyndor – ’

‘Why are you telling me this?’ muttered Kaosha. ‘I know these things.’

‘I’m reminding you of their courage,’ said Brek. ‘Kai and Indie came back to challenge the woman who stole their father’s throne. She was nukpana ... evil.’ His voice was rising. ‘They were so young, but they fought when everyone else had given up. Now they face another battle, and they need your help.’

‘I didn’t say I wouldn’t help,’ said Kaosha, sounding peevish. ‘I like talking to you, that’s all. It gets lonely here, even with all those people buzzing around. They don’t want to have a conversation with me. They don’t care how I feel.’ There was another creaking sigh from the branches. ‘Go on, then. Ask your question. I’ll see what I can do.’

Kai ducked his head and climbed through the opening in the great trunk. Brek followed, bending low.

‘Comfortable?’ Kaosha’s voice echoed through the hollow. ‘I’ll just make some tea, shall I?’

Kai looked around, half expecting to see a kettle and cups appear out of the darkness. He heard a rich choking sort of sound and realised that Kaosha was laughing at him.

Brek rolled his eyes. ‘Very funny,’ he said, flicking his long fingers. ‘But don’t trouble yourself – we brought our own.’

White light broke the darkness. On the ground at Kai’s feet sat a tray with two brown gourds and a bowl of blue saskaberries.

Kai looked at Brek. Brek smiled. ‘I’ve been practising a few of Chief Wicasa’s spells myself. Food, mostly, and healing potions. Nothing fancy, I’m afraid.’

Kai picked up the gourd closest to him and took a sip. The liquid was clear and sweet and tasted like honey.

‘Chief Wicasa wrote that the secret to real magic is simple,’ said Brek, draining his gourd. ‘Expect it to happen, pretend it has already happened, be grateful, and whatever you wish for will appear.’

He stood tall and straight in the centre of the hollow, stretching his arms until the tips of his fingers brushed against the sides of the tree.

‘Stop that,’ Kaosha growled. ‘It tickles.’

‘What are you doing now?’ mumbled Kai, his mouth full of berries.

Brek closed his eyes. ‘There is a rumour in the south that Shaman Yanti has found the apiki flower,’ he said. ‘The healing flower. The flower that will save – ’

‘Yes, yes,’ said Kaosha. ‘We’ve all heard of this flower. We all know it is the only thing that can heal this land.’

‘There is an evil presence in the mountains. A shadow wolf.’ Brek opened one eye and looked at Kai. The boy’s face had turned pale and his eyes were wide. The berries lay forgotten in his hand.

The branches around them began to shake. ‘Do not speak to me of this stapa, this creature of the night.’ Kaosha sounded weary. ‘When I look at him, I see only darkness. I cannot tell you what he will do.’

‘That is not my question.’ Brek had both eyes open now. ‘My question is this: Mugadi, the leader of the Dasa Warriors, has blocked the road over the mountain from Moto. The gypsy traders can’t get through to Ballyndor. Queen Tala has run out of coco. It’s a mess. So King Eamon is riding to the Dasa village with a small party of soldiers to sort it all out.

‘The Dasa have long been our allies and the king wants them to remain so, but I do not trust Mugadi, and I’m certain Shaman Yanti has cast one of his curses – ’

‘This is a