Flicker: Light of a Lantern

By U.B. Light

Flicker is a lightning bug, the youngest and smallest of the warrior sect of lightning bugs called, 'Lanterns,' who use their inner light called 'Glimmer,' to forge organic armor and weaponry against the dark forces. When the Roach Lord and his army attack, Flicker's light pouch is punctured in battle. In peril, he is rushed to Sanctuary Pond where a zen frog trained in the ways of healing saves Flicker, and goes on to teach Flicker about holding his light, and the true origins of the Roach Lord and the lightning bugs. To face the Roach Lord and the darkness outside of him, Flicker will have to look to the light inside of him, and in doing so, he may find his light is much larger and more intertwined in the world than he could ever have imagined.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
• Release date: Jan 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781642378351

Book preview

Epilogue

Prologue

THERE EXIST S EERS , SENSITIVE souls who have the potential to hold great light. This light guides the Seer to that which the Seer seeks the most. Every Seer seeks something specific, a vision given to them in a dream, and their inner light illuminates the path to their purpose. Those Seers who seek their dreams effect great change in the world as their light moves with them and doing so brightens the world around them. These Seers must be brave though because the way is not easy.

Darker forces move to challenge the Seers. These forces look to test and disempower the Seer. Fear is used to scare Seers to dim or even abandon their light, and the darker forces swoop in and harvest the abandoned light for power and control.

But the dream is a constant friend to the Seer, always tugging at the Seer in quiet moments. The dream recruits allies, creatures familiar and mythical who have the power to reconnect a Seer to its light. These creatures are dreamed so vividly they don’t even know they are being dreamt and believe they too have their own journey to understand their own light. If such creatures can cultivate their light and make it to the Palace of the Seer, their light can re-spark the Seer to see clearly again. They only need to find the courage to look within, for when the dark comes for them . . . .

Chapter 1

AGUST OF WIND TUMBLED dirt and dust until it broke upon the heels of a solitary figure. The sun searched overhead for the unusual presence, and when its light came upon the dark figure, it shrank back as if the rays themselves had been scorched by the touch.

From under a purple hood and cloak so dark it resembled black, the figure looked up, annoyed by the presence of the glowing orb, and each became acutely aware of the other.

The figure leaned heavier on the staff it grasped and challenged the sun for position. The sun pushed with punishing light and heat but the figure remained unmoved under its cloak. As it held its ground, its shadow grew longer and more menacing among the changing red and orange crimsons of bedrock. Darkness pushed and pushed the light back until the last trail of light fell off the earth and the sun dropped below the horizon.

An eerie silence took over and nothing moved for a long time except the cold breath of the figure whose inhale and exhale showed as fog in the air turned crisp with cold.

The figure looked at the staff it clutched, a single rod of wood etched with geometric symbols and topped with a crystal matching the same dark purple hue as the figure’s cloak. The crystal hummed while its light waxed and waned, as if the crystal itself was breathing. He rotated it back and forth in his clutch, a restless movement matching his own occupied mind, and into the eerie silence it sent a scraping sound back and forth, back and forth, until his thoughts came to a conclusion and his movement to an abrupt halt.

Then, slowly at first . . . Tap . . . Tap . . . Tap . . . against the bedrock he raised and lowered the staff. Tap . . . Tap . . . Tap . . . it repeated. Tap . . . Tap . . . Tap . . . in sets of three, like a heartbeat but something irregular and ill about it. Tap . . . Tap . . . Tap . . . . the crystal hummed louder. Tap . . . Tap . . . Tap . . . the purple light swelled. Tap . . . Tap . . . Tap . . . faster and harder against the ground. Bang . . . bang . . . bang . . . . bang . . . bang . . . bang . . . and with one big lift to the sky, the staff’s glowing crystal lit the night dark purple before being plunged into the earth. Dust exploded backward behind the cloaked figure and purple light descended through the staff’s geometric symbols and then discharged onto the earth. Like electric tentacles, it searched and reached into every crevice among the bedrock behind the dark figure. The clearing dust gave way to the image of the dark figure standing still again, the staff still clutched in his grasp, and the crystal now wore a softer glow that would swell and dim and sound like a low hum into the night.

Places where the electricity had entered stirred with movement. Something had awakened. Many somethings had awakened, summoned to gather, and so they came. They emerged from crevices shallow and deep and from places no normal eye would have noticed. Each one cocked its head and looked around. Once it caught sight of the purple crystal, it knew its course and scurried with speed toward the light.

They swarmed together into a moving cloud that started to take on a discernable formation of rows and lines. With every three scurries, they would pause, beat the hard exoskeletons of their left wings on the ground . . . bang . . . bang . . . bang . . . and scurry again toward the crystal. More awakened, cocked their heads around, caught sight of the crystal, joined the ranks and quickly fell into unison; scurry . . . scurry . . . scurry . . . bang . . . bang . . . bang with their wings. Six legs each times hundreds made haste toward the crystal. More joined the ranks and for a moment it looked like the swarming cloud imploded only to explode double the size. They all scurried; they all beat their wings to the ground, and they all lined up in rows behind the solitary figure, the only one to stand upright with help of his staff.

He turned to examine them. He, almost three times the size of any one of them, inspected his gathering with beady eyes. He lowered his hood and exposed long antennae thicker than any of the others, like a crown of royalty from under his hood. He turned away from them and moved his antennae. The hum of the crystal shifted in response, and through the sound he communicated and unified his army and directed orders. The sound dropped in tone and the left wings began to beat against the ground again in sets of three again and again. Like metal on rock, the sound of the wings reverberated high into the night sky. Clearly, he was their Roach Lord; this was his army, and that was their war cry.

The Roach Lord raised his head to the sky and waited for an answer.

Chapter 2

THE SUN WARNED HER of the ominous figure before it fell below the horizon. Hovering high above the night sky, she studied the roach army below. Even through a great distance she could hear the malevolent banging of their wings so prepared for violence. She looked at the purple light emanating from the crystal and sensed a fearsome power. She looked at the ominous figure and, from sky to ground and ground to sky, each felt the gaze of the other.

She breathed long steady breaths, collecting her thoughts as she collected her breath, and let go of her angst as she let go of her breath. No light being ever seeks war, but left unchecked she knew this darkness would consume all. She closed her eyes. She let the watchful stare of the beady eyes of the Roach Lord fall out of mind. The loud banging of the wings receded until they no longer sounded to her. She savored the peace of what it is to hover in the cool night air, floating effortlessly. For a long moment held in suspension, all things outside her yielded to stillness and silence.

When she reopened her eyes, the sound of the drumming again crescendoed until it reached her. She felt the gaze of the Roach Lord still fixated upon her. Yet from the stillness she carried forth her own sense of fortitude, and in the weight of the responsibility that rested upon her, she found the response she needed to claim.

She breathed deeply into her belly. Golden light swelled in her belly. As she slowly exhaled, golden light swirled around her and an organic glimmering golden armor dressed her from head to toe. A golden crown glimmered into existence, and a golden cape smooth as silk flowed down her back.

The glimmering light caught the attention of the Roach Lord below, and the change in his thoughts and antennae altered the hum of the crystal and halted the army’s beating wings. They all looked up to the sky.

My queen, said General Kinzoku.

Without shifting her gaze from the roach army, in a steady voice she spoke, Ready the lanterns, General.

General Kinzoku yelled in a deep and powerful voice, Lannnnnnnnnnteeeerrrrrrrns! In a unified in-and-out breath, the night sky burst into light. Glimmering armor swirled around each lightning bug and from toe to head the organic armor covered their bodies, bracers on their arms and legs, chest plates, and helmets all glimmering in golden light.

Queen Keika, the lanterns are ready, reported General Kinzoku.

Chapter 3

C ’ MON . C’ MOOONNNNN . O H PLEASE , oh please c’mon, Yurayura whispered as beads of sweat rolled down his cheek and his glimmer failed to take hold to create his armor.

HaHaHa, a few of the young lightning bugs laughed nearby. And that’s why we call you ‘Flicker.’

Stupid idiots, Yusha yelled back at the antagonizing lightning bugs. Yurayura . . . Flicker . . . same thing, and we call him that ’cause the queen likes to call him that; don’t forget that. Idiots.

C’mon, Flicker. You’ve got this. Calm down and get ahold of your light. It’s all within you, she encouragingly spoke, softly enough so the other lightning bugs could not hear. They had been friends since birth, the two youngest in the lantern army.

How are you not nervous? Flicker whispered back nervously.

‘Cause I’m that awesome. It’s called confidence, returned Yusha with a wink and a smirk.

Confidence? You know they are bigger than us. A lot bigger than us, and they have thick exoskeleton armor and . . . .

And they are uglier than us, Yusha ended his sentence.

Well, I am confident in that fact, said Flicker. They sure are uggggly. He let out a small chuckle and relaxed a little. Oooooo, look, the light is back on. His glimmer brightened, swirled, and he was able to complete his glimmer armor.

The young lightning bugs cheered and clapped. Hey, you did it, Flicker! Whooo hooo!

Flicker shrank at their antagonizing.

A few came up to him. Hey Flicker, we were just jesting with you; we are all in this together, said Mikata.

And we know you almost didn’t make it at birth so your insides don’t work the same, said Nakama. But look at you; you are lit!

Besides, I like the dimmer light, said Besu. It creates atmosphere. Maybe I can borrow you when I ask Nakama out on a date? You know, you could help me be uber romantic. I would get a table cloth and set a nice dish and you could provide the soft lighting and . . . . Besu grunted as Nakama elbowed Besu in the side. Besu looked at Nakama. No date? How’s about a date? Don’t you want to date this handsome bug?

As hard as Nakama tried, she could not hold back a laugh from escaping through the corners of her mouth that broke her stern expression.

We have more pressing matters, Nakama said, as she tried to recover and be serious, but inside she was melting because she found Besu adorable. She looked away from him, then looked back at him. Darn it . . . . Maybe, she said as a delighted smile turned up the corners of her mouth.

Besu winked at Flicker, saying, It’s going to be a great date, and Nakama elbowed him again. Eh-hmm, what I meant to say is we may be older than you but it’s the first battle for all of us. You’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine. I have to say I’m more of a lover than a fighter, he continued to eye and flirt with Nakama, but we’ll bring the battle to these overgrown bugs. We’ve got this! Let’s make a pact now: we will all watch each other’s backs.

First battle, Mikata said as he put his hand out.

First battle, Nakama echoed as she put her hand on top of Mikata’s hand.

First battle. Besu put his hand in, forming three-fifths of the circle. Wow, Nakama, your hands are so soft.

Shut uppppp, Nakama said, hushing Besu as she blushed with embarrassment.

First battle. Yusha put her hand in and looked over at Flicker.

First battle, agreed Flicker as he put his hand on top to complete the circle.

What is this about a first battle? Queen Keika asked with a confronting tone and a raised eyebrow. How’s about no battle? She spoke with her hands on her hips and a stern stare. "The five of you are our youngest. You are the future of our tribe. You stay up