The Seven (Fist of Light Series) (23 page)

“Here goes nothing,” I muttered.

“At last,” Jeeves said. “It appeared you would have us out here all day, at this rate.”

I placed my left hand in front of me and brought it into contact with my own miniature sun. It was the left arm. Only an idiot puts their good arm into a blazing furnace. Well, more of an idiot who puts any arm into a furnace to begin with. The arm came into contact with something that should have singed my eyebrows off just from being in close proximity to its molten core. Resigning myself to fate, I brought the rest of my body in line with the extended appendage. I even went so far as to close my eyes when my face came into contact with it.

“You, who fights vampires and goblins,” Jeeves chuckled, “Are afraid of something that resides in your own mind.”

“For good reason,” I muttered, glancing over at him pointedly.

But that had pushed me over the edge of indecision and into the abyss. I cracked open my eyes and stepped all the way through, expecting to be incinerated. Releasing a resigned sigh, I realized I was surrounded in blackness so all-consuming that there was no way to gain my bearings. Jeeves was a glowing apparition to the left, and my focused attention shifted to his iridescent figure.

“You can fight those things,” I replied crossly. “And I always come back, as if participating in a video game with unlimited lives.”

“Control your emotions,” Jeeves’ ghostly smile appeared before me.

“
Control your emotions
,” I copycatted childishly.

I retreated into the state of calm that had by now become automatic for me. There was no need to call up my power. My mind at peace, I summoned an image from my imagination. Something from my memories could have easily been recalled. However, there was an undeniable urge to create something with no connection to the past.

I concentrated, bringing up the image in my mind before attempting to force my will on the blank landscape around me. It would be a salt-water lake, although only as large as a football field. The water would be a crystalline blue, devoid of pollution or human habitation. Tall reeds would poke out of the shallow ends, and the ground surrounding the body of water would be warm, white sand. This briefly reminded me of a Scooby-Doo episode from my childhood, pertaining to the Loch-Ness monster, but the thought was quickly banished, lest it take root in my design. The bed of my lake came into being, sporting underwater caves and unfathomable depths.

Light waves appeared in my vision, but were quickly dispelled. It remained perfectly still and clear. For my own amusement, a variety of aquatic life complemented the setting, including salmon, rainbow trout, tuna, swordfish, eels, manta rays, plankton, a slew of smaller fish, sharks, dolphins, killer whales, and for the finale, the Loch-Ness monster. Backtracking, I also added kelp and other life-nurturing plants that would protect and provide for the smaller species. Just to have something even more out of place in the scenery, huge mutated lily pads were conjured in one section, put close enough together so that it was possible to jump across as a failsafe.

Going back to the exterior of my humble creation, I extended the beach to twenty yards and placed redwoods to encompass the entirety. Bird life came next, but nothing beyond that conquered the skies, for the moment. The sky was next, and I pondered thoughtfully upon my infinite selections. In the end, I settled on the ordinary, yet crisp, azure setting that was populated with fluffy clouds that appeared as an army battling one another for dominion. Beyond that, the sun was a necessary addition, but it was tweaked it to a deeper, darker, blood red. Bringing up my hand, my index finger was thrust randomly, populating my space with bright, multicolored stars. Satisfied, my will was hardened to iron and forced upon the dank landscape around me, manipulating it into what I thought it should appear as.

I was met with some resistance, my own mind fighting my wishes. A great weight settled upon my shoulders, enshrouding my mind and pulling loose the threads of my will. I growled then pushed the imaginary weight off with all the might my flustered mind could bring to bear on this new eventuality. The world around me fractured and crumbled, an overwhelming fractal configuration of light and sound, before my creation was made corporeal, a vision made reality.

“Yeah, baby! Who’s your daddy?!” I exclaimed, enjoying my momentary triumph.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think to imagine myself anywhere in relation to the creation. So, instead of enjoying the relative safety of hard ground beneath my feet, I plummeted among my battling clouds, failing to catch the air that was whistling through my fingers. I let out a hoarse cry equal parts fear and exhilaration. Jeeves was nowhere to be seen, and since conversation in a veritable windstorm would be difficult, counsel was out of the question. Suddenly, intuition informed me that I wouldn’t enjoy experiencing a collision at terminal velocity.
Shut up, intuition
, I thought,
and take the back seat with all the others.

I tried concentrating on the singular notion that there was no gravity. That didn’t work. I couldn’t concentrate properly to attain the necessary stillness of mind to rescind the law of gravity in my domain. The ground was rushing up toward me, faster than the sights could be appreciated. Splaying arms and legs out wide, I attempted to slow the rapid descent, my clothes flapping wildly around me. There was nothing for it: I would have to either attain my calm prose once more, or get intimately acquainted with the landscape below. I winced, and closed my eyes, the wind buffeting my face and body all the while.

I brought to the forefront of my mind an image of myself standing on one of my lily pads, held it steady while I snuffed my raging emotions and crammed them into my emotional cubbyhole. Daring my eyes open a crack, I noticed there wasn’t more than a thousand feet separating me from gruesome, high-speed impact. Which meant, quite literally, my continued existence could be measured in seconds. Much like a spectral arm wrestling match, I fought my psyche for control of what ought to be. It had the upper hand. I was falling from the freaking sky, but instincts honed with the whetstone of the darkness pervading the world disallowed me the ability to go quietly. Finally, with it pinned, the landscape around me morphed, reformed itself into the image of a mutated lily pad, placid waters and a smiling Jeeves.

“Commendable work, for a neophyte trainee.” Jeeves winked. “Although, not as otherworldly a landscape as anticipated.”

I’ll admit it, for a few seconds, hyperventilating was all I could manage. Recognizing my earlier statement of the restorative properties of water for its true nature, my head was forcibly dunked beneath the still surface of the lake. Then, spluttering on the bitter taste, the realization dawned on me that this was not a fresh water lake. I carefully wiped my stinging eyes with my windblown shirtfront. That just wouldn’t do, and so a less intense wrestling match ensued to alter the make-up of the water accordingly. After that, I imagined that the sea creatures that populated my waters could flourish in fresh water. No problem. I surveyed the landscape, and was satisfied when there weren’t any amphibious creatures beginning to surface belly up.

The moment I had regained full control of my body once more, I flipped Jeeves the bird and was satisfied that my fingers only shook slightly in the act. Considering my recent brush with imaginary death by high-speed impact, this miniscule rebuttal was counted as an accomplishment. Then, I broke out a long stream of profanity, spoken softly but vehemently under my breath. I fixed a brittle grin to my face and turned to an amused Jeeves.

“Well, that was fun,” the mechanical lie filtered through my lips.

“I’m sure you’ve had a very productive learning experience,” Jeeves shot back between bouts of hysterical laughter. He finally calmed. “Water is not just an element. It’s a force of nature so powerful, so deep, that it cannot be fathomed by the mortal mind. The surf will erode a stretch of land over the course of several thousand years. It will continue its ceaseless onslaught long after ten generations of the mundane tribes of humanity have ceased to subsist on the bones of their forefathers. Pounding surf will crash upon the beachfront whether or not your attention is fixated upon it. Water is a timeless mistress, an unknown quantity, despite your explorers’ attempts to penetrate its depths. Those who can bind such a force to their whims must be possessed of the will equal to strength of diamond and a spirit of undeniable fortitude.”

I quickly imagined myself a chair to sit upon to better absorb the lesson. It was interesting that Jeeves knew anything of the current happenings in today’s world. Maybe he watched a lot of TV via my memories. The giant lily pad tilted alarmingly when I popped a squat but righted once more when Jeeves altered his position accordingly.

“So, the lesson before us demands that I chain an omnipotent force to my will, when that incomprehensible entity has no desire to be controlled? Something that has stood unaltered through time immemorial? Am I to call upon the elements, or attempt to control them?”

Jeeves brushed off my questions and dove into the midst of it. “The methods vary among practitioners. Only those with extraordinary determination can perform more than the simplest of workings.”

“So, you plan to teach me the intricacies of an element I may only be capable of influencing a tiny bit?” I shook my head.

“No. I plan to teach you of an asset that will become one of your most cherished possessions. You have been given more than this power are more than a stubborn whelp who may acquire a modicum of control over the elements. You possess within a capability of far greater importance.” He brought his hand up and pushed me hard in the chest. “You can be the Light that stands against Darkness, illuminating the dank, dreary pathways of humanity for those who have lost their way in the oppressive blackness.” His voice was granite and steely bedrock.

My awkward cough filled the void that an extended period of silence had created. “Well then, when you put it that way—”

“Good,” he interrupted. “Now, find your center, calm your shaking limbs, and get off the chair.”

His words were punctuated with vehement gestures, and the chair disappeared beneath me as if it had never been. I fell clumsily into a cross-legged sitting position. Rather than face the wrath of an angry being tethered to my soul, I found my happy place. Sinking into a state of calm, I came to the realization that Jeeves had influenced the makeup of my domain. I filed the information away for later utilization and focused my mind on a task that had yet to be properly explained.

I waited until it became clear that a detailed, step-by-step explanation wasn’t in the cards. There seemed to be no easy button in the near vicinity, either. Nor were there three easy payments of $19.95 that would set me upon the path of enlightenment. And so, I took a steadying breath and trailed my hand along the edge of the lily, submerging my hand beneath the crystalline surface of the lake. The cool liquid rushed between my fingers, while the water rippled audibly on the edge of consideration. My breathing became deep and regular; I let myself be guided by instinct.

The power within me welled as I allowed it to rise and explode outwards, filling my body with liquid warmth,
power
. Opening the eyes that had been turned contemplatively inward, my domain was revealed in a new light. Pulsating lines of energy occupied my field of vision, battered into existence by the blunt hammer of my will. Shapes danced beneath the surface, while the trees swayed silently to the song of the earth. My previously black and white vision was now full high-def Technicolor. The water flowing between my fingers was buzzing with life, and I followed the sensation, immersing myself in the strain of vitality possessed by the Water.

The quasi-lake wasn’t actually an existing body of water, but it was molded from my memories and imagination. So, the liquid behaved and acted like any ordinary system of water. Light penetrated only so far into its depths, and darkness reigned in the deep pockets and caverns, hiding the furious activity of the imaginary creatures I’d populated the lake with.

Jeeves seemed to be increasingly impatient with me, tapping his foot to an unknown drum roll, possibly a foretelling of my imminent death. I immersed my consciousness into the waters once more and attempted to do something, anything. Visualizing a cascading wave rolling across the lake, then a series of pillars holding up a foundation, freezing the lake, I called upon the Water to do my will, to no avail.

My task was approached at all angles and with calm resolve, deciphering it as I would any puzzle. First it was an unknown enigma, indecipherable, inexplicable, and just damn
frustrating
. No matter what method was employed to tackle my problem, none of the pieces seemed to conform to one another. Time passed, and Jeeves’ became more impatient with each passing second, although he left me to my own devices. It seemed that this was a task that must be completed in one’s own time. I couldn’t be rushed, and took childish glee in his impatience.

The Water wouldn’t respond to my pleas, threats, harsh words, or pointed fingers. But, just maybe, it would respond to something a little more overt.

Any ship captain recognized that although the sea can appear placid and non-threatening, the weather could take a turn for the worst at a moment’s notice, entrap them in a watery embrace. When one dared to swim in the ocean, they accepted that there was a chance of getting caught in a riptide without the possibility of extrication, miniscule though it may be. There were as many dangers represented by the ocean as seashells adorning the sand. But those who braved the waters all had something in common: they garnered as much control over the situation as was humanly possible before entering the surf.

My pleas had been directed toward something that didn’t wish to be summoned, that defied all attempts by humans to conquer its berth. I dispatched my will upon the waters, forced them to cohere to my demands. Power seeped reluctantly from an outstretched hand, into the surrounding lake. Slowly, as if the Water was resisting any alteration of its liquid state, a semi-large area froze over. Loud cracking emitted from the surface, the water protesting being changed into a solid at such short notice. A slow smile crept across my face as I reveled silently in my accomplishment. Sweat streaked down my forehead in tiny rivulets, which was mopped up by an equally damp portion of my shirtfront.