Chapter 22: Ain't Easy

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We didn't have a long wait for my parents, and Freck's new momma, to show up with Jacob Foster. They all looked somber when they arrived. We weren't though. We were all excited about our visit to the Storage Center and couldn't wait to tell them all about it. I burst out with, "Zahn took us to the Storage Center where they keep all the knowledge they acquire. The place is gosh dang amazin'."

"Yeah," Freck bubbled, "They showed us the canyons of recording machines and took us to the Knowledge Pool. They call it KP. We saw what happens when someone gets an idea. Thoughts create energy. They get snatched right out of the air by the KP. Every new idea shows up as a colored burst on the inside of the dome that covers the pool."

My Daddy, said, "Whoa, we just got in. Can ya give us a minute to catch our breaths?"

Zahn said he would take his leave. "Goodbye for now kids. We will soon see each other again. I have other duties to perform."

We moved from the kitchen where the side door is and walked into the living room. Everyone took seats except for Freck and me, we were too wound up to sit. Gee laid on the floor. "I wonder what's up?" Gee thought to me.

I thought back, "I wanted to tell them about how we can mind-speak. I suppose it will have to wait until after they let us know what's disturbin' them."

Momma began, "As you know we have a very serious situation on our hands. Not only are the town's people and many others preparing to scour the woods looking for you, but the Grand Keeper has told us that recently there have been signs of unease in the lair-beast community. Your recent experiences with lair beasts, Wishes, Freck and Emma have been frightening. I'm not trying to minimize the terror you experienced or the injury to your leg Wishes. All of you are very lucky to be alive, thank the Gardiner. Without the magic protection afforded you by the Whistlin' Salamander you wouldn't be with us today."

"Should I take a bow?" Gee thought sarcastically. (I almost laughed.)

She continued, "We have managed to keep them from leaving the forest for hundreds of thousands of years. But we aren't so certain that we can restrain them any longer. The recent events have sent shock waves through their tribe.

What you don't know is that lair-beasts weren't always this way. Millions of topside years ago they were honored members of the kingdom. Just like I'm a Retriever, and Ren is a Solver, they were known as Controllers because they had total control over their ability to shape shift. I can quickly reduce my size, but cannot become anything else. Some, like Jant, can assume other forms. He, as you know, appears as a June bug. Jant is limited to that one form. Controllers could change into anything. They were only limited by their imaginations.

That explains why that June bug in publisher's office was looking at me and why it was calling my name. I dismissed the thought, but it has been gnawing at me ever since.

Momma was saying, "Controllers could become anything--instantly. I cannot go into the entire history now, but I will say that they de-evolved over the millenia to become no more than the vicious monsters they are today."

Mizzus Anderton was listening and nodding attentively. I assumed she heard all of this from Grandma Chrys while we were with Zahn touring the Storage Center. To me, and I'm sure, Freck, this came as a shock. In less than a week we've experienced two horrifying lairbeast attacks. I wondered if our trips into the woods had anything to do with the unease she was talking about? Two of them got killed. Maybe we caused it.

"Hey Wishes," Gee thought to me, "you and Freck did not cause it. Lairbeasts are just more uneasy lately. You probably heard the increase in loudness and ferocity, right? The screams, roars, and shrieks coming from the woods are like sonic booms. All of this was happening before you took your very first steps into the forest."

"That's a relief. Thanks Gee."

Momma was still speaking. "Part of the reason that we've been able to successfully contain them is that they no longer remember what they once were. They have retained their shape shifting abilities, but use them only for creating terror in their victims."

Jacob entered the conversation, "You may have noticed that their nocturnal activities in the woods have escalated. They are angrier and louder than ever before. Something is changing. They are usually loners, but we surmise that some of them have decided to organize and take over the others by force. That's just a guess, but that is exactly what led to the Controller Wars in the Kingdom. The desire for ultimate dominion runs deep in them.

"Recently we have seen them following our floaters back to the portal in the cypress tree. We do not think they can break in, but it might be possible to shift into something small enough to attach to a floater and be carried in. We are aware of that possibility and have taken many steps to prevent that from happening, including running electric current through the ship's shells. It is a real threat nonetheless. The damage one lair-beast could do to the Kingdom before we could subdue it would be incalculable."

Momma took over, "Our UFO strategy will only work if you are able to land, disembark, and walk out of the woods without anyone being near enough to spot the ruse." The worry in her voice couldn't be ignored.

"There are a few major obstacles." She was laying it all out like a general explaining battle plans to the troops.

"First, we are sure that the fear of Locci Forest will keep most searchers from going inside the woods at night. Just because most are afraid, doesn't mean everyone will stay away, especially those not native to Burns.

"Second, we will have to land you far enough away,so that if you are somehow observed from a distance, it will appear like you were dropped off by a UFO. Otherwise the whole story will fall apart.

"Third, and the most obvious problem, is the darkness. You will have to travel by foot from where you disembark to the edge of the woods. It will be extremely dark. As you well know, the lairbeasts, as fearsome as they are, aren't the only dangers in the forest. I, and a couple of other retrievers, will be near in flutter-by gear. Our lighted wings will provide a little light, but we have to be very careful that we are not observed. Ren will be near with his crew in the purple floater in case of emergency. He will be running with lights off. These measures will give you some safety, that and the magic of the Whistlin' Salamander, but anything could happen, so please be very cautious."

The room got eerily silent. There it was, all out on the table. What could anyone say? I'm sure everyone had their private thoughts about what we had heard. Still, it was as quiet as a funeral home at midnight. My excitement over seeing the KP and hearing the thoughts of Gee was deflated. Returning home under these conditions was enough to frighten anyone.

* * *

"Wishes", Daddy asked after Freck and her sub-parents went to the Mobley's, "is there anything else you want to know?"

"I guess not."

Momma said, "Are you afraid?"

"Yeah, some."

She told me, "You know, we would never discuss this in front of you if we didn't think you could handle it. Your daddy and I agreed that the bravery and intelligence that you've already demonstrated in your searches for Gee was way above your years. To be less than totally frank with you would be sending you in blind. You need to be made aware of all of the challenges and risks. So we decided to withhold nothing.

"But it's getting late and tomorrow is going to be a long day. I'll cook dinner tonight. We'll get a good rest after. That will help us be ready for the tasks we have to perform."

"Momma, Daddy," I spoke, "there's something I wanna tell ya about. Gee and I can talk inside our heads." Neither of them looked shocked. If anything, they seemed amused.

"Can you hear me too?" Momma sent to me.

"Yes I can."

Daddy chimed in, "Can you hear me also?"

"Uh, huh."

"Well I guess we will have to watch what we mind-speak from now on," Daddy smiled when he thought it.

I thought back to them, "This is pretty great, right?"

Momma broadcast, "It does have certain advantages and disadvantages. We have to be very careful around others without this ability. Sometimes you may think you said something out loud only to discover that you didn't. It gets awkward, like if you are in school and the teacher asks you a question. You may think that you answered it and the teacher would take your silence as impertinence. It could get you in trouble."

"Daddy, can you hear thoughts?"

"Some, Wishes. During the time I was with your mother in the Kingdom I was learning to access the part of my brain that allowed thought communication. I got pretty good at it then, but it has been many years since I've had an opportunity to practice, so I'm kind of rusty."

I asked, "Will I now be able to read the thoughts of others who can't do it?"

Momma responded, "Thought communication is a different skill from being a mind reader. It is something you will probably develop, but I doubt if you can do it yet."

During all this time Gee had been quietly listening and seeming impatient. I'm beginning to understand that Gee has a low tolerance for boredom. "Renna you said something about dinner and I am really hungry. Do you think we can get on with it?"

"Gee is right. We have plenty of time to talk about this later. Now we need to get something to eat and get some rest." My momma was being practical.

"Gee," I thought, "what do you eat, bugs and stuff?"

"You are thinking of topside salamanders. What they eat is gross. I don't eat meat, but I love fresh fruits and vegetables. The Gardner made me vegetarian and I'm happiest foraging in the garden." He conveyed a wistful smile to me although I don't know how he did it. Mind talk is kind of flat. To get the emotion you have to look at the faces. Reading Gee's facial expressions is difficult, since he doesn't have lips to smile with, or eyebrows to raise.

Momma made a great dinner. We were all satisfied and when it was time to turn in, I asked Gee, "Where do you sleep?"

"If it is okay with you, I'd be very comfortable sleeping on a rug on the floor beside your bed. Those soft mattresses you people sleep on puts kinks in my back."

I gave him a hug and kissed him goodnight on the head. "I love you too," he thought to me.

As usual, I was looking at the cowboy patterned wall paper next to my bed while my mind drifted. Just before the Sandman took me, I heard an odd sound. I smiled because I now know something that no other human knows--Gee, the legendary Whistlin' Salamander--snores. It isn't too loud, but he does make a low breathy whistle in his sleep.

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