Read The Crystals of Tlalli: Awakened Affinities Page 43

the gates opened. Moyo walked back to the treb and got in.

  They drove through the gates and onto a black cobble stone drive that lead up to a huge stone and wood building five stories high. It had a circular drive in front and a building next to it that looked like a garage. There were lights on in the rooms here and there about the place. They parked and got out of the treb. Rica felt her legs shaking. What are you so nervous about? This is it. What you wanted. Rica jumped as the lights next to the front doors snapped on with a pop. The doors opened before they got to them, a middle-aged woman stood holding the door as they approached.

  “Good evening, what brings you to the Trenwall’s Magi Retreat?” She looked at them all, recognition in her expression when she saw Nab and Moyo, a question in her eyes when she looked at Rica.

  “We are here to see the Portal Master if you would tell him we are here please. It is urgent.” Moyo said bowing slightly.

  “Shaleant de Curria, please do come in. It is good to see you again. We can make introductions inside.” She looked at Nab and the rest as she said the last. Rica got the impression she was not pleased.

  They walked up the half circle steps into a hallway of polished black marble. There were portraits of magi hung at intervals along the way. The woman opened a door to the right and gestured for them to enter. The room was warm, it had a fireplace at the far end with a group of couches near the fire. The floor was more black marble with thick intricately woven rugs in blues and violet with a splash or two of other colors here and there. The drapes were thick velvet like cloth in violet. The wood of the walls and ceiling was a close-grained dark red color. It made Rica feel intimidated. There was a large portrait of an old man in black and purple robes hung over the mantle of the fireplace.

  “Your Radiance de Curria I know you but please introduce me to your friends.” Your Radiance holy cow was all Rica could think of the way she addressed Moyo.

  “There is no need to be so formal Maleak Simlorant. These are my friends, His Royal Highness Prince Nabarun Conkingsly, Zafira Leanista, and Ulrica Simpson the reason we are here.” Moyo gestured to each as he said their names the woman nodded. No need to be formal yet Moyo had been more formal than she had ever seen him be before. Everyone nodded and spoke some pleasantry, then it was Rica’s turn and she found herself tongue-tied.

  “Um nice to meet you Mal- um Malents. I’m sorry I forgot your name.” Rica felt her face and neck heat with the flush of embarrassment at her awkwardness.

  “Maleak Simlorant.” The woman said with a slight frown.

  “We are on urgent business. We must see Magi Warren Ports.” Moyo said firmly. Maleak pursed her lips and frowned. An old ornate wooden desk was to the left of the fireplace with a high backed chair setting behind it. The woman went behind the desk and picked up a book opening it. Rica could see it looked like a calendar of sorts. Maleak looked at the page and ran her finger down to the date and then shook her head.

  “I have no appointment listed for this highly unusual visit. Your’ Radiance you see my dilemma. I can’t just barge in on the portal master. His time is valuable. I can make an appointment for you the next opening is in three months.” She closed the book with a snap and sat it back on the desk making sure it was at right angles and exactly where it had been before she picked it up.

  “That will not do Matron Simlorant. I will speak with the portal master immediately.” Moyo stood with his back straight his wings looked stiff like he was ready to take flight at any moment. Moyo’s tone of voice brooked no disobedience. Rica had never heard Moyo be so commanding. Nab looked at Moyo a slight smile twitched at his lips as though he was amused that Moyo had to play the arrogant Prince for a change.

  “You have no paperwork, and no appointment.”

  “Now Matron Simlorant! Or do we simply find him ourselves?” Moyo’s voice was hard and there was an unyielding look in his eyes that made Rica think she did not know Moyo as well as she thought. This man standing in front of her was not that same fun loving kind person she thought she knew, but a Prince commanding his subjects with firm control. Nab smiled.

  “Very well, since you are so insistent I will go and see if he will see you. This is highly irregular.” She sniffed haughtily as though in disapproval at an errant child. Then stiffly walked out the door closing it after her.

  28 - Revelations

  The Matron of the Tower had left only a short time ago when Rica felt she just couldn’t stand sill another moment. She jumped up off the couch and paced back and forth in front of the fireplace. The fire on the grate was warm and cheerful in its popping and dancing. Rica felt as though every nerve was on edge, she quickly tried to calm down for fear of electrocuting someone. The last time she had felt this way a guard had been zapped! Rica stopped and took a deep breath. Get your self-together girl. She looked up at the huge painting of the old man above the fireplace. He had kind eyes with a little twinkle in them.

  “Who was this guy Moyo?” Rica gestured at the painting.

  “He is the head of this school here. Master Endemness Undroyal. He is one of the few these days who are aligned with more than one affinity. He is strong in the blue and yellow affinities.”

  “Aren’t your affinities the same as his?”

  “Yes, though I do not enjoy the same exact gifts he does. I am aligned with the blue and yellow disciplines but I did not specialize in portal magic. The Miwa are not like the rest of the races on this planet. We are directly aligned to the source and can thus sense when there is a ripple in it. Like when you came to this world it was felt by all the Miwa on a deep spiritual level.”

  “I know that Chaura told me that all Magi felt my experience in the affinity caves. But now you are saying all the Miwa knew when I got to this world? Whoa! All of your people knew when I showed up?” Rica continued her pacing.

  “Yes in a way. All felt something was different in the way the crystals were responding, but no specific thing. They all didn’t sit up one day and say ‘Oh, Rica is here!’ or anything, it was much more subtle than that. Only I had the vision dream that sent me to find you.”

  “I know when we first met you said that but I don’t think I understood it. You were sent to find me by a dream?” Rica mentally kicked herself for being so naive.

  “The Miwa have always been directly tied into the crystals and their power.” Zafira said looking over to where Rica stood in front of the bookcases to the right of the desk. “Will you stop pacing its unnerving?” Zafira said. She sounded a little annoyed.

  “Yes. Please do stop pacing.” Nap said a smirk on his face.

  “The Miwa are the original people here. They were here before humans or Olinka or the Camerians came here.” Moyo said.

  “Olinka and Camerians? What are they?”

  “What you have been calling the lizard people and the cat people. The Olinka are the race of people who have characteristics like that of a lizard. The Camerians have characteristics like that of the cats. Humans came here to this world along time ago through the portals. An ancient race had played with the genetic codes to achieve the Olinka and Camerians. The Seeders as we call them also experimented with the Miwa, making our two species compatible. When they came exactly is lost to history. Not everyone remembers the Seeders. Some have relegated them to myth. The Miwa remember them through our history.”

  “So you are the indigenous species on this planet! Where did the humans come from? I mean what planet did they come from?”

  “That is also lost in history. They did colonize many planets via the portals though and even moons with a suitable atmosphere. They changed the DNA to make them adapt to the environments they would live in. So now in this galaxy and perhaps many galaxy’s or even the universe there are many planets with humanoid types on them.”

  “So do you think-” The door opened and the Matron of the Tower stood in the doorway.

  “Please come with me I will take you to Magi Ports.”

  They
all followed the Matron out the door and down the hall to a staircase that went up and down. Maleak headed down the stairs.

  “Aren’t we on the ground floor? Is this portal in the basement or something?” Rica asked.

  “No. There are five floors below this one along the cliff face and five floors above us. It’s beautiful to see in the daylight.” Moyo replied.

  When they reached the landing for the next floor down she headed down the hall toward the large double doors at the end of a short hall. She paused and knocked briskly then opened the door and motioned for them to enter ahead of her. When they were all in she led them up another short flight of stairs to a large circular landing. There were columns that reached from floor to ceiling made of some kind of dark metal as was a circle of the same material running around the landing embedded into the floor. Rica looked up and saw another circle in the ceiling. There were patterns and runes on the floor in the center of the circle that were echoed in the ceiling. Maleak was careful not to step into the circle and warned the friends to stay off the metal and to not touch the columns. She led them around the circle to a room on the other side. There were stacks of books and boxes of papers scattered everywhere. Down the middle was a narrow cleared path through the clutter that led to a setting area. All the chairs and the couch