The Seventh Mountain Page 8

  Chapter 8

   

  Binding of the Four

   

  Time is measured in the soul, souls are measured in time.

   

   

  Mark and Nick sat down at one of the few unoccupied booths. They both looked at the menu. Mark calculated that it was lunchtime in Australia. He turned to the section on Australia and found just what he wanted. Nick was looking at the State of Louisiana. He asked Mark, “What is étouffée?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t ever heard of it before. Are you going to try it?”

  “I don’t think that it will kill me. You have to try new things sometimes in your life. If you don’t try new things, then you just go stale. At least that is what my mom says. I think that is an old Serbian saying or something. My grandparents are from Serbia.”

  The waitress, Shana, came to their table. Mark ordered a grilled steak, onion rings, and lemonade from Australia. Nick ordered the fish étouffée and iced tea from Louisiana.

  They had just about finished eating when Tim showed up. “You guys join the rest of my group at that table over there when you finish eating. I will give you your instructions over there.” He pointed to one of the larger tables. Mark saw that several people were already seated over there. Tim walked over and joined the group. Mark looked around and saw several other groups seated around the other tables.

  After they finished their dinner, they walked over and joined the group. Mark sat down next to a girl with long, straight, black hair. He liked how nice her hair was and how it shimmered in the light. She was wearing a white cotton-print sundress with floral designs on it, making her look playful yet polished and pretty. Her smooth dark complexion made Mark remember the Cherokee people that he had seen back in North Carolina.

  She turned and greeted him. “Hi. I’m Chenoa Day.” She extended her hand and looked at Mark. “Do I know you? I have the strangest feeling that I know you.”

  Mark took her hand and smiled. “I’m Mark Young. I don’t think that we have ever met.” Mark remembered Mr. Thorpe telling him that freshmen would feel déjà vu when they saw him.

  Nick sat down across the table from Mark, next to a boy with close-cropped black hair wearing dark slacks and a multi-colored, striped, button-up shirt. He said to Nick, “Hi. I’m Jamal Terfa.” He extended his hand to Nick. Nick shook his hand. He then extended his hand to Mark. “I have that feeling too, like we have met before.”

  Mark shook his hand. “Hi. I’m Mark Young. I don’t think that we have ever met either.”

  “Excuse me.” Tim rapped on the table with his knuckles. “I want you to meet me back here tomorrow at seven in the morning. Seven sharp. Tomorrow you will be buying most of your school supplies. I will be taking you to the barracks in a few minutes. That is where you will sleep tonight. You will find a bed and footlocker there with your name on it. That is your bed and locker. When you get picked for your tribe, then your bed will be moved into your dormitory. Some of you might be wondering why you think you know Mark Young. That is the boy with the staff, down there at the end of the table. Well, you all dreamed about him. Some of you might remember the dreams. Most of you do not, at least not consciously. That is why you feel like you have met him before. Now, follow me.”

  The group of sixteen girls and boys followed Tim through a door on the side of the stage into a wide hallway. “We are going to wait here for Gerod. He is going to be joining us for the walk to the barracks. I have a map of the second level for you.”

  Mark took the map that Tim handed him. It looked like a bull’s eye target. There were twelve rings of rooms separated by eleven corridors. The center circle was labeled “Council of Elders.” He saw that the barracks were all the way on the other side of the mountain.

  Gerod and his group arrived and the two groups followed their counselors up the stairs to the second level. There were twelve landings separated by fifty stair treads, making six hundred stair steps between the first and second levels.

  Gerod said, “Okay everyone that was a long climb for those who aren’t used to it. Take a minute or two to catch your breath and let your legs recuperate.”

  The wide halls were elaborately decorated with simple and elaborate sculptures and paintings, large, medium and small, done in all kinds of styles.

  Tim said, “All of the art work you see here was done by students here. If you find something that you particularly like, hang a green ribbon on it. It will then come up for sale at the end-of-year art auction. That is only one of the events right after the graduation ceremonies.”

  One of Gerod’s students asked, “Aren’t there any elevators here?”

  Gerod answered, “Of course there are, but they’re only for guests and those sick or injured. Stair climbing gives you a good workout. In a month you won’t think anything of it.”

  A half hour later they came to the barracks. Tim and Gerod opened the huge, gray, double doors that led into the common room. Everything was gray. The walls in the colossal room were lined with gray bookshelves and portraits hung in gray frames. There were several long gray tables with gray chairs all around. There was a large fireplace, done in gray brick, without a fire. A large, gray framed window looked out on the now dark grounds. There were several gray billiard tables, air hockey tables, foosball tables and what Mark later learned were dueling pinball machines, mostly all occupied. Other groups of students had arrived before they had. The place was alive with activity.

  Tim pointed to a hallway that led off to his right. “The girl’s barracks are that way. The boy’s barracks are that way.” He pointed to a hallway that led off to his left. “At least one counselor will be here all night in case you have any questions. There are not any alarm clocks here. I expect you at breakfast at seven in the morning, sharp, one point off for every minute that you are late. You will find your name on the locker at the foot of your bed.” Tim and Gerod turned and walked out.

  Nick spoke first. “It’s not even 10 o’clock yet. I’m not tired. Anybody want to play a game?”

  Jamal shook his head. “No. It has to be a test. Tim said that we have to be at breakfast at 7 o’clock. I’m not taking the bait.”

  “Jamal has to be right.” Chenoa stepped up beside Jamal. “Think about it. All of this stuff is here to temp us into staying up. If we stay up, then we are not likely to get up in time to make it to breakfast on time.”

  Mark looked at Nick and said, “I’m pretty tired anyway. It’s been a long day for me. I think I’ll find my bed and get some sleep.”

  The three boys walked off to the boy’s barracks. Chenoa went to the hall leading to the girl’s barracks. Mark noticed that every bed had a gray tunic set, neatly folded, laying on it. There was toothpaste, a toothbrush and soap setting on top of the tunic set. Each boy found his bed, picked up the stuff on his own bed and headed for the showers at the end of the barracks.

  It didn’t matter that the pillowcase and blanket were the same dull gray just like everyone else’s, he found his way back to his bed easily enough, a welcome destination after the long day. The mattress was just a little too firm, and the pillow a tad on the thick side and the noise level a little too high, but sleep beckoned and he gladly went.

   * * * 

  Mark had no idea what time it was when he awoke. Everyone else was still asleep but he felt well rested. He reached under the mattress, removed the staff, and went off looking for a clock.

  There were no clocks to be found, anywhere. The morning light coming through the window in the common room told him that it had not been long since the sun had risen. He had no idea what time the sun was supposed to rise this time of year. He went back to the barracks and woke up Nick.

  “Nick… Nick. Do you have a watch?”

  Nick stirred. “What did you say?”

  “Do you have a watch?”

  “No. What time is it?”

  “I don’t know, but the sun is up.”

  “Check Jamal. Ma
ybe he has a watch.”

  Nick roused himself while Mark went to Jamal’s bed. Mark shook Jamal lightly.

  “Jamal. Do you have a watch?”

  “What?”

  “Do you have a watch?”

  “No man. I don’t have a watch.”

  “The sun is up. We better get to breakfast.”

  Mark went back to his bed. He remembered leaving his socks in the top of his shoes. They were missing. So were his dirty clothes. He looked around and found them neatly folded lying on his locker. He smelled them. They were clean. He looked up and down the rows of beds. Clothes were neatly folded on top of every locker.

  Mark, Jamal and Nick quickly got dressed.

  “Do you think we should wake the others?” Jamal had just finished putting on his shoes.

  “Yeah. You take that side. I’ll take this side.” Nick started waking people up as he spoke.

  “I’ll go yell down the girl’s hallway. I’ll wait for you by the doors.” Mark sped out of the boy’s barracks and over to the girl’s hallway. He shouted, “Everyone! The sun’s up. We’re going to be late for breakfast.”

  Mark heard down the hallway, “All right, already. I’m up. I’ll wake the others.”

  A few moments later Chenoa emerged from the hall. She was still wearing her gray tunic set. “Don’t wait for me. You might be late. I’ll catch up.”

  “I don’t think that we are late yet, but hurry up just in case.”

  Most of the boys had left by the time Chenoa showed up.

  “Nobody has a watch. We’d better hurry. I think that we should jog.” Mark led the way out the door. He started jogging and the others followed.

  The tables were packed with students, upperclassmen, wearing tunics with trim that matched the color of the table where they sat. The tunic sets were black, made of thick cotton with trim in class colors around the collars, sleeve ends, and shirttails, which went almost to the knees. The pants tied at the waist and had a narrow stripe on the outside of the legs in class colors. There were no pockets in the tunics.

  Cloaks, black and floor length were made of heavy, thick material for winter and light, breezy material for summer, had pockets, four on the outside and eight on the inside. The environment in and around the school was nice so that only the summer cloaks were worn there, and then, only in classes, where one was required.

  Mark heard a voice on his right side. It was Tim.

  “Very good. Five minutes to spare. Find a booth and have breakfast. Meet me at the signet shop at eight sharp. Remember now, one minute, one point. Do not be late.”

  “There aren’t any clocks here.” Mark pointed around at all the walls.

  “That is right.”

  “How are we supposed to tell time?”

  “You do not need a clock to tell time. If you are having too much trouble, then watches are allowed for freshmen. Only, you have to have lost fifty points or more for being late. You will get used to it. It is not hard. Just start taking notice of when things happen. Your internal clock will take over. Just let it happen.”

  Tim saw a group of his students that had just shown up. “Very good. Four minutes to spare. Get some breakfast and meet me at the signet shop at eight sharp. Remember, one minute, one point.” He turned his attention back to Mark and his companions. “You guys had better go and get some breakfast.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Mark, Chenoa, Nick and Jamal sat down together in one of the booths. None of them picked up a menu to look at.

  The waitress was Shana. Black slacks and a white shirt seemed to be her standard attire. “You ready to order?”

  Mark said, “North Carolina please. Scrambled eggs, biscuit and orange juice.”

  Jamal said, “New York. Blueberry bagel with cream cheese and black coffee.”

  Nick said, “Kansas. Eggs over easy, blueberry muffin and milk.”

  Chenoa said, “Virginia. Eggs over easy, grits and coffee.”

  Shana said, “Let me take a guess. You each ordered from your home state.”

  All four nodded their heads.

  “It’s rare that a freshman doesn’t do that at their first breakfast here. Everyone feels the same. You’ve come to a strange place. It’s a lot different than what you’re used to. Everybody misses the familiar feel of home. You’ll feel a lot better when you get that first letter from home.”

  Jamal leaned across the table toward Mark. “Tim says everybody dreamed about you. I know dreams are important to Magi, but why did everybody dream about you?”

  “I don’t know. All of this is new to me. I didn’t even know what Magi were until yesterday.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “No. I’m not kidding.”

  “I thought everybody knew what Magi were.”

  Chenoa said, “You’ve heard of the wise men that brought gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ Child, haven’t you?”

  “You mean the three kings from the Orient?”

  “Yeah, that’s it. Only, there were twelve. They were the Council of Elders from The First Mountain.”

  “They were Magi?”

  “Duh…”

  “There’re seven mountains?”

  Nick said, “Yeah, and seven orphanages. Each mountain sponsors an orphanage.”

  “That means that there are a lot of Magi.”

  “More than a million formally trained Magi and more than ten million thaumaturgies and apprentices.”

  “What are thumb… a-tar-gies?”

  “Thau - ma - ter - gies. They are Magi who trained as an apprentice under a Magi. Normally, they aren’t as skilled as formally trained Magi.”

  “How come nobody knows about them?”

  “Magi keep themselves secret. That’s part of being a Magi.”

  Shana was at the next booth, taking their orders. She finished and Mark asked, “Why did everyone dream about me?”

  “Now that’s a real mystery, that is. Nobody knows for sure.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “It can only mean one thing. We are meant to know who you are and that you are the one that is supposed to have that staff.”

  “What’s the staff for?”

  “Nobody knows that either. It has to be important, though.”

  “Mr. Thorpe, the algebra teacher, says that it’s a mystery to the Council of Elders, too. He says that they think Benrah is after this staff.” Mark raised the staff a little. “He says that every artifact that Benrah collects increases his power.”

  “If Mr. Thorpe says that Benrah is after that staff, well, all I have to say is you had better keep a close eye on it.”

  “Benrah? Who is Benrah?” Chenoa was leaning toward Mark.

  “Mr. Thorpe says his name means ‘The Son of Evil.’ He’s also called Teknon Kakos. That means the same thing. That’s all I know.”

  Shana said, “That’s right. He’s the most evil thing that has ever existed and that’s no blarney.”

  “What’s he want the staff for?” Nick was in on the conversation now.

  “I don’t know. Mr. Thorpe says that part of it is missing.” Mark held up the staff and pointed to the bottom of it. “That’s all I know about it.”

  “Aye, we don’t know that either. Mr. McGraw, the museum curator, would love to study it. So would the guys in the science and engineering section. Mrs. Shadowitz has ordered that the staff is to be left with you. The Council of Elders believes that it is important for you to have that staff at all times.”

  “I didn’t know how important it was.”

  “Well, now you know. Mind ya, keep it safe.” Shana turned and walked off.

  “So, you’re from North Carolina. Tell me about your family.” It was obvious that Jamal was changing the subject.

  “My dad is a Marine. My mom is nice. My brother is adopted. How about your family.”

  “My family lives in New York. My grandfather came here from Ethiopia. My father was born in New York. My mother’s family h
as lived here so long that she doesn’t know where her family came from. My elder brother, Idaltu, has finished school here. My grandfather wanted us to go to The Third Mountain, in Africa, but my father said no, The Seventh Mountain is better.”

  Chenoa said, “My family is Occoneechee, related to the Sioux and Black Foot. We live in southern Virginia. My father and grandfather are Magi.”

  Nick said, “My family lives in Kansas. I have a brother here, Ivan. He is a sophomore, first level. My grandparents came here from Serbia.”

  Mark looked at Jamal. “Why do you ask about our families?”

  “My grandfather took me to Ethiopia when I was young. He took me to a herd of goats and said, “You see the goats. They are all together. Never far. Family.’” Jamal held his hand out and brought his fingers together like he was picking an invisible grape. “He took me to the chicken house and said, ‘You see the chickens. They are all together. Family.’” Jamal made the same motion with his hand. “He uncovered a mouse nest with his rod. ‘The mice, all together. Family.’ He took me to the plain and said, ‘See the lions. All together. Family. Family is important. Never forget what I have shown you.’ Ever since then, family has been important to me.”

  Chenoa said, “Family is important. If the Occoneechee families had not stayed together as families and hidden during the time of The Trail of Tears, then they would no longer exist. It’s through family that the knowledge of the Occoneechee has survived.”

  Jamal said, “You know a lot about Occoneechee history.”

  “Not really, my dad tells stories sometimes. He knows a lot about Occoneechee legend.”

  “I wish I knew more about Ethiopian legend.”

  Shana returned and sat the plates down on the table. The group ate fast in order to make it to the signet shop on time.

   * * * 

  At the signet shop Tim said, “We will wait out here. Mr. Diefenderfer will be here at exactly 8 o’clock.”

  Mr. Diefenderfer walked up to the shop. “Ah… good morning… Tim… and young Magi. You may enter… and make… your selections. If I may give advice… young Magi… make a selection… that speaks meaning… to who you are. You will… after… making your selection… be required… to articulate… and expound upon… that very meaning. Your counselor… Tim… will hear your words… and judge… the truth of them. If he agrees… then… and only then… will your selection… be accepted.” With that, he opened the door to let everyone in.

  Mark and Nick followed Mr. Diefenderfer to the drawer where he had stored the rings that they had selected. They took the rings back outside to show Tim.

  Nick showed his first.

  “What does this mean to you?” Tim examined the emblem.

  “I like it.”

  “I know that. What does it mean to you?”

  “It doesn’t mean anything special. I just like it.”

  “Take it back in and look for one that has a special meaning to who you are. Let me see yours, Mark”

  He handed the ring to Tim. “I like the lion on the mountaintop. My dad has a tattoo just like it. Whenever I’m with my dad, I know that I’m safe. I also think that it has special meaning to him, too. I don’t really know. He never talked about it. It’s like it’s part of my family.”

  “It is a part of your family. That crest has been in existence for thousands of years. Take it back in so that you can have your name put in it. Then you can head over to the bookstore and get your textbooks. You can also pick up anything on your list today except for the class tunics. You don’t know your tribe colors yet. Class tunics have to be in tribe colors. Oh, and it is also best to wait on getting the telescope until later. I will see you at lunch.”

  Mark bought most of the stuff on his list except for clothing and a telescope. He bought a backpack to put it all in. That made it much easier to carry. He went back to the barracks and put all of the things into his footlocker.

  He used the stairs next to the barracks to go down to the first level and back to The Oasis. He got to the bottom and heard a strange sounding voice.

  “That looks good to eat.”

  He looked around. No one was there. He stepped toward the corridor at the bottom of the stairs. He looked around the corner and there she was. She was crouching low, stalking him. Was it the lioness that spoke? Terror gripped his mind. He knew, in a flash, that she meant to eat him. He couldn’t help but think to himself, I wonder what I taste like?

  The strange voice answered. “I don’t know what you taste like. I’m hungry. My babies are hungry.”

  Mark was startled at the response. He had to think fast.

  “If you eat me, then they are going to kill you. What about your babies?”

  The sentence formed clearly in Mark’s mind. “My babies are hungry. They must eat.”

  “What would they like to eat?”

  “My milk. I have no milk. I must eat.”

  “What would you like to eat?”

  “You.”

  Mark saw her hind legs tensing, pulsing up and down; preparing for the leap and the kill.

  “Besides me. If you eat me they will kill you. What about your babies?”

  An image of a gazelle, running across an open plain, came into his mind.

  “Is that what you want?”

  There was no answer. The image of the gazelle persisted in Mark’s mind. He could actually smell it.

  “Show me where you stay and where your babies are. I’ll see what I can do about getting you some gazelle to eat. I’m sure I can get some at The Oasis.”

  Her hind legs raised, slightly, one after the other, claws flexing. She was trying to dig in to the stone floor before her pounce. He felt her overpowering hunger deep in his mind.

  “If you kill me, they’ll kill you. I can get you something to eat.”

  Her hind legs relaxed. “My babies must eat.”

  “Show me where you live. I’ll get you something to eat.”

  She relaxed, stood and turned. The door leading outside had been propped open with a mop. Mark followed the lioness out onto the grounds. She led him across the wide expanse of desert sand to the outer wall. It had to have been at least a mile to the barrier.

  She disappeared through a doorway that was formed by the wall overlapping and not touching. Mark followed her through. For a second, he thought that he was back in North Carolina. There were vast fields full of crops. He saw wheat, corn, soybeans and hay. The rest was too far away for him to make out what it was.

  “There you are. We have been looking all over for you. Where have you been?” The man in the gray tunic hadn’t noticed Mark.

  “She’s hungry.” The guy was evidently startled by Mark’s voice. He had been leaning over talking to the lioness. He jumped and then straightened up to look at Mark. He was a rather ugly man with greasy hair and a pock marked face. His caked, moldering teeth were chipped and ragged and his breath was foul, smelling of onions and garlic. His unkempt fingernails were loaded with dirt; in fact, he was very dirty all over.

  “I know she’s hungry, I’ve been looking for her for a solid week. Hey, students aren’t allowed out here. You need to leave.”

  “Okay, I’m going. I promised her some gazelle. Can you get her some?”

  “She’ll get what we give her and that’s all.”

  “I promised her that she would get gazelle. That’s what she wants.”

  “I said that she would get what we give her. We feed the lions good. Besides, we don’t have any gazelle here.”

  The man bent and rubbed the lioness on her back and under her chin.

  Mark said, “Did you know that she was in the school? She was getting ready to pounce on me before I promised her some gazelle.”

  “Oh! That’s a big no-no.” The gamekeeper put his hands on her cheeks and shook his head, changing his voice as if he were talking to a baby. “She shouldn’t be anywhere near the school except during a flags match.”

  “Well, she was in the school
and was going to pounce on me. I promised to get her some gazelle. I’m going to keep my promise.”

  The filthy man stood back up and stepped up to Mark. His breath made Mark take a step back.

  “How many times do I have to tell you, we don’t got no gazelle?”

  Mark said, “You can get her some.”

  “Who are you to be telling me what I can and can’t do?”

  “I didn’t mean it to sound that way. I just meant that a Magi can get anything they want to eat.”

  “I’m not a Magi.”

  “I thought everyone here was a Magi.”

  “Nope.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t know.”

  He looked back at the lioness and scratched his head before looking back at Mark.

  “Hey, you can talk to animals, can’t you?”

  “I don’t know if you could call it talking or not. I can see what’s in her mind and she understands me.”

  “Yeah, I thought so. Do you know where her cubs are? We haven’t been able to find them since they were born.”

  “No, but I’m sure that if you ask her, after she has eaten her gazelle, that she will take you to them.”

  “You’re just thick headed. We don’t got no gazelle!”

  “I’ll get her some. Meet me at the Oasis and I’ll give it to you for her.”

  “No. I’m taking her back. You, get out of here! I’ve got work to do.”

  Mark started back across the grounds toward The Oasis. He remembered a time that he was being chased by Keith Green and his gang of bullies. He had been dumped over a chain link fence into the yard of Beaufort, a particularly vicious German Shepherd dog. He somehow knew that the dog wouldn’t hurt him. It was as if the dog had projected that thought into his mind.

  Mark smiled when he remembered another time that the dog did get a denim chew toy from the seat of one of the bully’s pants. Mark had not thought about that incident again, until now.

  Beaufort’s not chewing him up made more sense now. He wondered if he had had the ability to understand animals all along and just not known it, or if it was something special about being a Magi here at the school.

  Back at The Oasis, Mark found Nick, Chenoa and Jamal. They were at a booth eating lunch. He sat down with them.

  “Where have you been? We looked all over the place for you.” Chenoa seemed a little agitated.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “Try me. I might surprise you.”

  Mark motioned for everyone to lean in close. “Okay. I was leaving the barracks after putting my things up. I heard this strange voice say, ‘That looks good to eat.’ I looked around and no one was there. I looked around the corner and there was a lioness. She was going to eat me. I heard her voice in my head. She said she had to eat so she could feed her babies. I promised her a gazelle instead of me. She led me back to her keeper. I tried to make him promise to get her a gazelle… I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”

  Jamal said, “That’s the Tongue of Balaam, the ability to speak to animals. Not ten Magi in all the world have had that ability in the last thousand years. That’s amazing.”

  “I want to keep it a secret for now. People think that I’m weird enough as it is, having dreamed about me and everything.”

  The waitress came back to the table. It was Shana. “You ready to order?”

  Mark looked at Jamal. “What’s good to eat in Ethiopia?”

  “Oh man, you have to try the dabo kolo; I call them Ethiopian cookies, very spicy. They are little fried biscuits with pepper; they are so good. The yedoro watt is chicken with a berbere sauce; it’s tremendous. If they let you, try the tej. It’s like a real weak honey wine.”

  Mark looked at Shana. “What he said, if that’s okay, and a side of gazelle.”

  “If they have a no alcohol version of the tej, would you like that?”

  “Yes ma’am. If not, then just a lemonade from anywhere that is convenient.”

  “How do you want your side order of gazelle cooked?”

  “I don’t want a side order of gazelle, I want an entire side of gazelle, you know, like a side of beef.”

  Shana titled her head and chuckled. “I have to ask, why in the world would you want a whole side of gazelle?”

  “I met one of the game keepers and I told him that I would get some gazelle for one of the lionesses. She just had cubs and he just found her. He’d been looking for her for a week.”

  “So, you want me to give him the gazelle.”

  “Yes ma’am, please.”

  “Which game keeper was it?”

  “He didn’t tell me his name, but he’s got a rough looking face and bad teeth.”

  “That’s Albert, the head game keeper. It’s unusual that students ever meet him; he keeps to himself and the animals mostly. How’d you meet him?”

  Mark didn’t really want to tell her but he could see no way around it. “If I tell you, can you keep it a secret?”

  “I don’t know; it depends on what it is.”

  Mark motioned for her to lean in close and she did. He whispered the story to her.

  Shana said, “That’s very unusual. I’ll have to tell Mrs. Shadowitz at least. I’ll keep it secret from everyone else though, if that’s what you want.”

  “Yes ma’am. That’s what I want.”

  “Okay then, I’ll remanifest with the gazelle over to the game preserve and give it to Albert.”

  “Thank you.”

  Shana left and Tim came up to the booth. His toothy grin was shining through his beard. “You guys get the rest of the day off. Be back here at seven tomorrow morning. You can do whatever you like, but I suggest that you explore a little. You can go back to the barracks and socialize if you like. Just be back here tomorrow morning at seven.”

  Mark pulled out his map of the first level.

  Nick said, “I looked at the map of the first level. There’s a swimming pool, a gym, bowling alley, skate park, a movie theatre, a game room and a bunch of other stuff here.”

  “What’s this thing outside called The Island?”

  Nick said, “That’s for flags matches, it’s where the bonus flag is.”

  “What’s a flags match?”

  “It’s kind of like football on horseback except there’s a flag instead of a ball and four teams instead of two.”

  Chenoa said, “It’s nothing like football. There’s no downs, the field isn’t marked, there’s no quarterback or anything like that. The object is to get the flag and keep the other teams from getting it. That’s all.”

  “Hey, I didn’t mean to cause an argument. I just asked a question.”

  Nick said, “Okay, well, let’s go see The Island and we can explain it better.”

  “After we see The Island, maybe you can show us where that lioness took you.” Chenoa smiled at Mark.

  “Okay. Maybe you can look for footprints or something. I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”

  “No. I believe you. I just want to see where she went.”

  They went out the door closest to The Oasis. The Island was supposed to be on the other side of the mountain, according to the map. They started walking toward it. After a few minutes, Mark stopped and pointed toward the distant wall. “What’s that?”

  Nick said, “It looks like a dust devil. We get them all the time in Kansas.”

  After watching the cloud of dust in the distance for a few moments Chenoa said, “That’s not a dust devil. It’s horses. They’re coming straight at us.”

  They watched while four horses galloped up to them and stopped. Three of the horses kneeled. The black stallion walked straight up to Mark and reared. Mark somehow knew that there was no danger and reached his arm out to the magnificent animal. The horses were wearing headdresses. The stallion had twelve different gemstones on his headdress. The other three had a single emerald stone in each of theirs.

  “Wow, you are one beautiful horse. What’s your name?” Mark paused for an answer.
There was no sound like with the lioness. An image simply formed in his mind. The mental picture was of Mark and his companions riding the horses.

  “I think they want us to ride them. I’ve never ridden a horse before. How do you get on? There’s no saddle or anything.”

  Chenoa said, “I can get on by myself. I’ll help you guys up.” She went over to Mark and clasped her hands together between her knees. Mark mounted the stallion with her help. She helped the other two boys up and then she mounted the remaining horse herself. “Grab the mane, gently, and hold yourself on the horse with your knees.”

  “They must have come to us for a reason. Maybe they want to show us something.” Marked leaned forward and spoke to the stallion. “Take us to where you want to go.”

  The stallion responded by starting to walk toward The Island. The other three horses followed.

  Several groups of students had left for The Island before they had come outside. They all looked like freshmen. Evidently, a lot of them wanted to walk over to The Island. Every one of them stopped, dead still, watching when Mark and his friends sauntered past them.

  Fifteen minutes later, about half way out to The Island, another horse and rider came galloping up to the group. This horse was saddled. This new horse was a wearing headdress, too. It had a single gemstone in the headdress. Mark could see that it was striped and multi-colored. The rider was someone that he recognized, Gerod.

  “Where did you get these horses?”

  “They came to us when we came out of the school and started walking to The Island. We’ll get off if we’ve done something wrong.” Mark wasn’t sure what was going on.

  “This is very unusual, very unusual… Mark, you have been summoned to the Council of Elders. They will probably want to see you three as well. Follow me back to the school.”

  Apprehension grabbed Mark’s stomach and pulled it tight, then twisted it into a knot. I’m in trouble and I don’t even know what I did wrong. Riding the horses felt so right.

  The four horses followed Gerod and his mount without having to be directed.

  “Oh, we are in trouble now. We are summoned to the Council of Elders. They only handle the most important matters.” Jamal sounded nervous.

  “I don’t think that we have done anything wrong. After all, the horses came to us. We didn’t steal them or anything.” Nick sounded nervous too.

  “There is no need to worry about it. They will tell us what it is all about soon enough.” Chenoa sounded confident, but Mark suspected that she was nervous as well.

  They rode back to the school and dismounted. Gerod said, “The horses will go back to the stables on their own. Follow me.”

  The council chambers were in the center of the school on all levels. Level one and two were used for hearings and judgment. Level three contained offices adjacent to the healing ward. Level four and up served various administrative functions. Gerod had taken them to the level one entrance, the entrance for someone to be heard and judged.

  Mark’s stomach tightened more. We’re being put on trial and we haven’t done anything wrong.

  Gerod ushered the group into the Council of Elders’ Chamber. They entered and saw that it was one big, empty room. A single area in the middle of the floor was all that was illuminated in the stark court. The elders sat high above, looking down on their victims.

  “I have brought Mark Young before the Council as commanded. I have brought his companions as well. Recent events testify about these four.”

  A female voice sounded from above. “What are these events that you speak of?”

  “These three have been pre-chosen by the Emerald Equestrian Captains. Mark Young has been pre-chosen by… The General himself.”

  Silence. Mark thought, Pre-chosen, what does that mean?

  The female voice from above said, “Never in the history of The Seven Mountains has a student been pre-chosen by an equestrian. Never, until…” The voice had been about to say something and suddenly stopped.

  “Balaam was pre-chosen by a donkey. Balshazar was pre-chosen by a camel. An ox pre-chose Wong Lee. Never has anyone been pre-chosen by a horse, let alone a general. It also has been more than a thousand years since a Magi was capable of Rooack Dabar, spirit speak, a very rare gift indeed.”

  More silence heightened their foreboding.

  The female voice spoke again. “Chenoa Day… Nikola Poparov… Jamal Terfa… you were presented here today because you have had an honor bestowed upon you that is far and away above any honor that this academy could ever bestow. We must confer on the meaning and the great importance of this event. We will summon you again when we have reached a conclusion on how to acknowledge these matters. You are free to go until such time that you are summoned to appear again before this council.”

  The door that they had entered opened. Gerod led Chenoa, Nick and Jamal out of the chambers. The door closed behind them leaving Mark alone in the spotlight.

  “Mark Young… the honor bestowed upon your companions is indeed, very significant. Your honor is far greater. The General commands the twelve equestrian tribes. Being pre-chosen by The General is an honor beyond words. You too, will be summoned again before this council when we have reached a conclusion on these matters. You were originally summoned here to inquire about your ability with Rooack Dabar. Would you demonstrate that ability now?”

  Whew! I’m not on trial. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how it works.”

  “Try and recall an emotional event. See it again in your mind’s eye.”

  Mark brought to mind the event of his father telling the story of how his brother James had lost his parents.

  “That truly is a sad happenstance, Mark Young. We know the truth of it. James’s great, great, great, great grandfather is a Magi. It is a shame that his parents could not be helped. We will consult the Ummim-Thummim Stone on this matter. You will be summoned here again after we have studied this. Hopefully, we will be able to shed some light on your destiny. You are free to go now.”

  The door opened and Mark left. Gerod was waiting for him in the corridor. “Wait here until I return.”

  Gerod opened the door and entered the chamber. It took only a moment for him to return.

  “You have been pre-chosen by The General. Your companions have been pre-chosen by the Emerald Equestrian. They are of the Emerald Tribe now. Since you were pre-chosen by The General, he represents all tribes. You are free to choose which tribe you will belong to. You are also free to choose no tribe. The choice is yours.”

  “How long do I have to think about it?”

  “Students are presented to the equestrian’s captains on the fourth day of orientation. The captain chooses the student. I would say that you have until the end of that day.”

  “That’s okay. I would like to stay with my friends. I choose the Emerald Tribe.”

  “I’ll inform the council of your decision.” Gerod grinned. He put his hand on Mark’s shoulder. “You can get your class tunics now. So can your companions. I don’t know what to say. Congratulations, just doesn’t do it. ‘Wow!’ sums it up pretty well.”

  Mark forced a half-hearted smile. “Thank you, but why didn’t you tell us what this was all about?”

  “That’s not the way that it is done. If you were in trouble, believe me, you would have known it long beforehand.”

  That’s a rotten way to do things, pull you into the Council of Elders and not tell you why. Mark nodded and instinctively started walking toward The Oasis. He didn’t stop to ponder the events that had happened to him that day; he just wanted the company of his friends. He wanted to know what they were thinking about the event. He approached the entrance to The Oasis and heard an all too familiar voice, Ralph Lawrence.

  “Where’re you going, Mark? I have someone I want you to meet.”

  What is it now, Ralph? The last time that someone had said that to him was followed by a stiff punch to the head and being thrown into a vicious dog’s yard. Mark stopped, paused, and then tur
ned to look at Ralph. This time, not only were Ricky and Keith with him, there were three others.

  “This is Slone Voif and Bruce Spencer and Adolph VonBruin.” Ralph pointed them out as he spoke their names.

  Slone was muscular and tall. His long dark hair hung loose across his shoulders. He smirked and nodded ever so slightly when Ralph spoke his name. Bruce was about Mark’s size. His buzz cut blond hair made him look almost bald. He folded his arms across his chest when Ralph said his name. Adolph was stocky and thick, not fat, but thick.

  Mark thought that Ralph wanted to make sure that the odds were well in his favor. He recognized this as conventional bully tactics. He prepared himself for the confrontation.

  “What do you want, Ralph?”

  Slone answered instead of Ralph. “You’ve got brains and guts. What you did to Ralph, Ricky and Keith was clever. We’ve just come to ask you to join our little group.”

  “Thanks, but no thanks.” Mark turned to leave.

  “Mark…” Slone’s voice was low and calculated.

  Mark paused in his step.

  “Are you sure? This might be the only time that I’m going to ask. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

  Mark didn’t look back but kept walking to his original destination.

   * * * 

  Nick, Jamal and Chenoa were sitting in their usual booth, waiting for Mark. Nick spoke first when Mark sat down. “Wow, what do you think it means?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Chenoa spoke next. “I think that it all has something to do with you. You were chosen by that stallion with all those stones in its headdress. He must be a general like the Council of Elders said.”

  “That’s what they called him when you guys left, too, The General. They said that he was in charge of the twelve tribes of horses. I guess that is what the gems in his headband mean. They said that the Emerald horses chose you all. That means that you are in the Emerald Tribe. The General chose me. That meant that I could choose any tribe that I wanted to. I could even choose to not be in a tribe. I chose the Emerald Tribe.”

  Jamal said, “There has to be something special going on here. Stuff like this doesn’t happen without reason.”

  Tim walked up, unnoticed. “That is right.” His voice confirmed the mystery. “I just heard about it from Gerod… That is some kind of special. Nobody knows what it means yet. The Council of Elders is going to consult the U.T. stone about it.”

  Chenoa said, “The U.T. stone? I thought that was a myth.”

  “What’s an U.T. stone?” Nick tilted his head when he asked the question.

  “The U.T. stone is real all right. There have only been eight known throughout time, in the entire world. Right now, there are only seven that anyone knows where they are. Each of the seven mountains has one. The eighth one is lost. The way it works is you say something that can be true or not true. Kind of like a yes or no question but not a question. You toss it down. If the fire side shows then the statement was an untruth. It’s always right. It has never been wrong, not ever.”

  “Is it like dice or something?” Nick tilted his head the other way.

  “No. It is flat, kind of like a cracker or something like that. At any rate, we have to wait for the Council of Elders to shed some light on the matter. We do know your tribe now, so let us go and get your class tunics. You will be sleeping in the Emerald Dormitory tonight. I will show you where that is.”

  They followed Tim and bought all of their tunics. Tim took them to the Emerald Dormitory. The common room was exactly like the barracks except that all of the tables, chairs and decorations were green. The students who were there looked at the foursome when they entered. No one said anything for the longest time.

  Mark thought that he would break the awkward silence. He raised his hand to wave at no one in particular. “Hi. I’m Mark Young.” The crowd drew in around them. They all began speaking at once, saying their names and offering greetings. The news had traveled quickly; the four companions were celebrities.

  “Ah… we need to put our stuff up.” The boys followed Mark, Jamal and Nick into the boys’ dorm hall. Chenoa followed the girls into the girls’ dorm hall. The hall had individual rooms, more like cabins.

  Someone called out, “Your room is all the way at the end.”

  A green door at the end of the long hall had the names Nikola Poparov, Jamal Terfa and Mark Young painted on it. The paint looked like it was still wet.

  “Looks like we’re roommates.” Jamal grinned at the other two.

  Inside were their three beds with the headboards set against the wall and re-made-up with green blankets and green pillowcases. There were three full-size, business-type desks on the opposite wall, complete with padded swivel chairs. Empty bookshelves lined every bit of wall space, four feet high and up. The entrance to the bathroom was on the far wall from the entrance door.

  Mark thought that he might leave the staff in the room. Then he thought better of it. The three friends left their room together and returned to the waiting crowd in the hall.

  Questions pounded the three when they re-entered the hall. Mark said, “Let’s go sit down in the common room and we’ll tell you all of the story.”

  After about an hour’s worth of storytelling and answering questions, nobody posed any more queries.

  Mark said, “I have a question. Can someone tell me about flags matches?”

  Everyone spoke at once. It seemed that everyone wanted to tell what they knew.

  A tall girl walked up to Mark. She looked familiar, but he just couldn’t place her. Her voice silenced the crowd. Her brown eyes showed a hint of luminosity. They were nowhere as near as bright as the teacher’s or counselor’s eyes, but there was a definite glow about them. Her thick, wavy dark brown, almost black hair stretched way past her shoulders and down to her waist.

  “Hi. I’m Krisa, the Emerald Team’s captain. What do you want to know?”

  “Everything.”

  “Well… the matches are held on the last Saturday of the month while school is in. The finals are held during the summer. The playing field is the entire school grounds. The object of the game is to return a flag that has been launched onto the field, to your base. The game is played on horseback and on foot. There are as many players as you want but only twelve riders at a time on each of the four competing teams. The team and the individual player score the point value of the flag when it is returned to base. Flags can be captured from another team’s base. Flag values increase one point each time a new flag is launched onto the field. There is a bonus flag worth one hundred and forty four points. It’s on The Island and it’s guarded by wild animals. The animals change every match. You score points by keeping the flags that you bring back. There are two basic rules. You can’t kill and you can’t remanifest. You might want to read a book or two on it.” She went to the bookshelves and pointed. “This whole section is books about flags matches. Tryouts are this Saturday.”

  Krisa’s explanation seemed awkward and was too fast to take it all in. Mark knew that he would catch on in due course and didn’t ask any questions.

  “Thank you.” Mark went to the bookshelf and looked over some of the titles. He decided that he would read Omar’s Strategy Guide for Flags and Flags Through the Ages first. He left them on the shelf for now.

  Mark turned and looked at the crowd. “I think I’ll go and get supper now.” He walked to the door. Chenoa, Nick and Jamal joined him.