Earth(79)

"Look – just like the chakras on a human body, the places are in one straight line." Clay ran his thumb across the equator, his forefinger touching Indonesia, Simuleue, the Galapagos, and Easter Island. "A few locations, like here, don't follow the line exactly, but if you take into consideration their balance, it all equals out."

"Ok." I stood from my chair, rolling up the map. "We've got our points of power – but how do we access them?"

First Clay, then Micah turned to look at me.

"That part is up to you, Gaia," Micah said.





Chapter 48





Dinnertime

We approached the open field, east of the city, with a group of Earths behind us. Clay and Erika were an invaluable resource when it came to rounding them up and finding an excuse for us to be out here, away from prying eyes and away from Shawn.

"This is our winter wheat crop." One of the head gardeners, Mike, stepped forward. "It got a slow start, but we're hoping it recovers. Depends if we get enough moisture this winter." He turned his head toward the sky. The rest of us followed suit. The sun had already gone down, leaving behind inky black without a cloud in sight. I surveyed the wheat field. The moon was bright enough to see the frosty white etchings across the leaf sprouts of the wheat plants.

I bent down, running my hand across one. "What is this?" I pulled back my hand, looking at the beetle. A red body with metallic blue-black wings.

Mike leaned over me. "A cereal leaf beetle. They’re destroying our winter wheat crop. They cause the leaves to go white."

I placed the beetle back on one of the wheat stems and wished him luck. He was going to need it. I turned to the group behind me. A small, dark form fluttered just over the heads of the group.

I smiled, and raised my voice to ask, "Where are the nearest caves?"

"Just a few clicks north; near the river," a voice from the back shouted out.

A pang ran through my gut as I thought of Alex and his 'clicks'. I forced myself to nod at the group, then sat down, making myself as comfortable as I could on top of the cold, dry soil. Behind me, the bristled wheat began swaying, and the low buzz of hundreds of beetles taking flight from the disturbance filled the air. The energy pulse I sent out kept them confused, flying in circles, not straying far from the wheat field. I needed them for the demonstration.

Next, I lay one hand on the ground. I glanced up at Clay who took position by my side. "I'm aiming for the caves, but we can't let the vibrations get too strong in the city."

"I'm on it, but no guarantees."

I felt Clay send his energy out; an underground block running right in between the city and the fields.

I went soon after, tying off my weaves to maintain the signals with the wheat and the beetles, and pushed energy north. It went low, the surface of the ground cracking along the way. The entire field rumbled. I left it at one short burst and refrained from sending more. I pulled back my magic, nodded for Clay to do the same, and waited.

We didn't have to wait long. The buzzing of the beetles behind me grew more frantic. Predators approached. At first it was just a few. A fluttering shadow here and there, dipping down to the field and up again. The group of Earths turned their gaze from me to the north, then to the field, and back to me again.

I continued to wait. Finally, the hoard came. The moon and stars – always bright since the rapid decline of light pollution, were broken by gray strands of tiny creatures in flight. The bats took over the wheat field, picking off beetles left and right.

The Earths squealed. Several women ducked, covering their heads. I glanced down – even Clay had begun to roll up his beard.

"They aren't going to roost in it." I rolled my eyes.

"How do you know?"

"Because." I gestured to the field. "It's dinnertime."

He snorted, but let go of the beard.

I addressed the Earths before some of the squeamish decided to take off. "The beetle population will have been decimated within a matter of a couple of nights. No pesticides needed. Nature always has a way of taking care of itself – sometimes it just needs a little push." I stepped toward the group, lowering my voice and forcing them to lean in to hear me. "The magic you possess can do more than just…earthquakes."

"Can you teach us?"

I shook my head ‘no’. "I want to…and I've asked Shawn. But he said no. Said we were put to better use in the gardens and fields."

A few cries of outrage.

"It's those Fires – he gives them all the best training!"

"And lets them slide on their duties when we do hard labor all day long to put food on the table!"