The Changeling Princess (16 page)

We were getting ready to leave when the sky darkened above us. I felt as if I
’d been touched by a benevolent force that brought peace to my mind. I looked at Wade and I knew instantly that he felt the same way. I heard a voice speaking in a soft, but commanding tone.

You have done well my children. You have performed your duty without questioning your purpose. I am very proud of you.

“Are you the Supreme Entity?” I asked.

I am known by many names, but you may address me as the Supreme Entity.

“Are we being prepared for a great battle?”

That is correct. The great battle will take place when the Portal of Darkness is opened.

“What is the Portal of Darkness?”

The Portal is a pathway to another universe. Some of its inhabitants are evil creatures who will try to invade your world. The Portal opens once every five hundred years.

“When is the Portal due to open again?”

In approximately one year of your Earth time. You will be summoned when the time is near.

“May I ask a simple question?” asked Wade.

Of course, what is the question?

Why is evil permitted in our world? A world without evil would be a much better place.”

That is a very intelligent question, my young warrior. All sentient beings are given the freedom of choice. It is this choice that determines how they will live their life. If you remove their choice, you take away their freedom to make a decision.

Wade bowed. “Thank you for answering my question.”

Before I depart, I want both of you to know that I am going to increase your powers. When you return home, it is your responsibility to develop those powers to reach their maximum potential.

The sky returned to normal and Wade and I stared at each other. “That was really profound,” I said.

“
That’s putting it mildly. I wonder if anyone’s going to believe us when we tell them we talked to the Supreme Entity.”

“
I think they will because we have no reason to lie. Besides, it makes sense that he spoke to us to give us encouragement.”

“
I feel honored.”

“
So do I. I just hope we can accomplish what’s being planned for us.”

It was a four-hour drive back to Las Vegas, so we made the decision to spend the night in Tonopah. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I planned to sleep in late tomorrow morning.

CHAPTER 29

We decided to drive back to Charlotte on Highway 40. It was a shorter drive and we
’d get to see some new scenery. I was looking forward to driving through Arizona and New Mexico.

We stopped in Las Vegas for a luncheon buffet at the Stardust.
“Don’t eat too much, Wade. The roadside bathrooms might be few and far between.”

“
I promise to control myself and not have a third helping.”

“
That would be a first.” After we ate, I pulled my car behind the Stardust and parked at the end of the property. I planned to use telekinesis to wash my car before we headed for home.

“
Let me do the honors,” said Wade. “I want to see how much my skills have improved.”

I stood back and watched as Wade moved the dirt from one place to another. After five minutes, my car looked as if it had washed it with a muddy mop. Wade stood back, looking puzzled.
“I guess I haven’t got the hang of this yet.”

“
I think I’d better finish it,” I said, trying to look serious. As was usually the case, Wade and I couldn’t stop laughing.

*
* *

We arrived back in Charlotte on a Saturday morning. It was the middle of August and Wade and I were two weeks away from starting our senior year in high school. The first thing Grandma Pauline did was call a meeting of the Clans. The meeting would be held at my house at three o
’clock in the afternoon. I had so much to tell everyone, I wasn’t sure where to start. Our adventures were going to sound like a fantasy.

*
* *

All of the Clan members were gathered in the living room. Grandma Pauline got the meeting started by having me walk to the center of the room.
“Janis, it’s time for you to tell your story.”

“
What I have to tell you is so unbelievable it’s going to sound like I made it up. For starters, we followed the trail of the Warlock twins all the way from Virginia to Las Vegas. We destroyed several Warlock Clans along the way and helped several Witch Clans using a rejuvenation spell.”

“
You learned how to use a rejuvenation spell?” Mildred Wilson sputtered out. “That’s a very advanced spell.”

“
I should have said that my Ivarr skills picked up the rejuvenation spell. Those skills allowed me to analyze the spell and reproduce it.”

“
Please go on with your story,” said Mildred. “I’m sorry I interrupted.”

“
Wade and I spent a lot of time in Chicago because it was infested with Warlocks. We destroyed over a dozen Warlock Clans, so the city was in pretty good shape before we moved west.”

“
To Las Vegas?” asked Grandpa George.

“
Actually, we located the Warlock twins near Tonopah, Nevada, about two hundred miles from Las Vegas. They had a castle hidden in the desert that was protected by Demons. I wish you could have seen how Wade summoned a rain cloud and shorted out an electrical creature that looked like a walking lightning bolt. Wade was fantastic.”

Wade spoke up.
“That was a piece of cake compared to you morphing into a T-Rex and tearing the head off that dragon. I thought I was having a bad dream.”

The room was completely silent. The Clan members were staring at each other like they couldn
’t believe what they were hearing.

“
It sounds like you two had quite an adventure,” said my mother. “Anything else you’d like to tell us?”

I cleared my throat.
“I had a problem in Las Vegas.”

“
You gambled away all the money?” my dad asked.

“
Not exactly,” I said as I removed a large stack of hundred dollar bills from my purse. “I actually won several thousand dollars. If we add this to the expense money that was left over, it totals a little over eight thousand dollars. As far as I’m concerned, this is your money, not ours.”

Grandpa Greer spoke up.
“I think you should keep the money, Janis. It might come in handy if you decide to go to college.” Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

“
If that’s the way you feel, then it’s only fair that Wade and I share the money.”

“
I think everyone here agrees with that,” said my mother, looking around at the others.

Wade and I spent the rest of evening going over the details of our trip. I was pleased that Wade and his aunt Mildred had been accepted by all the members of the Changelings Clans. I looked forward to the day when all of the Clans would learn to live in harmony.

* * *

I spent the next day at home taking it easy. I hadn
’t spent any quality time with Missy and Izzy, so I asked them what kind of game they wanted to play.

I like to fly
, said Missy.

I like the game where you turn into a mouse
, said Izzy.

I don
’t see any reason why we can’t do both.

I dressed Missy and Izzy in their capes and lifted them into the air. Missy was doing her
“Weeeee” thing and Izzy was obviously having a good time, too. I added a new trick to the flight pattern by having the kitties rock up and down, similar to riding a horse on the merry-go-round. The kitties really liked that.

I floated the kitties back down onto my bed before I morphed into a white mouse and turned invisible. I reappeared across the room and stuck my head out fro
m behind my dresser.
Na Nana Na Na,
I said in my squeaky little voice.”

It turned into a foot race and I was chased all over the bedroom. If the kitties had me cornered, I
’d morph into a puff of smoke and disappear. After fifteen minutes, the kitties were so tired they finally gave up.

I picked the kitties up and set them on my bed. You guys almost caught me that time.

Izzy looked up at me.
If we had caught you, we wouldn’t have hurt you.

That
’s right,
said Missy.
We knew it was you and it’s just a game. Besides, Izzy and I are terrible mousers. We’re so out of shape we couldn’t catch a real mouse if it crawled on its belly.

I picked up M
issy and Izzy and hugged them.
The important thing is that we’re a family.

I agree,
said Missy.

Yeah
, said Izzy.
We’re a real family
.

CHAPTER 30

Two days had passed before I picked up Wade for a trip to the mountains. The Supreme Entity said we’d been granted new powers and I was curious to find out what they were. I was experiencing an itch down the center of my back and I didn’t have the slightest idea what it was, although I was sure it had something to do with my new powers.

When we reached the retreat, we parked the car and unpacked our swords and shields. Standing at the edge of the woods, Wade looked disappointed when I reached for his hand.
“What, no Changeling Princess piggyback ride? 1 was looking forward to that.”

I glared at him.
“No, Wade, traveling as a Mist is a lot faster.

“
But it’s not nearly as much fun.”

I morphed into a Mist and we flew to the clearing. I was surprised when we got there so quickly. It was obvious that my faster speed was one of my increased powers.

I also discovered it took less time for me to build the force field targets. My mind was working twice as fast, so I assumed this was another power enhancement from the Supreme Entity. I morphed into the Changeling Princess and fired my energy bolt at a target. There was a loud explosion and the target turned bright red.

Wade stared at the target.
“What was that? Your energy bolt hit the target like a bazooka.”

“
It appears my energy bolt has increased in power. Let’s see if your power has increased too.”

Wade fired his energy bolt and it was as powerful as mine. Wade was beaming.
“I want to try something different.”

I watched as Wade went into deep concentration. Suddenly, a stream of flames flowed out from his eyes like a high-powered flame thrower. Wade blinked and flames disappeared.

“You have the power to control fire,” I said. “I bet you could hurl fire balls just like the dragons do.”

“
It appears so. The hardest part was keeping the flames concentrated in a small area. I think I could set these entire woods on fire if I put my mind to it.”

“
That tells me you need to practice. We’ll schedule that in with every practice trip.”

Aside from the itch down the center of my back, I was suddenly aware of a tingling sensation running through my entire body. I looked at my arms and saw that the pores in my skin were opening and closing, almost like they were trying to breath. I looked at my legs and saw that the same thing was happening. My entire body turned to a deep red for about five seconds and then everything returned to normal.

“I think you just went through some kind of a transformation,” said Wade. “Do you feel any different?”

“
Yes, I, I feel invincible.” I took my sword and ran it across my arm. I didn’t feel any pain and my sword hadn’t left a scratch. Wade, I think my body has been enclosed by a skin-tight force field. I want you stick me in the stomach with your sword.” I sensed Wade’s hesitation, but he did as I asked.

I felt the tip of the sword, but it was like I was being tickled.
“Harder!” I shouted.

Wade put more force behind his thrust, but the sword couldn
’t penetrate my skin. “Now try to slash my stomach.” Wade hesitated, but did as I asked.

I stood there beaming because the sword hadn
’t penetrated my skin. “I guess the only explanation is that I really am indestructible.”

“
That may be true, but your toga isn’t.”

I looked down and saw that my toga had a large slash across it.
“I guess I’ll have to make another toga.”

Wade came up with a suggestion.
“I think you should morph back to Janis French and see if she’s invincible too.”

I did as Wade suggested. I still had all my Ivarr powers, but I wasn
’t invincible. “I wonder why the Changeling Princess inherited this new power and not me?”

“
Maybe the Supreme Entity has a special fondness for the Changeling Princess. He may have been impressed by your ingenuity and decided to reward you. I have to admit, the Changeling Princess is magnificent beyond description.”

I was collecting my thoughts when I sensed another tingling sensation running through my body. I felt light as a feather and I had an irresistible urge to soar into the sky. I raised my arms and felt my body leaving the ground. Before I knew it, I was a mile high and still climbing. I stopped and stared down toward the ground. The only logical explanation was that I had been given the gift of flight. When I returned to the ground, Wade was waiting for me with the biggest smile I
’d ever seen.

“
That was really cool, Janis, and you didn’t even have to morph into the Changeling Princess. The gift of flight is an amazing thing.”

I put my arm around Wade
’s waist. “Let’s take a little trip.”

I sensed Wade was holding his breath as we lifted off the ground. It was a million in one chance that someone might see us, but I played it safe and made us both invisible.

I circled the area and began picking up speed. I had no idea how fast I was flying, but I knew it was super-fast. Wade was breathing hard when we floated down to the ground.

“
You know, Janis, sometimes hanging around with you is about as much fun as falling out of a tree.”

“
What you’re saying is that you’re never going to get used to flying.”

“
Zooming through the air like a sack of potatoes is not my idea of flying.”

“
Would you like it better if I strapped a saddle to my back?”

Wade didn
’t crack a smile. “I know you’re right, Janis. Just give me some time to get used to the idea. I got over my fear of flying around as a Mist, didn’t I?”

“
That you did. And that’s why I have complete confidence in you.”

“
Not to change the subject, but does the Changeling Princess fly?”

I morphed into the Changeling Princess and flew straight up until I reached a height of ten miles, slightly higher than the flight path of commercial jet liners. I straightened out and turned up the speed. When I reached my maximum velocity, my senses told me I was traveling somewhere around Mach 2, a little over 1500 miles per hour.

I returned to the ground and landed beside Wade. “I can fly pretty fast, but I should be able to fly even faster in Mist form.”

“
You’ve got more combinations than a roomful of wall safes. If you increased your height to forty feet tall and morphed into a Mist, you could probably fly to the Moon and back before dinner.”

“
That would be something, wouldn’t it? I think we should morph into Mists to see if the speed scares you?”

“
I’ll go for that.”

I held onto Wade
’s hand and morphed into a Mist. I flew up into the air until I reached an altitude of ten miles and then I sped forward and turned up the speed. I sensed that I’d reached a top speed of two thousand miles an hour before I slowed down. Flying as a Mist was about five hundred miles an hour faster. I had to admit it was a thrilling experience.

I slowed down and made a wide turn before heading back to the clearing. When we floated down to the ground and materialized, it was apparent that the flying hadn
’t bothered Wade in the slightest.

“
I actually enjoyed that,” he said. “The height doesn’t affect me at all and you don’t feel the wind resistance in Mist form.”

“
That’s good, because traveling as Mists is a lot more convenient than driving the car up here. We could be here in a matter of minutes.”

“
You’ve convinced me, Janis. Now we can travel to the mountains anytime we want to.”

“
Things are looking up.”

We were getting ready to leave when I decided to run a quick test on my height. To my surprise, I grew to a height of eighty feet, twice the height I
’d obtained before. Wade added his usual brand of humor. “You’re the best looking eighty-foot babe I’ve ever seen.”

*
* *

I called Grandma Pauline the next day and scheduled an afternoon visit. I wanted to bring her up to date, but I was also curious about the itching down the center of my back. There was always a chance she had come across something like that in her research.

Pauline invited me into her house and we sat down in the living room. “I must say, Janis, your life has become pretty exciting for a seventeen year old.”

“
I can’t deny that. I still feel like I’m dreaming.”

“
What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“
I just wanted to bring you up to date because a lot has happened.”

“
You have my complete attention.”

“
Well, for starters, the Supreme Entity has increased the power of my energy beam. The energy bolts are similar to firing a bazooka at someone.”

“
That’s interesting. Anything else?”

“
I can fly.”

“
Do you mean fly like a bird?”

“
Yes, Grandma, only much, much faster.”

“
How fast?”

“
It’s only an estimate, but I’d say somewhere around 1,500 to 2,000 miles an hour.”

“
Good heavens, that’s unbelievable! There’s no way you’re going to top that.”

“
Oh yes there is, Grandma. When I morph into the Changeling Princess, I become invincible.”

“
You mean like Wonder Woman in the comic books?”

“
No, Grandma, Wonder Woman isn’t invincible. That’s why she has indestructible bracelets to ward off bullets. With my new power, I don’t have to worry about bullets or any other type of projectile. It’s as if I’m wearing a skin-tight force field suit over my entire body. You couldn’t remove a hair from my head if you used a blowtorch.”

“
Oh my goodness, that is something. I’ve never come across anything like that in my research. What about Wade? Have any of his powers been increased?”

“
Yes. His energy beam is as strong as mine and he can control fire. I’m sure his power to control the weather has improved, but we need a larger area to do the testing.”

“
Janis, you have no idea what it’s like listening to you. It’s like a fairytale coming true right before my eyes.”

“
I know, Grandma. I just hope it has a happy ending. One last thing is that I have a strange itching sensation down the center of my back. Have you come across anything like that in your research?”

“
No, not really. Stand up and let me take a look.”

I rose to my feet and bared my back. Grandma looked me over carefully and then ran her hand up and down my spine.
“I don’t see or feel anything, Janis. Does it hurt?”

“
No, it’s just an itch that comes and goes.”

“
I have an idea. Wait right here.”

Grandma returned to the living room carrying an old Polaroid camera.
“I bought this camera in London, England several years ago. The camera is said to have unusual powers that will film spirits. Let’s take a picture of your back and see if anything shows up.”

I stood perfectly still as Grandma took the first picture. When the picture was ejected from the camera, Grandma gasped.
“Janis, you’ve got to see this.”

Grandma handed me the photo and I gasped too. What I saw was a pair of beautiful wings extending from my back.
“Those are wings, Grandma.”

“
They sure are and I think they’re angel wings. They’re absolutely beautiful.”

“
Why can’t we see them?”

“
I don’t know. I’m sure they’ll appear someday, but I don’t know when or why.”

Grandma took several more pictures of my wings.
“I think I’ll give one of these pictures to Wade. I’ll sign it ‘Your Changeling Angel.’”