Entrance to the Song (completed)

Chapter 22 - Renewal of Realms

"Got it," Daddy said nodding.

"Daddy, are you sure about this?" I asked one more time as Mistress Vega attached the needle to the tube.

He waved me over and Shiah stood to allowed me to sit next to him. His arm wrapped around my shoulder, and then he kissed my forehead. "No matter what I look like, sweetheart, I'll still be your dad. I love you now and I'll love you when the transformation is done. Okay?"

I nodded, feeling better. Mistress Vega knew what she was doing. Even if I didn't like the strangeness going on between them.

"Will you love me after the transformation?"

I smiled. "Maybe," I said, giggling. He had a way of making me feel like a little girl.

"Maybe, is not good enough," he said looking down at me.

"You know I'll always love you daddy." I sighed and gave him one last tight hug.

He got up and moved to the high chair in front of the bar where Mistress Vega waited with the needle.

"I'm ready to be transformed," Daddy said with a big grin on his face. He winked at me and Shiah, who held Benin's hand.

"The particles will be dispersed into his face and then spread throughout his entire body. The dispersion will take only thirty seconds." The needle opened and Daddy closed his eyes. A colorful mist flew from the instrument with a hiss. It reminded me of spray painting a car.

I noticed a change in Daddy's face immediately; his skin turned three tones darker and when he opened his eyes they were a bluish brown. My heart raced, and I covered my face with my hands. An arm, I knew was Benin's, wrapped around me – I turned my face into his shoulder and hid. My emotions were scattered. I knew it was still Daddy, but the face I'd grown accustomed to was leaving. It was like he was being taken from me all over again.

"That's it," Mistress Vega announced. I squeezed my eyes shut afraid to turn around.

"Sweetheart?" said a deep voice somewhat recognizable.

Bracing myself, I turned and stared at the handsome older man before me. The face was still Daddy's but continued to change. He smiled. "How do I look?" He had the same spark that made Daddy who he was.

I smiled back. "Odd," I said. "Even funnier than usual." I wrinkled my nose.

He threw his head back and laughed a rich melodious tone that reverberated around the room. "Oh," I heard Shiah say. "You look great Erben, but that voice is magnificent."

He pointed a thumb toward Mistress Vega. "That was her idea. She wanted me to have a whole new persona."

Shiah bobbed her head. "It works."

"Hey," he said with narrowed eyes. "You girls act like I wasn't handsome before."

After a moment of silence, we all burst into laughter.

Later that day we went out to the training field to go over fighting with small amounts of dirt, and hand to hand. Daddy and Shiah joined our training against Mistress Vega's wishes. She said they needed to rest for tonight because unlike Benin and I they couldn't heal themselves.

"You two spar over there," she said pointing to the other side of the training ground. "Remember to only use the earth in your belts."

Benin and I headed to the other side. "Your dad looks cool," Benin said, stepping over a square of earth.

"I guess," I said. "He looks so foreign even though I know it's still him."

"Yeah, that's true." He gazed down at me. "Are you still nervous about tonight?"

I shrugged. "A little." It was true–I had meditated with my hands deep inside the earth before daylight this morning. Although the earth was in a tumultuous state at the moment it still gave me peace and comfort communing with her.

"Good. And I know we'll get Sol back along with all the other Earth Singer's."

"I know we will." My heart lurched at the thought of Sol being in the Sleepers Keep. I wondered if they'd put him to sleep. Whatever the case we would rescue him–I was determined.

We went through the sequence of moves slow at first and then fast. We experimented with many variants.

Sweat trickled down my face as I lost myself in the training. The heat of the sun sank beneath the horizon.

The time had come.

Daddy, Shiah, and Vega had left the training field. We were to meet at ten at the front exit. Benin and I walked in silence. There was time to rejuvenate and eat and then go.

A calm settled over me as I went through the motions of getting ready.

Saving Sol was at the forefront of my mind.

I tightened the belt around my waist and grabbed the sac with extra earth.

I was the last one to gather. Mistress Vega led the way outside to the dark-blue van. She had a determined look on her face.

We all dressed in black except for my Dad. He had on a gray suit. He was pretending to be a disgraced businessman who wanted to disappear for a while. His outer transformation was complete, so he looked the part. He wasn't too handsome which played into him selling off some of his beauty.

"Ready?" he asked as we climbed into the back of the van.

"As I'll ever be." Another tremor shook the ground, and the wind howled, picking up loose debris from the ground.

"Good." He strapped on his seat belt and we made our way to the Keep in silence.