Lost Horizon

by Michelle Hercules

  With a shake of my head, I throw my legs to the side of the bed. “I’m not hungry. Now that we’ve fixed the barrier, I’d like to see the starships.”

  “Dorothy, you should really eat and rest some more.” Darius moves closer.

  I jump to my feet, the sense of urgency increasing tenfold. “No, I must find a way to Mirus before it’s too late.”

  Darius trades a meaningful glance with his cousin who, in turn, peers at me.

  “I was hoping you would stay longer. We could use your help in this war,” the prince says.

  Guilt sneaks into my heart. For a moment, I don’t know what to say. Then, I glance at Toto, who is now playing with Kevvan.

  No. Adrian needs me, too. My loyalty is to him.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

  With a deep sigh, the prince lays the tray on the side table by the bed. “I suppose if you can get those starships to work, that would be a great help to us. If you’re ready, I can take you to them right now.” He glances at Toto. “I’m afraid your dog will have to stay behind.”

  “Why?” I ask.

  “Because the lab is no place for a puppy, real or not,” the prince explains.

  Frowning, I say, “He’s real.”

  “Semantics.” Prince Lennox waves his hands in a dismissive way.

  “I suppose he’ll be okay by himself for a little bit.” I glance at Toto, feeling a little guilty for abandoning him again. I chose to leave him behind when I went to see Reo, after all. “I’m ready.” I put more emphasis in my reply than I actually feel. My body is achy, and I’m a little nauseated. I don’t know if my symptoms are due to what I did back in the stones chamber or due to my illness.

  Darius spares one disapproving glance before following his cousin out of my room.

  My entire spine turns rigid when Reo presses his hand on my lower back and whispers in my ear, “You’re not well. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “I’m fine. Stop scanning my vitals,” I reply through clenched teeth, stepping away from him.

  We encounter more guards stationed in the hallways than before. It seems the near rupture of the barrier put everyone on edge. It was a close call, but if the virus was able to breach through the barrier once, there’s nothing keeping the Raven Witch from attempting an infection again. I’m sure that possibility has crossed the prince’s mind.

  I truly wish I could stay and help them. In reality, besides Adrian, there’s nothing left of my old life that I want. My dream of becoming a Star Freedom Alliance pilot is forever gone. And, after what Commander Gulch told me, I’m not sure I would want to serve under her command anyway even if I wasn’t an outlaw.

  “I hope the prince’s lab is not underground,” Kevvan says, showing a hint of residual fear.

  I step closer to him, lacing my arm with his. “Even if it is, you have nothing to be afraid of. I’ll be there the whole time.”

  My statement sounds utterly ridiculous. Looking at Kevvan’s herculean physique, one could say I’m small and meek in comparison. But the hellioncat turns to me with a smile on his lips and kind eyes.

  “Thanks, Dorothy.”

  His gesture fills my chest with warmth and even makes me feel a little bit less dreary. I find myself smiling in return, unable to glance away. That is, until Reo ruins the moment.

  “Careful now. You’re going to make Scrawny jealous.”

  Darius’s steps falter as he glances over his shoulder. “What?”

  “I believe the cyborg is goading you, cousin,” the prince replies.

  Irritated, I bite my tongue. I hate how Reo and Prince Lennox keep pestering me about my undeclared relationship with Darius. It’s none of their damn business anyway.

  When the prince veers to a set of stairs going up, Kevvan lets out a discernible sigh of relief.

  “No offense, but do you not know what elevators are?” Reo asks, blunt.

  “It’s my experience that anyone who starts a sentence with no offense means exactly the opposite,” Prince Lennox replies.

  “Ouch.” I chuckle.

  “I’m glad I amuse you,” Reo grumbles.

  “We obviously know what elevators are. There are several throughout the palace,” Darius explains. “However, where we are going is not accessible by any other means besides the stairs.”

  “Why?” Kevvan asks.

  “Isn’t it obvious? It’s because it’s another secret chamber,” Reo replies in a mocking tone. “I bet the wizard lives in one of them.”

  “I’d really like to meet the guy. We heard so many stories about him when we landed in Oz,” Kevvan chimes in.

  “I’m sorry to disappoint you. But I can’t go over the wizard’s wishes.” Prince Lennox’s tone is cold and unyielding.

  “It is quite strange that a man famous for having accomplished so much never sees anyone. To be honest, I thought he was responsible for the protective shield around Emerald City.” Reo’s tone is casual, but I don’t miss the underlying venom.

  Where is he going with this?

  “He has done many great things for my people. The least I can do is respect his wishes for privacy.” The prince’s reply is final, leaving no room for argument.

  Reo opens his big mouth again, but I hiss, catching his attention. I make the signal for silence while glaring at him at the same time. His response is to roll his eyes. How mature.

  We walk for at least fifteen minutes. I won’t deny that, when we finally reach the landing, I’m out of breath, and my thighs are burning. I used to be in top shape. Is my health already deteriorating that fast?

  The landing is in fact a wide, long corridor. Tall windows on the left let through the sunlight. The colorful stained glass creates the illusion of a rainbow on the floor. It’s a rather pretty effect.

  Because the corridor is bathed in light, we can clearly see the double doors at the end of it. The prince strides along the hallway without pause, followed closely behind by Darius. My arm is still hooked on Kevvan’s, and maybe that’s why Darius is walking ahead of me without looking back. Is he jealous?

  I’m not sure how I’d feel about it if he were. I’m just giving support to a friend. Ugh. Romantic relationships are so complicated. If it wasn’t for the butterflies in my stomach when I kissed Darius, I’d soon forget about it.

  Damn you, stupid insects.

  The prince inserts the medallion in the indentation that runs through both doors exactly at the middle. Then, he steps back and waits for Darius to do his thing. The energy sphere he produces this time is smaller, but once it infuses the emerald, the light spreads throughout the intricate design on the door, which was invisible until now. They depict twisting vines with thorns and leaves.

  When the pattern is fully lit, the doors open forward, revealing a massive chamber with a high-domed ceiling. It’s as large as the dock area of the Kansas Space Station. The walls are made out of polished green stone that has a translucent sheen to it. Several working stations are laid out in an orderly manner. The apparatus on them is nothing I’ve ever seen. There are so many shiny objects I don’t know where to focus first.

  “This is incredible.” I take a step forward.

  “Darius was the one who put it all together.” Prince Lennox runs his hand over a random working station, almost in reverence, before peering at me. “Are you ready to see them?”

  “Yes!” My reply might be a little bit more enthusiastic than I intended, and the echo bounces off the concave ceiling.

  The prince chuckles. Out of the blue, he grabs my hand and leads me to a set of stairs going down the pit. There’s no exchange of energy this time, so it’s possible I imagined what had transpired when he touched me for the first time. Still, it’s rather odd that he’s holding my hand in this intimate manner. Like it was odd for him to bring me food himself. The prince is turning out to be as much of a puzzle as our dear Reo.

  My knees lock tight as I take in the sight of the small cruiser in the middle of the bay. She’s definitely
not what I expected. I’d never guess this was a starship. She reminds me of the great stingrays that used to live in the oceans of Old Earth. Her wings are round-shaped and malleable. The organic material looks like molten lead; it ripples as if this were a creature swimming in the ocean. In fact, it is floating inside an energy bubble, which, due to being almost completely see-through, I nearly missed it.

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s what’s keeping the organic matter stable. She was bio-constructed and grown rather than built,” Darius answers, heading down all the way until he’s standing in front of the ship.

  “How long until you got it to that size?” Reo asks.

  “The growing only took a day once I figured out the DNA engineering and alchemy.”

  “So, in essence, that energy sphere surrounding it is akin to a life-support system,” I say. “All we need is enough magic to kick-start its heart.”

  “Where is a defibrillator when you need one?” Reo says with a snort.

  “I think I preferred when you didn’t speak much,” I spit back.

  “What are those poles with the round glass tops?” Kevvan points at the two objects in front of the energy sphere, standing two feet apart from each other.

  “Those are the conduits. It’s how we’re going to try to give life to the starship.” Darius moves to stand in front of them.

  “So, I just place my hands on those spheres and then … what?”

  “You use your magic,” Darius replies like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

  “I already told you, I don’t have any magic.” I place my hands on my hips.

  “You must have some type of power, or you wouldn’t have been able to purify the crystals. Not even our allies, the White Witch and the Air Witch, were ever able to.”

  I raise my hand. “Wait a second. Back up for a moment. You’re saying there are other witches roaming around?”

  “Yes. Didn’t Darius tell you about them?” Prince Lennox glances at his cousin.

  “No, he didn’t.”

  “To be fair, Scrawny didn’t remember his own name for most of our trip here.” Reo, for once, jumps to defend someone.

  I glance at my medical bracelet, noticing that I should receive another dose of the medication soon. No wonder I’m still feeling lethargic. I’m sure purifying that large piece of emerald took a lot out of me. There’s a pesky voice in my head telling me that maybe I should rest a bit more before I attempt to give life to a starship. But there’s also the fact that I think Darius is crazy to believe I have any magic in me or that I can do what he thinks I can.

  I step closer to the conduits and take a deep breath. “Should I just touch them now?”

  “No, wait. I need to set up the system. This is alchemy, not straight-out magic.”

  “Could have fooled me.” Reo picks up a peculiar tool from a table nearby and brings it closer to his bionic eye for inspection.

  “How is that arm of yours? Fully recharged?” I ask while I wait for Darius to prepare the equipment.

  Reo drops the tool back where he found it. Then, he opens and closes his metal hand. “Yes. As soon as I entered the city.”

  Prince Lennox is suddenly watching Reo’s arm with keen attention. After a moment, he finally says, “Your arm is equipped with an assault weapon, isn’t it?”

  “Yep. And your guards didn’t even blink at it. Some security you have here. What if I were a spy sent to assassinate you?”

  I don’t know why, but hearing Reo say that gives me chills.

  “Are you?” the prince asks, as if in challenge.

  Reo rewards him with an enigmatic smile. “I wouldn’t tell you if I were.”

  “Okay, Dorothy, everything is ready to go.” Darius returns to my side, breaking the strange moment between Prince Lennox and Reo. I’m still staring at the duo when Darius continues. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  Blinking my eyes fast, I peer at him. “Right.”

  As I glance down at those round surfaces, a huge lump forms in my throat. There’s a faint blue light coming from inside them. Small tendrils of electricity spark within, as if a small storm were contained in them.

  My hands hover over the glass for a second, my hesitation locking my muscles. I finally push through, and I place my palms flat over the surface, noticing how warm it feels. I expected it to be cold, just like the chamber with the giant stones.

  Seconds tick by, and I don’t feel anything. A bead of sweat forms on my forehead—not from exertion, but nervousness. I don’t like being on display like this when I don’t know what I’m doing.

  “Shouldn’t something be happening right now?” I ask.

  Darius scratches his head, looking intently at my hands. “I usually just summon my magic, will it to concentrate in my hands.”

  “I already told you, I don’t have any magic in me. At least, I’ve never felt it brewing inside my chest.”

  “Natural magic doesn’t reside in one’s chest,” Prince Lennox replies.

  “How do you know?” Reo narrows his eyes at the prince.

  “Listen, just pretend you do have magic. Imagine it flowing from your core down your arms like a river. Don’t try to contain it. Instead, let it whoosh out from your fingertips.”

  “That sounds like a lot of gibberish to me,” Kevvan mutters, surprising me.

  I’d expect that remark from Reo. I can’t fault him for his thoughts, though. I am thinking the same.

  “Listen, I’m a woman of science. Until recently, magic didn’t even exist in my world. You can’t simply expect me to imagine something I’ve never felt before.”

  In that precise moment, the familiar prick on my wrist comes. I barely flinch this time, but a moment later, my arms become numb, and my hands feel like they’re made out of lead. I want to pull them back, but it is as if they are stuck to the glass surfaces. Still looking down, I catch a disturbance in the energy sphere. When I glance up, I see that the starship is flapping her wings, and her hull is no longer a dull gray, but it’s shimmering as if it is filled with light. I want to yell or shout something positive, but I have no voice, no strength to even utter words. My entire body has gone numb. I’m standing erect, thanks to the energy field keeping me in place.

  I understand what’s happening now. The starship is taking away my life force. It’s a grim realization, and I can’t do anything to stop it.

  Suddenly, strong arms wrap around my middle and yank me away from the conduit poles. I let out a cry when my arms get zapped by an electric charge. I fall on top of my savior, which, a second later, I realize is Kevvan.

  “Dorothy! Dorothy, talk to me.” He slides out from under me but stays close.

  I want to tell him I’m okay, but I still can’t move my lips. There’s a loud whooshing in my ears, which makes the sound of his voice muffled.

  “For fuck’s sake. What the hell did you do to Dorothy, Scrawny?” Reo is saying from somewhere nearby. He sounds angry.

  Kevvan touches my face with his large hand, peering into my eyes in a frantic manner. “Please, Dorothy. Say something.”

  I blink—the only thing I’m capable of doing right now. But my brain, mercifully, hasn’t been affected. It’s firing questions at a rapid pace, trying to come up with answers itself. Why did the conduits begin to work only when I received my medication? And why were the conduits sucking my life energy? Is it because I don’t have any magic, like I’ve told Darius countless times?

  Darius’s worried face appears in my line of vision. Kevvan removes his hand, giving Darius space to check on me. He presses his palm on my forehead, then widens my eyes with his hand.

  “Can you hear us? Blink once if you can.”

  I do as he says, which prompts him to continue. “How about your arms? Can you feel them?”

  He grabs one of my hands, turning it palm up. It’s still numb, but at least there’s a sensation. I blink again.

  “What are those white marks on her palms?” Kevvan asks.

/>   “Traces of magic,” Prince Lennox replies.

  His answer makes me furious. Enough with the magic crap already. I will my jaw to move and my tongue to cooperate.

  With difficulty, I manage to croak, “I don’t have any magic.”

  “She can talk.” Kevvan runs his hand over my hair, pushing my bangs off my face. “How are you feeling, Dorothy?”

  “Like I’ve been hit by lightning.”

  “Can you sit up?” Darius asks.

  “I can try.”

  With his and Kevvan’s help, I become upright again. The room begins to spin, forcing me to close my eyes and take deep breaths.

  “Are you happy now?” Reo asks, still riding his anger.

  With my eyes closed, I don’t know who he is aiming it at.

  “Of course I’m not happy. Do you think I knew this would happen?” Darius replies.

  “I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to her.”

  I peel my eyes open, glad that at least the world is no longer in a merry-go-round ride. “Fuck off, Reo.”

  “Go ahead. Curse at me all you want. You weren’t recovered, but you insisted on trying this asinine idea.”

  “I had to try! You wouldn’t understand since you don’t care about anyone but yourself.”

  “I don’t care—” He rubs his face and looks away for a moment. But when his eyes focus on me again, they’re raging with a fire I haven’t experienced coming from him before. “I do care about you not dying on me.”

  I gasp, not expecting that confession from him. By the way his eyes go slightly wider, I don’t think he was expecting those words to come out of his mouth either.

  Whirling around, he glowers at Prince Lennox. “Enough with the bullshit already. Dorothy needs that ship to work. If all you need is magic, it’s time you call your damn wizard.”

  “He can’t help with this. Don’t you think we’ve already tried?” Prince Lennox raises his voice. “I don’t want to hear another word—”

  Faster than a flash, Reo has the prince by the collar of his jacket and flat on his back on a working table nearby. “You are going to fucking get your great wizard, or so help me, I’m going to beat you so hard that you won’t need a mask anymore. No one will be able to recognize you.”