by Lee Magnus
How in the world does she know what I’m building? Nick thought to himself clearly shocked at how much she knew about his secret project.
“What exactly do you think you are building?” she continued.
“Nothing. I’m not building anything. I’m here looking for ancient artifacts,” he lied unconvincingly.
“Trey told me about Costa Rica and China. I believe Che was used to help you build a portal to another world. I believe it was Khaitu himself speaking through Che. Khaitu drew you the map to Don’s office where you found his instructions but somehow overlooked the unfinished portal. I believe that’s what Khaitu intended you to do, complete Don’s portal and retrieve the Eye.”
She paused with the gravity of her thought, then continued, “Of course. It makes sense. He knows how close you are to Trey and knew you would have his trust. You’re highly motivated. He also sensed you were clever enough to follow the breadcrumbs and build the portal. But more importantly, he realized you may be smart enough to retrieve the eye.” She held her finger to a plump succulent lip. “Yes. That’s it. Commerand would have an easier time getting it from you than the Protector. But what I don’t know is how he was able to access your mind.”
Nick, slightly offended by her comment, steadied his voice and said in a beefy tone, “So, you think I’m just a pushover?”
“Compared to the Protector, Yes.”
“Oh, and what if I weren’t successful?”
“You’re expendable, buddy,” Clievan butted in again as he chewed the rinds of a melon which drew odd looks from the crowd.
“What? It’s a melon,” Clievan said defensively.
Lyza continued, “He’s right. Khaitu can’t afford to lose Commerand. With the portal complete, Khaitu could secure his freedom. If he gets free, acquires the power of the seven relics and regains the sword, he will be unstoppable. Your world and all worlds as they exist today will be destroyed.”
“So, what you are saying is that the geode I saw in my dream is the Eye of Kartho which powers a trans-dimensional portal?” Nick questioned unbelievingly.
“No. The eye itself is a trans-dimensional portal. We cannot let them get it. It’s in a safe place. I don’t think it’s possible for them to remove it, nor do I think you can. So, don’t even try.”
“The dreams, the visions, Che and China…they were all Khaitu manipulating me to help him escape?”
“Yes. I believe so.”
“Holy crap! This just keeps getting weirder. What makes you think they can’t recover the Eye?” asked Nick.
“It is guarded by a puzzle, spell and a Protector,” she replied.
“The Protector wouldn’t be a dog by any chance would it?” Nick said shakingly.
“It takes many shapes. Why do you ask?”
“No reason.”
She continued, “The roggletts aren’t smart enough to solve the puzzle and even if they were, they wouldn’t be a match for the Protector. Commerand though, could solve the puzzle and possibly thwart the spell. But I’m confident in the Protector’s ability against the sorcerer.”
“Couldn’t he just use magic to defeat the Protector?”
“No. The Protector is in a sealed realm, meaning only the magic created within the realm is allowed. No other magic can exist.”
“And the spell? What’s that?” asked Nick.
“I was told it is either a confusion or incapacitation spell. Meaning, you will either be unable to determine why you are there or you won’t be able to proceed. Either way you will die from exposure.”
“Exposure?”
“The environment within the realm is harsh, but in what way is not known.”
“Sounds like fun either way,” Nick said chuckling uncomfortably.
“He gone! The kid gone!” Alex yelled from the chair.
“What do you mean the kid is gone?” yelled Nick.
“They went to lake. Seth say he disappeared.”
“That makes no sense,” said Nick.
“Tell me Nick. What about the past couple days has made any sense,” replied Clievan.
“I know where he is, but I must move fast. I fear he is in more danger than ever now,” said Lyza.
“What do you mean more danger?”
“If he knows the stone is gone then he is with Simon in Airhame. He will be safe with Simon only until Simon completes his obligation to Trey. I must reach him before that happens.”
“What is Airhame?” asked Nick.
“It’s a very unsafe world for Trey. Trey must have used the sword to access the portal.”
“I thought you said the Eye was the way to access other worlds? I’m totally confused.”
“There are several natural portals on this Earth that can only be accessed with special keys. Others are located in Shanghai, Yaroslavl, Kinshasha, Sau Paulo, Quito and Las Vegas. The sword is the primary key for the island portal. The key I have in my locket allows me to access them all, as well as control the Eye.”
“So, you’re telling me Trey is trapped in another world with a dangerous creature?”
“Sort of. He’s in another world with a creature that isn’t necessarily dangerous. Simon is mischievous and indifferent to human life which makes the threat real. But he has a chance if I can get to the Vegas portal before he reaches the Keeper’s Burrow.”
“Seth’s here!” yelled Clievan.
“Get back to the states,” she urged with oceanic eyes that burned like a fierce flame. “You do not want to be a part of this any longer. I will contact you as soon as I get Trey.” She gently placed the tips of her fingers upon his masculine chest, moved close, looked deep into his eyes and said, “There is nothing more you can do.” She rushed out the door then into Seth’s car. They hastily sped off kicking rock and sand onto the doorstep.
Nick stood several seconds watching the car cast a trail of dust. He felt empty, unsure and lost.
“Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on!” Nick yelled exasperated.
He sat on the floor, leaning against a wall with his head in his hands.
“What do I do now?” he said quietly.
Trey’s in trouble. What if Lyza doesn’t make it? What if he’s trapped like she said before? I must get the Eye and complete the portal. Maybe that will give Trey a chance to get back home.
“Alex! How do I get to the western oasis city?” asked Nick
“You heard gorgeous lady. You no get eye.”
“I have to. I have to help Trey.”
“She can handle it, buddy. Just relax.”
“Shut up, Clievan!”
“Ok. Ok. It’s your funeral.”
With as much force as Nick could muster without physically assaulting the man he grumbled, “Just get me there, Alex. Finish your part of the deal.”
“They all looked at Nick like he was a wild animal. No one could figure out how to approach him.
Alex spoke up gravely. “Road very dangerous. I take you to boarder like I promise but you on your own after. From there you travel west sixteen mile into Great Sand Sea. If you survive, you then turn northwest 40 mile. It should take little less than two day by camel.”
“Camel. Are you serious?”
“Yes. I arrange two fine camel. Ride, very smooth.” Alex, with a big smile, moved his arms together in a gentle sway.
“Fine. Clievan, you up for an exotic camel back excursion through the Sahara?”
“Sounds perilous to me. Just how I like it. Let’s do it!” he replied.
They gathered a few necessary supplies, then set out westward.
“Seth probably back at house by now,” Alex said as they passed the southern side of the salt lake where they assumed Seth took Lyza.
Anguish overcame Nick each time he thought of Trey. Worrisome whispers spun in his mind accompanied by a tremendous sense of helplessness.
I hope she gets to him. I shouldn’t have let him out of my site. How could he have gotten into this mess?
They d
rove through rough arid land, crossed dehydrated valleys, passed towering wind etched buttes until Alex pulled to a stop, seemingly in the middle of the desert. Alex looked over at Clievan then said, “Maybe you stay unseen for now.”
Clievan nodded in agreement then vanished.
“That’s amazing. You can disappear.” He reached his arms slowly to were Clievan once sat. “Clievan? Are you still there? Clievan?”
Suddenly Clievan’s head reappeared in front of Nick. “Yeah! I’m still here.”
Nick lurched backward with a scream. Laughter poured from the slowly disappearing head – bellowing like a ghostly apparition.
“Enough fun and game. Let us meet the camels,” said Alex.
Nick exited the vehicle onto hard ground to find a very short man holding two huge camels.
How did this man get here? There’s no way he was able to get on one of those massive beasts.
Speaking in Arabic the short man said, “Brahim will find you. Give him the camels and walk away.” Nick nodded in acknowledgement.
Gesturing to the camels with his foot, both of them lowered onto their knees.
So that’s how he did it.
Nick approached one. It let out a loud gurgling noise. Startled at the animal’s greeting, Nick took a quick step back. It looked distraught at the thought of a passenger. The man urged him on.
Alex made a negative motion with his hands indicating no one would ride the other. The short man handed the reins of the spare camel to Nick, turned away, then entered the car.
“West sixteen miles, northwest forty miles,” reminded Alex.
Nick tipped his keffiyeh to Alex, then prodded the camel into the vast desert.
“They’re gone now,” Nick said to Clievan.
“Good. This sand is scorching.”
Clievan clutched one of the leads, then crawled up the side of the creature with little effort.
Nick noticed his inhuman fingers grasping the reigns and how he used fat grippy toes to climb aboard the large ungulate.
“Tell me Clievan, what’s the deal with your hands and feet?”
“What? These precious bobbies?” he said wiggling them rapidly. “They’re just like yours, right?” he finished with a chuckle.
Nick understood Clievan was kidding but answered, “No. You’re nothing like me – or anyone else I’ve met. Ever.”
“That just makes me special. Mama use to always say, You’re my special little boy.”
“No. Clievan. That’s not what I’m saying. Normal people can’t throw a full-grown man into a car – nor do they disappear. All this business of portals, creepy monsters and evil trans-dimensional beings has me believing there’s more than what I’ve grown to believe.”
“Boy do you not know the half of it. You guessed it. I’m not from here.”
“Yeah. I figured that. Where do you come from?”
“My home is called Halidais. I arrived on your Earth by accident and have been searching for a way to return ever since. I met Seth a long time ago and stayed in touch helping him find things. I generally keep to myself. It’s amusing, though, when people see me appear from nowhere. I sometimes do it for fun,” he said laughing.
“I’ve noticed you’re quite the joker.”
“If you can’t have fun what can you do?”
“Maybe take some things a little more seriously?”
“Pblpblpbl,” came from Clievan’s fat wiggly tongue.
“How do you get here by accident? I thought the portals were activated intentionally.”
“They are. My kind hit a rapid growth spurt around twenty-five years. Before then, we start out much smaller. When I was ten or so I was playing in a meadow along-side a well-travelled path. I saw a man with a white beard wearing a long jacket and white hat. I didn’t know it was a man at the time, I had never seen one before. He looked close enough to my people that I wasn’t afraid. Out of curiosity and I also thought it would be fun, I decided to follow him. I stalked him maybe thirty minutes before he stooped beside a stone in the ground. I crept up behind him. I had an insatiable curiosity to touch his shoes - I had never seen clothing on feet before. I still remember the feeling of the leather on my fingers. I then fell down very woozy and never saw him again. When I gathered myself, I stood in a foreign land. I haven’t been able to figure out how to work the stone until today. When I help you get the Eye, maybe we can figure out how to get me home,” he said.
“So that’s why you’re here?”
“Yep.”
“And why you stay close to Seth? Because you’ve been hoping to stumble upon a way to go home?”
“Which we did.”
“I suppose we did. Sure thing. I’ll help you get home if I can. How long have you been here?”
“Close to two hundred of your Earth years.”
“Dang! Two hundred years? We must seem insignificant to you with our short life spans.”
“It hasn’t been all fun and games. Try being alone for two hundred years. Try being the only one of your kind for that long. It can get pretty depressing.”
“I suppose you’re right. Most of us go insane after just a few months without human interaction, and there are billions of us here.”
“Yeah, you are a depressing species,” Clievan said with a laugh. “You worry about all sorts of ridiculous things that might not ever happen.”
After a short pause Nick said uneasily, “So, um, we’ll be out here alone for a while. You were just kidding back at the apartment when you asked Seth if you could eat me. Right?”
“What did Alex pack us for the trip?”
Looking into the satchel, he said, “A loaf of bread, pancake looking things, a couple bags of what looks like couscous, and a few sausages.”
“The sausages saved you this time,” Clievan said giving Nick a mischievous grin.
“Just kidding,” Clievan continued. “People taste horrible,” he said as he trotted his camel forward with a big smile leaving Nick time to consider the comment on his own.
After riding for several hours under a sweltering sun, they stopped to rest beneath a crisp clear night sky.
Before him stood a wall of knives. The massive dog appeared in the window. Flakes of rotting flesh flopped on its forehead as it quickly turned. A foaming mouth of blood opened to reveal three rows of razor-sharp teeth. The room shook. A black bladed knife with an emerald green handle fell to the floor. Just as the beast hurled itself to end Nick’s existence, he awoke in a cold sweat.
Nick opened his eyes to a deep orange horizon fading lighter into darkness.
It’ll be daylight soon. Where’s Clievan?
He started a small fire, then placed water in a tin cup onto a rock next to the flame hoping for some tea in the chilly morning.
Several minutes later, sipping the warm tea, he watched the sun sneak up in the distance, setting the campsite ablaze in oranges and reds.
He took in several deep breaths, giving thanks for the special moment.
Suddenly, sand exploded across the fire sending Nick toppling backward.
“Good morning!” yelled Clievan laughing hysterically.
“What is wrong with you!” screamed Nick picking himself up off the sand.
Clievan continued laughing.
“Look, you made me spill my tea,” he said in a lower voice and more relaxed.
“Braaahhahahahah!” Clievan replied with more intensity.
“Yeah. Very funny. Keep laughing clown. Let’s get going.”
Clievan calmed his laughter enough to ask, “You got any more of those sausages?”
Nick shook his head in exasperation, then threw at Clievan the satchel of food.
They rode in the blistering hot morning for three hours before stopping at the edge of a quiet, sandy village. A small boy watched intently as one man dismounted, then held two camels steady.
“Ana Brahim,” a burly man said surprising Nick from the opposite side.
He took the reins, then walked away
without saying another word.
“You still there Clievan?”
“Yeah,” he replied but didn’t show himself.
“The building displayed on the stone at the alter should be just up that street and to the left.”
“I know the way but can’t walk down the street,” said Clievan. “They’ll see my prints. I’ll find another way and meet you there.”
“Okay. But make sure you’re careful not to be noticed. This is no joke. We can’t fool around here. You understand me? Clievan? Are you there?”
“Argg!” Nick said under his breath.
He turned up the street and met only Clievan’s floating head.
“Ahhhh!” screamed Nick.
“I hear ya, Boss,” Clievan said. “But you should really be quieter,” showing a crafty smile as he faded away.
After a minute passed, he said again, ”Clievan? Are you still here?”
He moved his arms around searching to be sure he had really left.
“That guy’s gonna get us killed,” he said to himself as he walked up the empty street.
Nick neared the intersection where he saw the girl in the dream, she was nowhere in sight. He turned down the perpendicular street to where she pointed. The street ended in a T intersection, just like in the dream. A building lay directly across the junction. Several men loitered outside and along the streets.
It seems unusually quiet. I can’t shake the feeling I have a thousand eyes on me, he said walking alone. Where the hell is Cilevan? Does he even know where he’s going?
Nick continued down the street, toward the building. Three men watched him closely as he passed.
A muscular middle eastern man stepped in front of Nick with a hand raised, then said in a friendly but seriously deep voice, “You can go no further Mr. Hampton.” The other two men were now standing behind him. “What you seek cannot leave this place.”
The man had the shield tattoo just like in his dream.
Two additional men stood at the entrance to the building.
