by Bryan Davis
Lauren drew her head back. “What happened to him?”
“Him?” Jade lifted her brow. “What makes you think the soul is male?”
“Well, it kind of looked masculine to me. And I was hoping for Eagle to resurrect.” Lauren lowered her head. “I guess it might have been wishful thinking.”
“Wishful thinking is not always false thinking.” Jade again crossed her arms over her chest. “In any case, I truly do not know the soul’s identity, only that the person has a good heart. I assume such a person will want to help Matt and Listener.”
“Okay. That’s good.” Lauren rolled her eyes upward. Since this dream might be over soon, she had to get as much information as possible. As she looked again at Jade, she attempted an upbeat expression. “So now my goal is to get out of this realm and go through the third portal. That’s the next step, right?”
Jade chuckled. “I admire your ingenuity, but revealing secrets will only slow your journey. The path is before you. Simply follow it.” The fog thickened and covered her body. The moonlight dimmed. Seconds later, the mist blew away, and Jade was gone.
A voice trickled into Lauren’s ears as if spoken from far away. “Lauren? Is that you?”
She opened her eyes. In the light of the brilliant moon, a girl knelt inches away. Her short dark hair dripped water as she loomed close, her eyes wide and excited.
“It is you!” the girl squealed. “I almost didn’t recognize you with that white hair. When did you fade it? What did you use? Peroxide? Bleach? And what else?”
Lauren fluttered her eyelids, still lying down and half asleep. “Micaela?”
“Yes, of course.” She took Lauren’s hand and helped her rise to a sitting position. Wearing a jacket over a volleyball jersey, sweat pants, and gloves, she dripped from every extremity. “Do you have any idea where we are?” She twisted her neck as she looked around. “’Cause I’m lost.”
“We’re in …” Lauren squinted. “You mean you don’t remember how you got here?”
“Not a clue.” Micaela pointed at the pool. “I woke up half drowning in that water, so I crawled out and found you here. The last thing I remember was us winning the game that sent us to state. I got in my car to go home, and then—” She clapped her hands. “Swim party!”
Lauren looked at the pool. Could it be the life reservoir? Now that the blood had turned clear, did it resurrect Micaela somehow?
“Look.” Micaela pulled at the bottom of her shirt, exposed by her unzipped jacket. “I’m still wearing my uniform, so I haven’t changed clothes since the game. But you …” She pinched Lauren’s sleeve. “You had time to change, bleach your hair, and take a nap. What’s going on? And what happened with that creepy guy who was stalking you at the game? Did you lose him?”
“No. I … I kind of gave him a ride. But it’s a long, long story.” Lauren climbed to her feet and pulled Micaela up. “Listen. Trust me on this. If I told you the whole story, it would freak you out. Just let me help you get out of here.”
“Okay.” Micaela set her gloved hands on her hips and glanced from side to side. “But where is here?”
“It’s kind of like a … a …” Lauren winced. “An alternate universe?”
Micaela stared wide-eyed for a moment, then laughed. “Good one, Lauren. You had me going there for a minute. You bleached your hair for some kind of sci-fi convention, and you’re staying in character, right? What are you, an alien? A goddess?”
Lauren suppressed an exasperated sigh. Maybe going along with Micaela’s idea was the best option for now. “Right. That’s it. A convention. And I’m what we call an Oracle of Fire.” She gestured toward the portal. Beyond it, Sir Barlow still lay on the floor with the cloak underneath him. “We’re role playing, and I have to get to that knight, but the door between us is electrified, so I have to come up with a way to get through to rescue him.”
“Wow! Cool idea.” Micaela stooped in front of the portal and extended a finger. “So does it buzz, or do you just pretend that—”
“Don’t touch that!”
The portal zapped. Micaela flew backwards and slid on her bottom several feet. When she stopped, she shook her head hard. “Wow! What a jolt! This is some serious game you’re into.”
“Yeah.” Lauren helped Micaela up. “Now you see why I haven’t figured out how to get through.”
Micaela looked at her glove’s fingertip, torn and smoking. “Well, in role-playing games I’ve been in, you always have to be aware of your character’s powers.” She touched Lauren’s hair. “So you said you’re a … an oracle of some kind?”
“An Oracle of Fire.”
“So what are your powers? Besides glowing in the dark, I mean.” Micaela scanned Lauren’s body. “Obviously you can still do that.”
“Well, I have super hearing, but you knew about that, too.” Lauren extended a hand, palm up. “And supposedly an Oracle of Fire can create—
A flaming ball blossomed on her palm. Lauren gasped and shook her hand. The ball dropped to the glassy floor and dwindled until it disappeared.
Micaela backed away. “Lauren …” She stretched out the name. “What’s going on here?”
“I … I don’t know.” Lauren brought her hand close and stared at her palm. The cloak catching fire was crazy enough, but this? Insane. What did it all mean?
She extended her hand again and whispered, “Give me light.” A new fireball sprouted in her palm. She extended her other hand and raised her voice. “Give me light.” A second fireball grew in that hand. Now she held flaming spheres the size of baseballs. Heat washed over her fingers and wrists, uncomfortable but tolerable.
Micaela trembled. “Lauren … um … is this some kind of magic trick?”
“Don’t worry. It’s all right.” She raised her hands high and walked to a spot a foot or so in front of the portal. “Get close to me, and we’ll get out of here.”
Micaela stayed put. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No. This is serious. Get over here.”
Micaela scooted next to Lauren, her arms pressed to her sides. “Okay. What now?”
“Let me think.” Lauren closed her eyes. While at the prison, Mom told stories about how Sapphira created a flaming curtain that protected her and everyone nearby from a portal’s jolt. After seeing something similar when Sapphira moved a portal, maybe she could do it herself.
Lauren waved her arms in circles above her head, releasing the flaming balls and stirring them in midair. The flames swelled into fiery cyclones that combined and expanded downward like a spinning curtain around their heads.
Soon, the swirling flames descended to their feet and crackled all around. Air blew with the swirls and rippled through their clothes, hot but not quite scalding.
Micaela hunched her shoulders and shook. “Well …” She laughed nervously. “This is one way to get dry.”
“Now that the fire is protecting us, we should be able to jump through the portal.”
“Should?” Micaela shook harder. “Is this your first time trying this?”
“There’s a first time for everything.” Lauren nodded at the yoke. “Carry that for me.”
“The glowing blue thing?”
“Right.”
“Whatever you say, boss.” Micaela picked it up and pressed it close to her chest. “What next?”
“This.” Keeping one hand up to spin the fire, Lauren grabbed Micaela’s arm with the other and leaped.
The flames’ crackles spiked for an instant. The moment their feet touched down, their momentum sent them stumbling into the fiery curtain. Scorching heat engulfed Lauren’s face. As she batted the flames from her hair and shirt, the curtain collapsed and vanished. Her forehead and cheeks throbbed, hot and stinging.
Micaela dropped the yoke, lifted her shirt’s tail, and pressed it against her cheeks. “I think you burned my face off!”
“Let me see.” Lauren pulled Micaela’s wet shirt down.
The central column’s pulsing light shone on her reddened cheeks. “Looks like a bad sunburn. I’ll bet it hurts.”
“Like crazy.” Micaela eyed Lauren. “You look kind of roasted yourself.”
Lauren dabbed at her cheek with a finger. Heat pulsed painfully. Apparently an Oracle of Fire could be burned by her own flames, or maybe after many years she might develop an immunity. “I’ll be all right.” She looked at the spot on the wall they had just jumped through. The beam and the portal were gone. Now only two beams remained, the one leading to the tree room and the other to the yet unexplored world, both white.
“Okay,” Micaela said, “what’s next in this sicko game?”
“Check on my friend.” Lauren knelt at his side and patted his cheek. “Sir Barlow? Can you hear me?” A blister reddened his other cheek, and his beard and hair appeared singed. “Sir Barlow?”
Micaela walked to his other side and knelt. “By the way, I found these near that crazy swimming pool.” She extended the computer glasses. “Just like the ones your father wears.”
“Right. Thanks.” Lauren took the glasses and slid them into her shirt pocket.
“Hey! Look! A sword!” Micaela picked it up and eyed the reflective blade. “Looks authentic.”
“It is.” Lauren reached across Sir Barlow and grabbed the bottom of Micaela’s shirt. “Lean over his face.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it.”
When Micaela leaned, Lauren squeezed the shirt and wrung a few drops onto Sir Barlow’s eyes, then his swollen cheek and dry lips. She released the shirt and watched for any movement.
His eyelids twitched, and his lips absorbed the drops. After a few seconds, he groaned and turned to his side, but his eyes stayed closed.
Micaela lifted the cloak and pulled it free from under him. “What’s this?”
“A protective cloak. It shields you when you go through a portal.”
She touched the material to her cheek. “Interesting.”
“We’ll see if the water helps. He took quite a jolt from that electrical field.”
“So the cloak didn’t protect him very well.” Micaela looked back at the portal, skepticism in her expression. “You sure play some dangerous games.”
“This isn’t a game, and the cloak slipped off as he went through.” Lauren exhaled in a huff. “Okay, Micaela, I have to tell you what’s really going on here.”
“Good, ’cause I have to admit, your believability is wearing pretty thin right now.”
Lauren framed her hands in a sphere. “Look. There are multiple worlds—Earth, Hades, Second Eden, and probably a lot more. The place we’re in right now is like a central hub that leads to all of them. We just came out of one, and now I need to get you to a safer world.”
“Okay …” Micaela gave her a condescending smile. “Supposing I believe that, tell me how I got into that world we just came from.”
“The volleyball game. You said you remember that. And I texted you while you were going to your car, something like, ‘weird stuff happening.’”
“I remember. We called that guy the mutant.”
“Right. And you told me to meet you at your car in the usual parking space. But then the mutant texted me and told me he put a bomb in your car. So I tried to text you to warn you about the bomb.”
Micaela’s mouth dropped open. “Don’t start your car,” she whispered. “Get out now. I remember.”
“Do you remember anything after that?”
“Just a flash of light.” Her eyes seemed to drift away with her softening voice. “And then … and then … stillness. Peace.”
Lauren reached over and took Micaela’s hand, still covered by a moist glove. “You died in the explosion.” She nodded at the portal. “I think the pool in there is some kind of life reservoir, and it resurrected you.”
She drew her hand back and pointed at herself. “Why me?”
“I guess because you’re my friend. I saw your face in a foggy stream, so I was thinking about you.”
“You can resurrect someone by just thinking about them?” Micaela’s skeptical look deepened. “Well, Lauren, this game is getting a little too intense for me. You almost had me convinced with that bomb story, but I’m guessing it was really all a dream, and I told you about it.”
“A dream? No. It really hap—”
“Good-bye, Lauren. I’ll call your parents and tell them where you are, if I can ever figure out where this place is.” Micaela rose, the sword and cloak still in hand. “I’d better take these.”
“Micaela!” Lauren shot to her feet. “Those are ours! We need them!”
“I have to get out of here.” She draped the cloak over her shoulders. “And I don’t want you to hurt yourself … or someone else.”
“You don’t understand!” Lauren lunged and grabbed the cloak.
Micaela pulled but couldn’t free herself. “Lauren, this is for your own—”
“Don’t say it!” Lauren retightened her grip on the cloak and peered into Micaela’s eyes. Her scales tingling wildly, she probed her friend’s mind, but nothing came through. “You’re blocking your thoughts.”
“Blocking my—” Micaela frowned. “Girl, you really have lost your mind.”
“You wouldn’t block your thoughts if you didn’t know I could read them.” Lauren narrowed her eyes. “Who are you really?”
“Like I said. You’ve lost your mind.” Micaela jerked away, this time pulling free. She covered her head with the cloak, ran to the tree-of-life portal, and leaped through in a splash of sparks.
Lauren hustled to the portal. On the other side, Micaela skirted the tree and disappeared beyond it. Lauren lifted her hands and created a new firestorm. She jumped into the tree room, extinguished her flames, and ran around the tree.
She stopped at the opposite portal and looked into Second Eden. Dirty ice covered every inch of the land. A blizzard of sparkling particles fell in swirling sheets and cast a dark shadow over that world. A line of footprints interrupted the filthy expanse and led away from the portal window. A whistle sounded from within the storm, annoying but not too bad.
Lauren bent her knees, ready to jump. In seconds the reality of her resurrection might be proven. Or she might blow away as a fog of twinkling energy.
She leaped and landed with a crunch. Cold air blasted her face. Needlelike ice pricked her skin. The whistle squealed—shrill, painful, mind-numbing—much worse on this side of the portal.
Lowering her head and lifting a shielding arm, she pushed against the wind and followed the footprints. Icy shards fell across her path and masked the prints. Ahead, the trail led into a fog of swirling gray—no sign of Micaela anywhere.
Soon, the footprints vanished, covered by ice. Lauren scanned the path to the rear. Her own footprints were already fading. If she continued following Micaela, the way back might be impossible to find.
She trudged toward the portal, her head splitting from the squeals. Scrambled thoughts tumbled in a vortex—images of Micaela as she left with the cloak and sword. She had two open portals to choose from. Yet, she didn’t hesitate. She ran straight to the one that would take her to the tree room, and she chose to dash into an ice storm that covered the world in gray.
With the frenetic noise pounding, Lauren picked up her pace. The real Micaela wouldn’t do that. Was she really Tamiel in disguise? Tamiel was the only other person in that world of etched names and crystalline pool, but how could he disguise himself so perfectly—her face, her uniform, her memories, her voice and mannerisms?
And what about the curse? Their hands touched. She grabbed Micaela’s arm when they jumped. As the mental images replayed, Micaela’s body appeared. She was wearing gloves and a jacket, normal for the cold evening when she died, and perfect for Tamiel’s scheme to avoid skin contact. Everything made sense now.
When she reached the portal window, she leaped through, walked straight to the tree of life, and
set her hands close to the flames. Warmth bathed her skin. An icy coat melted, and water dripped from her hair, nose, and chin. The whistle eased to a background hum, still annoying, like a teacher scolding from far away.
How stupid she had been! Tamiel had played her like a toy banjo, preying on her hope for a resurrected friend. He, himself, had killed Micaela, and he knew of their friendship, so picking her as a disguise was an easy choice.
When her clothes had dried somewhat, she hurried back to the sanctum portal, created another fire shield, and passed through. After the flames cleared, she walked with long strides toward the portal they last entered.
Sir Barlow stood there with the yoke on his neck, a hand resting on each side. The steady blue glow washed over his serene face. “Ah! It’s you! When I saw the swirl of fire, I thought Sapphira had entered. I didn’t realize that you had gained all of her powers.”
“Apparently not her wisdom.” Lauren stopped and exhaled heavily. “I’m such an idiot!”
“No, lass. Don’t say such a thing! You are far wiser than most your age. Trust me on that.”
“But you didn’t see how Tamiel tricked me. I fell for his disguise.” She let out a huff. “I unleashed a demon in Second Eden.”
Sir Barlow gave a thoughtful nod. “That is troubling. He’ll get into mischief, to be sure.”
Heat surged into her cheeks, spiking the pain. “And I couldn’t chase him. A strange storm is raging there—dirty ice flying in all directions. It’s covering everything, including the birthing garden.”
“Ah! Mardon’s device, I’ll wager. Perhaps Tamiel plans to exploit this storm somehow. Arramos has longed to destroy Second Eden for centuries.”
“And now it’s happening.” Lauren clenched a fist. “It’s my fault Tamiel’s out there, Sir Barlow. He impersonated a friend of mine, and I didn’t figure it out until it was too late.” Tears flooded her vision. “I wanted so badly for it to really be Micaela, to believe God raised her from the dead. It would mean … it would mean …” She wrapped her arms around Sir Barlow and sobbed into his chest.
