Unbreakable Storm

by Patrick Dugan

  I shook my head. Alyx the jokester, at least when he had control of himself. Gladiator had said Alyx had been much better since leaving the Zoo. “Well, next time I’ll listen in.”

  Alyx barked a laugh. “That would be priceless! An uninitiated at a council meeting. Maya would fall off her high councilor throne.”

  I had no idea who Maya was, but Alyx laughed, so it must be funny. “When is Blaze supposed to be here? Dad sent me to bring him back. Are you going to portal us?”

  “Afraid not. I’m headed out. We’ve seen a couple odd occurrences up in the North Western Region of the South American Zone. I’m about to go check things out.”

  I paused. My thoughts had been on this question since the finale of Saturday Night Showdown. I decided to take my shot. “Alyx, can I ask you something?”

  Alyx’s facial expression changed. A sharpness I’d never seen before flickered in his eyes. “Sure.”

  I steeled myself. “You can do magic; would it be possible to bring Wendi back?” My eyes hit the floor; I knew I shouldn’t have asked, but I had to know. My last-ditch effort to save her.

  “Oh, Tommy,” Alyx said, his voice soft. “I wouldn’t if I could. There are good reasons it is forbidden. Even if it worked, she wouldn’t be Wendi any more, just a pale imitation.”

  My head snapped up. “If she would be alive, I’d take it. It’s my fault she died. Can you use me to bring her back fully?”

  Alyx’s eyes bored into me. My friend had vanished and left the Warlock in his stead. “Tommy, Wendi freely made her sacrifice. Would you bring her back to a life of misery and pain? Did you love her so little?”

  My face flushed. “No, I miss her so much.”

  Alyx stood up, which shocked me since he’s missing both legs below the knees, walked over, and knelt before me. I could see the faint outline of legs shimmering in place of the missing ones. “Tommy, Wendi loved you more than anything, but she’s gone. Bringing her back would be cruel. I’ve lost a lot of people I loved, and I know how it leaves a hole in your heart. The good news is you won’t hurt forever. I promise.”

  Tears ran down my cheeks. I’d convinced myself that Alyx, with his strange magical powers, would be able to reverse time or summon her from the dead. My final ray of hope vanished like a ring in a magician’s hand. I nodded to Alyx; words failed me.

  “Blaze will be here soon. Will you be alright?”

  I glanced up; concern etched his face. I’d only known Alyx a short time, but we’d been through a lot together, which meant more than he’d ever know.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Thanks, Alyx. I’ll be fine.”

  He smiled at me. “Tommy, you will be. I’ve got to go see what is happening on Victoria Island.”

  I grinned, trying to push away the pain. “Hmmm, December in Canada? My guess is snow. You might want to take a coat.”

  He rolled his eyes at me. In a deep, powerful voice, he exclaimed. “I AM ALYX THE SUMMONER! NEITHER SNOW, NOR SLEET, NOR DARK OF NIGHT WILL STOP ME!”

  I laughed. “So, you’re a mailman?” Sometimes being forced to watch old television shows paid off.

  “Foolish mortal, begone!” He turned, muttered a few words, and the portal appeared. Snow flew through on a frigid blast of air. A blue glow emanated from him as he strode through on magical legs.

  “Hey, close the door, we aren’t heating the outdoors,” I called after him. He turned and winked as the portal collapsed, leaving melting snowflakes on the living room floor. I stepped into the kitchen to get a paper towel. I didn’t want the puddles to ruin the floor. Spending most of my life in the far north had taught me about snow melting on wood floors.

  I threw out the trash and took a Mountain Dew from the fridge before grabbing my backpack and flopping on the couch. I retrieved my book, opened it to the bookmark, and started to read. Marcel and I both read a lot of science fiction and fantasy. Those books allowed us to escape into worlds where the good guys usually won the day. I’d been on a fantasy kick lately, devouring the Wheel of Time saga with delight. I found it strange, after reading so many novels about wizards and warriors, that I now knew a real-life pair. My life had taken a turn into the peculiar for sure.

  An hour or so later, the front door opened. I heard the sound of crickets greeting the starry night even from where I sat. I put my bookmark in, quickly storing the book away in my backpack. Gladiator’s booming voice reassured me as I strolled down the hall. He wore jeans and a baby blue buttoned short-sleeve shirt. His biceps stretched the fabric, like if he flexed, those sleeves would tear. On the other hand, Blaze held a duffel bag and wore a bright Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts with sandals, looking completely at home.

  “Thomas!” Gladiator said, pulling me into a bear hug. I groaned as his massive arms crushed me. “An unexpected gift is your visit.”

  “Hey, guys. Dad sent me to bring Blaze back.”

  Blaze came over and gave me a less painful hug. It had been a few months since I’d seen him; the same smile lit up his face, but he appeared tired.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “Of course, dude,” Blaze said, moving the duffel bag to the living room. “It was a long trip, and I’m tired. We had to make sure we weren’t followed. The Protectorate is riding a bad wave.”

  Being around Gladiator and Alyx made things a little better, but having Blaze here was like a security blanket for me.

  I hesitated, wanting to ask what had happened at the school, but not positive I wanted an answer. “Is it bad at the school?”

  Blaze shrugged. “Well, not as bad as it could have been. Kids who lived at home were kept at the Institute’s dorms, but after yesterday, they relented. Guards surround the school, and no one is allowed in without a pass. Fortunately, the Protectorate has to be careful the secret of your survival doesn’t leak, so the Reclaimers aren’t going nuts punishing anyone.”

  Things could have been much worse. I’d worried they would be sending kids to the Block or executing teachers, like what happened with Mr. Taylor. I didn’t want my actions to hurt the other kids at school.

  Blaze and Gladiator discussed a few details about covering Blaze’s tracks, with some remembrances from their Stryke Force days thrown in. With any luck, Blaze would drop off everyone’s radar, and he could stay with us. They hugged, and then we grabbed our bags and walked downstairs to use the doorbell. I pushed the button, and the wall pulsed before opening into the vortex.

  I turned to Blaze. “Make sure you hold on to your bag. Marcel lost a laptop the first trip through.”

  Blaze slid his arms through the duffel’s straps, wearing it like a backpack. “Looks like the first step is a doozy.”

  I grimaced. “I hope you didn’t just eat. You’ll step out through the gold door at the end. It doesn’t take long.”

  Blaze gave Gladiator a salute, fist over heart, and stepped into the vortex. He appeared to fall away from us as we watched. I said my goodbyes to Gladiator, earning another rib-cracking hug in the process, before stepping into the vortex.

  The world spun, and everything I thought I knew was about to change.

  4

  I realized something had gone wrong as soon as I stepped through the entry. The blue/purple vortex which usually greeted me had been replaced with angry, red bolts of energy which cascaded around me, soundless in their fury.

  Nothing else moved. Every other time, I’d float through the maelstrom until the door appeared on Castle’s side. Now, I hovered just inside the doorway but couldn’t move forward. I twisted my head, the only part of me currently able to move. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the doorway I’d entered through fade out of existence.

  I thrashed, trying to break free of whatever held me, but I still couldn’t move. A sickly green vapor crept around me from all sides as I fought to loosen myself. The strands coalesced over my arms and legs, forming into a solid rope as thick as my wrist. Suckers, like an octopus would have, grew out of the appendages as they tightened
around me.

  My Gift wouldn’t come to me as I tried to fight off the grasp of whatever had me. I screamed as the vines constricted. Pain and panic in equal parts shot through my system. My heart hammered as sweat poured off me. I could see Powell’s face in front of me: the scarred ear, the foul stench of his breath. Brunner stood off to one side, Clint and Ryder on the other, both charred but recognizable. “You killed us,” they chanted as I bucked in vain to break free.

  I heard someone call my name, but all I could see was the clearing where they’d planned to kill me. Wendi came into view, covered in blood from where Powell had shot her. She joined in the chant.

  I heard my name again, louder, stronger. Powell began to fade along with the rest, the echoes of “you killed us” still rolled in my head. Wendi faded last, the final dagger to my heart.

  A blue bubble shimmered, forming around me, severing the vines where they crossed the blue light. The pressure holding me vanished, and my energy roared back to life after being suppressed. I pulled the vines from my arms and legs. They turned back to vapor and dissipated as soon as I let go of them.

  My stomach lurched as the glowing sphere moved deeper into the vortex of red lightning and swirling clouds. Flares of anxiety spiked as I continued through the storm. Even though I was free of the vines, the blue sphere trapped me as well as the Air-Lock in Redemption ever had. The panicked animal brain wanted to lash out to free myself. I suppressed the impulse since I didn’t know where the sphere would take me. Unlike the vines, the softly glowing orb gave off a peaceful vibe.

  A door, formed of beige blocks of stone, appeared before me as the ball slowed. The uneven surface of the rock gave it the appearance of being ancient and weathered. As I watched, the stones, a row at a time, flowed apart, leaving the doorway exposed in the center.

  Once the doorway stood fully open, the sphere pressed against the entry and forced me through and into the room beyond. I stumbled at the sudden acceleration, catching my balance before I face-planted. Behind me, the all remnants of the door had vanished.

  Cold sweat poured off me like Niagara Falls as fear flooded my brain. My heart felt like it might burst, and I worked to control my breathing like Blaze had taught me. I’d like to say I had mastered my anxiety; I hadn’t, but at least I had a leash on it.

  With nowhere else to go, I stepped out into a vast cavern and gasped at the damp and musty odor which permeated the place. A small lantern hung on a black metal hook, providing a small amount of light. The stone walls faded into the darkness above. I turned, hoping a doorbell would be waiting, but the stone stared back impassively.

  “Hello?” My voice echoed into the depths of the cave. The echo sounded small and scared. I tried again. “Hello. I don’t know why I’ve been brought here, but I want to be returned. Alyx the Summoner will come for me.”

  Nothing. No answer came from the darkness, just the echo of my voice. I took a few tentative steps then stopped to retrieve the lantern. Most of the floor consisted of black sand, but where I stood, dark cobblestones created a path. Off to my right, something hissed. I held the light toward where I’d heard the sound but couldn’t see anything. More noises came from behind me, and I decided following the path would be my best option.

  The cobblestones led me deeper into the cavern. I hesitated, trying to decide what the best course of action was as I held the lantern out in front of me like a shield. I could feel the energy from the black box swirling through me as I walked, glad Dad had thought of these things that I had not gotten used to doing yet. If all else failed, I could fight, but against who or what I didn’t know. I felt like a character in one of Marcel’s D&D games. The solo knight stalking the dragon in its lair. I gulped and decided thinking about dragons probably wouldn’t lower my apprehension. What I wanted was for Alyx the Summoner to show the hell up and get me out of here.

  As I followed the path, an arch appeared out of the gloom ahead, faint traces of light coming from beyond it. Power surged as I gathered it, in case I’d need it. A bolt this powerful would fry a T-Rex.

  “Thomas, please enter and be at ease,” a female voice came down the hall to me. “I mean you no harm. We have little time and much to speak of.”

  The darkness receded as she spoke; light flowed up the walls, shimmering as it went. It looked like a firefly convention on overload. I lowered the lantern and headed toward the sound of her voice; the hair on my arms stood on end from the sheer magnitude of energy I held at the ready. I followed the curving hall and entered a throne room. The woman sat on a stone chair which must have been carved from the wall behind it. She wore a robe of white silk, trimmed with ruby and gold beads and embroidery; a matching veil ghosted over her waist-length, black hair.

  “Greetings, Thomas.” Her gentle voice floated across the space between us. Her accent sounded a bit like Gladiator’s but held a musical quality about it. “I am sorry to meet like this, but I have need of seeing you in person.”

  I glanced around, wary of a trap, but the room was empty of anyone else. I set the lantern down in case I needed my hands free to fight. “Who are you, and how do you know me?” My tone could have been less callous, but it’s not every day you get pulled through a magical portal to meet a beautiful woman who lived in a cave.

  She smiled. I took a few steps closer and gasped. Her eyes were gone, leaving the sockets empty. The same symbol I’d seen on the door marked her olive skin. “My name is Eiraf. Do not let my lack of eyes disturb you; they are the price I paid for my magic.”

  My face flushed red with embarrassment. “Why did you bring me here? Alyx will come looking for me. I should have been back by now.”

  “This place sits outside of time, so you will return without delay.” She stood as if to walk to me. I ran up to help her, afraid she would fall. She chuckled softly. “Your kindness is appreciated Thomas, but I see far better than it appears.”

  I stopped before her, noticing how the symbol in her forehead glowed. She reached out, placing her hands on either side of my face, her skin warm and softer than velvet. “Thomas, I am a seer of all that has happened and may yet come to be. The timestreams flow all around us, breaking and reforming on the decisions we make, taking from us. They grant boons; pain and suffering recede on the loom of time to happiness and contentment before being torn asunder once again. This is how it has always been, and if the fates allow, will always be.”

  I stood frozen in place, unsure what to do. “Um, what does this have to do with me?” The symbol’s glow intensified, its golden light bright but not painful to look at.

  “You are a keystone in the path the world is on. You’ve experienced great loss for one so young and will face more if you continue the path you are on.”

  I thought of Wendi, her dying with a bullet to the head. I could see the blood spray, the way she collapsed on the ground. If I could avoid losing anyone else, I would in a heartbeat. “What do I do to get off the path?”

  Her head slammed back, her back arching as if she were being tortured. Her head lolled to the side as she gasped for breath. Her olive skin had darkened and turned blotchy. I tried to pry her arms away from me, but her grip held like a steel vise.

  “Stop!” I screamed, feeling panic grip me. Her mouth still moved, but no sound came. The golden light had taken on a reddish cast. Lights flickered on the edge of my vision, resolving into disembodied heads pelting around the room. Their screams echoed through the cavern, reverberating back until it became a long droning sound.

  “You must choose wisely, young one.” Her head hung before her, sweat dripping on the floor between us. “You will be tested. You must choose the path you will take. One path leads to losing yourself; the other, the loss of all. Beware the one who offers freedom at the price of your soul. In the end, only you can choose your path. But choose well. The way of fire and blood is not easily put off.”

  I stopped struggling. It would have been easier to break steel with my teeth than her grip. Spirits spun around us with
frantic energy. Occasionally, one would crash into Eiraf, making her back arch and the glow from her forehead pulse.

  “How will I know what to choose?”

  Her head snapped up, staring directly at me. “Listen to the cursed one, the Phoenix, and the doppelganger. They will help you choose. If you fall to the dreamer or the trickster, all is lost. The way is fraught with danger, fire, and death; choose wisely, or all is for naught.”

  Her hands slackened, the glow receded, and she wobbled on her feet. I stepped forward, catching her as she fainted. She slumped, forcing me to swing her up in my arms to keep her from falling to the floor. I looked around for somewhere to put her and decided the throne would have to do. Walking up the couple stairs to the dais, I gently placed her on the throne. The realization I was stranded kept me from leaving. I checked her pulse, and it felt strong and steady. Her skin had returned to its original color, and I was struck at just how beautiful she was, even without eyes.

  I sat next to the throne, my head reeling with all she had said. The cursed one would help me? That didn’t sound good. Cursed how? Seriously, did the Phoenix talk like Big Bird? The only doppelganger I’d ever heard lived in a book I’d read. None of it made any sense.

  A faint sound from Eiraf broke my thoughts. I stood up, checking on her. “Are you alright?”

  Her eyeless face moved as if she were taking in the surroundings. Her head stopped as she centered on my voice. “Thomas?”

  “Yep, I’m here.” She started to push up, so I helped her sit. Luckily the throne could hold three large people, so sliding her around was easy. Once I had her propped up, she seemed better. Her head covering had fallen off when she sat up, though the fact it stayed on during the pyrotechnics impressed me.

  She shook her head slowly as if trying to clear it. “I’m sorry Thomas. I am a slave to the fates and must read the future as bidden by my masters.”

  “Masters?”

  She raised her face toward me. “The word means something different for me than what you believe.”