I twisted to follow his gaze. More of the Getharey came through the gateway carrying crates. From the way they bent as they walked, the boxes were heavy. They tread down to the ruined park and stacked the cases. One of the creatures opened and searched the contents of each one.
“What’s in those?” Aoife asked.
“Protection,” Yannick said, pulling the hood over his head.
“Weapons?” I asked.
Yannick snorted. “We Getharey need no weapons. We are the weapons. This will give us the time we need.”
“For what?” Dylan asked. I was impressed he found his voice through his confusion.
“For us to take what we want.”
“I don’t know what you think you’re going to do here, but it’s not going to happen. It’s only a matter of time before people show up here and lay waste to your scaly hide,” I said.
“We have nothing to worry about,” Yannick said. “Soon, we will have all the protection and time we need.” He motioned his three-fingered hands in an arch.
“What?” Aoife snorted. “You’re going to put up some kind of force field?”
“Yes,” Yannick answered. He waved a three-fingered hand toward the ruined park below us.
There, two Getharey were finished putting a machine together. It looked like an obelisk. It had a square base with a cone-shaped piece on top, wide end pointing toward the sky. One of the creatures stooped over, it’s long fingers sliding over the smooth, black surface.
“What are they doing?” Aoife asked. “What is that?”
Yannick didn’t answer. He stood still, only a slight breeze rustling his cloak.
The creature down below finished whatever he was doing and stepped back. The machine lit up with strings of dark blue light. It looked like it was about to crack, but it didn’t. Instead, the air above the cone waved and rippled like a shockwave into the sky.
Yannick turned to us, a toothy smile the only thing visible in the blackness of his hood. “Now we can work in peace.”
27
DREAMS OF ESCAPE
We watched the Getharey unload the crates under Yannick’s self-satisfied gaze. The pieces of his machine didn’t seem to have any cohesive size or shape. They ranged from small cylinders attached to long arms to a large cone that was carefully lowered into a more or less square box. All the pieces were a blue so deep they were almost black and were etched with runes that had a faint green glow.
The creatures moved quickly and without hesitation. As soon as a crate was brought through the gate and set on the ground, a group of them would converge on it. They ripped it open and unloaded the contents to continue assembling the device.
“Has anybody seen Brian?” I said in a tone low enough I hoped the two Getharey standing nearby wouldn’t hear.
“I think he ran away when they attacked us,” Aoife said in a similarly low voice. “I was too busy screaming my head off to pay attention beyond that.”
“I’m pretty sure Mr. Wallner escaped this calamity,” Mr. Minor said.
I nodded. I felt equal parts relief that he was able to escape and irritation that he ran off without even trying to help. “We need to get out of here.”
“You think?” Aoife muttered.
“Somebody really needs to tell me what’s going on.” Dylan’s voice was on the edge of hysterics.
“After we get out of this,” I said. The fact that the statement was my own version of later wasn’t lost on me.
I strained against the ropes binding my wrists. They didn’t budge. Not even a little. They were so tight I couldn’t even rotate my wrists in them. There was something about the metal stands intertwined that made it hold stronger than any rope I’d ever handled. I was sure of it.
As I struggled in vein against the binds, I felt an overwhelming sense of desperation roll over me. A panicking need to get loose bullied its way into my brain. I wanted nothing more desperately in my life than to be free. I mean, I wanted to be free. Of course, I did, but it was taking over my thinking. I couldn’t focus on anything else. Not my friends. Not the Getharey. Not the machine they were building.
“My, that is an unexpected use of your abilities, Ms. Connelly,” Mr. Minor said.
I glanced at Aoife. Sure enough, her eyes burned bright amber.
“What are you doing?” I hissed, my muddled mind finding a moment of relief.
“Getting us out of here,” she replied.
“I don’t think that’s going to work.”
“Shut up.” She turned those odd eyes towards the guards.
I looked, too.
The two black figures remained motionless. I wanted to gloat, but I would have rather not tossed an I told you so around at that moment.
I really wished I hadn’t been right. If only getting out of this was that easy. If only it ever was. If only we could escape at all, easy or not.
As I watched, the Getharey on the left shifted, just a twitch of black fabric. I almost thought it was just a breeze moving the cloak, but it only happened around the hood. The rest of the fabric remained still. Besides, there was no breeze.
“I think it might be working,” I said.
“Shut up,” she said again, her voice strained with concentration.
The creature’s twitching grew more obvious. A few minutes later, the other guard was doing the same. Its dark hood turned toward Aoife’s hands bound behind her back.
Dylan and Mr. Minor’s grew agitated as a new wave of desperation blew over us. Aoife was laying it on thick to get to the two Getharey. It was working. I don’t know how she was getting to them when Yannick had laughed off her empathy projections before. Did he have some kind of resistance these two underlings didn’t?
I started pulling harder at my own binds without thinking about it. Even though I knew what I felt came from Aoife, I had a hard time fighting its effects. At that moment I would have gladly given up whatever they wanted just to be free. It was a good think Yannick wasn’t around to demand stuff from me. He would have received it. I wished Aoife could aim her mojo instead of broadcasting it like a beacon of somebody else’s emotion instead of light.
One of the things moved. His cloak rustled and a three fingered hand came out of its dark shadows holding a small, curved blade.
Already ramped up on Aoife’s emotional projections, I panicked a little. “What are you doing?”
“Shut up, Gaige,” she said again.
I clamped my teeth together to keep from saying anything else as I watched the creature kneel at her back. The knife was small but looked like the kind of sharp that could slice through a piece of wood like in those infomercials. I gasped as the blade shot forward and up. I expected Aoife to slump forward with blood spurting out her back, but she didn’t. He shoulders slumped a bit as the tension released in her wrists.
The other hissed something at the one who had freed Aoife. The one kneeling behind Aoife bent its hooded head toward the knife in its hand like it was confused about why he had cut her binds.
A sudden need to run washed over me. Dylan, Mr. Minor, and I all tried to awkwardly get to our feet with our hands still bound. We would have probably tried to bolt still tied up or not if Aoife hadn’t broken into the train rush of emotion taking over us.
“Sit down,” she commanded.
We plopped back to our butts, but the desperate need to run remained. The Getharey, however, fidgeted and twitched until they finally took off running towards the gateway. The one who had freed Aoife dropped his knife on the ground as he ran.
“Well done,” Mr. Minor exclaimed.
“Whatever,” Aoife muttered. She picked up the knife with her fingertips like it was a snake that would strike out and bite her at any moment. “We need to get out of here.”
I tried to stand again, failing miserably. “Cut these. Hurry.”
“Don’t rush me. Do you want me to cut you?” She moved behind me.
I leaned forward so she would have better access to the ropes around my
wrists. I should have been a little nervous, but I was too antsy with the desire to get loose—a leftover of Aoife’s emotional broadcast. After a long moment, I felt a tug on my wrists and I was loose. I jumped to my feet and moved toward the area they were constructing the machine from the crates.
“Where are you going?” Aoife grabbed my arm.
“I need to stop them,” I said.
“You are not going down there.” She gripped harder.
“You should listen to her, Mr. Porter,” Mr. Minor said.
“Now is not the time to play hero,” Aoife hissed.
“I’m not paying anything. Somebody has to stop them.” I pointed at the machine, which was quickly taking shape. I didn’t know exactly what shape it was taking, but it looked ominous regardless.
“And that somebody isn’t you,” Aoife said. “Don’t be stupid.”
“I’m the only one who can shut that thing.” I pointed to the dark scar that was the gateway.
“It’s too late for that,” she argued. “Let the police or National Guard or whoever deal with this.”
“But—”
“We don’t have time for this.” She pointed at the two Getharey still running for the gateway. They were gaining the interest of those they passed. “What are you going to do, anyways? You’ll never make it within ten feet of it.”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Maybe I don’t have to get that close. I still have to try something.”
I didn’t know what my range was. How close did I have to be to work the gateway? The two times I had operated it, I was standing right next to it. We were several dozen yards away and I could feel its pull on my internal organs. It wanted me to go through it. Maybe if I could feel it, I could close it. I concentrated. Imagined a door closing. Nothing happened.
“Hey!” Aoife cut in my concentration. She tapped my forehead and a sting of pain poked at my skin. “You can’t do anything with that, can you?”
Oh yeah, the jewel Yannick had implanted in my forehead. Even though I could feel the gateway, it inhibited any attempt to use my gifts, including operating it.
“Aoife, cut me loose,” Dylan demanded.
“I think it’s wise to listen to her,” Mr. Minor said to me.
“Come on.” Aoife gave my arm one last tug before letting it go to cut her brother loose. She sliced through his ropes with more confidence and moved behind Mr. Minor.
“Uh, I think we need to run,” Dylan said.
His eyes were wide and staring over my shoulder. I turned to see several dark Getharey hoods turned our way. I couldn’t see eyes, but I felt them burrowing into me.
“Free me quickly, Ms. Connelly,” Mr. Minor said. His thin voice was calm but rushed.
I saw her hand tremble before it disappeared behind the former dentist’s back. I winced as she sliced. Hopefully she hadn’t cut the old man. With his hands free, Mr. Minor surged to his feet.
“Let’s get out of here,” Dylan said, backing away from the advancing creatures.
“Just a moment.” Mr. Minor moved to stand in front of me.
“What are you doing?” I flinched away from his raised hands.
“We need to hurry.” I saw gold fighting to overtake Aoife’s eyes. She was on the verge of panicking.
“Hold still.” The retired dentist pulled a cufflink from his sleeve and poked his thumb until a spot of blood welled up from the hole. He reached for my head. I watched a thin line of blood ooze from his thumb as his thin fingers pinched at the jewel. “How quickly can you draw on that power of yours, Mr. Porter?”
“I can’t at all with that thing stuck to me,” I said.
“But it isn’t.” He pulled his hands back, the pink jewel pinched between fingers. “I suggest you draw on it now.”
I did. I yanked on it like a gardener pulling weeds. Violent and complete. It rushed up from the well inside me, flooding my head. A sense of euphoria filled me, pushing all traces of panic and desperation. I spun where I stood and pushed. Hard. Four Getharey were caught off guard, only ten feet from us. They were lifted off their feet and blown back at least thirty yards. They landed with a hard thump.
That attracted the attention of the other Getharey working around the gateway. Dozens of dark hoods turned our way.
“Now is the time I suggest we run,” Mr. Minor said.
PART THREE
Invasion of Gate City
28
TEMPORARY REFUGE
We ran. I honestly don’t know where the energy came from. Aoife and I shouldn’t have been able to run more than a few steps considering what we had been through. By all rights, we shouldn’t even be still standing. I felt it as we ran, the weariness slowing my muscles. It was a lot like moving underwater.
Still, I ran. Aoife ran. We did better than Mr. Minor whose shuffling gait quickly put him in the back of the pack. I tried my hardest to keep between him and the pursuing Getharey. It wasn’t easy when every fiber of my being screamed to move as fast as my muscles would allow.
Aoife led the way. I don’t think she necessarily knew where she was running to, but I guess chivalry wasn’t completely dead. Dylan, who I knew could outrun us all, given my current state of weariness, had established himself right behind his sister. Mr. Minor and I took up the rear.
We ran toward the road but veered to the side when she remembered Mr. Minor’s car was crunched like an empty soda can. Just to the west of the park was a small patch of woods. Aoife led us in between the trees. The patch was thin enough we were able to swerve between the trees without slowing much.
“Where are we going?” I yelled up to Aoife.
“Away,” she huffed. “I don’t know.”
I risked a glance over my shoulder. It was hard to pick out our pursuit. The Getharey were nothing more than shadows shifting from one tree to another. They were still several dozen yards away but gaining quick. What would I expect? We were two teens who had just been through the worst few days of our lives, an old man, and Dylan who alone would have probably had a chance to outrun them.
“Aoife,” I yelled, “they’re gaining ground on us.”
She didn’t answer. She tried to pump her legs faster, but we weren’t moving any faster. I had to do something.
I slowed to let the others get further out ahead of me. I glanced over my shoulder again and caught a brief glimpse of a Getharey only twenty yards away or so. I picked up the speed just a tad.
I gathered the power within me as I ran. My steps felt lighter, swifter. I thought if I kept running I’d take flight like that ancient Greek guy with tiny wings on his ankles. Aoife would probably know his name. I had to concentrate too hard to spend any brain power on trying to remember. Besides, flying wasn’t my goal even if I could. Which I couldn’t.
I kept an eye on my friends while glancing back to make sure the Getharey weren’t getting too close. They were. Aoife and the others scrambled over a fallen tree. They were less than graceful and the creatures gained more ground.
I hopped the tree, ran a few steps, and stopped.
“Mr. Porter!” Mr. Minor said.
I ignored him. The Getharey moved in closer. They flitted from tree to tree like black fog. I took a deep breath and let it out in a long, slow whoosh.
They came within ten yards of me.
Five yards.
There were seven of them. They bunched together right in front of me, all eager for the catch. I had no intentions of giving them the prize fish. Once the last of my breath crossed my lips, I released my power. The tree lifted off the ground and slammed into the Getharey. The force flung them off their feet and crashing to the ground.
I turn and ran.
***
My little trick bought us a tiny bit of time and put some distance between us and pursuit. We turned north in the woods and were deposited on the west side of town. The people of Gate City were starting to assess the damage from the earthquake. They stood outside of homes in various states of damaged. Most had luckily taken
only minor damage, but there were some that fell over completely like a giant had pushed on one side just for the fun of it.
They had no idea what they were in for. Things were about to get so much worse than some property damage.
They were so wrapped up in the effects of the earthquake I don’t think any of them noticed the translucent dome overhead. I squinted at the sky. It was barely visible in the morning sunlight overhead. Even though I knew it was there, I had a hard time spotting it.
“Is that really the thing Yannick was talking about?” I asked as we turned onto a residential street.
I’m not sure who I was asking, but Mr. Minor answered. He was the logical one to do so. He seemed to know more than he ever let on and that still blew my mind.
“I’m afraid so. Gate City is in effect, a trapped town,” he replied with a glance to the sky. “That will effectively keep everybody in the city right here. If there’s anybody trying to get in, I’m sure they’ll find it equally as difficult.”
I tried to follow the shimmer of the shield as it loomed overhead. It disappeared somewhere among the trees on the hills to the east and west. I couldn’t get a good look how far north and south it extended.
“How do you know so much about what’s going on?” Aoife asked. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten my question earlier. How do you know about me?”
“How about we add what in the hell is going on to the list of questions?” Dylan put in.
I wanted to add where are we going to the growing list but kept it to myself. Aoife was right. It was about time Mr. Minor explained what he knew about all this. It wasn’t like he just guessed about the gateway, me being a Gatekeeper, or Aoife’s powers. He was involved somehow.
“All will be explained,” Mr. Minor began, “but at the moment, I believe finding a place to hide would be more prudent.”
“The store is not far from here,” Dylan suggested.
“Yeah and it’s partially caved in,” Aoife said. “Let’s go hide out there so it can finish caving in on our heads.”
“What other option do we have?” I said.
We walked down a residential street, trying to both look inconspicuous and hide at the same time. I don’t think we were that successful. We would have stuck out like a sore thumb if anybody were paying attention. People milled about in their yards, seemingly too afraid to go back inside in case there was another earthquake. They hung out at the edges of their yards, talking excitedly with neighbors.
The Gatekeeper Trilogy Page 50
