Beyond the Between

by Anna Webb

  “What is the last thing you remember?” she asked him.

  “Entering the Tunnels for the challenge,” he replied, and then, with sudden urgency, he said, “Wait! Did we win?”

  “Not yet, but we will,” she said quickly, trying to reassure him. “This room, it’s hidden in the Tunnels, but it’s not a part of the Tunnels.”

  “So—I won’t remember what just happened in the Tunnels, but I might remember what happens in here?”

  Allyra nodded. “I think so, though I can’t be sure.”

  “What are we doing here?” Jason demanded. “We shouldn’t be wasting time. Let’s just go back and finish the challenge.”

  “There was a door. I needed to see what was behind it,” she replied cryptically, hoping to head off any more questions he might have, a little relieved that he’d forgotten that he was already angry at her for avoiding his questions. She walked briskly down the corridor, toward the graceful arch at the end of it.

  “Allyra?” Jason called, his voice frustrated. When she didn’t reply, she heard his footsteps behind her, quickly catching up to her, and he took hold of her arm. “Damn it, Allyra. Stop.”

  She met his eyes. “Please,” she said softly. “I need to see what’s in there and what it has to do with me.”

  Undecided, his indigo eyes raked searchingly over her face. Finally, he sighed and closed his eyes, pressing his fingers against them, letting out a muted curse. When he opened his eyes again, he wore an expression of exasperated acceptance, as if she were an unruly child. “Fine,” he said. “But let’s make it quick. I want to get out of the blasted Tunnels and finish this thing. Hopefully, it’ll be the last time I ever have to be in them.”

  She gave him a bright smile. “Thank you.”

  They walked down the corridor, the sense of power increasing with every stop, like music surging in a powerful crescendo. The graceful arched corridor gave way into a much larger room—double, or maybe triple, volume—and circular in shape. It was empty but for five massive structures, which might be best described as domed wooden pergolas. They were formed out of a tangle of roots hanging down from the ceiling, their dark color in sharp contrast to the white marble walls. Hidden at the center of each one was a raised platform.

  “These are the Great College Gates,” Jason said, his voice filled with a mix of wonder and disbelief. “Just the roots—what lies beneath, rather than the trees within the Great Halls.” He turned to Allyra, his eyes wide. “How has this room remained undiscovered for so long?”

  “Maybe because it had no cause to be found.”

  Jason shook his head and pointed to the pergola in the center of the room. “Or maybe because it was hiding something.”

  Allyra followed the line Jason’s finger pointed out, and the air turned to ice within her lungs. There was something on the platform within the pergola formed from the roots of the Elemental College Acacia Tree. Something, or someone—it looked like a body. She stilled, and her heart pounded out an unsteady rhythm in her chest. She tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat but found her throat dry.

  Somehow, she knew. She knew who it was even before she could see clearly—Alex and Mandla. And she’d led Jason here. It was careless—she hadn’t given enough thought to what they might find and whether Jason could be trusted with the knowledge.

  He was already moving forward to take a closer look, a strange expression on his face—a curious mixture between disbelief and guilt. She reached out to stop him, but she was too slow, and he brushed past her, his eyes fixed on the bodies on the platform.

  One step after the next, Jason moved forward. Closer and closer until he staggered back suddenly. That moment of recognition would forever remain etched into Allyra’s mind. Color drained from Jason’s face, like paint being washed away from a paintbrush. A tremor ran through his entire body. He was a sapling caught in a gale, a star falling from the sky.

  “Alex,” he said, his voice raw, catching in his throat.

  In that moment of shock, Allyra caught a glimpse of true honesty from Jason. The arrogant mask had been shattered and behind it, lay fear—terrible and awful fear. There was also shock and horror, both of which would be expected from any normal person when confronted by the Elemental High Master, known to have lived over a hundred and fifty years ago, yet looking as if he hadn’t aged a day since that fated day when he walked into the Between. History also remembered him for the worst offenses: he was thought to be both a traitor and a killer, responsible for the loss of so many lives during the Betrayal.

  Yes, shock and horror were to be expected, but behind those were something else—guilt and remorse. Those emotions were older and far more powerful but entirely impossible to comprehend. And there was no capacity left in her mind to dwell over what Jason was feeling. It was beyond her—her own emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Her blood was frozen, a river of ice winding its way to her heart, its deadly grip so tight it felt as if her heart had stopped. She heard a strange sound in her ears, halfway between a sob and a gasp, choked and filled with anguish. Only later did she realize the sound had escaped her own lips.

  Allyra moved closer, her steps slow and uncoordinated, as if her feet were weighed down by concrete. She felt clumsy and lightheaded. This wasn’t how she thought she’d see him again. Maybe she’d never truly allowed herself to consider the possibility that he might exist in her reality, in her time. Maybe she’d never really allowed herself to hope.

  Yet, here he was, lying before her, almost exactly as she remembered. So handsome it made her breath catch in her throat, with the elegant lines of his face, pale, star-traced skin, framed by short dark hair. He was as still as a statue, his eyes closed, but his chest rising and falling with reassuring regularity.

  Moving beyond the sudden shock of seeing him, her heart steadied, and her racing mind stilled. She studied Alex more closely, and a bolt of terror shot through her—he was thinner, his cheeks more angular and gaunt than she remembered. There was also an unmistakable tension running down the line of his jaw, and even at rest, there was nothing peaceful about him.

  Her eyes flicked to Mandla. Just as Alex was obviously alive, Mandla obviously was not. No air moved into his still chest, and a gray pallor had settled over his normally brown skin.

  Suddenly weak, Allyra dropped to her knees. She was too late. She should have found them quicker. She should’ve saved Mandla. “No, no, no,” she moaned, tears running down her cheeks, her mind filled with memories of Mandla—his childlike innocence, his always cheerful demeanor. And earlier, in her visions of the past—his fierce and unrelenting loyalty to Alex.

  Instinctively, she reached out to him, disbelieving to the last. But Jason grabbed her wrist before she could. She jumped at his touch, having completely forgotten he was there.

  “Don’t,” he said sharply. “There’s an Elemental ward here.”

  With her eyes closed, she saw it—threads of every Element, woven together in an impossibly intricate pattern. Green, yellow, red, and blue—held together with a silvery sheen. Old, powerful, and utterly impenetrable.

  “That’s Alexander Cairns,” Jason said. He had schooled his expression back to some semblance of normalcy—it was blank now, the shock and horror gone, but he couldn’t quite control the tremor in his voice.

  Allyra nodded, too shell-shocked to find words for a reply.

  “He’s the Elemental High Master. From the Betrayal.”

  Allyra nodded again. “I know,” she said finally, her voice soft and distant.

  Jason’s eyes snapped to her. “You know him,” he intuited somehow.

  “Yes,” she replied, unable to tear her eyes from Alex. “He saved my life.”

  “Explain.”

  She could have lied; she had become so good at it. But she didn’t. Confronted with the reality of what she was looking at, only the truth seemed adequate.

  “I stumbled into the Between—don’t ask me how, because I don’t know,” she explained, the
story tumbling from her lips. It was a relief to finally tell it. “I had no idea where I was, the danger I was in. The minute I tumbled through the Gate, the Revenants were alerted to my presence. Drawn to the energy I had, like sharks to blood. In no time at all, I was attacked.”

  Her voice dropped and grew husky as she remembered the terror of those first moments in the Between. “I was disorientated, terrified, and completely vulnerable—utterly helpless when confronted by the Revenants. I would’ve died except for Alex. He was there. He saved my life. We escaped the Revenants, then he taught me and prepared me for what was to come.” She let out a mirthless laugh, dragging her eyes from Alex, she glanced at Jason. “Did you really believe I would’ve survived the Elemental Trials without help?”

  Jason listened stoically, his expression hard as granite. “He’s dangerous, Allyra,” he said, when she was finished, his tone leaving no room for protest. “We have to tell someone—the Council.”

  “No.”

  Jason let out a frustrated groan. “You said this room wasn’t part of the Tunnels, that I will remember. I could still tell the Council.”

  “Yes,” she acknowledged. “You could, but I think you’ll find it hard to find this room without me and impossible to get in. And, I don’t think you will.”

  “Thirty-three Elementals died during the Betrayal, and twice as many Gifted gave their lives that day to protect the Source,” Jason said coldly. “What makes you think I won’t tell?”

  “Because I’m your partner, and by some miracle, you’re starting to trust me.”

  “Don’t burden me with sentimentality I don’t possess,” Jason shot back, but his voice had softened.

  “Okay, forget the sentimentality, let’s talk cold, hard facts. You still want to win, and if you tell, they’ll lock me up, and you lose any chance you have of winning.”

  Jason shook his head, conflicted. “Allyra, he’s dangerous, think what we are risking by not saying anything.”

  “You know as well as I do that you cannot open the Gates from within the Between. Alex Cairns is trapped in there—he can’t hurt anyone,” she said, her eyes back on Alex. “I need to go back into the Between, give him a chance to explain. I owe him that much.”

  Suddenly, she knew exactly what she had to do.

  “A whole generation of Elementals are dead, and no more have been born since—that’s how deep a scar the Betrayal left on the world of the Gifted. Am I supposed to just overlook that?”

  “It happened a hundred and fifty years ago,” Allyra retorted, her emotions blinding her to all of Jason’s arguments. “People change.”

  Jason fell silent, his eyes fixed on Alex’s body. When he finally spoke, his voice was tired and pained. “Fine. You’re right, people do change.”

  Chapter 24 – Jamie

  The hallway was exactly as he remembered it—white marble walls, lined with fierce, unforgiving statues of armored Sentinels. But this time it was different. This time, he wasn’t alone.

  He was alone now, but Pete and Eva were keeping watch at the last two junctions, and Gemma was the one who’d broken them out, her Atmospheric Gift making her an expert locksmith and the ideal partner in crime. This time, he felt safe, warm in the knowledge that his friends were helping him, watching his back. No, Jamie corrected himself, not just his friends; they were his team, and he could count on them. Absolutely.

  So, when hands grabbed him once more, fear wasn’t the first emotion Jamie felt. This time, his body tensed, ready to fight. He grabbed the hand on his shoulder and twisted firmly, spinning his attacker around.

  “Ouch!”

  Jamie recognized the voice. In fact, it was almost more familiar than his own. Happy, sad, grumpy, angry, and exhilarated. Every emotion in the world—he’d heard them all in this voice.

  Emma.

  He couldn’t breathe.

  His heart hammered in his chest, and a rush of heat flooded over him. Black spots erupted over his vision.

  He fell.

  * * *

  Jamie emerged slowly into consciousness. His mind felt foggy and sluggish, but soon enough, the gears re-engaged, and he remembered.

  Emma.

  He opened his eyes and found himself looking up into Emma’s cornflower blue eyes. She was looking down at him with some concern and just a touch of amusement.

  He’d been searching for her for so long that their reunion was almost anticlimactic. It was definitely ironic that she was the one to find him, rather than the other way around. The sight of her face left him breathless and at a loss for words. He fell into the simple habit of allowing his twin to take control.

  She tugged him to his feet and led him down the hallway. Jamie followed her like a mindless zombie. He was numb with disbelief. Numb with relief.

  Emma stopped at a side door, hidden between two Sentinel statues, and with a quick swipe of her wrist the door sprang open. Emma pulled him in behind her.

  “Are you insane?” Emma hissed.

  It was like they’d never been apart.

  Jamie pulled her into his arms and lingered in the contact. She was warm and solid in his arms. Safe and whole. Alive.

  Emma pulled gently away from him. She smiled at him fondly.

  “Are you insane?” she asked again. “Didn’t the beating teach you anything at all? Nothing sink through that thick skull of yours?”

  Jamie simply gaped at her, speechless, still not quite able to believe she was actually standing in front of him. He hadn’t realized just how broken he had been without her, how lost.

  She raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for an answer.

  “I’m a rubber ball, I always bounce back,” Jamie said eventually, regaining use of his tongue.

  “That’s Rob and we both know it,” Emma retorted, and then her face softened. “You, baby brother, are a lot more sensitive.”

  “I’m here, aren’t I? Isn’t that proof enough that I’m tougher than you think?”

  Emma shook her head and hugged him again. “Tough? That’s funny coming from someone who fainted at the sight of me. But, I’m so glad to see you, thick skull and all. But you need to get back.”

  Jamie shook his head. “No, not until you tell me everything.”

  “I will. Meet me here tomorrow night. Twenty minutes past midnight. I’ll make sure the corridor is clear and this door unlocked.”

  Emma shoved him toward the door. “Now get out of here before you get us both into trouble!”

  ***

  Emma was as good as her word, and the next night, Jamie found his way to the empty side room without trouble. She was waiting for him, sitting cross-legged on the floor. The light from the open door cast a golden, honeyed glow over her. Her long blonde hair was pulled from her face into a messy ponytail, highlighting her sharp cheekbones and heart-shaped chin. She looked up as his shadow fell across her, blue eyes dancing with familiar mischief. She patted the ground next to her, and he settled beside her, carefully pulling in his long legs.

  “Where have you been?” he asked. “We thought you were dead.”

  “I know, I’m sorry.”

  For a second, Jamie felt a flash of anger at her offhand apology. Did she not realize the amount of heartache her disappearance had caused? The risk that they had all been willing to take to get her back? But he had always found it impossible to stay angry at Emma, especially now, when he was filled with relief that she was alive.

  Jamie shook his head. “I never believed it, you know. That you were gone. I could still feel you, the glow of your life, forever connected to mine.”

  Emma rested her head on his shoulder. “I know.”

  “So why didn’t you send word?”

  “I couldn’t, they’ve had me trapped in this place.”

  “Are you a prisoner?”

  “No.” Emma sighed. “Not a prisoner, as such. More like a guest, kept under lock and key.”

  “Sounds a lot like a prisoner to me,” Jamie said doubtfully.

  �
�Except I’m not trying to escape.” Emma shuffled around so that they were face to face. “You’ve met the Archivist,” she said. It wasn’t a question, more a statement of fact. Jamie nodded nonetheless.

  “He’s ancient.”

  Jamie lifted his eyebrows. “You could say that.”

  “Well, he’s dying. And it’s time to find his replacement. Archivists are chosen, much like the Council. The Source chose me.”

  “What?” Jamie exclaimed.

  Emma nodded. “I was chosen last year, and since then, they’ve been training me slowly to take his place. I couldn’t say no, but I didn’t really want to. The Archivist is the keeper of all Gifted knowledge. Can you imagine it? Once I take his place, I’ll know everything. I’ll be able to lay bare every secret of the Council. We’ll finally have the ammunition to take them down. Once and for all.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, Jamie. I’m fine. I’m safe. They won’t hurt me—I’m too precious a commodity to them. And this is the best chance we have. We’ll finish everything, and then we can walk away. You’ll settle down quietly with Ally, and I’ll travel the world, stopping by every so often to spoil rotten the horde of children you and Ally will have.”

  “Ems…”

  She looked up at the doubt in his voice. “What is it?” she asked.

  Jamie fell silent, unsure of what to say.

  Emma poked him gently in the ribs. “Spit it out, baby brother. It can’t be that bad. And I know about Ally and the Elemental Trials. They keep me locked away, but I hear enough to know she kicked ass.”

  The corners of his lips lifted in a small smile. “Yeah, she really did. She fell into the Between, turned out to be powerfully Gifted, won the Elemental Trials, and through it all, she drifted further and further from me.”

  A crease appeared between Emma’s eyes. “What are you saying? You and Ally have been together forever. You’re the most sickly sweet couple I’ve ever set my eyes on. My teeth start rotting immediately just being close to you two.”