Beyond the Between

by Anna Webb

  He looked at her, his dark eyes alight. “Show me.”

  She took a deep breath and stretched out her fingers, palm up. For the first time since the storm, she called on her Gift, allowing its power to fill her. A hardy dandelion plant was growing in the ground next to her and she fed her power into it. The plant grew until it flowered, bright yellow petals unfurling. Once the flower had fully opened, her Gift pulled the entire plant from the ground, its delicate roots dropping dark soil onto the palm of her hand as she used the Air Element to turn it in slow, lazy circles.

  Jason flexed his fingers and Fire appeared in his hand. She shot him a quick smile, before turning her attention back to the twirling plant in her hand. She pulled Jason’s Fire to her hand and allowed it to surround the plant until it burned in a sphere around it, the yellow dandelion still visible through the flickering flame.

  In a final effort, Allyra pulled moisture from the air, enough that it created a layer of Water around the flames. Fire burned within a crystal ball, the dandelion twirling within it.

  “You’re amazing,” Jason whispered, his breath tickling her ear.

  She lost her grip over her Gift, and the sphere exploded, splashing water over her hand, with the scorched dandelion plant falling to the ground.

  Allyra grimaced. “I guess I could do with a little more practice.”

  * * *

  Sometime during their long drive up, probably while she was sleeping, Jason had bought supplies and continued to surprise her by turning out to be an excellent cook.

  “I feel like I don’t know you at all,” she said with a grin, watching in mild disbelief as he expertly chopped up some carrots, the knife moving so fast it became a blur of silver.

  “It turns out that when you’re alone a lot, you have to learn to cook if you want to eat well,” he’d said, shrugging carelessly and gracefully.

  Pleasantly full after a delicious dinner, Allyra sat next to Jason on the couch, watching the fire burn, the flames chasing away the cool air. Her eyelids drooped.

  “I believe you owe me some answers,” Jason said abruptly.

  Allyra jolted awake. “Answers?”

  “Something about a particular promise you made?”

  Allyra took a deep breath. She had been hoping Jason would forget her promise to tell all. But a deal was a deal. “As you know, I met Alex Cairns in the Between. He didn’t tell me much about himself—I certainly didn’t know that he was the Elemental High Master. Or the fact that he lived more than a hundred and fifty years before me. Nonetheless, he saved my life.

  “He saved me, kept me alive, and trained me. All so that he could send me back safely through the Gate. He never asked for anything in return, not until just before I left. Alex knew about my Gift for the past, and he asked me to use it to find out what really happened during the Betrayal. Why the Elemental High Master led all those Elementals into the Between and to their deaths.”

  “And how does staying in The Five Finals help you keep that particular promise?”

  “There are memories—memories of Alex seeped into the walls of the Great Colleges. Being in The Five Finals gives me access to them.”

  Jason raised his eyebrows at her, clearly skeptical of her weak answer.

  Allyra sighed. “Fine. You know that his body is hidden in the Tunnels—it’s how he survived the Betrayal. I intend to go back into the Between. I’m going to get some answers from him.”

  Jason’s jaw tightened. “Do you hear yourself? Alex Cairns is a mass murderer, and you’re proposing to go back into the Between to him. This could all be some plan for him to get back into the world.”

  “I owe him the opportunity to explain.”

  “You’ve said that before. But I don’t think it holds up.”

  Allyra shrugged.

  “You are honestly the most stubborn, irrational, ridiculous person I’ve ever met,” Jason said sharply but without true venom. “Okay, if you’re going to insist on doing this, then I’m going into the Between with you.”

  A flash of fondness swept over her even as Jason shot her a stern look. But she shook her head. “No, I’ve thought this through. When we win The Five Finals, the Council will have to assemble within the Council Chambers at the Training Grounds in order to officially sanction our win. While they’re distracted, I’ll enter the Tunnels from the Elemental College, go to the room hidden there, and open the Gate back into the Between.”

  “And the reason why I can’t come with you?”

  “Because Marcus will want to show off his prize protégé, and as his assistant, he’ll expect you to accompany him to the Council meeting.”

  “I won’t let you go alone, Allyra, it’s not safe.”

  “I won’t be alone. Jamie will be with me,” Allyra replied.

  “Jamie?”

  “I called him. I’m going to meet him tomorrow and explain all this. He’ll have my back.”

  Jason gave her a doubtful look. “Jamie didn’t even get past the Second Trial. I wouldn’t call him the best backup choice. In fact, I’d choose a drunk cat before Jamie.”

  Allyra rolled her eyes. “Jamie has been watching my back my whole life. He’ll do anything to keep me safe. I trust him with my life.”

  Chapter 36 – Jamie

  The air was musty was disuse. Jamie opened the curtains, and sunlight streamed in catching on dust particles dancing in the air. The house was frozen in time. After Sam Warden died, Jamie’s parents had packed up some of Allyra’s things and moved her into their house. No one had had the heart to go back into the Warden house since. Everything was just as it had been six years ago, right down to the book left open on the coffee table.

  Jamie looked up at a small cough. Allyra stood in the doorway, the light framing her as shadows washed over her features.

  “Hi,” she said tentatively.

  The trauma of The Five Finals had hardened her features and thinned out her curves. She looked older and different yet somehow exactly the same.

  Jamie took two long strides and gathered her into his arms. “Hey,” he whispered, breathing her in.

  Allyra looked around her, a wry, wistful smile teasing the corners of her lips. “It feels like a lifetime since I was last here.” She looked up at Jamie, her gray eyes filled with poignant sadness. “It’s hard to believe I was once the girl that lived here.”

  She walked into the house and picked up a framed picture, her face lighting up. “Do you remember this?” she asked, handing the picture to Jamie.

  He glanced down at the picture and smiled, instantly transported back in time. They were no more than twelve years old, and it was the night of their first official date. He was wearing an actual tie, borrowed from his father, and Allyra was wearing what was probably the only dress she’d owned at the time—some frothy pink concoction. The smiles on their faces were stilted as Sam and Juliette forced them to pose for a picture. At a time when photobombing hadn’t even been a concept, Emma had leapt in between them, a huge smile splitting her face, and the moment had been forever immortalized.

  “I found her,” Jamie said.

  “What?” Allyra turned abruptly to him, her eyes wide. “When? And why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I believe you were in the middle of Antarctica at the time,” Jamie replied, carefully modulating the amount of sarcasm in his voice.

  Allyra hugged him again. “I think that’s the best news I’ve heard all year,” she breathed. “Where was she? Is she okay?”

  “Emma’s fine. She just couldn’t get word out to us because she’d been chosen to become the next Archivist.”

  “Archivist?”

  “Yeah—the Archivist keeps registers of all the Gifted ever born and…” Jamie paused. “Anyway, none of that matters. What matters is that Emma is safe, so we can all leave. You don’t need to be in The Five Finals anymore,” he said earnestly.

  Allyra shot him a grim smile. “It isn’t that simple.”

  And then she started to explain. Everyt
hing about her time in the Between, about Alex Cairns, and the promise she’d made. And finally, she explained what she needed him to do.

  * * *

  “And so, Allyra wants me to help her open the Elemental College Gate and keep her body safe while she enters the Between,” Jamie explained.

  He’d repeated Allyra’s whole story to Emma as they sat side by side, their backs up against the wall, nursing a couple of beers.

  Emma was silent for a long time, digesting his story. Eventually, she spoke, her voice worried. “You can’t let her do it,” she said. “Alexander Cairns is dangerous. Whatever he did to help Allyra in the Between doesn’t excuse all the lives he took during the Betrayal.”

  “I just want to keep her safe,” Jamie said. “That’s all I’ve ever tried to do.”

  Emma took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I know.”

  She fell silent again, a small crease working over her forehead as she considered the problem at hand. Suddenly, her eyes flashed. “I love Ally just as much as you do. She’s family and we have to help her,” she said. “I just think we need to put in more thought on this than she has. Ally’s distracted—The Five Finals, Jason.”

  As always, his twin seemed to know exactly what was on his mind.

  “Does Jason really run true to his reputation?” Emma asked.

  Jamie nodded.

  “And Ally’s fallen for it?” Emma asked, her voice querulous. “Doesn’t seem like her.”

  “No, but stick two people together for an extended amount of time, in a trial by fire such as The Five Finals, and I guess logic starts to fly out the window.”

  Jamie glanced at Emma, into her familiar blue eyes, and she gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s going to be fine, Jamie. You can trust me, I have a plan.”

  Everything was right in the world again. Emma’s words fell into place like the last piece to a jigsaw puzzle long labored over. With his twin by his side, Jamie felt like nothing was impossible anymore.

  Chapter 37 – Allyra

  Dawn was breaking, casting a pale pink glow over her. Today, they were going back to the Elemental College for the Fifth Final, and Jason had made it clear that he wanted to make an early start. Allyra had woken before the dawn and crept out of the cabin, past Jason still sleeping on the couch. He’d been the consummate gentleman during their week at the cabin, offering her the bed while he tried to fit his long frame onto a couch at least a couple feet too short for him. Meanwhile she refused to acknowledge the idea that she might miss him—after their time in Antarctica, it was hard to remember the last time they spent a night separated by anything as solid as a wall.

  She climbed the short but steep incline behind the cabin, straight to the top of the mountain. There was a long, flat rock that jutted out over the edge, and she’d leaped onto it and settled in to the watch the sunrise.

  Everything felt like it was coming to an end, like a high-speed train rushing to its final stop. A strange feeling of hollowness had taken up residence in her chest. After the end of the Fifth Final, she’d have all the answers she’d ever wanted. The future wasn’t her Gift, but she could almost see it all—she’d find Alex, bring him back, and together, they would unmask Marcus as the Revenant. The Gifted would see the truth, understand the error written in their history books. And Alex would finally reclaim his proper position as the Elemental High Master.

  It had taken her some time, but Allyra knew now that this had been her destiny all along. She’d been entrusted with her Gift for the past so that she could help Alex at the right time. He was the protagonist of this story, and after she saw him safely restored to his proper place as the Elemental High Master, her part in this story would be complete.

  She felt strangely at odds with herself, like there were a million ants crawling over her skin, like there was too much adrenaline flowing in her veins. Somehow, she wanted it all to be over, yet she was terrified that once it was, her life would be empty of purpose. Afraid that she had come to enjoy the adrenaline a little too much, that she wouldn’t be able to walk away into the normal life her father had wanted for her.

  A winter mist covered the valley below her. Allyra imagined herds of antelope making their way to the watering hole. Her Gift stirred within her—with one flick of her wrist, she could sweep the mist away. But she enjoyed being above the mist line. For a moment, it felt as if she might be the only person in the world, soaring high above everything else.

  A small noise caught her attention, and she turned to find Jason, standing just beyond the rock she was sitting on. He was watching her quietly. A strange, considered look on his face. The corners of her lips lifted in a wistful smile.

  How far they'd come.

  Hate and distrust had transformed into a deep friendship.

  Allyra got to her feet, and though she didn’t need the help, she took Jason’s offered hand and allowed him to pull her across the gap. He pulled with more force than she expected, and she tumbled into his arms. For a few heartbeats, she rested against his chest, her head tucked beneath his chin. Jason made no sign that he wanted to move, and all too soon, the moment turned into something too intimate.

  She hurried to fill the silence.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  Jason stayed quiet and then slowly pulled away from her. He rested his forehead to hers, and their breaths fell into the same rhythm. In and out. Together, they breathed the same clear winter air.

  “I was thinking that I wished I’d met you earlier in my life,” he said quietly. “I might have done some things differently.”

  His voice was serious and edged with despair. They teetered on the threshold of a dark chasm that threatened to reach up and swallow them whole.

  “If I remember correctly, you didn’t like me one bit when you first met me. I was a thorn in your side. So, meeting earlier would’ve just prolonged your pain,” Allyra joked, trying to lighten the mood.

  He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We should go,” he said.

  Chapter 38 – Allyra

  Drums thundered in the distance—a mad, dizzying rhythm that matched her erratic heart. In her mind, time seemed to hurtle backward—one, two, seven months. She was readying herself for battle once more within the Combat Arena of the Elemental College, but this time, she’d walk in with Jason by her side. A partner rather than an opponent.

  Jason’s nimble fingers checked the straps of the leather baldric strapped across her chest. He was doing it for the third time, checking and then rechecking. He was nervous though he tried to hide it. Allyra took hold of his hands gently. “They’re tight,” she said evenly.

  Jason let out a deep breath. “It’s going to be fine,” he said.

  Allyra smiled, amused despite herself by his transformation from tightly controlled and uptight to this bundle of nerves. “I know.”

  “The Fifth Final is just a show—a demonstration for the crowd.”

  The words were for her benefit, a white lie to comfort her, though perhaps he drew some solace from them too. In times past, when Elementals stepped into the Arena for the Fifth Final, it was no more than a show. Something to get the crowds roaring. But since the loss of the Elementals, the Fifth Final had become something far deadlier. In the past one hundred and fifty years, history had shown that more often than not, should a pair reach the Fifth Final, they fell at the final hurdle.

  “We just need to survive,” Jason continued. “There’s nothing they can throw at us that we can’t survive.”

  Allyra nodded though she didn’t feel any certainly in her own mind. The Fifth Final was one last fight—against opponents who felt no pain, who could not be negotiated with, and who felt no human compassion. In short—Sentinels. In reality, it was a fight against the Source itself, to prove themselves worthy to protect it.

  Allyra squeezed Jason’s hands. “I won’t break,” she said. “We’ll survive and then we’re going to change the world.”

  The drums lifted
into a final frenzied crescendo.

  It was time.

  * * *

  The crowd roared, individual screams combining into a single continuous sound. A thousand different faces merged into a rainbow of color, but her eyes couldn’t seem to separate and recognize any individual faces. Somewhere, hidden amongst the crowd, were family, friends, and opponents: Rob and Jamie, Eva and Gemma, ex-Five Finals Competitors. Allyra stood in the middle of it all and forced it to fade to the black emptiness of space until her mind was focused on only the test ahead. Until she stood in silence with Jason by her side.

  A single figure separated himself from the crowd, walking slowly toward them. His gait was stilted and unsure and his back bowed with age. As he drew closer, Allyra realized he was being supported by two Sentinels, their forms winking in and out under the bright winter sun.

  “The Archivist,” Jason whispered.

  Up close, the Archivist’s skin was pale and paper thin with age. His hand trembled as he reached out for hers.

  So, this was the man Emma would one day replace.

  “Your hand please, Miss Warden.”

  Allyra held out her hand to the Archivist. His fingers were shaky as they wrapped around hers. When he twisted the knife against her palm, the motion was clumsy and awkward, and it drew more blood than necessary. One of the Sentinels ran its fingers through the blood now dripping freely from her hand. At its contact, Allyra felt a brief connection to the Source—a moment of bright, infinite light. But for the first time, there was something else, something Allyra couldn’t quite put her finger on—a hint of darkness, of bitterness, of corruption. It was barely a trace, so faint Allyra wondered if she’d imagined it. Before it could truly register in her mind, the Sentinel glowed, and the Archivist moved on.

  The same ritual was repeated with Jason before the Archivist turned and faced the Council.

  “Allyra Warden and Jason Stone,” he announced, his voice thin and almost lost amongst the noise of the cheering crowd.