Time Jumpers

by Brandon Mull

  “Can you bring Violet here?” Cole asked.

  She appeared beside Cole.

  “Welcome, Violet,” Trillian said. “We have been talking elsewhere, Cole.”

  “Should I let him use my power to see Earth?” Violet asked.

  “Give me a minute,” Cole said, walking away a few paces, enjoying the sand against his bare feet.

  His situation was desperate. Without help, Ramarro would take over the Outskirts. If Lorenzo had not opened the Pilgrim Path, would Ramarro have discovered it? Certainly not so quickly. Would he eventually discover it? Seemed likely.

  Cole took a deep breath of salty air. Did he believe that Trillian could not lie? He did. But if he was wrong, the consequences could be catastrophic.

  “You promise you won’t enter my world if you use Violet’s power to peek at it?” Cole said. “You promise you won’t even try to go there?”

  “You have my word,” Trillian said. “I cannot break it.”

  “Okay,” Cole said. “How does this work?”

  “Connect me to Violet’s power,” Trillian said. “I’m impressed you learned to reach for the nexus. I could have taught you, but you realized on your own.”

  “The nexus is the center?” Cole asked.

  “Yes,” Trillian said.

  “Can I reach your nexus?” Cole asked.

  “I created a nexus in this version of me,” Trillian said, placing a hand over his heart. “It will suffice.”

  Cole connected to Violet with no problem. Finding the center of the power in Trillian was not complicated either. It didn’t feel like the immeasurable ocean of power inside Ramarro. It had boundaries.

  “Ramarro felt different,” Cole said.

  “You met Ramarro in person,” Trillian said. “This is a limited version of myself, designed to interact with you.”

  Cole connected Violet to Trillian.

  A huge, round wayport opened, the edges hazy.

  “I need to send someone through the Pilgrim Path,” Trillian said. “Not you or Violet—you would not be able to return. But if a servant connected to my power goes through, I should be able to feel exactly how going to Earth would affect my power. Any objections?”

  “You servant would be stuck there?” Cole asked.

  “Cut off from me and from this realm,” Trillian said. “That is the nature of the Pilgrim Path.”

  Cole supposed that going to Earth would be better than staying Trillian’s servant. “Do it.”

  A man appeared on the beach. He was tall and muscular, with a closely trimmed brown beard that followed his jawline.

  “Fenrel, I need you to venture to another world,” Trillian said. “A world without shaping. You will not be able to return. But your adventure will provide information that I need.”

  “You are releasing me from your service?” Fenrel asked, unexcited.

  “This great and useful deed will end your service to me, yes,” Trillian said. “You will build a new life in a world full of opportunities and conveniences. I trust you will do well.”

  Fenrel bowed. “It has been an honor.”

  “Farewell, Fenrel,” Trillian said.

  Fenrel stepped into the wayport. Unlike other wayports, he did not immediately vanish. He proceeded down it like a tunnel until he faded from view.

  Trillian turned to Cole. “We are in what you would consider a dream state. The actual path I opened was on the Red Road. Fenrel’s actual body passed into it there. I have lost all contact with him, but not before I got the briefest of glimpses. Your world would utterly strip a torivor of his powers. My only question is whether a torivor would survive.”

  “You’re sure?” Cole asked.

  The Pilgrim Path closed.

  “Ramarro would be rendered powerless by going to Earth,” Trillian said. “As would I. No doubt.”

  Cole let the connections to Violet and Trillian drop. He watched a curl progress along a breaking wave. “So there’s a chance. Last time he didn’t want to go.”

  “Too many people present were hoping for him to go,” Trillian said. “Lorenzo and his colleagues wanted it. And though you were conflicted, you also knew Ramarro might be rendered powerless. He sensed the trap.”

  “And now I know for sure that the path will strip his powers,” Cole said. “He’ll see it in my mind. Besides, if you can figure out Ramarro would lose his powers, so can he.”

  “Perhaps he could be persuaded otherwise,” Trillian said.

  “How?” Cole asked.

  “You must understand your foe,” Trillian said. “In our native realm, torivors are held in check by one another. We have rulers, but no dictators. Ramarro left home to explore. And to rule.”

  “You had the same reasons?” Cole asked.

  “More or less,” Trillian said. “Ramarro views himself as superior to all life he has encountered beyond our home realm. He wants to bend everyone he encounters to his will. If you bow to him, you become largely irrelevant, invisible. He is intrigued by those who defy him.”

  “I defied him,” Cole said.

  “I’m aware,” Trillian said. “Torivors can read minds. But we cannot see all. Memories are hard to reach unless they are on the main stage of the mind. Your present thoughts are the most vulnerable. We can perceive those as if you are speaking them to us. We will sometimes ask questions to bring thoughts to the foreground. We can deduce and assume much from only a little information. There are patterns.”

  “I have to try not to think about it?” Cole asked.

  “Do not think of a large red lion,” Trillian suggested.

  “It’s all I’m thinking about,” Cole said.

  “You will not succeed in hiding your thoughts about the Pilgrim Path,” Trillian said. “Not on your own.”

  “You can help?” Cole asked.

  “With your permission,” Trillian said. “I can hide some memories. I can create new realities in your mind. You will believe them. And I expect Ramarro will too.”

  “Why do you need my permission?” Cole asked.

  “Your will is sovereign,” Trillian said. “Your will belongs to you. Others can complicate your circumstances and reduce your options. You can be tricked, abused, intimidated, jailed, and enslaved. But your will, your core self, what you know, who you choose to be, your identity, is yours alone. It can be influenced. It can be surrendered. But not taken.”

  “What would you make me believe?” Cole asked.

  “You would believe that the Pilgrim Path was a temporary opportunity,” Trillian said. “Only an option for a very limited time. You would feel sure that the Wayminders wanted to sacrifice Earth to save the Outskirts. And you would believe you had proof that access to Earth would simply allow Ramarro to rule both worlds. You would think you had proof the Wayminders were utterly mistaken in their hopes. It would feel real to you. It would be extremely frightening. And it might mislead Ramarro.”

  “Wouldn’t that be lying?” Cole asked.

  “I would help you believe what you tell me you want to believe,” Trillian said. “That is not lying. That is executing instructions with permission. Any lies would come from you.”

  “It could mislead Ramarro,” Cole said.

  “I mislead frequently,” Trillian said. “But I mean every word I say.”

  “Are you misleading me now?” Cole asked.

  “You don’t know all of my motives,” Trillian said. “But I am telling you the truth.”

  “Won’t Ramarro see other things in other minds?” Cole asked.

  “We would need to adjust Violet’s mind as well,” Trillian said. “The other minds have no certainty. They will appear conflicted. Ramarro would have to see very deeply very quickly. Think of him surrounded by many books. He has the ability to read them, but not the time and perhaps not the desire. He has abundant confidence. The things you believe will shout at him, while other minds are uncertain. It could work.”

  “And if it fails?” Cole asked.

  “You will
miss your best opportunity for victory,” Trillian said. “At least it grants an opportunity.”

  “You want to see him fail?” Cole asked.

  “It simplifies matters for me,” Trillian said. “He would be my only real rival if I ever get free. I knew I did not have his loyalty. After viewing your memories, I know he considers me an enemy. He would kill me if he could.”

  “But you came here together,” Cole said.

  “Without ever having dwelled in time,” Trillian said. “Without ever risking death. Without ever having weaker beings to dominate. The relationship quickly became complicated and unstable. We had no time for it to play out before we were imprisoned.”

  “You could have dominated your children,” Violet said. “Back home. If you needed to rule somebody.”

  “No, Violet,” Trillian said. “Torivors are eternal. We never began. There are no children in our home realm.”

  “How can you never begin?” Cole asked.

  “Time has beginnings and endings,” Trillian said. “Eternity either exists or it doesn’t. Only that which is eternal truly exists. You exist. This state is temporary, but your essence is eternal.”

  “Isn’t this temporary for you?” Cole asked.

  “I am eternal,” Trillian said. “I never had to worry about death. However, when I entered a realm vulnerable to time, I entered a temporary state. My time in the Outskirts began, meaning it will also end. Entering time also made me vulnerable to death. If I die, having come here as an eternal being, will I go elsewhere? This is untested. Unknown. I may be risking not just a temporary life, but my entire existence. Ramarro too. It awakens new insecurities. Confuses relationships. Especially when we were not willing to vow to protect each other. We discovered we both wanted to rule.”

  “You’re dangerous,” Cole said.

  “You knew that before we met,” Trillian said. “I would have offered to help defeat Ramarro in combat if you freed me from my prison. But you know I’m dangerous. And I would have made no promises not to rule. I have time on my side. I am capable of patience. So why waste time with a fruitless conversation? I influence where I can. If you remove Ramarro, you solve a perplexing problem for me.”

  “And if he won’t take the Pilgrim Path?” Cole asked.

  “Seek help from all your allies,” Trillian said. “Ramarro and I were captured once. It took a group effort. Ramarro will be much more prepared this time. But who knows? Perhaps with enough of the right people involved you could put up a fight.”

  “Okay,” Cole said. “What happens if I let you mess with my mind? Can you change me?”

  “Any alteration to your essence can only be accomplished with your full permission,” Trillian said. “I can’t change you against your will. I can make changes we agree upon. Especially to your memories and your understanding. But that should not happen yet. It would be better for you to remember the reality of the situation as you prepare. Come visit me again shortly before Ramarro will appear, if you like my strategy.”

  “I will,” Cole said. “It’s the best I’ve heard.”

  “We can go?” Violet asked timidly.

  “You have a busy night ahead,” Trillian said. “I wish you well.”

  CHAPTER

  29

  RESCUE

  That could have been worse,” Violet said after they exited the palace grounds through the barbed fence.

  “If Trillian didn’t want to use us against Ramarro, it would have gone much worse,” Cole said.

  “Mira got Ramarro to confess he would keep Trillian in prison?”

  “Yes,” Cole said. “I remember it all now. Having those memories will help.”

  “I remember Creon, too. I hope all of my memories are real.”

  “I don’t think he can plant fake ones unless we let him.”

  “I hope you’re right. Where to next?”

  “The Island Keep?” Cole asked. “Save the queen and Mira’s sisters? Maybe even the king.”

  “Just the two of us?” Violet asked.

  “Owandell swiped them with Wayminders,” Cole said. “Why not rescue them the same way?”

  “You are a tempter,” Violet said. “I have already broken some serious rules as a Wayminder. There is no exception where sneaking into anywhere is acceptable. Not in times of war. Not in emergencies. That includes into a private residence. You are talking about an Enforcer fortress.”

  “You caved easier for Brogan,” Cole said. “You took us to the balcony outside the governor’s room to kidnap him.”

  “I did?” Violet asked.

  “Without much hesitation,” Cole said. “Except we can’t use Brogan for this. If he leaves Creon, he’ll get old again.”

  “They’re probably shielded,” Violet said. “It may not be a quick in and out. Won’t we want Jace?”

  “We’re always safer with Jace around,” Cole said. “But getting Jace will take time. We can’t go straight into the Iron Fort, or leave straight from it. Let’s just investigate. Maybe all we need is a wayport to the right room.”

  “Which is why it is so illegal,” Violet said.

  “Owandell did it to take the king, the queen, and two princesses,” Cole said. “He went right into the First Castle and snatched them. We can’t use the same method to take them back? We’re trying to save the world. Even if this destroys the reputation of Wayminders forever, isn’t it better than having all Wayminders destroyed forever?”

  Violet’s eyes widened with realization. “I’ll do it,” she said. “Give me a lot of power. I’m going to spy like no Wayminder has spied before.”

  She reached for Cole’s hand, but he waved her away. “I remember how to connect directly.”

  “All right.”

  Cole found her nexus and flooded power into her.

  Violet closed her eyes. “I’m there. I see it. I don’t sense much shielding. I’m too used to Creon. Nobody who broke into the Island Keep from Creon could leave. Unless you were with them, Cole. Only you could help someone open a wayport in Sambria.”

  “If a wayport opened from Creon to Sambria, couldn’t they just leave it open and go back through it?”

  “Wayports from Creon to another kingdom do not allow for travel in both directions,” Violet said. “Only from Creon to the desired destination.”

  “Then we have a big advantage,” Cole said.

  Violet looked at Cole. “If the queen is really at the Island Keep, she must be well out of sight. They can’t afford her being discovered. These are Enforcers. At least some would be more loyal to the crown than to Owandell if he abducted their monarch. Until Ramarro reorders the world, Owandell needs to keep this crime quiet. So I need to look in the deepest, most private corners of the dungeon, or else up high in tower cells. With royalty, probably towers. Owandell would want to show respect for the office, and towers would be the most removed from the rest of the fortress. Unless he has some other secret room someplace.”

  A small wayport opened in front of Violet, no larger than a dinner plate. She leaned close, peering through. Glancing at Cole, she held a finger to her lips. The wayport closed. Another opened.

  As they stood on the Red Road, borrowing light from the Lost Palace, Violet opened and closed several small wayports—some as tiny as a coin. Light or sound issued from some. Cole caught fragments of conversation as he kept feeding her power.

  After closing the latest little wayport, Violet turned to Cole. “Lots of guards at the base of the second-highest tower. It’s full of really sturdy doors, and features a guardroom halfway up with Enforcers inside. Nobody in the third-highest room. Nobody in the second-highest room. And I haven’t looked into the top room. It is protected. If I open a wayport there, an alarm will sound.”

  “Do you have to open a wayport?” Cole asked. “Can’t you just look with your mind?”

  Violet shook her head. “I can get the lay of the land that way. The shape and position of buildings. But I don’t really see. Not like I can with my eyes.
And I don’t sense living things like people.”

  “There could be guards inside,” Cole said.

  “If it goes bad, we could back out and close the wayport,” Violet said. “But they might move the prisoners before we can try again.”

  Cole drew his Jumping Sword. “We can take them, especially if Honor is there. I’ll energize her. How many doors to the room?”

  “One,” Violet said.

  “With Brogan, you opened wayports to block doors,” Cole said. “Used them defensively.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that,” Violet said. “With your help, I bet I could open multiple wayports all at once. How many could I handle?”

  “I’m pretty sure you did three at once when we took the governor,” Cole said. “You blocked a door. You also blocked one of the wayports they opened.”

  Violet nodded. “Okay. You want to try right now?”

  “I think we should,” Cole said. “Time is working against us tonight.”

  “It’s late,” Violet said. “They might be asleep.”

  “Let’s find out,” Cole said, energizing her power.

  A wayport opened.

  “Go,” Violet said.

  Cole stepped through. He was in a semicircular room. Iron shutters masked the windows. Honor and Harmony sat at a table conversing by lamplight. Stafford rested on one of four narrow beds. Destiny slept on another. There were no guards.

  “Hurry,” Cole said as Violet stepped through the wayport. “Let’s go.”

  He ran to Tessa and started helping her out of bed. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. Harmony and Honor joined him.

  A key rattled in the door.

  A moment later, a wayport blocked the door.

  Leaving Destiny with her mother and sister, Cole crossed to Stafford. Looking weary and drawn, the old king shook his head. “I’m in no condition to travel. Leave me.”