by Davis Ashura
“It’ll work,” William promised.
A few hours later, William pulled into Jake’s tree-lined neighborhood of mansions.
William whistled in appreciation. “You did grow up rich.”
“Yeah,” Jake said with a smug smile. He hadn’t stopped grinning since they’d reached the city.
William parked across the street from Jake’s house, a tan, two-story modern home with a peaked roof.
“No cars out front,” Jake noted. “Looks like no one’s visiting.”
“Wait here,” William said. “I’ll signal when they’re ready.”
Jake’s smile slipped and his eyes glistened. He wiped at them. “I can’t believe this is really happening.”
William stepped out of the T-bird and quickly crossed the street. He rang the doorbell and waited. Footsteps echoed from within, and shortly afterward the door opened.
A big, balding man, a larger, older version of Jake, stood in the doorway. “Can I help you?” he asked. A frown creased his face before his eyes widened in recognition. “Wait. I know you.” Excitement dawned on his face. “William Wilde! You’re alive.”
“May I come in, sir?” William asked.
Mr. Ridley opened the door wider. “Yes. Yes. Please come in.” He ushered William inside and closed the door. “Helen!”
A woman arrived in the foyer. “What is it?” she asked. Her eyes darted to William and her face went pale. “William.” A desperate longing filled her face. “Jake! Is he alive?”
William smiled. “He’s near. Is Pete home?
“Yes,” Mr. Ridley said. “Let me get him.” He lumbered off, and moments later came back with a younger version of Jake, slender and more bookish.
“Where’s Jake?” Mrs. Ridley demanded.
“Jake’s alive,” William said. “I wanted to warn you, so it wasn’t too much of a shock when I call him in.”
William opened the front door, and Jake stood directly outside. He burst into the house, and his family enveloped him in hugs, tears, and love.
Envy settled in William's stomach as he watched it unfold. He’d never have a glad homecoming like this. He’d never again see his parents, and maybe not his brother, either. In the years following their battle against Kohl Obsidian, he hadn’t heard from Landon.
“How is this possible? Where have you boys been?” Mrs. Ridley asked.
Jake’s reply was a ball of lightning dancing in the palm of his hand. “I have a story to tell you.”
A FOOL’S PLAN
May 1989
* * *
Serena paused for a quick rest when she reached Clifftop. She’d jogged the entire way, and it took her a few seconds to catch her breath. Once she could breathe easily again, she pressed on, her basket of food tucked close. She called greetings to those out and about on the Village Green, and in that instant, it struck her how many people she had come to know on Arylyn, how much she enjoyed talking to them and learning their stories. She even enjoyed sharing her stories despite the fact she'd always thought of herself as a private person.
Maybe she was willing to open up because she’d finally found what she’d always longed for: friendship and community. In a deeper sense, she’d even entered an extended family through Sile and Ms. Sioned.
It left her feeling as warm and bright as the golden sun, and she said a prayer of gratitude to whichever deity had blessed her.
Serena reached her bicycle, which she always left racked near the Village Green when she didn’t need it. Many others did the same, since it was easier than keeping them at their homes and hauling them up and down the stairs whenever they were needed.
“Serena!”
She searched for whoever had called her and saw Lien waving as she came Serena’s way.
“Where are you going?” Lien asked.
“Linchpin Knoll.”
“Want some company?”
“Sure.” Serena reracked her bicycle, since Lien didn’t have one, and they set off.
“Are you going there for any particular reason?” Lien asked.
“Mr. Zeus says William and Jake are supposed to return from the Far Beyond this afternoon,” Serena said.
Lien eyed her sidelong. “You’re taking them some food?” she asked, pointing to the reed basket in Serena’s hands.
“Stuffed grape leaves and chicken-salad sandwiches.”
Lien broke into a chuckle.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. I’m glad you found your place here is all,” Lien said. “I didn’t think you would. When you first came here, I thought you were an arrogant bitch who nobody would like.”
“I was an arrogant bitch who nobody should have liked,” Serena agreed. The words didn’t upset her. She’d long ago made her peace with the person she’d once been.
“What changed?” Lien asked.
“William. He pointed out my behavior and forced me to think about things I didn’t want to think about.”
“William changed you,” Lien noted, and slyness marked her features. “I wonder why he would care what happened to you.”
Serena overlooked Lien’s obvious implications and her not-so-subtle near-leer. If she reacted, it would only incite the other girl to laugh at her, smirk more knowingly, or do something equally annoying. Pretending ignorance of Lien’s intentions usually worked better.
“You’d have to ask him,” Serena said.
“He never told you?”
“He did,” Serena said, “but you’ll probably laugh at his answer.”
“What did he say?” Lien asked. Her eyes twinkled and she grinned with relish. “Did he fall in lust with you again?”
Serena made sure Lien saw her eyeroll. “Don’t be stupid. He’ll never think about me like that again.” She felt satisfaction when her words wiped away the other girl’s smirk. “He said he forgave me because of something Rukh had told him. Rukh said that William had to figure out what kind of man he wanted to be, the kind who hates or the kind who forgives.”
Lien frowned. “Rukh and Jessira say weird things,” she declared.
“You know what’s even weirder about them?” Serena asked. They reached Linchpin Knoll and started upward. “They’re only supposed to be juniors in high school.”
Lien startled. “Holy crap. I’d forgotten about that.”
“Mr. Zeus and the Village Council know something about them,” Serena continued, “but they won’t say what it is.”
“Secrets are terrible unless you’re the one who knows them,” Lien agreed.
“Secrets and knowledge are currency on Sinskrill.”
“They’re currency most places,” Lien said when the reached the point on Linchpin Knoll where all the anchor lines were attached.
“Are you going to be at the meeting next week?” Serena asked.
“The one where we go over William's plan to steal the troll and your grandmother?”
Serena nodded.
“I’ll be there,” Lien answered.
They chatted while they waited, talking about Daniel and Magnus’ work in bringing more irrigation into Janaki Valley.
“It’s easier drawing the water straight from River Namaste instead of creating it with lorasra,” Lien said.
“Sounds like a lot of work.”
“It is, but it’s necessary,” Lien said. “Ms. Sioned and Afa can’t provide all the lorasra we need. I’ve heard it’s not as dense as it used to be.”
“Maybe when William and Jake are fully trained it will.”
Minutes later, Serena felt a tremor and saw the air pulse. “They’re coming.”
A line split the air. It rotated and revealed a doorway opening onto a rainbow bridge. William and Jake stepped off it.
“It went well?” Serena asked.
Jake smiled broadly, happier than Serena had ever seen him. “The best visit ever. I’m going back in a few weeks to see them again.”
“Here. I brought some food,” Serena said. “Figured you’d be hungry.” She h
eld up the basket. “Chicken salad sandwiches and stuffed grape leaves.”
William and Jake wore famished-wolf countenances when their eyes lit on the basket.
“Maybe you should drop the food and let them fight over it,” Lien suggested.
Dropping the basket and letting William and Jake go at it might have been funny, but Serena chose to divide the food evenly between them. She watched in bemusement as they devoured the food. It was like they’d never seen food before.
“Bless you,” Jake said, his mouth full of stuffed grape leaf.
“How long has it been since you’ve eaten?” Serena asked.
“Hours,” Jake answered.
William eventually surfaced from his food long enough to breathe. “Thank you,” he mumbled around a mouthful of chicken salad. “By the way, I’ve got something for you.” He reached into his backpack and handed her a cassette: October by U2.
“What do I do with this?”
William reached into his backpack again and handed her a Walkman. “Ward told me there’s a way to power these things without batteries.”
Serena stared at the Walkman and the cassette. “Why October?”
“You’re always humming “Gloria.” Now you can actually listen to it again.”
Serena smiled, touched by his thoughtfulness.
A week after returning from the Far Beyond, William called for a meeting to be held in Mr. Zeus’ courtyard. He wanted plenty of illumination for the meeting, so he’d lit all the landscape lights, the string of bulbs woven throughout the pergola, and even the tiki torches. The pond gurgled as the waterfall dribbled into it, and a warm wind blew. It set the tiki torches shivering.
William felt like shivering, too. He would be the one to run the meeting, and it left him with a belly full of nerves.
One by one the people he invited to the meeting arrived and took seats on a cluster of chairs, cushions, and couches. Jason, Lien, Julius, Daniel, Mr. Zeus, Rukh, Jessira, and Magnus and Trace Karllson. These were the people who had experience in the Far Beyond and had agreed to help save Fiona and Travail. Conversations had broken out amongst them, and William cleared his throat, calling for everyone’s attention.
The conversations stilled.
Here goes.
“First, I want to thank everyone for coming,” he began.
Jason hit him with a piece of popcorn. “Get to the point. This isn’t an awards show.”
William almost flipped Jason the bird, but he thought better of it when his eyes fell on Mrs. Karllson. She was a very formal lady and wouldn’t appreciate such a gesture.
“Fine,” William said. “All of you know why you’re here. We want to free Travail, a troll trapped on Sinskrill, and Fiona Applefield, the raha’asra, enslaved there.”
Rukh cleared his throat. “Since Sinskrill’s lorasra comes from their supposed god, Shet, why do the mahavans still need her?”
Julius answered. “Because only a raha’asra can repair the leylines.”
Rukh nodded understanding.
William took up the explanation again. “We’ve come up with a plan.” He gestured to Jake and Serena. “Me, Serena, Julius, Daniel, Rukh, and Jessira will travel by boat from the Faroe Islands to Sinskrill. Once we get there, Daniel and Julius will allow themselves to be seen trying to kidnap Fiona.”
“Why do you want them seen?” Rukh asked.
“Fiona wears a necklace that will decapitate her if she leaves Sinskrill without the Servitor’s approval. My hope is that if she’s seen taken against her will and manages to escape and swim back to shore, the necklace will tighten but not kill her. If so, then the Servitor will have to remove her necklace. He wouldn't want Sinskrill's only raha'asra to slowly asphyxiate.”
“You’re certain this will occur?” Rukh asked.
William shook his head. “No. We can’t be certain, but we’re pretty sure it will work.”
“This is actually Fiona’s part of the plan,” Serena said, taking up the explanation. “She dreamed it to me.”
“After the Servitor takes off the necklace, we’ll have a few hours to enact the rest of our plan,” William said.
“What happens to Daniel and Julius?” Mrs. Karllson asked.
“Their part will be done. They stay on the boat, in case the rest of our plan doesn’t work out. But if it does, they’ll return the boat to the Faroe Islands and head on home.”
“I do not like the idea of any of you facing such danger, but especially my son,” Mr. Karllson said.
“I understand,” William said.
“Do you?” Mr. Karllson demanded. He wore a furious scowl, and William faltered before his obvious anger. “Tell me that when you have a child of your own.”
“Dad,” Daniel muttered. “Come on—”
Mr. Karllson made a chopping motion, cutting Daniel off. “No. I will speak. I did not object when you went to Sinskrill to save William and Jake. I understood your reasons, and though I feared for your safety I accepted those risks. You did what was right.” Mr. Karllson glowered, and in that moment he had the terrifying bearing of his Viking forebears. His long, blond hair might have stood on end. “But this,” he waved a hand in William’s general direction, “this is to save a woman I don’t know and a troll I’ve never met. I cannot approve of this plan.”
“I agree,” Mrs. Karllson stated in tone that brooked no argument.
“I’m going,” Daniel vowed from behind clenched teeth.
“You won’t,” Mrs. Karllson declared. “The Council won’t allow it without our blessing.”
“Mom!”
“Daniel doesn’t have to go if you don’t want him to,” William said.
“Yes, I do!” Daniel replied. “It’s my choice. I believe you about Shet and Seminal. It won’t matter where I am when he arrives. If we can capture Sinskrill’s raha’asra and this troll, maybe they’ll know something more about the Spear, about how to steal it or break it or shatter the anchor line to Seminal.”
“How can they know any of that?” Mrs. Karllson demanded. “Such secrets were lost when Shokan and Sira walked the earth.”
“They might not know,” Daniel said, “but it also doesn’t change the likely truth about Shet. Even if Fiona and Travail can’t help us, what do we lose by saving them?”
“Your life,” Mr. Karllson said.
“My life is already lost if we can’t close that anchor line,” Daniel countered.
“Enough.” Mr. Zeus slapped the table in front of him. “Daniel’s participation is between him and his parents. I believe the rest of us are committed.”
“Lien cannot go either,” Mr. Karllson said.
“Agreed,” Mr. Zeus said before turning to William. “Go on with what happens after Fiona’s necklace is removed.”
William nodded. “The rest of us who go to Sinskrill will be inserted before Julius and whoever pretends to kidnap Fiona. We’ll hide close to Village White Sun. Travail’s home is nearby, and after Fiona’s necklace is removed she’ll meet us there. No one will notice because she does it all the time.
“We’ll all be hiding near the anchor line,” William continued. “That’s when Jake, Jason, and whoever is with them enter the Australian saha’asra that’s linked to Sinskrill. It should draw the mahavans like it did before. They know that we know of an anchor line linked directly to their island and will likely believe our presence to be an imminent attack. They’ll open the anchor line for us”
“Possibly,” Rukh said, “but what if they don’t? Is there an alternative?”
William shook his head. In the two years he’d struggled over the problem, another solution had never come to him.
“A large wager to make on a slim hope,” Rukh noted.
William privately agreed but remained silent.
“Can we anesthetize Travail?” Jessira asked. “Have him unconscious during the trip to the Faroe Islands?”
Mr. Zeus nodded slowly. “We could, but it would take all our strength to hold him under. Tro
lls are resistant to poisons, and anesthetizing agents count as poisons.”
“But it is an option if the anchor line doesn’t open,” Rukh said.
“I suppose so,” William agreed.
“The mahavans will be defending the anchor line, don’t you think?” Jake noted, returning to the original plan.
“They will,” William replied, “but I think the numbers will be with us. During our time on Sinskrill, the Servitor generally only kept about twenty mahavans at his Palace. He’ll send half of them through the anchor line and use the other half to hold it. But with Rukh and Jessira’s help, we should be able to punch through the defenders.”
Rukh wore a sardonic smile. “You’re putting a lot of confidence in our abilities.”
“I’ve trained against both of you,” Serena said. “It’s not a mistake to believe in you.”
Rukh dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Perhaps. But this is a plan requiring absolute precision. We have to review the timing as many times as needed until it’s perfect. Everyone has to know their places. Even better if we can coordinate with each other in real time.”
“We’re working on it,” Serena said.
“Are you sure five magi can hold off ten mahavans?” Lien asked. She had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the evening.
“It’ll be five against ten, but we’ll have lorasra and they won’t,” Jake said. “I’ll drain it out of the saha’asra. We won’t have any problem taking them on.”
“Unless they bring nomasras,” Jessira said. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you haven’t learned to drain those, have you?”
Jake glanced at William, who shook his head in negation.
“What about the Servitor himself?” Rukh asked. “The last time we faced him, his power was immense. How do we defeat him?”
“We don’t,” William said. “We only have to get through the anchor line and we’ll be free.”
“Unless he follows us through,” Jessira said.
“Even if he does, he won’t attack because we’ll have his mahavans hostage,” Serena said.
Rukh shook his head and frowned. “As a plan, this one leaves much to be desired.”
