Regardie peered closer. “Open your mouth.”
William opened wide.
“Good,” Dr. Regardie said. He handed William a pink-frosted cupcake. “Now go have some fun.”
When no one was looking, William spat out the little he’d managed to hold in his cheeks into a potted plant in the corner of the room. But he was already feeling strange. Like the time he’d drunk one of his aunt’s energy drinks and his mom had worried she’d have to take him to hospital. Only this was much weirder. When they were all being marched down to the playroom, Victoria poked him in the back and he nearly screamed. “Are you feeling something?” she whispered.
He nodded.
“Let’s make a deal. No matter what happens, we try to stay with each other.”
“Okay,” he said.
—
Dr. Regardie left them all alone, shutting the door behind himself. That was strange, as there was always an adult present when they had unsupervised play, but no one seemed to care. It was pandemonium when the door shut. Everyone was animated, wildly jumping around, laughing, screaming. One of the older girls did a series of cartwheels around the room. William’s body kept twitching and all he wanted to do was follow its urges. To jump, leap, run, and dance like everyone else. Victoria’s hands were slapping at her thighs, like she was playing Miss Mary Mack.
And the surges of energy felt so good. Good like nothing he could remember. The room around them had erupted in color, as if someone had turned on a light that made everything more sharply defined and vibrant. When he touched Victoria’s arm they both jumped like they’d been hit with an electric jolt. “Are we going crazy?” he asked. The answer seemed obvious.
Victoria pointed. “Look,” she said.
Everyone was looking at Aaron Fowler, a blond, pale kid, and one of the advanced students who had been picked for their new group. He had just finished tracing a pentagram from the Merkaba game in the air. Only this wasn’t a game. The pentagram hung in the air in front of him, glowing bright blue. It was wavering, like it was made of smoke that could blow away any second, but it was real.
William grabbed Victoria’s arm. “Do you—”
Her jaw hung open. “Yes. He’s doing it for real.”
Aaron, his eyes wide and mouth frozen open in an amazed smile, brought his cupped hands together in front of the shimmering star. The star faded and withdrew into the space between his hands, where the air seemed to thicken, as if his palms were concentrating it. He pulled his hands apart slightly and the space between them stretched, as if it had become a ball of taffy. “I’m doing it!” he screamed, sounding half-terrified.
“Is that punch making us see this?” William whispered. “Like drugs or something?”
Victoria didn’t answer. She just stared. The other kids were trying things now, too. Colin was making the symbols of the sixth level and smoky trails of red ran from his fingers. “It’s real,” she said. “The punch is just letting us see it better.” She pulled his arms. “Let’s try something.”
“I don’t know,” William said. The atmosphere in the room scared him. Maybe spitting out some of the drink had kept him from feeling what everyone else was.
“Isaac,” she shouted. Isaac came running over, his eyes wide. “Let’s do the hand-holding thing. Just the three of us.”
“Okay,” he said. “This is crazy!”
They all held hands. Isaac’s hand was so sweaty it was slippery. As soon as they connected, it was as if they were plugged into a supercharged current. Everything around the three of them dimmed, even the sounds of the other children. In Ms. Fortune’s ritual class they had formed a circle and imagined a sphere of energy surrounding them, but now it was happening for real. They were sitting inside what looked like a golden dome while the rest of the room dimmed until it seemed far away.
“This is real!” Isaac said.
“Shhh,” Victoria whispered. “Listen. Something is up. I don’t know what Ms. Fortune’s going to do with us but it’s not going to be good.”
“No,” William said. “It’s going to be bad. And it’s going to happen soon.” Victoria’s hand felt nice in his, but whether it was the magic making it tingle he couldn’t tell.
“I’m going home,” Isaac said, and then his face slackened. “I won’t ever see you guys anymore.”
William wanted to assure him that wasn’t the case, but he couldn’t lie. So he just glanced at Isaac, then back at Victoria. A tear ran from her eye. He was shocked. Victoria had never cried, or even acted like she was sad.
“You’re lucky, Isaac,” she said, blinking. “But we should make a deal now. Just the three of us. While we’re still hidden.”
William and Isaac both nodded.
“We need to stick together. And stick up for one another no matter what. And if something happens to one of us, we need to do that thing where we push our thoughts. Like this.” She closed her eyes and her face went smooth. For a moment she looked like a statue, and it scared William.
Inside William’s head a voice echoed, a mix of image and words: Dr. Dogturdy is a shithead.
Isaac laughed. William stared wide-eyed. “You’re good at that.”
“So are you guys. You just have to try. So no matter if we’re separated, we stay in touch like that. Just push as hard as you can. And deal number two: We do whatever we can to make their stupid plans not work. We do the opposite of what they want, right? We fight back. We mess things up the best we can and pretend it isn’t our fault.”
“Deal,” William said. Isaac echoed him.
“Ray’s coming to get us,” William said. “I know it. I saw him. He’s going to help us.”
Victoria looked at him without expression. “Well, I hope he gets here soon. Because school is going to end and I don’t know what’s going to happen after that.” She drew a deep breath. “Okay, let’s break the circle and then go play. Let’s see what we can do while this punch is still in us.”
—
The morning after the graduation party William awoke to someone knocking on the door. His eyes had crusted shut with sleep, and his head ached. He remembered his dad talking about hangovers, back before he had quit drinking. If this was a punch hangover, he never wanted to drink alcohol.
Colin was already awake and dressed in his uniform, so he answered the door. William hoped it wasn’t another blood draw. It was Dr. Regardie, looking even more disheveled and paler than usual. Behind him stood one of the guards, holding a small duffel bag.
“Good morning, Colin,” Regardie said. “Are you ready to go home to your parents?”
Colin squealed and clapped.
Dr. Regardie took the duffel bag and handed it to the boy. “All you need is what you’re wearing and anything else you want to throw into the bag. You can take your notebook, if you wish, but anything you leave we’ll ship to your home.”
“Am I going to my dad’s? Or to my mom’s, in Hong Kong?”
Regardie waved his hands. “I’m actually not sure. Other people are handling the details. But I did hear that your mom and dad will both be there.”
Colin pogoed up and down. “William, I’m going home.”
William sat up and forced a smile. “That’s great, Colin.”
Colin ran over and squeezed him tightly. “You were the best roommate ever.” He turned to Regardie, but then back to William. “Can we FaceTime with each other?”
“Yeah. Definitely.” William studied the old man but Regardie wouldn’t look at him.
“Of course,” Regardie said. “You’ve all made some wonderful friends. Don’t worry, Colin, we’ll make sure you can get in touch.”
Liar, William thought.
The last thing Colin stuffed into the bag was a picture William had drawn for him—Colin the transforming robot flying like a superhero above a red planet, trailing multicolored stars. A juice stain from one of their late-night monster fights bisected the drawing. William felt tears welling up unexpectedly. Colin was a dweeb but he would miss him.
—
Ms. Fortune’s class took place that evening. It was only nine of them now, and they all shot uncomfortable, wide-eyed glances at one another. None of them spoke except for short whispers. The classroom had been rearranged, with the nine desks in a semicircle and an oblong, rectangular stone block standing in the center, lit by a dim spotlight from above. Ms. Fortune’s chair was pushed near the wall.
“Children, let me welcome you to your new class. I promise this one will be really fun and exciting. We’re going to do things no one else has ever done. And I mean no one. Ever.”
William shivered. Victoria was stiff in her seat beside him, expressionless.
“When this is all over—when our studies are finished…” She paused. “You will understand how important your education has been. For the future. For the world.” Her eyes were glossy with tears.
A hand went up. Lakshmi, with the crazy hair. “Ms. Fortune?”
The large woman blinked. “Yes, Lakshmi?”
Lakshmi fidgeted with her hands. “What happened last night? When we could see everything?”
Fortune’s eyes were nearly swallowed by her cheeks. “Well, you’d have to ask Dr. Regardie about specifics. There is a special medicine in the punch that helps you see the energy you’ve been working with. Some of you probably still feel some of that energy.”
“I do,” Lakshmi said. “I can still see the Merkaba symbols.” She traced a finger in the air. Symbol of the Gate of Sirius. William couldn’t see anything, but several of the other kids nodded.
“When will we get to go home, Ms. Fortune?” Victoria asked.
The teacher blinked. “After the work is done you will all get to go back home. Only Dr. Regardie knows when. But I know it won’t be that much longer. This class is the final preparation. We’re just waiting for things to align perfectly with Dr. Regardie’s calculations.”
“Thank you, Ms. Fortune,” Victoria said, folding her hands against her desk.
“So let’s get to work! In the folder in front of you, please take out the drawing of Duke Grimscrob.”
—
William didn’t expect it to work. Ms. Fortune lined them in a semicircle around the stone pedestal and lit some awful-smelling incense. When she chanted the Opening of the Gate, William quickly felt the pull of the ritual and went into a very deep state. When she told them to open their eyes, he immediately understood that this really was an advanced class. The room was pulsing with energy. Visible waves, like heat from hot asphalt, emanated from all of the other kids. He looked at Victoria and when her eyes caught his the space between them rippled wildly.
“Now, children,” Ms. Fortune said, “join me in the Invocation.”
They chanted in unison, in the practiced, droning tone she had taught them, stretching out the syllables. Ms. Fortune swore it was a real language even though it sounded like nonsense. And as they chanted, the waves of energy poured off them and converged on the space above the pedestal. At the center, where their energy pooled, something—blurry and amorphous—began to take shape.
“Now form him,” Fortune said. “Bring him into shape!”
The nonthing began to coalesce, first like a soft cloud, then filled in with color as it solidified. And although William kept up the chant, the part of him that remained detached watched in horror. It couldn’t be happening. It was impossible.
Goat hooves tapped on the cold stone.
Chapter 10
When they had settled into cruising altitude, Ray sat next to Claire. “You okay?”
She nodded. “As okay as I can be. I’m still in shock, I think.”
He struggled for something to say. “They saved us. I feel sort of sick about it now. How we left them there.”
“They weren’t ordinary people,” she said quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“They were Adepts. I wasn’t certain at first, but it makes sense now.”
“Adepts?”
“Rulers above Jeremy. I was never sure they were even real. But their grace, their energy…you felt it, too, right?”
“Yes.”
She smiled as tears ran down her checks. “They had been following us, Oriel said. And they gave their lives to get us to where we’re going.” She wiped her eyes. “I need to process this alone, I think.”
Ray nodded. “Of course.”
—
Burnham left the flying to Konstantin and gathered the rest of the crew in the cargo bay. They sat on blankets and rolled-up sleeping bags in a circle in the vast, cavernous body of the helicopter.
“I’m not very good at this kind of thing,” Burnham said. He looked at his hands. “But I guess since I’m the captain of this bird, I have a few things I need to say.” He coughed, then took a deep breath. “You all should know something that I haven’t told you.”
All eyes were on him, but no one spoke.
“This mission was originally a one-way ticket. The strikers were not expecting to come back. Or at least not with me.” He paused. “I was supposed to drop them at the site and head to safety. Just me and Konstantin.”
The rhythmic drone of the rotors echoed in the enormous hold.
Burnham cleared his throat. “We have enough fuel to get us near the compound, thanks to our visitors. Maybe enough to get us back somewhere safe. But I can’t guarantee anything.”
Claire spoke first. “As a member of the original team, I knew this, too, brother. I’m sorry you have been burdened with that knowledge as well.”
Ray looked around. “So it was a suicide mission?”
Burnham nodded uneasily. “They were all fully prepared to die. There are even three vests rigged with explosives in storage back there. In case one of them got near Lily.”
Ray shook his head. “Jesus.”
“They would have done it, too. Without hesitation. But if they survived the raid, it was up to each of them to make their way to safety.”
Mantu leaned forward. “This chopper was supposed to be full of what—ten or fifteen strikers?” He held out his hands. “Now look at us. This is it. We made it this far, and we’ll bring it to a finish. If we get out of there alive, we’ll deal with finding our way back.”
Ray held up his hand. “Wait. Just a fucking minute. We’re getting Ellen and William out of there and bringing them back. You all agreed to that.” His face reddened.
“Hold on,” Burnham said. “I don’t plan to leave you on your own. As far as I’m concerned, this mission is ours now, not Jeremy’s, not the Brotherhood’s—and I’m not sure there’s even a Brotherhood left. I’ll get you as close as I can without taking a chance on getting shot down. And then I’m coming with you to take out Lily.”
Claire raised an eyebrow. “You’re leaving Konstantin to fly alone?”
“He can handle it. And you all will need me more than he will.”
No one could disagree. Burnham rubbed his hands together. “Good. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk logistics.”
—
They all stared at the map spread out in front of them. “So here is where we’re landing. Approximately. It all depends on weather and conditions on the ground.” He ran his finger along the map. “Here is the target. That’s about a hundred and twenty klicks from the landing site.”
“What’s that in miles?” Ray asked. The target was a dot in a valley between two enormous mountain ranges surrounded by whiteness.
“About seventy-five miles,” Vinod said.
Mantu sat back. “Why so far?”
“Any closer and our return trip is jeopardized. We need to leave this sucker with enough fuel to get Konstantin somewhere safe where he can possibly refuel. If we push it, we could wind up running out of fuel in the middle of this.” He pointed to the expanse of craggy whiteness.
Ray shivered. They were all in their winter gear alread
y. It was bone-numbingly cold inside the copter, and he couldn’t imagine how cold it would be down below, outside the sheltering metal walls.
“Have any of you ever ridden snowmobiles before?”
Stares all around.
“Me neither. So I hope we’re all fast learners.” Burnham pulled some papers out of a folder. “We have some photos of the target site. They’re almost a year old, but you can see there are about a dozen buildings. There’s no fence around the place. Not that they need one—you can see anyone coming a mile away from this tower here in the middle.”
“What’s the dome?” Ray asked.
Burnham shrugged. “My guess is that’s where the artifact is located. Jeremy built a dome over ours, so maybe it’s a way of containing its energy. One thing we know is that the compound is full of children brought there from all over the world. Some sort of program they’re running with psychically gifted kids. One of whom is William.”
“We’re getting them all out of there,” Ray said. “Everyone’s with me on that, right?”
They all nodded. “Absolutely,” Burnham said. “But does anyone have any idea how we’re going to do it? The initial plan was for a quick raid, drawing the guards out as much as possible, and then a full-scale assault.”
“But now it’s just us,” Mantu said. “So we have to get in there as quietly as possible. How well is it guarded?”
Burnham shrugged. “I assume heavily.”
Mantu squeezed his eyes shut. “So Burnham, you have any idea how to do this?”
Burnham scoffed. “You were trained in tactics, too. What’s your take?”
Mantu scanned the map. “Hell if I know. Maybe dress up like Girl Scouts selling cookies and ring the front doorbell.”
“Maybe we should travel there,” Vinod said. “Scout the premises first.”
It took Ray a moment before he understood.
Claire nodded. “Yes. It’s worth a try. Let’s do it.”
“Not again,” Ray said. “Seriously?”
“I’ll come with you this time,” Claire said.
Ray sighed. “Okay. Fine.” He was glad Claire would be with him. Despite the fact that everyone kept telling him he was a born traveler, he still didn’t quite believe it.
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