Fire

by Cheryl Twaddle

  "Oh, I wouldn't miss it," said Cornelius and I noticed Emma Lee squeeze his hand. "I shall bring Emma Lee with me."

  Chapter 10

  "Well, at least it's more comfortable here than in that awful room in the Healing Centre," said Emma Lee as she sat at a table that was full of cakes, cookies and sandwiches brought to us by Cici. She poured herself a cup of tea and spooned a teaspoon of sugar into it. "That's something to be thankful for, isn't it?"

  "Just because the prison is decorated with fancy things doesn't make it any less of a prison," I said. "We're still stuck here. We still can't go anywhere."

  "Really?" said Cornelius. I could tell he was getting annoyed with me and wasn't afraid to let me know it. "You don't know how to open the portal yet, so, where would you go?"

  "Out there!" I pointed to the street that lay beyond the window and beyond the walls that surrounded the Huxley mansion. "I want to see the city! I want to know what it's like out there; talk to some of the people and ask why they don't like the Huxleys. It would be nice to know both sides of this war story, don't you think?"

  "It might not be that easy, Nicole. You saw what it's like out there," Robert said. "The people hate the Huxleys and are trying to overthrow their reign. If they know that we're guests of the First, they might not be too kind to us."

  "We don't know that!" I said. "Yes, we've been told that Gregorius killed a bunch of people, including his own father, and that the people got real pissed off about it and are now trying to overthrow their leader but, maybe, that's not the whole story. Maybe the people were just fed up with being ruled by the same family year after year. Maybe there would have been an uprising anyway. We don't know the idiosyncrasies that make up this world. Isn't that what you said, Robert? We don't know who's right or who's wrong. We have no idea of the history of this world. Have the Huxleys been fair to the people? Who knows? Obviously, the people out there don 't seem to think so."

  "Amelia's okay. She seems like a good person," said Cornelius and I could see Emma Lee glance at him as she sipped her tea, obviously still jealous. Cornelius noticed it as well and tried to minimalize the damage. "I mean, she's not a monster. She treated us—all of us, fairly didn't she?"

  "And you're going to judge her ability to rule on that?" I asked.

  "It's all I can judge it on," he pointed out to me.

  "Exactly!" I said. "Of course, she was perfectly well-behaved! She thinks we came here with a member of some ancient tribe who's supposed to help her keep her title. She would be stupid not to treat us good!"

  "Or we came with someone who wants things done more justly by taking away her title and letting the people decide who will rule," said Robert. "In that case, she could have just as easily put us behind bars or had us executed."

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "I think young Amelia is a victim of circumstance," he said. "Whatever the mood of the people that live out there, I don't think it's a statement against Amelia, herself. I think the hatred that is boiling over in the hearts of the citizens was put there by the Huxleys that have ruled in the years before she came into power, ignited by Gregorius' horrendous crimes."

  "You're absolutely right!" said Cornelius, happy to have someone agree with him about Amelia.

  "I think Gregorius is far more dangerous than Amelia," said Robert.

  "Do you really think so?" I asked.

  "You feel otherwise?" Robert looked at me, waiting to hear my opinion.

  "It's just that Amelia seemed, I don't know, kind of over the top," I said.

  "What?" questioned Cornelius. Obviously, he had found her otherwise.

  "I don't know how to describe it," I tried to explain. "It's just that-okay, here it is. Back in my world, the world I lived in before I fell, I was in high school and in high school there's this type of girl that kind of gets under everyone's skin. Well, at least the people that don't fit into her clique. She's pretty, wears the best clothes, does her hair and make-up perfectly, figures she's more popular than anybody else just because she exists. She flirts with all the guys and sneers and laughs at all the girls she doesn't find good enough to be in her little group. We call her the 'mean girl'. That's who Amelia reminds me of. She pretends she's nice but it all feels like an act, like she's just trying to amuse us until she can get what she really wants."

  "And what does she really want?" asked Robert.

  "I don't know, yet," I answered. "Marshal, more Fire People, no Fire People. I don't know."

  "That's a little dramatic, don't you think?" Cornelius was obviously angered by my assessment of Amelia.

  "I don't think so," I said, "and I don't understand why you're so willing to stick up for her."

  "I think you're forgetting that she grew up in a family that's ruled this land for a long time," said Cornelius. "It seems only natural that she would have some kind of air of superiority because her family is superior."

  "I know, but...," I didn't know how to explain my uneasiness and Cornelius's sudden devotion to Amelia wasn't helping. "Do you think she's okay, Robert?"

  "I hope so," said Robert. "I trust her more than I do her brother right now and I think, if we play are cards right, we might be able to get her to open the portal for us."

  "You honestly think she'll open the portal?" I was surprised by this.

  "She's gone out of her way to make us feel comfortable hasn't she?" stated Cornelius. "I mean look all around you, look at all of this food! If she was really going to put us in jail or kill us, why would she waste all of this food? You heard Jeremiah, food is rationed, supplies are limited and she's given a lot of them to us! That says something."

  Our 'living quarters' were palatial compared to the tiny room in the Healing Centre we'd been confined to. For one thing, we had more than one room. In fact, we had an entire wing of the house. There were three bedrooms, four bathrooms, a small sitting room and a little dining area where we were now gathered. It was very comfortable.

  "You're right; it's nice in here," I said and then added under my breath, "I just hope she doesn't kill us when she finds out we didn't actually come here under the direction of this wolf named Faelen."

  "Oh, Nicole," smiled Robert. "That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"

  "I can't help it," I said. "I'm a suspicious person. It's who I am. Like, right now, I can't stop thinking about Marshal. Is he okay? Is Amelia treating him good? What if she doesn't get the answers she wants from him? What if he says something that makes her mad? I'm worried about him and it's driving me crazy!"

  "The kid's smart," said Colonel Al, who had been oddly quiet since we entered the Huxley House. "I worked side by side with him when we were trying to figure out the rocks back in the mine. I never had to tell him anything; he knew exactly what he was doing. He'll know how to talk with that First girl to keep her calm. Besides, if she hurts him, I'll snap her neck." I looked at him, taken aback by what he just said.

  "Colonel Al?" I said. "Sometimes you scare the shit out of me."

  "Thank you, Nicky," he said. "I consider that a compliment."

  "We'll get a good idea of how Marshal's doing soon enough," said Robert. "It's getting late. It won't be long before the sun goes down and we go back to 'star gaze'." He said it with a bit of sarcasm but Cornelius didn't pick up on it.

  "That's right! I can't wait to see what trick those windows hold!" he exclaimed.

  "I want to find out more about the other Huxleys," I said.

  "Do you think that's wise?" asked Emma Lee.

  "I don't really care," I answered. "Don't you guys find it kind of weird that her and Gregorius seem to be the only Huxleys we've met? I mean, where's the rest of them? Shouldn't there be a whole lot of them? Jeremiah did say there were more Huxleys that believed in the pure blood of the Fire People. So, where are they? You'd think they'd be chomping at the bit to meet Marshal."

  "It is odd," said Colonel Al. "I wondered that myself. If this war is against the Huxley family then you would think that the Huxley fa
mily would all be here, in the court, under protective guard." I looked at Al and smiled. At least he agreed with me.

  "Maybe the family thinks she's weak," I said.

  "What do you mean?" asked Cornelius.

  "You know what I mean. You're the one that's all super impressed by how great she is," I said.

  "I don't think she's great," he argued.

  "Yes, you do," I said.

  "I just think she's been nice to us when she doesn't have to be," he explained.

  "Exactly!" I said. "Kindness can be seen as an act of weakness. Maybe her family thinks she's soft. Maybe they think she'll give in to the people and give them what they want. That worries them. If they could get rid of Amelia and put Gregorius in, it would make things easier. Gregorius seems to think along the same lines as they do, he would make a perfect leader. If that's the case, then Amelia probably doesn't want them around."

  "You're right," said Colonel Al. "Maybe that's why the boy keeps disappearing. A coup to overthrow the leader takes planning, secret planning."

  "Or, maybe, they're just in one of the other houses in the court," said Robert, trying to keep things simple. I appreciated it.

  "Maybe, not that it matters. It's none of our business," I said. "I think we should tell Amelia who we are and ask how to get back through the portal. This war was raging before we got here and it will still be going on after we leave. The longer we stay, the more they're going to want us to pick a side and fight and I really don't want to do that."

  "Do you think that's smart?" asked Cornelius, again defending Amelia. Man, I couldn't believe how infatuated he was with her even if he didn't want to admit it. I quickly glanced at Emma Lee and saw the pain in her eyes as she fidgeted with her cup. Jerk, I thought, he was ruining his relationship with Emma Lee and he didn't even know it.

  "We're going to have to get one of them to tell us how to open the portal," I said, ignoring the whole jealous triangle bit. I didn't have time for it and Max didn't have time for it. "Marshal is better, he can make it through. I don't want to put it off any longer. The sooner we get to Max, the better. Howling Wolf is probably using him as bait, waiting for us to come back but he won't wait long. A man like that doesn't have a lot of patience and when he runs out, he'll kill Max. We can't ask Gregorius because he's not here to ask. So, that leaves Amelia. If we tell her everything tonight then, hopefully, tomorrow she can help us go back."

  "And if Howling Wolf is waiting for us with all his men pointing guns at the portal?" asked Cornelius. "What do we do then?"

  "We take weapons with us," I said.

  "Weapons?" Cornelius asked with skepticism. "Just where do you propose we get weapons from?"

  "Amelia," I answered. "We ask her."

  "What makes you think she'll give us any?" asked Cornelius. "Especially after we tell her we're not going to help her in her war."

  "We lie," I said. It was the safest thing to do. "We tell her we'll come back after we get Max and Barker. We'll bring them here to help fight her war. Hell, we'll tell her we have an entire army that would love to fight her war. We'll promise anything, if she helps us get through the portal, we'll help her win her war and keep her title."

  "Sounds like a good plan," said Colonel Al and I was relieved somebody supported me.

  "You actually approve of this?" Cornelius was appalled by my suggested betrayal of Amelia. Wow, he really had it bad for this chick, I thought.

  "Nicky is right," said Emma Lee, looking defiant against Cornelius. "We have no ties here, no loyalties to anyone. This world is a mistake. Our being here is a mistake. We need to go back; the sooner the better."

  "And leave this world in turmoil?" Cornelius was working himself into a frenzy over leaving Amelia. "If we go back, how can we live with ourselves? People will die here. If we can help stop this war, shouldn't we?"

  "If we don't go back, Max will die," said Emma Lee, tired of Cornelius's behaviour. "Howling Wolf and his Blood Demons will be left to kill more people, wipe out more communities. My loyalties lie with my own world not this one."

  "Max can take care of himself," Cornelius said which really pissed me off. "I told you, he's been in far worse situations. Amelia needs us. She needs us to help her. When this war is won, then we'll go back."

  "Cornelius?" Emma Lee asked and it was obvious she was questioning more than his desire to stop a war. If he denied her, she knew their relationship was over.

  "What?" he sounded irritated with her, like she was keeping him from doing what he wanted. He quickly noticed the anger on her face and tried to change his voice, make it more gentle and then spoke to her like he was trying to calm down a whining child. It only made her more angry. "I just don't want her to be defeated. I don't want her to get hurt."

  "You don't want her to get hurt?" Emma Lee asked, knowing that she had already lost him.

  "You know what I mean," he said as he rolled his eyes. "I think the people will be safer with her in charge. Therefore, we should help her stay in charge."

  "Hmph!" Emma Lee put her hand to her mouth, got up from her chair and ran from the room in tears.

  "Dear, wait...!" he called after her and then looked over to us, shrugging his shoulders with his hands in the air. "What did I do?"

  "Really?" I couldn't believe he didn't know how much he had just hurt her. Was he really that dumb? "How can you not know? All you've done is talk about how great Amelia is and how you want to save her. Didn't you see how hurt Emma Lee was? Are you that stupid?"

  "I-I," he stuttered. "Surely, she doesn't think I...?"

  "Oh, surely she does!" I said to him. "What's happened to you? What's so special about this girl? Did she put some kind of a trance on you? Bat her eyes? Smile like a schoolgirl? I never took you as someone who could be turned on by all that flirting nonsense. I guess I was wrong. Tell me, do you really think the leader of an entire world will even care that you sacrificed your relationship with Emma Lee just for a smile and a wink?"

  "What are you talking about?!" he exclaimed. "I love Emma Lee. I have no feelings for Amelia whatsoever! I just met the girl, for god's sake! Robert, you know me. Tell them."

  "I think you've said enough," Robert pat Cornelius on the back and urged him to sit down. "Don't make it any worse than it is."

  "What? What do you mean?" He looked at Robert, still with no comprehension of how stupid he was acting. "You don't actually think Nicky's right do you?"

  "I think she makes a valid point," said Robert.

  "Of course, she's right," said Colonel Al. "We don't belong here. We left a wounded soldier and we should do everything we can to get him to safety."

  "I can't believe you guys," said Cornelius. "You'll see. When we go back up to talk to her, you'll see that I don't care about her. I love Emma Lee. I just think we should help this leader before asking her to open the portal. If we don't help her, why would she want to help us? Besides, I can almost guarantee she's not going to let Marshal go, not when she thinks he's the hero come to save them."

  "I guess we'll just have to see," I said. "In the meantime, I'm going to go check on Emma Lee."

  "Let me," Cornelius said. "It should be me."

  "I think you've done enough," I said then turned and walked away.

  Chapter 11

  Faelen

  Faelen never really liked changing forms. It was confusing and sometimes painful, but something he had to get used to. It was the only way he and the other Returners could move through the worlds. And they had to move through the worlds if they were going to stop what was going to happen. At least this world allowed him to be human. Whenever he crossed over to the other worlds he had to change; become something that restricted how he moved and communicated. Like all the other Returners, he got to choose his form and, while the others chose to change into some kind of magnificent beast, like an eagle or a bear, he chose something more practical; a dog. His choice, as it turned out, was the smartest choice he ever made. A dog was safe; people would approach a dog a
lot easier than they would approach a bear. They would follow a dog, thinking that it was they who were protecting the dog and not the other way around. Aidan was a powerful bear but far too terrifying to approach anybody. People usually ran when they saw a bear or they tried to kill it. Skylor commanded the skies with grace and elegance in her eagle form but, like Aidan, caused fear whenever she approached someone.

  Being a dog was the best. He had done what the others could not and it made him laugh to think about it. He was the only one who had collected his group and brought them to this world. Well, most of them but he was going fix that. He would go back and get the pirate as soon as he freed the others because, whether they knew it or not, as soon as they stepped into the Huxley House they became Amelia Huxley's prisoners.

  It had been a challenge to jump from one world to another, gathering the people he needed to change the fate of mankind. Getting Nicky to fall proved to be the most difficult. There was something strange about her generation. They wreaked of isolation, sealing themselves inside a digital world, only existing through cables and radio waves and, yet, they were more connected than any other generation. Despite the misconceptions of others, they wanted to work hard. They understood the price to be paid for a happy life and, still, they were hated by almost everyone. He could understand why they lost their empathy for the generations that came before them and how they could, unknowingly, birth the generations that would destroy everything.

  His group proved how brave they were when they were willing to stand up against Pig and his camp. Then, with the help of Max, they uncovered Ryan and Sarah's plot to take over the camp and stopped it. Well, it was mostly Nicky, but she couldn't have done it without everyone else working together. Even Robert, who Faelen had chosen for his ability to stay calm and think rationally, showed how ruthless he could be when he killed Sarah. He felt bad for Robert when he lost Madge but she had never been a part of Faelen's group neither was Cornelius nor Billy. Kitten was but she, unfortunately, would not be here to help. Howling Wolf had taken care of that.