A World Divided

by Rebekah Clipper

  “That’s very troubling news.” Lockland clicked his tongue. “I’ll get on the horn right away. What are you planning?”

  “I need authorization to stabilize the open doorway and use it for emergency transport of Henry and myself. I need to find my family and warn the king of this new threat. When I return, I’ll close it for good. I have no idea how much magic has already leeched into this world, and the ramifications could be detrimental.”

  “Of course, of course.” Lockland’s eyes were locked on the blade. He turned it slowly in his hands. “I never thought I’d see any of these again. How d’you suppose he got to them? They were locked up tighter than a lug nut tightened by Superman.”

  “I intend on finding that out when I return. I have two additional requests.”

  Lockland looked up. “Name them.”

  “I need a cleanup crew sent to Caitlin’s house. The florean didn’t die cleanly.”

  “It may take them some time to get there, but they’ll get the job done. What’s the second thing?”

  “I need you to keep Lisa here until I get back.”

  Lockland’s eyes wandered to the woman on the couch. “Can I speak with you privately?”

  “Yes, fine.”

  The two men walked out into the hallway. Agitated whispers too low to comprehend carried into the room. Lisa looked around, stood, and tip-toed to the open door. Henry followed behind her.

  “… come round to your way of thinking, but many still blame her. People are in and out of here all the time. I’m not sure I can keep her safe.”

  “You have the means to protect her,” Alex whispered back. “No one will even know she’s here, unless you tell them.”

  “Yes, but—“

  “You will do this for me, Lockland. Or do I need to remind you it was my testimony that saved you from hanging and ultimately allowed you to build this ludicrous life of luxury. Monoflufee should have brought you treason charges. Instead, I convinced the council that your company was the perfect front for moving covert operatives into the area inconspicuously. And that was after I fell out of standing with the crown.”

  “The reminder is not necessary. I remember. Okay, Carey, I can guarantee a day. Maybe two. After that, she needs to be off the premises.”

  “Thank you, old friend.”

  Footsteps announced their return. Henry moved back toward the chair, but Lisa stayed put. An inferno raged behind her eyes. The men entered and she attacked. “I don’t know who you think you are, Carey, but I’ve had just about enough of this. What’s it about me that worries you both so much? I’m an old woman. I’ve spent my life painting and sewing. What other secrets are you keeping from me?” A loud sizzle cracked on her fingertips.

  Alex reached out and touched her forehead. “Sleep.” Lisa opened her mouth and then pitched forward onto Alex. He cradled her gently in his arms. “Lead me to the safe room.”

  “That shouldn’t have worked here,” said Lockland as he led the way out of the room. Henry trailed behind, unsure of what he just witnessed.

  “You’re right, but it did. I must get that doorway under control. She’s going to be furious when she wakes up, but I couldn’t risk her regaining her power when she doesn’t understand. It’s too dangerous.”

  “For everyone,” Lockland muttered as he pulled a card out of his wallet. He held it up to a blank wall. There was a beep as a panel slid aside. “I’ll keep her here until you return. She’ll have access to all amenities and there’s enough lead in the walls to dampen even the most potent power. Go complete your expedition immediately, because we’re going to have one hell of a shitstorm sooner than later.”

  Alex laid his wife gently on a plush bed. He covered her with a blanket and kissed her forehead. Whispering, he said, “I love you. I will always protect you.” He stood and turned to Henry. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I will explain everything when we get the girls back. They’re all that matters now.”

  “I sure as hell do have questions.” Henry’s blood boiled.

  “Save it, Henry. Think about your daughter and Caitlin.”

  “Is she one of them?” Henry asked, unable to bite his tongue.

  “One of who?” Alex was still looking at Lisa.

  “One of the rebels. Did you steal her memories?”

  “It’s complicated.” Alex’s voice was pleading. “Let’s get the girls, and then I’ll explain it to all of you.”

  “I’m only agreeing, because my family’s lives are in danger. When we return, I’ll make the decision whether you’ll be in our lives. Do you understand me?”

  “I do. Now let’s go get our girls.”

  The men gathered gear that had been set out for them and got it packed into the SUV. They were silent until they returned to the two-lane mountain road. “The knives were in court,” Henry said. The thought had been bothering him for a while. “How is it that you didn’t recognize them?”

  “They just looked like ordinary knives. They must have retained enough of their individual magic to cloak themselves from me. I would have been perceived as an enemy. They were forged hundreds of years ago by very powerful Homisbidian priests. Objects steeped in as much dark magic as them gain their own form of sentience. They would have wanted to protect themselves from me. Obviously, their power is still diluted significantly here, or they would have hidden from everyone.”

  Henry opened his mouth to respond, but no words wagged his tongue. Shutting his mouth, he stared out the window contemplating the past week in a completely different perspective.

  They pulled up in front of Henry’s house. From the outside there was no indication of the struggle that had ensued just hours before. The only abnormality was the police cruiser that sat silently in front of the house. Henry remembered seeing it as he had been pulled to the SUV, but it hadn’t penetrated the hysterical fog that clouded his mind. It must be Officer Clemmens’ vehicle. Henry quickly looked around at his neighbor’s houses. No one appeared to be skulking around in their bushes, so he had to assume that their escape had gone unnoticed.

  He walked up to the front door and opened it. Just beyond the entrance he saw Clemmens, now human again, lying naked on the floor surrounded by coagulated dark red blood. Bile rose in the back of Henry’s throat.

  “I was afraid we would rise again,” Alexander’s voice made Henry jump.

  “Wha…. How? I stabbed him a hundred times,” said Henry, “and you shot him with that light thing.”

  “Floreans are notoriously hard to kill,” responded Alexander. “Regeneration occurs nearly as quickly as you can injure them. I’m guessing he used too much of his magic reserve in his initial attack, and his body wasn’t able to collect enough ambient magic to restore him. That’s a very good thing for us.”

  Seeing the mangled body of the officer on the ground didn’t fill Henry with the optimism his father-in-law was exuding. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  “Very well,” said Alexander. He walked over to the dining room table and pulled out a tattered scroll and some chalk from his ruck sack. He took two cups and used them to hold the ancient paper open. Quietly he began to chant. As his chanting became rhythmic, almost melodic, he drew undulating shapes on the table with the chalk. Just beyond the table a shimmering outline appeared. At first it was just a blur, but it gradually sharpened into a roughly man-sized iridescent rectangle. It mirrored the scenery behind it for a few moments and then shifted subtly until nothing but large trees were visible.

  A sharp knock at the door tore Henry away from the wonderment in front of him. Alexander didn’t stop chanting at the sound.

  “Kowalski!” shouted Detective Stathem. “Open the door. I know you’re in there.” The image within the rectangle became solid. “I will break this damn door down. Open up!”

  Alexander stopped his chant and looked at Henry. “It’s time.”

  The pounding became more insistent. “Let me in, Henry!”

  For a moment Henry stood paraly
zed, looking at the dead body on the ground. The pounding stopped. Then a large crash blew the door out of its frame. Detective Stathem entered, glanced down at Clemmens, and his service revolver appeared in his hands. “Get down on the ground!” he shouted, aiming his weapon at Henry.

  “We don’t have time for this,” said Alexander impatiently. “I can only hold the doorway stable for a short time. We have to go, Henry.”

  Henry looked between the two men and then sprinted for the woods in his dining room. The detective’s weapon discharged as Henry sprang through the doorway. For a few seconds he felt weightless, and then he landed hard. He heard two additional bodies land next to him.

  “Well, it’s about damn time,” said an old woman, standing over him, as a brown and white blur tried its best to remove his face with its tongue.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Elise

  The pounding in her head brought bright, explosive lights behind her closed eyelids. Elise had never hurt so badly in her life. This was the second time in less than a week she’d been knocked unconscious. She was sure a third time would kill her. Groaning quietly, she forced her eyes open. She lay on top of a comfortable bed. In front of her, on a dark nightstand, sat a glass of refreshing water. Without thinking, Elise snatched the water and drank it down to the last drop. Nothing had ever tasted better.

  She took a few minutes to lie in the bed and stare at the red canopy above. Once the initial dizziness subsided, she decided to investigate her surroundings. Elise sat back up in the bed and looked around. The room she was in was much larger than her bedroom at home. An enormous dresser stood to her right and a sitting area with plush chairs was to her left. The floor and walls were constructed of large stones. They were all slightly different in shape but fit together snuggly. The ceiling was so tall she wouldn’t be able to touch it, even if she stood on her dad’s shoulders.

  Each wall had large tapestries expertly woven together. After testing her bad ankle, Elise exited the bed and made her way to inspect one closer. A beautiful woman sat on a rock near the edge of a placid lake. Her long, black hair hung freely in waves down her back. She stared at something Elise couldn’t see across the water. Behind her a giant multicolored bird sat contentedly. Elise recognized him immediately as Milufan. They both looked so peaceful.

  After viewing the other artwork on the walls, Elise came to an intricately carved door. She tried to open it, but it didn’t budge. Next, she opened the shutters to the window. Outside it were wrought-iron bars beautifully shaped into climbing vines. The edges of the leaves were sharp enough to cut. Beyond the bars was a view of an expansive valley. She could just make out a meadow and a large lake in the distance.

  Realizing there was no escape from the room, Elise did the only sensible thing she could think of. She curled up on the bed and went back to sleep. She didn’t know how much time had passed when the creaking of the door woke her up. Blurrily, she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Ashley entered the room with a large tray. “Feeding time,” said the older girl, placing the tray on the table in front of an overstuffed chair. She turned to Elise and smiled. The eyepatch still had a faint green glow emanating from it. So, I guess that wasn’t my imagination, Elise thought.

  The young girl remained silent on the bed.

  “Come on, kid,” said Ashley, “you must be starving. Sorry about the bonk on the head. My master is seriously wanting to meet you and your mom. I had to grab you quick. You’re tough, though. You got this.” As she talked, she pulled the cover off the tray. Steam floated up from a plate of green eggs and sausage. “There’s more water in that pitcher if you want some.” Ashley pointed to the pitcher on the opposite night stand.

  Elise glanced at the open door and immediately decided that trying to run for it was a bad idea. Even if her ankle wasn’t hurt, she still couldn’t outrun Ashley. Instead, she lowered herself to the floor and cautiously made her way over to her one-eyed friend. The scent of the food hit her nostrils. Her stomach audibly barked its enthusiasm. She sat on one of the plush, red chairs and pulled the food up to her. She looked at it suspiciously.

  “Don’t act like that,” said Ashley, her tone friendly. “My master has no reason to poison you. He has you right where he wants you. He’s not a bad guy, you know. He has big plans for Clarensdell. Things are going to be so much better. Oh, Ellie, I’m so happy you’re here to see this.” Her smile was huge and her one blue eye shined.

  Elise didn’t respond. She didn’t know what to say. Her friend was clearly brainwashed or something. She remembered from Monoflufee that Helenab could break into other people’s minds. Maybe whoever the master was could do it too. The eyepatch had something to do with it. Maybe if she could get it off, she could have her old friend back.

  She lifted her fork and brought a bite of eggs up to her mouth. They were good. Really good. “Wonderful,” said Ashley. “I’ll let the master know as soon as you’re done. He wants to talk with you.”

  “Mm-hmm,” Elise replied, scraping the last of her food into her mouth. Without another word, she jumped swiftly from her chair and brought the plate down hard onto Ashley’s head. The larger girl stumbled backward and tipped back as Elise jumped on top of her, grappling for the eyepatch. The fingers of her right hand brushed against the leather, but Ashley grabbed onto her wrists and pushed her off. Before Elise knew what was happening, she was face down on the floor with her arms pulled painfully behind her back. She let out a quick shriek as Ashley pulled her arms back further.

  “Ah, ah, ah,” said Ashley, “That wasn’t very nice, Ellie. I didn’t want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Stand up.” Her tone became harsh as her weight lifted off Elise’s back. Elise tried to pull her arms back into place and found Ashley had bound her wrists together. Fear sparked in her heart and shot its way through her veins.

  “I said stand!” Ashley yelled, kicking Elise hard in the diaphragm. The air rushed out of Elise. Gasping for breath, she worked her way up to her knees and stood.

  “Please,” was all Elise could manage to say.

  “It’s your own fault,” said Ashley, nonchalantly. “Now let’s go see the master.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Caitlin

  Her song had not completely cured her moose, but Oscar’s wounds looked much better. Most of the stings closed but remained red and inflamed. Caitlin had tried several times to work more healing magic on them to no avail. She hummed every song she could think of and finally gave up when she realized she was humming the theme song to Monoflufee.

  She and Lesembo talked at length after he revealed her paternal heritage. She was still having a difficult time wrapping her mind around the fact that her father, a man who reveled in the peace and serenity of nature, had once been a ferocious warrior. She couldn’t envision the man Lesembo had described.

  “I met you once,” Lesembo said.

  “That’s not possible.” Caitlin shook her head. “I’ve never been to Clarensdell before.”

  “But you have,” said the beast. “You were very small. I had come down from the mountains to speak with Esmeralda about a wild pack of snoggums attacking the livestock in Maken. It must have been a quarter of a century ago. Possibly longer. While I was talking with Carey and Esmeralda, I watched you climb all over the moose. A more patient creature I have never seen. Carey tried to introduce you to me, but you shrieked when you saw me and hid behind Halinafforkinitsu. He refused to let me close after that.”

  A memory wiggled free in Caitlin’s mind. Something she had long ago attributed to a fantastical dream. The sun was warm on her shoulders as she frolicked in a meadow streaked with vibrant colors. “Oscar!” she had yelled, “Come play with me.” A huge shape made its way into her field of vision, blocking out the harsh rays of the sun. She reached her hand up and Oscar placed his monumental snout gently into her palm. She giggled as she stroked his velvety nose.

  “I named him Oscar,” she said, completely sure.

  “Yes, you did
,” replied Lesembo.

  Caitlin ran her hand over the moose’s snout. He released a contented sigh and nuzzled against her. “Why didn’t my father ever bring me back?”

  “I don’t know the specifics,” said Lesembo. “He and Esmeralda have always had a rocky relationship. I think he blames her for the death of his parents, and I honestly can’t blame him. That didn’t stop him from visiting regularly up to that point. Apparently, they got into a heated argument after I left and both of them have been too stubborn to mend their relationship. I asked Esmeralda about it several years later. She told me to shut the hell up and mind my own damn business.”

  “That sounds about right,” said Caitlin.

  “I know he didn’t cut ties entirely,” said Lesembo. “Once a year he still sends a care package to her filled with items from your land, including pictures of you. When she gets sentimental, she will pull the pictures out and lament over the loss of her beautiful grand-niece. She has always been so proud of you.”

  “I didn’t even know who she was until a few days ago,” said Caitlin. “Why didn’t she tell me any of this?”

  “I don’t have an answer for you,” replied Lesembo. “Esmeralda always has a reason for why she does the things she does. Sometimes it only makes sense to her. Now, get some rest. You have had a strenuous day, and I don’t foresee things getting less hectic.”

  The day had slipped away from her. One more day away from Elise. The fates were so cruel. It was too late to wander in the forest alone. She knew it, but it didn’t make the gnawing need to hold her daughter again any more tolerable. If Oscar didn’t improve significantly by the morning, she’d have to leave him in Lesembo’s care and make her way alone. Lesembo could tell her where to go.