The Channel (The Gifted Book 2)

by C. L. McCourt

  Frustrated, she opened her eyes and broke her mental exploration. She needed to know where that opening came out, where that room was located. She got up, threw on her clothes and stepped out into the camp, lit by the light coming from the campfire ten yards away.

  The flap to the commander's tent opened. "Is everything all right?" He had been awake thinking about what his queen was going to say about this mysterious and powerful new member of the court when he heard her moving around in her tent.

  "Yes, but I could use your help." She stepped closer to him. "I need your men to turn their backs. I don't want them to see what I am about to do."

  He raised a brow. "May I ask what you are going to do?"

  "I'm going to try and reach through the veil," she whispered, "and pick something up. I don't want a lot of people knowing any more about me than necessary."

  He stared into her face, still trying to come to grips with who she was and his own reactions to her in such a short time. He decided her request wasn't too significant, and he might learn more about her. He nodded and walked to each man on guard and told them to stand with their back to the camp until further notice.

  When Rhea had her privacy, she stepped to the opening and dropped to her hands and knees. She extended her hand through the veil, reaching her arm as far as it would go without extending more of her body through the opening. The newspaper was out of reach.

  She sat back on her heels and considered how far she should go. What if someone was in the alley? What if they saw her? She was about to cancel her short mission to retrieve the paper when the wind blew again, lifting the paper and sending it within her grasp.

  She leaned forward and reached into the other world again, just in time to snatch the paper, as it took flight on its way past the opening, and quickly pull it through.

  She heard a gasp from the commander and couldn't help smiling to herself. He wasn't the only one surprised. She turned to face him. "Thank you. You can release your men now." She stepped past the commander and back into her tent.

  She quickly looked at the corners of the paper for its source, hoping it wasn't a page from the Washington Post. She was in luck; it was from the Brookneal Union Star. At least she hoped she was in luck. Was Brookneal a place?

  The commander released his men to continue their duty and then stood watching Rhea's tent. If she was truly the prince's daughter, she had a right not to share with him what she had found, but what if she wasn't? He needed to know what was going on.

  Rhea was about to pull a map from the bottom of her sack when the commander's voice came through the tent flap. "May I come in?"

  "Sure, Commander."

  He stepped through the flap. "May I ask what you found?"

  "It's a newspaper from the other world. I want to know where in the world of shadows our troublemaker is located." She pulled a map from her sack and laid it out on the cot. Based on where they entered Luxatra and the distance they had traveled, she estimated their location, and found Brookneal. She sighed with relief.

  She looked up at the commander and placed her finger on the small dot on the map. "It would appear we are located here assuming the paper wasn't dropped someplace else."

  It was one thing to be told there was another world and have faith that it was real, but to look upon a large sheet of paper filled with colorful lines and words written in a language he'd never seen before was overwhelming.

  The small dot on the map didn't make sense to Rhea. What in Brookneal would have a room with what looked like ancient runes painted on the walls and torches burning?

  Commander Nauylor reached for the page from the newspaper. "May I?"

  "Sure." Rhea waited for his reaction, knowing there would be one. One side of the page was covered with ads for cell phones and computers, and the other was a full-page spread for a race at the International Speedway.

  He stared at the side with the tech ads and then flipped it over. His arms jerked slightly at the picture of the cars on the track. When he finally pulled his eyes from the paper, Rhea could swear he was a couple shades lighter.

  "Are you all right?"

  "It's true then? I went along with you before but ... but it's really true. What am I looking at?"

  Rhea stood next to him and pointed to the various images and text on the page. "This talks about a race coming up at the International Speedway. These are cars ... um ... horseless wagons. They have engines that make the wheels turn, and they can move at great speeds." She paused to see if he understood.

  His wide eyes met hers. "And this is where you're from?"

  "I'm from here. I was raised in that world."

  He turned the paper over. "And what are these?"

  Rhea pointed at the various technology ads. "This is an ad for a new cell phone and these are ads for computers."

  His expression said he wanted to know more. "And?"

  Rhea chuckled. Never in her life did she imagine having to explain those things that were standard fixtures in today's world. "A cell phone is a device we use to communicate. Instead of writing a message on a piece of parchment and using a bird or a courier, we phone the person we want to talk to.

  "If I had a phone and you had a phone, I could push some numbers on my phone and your phone would ring announcing my call. When you answered, we could hear each other's voices as if we were standing next to each other."

  He stared at the images on the page. "Magic."

  Rhea shook her head. "No, technology."

  "And what does this say?" He pointed at an ad at the bottom of the page.

  "These are ads selling computers. Computers are ... How do I say this? They are machines with a brain. They have many uses, but the simplest task would be to imagine writing a message without a stylus or parchment. Each letter that you can write is a button, and when you push the button, the letter appears in the window of the computer."

  He looked at Rhea like she was crazy.

  She shrugged. "Yeah, you have to see it to understand." She gently took the paper from his hands and folded it, placing it and the map in her bag. She waited for him to say something, but he had a blank look on his face. "How are you doing?"

  His eyes drifted to her. "I'm not sure. It's all so hard to believe."

  "Trust me, I know. I've known of this world my entire life but to actually be here …" She shook her head. "It's all new to me. It's been quite an experience learning about my gift and adjusting to this world. I'm used to many conveniences, and here in Luxatra, I feel like I've stepped back in time. Aside from the magical gifts some Luxatrans have, the world of shadows was once the same as Luxatra. Cell phones, computers, cars, and other technologies didn't always exist."

  Daen's voice penetrated the tent walls. "Rhea, can I come in?"

  "Sure. Did we wake you?"

  "Not really." Daen looked at the commander and then at Rhea. "Is everything all right?"

  She looked at the commander to see if he wanted to answer, but he just nodded. "The commander has just been introduced to technology and cars."

  Daen raised a brow in question.

  "I pulled a newspaper through one of the veil openings to see where we are. It was covered in ads for cell phones and the International Speedway race coming up." She smiled at the commander. "He's taking it quite well."

  Daen laughed to himself. "Speedway, huh? I watched a race there once. Amazing stuff."

  The commander gave Daen a puzzled look. "But ..."

  "It's a long story. Let's just say I spent some time there and have only recently returned."

  "And Randell? Has he been there?" the commander asked.

  "He was born there," Rhea explained. "He's only part Luxatran."

  The commander lowered his voice. "Does Prince Taulin know about ... What did you call it? Technology?"

  Daen shook his head. "We haven't told him. I think it's safe to say he's never seen a newspaper or heard of cell phones and cars."

 
The corner of Commander Nauylor's lips turned up in a grin.

  Daen cleared his throat. "Commander, may I have a word with Rhea?"

  "Yes, of course." As he stepped from the tent he added, "Cook should have breakfast ready soon. You're welcome to join us."

  Rhea nodded. "Thank you, Commander."

  Daen and Rhea sat down. "I wanted to see how you were doing," he whispered.

  "I'm fine. Why?" She thought back to their talk a couple nights before and assumed he was just checking on her, but that didn't explain the concerned look on his face.

  He forced a smile. "A lot has happened, and you've been surrounded by a lot of people. I wanted to see if you needed anything, something you might not ask for in front of everyone else."

  Rhea nodded. "Thank you, but I'm all right. Our talk in Eantan helped."

  He studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Well, just remember I'm here if you need to talk."

  Rhea couldn't keep from grinning. "Now that I think of it," she dropped her voice to a quiet whisper. "What's up between Randell and Taulin? I get the feeling they might not be getting along?"

  Daen pressed his lips together, suppressing a smile.

  "What?"

  Daen shook his head and chuckled. "Really? You can't see it?"

  "See what?"

  "We think Taulin's attracted to you, and Randell is feeling a little protective. I think he sees you as the little sister he needs to protect."

  Rhea sat up straight, a little shocked at the assumption regarding Taulin. "Taulin?" she whispered. "You're kidding, right? He's probably just interested in my gift." Actually, she'd noticed the occasional look from Taulin and had hoped it was more, but she had to be realistic. "Think about it. Taulomi would have a claim on me because of my mother, and Sentran would because of my father. Where does that leave Laundan? No. I don't believe his interest is based on attraction."

  As her words of denial left her lips, she scanned her memory, thinking about the various interactions between her and Taulin. Could Daen and Randell be right? No. Besides, it didn't matter. She couldn't afford the distraction.

  Daen tipped his head to the side and watched her thinking about what he'd said. He wasn't going to make a big deal out of it, but he hoped she wouldn't close herself off too quickly. "Well, maybe. But I get to say 'I told you so' if I'm right."

  Rhea's own words preyed on her mind. She picked at a thread on her shirt. "How will I ever know if you're right? He could proclaim feelings for me, but who's to say they would be genuine and not a means of getting me to Laundan."

  Daen smiled and nodded. "Oh, I think you'll know. Besides, we have our human lie detector, remember? Randell will know."

  He was right, but she didn't want to think about this anymore. She didn't want to think of Taulin in that way. It would just make their travels uncomfortable. "Well, whatever. We need to decide our next steps, and I would like some privacy when doing so. Maybe we can wake Randell and Taulin and go for a walk."

  Daen stood. "I'll wake them. We should be ready in about fifteen minutes."

  29

  Future

  Rhea packed her things and finished getting ready for the day while she waited for her friends. Before they left, she informed the commander they were going to go for a walk and would return shortly.

  Randell was the first to speak as they strolled through the woods. "Assuming the leaders of the three realms get the messages and believe them, we've completed our first goal. What's next?"

  "That was going to be my question to you," said Rhea. "I assume we need to continue our efforts to find the man behind the attacks. Of course there is the chance the queen will want to see me, now that word of my existence has been sent." She stepped over a log and continued walking.

  "I agree," said Tauilin. "We should find the man behind the attacks, but where would we start?"

  "There's no telling what this … troublemaker will do now that he knows you're here, interfering with his plans," Daen added.

  Rhea noticed Randell was quiet. "Randell, do you have an opinion?"

  "First, I have a question. When will we know if war has been stopped?"

  "I assume if, or when, we hear back regarding the messages we sent," Daen offered.

  "How long do you think it will take?" Rhea asked.

  Taulin sidestepped a tree branch. "The message I sent to my father won't be received until sometime past midmorning today. If he sends a reply right away, we should know tomorrow, sometime past midday." He pushed another branch aside. "I would guess the same amount of time from Taulomi. Sentran should be faster, maybe as early as this evening, or in the morning."

  They stepped out of the trees, onto the road they had traveled the day before and started working their way back towards camp.

  "Will the replies be sent to Cauhill?" Rhea asked.

  "Yes," said Daen. "We'll need to go into town and retrieve them."

  She paused for a moment and scanned the area, but they were alone, except for the Sentran camp up ahead. "I need to tell you something. I did a little mental walking early this morning and saw the dark-haired man through the veil."

  Randell stepped in front of her. "Rhea! What were you thinking?"

  "Randell. Mental walk." She tapped her head with her finger and smiled. "He looked right through me."

  Randell blushed. "Oh, yeah. I must be more tired than I realized."

  Rhea smiled at him. "What I saw was strange." She told them about the room, the runes, and the crystal. "He was talking to someone, but I couldn't see who it was, nor could I hear what he said. I think he said something about prisoners before the room vanished and a parking lot appeared. Have you ever heard of such a thing? How can the opening show a room in some building one minute and then a parking lot the next?"

  All eyes were on Daen, but Daen wasn't talking. Rhea could tell from his expression that he was trying to remember something.

  After a moment or two, Daen shook his head. "I can't recall anything about a crystal in the histories, but that doesn't mean anything. I didn't have a lot of time to study them before being sent to the world of shadows. And, as for the room of runes disappearing, I can't explain it."

  They walked in silence for a moment.

  "So our next step is Cauhill to wait for messages?" Randell asked.

  Daen nodded. "Seems that way."

  Rhea looked at each of her friends. "Does anyone have any ideas as to how we can find the dark-haired man?"

  Daen kept his eyes on the road. "Have you tried asking the Libraim?"

  Rhea was startled by his question. "Um, no. Why didn't I think of that? I'll do it when we get back to camp."

  They walked in silence until they reached the camp. Rhea noticed Bandon's shoulders drop in relief when he saw Taulin return. She felt a little sorry for him. Taulin wasn't an easy person to guard, and she wondered if he had pulled the short stick for this duty.

  While they ate breakfast with Commander Nauylor, he explained he was breaking camp and heading into Cauhill and that a new patrol would be taking over.

  "We're heading into town as well. When will you be leaving?" Daen asked.

  "In a few hours, once we get packed. You're welcome to ride with us if you want to wait."

  Daen looked at Taulin, Randell, and Rhea to see what they preferred.

  Taulin shrugged. "Might not be a bad idea. Safety in numbers."

  Randell nodded.

  Rhea agreed. "Thank you, Commander. We'll be ready when you are. Now, if you will excuse me, I have something I need to do."

  She returned to her tent to see if the Libraim could help her find the troublemaker. Once inside, she lay down, closed her eyes, and imagined the cavern with the blue and silver mass she'd seen before. It didn't take long before she was standing in the vast open space, looking at the entity of energy.

  In her mind she asked, "Can you help me find the man with the long dark hair, the one you showed me and the one
I've seen?"

  An image of the dark-haired man appeared on the edge of the blue and silver mass. It was one of the images she'd seen before.

  "Yes, that's the man. Do you know where he is?"

  The image of the man disappeared, replaced by an image of a two-story stone building.

  "Where do I find this building?"

  The image disappeared, and no other image was shared. She wondered why the Libraim showed her the building but not its location. She started to feel frustrated but managed to keep calm, thankful for what she was being given.

  She remembered the comment about the prisoners. "Do you know if there are any prisoners in this building?"

  At first, it didn't look like the Libraim was going to be of further assistance. Rhea was about to give up when the vision of the Libraim started to change.

  It happened slowly. At first, all she could see were flickering shadows bouncing off a dingy surface. It was as if she was watching a movie, as the camera panned back, slowly revealing more and more of the image. The dingy surface turned into walls, and then faces started to appear. It wasn't long until she could see part of a room with five men and three women.

  Their clothes were tattered, their hair and skin spoke of years of neglect and abuse. They sat at a table on small wooden benches, all looking in the same direction, but at what, she couldn't see.

  One woman looked familiar. As Rhea studied her face, it came to her. The woman looked like an older version of Raisal, older than the Raisal in Randell's photo and older than the image the Libraim showed her in the coffee shop. The more Rhea studied her face, the more she became convinced it was the same woman.

  She scanned the other faces, anxious to see if she recognized anyone else, and hoping to confirm the man with the long, dark hair was there. She couldn't see the face of the man at the end of the bench. His long, scraggly, sandy hair blocked her view. She wished he would look up. She felt herself willing him to lift his head so she could see his face.

  As if on command, his head tipped back, and his light green eyes turned to her. He said something, one word. "Help." The scene faded, and Rhea was back in her tent.