Darkest Designs

by Dale Mayer

  “Is it safe?”

  “Yes. Especially now that your father is under guard.” Paxton’s head bobbed rapidly as he read the answer. He lifted his gaze to Eric. “Which stylus is the Broken One planning on being moved to?”

  “To Storey’s stylus.” Eric smiled. “There really isn’t much option at this point.”

  “Or we could move him to another stylus?” Paxton frowned and raced to his box of styluses. He opened his box of styluses. “Which would be better?”

  “I don’t think we have a choice. It was done this way on purpose. Without Storey and her stylus, the process won’t work. There’s already a connection.” Eric produced the broken stylus he’d removed from the box and had carried since, and replaced it into the box. “I guess it’s a good thing I took that. I wonder if there are other styluses there that need help?”

  Paxton’s stylus jumped, sending him running back to his tablet. “Yes. They all need souls.”

  “And how do we do that?”

  Paxton’s hand once again twitched, the stylus apparently anxious to write the answer. “Once the Broken One is in his stylus he can coordinate the process. But souls are needed.”

  “Right.” They were still at that balking point. They’d need some volunteers, and who would want that? He tabled the thought for the moment. There were other more immediate problems. “I need to go to the Louers’ dimension.”

  “Good. You do that.”

  Just then the monitors on Paxton’s workbench went crazy. Eric raced over and tapped the keypad, but nothing changed. Paxton nudged him gently aside. “Someone has initiated a cross-dimensional travel sequence on a codex.” He studied the screen. “Using one of my spare codexes…”

  “What? Who?”

  Paxton’s voice was grim. “I think it is your father. I’m checking the serial number.” He clicked again. “It’s one you brought back when you brought Tammy here. He must have grabbed it up before going to his chambers.”

  Unbelievable. Eric hadn’t seen him touch anything, but he’d been looking at the monitor, then wiping the screen clean at the time.

  Paxton ran to the sideboard where his fingers tapped frantically on the keyboards. The monitor opened up on the Councilman’s chambers. He turned back to stare at Eric. “He’s knocked out his guards.”

  “But where can he go?” Eric strode to the monitor, staring at the forms of the two unconscious men. He’d thought he was past being surprised by anything his father did. Apparently not.

  Paxton riffled through items on the top of his desk, then raced to his workbench. He turned back to Eric and the others, the color draining from his face. “He’s got a pre-coded destination.”

  Eric stared at him, his mind racing through which of the codexes had been preset.

  “Preset? To where?”

  Storey lay nervously on a raised, flat surface. At least that’s what she called it. She had no idea what ipous meant, but that’s the word Tammy kept repeating as she tried to get Storey to lie down. Skorky’s antics hadn’t helped.

  Potre sat on the side. And that made her feel a little more nervous than she could believe. Apparently the Broken One, Barrat, was a man of great importance to their people. He needed to survive. Hence the process she was about to undergo.

  Still, she couldn’t help but be a little nervous at the thought of what they might do to her afterwards. She wanted Eric. Someone needed to be on her side. To stand for her.

  The process will not be difficult.

  Broken One, are you sure you should be going into this stylus?

  Yes.

  My stylus? Are you sure you want Barrat in there with you?

  We are honored.

  Sure. Everyone was feeling honored…except her. In truth, she’d gotten accustomed to hearing and feeling the Broken One.

  And for that we thank you. You have saved us, welcomed us, sheltered us. We are in your debt.

  And now you need to move to the stylus. Fine. Let’s get this done. She laid her head back down. Then lifted it again. Are you sure you explained this to the Louers?

  Yes. They know what is going to happen.

  Are they going to kill me once you have been saved?

  No. They understand that you communicate with us. And with us, to them.

  And that’s okay? She hated to keep questioning every step, but the doubts kept her prodding. This was a little unnerving. And they know about Eric coming?

  Eric has arrived.

  Oh, thank God. Noises around her said that more people were arriving. In fact, the place had filled up to standing room only. Then she saw Eric. She smiled brightly. And her heart swelled with warmth. She loved that he’d hurried to be beside her.

  “Storey.” Eric rushed over to her side. “Are you okay?”

  She laughed. “Definitely. And getting better now that you’re here.”

  Just then he fell to his knees as Tammy jumped on him from behind. “Ris.”

  “Ooomph.” But he was grinning. He grabbed the little girl, tugged her around to his chest and pulled her into his arms. He hugged her tight. Storey caught sight of Potre’s face. The love in his gaze, the surprise and the acceptance. Eric closed his eyes and hugged Tammy tight.

  Then she wiggled free and ran back to her father.

  The stylus spoke. It is time.

  Storey took a deep breath. Then let’s do it.

  She reached out, squeezed Eric’s hand. And leaned back and closed her eyes.

  Not so fast. Eric placed his hands on either side of her face, leaned down and kissed her. A tender, comforting, sample of so much more to come. Storey opened her eyes to see that wonderful gaze staring down at her.

  She wanted him. In her life, in her heart, in her soul. He was the other half of her. She’d traveled through dimensions to find him, and he’d traveled back the same way to help her.

  They were meant to be together, and nothing, not even this, would stop that.

  He smiled. “Now get this done so we can go have a cup of tea with your mother.”

  Storey brightened. “Thank you,” she whispered. Then she leaned her head back. Stylus, let’s do this.

  Eric held her one hand and Tammy held her other. She smiled inside. Thanks, Tammy.

  Torrey. Her name was said with such caring, tears came to Storey’s eyes. Eric squeezed her hand – he’d seen her tears and worried. She whispered, “I’m fine.”

  “Good. Make sure you stay that way. I want lots of years with you.”

  “So do I.”

  The stylus spoke. We need you to leave now.

  She started. Leave and go where?

  Leave your body so that you aren’t tugged into the stylus when we move the Broken One.

  Crap that sounded so bad. But she’d forgotten how to do that. Her arm pulsed. Right, the honor marks.

  Just think of them.

  Ah, okay. In her mind’s eye, she traced the marks. Instantly she was outside her body. She stretched and gave a light shake, loving the freedom of this existence. She turned around to stare at the others. Everyone’s eyes were glued to the transfer process in progress. There was an effervescent glow around her body. She didn’t know if it was her own energy or that of the Broken One – or a product of the transfer process.

  She turned around slowly, taking her time to study the room. Anything to take her mind off what was happening to her body.

  The councilman flashed onto the screen, fine lines at the corner of his mouth, a sense of desperation in his eyes. Storey didn’t recognize the room he was in. But he held a codex in his hands. As she watched, he clipped the unit on his wrist. She didn’t know why he’d have one, but vaguely remembered seeing him snatch something off Paxton’s desk. Then with one last hurried look around, he punched the large button. Immediately the black mist started at his feet.

  He smiled, satisfaction oozing from his pores. Damn the man was smug. She didn’t know if she dared say anything while the transfer was happening, but the stylus could multi-task lik
e no one else. She asked hesitantly, Stylus?

  Yes.

  She watched the smoke rise up the Councilman’s face. It was too late to change anything now. The Louers should be warned that they’re about to have company.

  No. They aren’t.

  They aren’t? I don’t understand. The Councilman has a codex. He’s travelling to one of the dimensions. He must be coming here.

  Yes. He has taken one of Eric’s codexes. Eric had spares when he came to rescue you In-between. Several were pre-coded to help him find you…just in case of trouble. On his return he gave them back to Paxton, putting them on the workbench. The Councilman slipped one into his pocket while he was looking at your message on the monitor.

  She started. I remember him seeing that message. Where are those preset coordinates going to take him?

  In-between.

  She gasped in horror. Then in surprise. And finally at the justice of it all. Oh my God. That is perfect.

  Dry humor lit the styluses’ voice. We thought so.

  She was still trying to grasp the truth of the Councilman’s predicament when something shifted.

  And then she was back in her body. She opened her eyes to see Eric’s smiling face. She stretched up and kissed him.

  Torrey! Tammy reached out hugged her too.

  Eric pulled back. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. I’m fine.” And she was. In fact, she felt wonderful. “Stylus, how is the Broken One? Is he okay?”

  When the answer didn’t come immediately, she asked again. “Did he survive the transfer?” She frowned. Eric leaned closer. Tammy pulled back, her gaze flitting from Storey’s face to Eric’s. Then she tried to twist her features to match Eric’s.

  She had to laugh at their identical looks. Tammy was learning quickly.

  “Is there still no answer?” Eric asked, his voice tense.

  They waited in silence for several long minutes.

  We are here.

  “Yes.” Storey gave a fist bump in the air. Just to confirm, she had to ask, “So the Broken One is fine now?”

  He is. Now we are fine.

  Perfect.

  And it was.

  ***

  Eric watched Storey’s approach to her house. They’d left immediately after the transfer, the Louers giving her a rousing send off. Efforts to create a workable truce between Paxton and Tammy’s father were in progress. The Louers were ecstatic that Storey had saved the Broken One. Apparently that, more than any promises made, had convinced them of her sincerity.

  That and her new honor marks.

  Eric knew they were for saving the stylus, who needed souls, and for saving Barrat, who needed a stylus. There might even be a few extra curls in there for having made peace with the Louers. He didn’t know. Tammy had seen them. The other Louers had definitely seen them. They’d spoken amongst each other and pointed at her the whole time. Typical Storey, she’d been oblivious.

  Now he wondered how long it would take her to realize the marks traveled up her neck and down her back. If she kept this up, she’d be covered from head to toe.

  Considering she wore them so well, he wouldn’t mind in the least.

  She was such an honorable person. So not like his father. That his father had done himself in was something he couldn’t quite get out of his mind.

  It was fitting.

  Eric didn’t know if there was anything they could do to help him. At least at this point. Not that anyone seemed to care. He knew he didn’t dare go back In-between to save him. That left his only viable future as life within a stylus. Even then he wasn't sure he would be welcome in one of those.

  Storey turned back and motioned at him. “Aren’t you coming?”

  “I just thought you’d like to see for yourself, first.” He smiled down at her.

  She turned to stare at her house. “I do. But I’d like you there with me.”

  Nice. He’d helped her put on a sweater earlier, not wanting the honor marks to show – at least initially. She had enough to deal with without trying to explain the unexplainable right away.

  He knew she’d do fine regardless of what they found in her dimension, but he hoped for her sake, her world was back the way it should be.

  He held out his hand and together they approached the house they’d raided endless times. “It looks the same.”

  “Yes,” she said, “It does. And that worries me.”

  “Front door or back?”

  “Kitchen door.”

  They walked around to the back and stepped onto the porch. “I’m so glad to be back.”

  The door opened in front of them. Storey’s mother smiled and opened her arms.

  Storey ran into her mother’s embrace.

  At this point, Eric didn’t think she cared which mother it was.

  “I was so afraid you’d not have gotten my message.” Her mother kissed Storey’s cheek. “It was all so crazy with the festivities, the people I met – one in particular – and the wild weather. It seems like every time I managed to call home, you were out.” Her mother shook her head and tugged Storey inside. “I’m so glad that’s all over and we’re back together again.”

  Her mother glanced over at Eric. “How nice to see you again too, Eric.” She motioned to the table. “Come. Sit down.”

  Storey cast a questioning look back at Eric. He shrugged. Storey sat down at the kitchen table. She glanced around. It looked wonderful. It looked like home.

  “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t supposed to be gone so long. The ceremony lasted all weekend, and…” she blushed, “I met someone there. And given who it was, I needed to stay and work through a few things. And of course with all that weird weather, and highways being closed, well… I stayed. Still, I hadn’t expected to be gone so long.” She leaned forward earnestly. “I did try to call several times, but the crazy weather had service out all around the country.

  Weird weather? Closed highways? No phone service? Storey exchanged a long look with Eric, knowing it was most likely the time twists and portal tears that had caused all the damage. And then she remembered the festival. There’d been special festivities planned that weekend. She was stunned. Everything that had happened to her had taken only a couple of days, even though it seems like weeks or months. If she’d been here, she would hardly have seen her mother anyway.

  “And who did you meet at the ceremonies?” Storey asked cautiously, still trying to figure out if her mother had been aware at all of her absence.

  Her mother smiled, a little lopsided, a little insecure, but sweet. She glanced between Storey and Eric then back to Storey. She took a deep breath. “I didn’t expect this. I’d never imagined…after all this time.” She reached out and grabbed Storey’s hand and sat down beside her. “I don’t know how to tell you this, and with Eric here…but…well…I have to tell you.” The words burst out in an excited, girlish torrent. “I met your father.”

  Storey jerked. Her gaze met Eric’s. Her father? Her thoughts spun on the possibilities. Time twisting. Dimensions trying to reestablish balance…was this real…?

  Her stylus spoke quietly in the back of her mind.

  This is real. Balance returning for all.

  “And…” she asked cautiously, shocked and yet…intrigued.

  Her mother’s excited voice bubbled over. “I know this is sudden. Maybe it’s good that Eric is here. You can talk with him.” She took a deep breath and barreled forward. “He would like to get to know you,” her face pleaded for acceptance, “if you’re open to the idea. We talked. About our past. The mess we’d made of our lives since. Our relationship. Like really talked. And…” she took another deep breath, as if not believing this herself, “We’ve started…well, you know…seeing each other.”

  Her mother sat back, a worried look on her face. “But he’s concerned about how you’ll feel.”

  ***

  Storey shut down for a moment. Shock was too mild a word to describe what she was feeling. Stupefied might be better. If that was
a word. Yet, inside, with all that had happened, she had to wonder. She’s been so torn over her father’s presence in the other dimension, so confused over her own emotions, this just seemed too bizarre.

  Maybe her parents were being offered a second chance.

  That, she hadn’t expected. When the dimensions shifted, she’d had a pang of regret for what could never be with her father. And now here was the opportunity again.