All she could successfully manage to do was escape.
She was actively engaged in escaping when something unexpected appeared in her path. Pax squinted, seeing a strange object in the middle of the road up ahead. She switched lanes to avoid it, and saw that the object moved into her lane—it was some kind of animal. Tapping the brakes to slow down as she approached, Pax was surprised when her headlights glinted off the creature, and it had long wavy blonde hair.
A woman? Amara.
Pax frowned. She did not want to talk to anyone. She tried to drive around Amara, but the woman moved into her path again. Pax had to swerve violently and found herself driving into a ditch to avoid her friend. The car careened into a tree, but Pax lifted her hand to telekinetically stop the vehicle from crashing a moment before impact.
“What’s the big idea?” Pax asked, climbing out of the Jeep and slamming the door. She hadn’t even been aware that Amara had learned to fly. She marched over to the highway and stood across from the blonde woman, holding her hands at her sides and feeling strangely like they were about to have a showdown in an old western film.
“Why did you leave without telling me?” Amara asked.
“Your brother…”
“I know! I get the text messages too, remember? I’ve been trying to reach you!”
“I’ve been avoiding the world.”
“You could do so more effectively,” Amara said through clenched teeth. “I need to get out of this place right now.”
“Fine.” Pax turned her head slightly and used her mind to lift her Jeep back onto the road. “Where do you want to go?”
“No. Not anywhere around here.”
“Off the continent then?” Pax placed her hands on her hips. “Let me guess. You need a lift to go shopping in Paris to keep up with the season.”
“Why are you being so cruel?” Amara asked, stepping forward angrily. “I need your help, Paxie. I need to train. I want to grow stronger so that I can use my telepathy, and so that I can’t get taken prisoner again. You could also benefit from improving your relocation technique.”
A car began to approach in the distance, and Pax flung her hand out to slow it down. “What do you want from me?”
“I want us to get the hell out of this dimension. I want to go to the Pseudosphere.”
Pax blinked. “For real?”
“Yes. I’ve decided. I don’t care how difficult it is. I need the change, and I need the challenge. I need to do something crazy.”
“Mara,” Pax said softly. “The vector zone is worlds apart from shopping in Paris. We could die.”
“I know. When I told you I’d sacrifice anything and everything, I wasn’t kidding.”
“We might be in there for years,” Pax reminded her. “It will only be days on the outside, but there’s a chance we could go insane and be trapped there forever.”
“I’m sick of being hurt and vulnerable, Pax!” Amara screamed. Her face was determined and there was a frantic tone in her high-pitched yell. “Do you have any clue how I felt when I was trapped in that pyramid? I don’t want to be in danger anymore. I want to be the danger, and together, we’re definitely dangerous. I want to be Para.”
Pax smiled. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Amara asked for confirmation.
“Yeah.” Pax nodded slowly, accepting every facet and consequence of the decision as she spoke the word again decisively: “Okay.”
Chapter 25: A Twisted Path
Sakra stood with his back turned to the two determined women clad in aramid armor. His hands rested loosely at the sides of his robes as he stood in motionless silence. Neither Pax nor Amara spoke as they waited for the hallowed Lord of the Devas to pass his judgment.
“After observing your recent activity,” the man said quietly, “I have had to reconsider my decision to allow you girls to enter the vector zone.”
“Reconsider?” Pax asked in a cautious tone.
“As you know, the portal to the Spiritual Pseudosphere leads to a dangerous dimension. The world on the other side of the door was created by ancient gods, tens of thousands of years ago. They were much more powerful than even the strongest of us. Only in times of dire need should access be granted to this realm, when earthly gods need to strengthen themselves to defend against wrongdoers and threats to the peace.”
“We’re aware of this Sakra,” Amara said politely, “but don’t you think…”
“I am very disappointed in you girls.” Sakra clasped his hands behind his back, causing his wide embroidered sleeves to create a V-shape at the base of his spine. “You have chosen to direct your time, energy, and knowledge to scheme against two of our strongest warriors. I thought that you both knew better. I thought that you both had seen enough suffering to not to wish anguish upon others! Especially upon those whom you love: your own family members!”
Amara and Pax shared a look of defeat. They were duly humbled and humiliated before the great demigod. Amara dropped the heavy duffle bag she carried and sighed. She had really been looking forward to the escape. “I'm sorry if our actions have offended you, Sakra. They were just foolish games, and I am willing to give them up forever if you let us leave the dimension.”
Pax nervously adjusted the straps of her own luggage which dug into the flesh of both her shoulders. She gazed off the edge of the mountain temple down at the Earth far below. She really did not want to return to her insipid and increasingly meaningless daily life. When Amara had stepped in front of her car with the proposition, it had felt like she had been offered salvation. It was not just the concept of leaving Earth which appealed to her; it was the concept of leaving her mundane, earthly self behind. Each time she had ventured beyond the planet’s atmosphere, she had discovered a greater value in herself than she had previously known. It was all a matter of perspective. Pax had always needed to be on the outside in order to more successfully peer in—and now she needed it desperately.
No escape could be as thorough as the vector zone. No excursion could be as taxing. Pax closed her eyes tightly, feeling a bit like her passport had just been declined at a border crossing. The image of the white-haired goddess Suja came to her mind. She considered contacting the woman and taking up her offer of overthrowing Sakra just so she could access… she stopped the thoughts before they could be completed. The demigod standing before her was a good friend of her father’s, and he had not, in fact, gotten fat.
Pax bowed her head slightly. “We know that we’ve been acting in unorthodox ways with respect to the deva code.”
“Who told you that?” Sakra asked curtly. He was still facing away from the women.
“Well, my father always says that devas have certain responsibilities,” Pax answered.
“Phooey,” Sakra said, lifting his hand and waving it in dismissal. “Raymond has always been so solemn. Most of my ‘training’ him consists of trying to get the boy to loosen up and quit going on and on about his fictional responsibilities.”
Pax smiled at this apt description of her father. “Sakra, if you wish for us to stop using the coalescence technique…”
“Nonsense!” said Sakra, turning around and cracking a large grin. “It’s very entertaining to watch.”
Pax and Amara glanced at each other in surprise.
Sakra frowned. “My wife thinks I’m uptight and incompetent, but she’s wrong. I believe in observing others and allowing them freedom to pursue their own proclivities. Suja believes in controlling them to her own purposes. She has good intentions for the most part.”
Amara’s pale cheeks had flushed and she had begun chewing on her lip compulsively. “Sakra, do you intend to tell the others about Para?”
“Of course not. It’s not like those boys don't deserve it. You should have seen the trouble they used to cause when they were kids! Gosh.” Sakra laughed and waggled his finger kindly. “If you had let me finish speaking, you would have learned that after my extremely careful reconsideration, I have decided that I will open the
portal to the vector zone. I want you both to know that I am very proud of you girls for finding motivation in your emotions to push yourself to grow stronger.”
Pax released the breath she had been holding. “Don’t scare me like that!”
“Couldn’t resist,” said the demigod with a wicked shrug. “I don’t get much company up here at the Point.”
Amara was beaming. “Thank you, Sakra! You won’t regret this; we won’t abuse the privilege.”
“Good child, why not? The privilege is going to abuse the stuffing out of you. It is not going to be a pleasant adventure by any means. But you know this. I just have a few pieces of advice before you continue. Regarding coalescence: not much is known about the process and its long term effects, but from what I can discern, it creates strong changes in the patterns of thought of the individuals using the technique. The constant switching back and forth from one identity to another may result in severe mental illness. It will most certainly change who you both are."
Sakra’s voice took on a serious tone of warning. “If you girls practice coalescence on a daily basis for all the years you spend in the vector zone, you will emerge with your souls changed permanently. There's a little bit of Ashton in both Thornton and Asher at all times. Already, there’s a little bit of Para in both of you at all times."
“We know, Sakra,” said Amara with a smile.
“You know?”
“It has similar side effects to being in a relationship,” explained Amara. “A person always becomes what they spend the most time with; it’s unavoidable to pick up aspects of your surroundings. Husbands and wives, even roommates pick up each other’s habits because they live in such close proximity. Of course it’s intensified when you’re spending time in the same body. There’s no greater proximity than that! We didn’t even need to be demigods to figure that much out.”
“Ah, yes. You girls are very sharp,” said Sakra as he looked at them both with concern. “Are you truly ready for how much this will change you? You won’t be the same girls when you leave that zone.”
“Sakra,” said Pax softly. “Even if we didn’t merge our bodies in there, we’d still be different people upon our exit. Years of intense training in the Pseudosphere aren’t easy, as far as I’ve heard from my family and friends. The whole point of the experience is to emerge an improved person.”
“Yes, this is true. It is very challenging to survive in such maddening conditions, but I’m confident you are both mentally capable.” Sakra lifted one of his embroidered sleeves as he scratched his head. “If, by some chance, you still hold a grudge against the boys when you exit, I have a suggestion.”
“I’m all ears,” said Amara, cheerfully having picked up her duffle bag again.
“I think you have a very interesting plan to hurt Thorn and Ash, but perhaps you should consider this: instead of using Para to create and destroy a love to hurt them both, you could use Para to destroy a solid connection that already exists in their lives. Target the strongest, deepest love in both of their hearts. The friendship that they both have depended on practically since birth."
Pax clenched her fist around the strap of her luggage as she listened, spellbound.
“Take away the love of the first person they each cared for who didn’t belong to their family. Each other. If you can drive a wedge between Thorn and Ash their suffering will be extraordinary. You two have found strength in each other during this difficult time. Similarly, those two have always found strength in each other and their friendship. If you can make them angry with each other, then you will be literally ripping apart the fabric of their beings. You will be causing pain not only to both men, but to the part of Ashton which still lives in both of them, and depends on their love for each other.”
There was a brief silence as the girls processed the words. Amara finally spoke. “That almost sounds too harsh, Sakra. We wanted to harm them, but… why are you telling us this?”
Pax nodded. “You just said that you were disappointed that we wished to cause suffering, and now you are helping us. Giving us ideas on how to do it better? Why?”
“That’s a complex answer. You girls have been forced to walk down a twisted path. It might have been easier to walk the direct path, but nevertheless... all paths end up in the same destination. Pax, my wife surely told you her philosophy about creation, but every god worth his salt knows this: destruction is a necessary thing. True creation comes from the ashes of the greatest destruction.” Sakra smiled and extended his right hand, spinning a silver ball of prana on his palm. “I can foresee that the damage caused by your scheming will eventually lead to a brighter future, one filled with more understanding and wisdom on both of your parts. After the cataclysm, there is a deeper contentment. Even Thorn and Ash will be the better for what they learn from all this. Learning cannot happen without pain.”
Sakra smiled as the silver ball in his palm became narrow at its center, creating the shape of an hourglass. “Vincent has surely told you his philosophy about the golden rule of devas. But his royal ancestors distorted it from the original inscription: pain is paramount. Pain is the harbinger of truth.”
The silver hourglass in his palm melted down into dust. Sakra extended his palm to the side, and allowed the dust to travel into the air, and spin in an oval shape. The air in the center of the oval became darker. “You’re both good girls. You wouldn’t have wished to cause harm unless you had been harmed. It’s a natural human and godly reaction. And through that suffering comes insight. Sometimes the twisted path is the better choice.”
Pax was suddenly overcome with optimism. She moved forward boldly and hugged the Lord of the Devas. “Thank you for everything, Sakra. Even gods need their gods, and I’m so happy you’re the one who guides us all. I am so grateful that you took care of my father after my mother’s passing.”
“It has been an honor, child. Raymond is a good man.”
Amara was studying the silver dust spinning around the dark oval; it seemed to be a portal to another place. “Does lead to the vector zone?” she asked.
“No,” Sakra answered. “I will open that portal once you both say goodbye to your parents.”
The girls looked at each other anxiously.
“We were hoping to sneak away quietly,” Amara admitted. “We didn’t tell them we were leaving.”
“Ah, but I did,” said Sakra with a grin. “I summoned them and they will step through this portal momentarily. Raymond would kill me if I didn’t tell him his little girl was about to leave the dimension.”
“Dammit. You were stalling us!” Pax accused. “You gave us this whole godly philosophy lecture just to stall us.”
“Guilty as charged. You can thank me later.” Sakra winked. “After a few months of solitude in oblivion, you’ll be glad you got to hug your parents one last time before entering that place.”
Chapter 26: More Vastly Infinite
The Burnsons and Kalgrens, summoned by the Lord of the Devas, had stepped through the portal and arrived at Sakra’s Point. Many of them had not been to the mountaintop temple in many years, and Asher moved to the corner to look at the view below quietly. Raymond immediately moved to his friend’s side and began consulting Sakra about changes which had been made to the vector zone since it had last been used.
Thornton stood with his arms crossed, clad in his typical tailored business suit. While everyone else chatted around them, he stared directly at Pax. You were going to leave without telling me?
I’m sorry, she said looking away. I wish he hadn’t told you. You would never have noticed that I was gone. It’s only for a few days.
You are out of your mind, Pax. I notice every minute that you’re gone. Thornton’s lips were pulled tightly into a thin line, and he was evidently upset. What was that last week? Just a one night stand or ex-sex? Did you need a release after the big battle, and I was just there? You said you were going out for a drive and you never came back.
I basically haven’t stopped driv
ing since that night, Pax explained as she looked off into the clouds below. Mara jumped in front of my car with the idea to go to the vector zone, and I agreed.
Thornton’s voice in her mind was pained. Paxie. Why won’t you even look at me?
“I’m fascinated with the science of the vector zone,” Rose Kalgren was saying to Amelia. “I mean, not just the actual realm, but can you imagine the mechanics of opening that portal? I’ve been drawing up schematics to try and explain this, but it’s simply mindboggling!”
“Do you think you could open the portal?” Amelia asked nervously. “I mean, if something happened to Sakra in the next few days, would the girls be trapped?”
“Ladies, I have lived for hundreds of years. Nothing is going to happen to me in the next week!” Sakra assured them with a chuckle.
“But with your wife’s new vendetta…” Rose said skeptically.
“Raymond and I will take turns defending the skinny man,” said Vincent gruffly.
Sakra snorted, as though the Lord of Devas needed defense. “How comforting,” he said, but he was grateful for their concern. His skills lay mostly in healing and using his mind, but Vincent and Raymond knew how to channel their powers into brute strength.
“I’ll go to the vector zone too,” Thornton announced suddenly. He reached up to rip his navy blue tie from his neck, and shrugged his suit jacket off his shoulders. “I can help protect the girls.”
We need to do this on our own, Pax told him telepathically. She still could not meet his eyes, for she did want him to come along. She had always enjoyed traveling with Thornton, and it would be uplifting to have him beside her in the Pseudosphere.
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