by Leyton, Bisi
“Are you sure?” Enric asked.
“Oh, I do remember, because it was shortly after that you blackmailed me into betraying Bach,” Wisteria reminded him.
“Right,” Enric replied.
“What are you talking about?” Steven glared at the glass. “What are you trying to do?”
“Long story,” Garfield quipped to Steven. “And even if we had the time I’m not sure you’d understand.”
“Wisteria, talk to me.” Steven approached her, but Enric grabbed him and pushed him across the room.
“Enric, stop,” Wisteria pleaded. “He doesn’t understand. If we’re going to do this, you can’t treat my friends or Steven like that.”
“And we don’t have time to pander to that child,” Enric retorted. “Wisteria, when Bach finds you down here, it will be over.”
“Steven, when we’re gone, let my mother in and tell her I’ve gone to Jarthan.” Wisteria squatted next to him. “No matter what you see…don’t panic.”
“I don’t panic,” Steven scoffed as he tried to get up. “But what you’re saying makes absolutely no sense. Tell me what’s going on.”
“He is not important. Wisteria, we have to go,” Enric called.
She wanted to argue, but the threshold looked ready. Right now, getting to the Hall of Ages was to be more important than dealing with Enric’s arrogant superiority complex. “Let’s go.” Stepping through the dark threshold, Wisteria felt extremely cold as it sucked her in.
Chapter Twelve
Daughter of Hemlock Zey, welcome to my home
Wisteria arrived in a small shack. The room was small and stank. The only things inside were a single bed, a rickety wooden table and three chairs and all of it looked ancient. She would’ve thought this place could’ve been abandoned for years if not for a bowl of weird pink and yellow fruits on the table. This wasn’t what she expected from the Family’s home realm, but were they in the Family’s realm?
Enric journeyed out after her and then Garfield.
“What is this place?” Garfield asked.
“I think this is Jarthan?” Going to the window, she removed the dark cloth covering it and revealed a bright orange sky filled with black clouds. Miles below them were the raging waves of an enormous river.
“We are in Jarthan,” Enric confirmed Wisteria’s guess.
“Jarthan—as in the place where they almost killed you and Bach?” Garfield asked.
“Exactly,” Enric replied. “I am glad to see you remember some things.”
“We’re on a mountain?” Wisteria peered at the violent waters.
“Yes, this is a Thayns' huts,” Enric informed her.
“Why is the sky—that—color?” Garfield stuttered. “Is—is it like toxic waste or something?”
“The sky in Jarthan is normally orange, but it will start turning blue the longer Wisteria is here,” Enric explained.
“Huh?” Wisteria didn’t understand what he meant and decided she didn’t want to. “Are we safe?” She turned to face the guys.
Placing a piron nexus and a small blue spoon on the table, Enric said, “We will be safe here until I can regenerate.” Picking up a glass cylinder that was lying on the table, he unrolled it and seemed to study it then glanced back at the threshold. “My friend was able to help us set this place up. Once I am better, we can journey to the home realm.”
“What’s wrong?” Wisteria noticed Enric still seemed fixated on the threshold.
“Someone else is journeying.” He pulled out a dagger. “Run.”
Wisteria and Garfield bolted to the door.
She glanced back in time to see Steven and then Hailey emerge. “Ah hell!”
“Are you kidding me?” Garfield exclaimed.
Wisteria stormed over to them. “Why are you here? I told you to wait behind.”
“And die while you escaped? No way Wisteria.” Hailey stepped forward. “So, we’ll wait out here with you until it’s safe to go back.”
Wisteria squinted at her. “Enric said the biters weren’t going to go near the house provided you stayed inside. We told you that.”
“But that’s impossible.” Hailey pointed out. “No one can control the biters.”
“How did you even get through without obsidian coral?” Wisteria asked.
“We used the one he dropped.” Steven took out the broken piece.
Ignoring Hailey and Steven, Enric marched to the threshold and removed the tiny tile.
The dark mist cleared and soon, all that remained was a cracked mirror.
“Enric, you need that to take us back,” Hailey cried, grabbing his arm.
“Do not ever touch me.” Enric jerked back, causing Hailey to fall. “Unless you want me to remove your arm.”
Steven stepped close to Wisteria and whispered, “Are you okay?”
“Why did you come? Steven, this isn’t a game,” she said softly.
“I was worried about you,” he answered. “You vanished into a mirror. Whatever is going on isn’t normal and I didn’t want you to face it alone.”
“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.” Wisteria frowned.
“Helping you,” Steven continued.
“No, I think you were scared.” Garfield rolled his eyes.
“You will take us back or—” Hailey hollered at Enric.
“I am not taking you anywhere. You will be left here when we move on.” Enric dropped onto the nearest seat. “After I have regenerated.”
“We can’t wait while you take a nap,” Hailey protested.
“Is he serious?” Steve remarked.
“Very,” Wisteria replied dryly.
Enric scoffed, but didn’t answer them. Turning to Wisteria, he said in the Dialect, “They are very stupid.”
“They don’t realize the Family exists,” Wisteria replied in the same language. Then she said to the others, “Right now, we should all rest. We’ve no clue what’s ahead of us.”
“I don’t trust Enric.” Garfield took her aside once Enric fell asleep.
“I saw Bach and he was going to murder Steven. Garfield, I’ve never seen him like that before,” she admitted as she sat on the bed. “He scared me.”
“Still, it’s Enric. He’s always been trouble.”
She nodded. “He’s right about one thing. We’ll be okay because of this.” Wisteria picked up the piron nexus. It looked identical to the one she’d activated around Smythe. Thinking back to her home, her mind returned to her stepfather and her heart sank. “Coles.”
“What is it?” Garfield asked.
“Nothing. I’m going to rest.” Pretending to smile, she headed to the bed and lay down. Closing her eyes, her thoughts wandered to Coles. She hadn’t even said goodbye to him.
“If there was one person I’d always thought would live through Nero, it was Major Coles.” Garfield sat next to her.
She sighed. “Garfield, I have no right to be upset. You’ve lost your entire family.” Tears rolled down the sides of her face. “I’ve been lucky so far.”
“Wisteria, no way, you were lucky. You loved him because he was kind of like your dad. Plus, I doubt my entire family is dead. Most of them are probably hiding out, waiting for this to blow over.”
“I’m sleepy.” Covering her face with her hands, Wisteria rolled over to face the wall.
“Wisteria, talk to me,” Garfield implored.
“I’m fine.” Not turning around, she willed herself to sleep.
Garfield get off the bed.
“Hailey, you should lay down too,” Steven suggested.
“She’s so fat she’s taken over about half the bed,” Hailey retorted.
“Hailey, you’re bigger than she is,” Steven snapped.
“You’re crazy,” Hailey sneered.
“No, he’s right. I’m guessing it’s all those rat burgers Thomas Clarkson has been giving you,” Garfield teased. “I’m not saying you’re fat. I’m saying you’re very fat.”
“With
everything that’s going on, this is what you want to talk about,” Hailey whimpered as she sat on the old bed next to Wisteria.
Wisteria didn’t move, but kept her eyes focused on the wall. Coles was dead. Having him around somewhere made her feel safer, but now he was gone too. She’d lost her compass.
The Isle of Smythe felt like hell for her and her family before the soldiers turned up. For the most part, her mother held her own, but then things got out of hand. At one point, it felt like the whole town turned on them, but all of it changed when Coles and his people brought some degree of order. Coles became central in making Smythe bearable.
With Coles dead, the Sir Charles’ inbred lackeys in the Leadership Council would have complete control of the island. They were even more sheltered about the reality of Nero than Charles had been. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep. When she awoke, the room was completely dark and something or someone was breathing on her. Shooting up, she shoved the massive creature off her and it landed with a thud on the floor.
“Oww,” Hailey cried. “What’s wrong with you?”
“You have good instincts Wisteria.” A blue light flickered and Enric’s hands started glowing. “We should go. Now.”
“How are you doing that?” Hailey stammered at Enric.
The light increased until it was bright enough for Wisteria to make out Steven slumped in a corner and Garfield sleeping with his head on the table.
Lying back down, Wisteria didn’t want to go anywhere because wherever Enric took her would be bad.
Enric stood and lit a candle with his blue light. “Dy’obeths are on their way.”
“How do you know that?” Alarmed, Wisteria bounded out of bed, stepping over Hailey who tried to climb back onto it.
“I read it on my Far-Eye.” Enric pulled out a thin glass scroll from his trousers pocket and unrolled it. “The Dy’obeths have learned I am in Jarthan.”
“What are Dy’obeths?” Steven asked with a groggy voice.
“Yellow eyed, blood thirsty people at least ten times as strong as the Family who are going to rip us limb from limb if they find us here,” Enric answered. “So, do not get into another fight with your girlfriend right now.”
“The piron net will protect us,” Wisteria reminded him.
“Not if they do a house to house search. The piron net will slow them down or confuse them a little, but they’ll stumble across this place.” Enric headed to the mirror that had been the threshold.
Steven swallowed hard. “So, we should move.”
“Then we will go through that to the home realm.” Wisteria pointed to the cracked mirror they’d arrived through hours before.
Pausing, Enric stared at the mirror. “Okay.”
“What?” Wisteria commented on his uncertainty.
After a few seconds, Enric shook his head, but didn’t speak.
“Enric, you’re hiding something.” Wisteria noted.
“I hide a lot from you, but concerning that mirror,” Enric pointed. “I am not sure it—it will transport your friends to my home realm safely, if at all. I’m not sure the imprimatur should work.” Picking up the blue metal spoon, he handed it to her.
“What do you mean should work?” Garfield was now awake.
Enric turned to Wisteria. “Only humans who’ve been renewed journey to my home realm. Free minded humans who’ve tried in the past ended up completely insane.”
“The First Pillar journey through right?” Wisteria wondered as she tried to remember all the history she’d learned.
“They used an imprimatur too, an artifact made of pure ninth metal.” Enric picked up the blue spoon and twisted it in half. “Like these.”
“But I’ll be fine because of the Mosroc I have with Bach,” Wisteria recalled something Frieda, Lluc’s wife told her.
“If the Mosroc is still intact,” Garfield commented.
“It is.” Wisteria could feel it.
“Mosroc, what’s that?” Steven asked.
“Nothing.” Wisteria didn’t feel it’d be right to throw the complicated nature of her relationship with Bach in Steven’s face.
Even though Steven was a pain, he was still human.
“Sometimes, members of my race bond with each other and very rarely with humans. This bond causes both the man and woman, or in Wisteria’s cases the boy and girl, to become mentally, emotionally and psychologically joined in some way,” Enric answered for her. “Wisteria and Bach have such a bond that can never be broken as long as they are both alive.”
“Oh…” Steven’s voice trailed off.
“Steven.” This wasn’t how Wisteria wanted him to learn about the hopelessness of his pursuit of her.
“I’m cool Wisteria.” Forcing a laugh, Steven responded, “So, you guys definitely aren’t from Australia.”
“Where is that?” Enric frowned.
“He doesn’t understand.” Wisteria looked over at him and then dropped her head.
“I understand.” Steven’s false humor faded and he grimaced.
“Interesting, you came not understanding what we are?” Enric remarked. “
“I thought my girlfriend—Wisteria was in trouble,” Steven admitted and shook his head.
“Listen, right now we’ve got to figure out how we’re going to get out of here before the—whoever’s coming for us gets here,” Garfield interrupted.
“Can the imprimatur get us all through?” Wisteria asked Enric.
“One of you maybe. Two I’m not so sure. Three?” Enric walked over to the mirror. “No.”
“We’ll find another one,” Wisteria prompted.
“The three humans should go back to Smythe. Your aunt’s house is protected from biters,” Enric advised.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Garfield refused.
“Garfield, you’ll have a chance of working things out with Amanda and maybe seeing the end of Nero.” Wisteria heard herself say.
“Hailey should go, but I’m staying,” Steven protested.
“Seriously?” Garfield scoffed.
Stepping up to her, Steven placed an arm on Wisteria’s shoulder. “Whatever’s going on we’re going to get through this.”
“You have no idea what you’re facing,” Enric exclaimed.
“I didn’t come all this way to let something happen to her,” Steven replied, but he was clearly hurt from the revelation about Bach and her.
“Human, you will not be able to protect anyone where we are going.” Enric moved to the window. “You will be lucky if you do not get yourself killed.”
“I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Steven, but I’m not going anywhere. Wisteria, what happens when the Dy’obeths are done with their realm? They’ll cross over to Earth. This is our best chance to stop them here and I’ve a duty to do whatever is required to protect my people.” Rising up, Garfield folded his arms.
Steven glanced at Garfield for a second and his jaw dropped. “Your people?”
“D’cara,” Enric swore and hurried to the window. “Turn out the candle and wake her.” Enric snapped his fingers at Hailey who lay asleep.
“What is it?” Wisteria blew out the candle.
“We need to leave now,” Enric ordered
Peering out of the window, she saw nothing but total darkness.
“There.” He pointed into the darkness in the direction of now calm waters. “Six Dy’obeths are climbing up the side of the mountain.”
“Six?” Wisteria still couldn’t see anything. “Okay we’re going now.” Taking the dark glass from Enric, she placed it on the mirror. “Steven, wake Hailey up.” She tapped the mirror impatiently. “Send Hailey to Smythe and—”
“We don’t have time for that now.” Enric grabbed Wisteria’s arm and placed his hand on the tile as if mentally telling it where he needed to go. “Your friends will hide in the mountains. I will come back for them if I can.”
“No, we’re going with her. Well, maybe not Hailey.” Picking up the imprimatur, Garfield scowle
d at Hailey. “Get up.”
“What’s going on Steven?” Yawning, Hailey asked.
The shack started to tremble violently, knocking everyone expect Enric over.
Hailey let out a blood-curdling scream. “There’s something out there?”
“Get up.” Rushing to her, Wisteria pulled Hailey to her feet. “Hold on to Steven and Garfield, unless you want to wait here.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” Hailey clawed at Wisteria.
“Fine.” Letting go of her, Wisteria marched to the threshold. “Stay here if you want to.”
“You were right to leave her. She will be a liability,” Enric remarked as Wisteria placed her hand into the threshold. “I hope she enjoys her encounter with the Dy’obeths.”
“We can’t leave her,” Wisteria said.
It might be a horrible death.
“Up.” Garfield grabbed Hailey, hoisting her to her feet.
“I’m not going anywhere with you freaks. Steven, are you going to let them do this to me?” Hailey hit Garfield violently as he lifted her over his shoulder. “Even you aren’t pathetic enough to let him do this.”
“Garfield, go, go, go,” Wisteria ordered as the door to their shelter shook. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Garfield and Hailey vanished though the threshold.
The door swung open.
A massive yellow-eyed man stomped in. “You chose to hide among the Terran Rats, Enric the race traitor.” The tips of his fingers glowed yellow. “You disgust me so much that death won’t be good enough for you.”
Steven slinked away from Wisteria and Enric as if trying to hide in the darkness.
“Surrender to me now and your death will be painful, but short,” the Dy’obeth sneered. “And don’t pretend you’re not afraid. Your incredibly shrill shriek led us here. Granted, we would’ve found you all eventually, but your wails saved us a few seconds.”
Not complying, Wisteria inched toward the threshold.
Streaks of yellow light emitted from his hands, narrowly missing Wisteria. “Do not move,” the Dy’obeth roared. “You pathetic Terran jaga.”
Suddenly, the Dy’obeths were pushed out of the room and the door was slammed shut by Steven. “Never under estimate the element of surprise,” he panted the words out as he tried to hold the door shut.
