by Bryan Cohen
When the group was one turn away from the massive doors to the throne, Ted bent down ever so slightly and stopped. The guards continued on for a few paces, leaving Ted completely behind them. It was only a moment, but without their eyes upon him he could feel his power returning. Ted could've done any number of things with that split second. A few deft telekinetic moves could have the entire party fall on their own swords. Another could've resulted in him flying through the air and clotheslining the backs of their helmets. But he and Natalie had come up with a much subtler idea. Ted felt himself enter multiple minds at once. Without their gaze on him, it was as easy as flipping a switch. Before his heart had a chance to beat twice, the guards turned back to see him fiddling with his shoelaces.
One sentry with a particularly large helmet grunted his frustration. "What do you think you're doing?"
Ted smiled to himself. He'd done it. The little matter of whether it'd worked would become clear within the next few minutes.
He looped his laces together. "Sorry, guys. I didn't want to trip. I really need a new pair. Do you have Fleet Feet here?"
The large-headed guard broke formation and grabbed Ted by the shoulder. He lifted the living soul with ease and pushed him back into line. Ted continued moving forward until the pack reached the throne room. The massive doors opened, and another set of guards ushered him inside. This time the General stood much closer than his shadowy throne.
Ted's double wore a healthy grin. "I hear you've seen the light of day. How wonderful it was to hear that you've settled on the best option."
Ted held up one hand. He listened for a particular sound during the moment of silence, but there was nothing. His stomach churned.
Come on. This has to work.
"Thanks for seeing me so quickly, Gen– William. I'd like to negotiate slightly different terms."
The General nodded as if he'd expected this.
He gestured to a nearby table. "Of course. A thousand years of war wasn't meant to end with a single handshake."
Ted studied the General's face as they sat. The General didn't seem aware of what was about to occur – at least, what Ted hoped was about to occur.
The General linked his fingers together on the tabletop. "Now, Ted. Is it money or power we're talking? Because we could make sure you have vast supplies of both."
Ted smirked. "I appreciate the offer, but that's not the part I want to change."
The General nodded. "Fine, fine. Heroes never seem to want the fame and fortune, but I imagine it comes in handy." He leaned forward. "What is it you do want?"
In the distance, Ted heard a light scraping sound. His heart picked up its pace. They were coming. Ted could barely hide his excitement.
He gripped the side of the table. "Before I sign anything, I need you to let Natalie return to Earth unharmed."
The General's face scrunched up in laughter. "How noble! But really, Ted, do you think we'd give up one of our main bargaining chips?"
The noise grew louder outside. It sounded like a hundred fingernails sliding across a blackboard.
Ted tightened his grasp on the table. "I didn't. But I needed to talk about something to catch you off guard."
The General's demonstration of the dark soul army's firepower had an unintended consequence. Ted knew exactly where to find a trained pack of Lychos.
The General cocked his head to the side as the stampede came crashing in through the side of the throne room. Ted whipped the table to his left and dove behind the makeshift barrier. He narrowly avoided the swipe of the first Lychos, which leapt over the table and landed directly on the chest of the closest guard. As the wolf-like creature tore the sentry's armor apart, the other beasts focused on the remaining guards. In all the hubbub, Ted felt his powers return. He reached for the downed guard's belt with his mind and pulled a dagger toward his hand.
As the hilt reached his fingers, Ted stood and approached the General, who was busy fighting off one of the Lychos with his fists. He considered leaving the man to fend for himself, but he was the hostage Ted needed by his side to escape. With a flick of his wrist, Ted sent the creature straight back against the one of the solid, beastly sculptures. It fell unconscious with a whimper. Before the General could react, Ted had a blade against his throat.
The General remained perfectly still. "Well done, Ted. And here I thought you were a pacifist."
Ted switched the blade to the General's back. "Let's move, Bill."
The General complied and the two of them walked out of the now-decimated side of the building. A quick glance back saw the Lychos treating the guards like chew toys.
Ted felt the sun against his face as he led his hostage forward. He and Natalie had gone over the route over a dozen times, until he had it completely memorized. Two lefts, a right, and all the way down a long, straight corridor. That's where Natalie would be waiting. Ted stayed close to the General. He was prepared to shove the blade through the back of the lookalike's heart if necessary, though he hoped it wouldn't come to that.
After every direction Ted barked, the General listened. His lack of resistance caught Ted by surprise.
They were only a turn away from the long passageway when the General got talkative.
"That was very clever. Who knew you could get inside an animal's head from so far away?"
Ted ignored the General and kept his eyes on the path ahead.
Ted's hostage didn't seem to take offense. "I'm surprised you're willing to go so far for a cause you don't even understand."
Ted grumbled. "I understood it enough when I saw Natalie's face."
The General nodded as he continued to walk. "It's unfortunate we had to do that, but at least we're forthcoming with our intentions. Your protector has never told you the whole story."
Ted flinched at that. The General was likely right. Whenever Ted sought information from Erica, he was stonewalled at every turn. Her lack of info had even put them in danger on multiple occasions.
Ted tried to kick his thoughts to the curb. "Walk faster!"
The General complied, but he kept on talking. "Oh, the beautiful protector. Your love. I'm sure she loves you, too, but she's loved many before. It's been hard for me to watch."
Ted flared his nostrils. "Don't talk about her like that."
Even with his back turned, Ted could detect the smirk on the General's face. "She really was beautiful on our wedding day."
Ted spun the General around and pointed the knife at his throat. He felt hot and twitchy. "I don't want to hear anything else out of your mouth."
The General didn't seem to take Ted's words seriously. "One has to wonder. Did she fall in love with you because you looked like me? The question alone would make me wonder if I could ever trust her feelings at all."
Ted wasn't sure what to believe. The General didn't seem to be lying. He was an evil murderer who was leading a devastating military campaign, but every word he spoke held the weight of truth.
"I don't understand." The sentence left Ted's mouth before he could stop it.
The General looked unsettlingly calm. "Put down the knife and I'll explain everything."
Ted hadn't had a chance to consider the offer when the sound of an aerial engine followed by an explosion filled his eardrums. The latter noise preceded the rumbling above and beneath them. The ceiling smashed apart, sending stones crashing to the ground in every direction. Ted rolled away from a multi-stone clump, but by the time he focused his eyes back on the General's previous position, the dark soul was gone. Through the now-open ceiling of the passageway, Ted watched a plane zip across the sky as it dropped another bomb. The floor beneath him shifted once again. He steadied himself against a wall and tried to understand what was happening. Then the realization struck.
It's an attack. It's the light souls.
Chapter 24
Erica was compelled to stare at the portal. The awe transcended the mild electric current running through her body. Just when she'd given up on getting him back, now
she had a chance to save him. Something inside told her to drop the book, and when she did, the current abated but the gateway remained. Erica looked to her right. Travis, Jennifer and Dhiraj looked as dumbfounded as she was. The portal was like a shimmering, circular ocean in the middle of the dried-up field. Erica felt like it was somehow an extension of her, and she imagined the others must feel the same way.
Dhiraj had an almost goofy look on his face. "I bet this trick would kill at parties."
Travis nodded. "I just want to let all of you know, I'm taking sole credit for this when we rescue Nat."
Erica's heart sunk. "Guys, this really is incredible, but we have to stop Kable. He could be minutes behind us for all we know."
Jennifer squinted. "But, don't you want to save Ted?"
"Of course I do. But Kable needs to be our first priority."
Jennifer dropped Dhiraj and Travis' hands. The portal continued to burn brightly as she grabbed Erica's shoulder. "We'll find a way to stop him. In the meantime, you've gotta bring our friends back."
Erica wanted to disagree, but Jennifer's eyes wouldn't let her. Besides, if she could get Ted back quickly enough, perhaps they'd be able to stop the Presidential candidate from causing any more damage.
She nodded. "Okay. I'll go, and you three can–"
Travis stepped on her words. "No freakin' way! You get to go find your boyfriend while I play third wheel to Mr. and Mrs. Gates?" He crossed his arms. "I'm coming with you."
Erica waves him off. "No, Travis. It's not safe."
Travis grunted. "Newsflash! It's not safe here, either." He looked down at the book. "Besides, you have to get back here, right? The portal only opened when you had four people." He pointed his fingers in her face. "That's you, Ted, Nat and me."
Erica didn't like it. They were already down from seven to four. Few humans had ever traveled from world to world. A high percentage of them didn't last an hour.
Dhiraj cleared his throat. "The man has a point. Especially in comparing us to Bill and Melinda Gates." Travis nodded at that and Dhiraj returned the gesture. "Besides, it might be easier to travel as two than three."
Erica frowned. "Than maybe all of you should come with me."
Jennifer shook her head. "Dhiraj and I are staying here."
Dhiraj gave her a puzzled look. "We are? But you know I've always been interested in inter-dimensional real estate."
Jennifer glared at her boyfriend. "We're not sure how long things are going to take. I'm not coming back in a month to see my dad's murderer headed to the White House."
Erica looked at her potential traveling partner.
He winked. "Afraid you're gonna fall in love with me or something?"
Erica rolled her eyes. Her former inhabitant had found Travis attractive for the same reasons he'd make a good fighter. He was in amazing physical shape and few people would even consider messing with him. That could help Erica as she traveled. Some worlds were less forgiving of solo female travelers than others. They also shared the same purpose. They'd both stop at nothing to get back the people they loved.
Erica let her features relax. "Fine."
Travis hollered much louder than he should have, given their criminal status, but the others didn't seem to mind. A few high-fives later and they were back to huddling.
Erica gave Dhiraj a stern look. "While we're gone, you better take care of her."
Dhiraj returned a knowing smile. "Always."
Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Uh huh. And Travis?"
"Yeah?"
"You better not get in her way."
Travis looked hurt. "You're not gonna ask me to protect her?"
Jennifer snorted. "Good one."
The four of them split their rations right down the middle. Enough food and water remained to get them through about three days each. After that, they'd all need to get creative. Erica had been through these sorts of minimal resource situations before, but she wasn't sure Dhiraj and Jennifer could handle it. They planned to take the leap a few minutes past the hour, and beforehand, Erica pulled her best friend aside.
"I don't like leaving you here like this."
Jennifer laughed. "Isn't that my line?"
Erica shared in a giggle. "I guess so. Things were a lot simpler before I showed up."
Jennifer took Erica's hand. "I'm glad you did. If you hadn't, then I never would've seen you again. My friend would've been gone forever. I really am grateful."
Erica's stomach twisted. She hoped these wouldn't be the last words they ever shared. "I am too. How are you gonna stop Kable?"
Jennifer rubbed at her nose. "As much as I'd like it to be a bullet in the head, I think we're going to go with a sneakier approach." Erica nodded and pulled Jennifer in for a hug. "I trust you. I love you."
Jennifer's breath warmed her ear. "I love you, too."
After they'd gathered up all their supplies, Erica and Travis stood before the portal, which was now beginning to close slowly. They waved goodbye to Jennifer and Dhiraj and turned to face the blue gateway.
Travis laughed. "After all this time, LaPlante, you'll finally get me alone. How lucky can you get?"
Erica raised her eyebrows. "You know, it's pretty confusing over there. I'll actually be lucky if I don't lose you."
Travis grew serious. "Wait. What?"
Erica gripped his back firmly and threw him into the portal. He disappeared into the blue abyss.
Erica looked back and sighed. "Good luck."
Jennifer blinked back a watery eye. "You, too."
Erica took one more deep breath and dove head-first into the portal.
Chapter 25
Natalie's part of the plan sprung into action as soon as Ted left to meet with the General. That didn't mean her muscles were quite ready to do any springing. Her entire body was a low, pulsing ache at this point, but she knew she couldn't endure another torture session. If the plan didn't work, she wasn't sure if either of them would make it out alive.
Natalie used a swift kick to snap off the leg of an end table. She rolled it underneath the bed and lay down on the floor.
Natalie sighed. "All of this depends on you guys being idiots." She sent up a silent prayer. "Here's to hoping."
With that, Natalie performed her girliest squeal of all time and started to convulse. As she did her best to let her eyes roll to the back of her head, she heard two guards barrel into the room. She recognized them as the pumpkin face and rat man from the previous day. The rodent with the yellow teeth stood over her and leaned down to get a better look.
That's it. Nice and easy.
The rat was just out of range when Natalie held her breath and played dead. The look of concern on the dark soul's face almost made her feel bad for what she was about to do. But with her one part shame and 99 parts desire for revenge, the revenge won out. As the guard stooped lower, Natalie fished the table leg out from under the bed and struck him in the temple. He collapsed with a groan as Natalie rolled out from under him. Before the pumpkin-headed guard could call for help, she snatched the limp rat's blaster and fired a direct hit. The shot rendered him unconscious and he fell to the ground. Natalie stood up and watched both guards snooze on the room's floor.
"I should've won an Emmy for that. Or whatever the Realm of Souls equivalent would be. A Soulie?"
Natalie tore the holster off the pumpkin man and affixed it to her own pants. She stowed both blasters and crouched as she exited the room. Just as she'd hoped, no other guards had been alerted to her presence. If everything went well on Ted's end, then she'd meet up with him and the hostage General within a few more turns.
At least, that was the plan until a massive blast rattled the floor beneath her and the ceiling caved in.
Even in Natalie's damaged state, she was able to roll away from most of the impact. Any stones that struck her certainly weren't as painful as the beatings had been. Natalie pulled out one blaster and considered her options.
Planes continued to fly around and take out pa
rts of the castle with advanced weaponry. Given how easily the ceiling above her had collapsed, meeting at the rendezvous point would require a dangerous path. Powdered debris wafted into Natalie's nose as she tried to hear anything above the battle happening in the sky.
"If I can get to him, maybe we can escape during all this insanity."
Natalie pressed forward and almost walked right into a trio of guards who didn't look much older than her. They seemed like they were attempting to escape the latest bomb blast. She shot one at point-blank range. The heat from the blow nearly scalded her, though it was probably much worse for the other guy. He slammed into the wall directly behind him. She rolled under an incoming energy discharge and punched the shooter in the nose. Crimson trickled down his face as he crumpled to the ground. Before the third could fire off a shot, she spun and kicked him through an open window. The man screamed as he plummeted to whatever lay below. Natalie's eyes grew wide.
I doubt he's gonna make it.
The bleeding guard had dropped his weapon in the commotion, but as he reached for it, Natalie kicked the blaster to the other side of the hall.
She pointed her weapon right between his eyes. "Don't even think about it."
One of the planes came swooping past the building, and the sound of its engine momentarily shorted out Natalie's hearing. When she regained it, she focused her attention back on the bleeding guard.
"Do you know what's happening?"
He fumbled for the right answer. "It's the light souls. We didn't see them coming."
Natalie felt like an idiot. Who else would attack the dark souls in the middle of a war? Were they there to find her and Ted? She motioned for the guard to get up. "Sorry about the nose. And your friend." Natalie shooed him away. "Now get outta here!"
The guard didn't need to be told twice. He sprinted in the opposite direction and Natalie pressed on. The path toward the rendezvous point was blocked by several piles of rubble. She hoped Ted was aware enough to not get a ceiling caved in on him.
