“How big is it?”
“Small town size,” Daniel replied. “A few thousand people. A few businesses. Mayor, town council, all that.”
“You saw these people?”
“Yes. I met many of them.”
“This is so hard to believe.”
Daniel placed a hand on his chest. “It’s true, every word, I swear.”
“How did you get to it, if it doesn’t exist?”
“That’s what took so much time,” Daniel replied. “Shifting timelines is extremely hard and dangerous. Slaughter isn’t in another timeline, it’s just floating out there. Figuring out how to reach it was the trick.”
“Where is it? Or, rather, where was it?”
“In the panhandle of Idaho. There’s nothing there now except farmland. The town used to be there, of course, before it slipped in time and disappeared.”
“Slipped in time,” Eliza repeated. “It sounds so weird. You say it so casually, like it happens every day.”
“It does happen,” he replied. “Not often, but it does.”
“How?”
“It’s a mystery. There are lots of theories. My favorite is that the town somehow slowed down a fraction of a second, back in the sixties. It caused the entire town to blip out of this timeline and vanish.”
“So it was here, in Idaho, thousands of people, and it just — blip — was gone?”
“Yes.”
“People would have noticed.”
“The prevailing theory is that most healthy timelines, like ours, heal themselves instantly. When the town blipped out, any memory of it was removed and fixed. No one missed it at all, because no one had any recollection of it. There used to be a town there one day, and the next it was gone, and farmers started plowing, wondering why such nice, fertile land hadn’t yet been put to use.”
“And the people in the town?”
“They lost any memory of anything and anyone beyond their borders. They live in their own little world.”
“You know this? You talked to them?”
“I did,” Daniel replied. “Getting through to the place was hard, but solidifying enough to interact with them was nearly impossible. I made it far enough to speak with a few people. They thought I was a ghost; that was the only thing that made sense to them. I never explained about the timeline they left, or that there were all these other people in existence. They never would have believed me, anyway.”
As Eliza listened to Daniel talking about his past, it hit her just how different he was from Robert. Robert had always been smooth and easy; simple in many ways. Daniel was awkward, often said the wrong thing, and seemed more complex. Robert didn’t like to talk much about his past or his youth; when she asked him about it, he gave evasive answers and changed the subject. Daniel had been more than willing to talk about his past, once she began to ask. She also had to admit that he’d managed to overcome her initial rebuffs with a sort of playful determination that impressed her. All in all, he was refreshingly different from Robert.
“Fascinating,” Eliza said. “When was the last time you went there?”
“Last year,” Daniel replied.
“You ever going back? Can you take people with you?”
“Yes, I can take people, but no, I won’t go back.”
“Why? It must be an amazing place to visit!”
“It is, but it’s horrible too,” he paused. “That’s another story. I’ve told you about Slaughter. Time for you to tell me about Milton.”
She sighed. “Well, OK. But let’s move into the living room. Want another beer?”
“Sure,” he replied.
They situated themselves on the couch and Eliza began. “It all started when I and…” She paused. She was going to say “Robert,” but Daniel knew little about the guy, and she didn’t want to get derailed with a big discussion about him, so she considered exactly how to describe Robert to Daniel.
“It started when my ex and I went to a B&B upstate,” she continued, knowing she’d crossed a line. A small part of her ached that it had happened, but her brain and her heart told her it was the truth; they weren’t really a couple anymore, not after the one-sided distance imposed by Robert the past two months.
Over the course of the next hour she related the events at Milton’s B&B. She wrapped up with some of the information she’d learned from Aceveda, without mentioning her.
“That’s one of the better stories I’ve heard,” Daniel replied once she’d finished. “Very spooky.”
“It’s not as huge as a missing town,” she replied.
“I think it is,” he answered. “In its own way.”
“Martha and Granger still haunt me,” Eliza replied. “Martha gave it up and moved on. Yeah, we helped Milton out and solved his problem, but in some ways I feel like I caused more damage than I fixed by falling for Horace’s trap.”
“I’m sure you all felt you were doing the right thing,” Daniel replied.
“Yes, we were all so sure we were helping,” Eliza said with a touch of sarcasm. “What a stupid assumption. Granger wound up walking into his grave over it. My relationship with Robert ended over it. Martha’s decades of trying to stop Horace failed. I feel like a total loser.”
“Loss, like you said Horace mentioned,” Daniel replied. “He managed to transfer a lot of his loss onto you, while at the same time he wound up getting what he wanted.”
“So it would seem,” she replied, and let out a long sigh. “I’m trying to just get over the whole thing.”
“That’s kind of hard to do when you don’t know exactly what Horace was up to, or what the kaleidoscope was for.”
“True,” she replied, glancing down at her hands. “I wonder about that all the time.”
“Want me to look into it?” he asked with a conspiratorial tone.
She looked up at him. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Well, I believe it all had some kind of origin in the Dark River, which I have no interest in pursuing. Have you heard of it? The Dark River?”
“I’ve heard of it, but I’m not afraid of it. I don’t mind looking into it, if you’d like.”
“I’ve heard horrible things about it,” she replied, remembering Aceveda’s warnings, which had been strong and absolute. She knew if she didn’t follow Aceveda’s wishes with regards to the Dark River, the woman would probably be able to detect it, and it would cost her further tutelage. It wasn’t a risk she was interested in taking. If living with the questions about Horace was the price she needed to pay, she was willing to pay it.
“I could just poke around and see what I find,” he said. “No obligation on your part. No skin off your back.”
She knew she couldn’t pursue it, but that didn’t mean Daniel couldn’t.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “After everything I’ve told you about this? The deaths, and all the destruction it caused to people? You’d want to get wrapped up in that?”
“I’m not going to get wrapped up,” he replied confidently. “Just find out more about your kaleidoscope. I’m not without resources. Some of them might know about this Eye Shrine.”
She considered his offer. “Hmm,” she muttered, thinking out loud. “I don’t know. I don’t want to get involved with the Dark River in any way.”
“You wouldn’t have to.”
She paused. She knew he could read how skeptical she seemed.
“It’ll just be information,” Daniel said. “You don’t have to act on it. Hell, maybe I’ll act for you.”
“I couldn’t ask you to risk yourself like that.”
“I’m capable of looking out for myself.”
She looked up at him again. He had a goofy grin that made him look half-competent in the looking-out department. Hey, he’s offering, she thought.
“I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble,” she said.
“It wouldn’t be any trouble.”
“I mean, I wouldn’t want
you to go to the trouble, and then find out that I wasn’t going to do anything with what you find. It might be a waste of your time.”
“I won’t expect you to,” he replied. “And I have plenty of time. This gig with House on the Rock is using only a portion of my ability. I’d relish the opportunity to help you out.”
She looked at him again. “I’m not interested in any kind of debt for this. I don’t want to owe you favors.”
“Pure gratis,” he said. “You won’t owe me anything.”
She wasn’t sure, but it looked as if he had slid a little closer to her on the couch while they were talking. She knew she liked him, but she wasn’t at all prepared to allow him any advances, and if she agreed to let him pursue some answers, that was as much of an obligation to him as she was willing to permit.
She stood up. “I’ve got strawberry shortcake if you want some. I’m sure that this time of year the strawberries are from Guatemala or some such place, so I can’t speak to their quality.”
“Sounds nice!” he said, rising from the sofa. “I love strawberry shortcake.”
Chapter Twenty
“So, I posted about the kaleidoscope on my discussion board,” Daniel said, opening his laptop. He turned it on and began to unspool a line, which he plugged into the back end of the computer. “Do you mind if I use your phone?”
“Sure, it’s on the wall,” Eliza said. “You did what? You posted?”
Daniel unplugged the phone on the kitchen wall and clipped in his cord, then returned to the laptop. “I wrote up a little about it, and asked my friends if anyone knew anything.”
“On the internet?” Eliza asked, concerned.
“An entirely private bulletin board,” Daniel replied. “I didn’t say anything specific about you at all, don’t worry.”
He dialed with the device’s modem, and after a minute or so he’d connected to a screen where he could log in. Eliza decided to get them both a beer while she waited.
“Here it is,” he said. “You can see what I posted a couple of days ago. Look, there’s already a dozen replies! We’ll read them together.” He turned the screen toward her.
She read from the post. “Looking for information regarding a cult associated with a place called the Eye Shrine, and a related object of interest, a kaleidoscope. If you have anything you can share, please reply.”
Daniel scrolled down, and they began to read the responses. The first reply was a single word.
“‘Verboten’,” Eliza read, then moved to the next. “‘Not a wise post. Best advice you’ll receive today: drop this inquiry.’”
“Hmm,” Daniel said, scrolling farther. Eliza continued reading.
“‘Not anything you want to look into’…‘Drop it’…‘Forum rules prohibit discussing anything DR.’ Wow, these people aren’t very encouraging. What do they mean by DR?”
“Dark River, I’m guessing,” Daniel replied.
“Oh, of course.”
“There’s a few more, let’s finish,” Daniel said, scrolling.
“‘Never heard anything about it’,” Eliza read, then turned to Daniel. “Why would you bother to reply with that?”
“People do it all the time. It’s like they feel compelled to answer even though they have nothing to say. It’s weird.” He scrolled to the last reply.
“‘Email me’,” Eliza read. “Huh.”
“Let me copy that email address,” Daniel said, turning the device’s keyboard around so he could use it. He typed away for a few moments.
“You emailing this person?” Eliza asked.
“Yup,” Daniel replied. “Why not?”
He finished and sat back in the chair, reaching for the beer. Not a minute had gone by before the computer beeped, and he glanced at the screen. “They replied already!”
“What does it say?” Eliza asked.
“It’s just a phone number,” Daniel answered, turning the screen to her.
“Looks foreign,” Eliza said.
“Should we call?”
“It could be some kind of trap. I’d rather not call from my phone. They might trace it.”
“I have a cell phone,” Daniel offered, pulling a large grey block from his jacket. He slipped an antenna out of the top and flipped open a panel, exposing a series of lit buttons.
“Can those be traced?” Eliza asked.
“I don’t know,” Daniel replied. “But I doubt it; it would be much harder.”
Eliza looked at the number on the screen. “Where is area code 33?”
Daniel took control of the laptop once again, and within a few moments he’d looked up the information. “France.”
“Huh,” Eliza said, sitting back in her chair. Someone might be able to shed some light on things, and it would come all the way from the other side of the world. “OK. Call.”
Daniel dialed the number. While it was ringing, Eliza moved close to Daniel; he arranged the phone so they could both hear through the small speaker.
“Bonjour,” came the answer on the phone.
“Bonjour,” Daniel replied. “My name is Daniel; you emailed me your number?”
“Ah, I didn’t think you’d call.” The voice was ragged and gravelly; Eliza couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. It sounded old, and had a thick French accent. “Is there anyone else listening?”
“One other,” Daniel replied, “the person I’m inquiring for. She’d like to remain anonymous.”
“Smart,” the voice replied, pausing. Eliza heard the crackle of lit tobacco, followed by a slow exhale. “I’m old, so I don’t care if they come after me. Got very little to lose, if you catch my meaning.”
“You can tell us about the Eye Shrine?” Daniel asked. “The cultists?”
“The Eye Shrine is in the Dark River,” the voice rumbled. “You’re gifted, or you probably wouldn’t be on that forum, so you should be able to enter the Dark River if you want. Just go to an entrance.”
“That’s not really an option for us,” Daniel replied.
“Then why do you want to know about the Eye Shrine?”
Daniel gave Eliza a quick look, and placed his hand over the phone’s mic. “Do I tell her?” he whispered.
“Keep it generic,” Eliza replied. “Don’t talk about the B&B.”
Daniel removed his hand from the microphone, and began to relate part of the story, focusing primarily on Horace and Martha.
“Ah,” the voice replied, once he’d finished. “How long ago did this happen?”
Eliza glanced at the calendar on the wall and did a quick calculation. “Nine weeks,” she said.
“Then it is probably still something you can stop, provided you are not timid and you are on the side of good, and not willing to let evil take root.”
“Evil?” Daniel asked. “What do you mean, something we can stop?”
“You need to make a quick decision,” the voice replied. “Nine weeks is almost all the time they need. You likely do not have more than a few days to stop them, or they will be finished, and gone.”
“Stop them?” Eliza asked. “How?”
There was a fumbling of the phone on the other end, and they heard a rapid conversation in French. Eliza looked at Daniel while they listened, wondering what was happening.
The voice returned. “I do not have much time. Listen to me carefully before I have to hang up. If your friend was after the kaleidoscope, I can assure you, he was not buried.”
“He is,” Eliza replied. “We found his gravestone. I talked to him there.”
“Listen to me!” the voice replied with irritation. “He would not have allowed himself to be buried. The woman who was following him went to great lengths to remain after her death, and I can assure you he did the same. He sent cultists who were still alive to retrieve the kaleidoscope once he knew where it was, and they returned it to him. His body will not have been buried, because then he could never be reunited with the kaleidoscope and the…” The voice paused as another interrupted, and ag
ain a discussion in French ensued. It ended with a click as the phone was hung up and the line went silent.
“Damn!” Daniel said, pressing a button on the phone. “I wonder what happened.”
“Call back,” Eliza said.
Daniel dialed the number once again. He held the phone to his ear for a long time, eventually giving Eliza a skeptical look. “It just rings. That might be all we get from her.”
“Was it a her?” Eliza asked. “I couldn’t tell.”
“She said he wouldn’t have been buried,” Daniel replied. “But you saw the grave.”
“I saw a gravestone,” Eliza said. “And I contacted him there. I had to trance to reach him.”
“Is there a chance his body wasn’t really there?” Daniel asked. “Could it have been somewhere else?”
“The woman said he would have gone to great lengths, just like Martha,” Eliza replied, standing and beginning to pace. “Martha planned for her death; maybe he did too. Maybe what’s buried under that gravestone is a sack of dirt.”
“Or something that alerts him if a gifted were to try and reach him?” Daniel offered.
Eliza turned to him, as though a light bulb had gone off. “Of course! He needed someone to find and dig up that kaleidoscope, because he was dead and couldn’t do it anymore. His only hope was someone with the gift, because they’d be the only kind of person who could sort through everything and locate Wanda. He would expect that a gifted would try to contact him, and since they would know that he was dead, of course they would go to the cemetery for that.”
“Maybe what’s buried under the gravestone is some kind of alert, and relay,” Daniel offered. “Something that would tip him off if a gifted person came around.”
“Do such things exist?” Eliza asked.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Daniel replied. “All it would have to do is alert him and let him appear to you as if he was there.”
“You know,” Eliza replied, “he came out of a casket when he talked to me. I thought it was odd, because the other time I’d tranced and spoken to someone who was deceased and buried, she was just there…no casket, no theatre.”
“You’re right,” Daniel replied. “So, let me make sure I have this straight: Horace detects that you were there, and discovers that you’ve located the kaleidoscope. He contacts living cultists who track down your friend, kill him, and take the kaleidoscope. Our French woman said something about reuniting with it, so the cultists deliver the kaleidoscope back to Horace, which fits with him not being buried, since how could you return it to him if he’s six feet under?”
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