by Devan Skyles
“What is he talking about, Rhydian?” Ellie asked.
“Oh, it’s really quite simple,” Desmond explained. “Rhydian here has been lying to you. He’s not human. He’s an Ilimíri fugitive.” He then turned to Rhydian. “It’s no wonder Redwing’s spies haven’t been able to find you. You’ve been over here all along, hiding behind this human. Imagine the look on his face when I bring back both the timekeepers!”
It was then that it dawned on Rhydian. He knew his voice. It was the voice of Redwing’s conspirator; the one he’d been secretly meeting with. That’s why the voice had been so familiar to him. It was Desmond!
He looked over at Ellie, but she just looked back at him dubiously, unable to speak.
Just then, two more men, rifles slung over their shoulders, came out through the front door, one of them holding the wooden box of Ilimíra papers. He turned it over and dumped its contents out onto the porch.
“Boss, look at this,” the man said, shaking the box. It was empty, but a dull rattle came from within. “It has a false bottom.”
“Well, don’t just stand there,” Desmond ordered. “Get it open!”
The man raised the box high over his head and threw it hard off the porch, where it crashed and splintered into pieces on the ground. Desmond leaned over the wreckage and retrieved a small pendant, like a pocket watch, hanging from a gold chain. Around its face were twenty-five small, green jewels. And circling the center was a single hand. The device, unbelievably, was still ticking.
“Good work, gentlemen!” Desmond declared. “Do you know how long I’ve been undercover looking for this?”
“Should we tie up the loose ends, boss?” The other man with the gun asked, gesturing at the Rhydian and Ellie.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “They won’t be any trouble over here without a way back into Ilimíra. Besides, they deserve each other, don’t you think? But search him. He’ll undoubtedly by carrying the other timekeeper on his person.”
The man started down the porch, when suddenly he staggered back, gasping for breath, and fell on his back.
“What’s the problem, Argus?” Desmond said impatiently, looking back at the man. And that’s when everyone noticed, Argus had an arrow protruding from his chest.
“Heads down!” Desmond shouted. “They’ve got reinforcements!”
Rhydian looked back, and sure enough, Auram was charging toward the house, Taya and two more of his followers (both armed with bows) close behind him.
Desmond’s other armed man raised his rifle and fired at the advancing group.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound was so immense that Rhydian clapped his hands over his ears. One of Auram’s bowmen took a bullet and fell. The other stopped and loosed another arrow, which arched high and came down directly in the gunman’s chest. One of the men holding Ellie drew a knife and placed it to her throat, using her as a human shield.
Rhydian’s blood ran hot at this and he hollered in a rage. Wrenching his arm away from one of his captors, he elbowed him in the face. The man fell back hard, his nose bloodied. Rhydian then grasped the arm of the other man holding him and turned about, twisting the man’s arm around behind his back and pulling up hard. A horrid crunching sound came from the man’s shoulder as he screamed in agony. Rhydian merely let him drop to the ground, his arm dislocated. He dashed for the man holding Ellie hostage, but the other barred the way, a sword in his hand.
“Rhydian, catch!” Auram shouted, tossing a longsword into the air, which Rhydian caught just as the group engaged the thugs.
The man with the sword attacked Rhydian with a broad, overhead swing. Rhydian saw the attack coming from a mile away and parried it easily. They exchanged several more blows, none of them landing, until Rhydian swung up from below and sliced through the man’s jaw. He scrambled back, clutching his severed face in a panic. Rhydian turned and saw the man, who had previously been holding Ellie hostage, fending off both Auram and Taya with only his knife. Surprisingly the man seemed to handle the short weapon expertly, parrying each blow as it came.
Rhydian cast his gaze about looking for Ellie, but she was nowhere to be seen. Then suddenly, the man he’d elbowed rose up in a rage, swinging a sword and catching him of guard. He had no time to react to the attack. He was going to die.
BANG! BANG! Two bloody holes appeared in the man’s chest and he toppled back against the gravel. Rhydian turned, and behind him stood Ellie, holding one of the rifles in her hands, a serious expression on her face.
Everyone looked at Ellie, who said nothing. Rhydian stared at her in alarm, but he was grateful for her quick action. She had just saved his life.
The thugs all soon lay dead on the ground, but something wasn’t right.
“Where’s Desmond?” asked Rhydian.
As if in answer to his question, Desmond’s car roared to life and the rear wheels spun, kicking up gravel as it peeled out and ripped down the road at top speed.
Rhydian ran to the truck. “We have to follow him! We can’t let him get back to Redwing with that timekeeper, especially knowing what he knows!”
“Rhydian,” Auram interjected, pointing at the truck’s tires, all four of which had been slashed.
He looked at the car the thugs had brought. Its tires were in the same condition.
“Is it true?” Ellie said, walking up to Rhydian. “Did you lie to me?”
Rhydian looked her in the eye and reached for her hand, which she pulled away.
“Is it true, Rhydian?”
“Look, I—” he began. “I tried to tell you, Ellie.”
She shook her head, a look of confused betrayal on her face. “You didn’t try hard enough, did you? All this time, you’ve been lying to me, just like him, about my parents and everything.”
“No! Look, I just found out about that myself, the same as you. Please—”
“Get out,” she said, her voice trembling, tears forming in her eyes.
“Rhydian, I’m sorry,” Auram prompted urgently. “We really do need to go.”
“He’s right,” Taya added. “I brought us through with my timekeeper, but it only lasts an hour. Right now we have the advantage with the secret threshold being right here. He has to get to wherever the next closest one is. If we hurry, we can head him off, but we have to leave now.”
“I’m not leaving Ellie here alone!” he insisted.
“Yes you are,” said Ellie, tuning her head to the side to hide her tears.
“Ellie, please just—”
“I said get out!” she screamed, shoving him back with both hands.
Auram now pulled him along by the arm. “Come on, Rhyd. We have to go, right now.”
Rhydian backed away with his friend, but he refused to tear his eyes away from Ellie, who stood there staring back at him.
Taya approached Ellie tentatively. “Listen, it’s not safe for you here. They’re going to be coming back to find us soon. You can’t be here when they do. I’m terribly sorry.”
Changing the Deal
Desmond tore down the dirt road as fast as he could, his hands shaking. He hadn’t imagined anything going wrong, and he certainly didn’t think anyone would die on such a cut and dry mission. But at last his assignment was over. At last he could return to Ilimíra for good. When he was far enough away that he was sure he was safe, he hung the timekeeper from the rearview mirror and relaxed a bit, tuning the radio to the strange music he’d grown accustomed to over the last two years he’d spent amongst the humans.
His tires squealed as he peeled off onto the paved road and made his way to the freeway. It was a long way to the nearest threshold, which made him wonder how Rhydian and his friends had been moving to and from the location so frequently, and without being caught. An hour and a half later, he pulled off the road and followed the signs for the national park. He drove up winding roads, high into the mountains, and pulled over when he saw the familiar landmark that meant he was close. Snatching the timekeepe
r from the mirror, he climbed out of the car and headed into the trees. He left the keys in the ignition. He’d miss the thrill of driving the powerful sports car, but he’d made up his mind that he was through with the human world forever. He couldn’t wait to return home and sleep in his own room overlooking the forest, the colorful lights of the Treetown twinkling in the distance.
Trudging through the woods on legs that had grown strong from so much time on the ground, he made his way toward the sound of flowing water. Soon, he came upon a waterfall that spilled into a gorge.
Around the water were several men and women filling jugs from the river. He knew they were not humans, but Ilimíri; most likely soldiers on ilïmbalm retrieval duty. He laughed at their feeble attempts to pass as human, their absurd combinations of clothes that looked completely ridiculous together. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at a tall man wearing pink shorts, a fur coat, motorcycle boots and a ball cap with a sports team logo from the other side of the country. As if any human would be caught dead dressed like this! The soldiers in disguise averted their eyes as he passed, trying not to look conspicuous.
“Way to blend in guys,” he said sarcastically. “How’s the flying weather over there.”
They relaxed now and one of them replied, “Nice tailwind to the west. Great updrafts, too.”
Nodding in response, he pushed his way past some branches and walked behind the roaring waterfall, where a ledged provided perfect passage through to the other side. Removing his shirt, he walked through and felt the threshold energy wash over him. His body became light and agile again, regal wings of russet gold appeared at his back. He breathed deep the familiar aromas of his home. He stepped out from behind of the waterfall, but rather than the forest on the ground, he stepped out into the white stone surroundings of the Monolith City, where the water flowed down the cliff face into the deep chasm below. Two guards barred his entrance.
“Name and assignment, please,” one of them said.
“Desmond Aaronson, classified,” he replied, holding out his timekeeper for inspection.
The guard examined the device, making notations on a pad of paper. “Thank you Desmond. Welcome back.”
“Thank you,” he replied, stretching his wings and taking off toward the council chamber hall. He didn’t slow down until he was at Redwing’s office, landing on the ledge and letting himself in.
The soldiers standing guard were so taken aback that they almost didn’t respond, but they charged into the room after him. “You can’t just barge in here! Do you have an appointment with the Governor?”
Desmond ignored the guards and walked right up to the desk, where Redwing looked up at him in surprise.
“Desmond,” he said, holding up a hand to halt the guards. “What an unexpected surprise. I hope, for your sake, that this outburst is warranted by good news.”
Without a word, Desmond pulled the ticking timekeeper from his pocket and slapped it on the desk between them.
Redwing’s eyes went wide and he dismissed the guards. “Well done! How did you manage to acquire it?”
“The girl was hiding it. Now, we had a deal, Redwing. My sister?”
“Yes, of course,” he replied. “Your sister will be returned to you as soon as the rift is completed.”
Desmond slammed both fists on the desk, making the timekeeper bounce. “That was NEVER part of the deal! Now release her or, so help me, I will tell the old man!”
“Nicodemus is a smart man,” Redwing replied calmly. “I’m sure that, by now, he already knows. Anyway, go ahead. It would only serve to further motivate him. Now, if there is any more information you know of that would help persuade me to keep my word…” he let it hang in the air.
Desmond slumped his shoulders. “The third timekeeper. I know where it is.”
Redwing didn’t get a chance to reply before there was a heavy thud on the back door of the chamber. Everyone turned to look, the guards gripping the hilts of their sheathed swords. A moment later, there was a deafening crash as the door flung open, splinters flying.
A Mother’s Legacy
Ellie sat amidst the scattered remains of her mother’s life’s work, the breeze blowing the papers around the yard. She sniffled and began picking up the papers, slowly stacking them up in here hands. She wasn’t sure why she was being so careful with them. She felt foolish now for wasting so much of her time studying them. While she’d briefly entertained the possibility of a secret entrance to a parallel plane, the idea sounded completely absurd now. Thinking it over, she hadn’t actually seen anything that confirmed its existence, and frankly, she didn’t want to believe it anymore. It was only further evidence that she’d been made a fool of. No, she couldn’t believe it.
But as she picked up the papers, she came to the broken wreckage of the wooden box. Glancing down at it, she noticed a piece of paper sticking out from the false bottom where the timekeeper had been hidden. Curious, she knelt and pulled the paper out. It read:
My dearest Ellie,
If you are reading this, it means that I am no longer with you, but know that I love you dearly. I tried to keep this secret from you for your own protection, but there comes a time in every child’s life when they must bear the mantle of their parents’ legacy. This, Elliot, is your legacy now. Find Ilimíra.
Love always,
Your mother
A single tear fell from her cheek and landed on the note. Somehow, this simple message gave her added courage and purpose. It was the one final thing her mother asked of her, and she was going to honor her wishes. But first, she needed answers.
She stood and ran into the house, darting back into the bedroom. She pulled a framed picture off the wall and tossed it aside, revealing a safe in the wall. She opened it and withdrew a dusty six-shot revolver that had belonged to her father. Loading it, she strapped it to her belt and ran back outside. She wasn’t taking any chances this time. Clearly there were people who desperately didn’t want her discovering their secrets and were willing to kill to ensure it.
She instinctively went to her truck, forgetting at first that the tires were flat. She thought for a moment. It was too far to ride on horseback. No, she had another idea. Running around the house to a metal shed, she hoisted the door up and stepped inside. The shed was mostly filled with tools and gardening implements, but in the center was a large object covered by a dusty drop cloth. Pulling the cloth away, she revealed a red motorcycle with chrome handlebars and a shiny, v-twin engine.
This had also been her father’s. She had fond memories of riding on the back with him when she was little. She’d begged him to teach her to ride for years, and when she turned seventeen, he finally agreed.
She grabbed the key off a hook on the wall and pushed the bike out of the shed. It hadn’t even been looked at since her parents died, let alone started, so she knew it wouldn’t run. She went right to work replacing the battery and priming the fuel line. As soon as she was finished, she sat astride the big machine, pulled in the clutch, and hit the starter. The engine came to life with a rumbling roar and she felt the seat vibrate beneath her. Kicking the bike into gear, she revved it up and rode confidently into town. She was on a mission now, and nothing was going to stop her.
A short while later, she pulled up again in front of Rose’s house and killed the engine. She wasted no time going to the door and knocking as loud as she could until the door opened and the old woman peered out at her.
“Oh, Meredith!” she exclaimed. “Your daughter was just here earlier. I sent her away when the spies came. You shouldn’t be here either. They’re still watching, you know.”
“No, Ms. Rose, it’s me, Ellie.”
Rose’s eyes grew wide. “No, you shouldn’t be here, Ellie. I promised your mother. You have to leave!” She tried to close the door but Ellie held it open.
“I’m sorry, Rose, but I’m not leaving until you tell me how to get into Ilimíra. Please.”
“No time! If they see you here—”
<
br /> “Then I suggest you invite me in before they do,” she interrupted.
Rose became very nervous then, but opened the door and hurried her inside. “I don’t know where the thresholds are anymore. They move them, you know.”
“You said you had friends there. Nicodemus. You mentioned him. Can he get through?”
“Oh, dear, I haven’t seen him in many years.”
“Rose, please. You helped my mother find them, right? Did she ever get close?”
“She got close many times,” she explained, “but it always took so long to find that by the time she got close enough to detect it, it would move to another location. You have to be very close to detect the threshold energy.”
Ellie suddenly remembered Rhydian’s friends saying how they’d come through a threshold close to her house. “How close do you have to be?” she asked eagerly.
“I don’t know, really.” She reached into her shirt and pulled out a tarnished old device hanging from a chain around her neck. It looked very much like Rhydian’s timekeeper, only if this one had ever functioned, it had stopped many years ago. “It’s been many, many years since I left Ilimíra, dear. And I was a very poor Gatemaker, even then.”
“Well, how do I know when there is a threshold nearby, then?”
“Well, you’d need a divining stone, of course. It’s a rare crystal from Ilimíra. Your mother used to have one, in fact. Lovely green gem.”
Green gem? Ellie clutched at her neck, pulling out her mother’s necklace. “Is this it?” she asked excitedly.
The old woman looked at the necklace fondly. “My word! That’s the one. I gave her that years ago!”
“How does it work?” she questioned.
“Well, naturally, it needs to be dipped in ilïmbalm. The stronger the better, too. Once you do, the stone will indicate when it is close to a hole in the barrier.”
“What’s ilimbalm?” she asked.
“Well, ilïmbalm is everywhere, of course, but it’s most highly concentrated in the water.”
