by Mazhar, S
“It doesn’t matter,” Kate interjected. “Even if they did, no one would believe them. But no matter where they go, which corner of the world they hide in, they will always be found because of the Trace.”
“I don’t understand,” Aaron began, his stomach tightening so much it hurt. “Then where are we going to go?”
His parents fell quiet. His dad looked over to meet his mum’s gaze. “We have to go back,” Chris said, speaking to Kate now. “We don’t have a choice any more.”
Kate didn’t say anything. She stood with her arms crossed, lips thinned to a line. Then she looked away, staring at the window, despite the curtains still being closed.
***
Dawn broke some four hours later – the sky an array of orange, yellow and red, before it steadily turned to the cloudy blue of daylight. Chris drove through the English countryside. Acres of green land stretched before the car, and mountains lined one side, their peaks hidden behind foggy clouds.
The occupants of the car sat in silence, each one lost in their own grief-stricken thoughts. No one had spoken a single word since Chris, Kate and the three teens had piled into the car. Michael had stayed behind, mentioning something about “taking care of things”. Aaron had watched his uncle as they drove away, wondering if he would ever see him again. He had no idea where they were going and he didn’t have enough strength left in him to ask.
Aaron glanced at Rose, sitting next to him. She had her head resting on Sam’s arm. Watery brown eyes stared ahead, not seeing, not blinking. Sam had sagged against the door, his gaze ahead. They hadn’t said a word to Aaron since talking with Michael. They didn’t even look his way. They had got into the car, avoided looking at him, and sat in complete silence.
Aaron turned his head, staring out of the window. He didn’t blame Sam and Rose for not wanting to talk to him, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Aaron closed his eyes, as confusion and uncertainty stabbed at him again. The truth his parents had told him was still being protested in the back of his mind. Like thorns, it pricked at his conscience, and at his logic. Mages. Powers. A different realm. It was too ludicrous to be real – but then, what other explanation was there?
“Where are you taking us?”
Sam’s voice carried clear in the car, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Somewhere safe,” Chris answered, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Where is that?” Sam asked.
“It’s hard to explain,” Chris answered. “Once we get there, you’ll understand.”
A moment passed in silence before Sam said, “Stop the car.”
“We can’t,” Chris replied. “We need to keep going.”
“I said, stop the car,” Sam repeated, his words dripping with anger. “You can go wherever you like, but let me and Rose go.”
Rose lifted her head off her brother’s shoulder to stare at him.
“Samuel–” Chris started.
“No! I want out!” Sam yelled suddenly. “Who are you to take us away?” he asked, his fists curled into balls. “Let me and my sister go!”
Kate turned in her seat, looking at him through the steel mesh. “I know you’re upset, Samuel, but please, just stay calm.”
“Calm?” Sam repeated incredulously. “How can I stay calm? We were just attacked! By...by something I...I can’t even begin to understand. And my mum and dad–” His voice broke and he stopped abruptly. His eyes glistened with unshed tears but he shook his head, as if refusing to succumb to grief. “We want out,” he stated. “I need to go back, back home to my parents. I won’t leave them...not like this.”
“Michael is with them,” Chris said. “He’ll make sure everything is arranged accordingly.”
Sam slammed a hand against the mesh; the loud thwack rang in the car.
“They’re my parents!” he hissed between clenched teeth. “I’ll do what needs to be done!”
“Samuel, you can’t go back,” Chris said in a tone that warned him not to argue. “None of us can go back – never again. Michael’s already explained this to you.”
“Those men,” Sam said, his eyes glazed over in memory of the dark figures appearing out of the mist. “Who were they? What did they want? Why did they kill my mum and dad?” His voice broke again. “What did they want from them?”
Kate turned around as much as she could in her seat. “They didn’t want anything. They were there to kill, simple as that.” She glanced once at Aaron before her gaze snapped back to Sam. “If you or Rose go back, they will sense you because of the Trace. They will come for you.” She tilted her head in remorse. “I’m sorry, really, I am. But the harsh reality is that you can’t stay here. Where we’re taking you, you’ll be safe. We’ll all be safe. So, please, just calm down and let us do what needs to be done, okay?”
Sam didn’t say anything but he leant back in his seat, turning his head to stare out of the window so he wouldn’t have to look at anyone else.
Aaron watched him silently. He couldn’t blame Sam for getting angry. They had lost everything in the space of just a few hours: their parents, their home, their freedom, their life. And all for what? Because they had chosen to be his friend. Because they had wanted to do something nice for his birthday.
Aaron lay back, resting his head against the seat. He closed his eyes, in bitter self-condemnation. What a way to celebrate his fourteenth birthday.
***
“I don’t know about this.”
“Why?”
“I don’t feel comfortable.”
“Why not?”
Aaron turned his head to glare angrily at the older boy, squinting in the bright sunlight. “Because it’s not me!”
The green-eyed boy chuckled. “It is you,” he said, casually propping himself next to Aaron against the low wall. “It’s a part of who you are. Deep down, you know that.”
Aaron shook his head, vehemently denying it. “This is not me!” Aaron held out his hand, which was clutched around the foreign object.
The other boy’s vivid green eyes gleamed in amusement. “Deny it all you want,” he said, “but when it comes down to it, this,” he pointed to the thing in Aaron’s hand, “is in your blood. It’s who you are. Why you were created.” He smirked at Aaron. “Fighting it will only tire you. Fight with it and it’ll bring you nothing but success.”
Aaron looked down at his hand. “The only thing this brings is death,” he said miserably, watching the sunlight gleam off the silver gun in his hand.
Aaron’s eyes snapped open.
The gentle thrum of the engine and faint jostling motion told Aaron he was still in his dad’s car. He sat up, lifting his head away from the side of the door where it had lolled while he slept. He rubbed a hand over his neck to soothe the crick, and shifted in his seat, easing the stiffness in his sore body. Sam was asleep; Rose looked like she wasn’t far from it herself.
Aaron settled back in his seat, thinking about the dream. The same boy, the same sharp green eyes, the same overwhelming familiarity...but this time it was a different setting and a different conversation. His heart skipped a beat at the recollection of the gun in his hand. It had felt so real. So much so that he could still sense its metallic weight in his hand, feel its smoothness in his fingers. He shuddered, clenching both hands into fists. In an effort to distract himself, Aaron looked out of his window, taking in the scenery.
The road had changed into a narrow, twisting, one-lane road; mountains lay on one side, a steep fall on the other. It made Aaron nervous so he closed his eyes. He had always hated steep hills and jagged cliffs. He remembered his parents driving him to Fort William when he was younger and he had cried throughout the journey. He had been certain the car was going to slip off the narrow road. He had no idea if Fort William was their destination now, but the road seemed the same. He kept his eyes closed, hoping they would reach a main road soon.
It was the sound of Rose’s terrified scream that made him open his eyes. Fear bubbled inside him so fiercely t
hat he momentarily couldn’t find his breath to cry out. His dad must have fallen asleep at the wheel because they were about to drive off the road.
“Dad!” Aaron shouted, banging a hand against the mesh to wake him up.
Too late.
The car smashed through the road barrier and went careening into the air. Screams filled the car and Aaron jolted out of his seat. The car kept going, the momentum carrying it further into the air. Just as the car began taking a nosedive to the rocky cliffs below, it began shuddering. Aaron was violently thrown forward, his seatbelt the only thing that saved him from smashing face first into the metal mesh.
“Hold on!” His mum’s voice was faint against the screams.
A blinding white light, as quick as a bolt of lightening, passed over them. For a heartbeat it seemed like a shimmering, transparent bubble had encased the car. A wave of heat, more intense than anything Aaron had ever experienced, washed over them. It was gone just as quickly as it came but it left him drenched in sweat, his clothes sticking to him, his hair plastered to his head. The car hit the ground, slamming against concrete before coming to a screeching halt.
Aaron was breathing hard, his eyes wide with fear and shock. He turned to look at Sam and Rose. They looked the same: scared and covered in sweat.
“Sorry about that,” Chris breathed, turning in his seat to look at them. Aaron saw the perspiration on his face too, as well as his mum’s. “It’s always rough going through a tear.”
“Going through a what?” Aaron exclaimed.
“We should move. We have to get access,” Kate said, unbuckling her belt.
“Access? To where?” Aaron asked.
His dad turned to hold his gaze. “To the City of Salvador.”
***
Aaron stepped out of the car, staring in bewilderment at his strange surroundings. On either side of him there were what must have been hundreds of thousands of trees, standing in such perfect lines it was unnerving. They stretched along as far as Aaron could see – tall with dark brown trunks and deep green leaves, so rich in colour they looked fictional.
Aaron was standing on a narrow, concrete path, only about a metre and a half wide. Their car had landed perfectly on the pathway. Aaron looked ahead, but all he could see was the never-ending path, lined by trees on both sides. Sam and Rose had clambered out of the car behind Aaron and stood staring at their surroundings with open mouths.
“Where are we?” Aaron asked.
“The Gateway,” his dad answered quietly.
With notable strain, Chris began walking down the path, trepidation clear in each hesitant step. Kate followed behind with the same look of apprehension. Aaron, Sam and Rose followed behind them, all the while staring at the trees that were too green, the sky that was too blue or the concrete path that was too smooth.
They walked along the seemingly never-ending road until Aaron was sure that the path led to nowhere, when a door suddenly appeared before them. It was only a door. No walls, no handle. Just a tall, plain door – a mass of glistening, shiny white that towered over them. The surface gleamed in the soft sunlight. Just like everything else here, the door looked like an illusion. It was impossibly tall, its top hidden behind the soft, white clouds. There was no way a structure this tall could stand unsupported in the way it was. The sight made everyone stop in their tracks.
Aaron stepped closer, staring at it with curiosity. He wanted to reach out and touch the shiny door. Before his eyes, strange markings began to appear on the surface: symbols, shapes and numbers. Some were curvy and messy, like random drawings a child might scribble. Others were straight with crisp lines, etched with meticulous precision. The markings were all over the door, at least a hundred of them, seemingly in no particular order. They were scattered across the surface, some written in sequence in a line, others engraved diagonally.
Aaron’s gaze drew upon the only set of markings he could understand. Numbers. There was a fancy three etched in calligraphy, the number seven next to it, a group of nines, and the numbers seven, eight, six, thirteen and a four scattered across the surface of the door. The more Aaron stared at the numbers, the more they seemed to shine, as if encrusted with glistening diamonds caught in rays of sunlight. Aaron looked over to his dad, to see him staring at the door with just as much scrutiny, but his gaze was more intense. His parents shared another look, mirroring each other’s hesitation.
Chris breathed out a strained sigh and lifted a hand. He placed it onto the door, his fingers standing out against the bright white. Kate did the same, her hand small and nimble set parallel to her husband’s. She reached out, offering her other hand to Aaron. He took it at once.
“Hold on to each other,” she instructed.
Perplexed, Aaron reached out and took Rose’s hand, who quickly reached for her brother’s hand. Chris held out his free hand to Sam to complete the chain. Sam paused, his eyes narrowed and jaw clenched. A pleading noise came from Rose, and Sam reached out, reluctantly taking Chris’s hand.
Chris turned to look at the door. “I seek sanctuary,” he said in a loud, clear voice.
“I seek sanctuary,” Kate whispered behind him.
The door shimmered and the symbols began to glow. Each and every symbol shone like bright stars, their light beaming out across the five of them. Then, slowly, the light began to dull, and diminished completely as the symbols melted away. Only the number four remained, burning brightly on the door for a moment longer. Then, as it faded, a circle appeared. Inside the circle was an inverted V with three wavy lines behind it, and a spiral sitting between the legs of the V. The symbol flashed brightly, and then it too faded.
There was a loud click and the door slid open, disappearing as it did so, leaving behind a rectangular doorway. Chris and Kate dropped their hands, watching with blank expressions. Aaron and the twins stared in complete shock at what lay on the other side.
It was dark there – nightfall, apparently, even though Aaron was standing in dazzling sunlight. Aaron’s gaze darted everywhere, trying to make sense of what was going on. It was a village, or that’s what his first impression told him. Floating lanterns lit the night sky. A cobbled path led the way to a row of cottages, complete with small fences surrounding tiny front gardens. Opposite them were three tall rectangular buildings. Far off in the distance, Aaron could make out the glistening surface of a lake.
In the middle of the road was the longest table Aaron had ever seen. It seemed to stretch on forever, and easily be able to seat hundreds of people. Aaron felt Rose’s fingers tighten around his. He turned to look at her, but she was staring ahead, clearly in confusion. Sam didn’t look any better.
Chris and Kate stepped through the doorway, and the others followed behind, staring all around at the calm, surreal village. They walked down the path, directly towards the cottage at the end of the row, separated from the rest by a tall fence.
Something moved in the dark. A creak, a thud and a floating light appeared in front of them, coming out from that very house. Footsteps accompanied it. As the ball of light got closer, Aaron realised it was another lantern, but this one wasn’t floating. It was being carried by a man, illuminating only one side of his face in the glow.
“Jus’ wait ’ere, please.” He spoke gruffly, as if he had just awoken. Judging from the serene silence and pitch-black darkness, Aaron figured that might have been the case. “A’righ, who do we hav’ ’ere?”
The man held his lantern up high so that the light could wash over not only them but himself as well. He was haggard-looking – a scruffy, blond beard dotted with grey covered the bottom part of his face. Beady blue eyes gazed out, the skin around them wrinkled. Aaron noticed a clipboard in his other hand.
“Come on, wha’s the name?” he asked with narrowed eyes, his wrinkly brow furrowed with impatience.
“Adams,” Chris said quietly.
The man went rigid. His eyes widened as he pushed the lantern closer, examining Chris’s face with sudden interest. “Bless ma
soul!” he breathed. “Adams? Chris’opher Adams?”
Chris nodded tightly. “That’s the one,” he said stiffly.
The man smiled, revealing chipped, yellowing teeth. “Well, well, isn’ this somefin’?” He looked over at the others, his gaze leisurely scanning Kate, Rose, Sam and finally settling on Aaron. His smile got wider. “Tha’ lad looks an awfu’ lot like yeh.”
“Why wouldn’t he?” Chris asked, his voice furious but quiet. “He’s my son.”
The man laughed, a rough barking sound. “Aye? Well, yeh get yerselves comfor’able.” He pointed to the row of cottages. “Any of ’em last four will do yeh fine for tonight.” He held a hand to his chest. “Ma name’s Jason Burns. Yeh need anyfin’, yeh let me know.”
Chris nodded tightly at him but didn’t indulge in any formalities. He took hold of Kate’s hand and turned, leading her to the nearest cottage. Aaron quickly followed behind them, acutely aware of Jason Burns’s eerie gaze on him the entire time.
***
The cottage was small – tiny, in fact. The ceiling was so low, the top of Chris’s head brushed against it. It was dimly lit with lanterns hanging from the wall and a few candles. They walked into the only room on the ground floor. Inside was a small three-piece sofa and a coffee table, which held a tray of dried fruit, some biscuits, a jug of water and a single glass.
Aaron sat down on the threadbare sofa; Rose and Sam collapsed next to him. He was exceptionally tired, which was strange seeing as he hadn’t done anything besides sit in a car all day. He rubbed at his eyes, stifling a yawn.
“It’s late,” Kate said. “You three should rest. It’s been a tiring day.”
None of them moved.
“What is this place?” Aaron asked.
His parents shared a glance.
“It’s the City of Salvador,” Chris said. “It’s a sanctuary. It gives protection to those who need it most.”
Aaron already knew the answer to his next question, but he went ahead and asked anyway. “We’re not in our world any more, right?”
