“Um, can you both focus on this drawing? I’m going to make it do something. It might help if we join hands.”
Simon shrugged and held his hand out to Rona, who took it, and held hers out to Sarina. Sarina looked her in the eye and smiled briefly. She looked back at the wall and saw the outline was already shimmering. She closed her eyes and focused on summoning her power, feeling the warmth from Rona’s hand. The Intensifier hummed on her head and she heard Rona gasp.
Now or never.
She opened her eyes, slid her hand out from Rona’s, jumped through the sparkling image ... and vanished.
Rona let out a tiny scream and Simon gasped.
The drawing was now pulsing with an angry lattice of red and orange lines spreading across, and the pulses were getting stronger. Simon looked down at the Intensifier thrown away by Sarina at the last moment before she jumped. It was smoking.
“I think we had better get out of here!” Rona was looking at him with wide eyes.
He nodded and grabbed the wheelchair, swung it around, and ran pushing her to where the car’s headlights were still aimed at them.
They had just got into the car, and Rona reversed to turn when a massive explosion caused them both to flinch, and the cubby house disappeared into a fiery ball.
“Best we make ourselves scarce,” he said.
Rona nodded. Tears were streaming down her face. “She’s not coming back, is she?”
He shook his head, unable to speak.
~ 26 ~
Reunited
The huge creature was tightly bound and placed next to the collider, which was raised up on a small wooden box. The children had pushed back the café’s tables and chairs to make space for the device and the creature, who they now surrounded. Each child wore both an Intensifier and an expression of grim determination. The Professor stood next to the device, also wearing an Intensifier.
The creature glared at them and hissed at the Professor. “Do you plan to send me into oblivion with your machine? Just as the boy did to himself?”
The Professor smiled. “No. We’re going to give you what you want. We’re sending you home.”
The creature looked at the Professor suspiciously and said nothing. It was having trouble standing, unable to use its damaged leg.
The Professor looked down at the device. He’d programmed it to run as mild a power level as possible. With the dark rem threshold exceeded, and the continued rem-loss now affecting them all, he was taking no chances. He looked around at the kids. Each of them had something to smell. Some still had Nathan’s clothes, some had their own and a few had raided Sarina’s room. He’d let them choose whatever they needed to feel strong, since they would probably only have one chance.
He turned to face the circle. “I will count us down, then join you. None of us really know the other world, so we’ll have to imagine it the best we can by constructing what we already know. It would help if you can remember any of Sarina’s paintings and drawings of Paolo, and his village; that’s where we want to send this creature, so the men there can secure him quickly.” He wasn’t at all sure it would work, but had no other option.
He forced a smile at the children and looked around at them. “Sarina told me what you did before. I’m confident together we can do this. Are you ready?” They all nodded and joined hands as best they could, hindered a little by the items they carried. He nodded back at them and pressed the grey button. He retreated to the circle where he held Lena’s hand and Nancy’s on the other side.
“Here we go. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.”
The collider hummed into life and a small square of green light came into view above it. It was already fizzling and crackling. The creature looked at it warily.
“Steady everyone. Imagine the village and Paolo. Now we must focus and expand that portal you see there and drop it over the bird-man. As soon as you see him disappear, break your hands and swap your Intensifier for a headshield as quickly as possible.”
Some of the kids closed their eyes. The portal elevated and expanded to include both the collider and the creature. It hovered precariously, spitting and crackling and looking for all the world as if it would break at any minute. The creature flinched as the green apparition hissed and crackled its way closer to him.
He knew it was now or never. “Alright everyone, drop it now!” The square fell to the floor and shattered into shards of fizzing and popping green sparks, which turned black and boiled away into clouds of choking vapour, making it hard to see.
“Headshields on, everyone!” He wrenched his own Intensifier off and without worrying about a headshield, he dashed forward through the foul smoke and hit the grey button. He picked up the machine and ran through the cloud and on to the collider room, dumped the device inside, secured the door and ran back to the café.
The children were still coughing and spluttering and running from the smoke.
Lena? Where was she?
He pulled his shirt up over his nose and mouth and walked into the cloud, which was starting to clear. Lena was clutching Sarina’s sauce-stained t-shirt. And unconscious on the floor still wearing her Intensifier. He ripped it off and placed her headshield on, and remembering his own, searched around, waving the smoke away, and found it. He placed it on his head and knelt next to Lena.
“Lena?” The girl opened her eyes, and he let out a sigh of relief. “Lena, are you okay? Did something hit you?”
She shook her head and sat up. “No, Daddy. It was too strong for me. I nearly went with ugly big bird.” She pointed to the spot where Valkrog had stood.
He realised it hadn’t even registered that they had successfully sent the bird-creature ... somewhere. “How did you stop it?”
She held up Sarina’s t-shirt. “Sarina helped me.”
He nodded and smiled. “Well we got rid of him from our world anyway. Let’s hope the men in Paolo’s world can capture it quickly—”
Lena was shaking her head. “Daddy, it didn’t go where we wanted it to. I saw when it sucked me along. It went inside a big castle thing and the men there ran away. I didn’t see anymore because I was really scared and couldn’t get back until I remembered Sarina.”
He grimaced. “Well done, Lena. That’s a brave thing you did.”
He felt a shiver run through him. What had they done? Getting rid of the creature from their own world may have removed the rem imbalance—but had he inadvertently created a big problem for the other world?
He closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his temples. He couldn’t do anything about it now. He thought of Nathan and Sarina. Nathan held captive in the other world. Sarina gone; possibly trying to open an unstable and dangerous portal herself. But he had no time to search for her, or try to stop her. Sending the creature back had hopefully solved one ongoing problem with the dark rem and rem spikes, but right now he needed to change the collider’s programming and reverse the threshold issues. No easy task, but an urgent one. One that involved destroying the device for good, and any remaining hope of rescuing Nathan—and Sarina, if she had even managed to get there.
He strained to think. Sarina and Nathan had made it back under their own steam before, but that had been under quite different conditions. Now with the deterioration in available rem, even someone with Sarina’s considerable ability may not have the power to open a connection between worlds, if the collider was not available to assist.
Lena was looking at him. “What, Daddy? Your head is wrinkled.”
He smiled at the girl. The bravery of the children slammed home the morality of the only decision he could make now. He owed it to Sarina and Nathan to delay for as long as possible. Now the collider was back in the shielded room, he would give it another day before making the awful decision to shut the gate on them. Forever. Twenty-four hours. To leave it any longer was too great a risk.
~~~
Valkrog dropped from several metres onto the stone floor of the fortress and screamed in agony as he landed on his shatt
ered leg.
Two townsmen on the so far uneventful guard duty—as it had been for the last few weeks—raced in, only to stop in horror as the half-man-half-bird creature sliced open the ropes binding him with one easy flick of a talon, painfully pushed himself to standing on one leg, and extended his wings. He fixed his gaze on the two frozen men, who looked at each other briefly before fleeing.
He laughed.
In the forest, Makthryg and his men were closing in on the fortress. “What do you know of their defence?” Makthryg whispered. He was weak. The harrowbrush was taking its toll, no doubting it.
They had tramped up the hill and were almost at the trail’s exit, close to the grounds surrounding the imposing dark battlements. Jzarak looked back at his leader. “Since the fighting lessened, they have but two or three men stationed. Probably to provide warning rather than defence. The townsmen, I believe, regard the fortress with suspicion and will not waste good farming hands watching an empty building. As for us”—he shrugged—“we had no need of it. To try to occupy it would only have drawn their attention. Sire, if you wish to take it again, I am sure we can secure it for you—”
He watched in shock as his Master crumpled to the ground behind him, screaming and clutching his leg. He turned around and bent to tend to him. “Great One, tell me what I can do”—he looked around frantically—“I see no attackers. Are you wounded, Sire?”
Makthryg managed to quell his screams and gritted his teeth to look at the man, while still clutching his leg and rocking from side-to-side as he lay on the ground. “There are no attackers. Strange it may look, but this excruciating pain signifies something great.” He forced a pain-twisted leer of triumph. “I sensed a disturbance. Valkrog is back. He must not be far, the disturbance was close this time. Help me up, I must get to the fortress.”
He was only able to drag his leg behind him, wincing with every step, but refusing the ignominy of being carried like a cripple. They made their way slowly. Almost spent, Makthryg emerged from the trail doubled-over in pain, straightening himself with difficulty to stop and survey the immense fortress. “I will make this place great once more,” he whispered. He turned to Jzarak. “Help me inside.”
The man wrapped one of Makthryg’s arms around his shoulder and helped his Master limp into the building. They entered the outer gate and staggered through the open and unguarded barbican, crossed the courtyard and made their way into the familiar hall. A rustling of wings came from the other end of the hall, and Valkrog struggled to his feet. “Great One, you are alive!”
The two figures—one human, with no visible injury, but limping nonetheless, the other obviously badly injured half-man-half-bird—approached each other. Makthryg stopped and looked his creation up and down. “So too are you, Valkrog. But only just by the sum of it. We must find some healers and prepare our plan.”
The creature nodded. “They have immense power in the other world, Sire. Such as you would not believe.”
Makthryg’s eyes glittered though his pain. “Then let us find a way to bring this power to our own world. Share with me everything you know. Now we are reunited, I am certain there are those who, when we use sufficient leverage, will tell us how to summon it into being.”
He looked back at Jzarak. “Jzarak. Dispatch men to scour the township and surrounds for as many healers as possible. Kill any who resist.”
~ 27 ~
Broken
Sarina tumbled through the air, not knowing which way was up. She tried to open her eyes to see, then realised they were already open and whatever she was falling through was pitch-black. She put her hands out to stop the falling, or to find something to hang onto, but only succeeded in thrashing around blindly in the air.
She crashed heavily into something wooden, which splintered and broke apart on impact, and she fell through. The pitch-black turned into the night sky. It was spinning over her as she cartwheeled out of the side of the children’s treehouse in the township. The grass-covered ground spun up to meet her and she instinctively put both hands out to protect her face.
She felt a sharp, searing pain in her right wrist, and then ... darkness.
She heard a voice and a gentle touch on her shoulder. The pain shot back through her wrist. She opened her eyes and rolled over, letting out a yelp and folding her right arm across her chest to protect it.
Lucio was bending over her with wide eyes. “I felt you coming! You had an accident?” He pointed up to the large hole in the side of the treehouse structure.
She’d flown right through it. Apart from multiple scratches and scrapes, she was uninjured. With one horrible exception. She was scared to look at her wrist, knowing full well what she might see. She glanced down and winced. Her hand protruded off to an angle. No doubt about it, her wrist was broken. She lay back and tried to shut out the excruciating pain. Something had gone wrong with the portal. She knew she had taken a big risk; but the rem-loss and dark rem imbalance must have affected the transition.
She managed to speak. “Lucio, is your mother here?” Eva would be able to help with some healing and something to help her pain.
The boy shook his head. “My mother has gone with Rocco. Paolo and your friend are tied up. Mother went to help. Andreas wanted me to go too, but Mother said no.”
Sarina tried to sit up and regretted the lancing shot of pain through her wrist. She sat up anyway. “Lucio, does the township have a doctor?”
He looked puzzled. “Doctor? We do not have such a thing as a doctor.” He brightened. “Can I help you?”
She tried to smile at the boy, but it didn’t come. “Maybe. I need someone who can help me fix my wrist—and then I have to rescue Nathan and Paolo.”
“Please may I look?” Lucio’s brow was creased.
Sarina took her left arm away to show her wrist folded across her lap. Lucio reached down and she drew back involuntarily. “No, Lucio. It will hurt if you touch!”
He pouted. “Mother taught me how to touch. Please?” He reached forward again and hovered his hand over hers and raised his eyebrows.
Whatever happened, she needed help, and Lucio was all she had. She nodded. “Please be gentle. It really hurts.”
He laid his hand over hers with the softest of touches. She felt a warm flow ease into her hand. He looked up at her. “Is it nice?” She nodded gratefully. He gave her a shy smile. “I can make stronger healing if you want, but you must not tell Mother.” His lower lip stuck out. “Cannot mend bone.”
“It’s okay, Lucio. I know it’s broken, But what you are doing is ... miraculous. The pain is going away—a lot. I won’t say anything to your mother, but if you can do more ...”
He nodded and closed his eyes. The warm glow turned into a flood of relief and the pain became almost non-existent. After a few more moments, he removed his hand. “I do my best.” He gave her a proud look, then frowned. “Does it feel better now?”
She smiled. “Yes. Almost no pain.” She looked around. “Where are the adults?”
He peered around. “They do not know I come. I slip out. I will take you back to my cabin now?” She nodded. She had to talk to someone and find adults who would help her mount a rescue attempt, but it sounded like Andreas was already trying to do the same thing. Perhaps her best bet would be to join them. Obviously she was no longer much use physically, but she would not abandon her plan now.
An idea came to her.
“Lucio, did you say you felt me coming?”
His eyes widened. “Yes! But only me and Paolo can feel you.”
“Do you feel Paolo too?”
He nodded, then his face dropped. “He is tied up by a bad man.”
“But do you know where he is? Which direction?”
He nodded again, then stuck his lower lip out again. “Mother said I am not allowed to go.”
“I understand. But can you show me where to go? And find someone who might have a light—a flare?”
He grinned. “You tell mother Orange Witch ordered me?�
�� She nodded.
He got up and held out his hand. “Then I help you.”
She extended her left hand and held the boy’s small but strong hand. She leaned forward and tucked her legs underneath, then stood up, still holding her right arm across her abdomen. Not much pain, thanks to Lucio, just a dull throb, and her forearm was starting to stiffen up. She would need someone to help with a splint pretty soon. She grimaced at the thought of straightening the break before applying a splint.
“Okay, Lucio, lead on.”
He looked around as if scouting for other people, then back at her. “We go now. Be quiet please.” She smiled to herself and followed the small boy, threading their way through dark and empty lanes. She assumed it must be late at night, and most of the township was already asleep. Lucio was probably worried about being caught. They zigzagged their way through until he led them across a small clearing and to a trail entrance at the edge of the forest. He stopped and looked at her.
She raised her eyes. “But, Lucio, I still need a flare! I can’t go in there”—out of habit, she started to point to the dark trail with her right hand and didn’t quite stop the intense pain returning as she tried to move it—“with no light.”
He looked concerned. “You do not feel them yet?”
What? What did he mean—then she caught herself. She stilled her mind a moment. She did sense something! She gasped. “Is that Paolo and Nathan I sense coming our way?”
The boy beamed at her. “I tell Mother I do the same as you, but I think she does not always believe me.”
Sarina smiled. “Then we just wait here? Is that what you mean?” He nodded and kept beaming at her.
“I thought I heard a familiar voice!” Nathan burst out of the trail. He rushed to Sarina and was about to grab her in a bear hug when Lucio jumped between them and Sarina recoiled back. Nathan stopped in surprise. “What? Do I smell, or something?”
“You have no idea how appropriate that remark is.” She stared at Nathan for a moment, then dropped her gaze to her arm held across her middle. “Lucio’s protecting me. When I came through the portal, it didn’t behave as I expected and I fell out of the treehouse.”
The Dreamer Chronicles Trilogy Boxed Set Vol I - III: A Sci-Fi Parallel Universe Adventure (The Dreamer Chronicles - Science Fiction For Kids And Adults) Page 58
