by P. T. Hylton
The man scoffed. “Please. Explaining myself to you would be like a mountain explaining itself to an ant.”
“Huh,” Frank said. So maybe not the friendliest of allies, then.
“Trace the picture with your finger, my little ant. Go to your brother. Serve your purpose.”
Then, as if he had never been standing there, the man was gone. Frank didn’t know if the man had quickly ducked into the foliage or if he had disappeared through some other means. All that mattered now was getting to Jake.
He put his finger on the page, then hesitated. What if he wasn’t doing the right thing? Or, what if he was doing exactly what Zed wanted? Hadn’t the entry said Zed wanted to open the gates?
The thoughts gave him pause for only a moment. To hell with all that; he wanted to see his brother.
He traced the picture with his index finger.
As he dragged his finger across the page, it felt like someone was dragging a finger across his mind. It was like something was being pulled out of him. Something vital.
Then it was over.
The bark in front of Frank split and hot white light poured through. Frank squinted at the opening, watching as it widened. Soon it was the size of a door. He reached toward the gap, slowly piercing the light with his hand.
Suddenly the dark silhouette of a man appeared. The shape was moving forward, but unsteadily, stumbling as it came. It paused near the doorway and tilted its head as if looking out at Frank.
“Who is that?” asked the silhouette. “What are you doing?”
Frank’s heart leapt at the sound of the voice he knew so well. The voice of the man he’d spent so long trying to find. “Jake! It’s Frank.”
3.
Frank squinted into the light at his brother’s silhouette.
“Frank?” Jake asked. His voice sounded weak. Strained somehow. “My God, is that really you? What are you doing here?”
Frank couldn’t help but grin. “I got your message.” He held up the Cassandra lock.
“How did you open this door?”
Frank shook his head. “I’m coming through. I’ll explain everything in a moment.”
He pushed himself into the light. And the light pushed back. It gave off a painful white heat and it seemed to solidify as he pressed against it. It was like wrestling against a wall of earth.
“Frank, stop. You can’t get through like that. I have to pull you.”
Frank fell backwards a step, recoiling from the force of the light. He looked down at his hands, expecting them to be burned, but they were unmarked. “Alright. Pull me through.”
There was a long pause. “Not now. Listen, some bad stuff is going on here. Very bad. Like, Zed bad. You need to stay in Rook Mountain. It’s not safe here.”
“No, you don’t understand. I already left Rook Mountain. I’m in...Sugar Plains. I just got here later than you did. Way later. I came through the mirror.”
Another long pause. “I thought you said you got my message.”
“I did. That’s why I came.”
“But I said to meet me at the quarry—” Jake’s words were cut off as a fit of coughing overtook him. Even through the muffled haze of the doorway, that cough did not sound good to Frank. Not good at all.
After Jake’s coughing subsided, Frank said, “Will and Christine told me meet me at the quarry was your signal the coin wasn’t safe at Sean’s house. Look, Jake, it’s not safe where I am either. I’ve got Zed problems of my own.”
“You...you don’t remember do you?”
Frank glanced over his shoulder making sure none of the Larvae were nearby. He’d spent all this time searching for Jake, and thirty seconds into their grand reunion, his brother was annoyed with him. “Remember what?”
“The quarry! When we were kids. Don’t you remember the quarry?”
Frank had no idea what his brother was talking about. He stared at the light in stunned silence.
“That’s why I used quarry as a codeword with Sean and the others,” Jake said. “Because of what happened to us when we were kids. Are you seriously telling me you don’t remember the quarry?”
Frank racked his brain. What Jake was saying didn’t sound the least bit familiar. And yet...there was something there. Like a blank spot. Like a hole where something should be. But he couldn’t think about that now. There was too much happening, too many moving parts. And if he was honest, he didn’t want to think about it. There was something scary about that hole in his memory.
“Jake, please pull me through.”
There was a long pause. Jake’s voice sounded weary when he spoke. “Yeah. Okay. And Frank?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for coming.”
Frank nodded, afraid he wouldn’t be able to get his words around the lump in his throat.
Frank heard another voice, a woman’s voice. Jake said something back to her. He couldn’t hear what they were saying—they must have been turned away from the gate—but it sounded like they were arguing.
After a moment, he heard Jake’s voice more clearly, as if he’d turned back toward the door in the tree. “Frank, I’m gonna pull you through now. You ready?”
Frank said, “Let’s do it.”
Then he waited in silence. He remembered his own experience with the book, the way it had pulled on his mind and his every bit of attention while he was using it. Was it the same for Jake?
He kept quiet. He didn’t want to distract his brother. At the same time, the adrenaline was pumping through his veins. He was about to see Jake at long last.
This wouldn’t be the end. They still had so much work to do. They needed to figure out what exactly it was Zed wanted, and they had to figure out how to stop him from getting it. They needed to deal with this woman, the one Mason said killed Jake. They needed to keep Jake from dying and keep Mason from growing up alone in the forest with only Zed to take care of him. And they needed to figure out how to get back to Rook Mountain for good.
But whatever they did, they would do it together. They hadn’t always been the closest of friends, but there was no denying their bond of blood. There was no one Frank would rather have on his side in a fight. Not Ty Hansen or Christine or Will or anyone. And that was saying something.
He felt a twinge, a slight push. It was as if a stiff wind was moving him toward the tree. He took a step forward and leaned into the light. It was warm now rather than hot, like slipping into a warm bath.
The bright light was all around him now, too bright to see in either direction, back or forward.
He heard someone yell.
Frank stepped out of the light and into the forest and froze. His brother’s body lay at his feet.
4.
Mason watched the light coming through the door in the tree, his jaw open in shock. Frank had done it again. How long had Mason and Zed worked to find a way out? How many avenues had they pursued? How many hours had they dedicated to considering the problem?
And here comes Frank Hinkle. Not only did he best Zed on the roof of City Hall in Rook Mountain that day so long ago. Not only did he find the book. Now he also found a way out, and he did it mere hours after arriving.
Mason had followed the voices and the light to this place, and now, crouching and hidden in the ferns, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
He had almost no sense of entitlement. He spent no time wondering why he, out of all the children in the populated world, had been born in Sanctuary. Or why his parents had died. Or why he had to grow up alone in the woods but for Zed’s occasional appearance. But this—Frank finding a way out of the woods so quickly—this didn’t seem fair to Mason. It should have been him. He was the one who’d grown up there, the one who knew the woods, even in its ever-changing state, like the back of his own hand.
If Mason had found a way out, he’d have humbly presented it to Zed. It would have allowed him to express his gratitude in a way words never could.
But not Frank. Oh no, not Frank. Even after a
ll his promises of taking Mason with him when he left, there he was stepping through all by his lonesome. The evidence of Frank’s betrayal was right there before his eyes.
He shouldn’t have been surprised or upset by any of this. It confirmed what Zed had always told him. People were scum.
He rose and moved closer, the gun raised. He crept carefully, staying behind cover, but he quickly realized Frank was so enthralled with whatever was on the other side of the light that Mason probably could have tapped his uncle on the shoulder without the man noticing. He got as close as he could and switched to a two-hand grip.
Mason knew this wasn’t his fault. He’d warned Frank. Now Frank had to pay. And Mason would be the one to show the open gate to Zed. Exactly as it should be.
He lined up the sites on Frank’s head.
Frank stepped forward into the light. He was gone. And so was the light. The tree was just an ordinary tree again.
Mason sat crouched in the ferns for a long time, his own failure lingering like a bitter taste in his mouth. After a while—he wasn’t sure how long—he felt a presence behind him.
“I was close,” Mason said. “He opened a gate in the door. Light came out and he disappeared into it. I couldn’t stop him.”
“Yes,” Zed said. “It seems you’ve failed.”
Mason turned his head. The look on Zed’s face wasn’t anger; it was sadness. That was far worse. “I had him cornered. I had my gun on him and he was unarmed. I should have shot him.”
“That would have been a very bad idea. We still need him. How’d he get away from you?”
“He did this….whistle. And then one of the Larvae attacked me.”
Zed shook his head. “My friend, believe me when I say I have felt your pain. Almost exactly. I forgive you. We’ll be seeing your uncle again. Very soon.”
Mason felt a hand on his shoulder, and then Zed continued.
“Have you ever wondered why I helped you? Why I showed you how to take care of yourself and survive in the forest?”
Mason licked his lips. “I never had to wonder. It was because of your generosity. You’re a good person.”
Zed chuckled. “I may do good things at times, but whether I’m a good person is highly debatable.” He patted Mason’s shoulder. “No, I took care of you because I thought I might need you. In my experience, Hinkles are unique talents. Your dad proved that with the way he used the book in Sanctuary. And your uncle has his locks and his impenetrable mind. But you turned out to be one of the most ordinary and useless human beings I have yet to encounter. You’re completely worthless to me.”
Mason looked at Zed with wide eyes. The lump in his throat made it difficult to speak. “Zed...I tried...I tried to bring him to you.”
Zed’s signature smile was back now. “Ah, Mason, that’s exactly the type of incompetence I am talking about. Thankfully, Frank is proving to be much less clever than I remembered. The book can’t pass through the gate. He was carrying it when he went through. Which means it’s lying right in front of that tree.” He winked at Mason. “Let’s go get it, shall we?”
Zed walked to the tree where Frank had disappeared.
There it was on the ground. The book.
Zed picked it up and carefully brushed a bit of dirt off the cover.
A look of peace washed over his face. For the first time in the many years Mason had known him, Zed wasn’t smiling or frowning. His face was relaxed.
After a moment, Zed opened the book, and his wide smile returned.
CHAPTER EIGHT: A PLACE WITHOUT SHADOWS
1. Sanctuary
Sophie scanned the ground for Larvae as Jake staggered to the tree. He stood there for a long time, hunched over and bleeding, talking into the tree like some kind of idiot. She felt uneasy as she watched. A change came over him. He seemed different than she’d ever seen him. He was animated in his movements.
Then Jake opened the book and put his finger on the page.
“Jake! What are you doing, man?” She sprinted toward him.
He looked up at her. His eyes were so bloodshot, she could barely make out any white. The skin seemed to be hanging off his face. The man looked like he’d lost thirty pounds in the last ten minutes.
“Sophie, I’m not going to make it. The book has used me up. Banishing the guy with the beard broke me. You need help.”
“What are you talking about? Put the book away.”
He scrunched up his face in a pained smile. “Trust Frank. Protect Mason.” He turned back to the tree. “Frank, I’m gonna pull you through now. You ready?”
A voice from within the light said, “Let’s do it.”
Before Sophie could stop him, Jake dragged his hand across the page. As he did it, he yelled in pain. The light from the tree brightened ten-fold, enveloping them both. Then the light was gone.
Jake lay at her feet, his eyes wide open. He wasn’t moving. Wasn’t breathing.
She dropped to her knees and touched his cheek. His face was cold and stiff. It was like he’d been dead for hours.
Through the tears, she looked up and saw a man standing in front of the tree.
Sophie lifted her gun with a shaky hand and pointed it at him.
The resemblance to Jake was uncanny. This man was a little thinner, and his hair was a striking combination of black and gray instead of the blondish gray mix of Jake’s hair. He may have been a bit taller too. He was shirtless, and his arm was wrapped in a blood-soaked tee shirt. But around the eyes, this man looked like Jake.
The man stared down at Jake, his mouth agape.
“Don’t move!” Sophie yelled. The man looked up at her, and she saw the tears in his eyes.
“Did you shoot him?” he asked, his voice choked with emotion.
“What? No. Why would you ask that?”
He shook his head. “Who are you? What’s going on here? What happened to my brother?”
“Brother?”
He nodded. “My name’s Frank Hinkle. Jake’s my brother.”
Sophie suddenly realized she hadn’t even known Jake’s last name.
“Damn it!” Frank said. The tears were coming now. “I finally found him. I’ve been looking for so long. And now…”
Sophie wiped at the tears running down her face with an angry hand. Jake had told her to trust this man, but she couldn’t help but be furious at him. “He died bringing you through.”
Frank look stunned. “No. Why would he do that?”
“Because he needed your help. Bad things are happening here. So bad, I don’t even know where to—”
Sophie stopped. Frank was reaching for the book lying next to Jake.
She brought her gun back up. “You stay away from that book.”
Frank looked up at her. Tears streaked his face.
She said, “If you’re his brother, you must be from Rook Mountain. I take it you know about this Zed guy.”
Frank nodded. “I’m sorry to say I do.”
“Well, he screwed me over.”
“Join the club.”
“He’s loose. Jake was gonna try to use the book to banish Zed.”
“Banish him?”
“Yeah, um, turn him into a tree. God, that sounds stupid when I say it out loud. Do you know how to use the book? Could you banish Zed?”
He shook his head. “You’re from Sanctuary? And you say people are dying?”
She nodded.
“Well, Sophie, I’m not sure how to say this, but, you and I? We aren’t gonna live through this thing. You know that kid, Mason? He’s the only one who makes it.”
She shook her head. “How could you know that?”
He smiled weakly. “I come from the future.”
She started to say she didn’t believe him, but then she remembered she’d just suggested they turn a man into a tree.
“Wait,” Frank said. “There might be a way. Do you have the compass?”
“How do you know that?”
“Mason. He told me there was a woman who
...who had the compass.” Something about the way he said it made her think Mason had told him more than that. “I was wondering if it was you. Anyway, that’s how I got here.”
“What do you mean?”
He held out a hand, indicating the forest around them. “These trees are doors. Well, I guess you saw that. But some of them take you to different times. I had the compass. All I did was hold it and ask it to take me to Jake.”
She nodded slowly. What he was saying made sense. If the trees could really take you to different times…
She pulled out the compass and thought, Jake. Living Jake, not the dead one here in front of me.
“It’s not working.”
Frank frowned. “Did you press the broken clock symbol? You have to do that.”
She glared at him. “Yeah, I’ve used this thing a time or two.”
“I’ll try too.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an identical compass.
“There’s more than one of them?” she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
“No. This is the same one as yours. It’s the future version.” He tapped the side of it. “It’s not working for me either. We need to hide the book. That’s what Zed wants. And if he gets it…”
“What? What will happen if he gets it?”
“Well, honestly, I have no idea. But prior experience leads me to believe it won’t be good.”
“And you know where you can hide it?”
Frank nodded. “Yeah.”
He bent down and kissed Jake’s forehead. He said it quietly, but Sophie still heard. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.” He paused for a moment, his mouth a thin line, his face streaked with tears. Then he took a deep breath and said, “Here’s the thing. I have reason to believe I shouldn’t trust you. Granted, it came from a very unreliable source. But still, I can’t take the chance. So, apologies in advance.”
He stuck his hand into his pocket and disappeared.
Sophie gasped. She brought the gun up and held it in front of her.
The book, which had been lying near her feet, disappeared too.
“Hey man, show yourself.”
Frank said, “I’ve got to fly solo on this one.”
