The Beholder

by Ivan Amberlake

  There could be no mistake. The door opened, and Matthew appeared. Jason folded him into a hug so quickly he barely saw his friend’s face. A second later Debbie entered the study, and she was crushed by another embrace.

  After the hugging was through, Jason stood back and eyed them both. They looked healthy, relaxed even. In particular, Debbie sparkled with happiness, her smile brighter than the sun.

  “How did you know I was here?” he asked.

  “Tyler told us.”

  They were clad in new black leather clothes which Jason eyed with envy. “You look fabulous,” he said.

  “You like?” Matt asked, grinning and performing a dramatic pirouette. “Tyler took part in our image change.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Upstairs.” Matt jabbed one finger towards the ceiling. “He went to see Emily.”

  “So? What’s up?” Jason demanded. “Where have you been all this time? I missed you!”

  “So did we, Jase. So many things happened! Tyler is an awesome guide and storyteller. We’ve practically seen the whole world, and he told us so many legends and tales about the places we’ve visited. Oh, and Debbie fell head over heels for him.” A wide grin stretched across his tanned face. Though he sounded cheerful, Jason could help but see his eyes glistened with jealousy.

  “Matt!” Debbie scolded and punched his arm. “Stop jabbering on.”

  “See, Jase?” Matt teased, and Debbie blushed like a child.

  Jason grinned. “I missed you guys so much.”

  ***

  Tyler paused near the door, then used his Sight to look into the room before he knocked, wanting to make sure Emily was in. Just as he lifted his hand to knock, he froze, sensing something wrong about her aura. It felt strange. Almost the same, but not quite. Softer. Vulnerable. Tyler frowned and pursed his lips, then knocked.

  Emily’s aura instantly returned to normal. She welcomed him in and pretended to be surprised, but of course she had already seen Tyler through the door.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “It’s me who should ask that question,” Emily replied. “What happened? Why are you here? We were supposed to meet in New York tomorrow.”

  This game of denial didn’t appeal to Tyler. It wasn’t like Emily to behave this way. “What’s wrong with you?”

  She sighed. “I’m fine. Just tired. Have you seen the garden?”

  But Tyler wasn’t easily misled. When she turned towards the window he saw circles under her eyes and moisture on her cheeks.

  “Were you crying?” he asked.

  Emily turned away to hide her emotions, but she was bad at it. “I was just thinking,” she said. “I haven’t been here since my parents died, you know. I miss them so much. It’s just … I wanted to have some privacy for a while.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Emily. Of course it’s hard for you to be here. I’m so sorry,” Tyler came up and held her close.

  She put her arms around his neck and pressed her damp cheek to his shoulder.

  “Why are you here?” Emily murmured into his shirt.

  He stepped back, his hands still on her arms for support. “I took Matt and Debbie all over the place because I saw Dark Ones tracking us. They kept getting closer. I managed to create a false trace, and they went in the wrong direction.”

  She nodded, listening intently. “But there’s something else, isn’t there? What happened?”

  “Another Doomed One has gone missing. The Dark Ones are too fast for us. I think we should return together. We’re a greater force when united.”

  Emily remained silent, thinking. “Perhaps you’re right,” she said at last.

  “Let’s go downstairs,” Tyler suggested. “Matt and Debbie are looking forward to seeing you. I told them lots about you and me, and about reality as we see it. I like them a lot, and I think if they got Energy Charge they might be talented among the Sighted.”

  “Yeah, I think so, too,” Emily said quietly, her eyes closed.

  Tyler smiled. “I still can’t get used to the blinding light Jason emits. If the defense here wasn’t so strong, all the Sighted within a thousand miles would feel his presence.”

  “But he’s still Unsighted.”

  “Yeah, well, he’s a miracle like the world has never seen before. What will happen when the Sight comes to him?”

  “I want to know when it will happen. What is a different question altogether.”

  Tyler smiled and squeezed Emily tighter. “He won’t let us down.”

  ***

  Emily could hear Debbie’s muffled voice from downstairs. “That’s how these killings might have happened,” she was saying. “They can stretch time and compress space. So while we thought the killings and kidnapping occurred millions of miles away from each other, they could actually be carried out from one spot. Tyler told us that’s possible.”

  “So the mark has been found in Okayama?” Jason asked.

  “Yes,” Debbie replied.

  Matt chuckled. “Now Tyler’s ability to transport us from one place to another doesn’t seem all that crazy, does it?”

  “They’re able to stop time and compress the north and south poles. It’s no big deal for them to overcome reality and change it to whatever they like. The problem is, as Tyler says, if you don’t believe you can do this stuff, you won’t do it,” Debbie said. “I wish we could revise our whole attitude to what is around us, but I just don’t see how it’s possible.”

  “Nor do I,” Jason said sadly. “Even after Emily’s lesson I can’t enter their reality. There were no signs of supernatural vision—”

  “Except the dreams,” Matt corrected.

  “So what?” Jason exclaimed in frustration. “The dreams are meaningless. Sometimes it seems like they come to me by mistake.”

  Tyler pushed open the door, and the trio inside fell silent.

  “Hello, everyone,” Emily volunteered. “Is anyone hungry? There’s a whole store of food in the kitchen.”

  “We’re okay,” Debbie assured her.

  “Uh-uh,” growled Matt. “I’m starving.”

  As they left the room Jason took Emily’s hand and whispered in her ear. “Don’t tell Debbie where all this food comes from. She’ll freak out.”

  “Don’t worry,” Emily whispered back. His soft touch made her head spin. She barely heard what he said.

  “Emily?”

  “Yes?” She gave a start.

  “Your eyes make me crazy,” Jason whispered then pressed his lips to her temple. She could barely breathe with the sensation, but when he put his arm round her waist she felt like her heart grew stronger.

  At the table, Emily sat beside Matt and Debbie. They seemed a little awkward around her at first, so after a while she leaned in and whispered, “Don’t believe all the stuff Tyler told you about me.”

  Matt’s eyebrow shot up. “Debbie?”

  Debbie smiled, waiting. “Yes?”

  “Can you remember any ordinary person fighting against the most evil creature in the world?” He waved his tattooed hands with just the right amount of sarcasm.

  “Tyler did it, too,” Emily protested.

  “He claims you’re the best person he’s ever met. He told us about how you found him and rescued him, so don’t be so shy.”

  Emily darted a furtive glance at Jason, standing with his back to them while he spoke to Tyler. He turned and smiled at her, as if he had sensed her gaze. The images from that morning flashed through her mind.

  You burn and revive my soul, Jason, Emily thought. You are my heaven and hell. I’m a moth, and you are my flame. I can’t resist you, Jason. I’m too weak to resist you.

  Chapter 28

  The air grew heavy, bringing with it the sense that it was time for the group to leave the estate. As if dark had taken possession of the outside. As if the house urged them to go. For Jason, leaving was almost as hard as it was for Emily. He loved it there, and he loved the time he’d spent alone with her. All he could hope was
they would return one day, together, when everything was over.

  “We’ll set off shortly,” Emily announced. “As soon as we leave the protection of the estate, we’ll become extremely vulnerable. The enemy may trace us because of Jason’s brightness, though Tyler and I will do our best to shield it. There’s a chance they won’t pinpoint our location. But if they catch up with us, we’ll be left with no option but to fight.”

  She took a breath. “I think Tyler told you,” Emily said, looking at Matthew and Debbie, “about the dead sprouts of Énergie Morte.”

  Both nodded.

  “Good. In case of a fight, we’ll protect you from the sprouts, all right? But Tyler and I aren’t as valuable as the three of you. On the other hand, there’s a chance the Dark Ones may be wary enough not to attack, since they don’t know whether or not Jason has acquired the power of the Beholder yet.”

  “That’s a pretty a slim chance,” Tyler said grimly.

  “Yeah,” Emily admitted. “Let’s not count on it.”

  Jason had never seen her so tense. She was all business, the lighter, sweeter side gone for now.

  “We’ll be fine,” Tyler said. “The flight will only take a couple of minutes.”

  “The flight?”

  “Sure. We’re flying,” Tyler said, then turned to Emily. “Didn’t you tell him?”

  Debbie put her hands on Jason’s broad shoulders. “Oh, don’t you love flying? Isn’t it amazing?”

  Jason frowned. “You don’t mean—”

  “We didn’t actually get to that yet,” Emily muttered apologetically.

  Debbie squealed. “Oh, you’re going to love it,” she said, but Jason only grimaced.

  “As soon as we leave the boundaries of the estate, we fly,” Emily went on, ignoring Jason’s expression. “Our goal is to reach New York. To guard ourselves against meeting the Mindbroken and the Legates, we will compress the space we need to cover, which will include manipulating physical laws. That’ll be an arduous experience for the three of you.”

  After a while, Jason glanced at the wall clock and shook his head with disbelief. It was already time to leave.

  “Oh, I nearly forgot,” Emily recalled. She went into the next room and came back carrying a black folded cloth.

  “It’s for you to wear so you won’t freeze,” she said, offering it to Jason. “When we fly at high speed you should wear this.”

  He held the cloak before him, admiring the smooth, strong leather, the same as that which Matt and Debbie now swung over their shoulders. He folded it neatly again, still annoyed at the fact that he was the only one in the room who hadn’t yet flown.

  “And you have to wear these, too.” Emily offered him a pair of huge goggles.

  That’s where he drew the line. “Are you kidding?” Jason exclaimed. “I don’t want to look like a ninety-year old granny!”

  To his surprise, Matt and Debbie pulled identical goggles from their pockets with a sigh of exasperation.

  “You’re kidding me, right?” Jason asked them.

  “We’ll create a capsule of air around your bodies so you can breathe,” Tyler said, ignoring his protests. “The capsule will slow the real motion so your blood won’t boil, but you’re unprepared for flying without taking the necessary precautions. Your eyes will water and could even be permanently damaged because of the speed and the wind.”

  Jason scowled at him. “Okay, okay. I guess looking stupid is better than being blind or dead.”

  “You got that right.” Tyler smiled. “Let’s go.”

  Emily waved one hand, turning off all the lights in the house as they stepped outside and walked towards the dark forest. The waning moon provided feeble light, but it was enough to help Jason and the other Unsighted see the way. Barely audible noises of shuffling and gravel crackling underfoot were the only sounds in the night. When Jason turned back for one last look at the estate, he noticed with regret that he couldn’t see it anymore.

  They struggled quietly through low-hanging branches, blindly fighting back as the trees lashed and scratched the Unsighteds’ faces. Emily and Tyler switched on flashlights that pierced the dark, but they barely helped Jason see where he was going. Once or twice he tripped and nearly fell, and he heard the same sounds coming from Matt and Debbie.

  Finally they stopped, and Emily got everyone’s attention. “We are about to come out of the defense,” she said. “Put on your goggles.”

  Jason hesitated, but after one glimpse at her expression, he fit them onto his face.

  “Matt and Debbie, you hold on to Tyler. You know what to do. Jason, you stand behind me.”

  He did as he was told, then smiled to himself as she reached back and wrapped his arms around her.

  “Hold really tight,” she said. “It’s more extreme than a motorcycle ride.”

  “I believe you,” Jason whispered, then gave her a brief, secret kiss on the side of her neck. “Don’t worry. I have no problem hanging on to you.”

  But Emily was all business again, and Jason took a deep breath, preparing himself for the unknown.

  “On the count of three,” she announced. “One, two, three!”

  They took one quick step forward, shot out of the defense, and Jason saw light at last. He squeezed his eyes shut behind their protective goggles, because now that he realized they were actually going to fly, he was also pretty sure he saw his impending death.

  “No! Holy—!” he screamed as they zipped up in the sky.

  It took a moment before he realized he was squeezing his face against Emily’s slender back, his thick goggles probably denting her skin with his desperate grip. He lifted his head just a little and dared himself to open his eyes.

  Tiny dots of light emerged in the distance, and a second later the dots turned into Paris. The city was approaching them at a mind-blowing speed. That was when he admitted to himself that the goggles and the cloak had been a great idea. After one more second they’d passed through the whole city, and Jason felt a brief pang of disappointment that he had actually been in France, yet hadn’t had a chance to see the Eiffel Tower, the Hotel des Invalides, or even the Notre-Dame.

  Emily flew like a rocket over the dark ocean, seeming unaffected by his added weight. The waves of the Atlantic rose high, but he didn’t hear their sound because the wind was howling madly in his ears. To his left he spied a black lump, speeding as fast as they were, and he assumed it was Tyler, Matt, and Debbie. Becoming more comfortable, he tipped his head upwards and myriads of stars flickered back at him.

  Emily changed altitude, coming closer to the water’s surface, gaining speed with each second, then she swerved to the right. A blinding beam of red light shot towards the place where they had just been, causing a violent wave, and thunder crashed, making Jason cringe.

  “They tracked us,” Emily cried, then smoothly froze in mid-air.

  Another flash ripped through the air, but this time it was aimed to the left of Emily and Jason. Four spheres of bright red Energy appeared in the sky, luminous and pulsing with menace. Jason’s stomach filled with dread. He’d witnessed a fight between two spheres when Emily and Pariah had faced off, and it had been a horrible sight to behold. Now he would be a helpless, inert participant.

  “Too many,” he heard Tyler grumble from nearby.

  A thought occurred, and Jason leaned towards Emily’s ear. “Can you pass some of your Energy to me so I can enter the Sight? The way you did in the dance hall.”

  Her eyes were wary. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  The enemies swiftly drew closer, and an immense ball of light appeared close to the ocean’s surface, where Jason knew Tyler waited. In the same instant, Jason’s body filled with an indescribably warm, soothing sense of comfort, and he realized he was feeling Emily’s protection. Tyler had extended his protection around his friends, but Jason could see them through the shields, looking like two bewildered pearls sheltered within a pair of huge seashells.

  Everything fl
ared at once. The ocean and the figures hovering above its vast waves emitted the same surreal light he had seen in Times Square as well as in Emily’s dance hall. Without thinking, Jason let go of Emily, sensing suddenly that flying felt as natural to him as walking.

  The Darksighted shot rays of red light, and Jason lunged forward to help Tyler. His cloak billowed in his wake, and Emily followed close behind, her warmth giving Jason strength.

  The four Darksighted floated for a moment, gathering their Energy and preparing to attack. Then one dove straight down, heading towards the trio, and Jason flew into action. With speed and strength he never imagined he had, he accelerated until he was face to face with the Dark One. He pulled back his fist, then punched the creature with all the force he could muster. Everything swirled, chaos twisting with rays of deadly light. Emily was immediately by his side helping him, skillfully dodging the rays. Her hands moved constantly, sending blinding silver rays in all directions.

  Light whirled past Jason and was swiftly answered by Tyler, who had joined the fight, and now fought with a lethal fury that seemed to startle the Dark Ones into a slight retreat. Jason tried to shoot the same kind of light that the other Sighted used, but his was feeble and rarely hit a target, so he relied on his fists instead.

  The night sky was a dazzling cobweb of different colors and shapes of Energy Threads. Emily’s shield still blanketed him in warmth, but Jason could feel he was reaching the limits of his endurance. Nausea rose within him, and he prayed for the flying roller coaster to end. Fortunately, the two brightest spheres, Tyler and Emily, seemed invincible.

  Out of the night, a Dark One blindsided Jason and delivered a crushing strike to his head. Pain shot through his body like lightning, and the world dimmed as his connection to the Sight severed. His limbs went numb, and he found himself falling, helplessly diving towards the raging ocean. An explosion, bright enough to sting Jason’s eyes even through the goggles, shook him in midair, and he closed his eyes.

  “I’ve got you,” came Emily’s voice, and her arms connected, wrapping around him.