Doors of Destiny

by Bronwyn Leroux

  “Why have you returned?”

  “We were wondering whether you had another smart suit and aerolator for Iri.”

  “And?” Sven prompted.

  “Whether you could install some communication system in the suits so we can talk to one another more easily when flying?”

  Sven slapped a meaty hand to his head. “Of course. That’s something I should’ve thought of.”

  “And, if it’s not too much trouble,” Atu continued, “perhaps we could work on a way we can communicate with you without compromising safety? It would’ve been helpful if we could’ve communicated our needs to you before we arrived so that you had time to prepare.”

  Sven looked thoughtful for a moment. “That last request is more problematic.” He noticed Atu’s resigned expression. “But it is not insurmountable. Come, we eat and sleep, and then tomorrow we solve these problems, no?”

  Grinning, Atu nodded, and Iri followed them into the kitchen.

  “So Iri, you will tell me your story?” Sven asked as he began preparing dinner.

  Iri hesitated. She was going to share her abilities with another person? Well, Sven was part of the team. And he would find out eventually. Taking a deep breath, Iri told him the fraction of her story that she had shared with the others. Afterwards, Iri dared to gauge Sven’s reaction. She still felt shocked when Sven just nodded. How was she lucky enough to have found so many people in such a short time who accepted her just as she was?

  The next morning, Iri woke refreshed and ready for the new day. Wandering into the kitchen, she was surprised to find she was the only one there. It was still early, but Atu had proven that he was an early riser. Sven didn’t strike her as being one to tarry in the mornings either. After grabbing a yogurt out of the fridge, Iri strolled to the front door.

  The snow outside sparkled in the early morning sunshine. The pristine white of the snow offset the dark greens of the fir and pine trees perfectly, and the air was redolent with their sharp scent. The quiet was almost eerie. But it was so peaceful. Then she heard muted banging. Following the sound, Iri found another building off to the side of the main house. It had a door but no handle to open it with. Eyeing the intercom next to the door, she pressed the button. Instead of an answering voice, the door clicked open.

  Stepping inside, an array of machinery, pieces of tech, chemicals, lab equipment, and a wall of holoscreens confronted Iri. She was still trying to make sense of the confusing jumble when she heard Sven call to her. “You are up early, no? Were you uncomfortable? Too cold?”

  “No, I slept well, thank you. I’m just an early riser. What is all this stuff?”

  “Oh, this and that.” Sven waved. “All things I need for tinkering in my workshop.”

  Iri nodded. “This is where the magic happens, then. What are you working on?”

  “A communications system for your smart suits.” Sven grinned, wiping his hands on a nearby towel. “Would you like to help me test it?”

  Iri’s eyes widened. “It’s ready?”

  “Of course. Is simple task. Here, your suit.” Sven handed her a suit identical to those worn by the other voyagers.

  “Thank you.” Iri grinned, taking the suit and retreating into the bathroom Sven had indicated. When she reemerged a few minutes later, Sven handed her a rubber hood and the silver tube the others called an aerolator.

  “Here, let me show you how to attach them.” Sven leaned over and helped her. When the hood and aerolator were connected, Sven grinned. “Now where is your glider?”

  Iri shrugged. “I have no idea. They seem to come and go at will.”

  Sven emitted a chuckle that sounded more like the distant rumble of an avalanche. “You haven’t learnt yet that they will appear when you need them?”

  Iri reddened. “I . . .”

  Sven immediately stopped laughing. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to embarrass you. You will learn like the others, no?”

  “I guess,” Iri sighed.

  “Come, we go outside,” Sven suggested. “We see if your glider is there, no?”

  It turned out he was right. Not only was Satinka waiting for her, but Aren floated nearby too. Why was he there? Did they always just fly in pairs?

  “Good morning.” Atu exited the house. “What are we up to?”

  Atu’s appearance answered Iri’s question. “Sven wanted to test the comm system in the suits.”

  Atu gaped. “You’re finished already?”

  “It wasn’t that difficult.” Sven shrugged. “Will you join us?”

  When Atu nodded, Sven herded them back to the workshop and showed Atu how to install the tiny wires and intercoms of the new tech. “I wish Jaden was here,” Atu grumbled, “This is more in his wheelhouse.”

  “You will remember.” Sven gave him an encouraging pat. “Is not that—”

  “Difficult,” Iri and Atu finished for him.

  Chortling, Sven removed the system he had just installed and made Atu run through the installation on his own. Iri watched as his nimble fingers manipulated the tiny components. In seconds, he had the system installed to Sven’s satisfaction.

  “Is good now. You put hood on, and you and Iri go fly. We shall see how effective the system is.”

  Atu grinned, reattaching his hood. “Shall we?”

  His smile distracted Iri. Had he always been so attractive, and she just hadn’t noticed? Or was his disarming authenticity making her take a second look?

  Atu quirked an eyebrow. Iri blushed. Had she been staring?

  “Yes, let’s go try these puppies,” Iri blurted.

  Turning, she loped outside, relieved to find Satinka had already taken to the air. When Satinka spotted her, she turned and came in for the aerial connection. Only when they were airborne did Iri register she hadn’t asked Sven how to use the comm system. Was there a button?

  “Hello?” Iri tested.

  “Yeah, I can hear you loud and clear,” Atu answered.

  “As can I,” Sven affirmed.

  Iri glanced around, trying to find Atu and Aren. They were nowhere in sight. “Atu, where are you?”

  “Aren and I flew in the opposite direction. We thought we’d test the range on this comm unit.”

  That sounded like something Jaden would’ve done. Iri wondered whether Atu had done this on his own at Sven’s behest. “Okay, so how far away are you?”

  “He is almost to the perimeter of my property.” Sven sounded delighted. “Atu, you should turn back now. My defense system does not extend much further.”

  “Alright, I’ll . . .”

  Atu’s sentence cut off.

  “Atu?” Iri asked. “You still there?” Silence. Iri tried again. “Atu, speak to me. Sven, did he pass from range?”

  Sven grunted. “No, it should be working. I need to check something.” Sven’s breathing changed. He was running somewhere. But where? Then she heard cursing. Well, it sounded like it, anyway. With Sven reverting to his native tongue, it was impossible to tell. But when his frantic English returned, she knew she’d been correct. “Iri, you need to go after Atu. My perimeter defenses have been triggered.”

  “What does that mean?” Iri asked, even as Satinka changed direction. Huh, Satinka must have really good hearing. I didn’t even have to tell her what Sven said.

  “We have company. And I think it’s the kind we don’t want.”

  “You mean Gaptors?” Iri’s pulse spiked.

  “Yes, I mean Gaptors,” Sven barked. “Now get to that mountain pass that got you to my home!”

  “Alright, no need to yell. Satinka and I are on our way.”

  “Can I fly faster now that you have the suit the other voyagers have?” The urgency in Satinka’s voice alarmed Iri.

  She had almost forgotten about the suit. Hesitantly, Iri said, “I think so.”

  Satinka’s sudden burst of speed had Iri grabbing for a handhold, then sucking in a sharp breath when her smart suit yanked her upright again. When the hood crawled over her face, Iri s
hivered. Did it feel this creepy for the others as well? The hood snapped into place, and Iri blinked, adjusting to the goggles that now protected her eyes from the wind. She blinked several times as her eyes focused. She knew they had to be going really fast when the aerolator covered her mouth, allowing her more oxygen. Somehow, the speed didn’t seem real. Wanting to test the suit, she moved her shoulders slightly, almost giggling when the suit moved her back to a more aerodynamic position. Oh yeah, this is going to be fun!

  Her glee was cut short when she saw Aren and Atu ahead of them. Atu was slumped over Aren’s back. “Atu? Atu! Speak to me!”

  Atu didn’t move, and Iri’s concern shot off the chart. Frantically, she scanned for Gaptors.

  “What’s happening?” Sven’s worried voice reminded Iri someone else could help.

  “I don’t know. Atu looks like he’s hurt. He’s not answering on his comm. Give me a second and Satinka and I will be close enough to ask Aren what happened.” Iri hadn’t finished her sentence when Satinka drew level with Aren.

  “I couldn’t dodge fast enough,” Aren moaned. “The Gaptor’s talon clipped Atu and he fell off. I caught him, but he’s bleeding.”

  Iri winced at the wide gash slicing across Atu’s forehead, angling from his right eyebrow across into his hairline. “We need to get him back to Sven’s. Where’s the Gaptor?”

  Aren nodded behind him. The monster was enormous. And ugly. And lying in the snow as if thrown there by some unseen force. Its limbs were at odd angles, and the wings were a mess, twisted all over the place. It didn’t move.

  “Sven, how can I tell if this Gaptor’s dead?” Iri worried that if she didn’t confirm it, the Gaptor would magically revive and resume its attack.

  “No need to worry about him,” Sven informed her curtly. “He won’t be a problem. How is Atu?”

  “Good to know I don’t need to worry. Yeah, Atu has a pretty bad cut on his head, but I think he’ll be okay.” Out of the corner of her eye, Iri saw Aren relax. She should’ve reassured the glider earlier. “We’re on our way back. See you soon.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Kayla sighed. Jaden hadn’t said more than two sentences since they’d left. Worried, she scratched at her birthmark. The action drew Jaden’s attention. “You still haven’t explained that to me.”

  Finally! Something Jaden was interested in. “There really isn’t that much to tell,” Kayla began. Then, noticing the way Jaden hunched into himself, she sighed again. She would have to give him something. “Remember how I told you that my mom insisted that I learn that ancient language?” Jaden nodded. “Well, I fought her on the issue until I visited my grandmother and saw the books I would use to learn the language. The cover of each book had a strange symbol on it.”

  Jaden perked up. “The medallion?”

  “No, but good guess. You want another?”

  “It has something to do with this quest we’re on?”

  Kayla giggled. “Well duh! And you can’t be that vague. Try again.”

  Jaden smiled. “Alright, give me a clue.”

  Kayla drank in the smile that had been absent for far too long. It drew some of the tension from his face and lit his eyes with mischief. Positively wicked! Her own face creased into a smile. “What were you just asking about?”

  “Your birthmark.” A heartbeat later, Jaden added, “That’s what the symbol on the books was?”

  “Yup. When I saw that, I was understandably more open to the idea of learning the language. I’m not sure if my mother or grandmother knew why I had changed my mind, but I think they thought they wouldn’t ask in case I reneged.”

  Jaden grinned. “Good thing you didn’t. We would have been well and truly sunk trying to find that first artifact if you hadn’t been able to interpret the language.”

  A burden Kayla hadn’t known she was carrying fell away. Seeing Jaden smiling again made her realize just how much she had missed his smile. And now that it had reappeared, she was petrified of chasing it away. What could she talk about that would keep it on his handsome face? Avoiding further talk about the birthmark was a start. She couldn’t tell him the mark had meaning or what that meaning was. But what could she say? “Is there perhaps another way we can use the key you gave your parents?”

  Jaden’s startled expression warned her she had changed topics too quickly. Kayla held her breath. Would he analyze her answer and then quiz her further on her birthmark?

  Jaden frowned. “Do you want to explain that?”

  Swallowing her sigh of relief, Kayla realized Jaden nor pressing her about the birthmark meant he was more distracted than she’d thought. But she wasn’t going to complain. “Well, you said that you had planned to use the key to find them. Just because you don’t know where they are now doesn’t mean you don’t know where they were before they were taken.”

  The spark of interest in Jaden’s eyes was encouraging. “You’re saying I should go back to the time I gave my mom the key?”

  “Yup. That’s the one place you know you can find them.” Even as she said the words, she saw Jaden’s dismay. “What’s wrong?”

  “How is that going to help? It won’t stop them from being taken.” Jaden paused. When he continued, the words spilled out. “And my mom already knows there’s a chance they’ll be kidnapped. I won’t be telling her anything she doesn’t already know. The key was supposed to help me rescue them from wherever they were taken to. Going back in time isn’t going to change what’s already happened.”

  “Can’t you tell her that you now know when they’ll be taken and that she needs to leave you a clue—or clues—that you can follow?” Kayla spoke in desperation, hoping to reverse the pessimism that was taking hold again.

  Her suggestion had the opposite effect. Jaden shrunk even further into himself. “Therein lies another problem. We can’t communicate across timelines.”

  “I don’t remember you saying that,” Kayla began.

  “I told you there was no interaction across timelines.”

  Kayla understood now. “And that includes communication.”

  “Yes.”

  Kayla was fresh out of ideas. And even if she could come up with one, she doubted she could drag Jaden from the mire a second time. The flash to her left surprised her. Taz dropped twenty feet in a split second and Kayla sucked in air. What was . . .? A bright light to her right. Jaden’s DD.

  An attack! Kayla whipped out her own DD. Where’s the Gaptor?

  “Five!” Jaden yelled.

  Without thought, Kayla and Taz rolled into the play. Kayla’s head tipped up as she watched Jaden and Han streak away to the left. She still couldn’t find their attacker. Or attackers. “Did you see the Gaptor?” Kayla asked Taz.

  “Barely,” Taz muttered. “It appeared out of nowhere again.”

  “You never did explain how they do that!”

  “I’m just as much in the dark as you. I think the comment one of you made about them appearing like that because they were coming through the breach is the most likely explanation.”

  “But how would they know where to come through? Surely the Usurper hasn’t devised a way to open the gate at exact locations on our world?”

  “Who knows what he’s been able to come up with during the time he’s been in hiding. A more disturbing question is how he’s able to pinpoint our location. We know his minions can track your medallions here in this world. But how is he able to do that from our world? It is information we need to pass on to Zareh.”

  “You have a way to communicate with him?” Kayla squeaked.

  “Yes, indirectly. There is a place we can leave him coded messages.”

  “And you’re only just thinking to tell me this now?” Kayla was miffed that Taz hadn’t trusted them with this information before.

  Taz hesitated. “I apologize. It hadn’t occurred to me that you might like to know.”

  Kayla was stunned. An apology from Taz. That was—

  Bam! The Gaptor struck with enough for
ce to throw Kayla off. She flailed; then her smart suit kicked in, and she regained control of her limbs. Tumbling into the forward-facing position that would make it easier for Taz to pick her up, Kayla turned her head, alert for approaching Gaptors. There he was. Coming straight for her and raising his antennae again. Silly beast.

  The current that zinged through her body was as unexpected as it was unpleasant. Kayla jerked, her body reacting to the current. It felt like ice cold gel flowing over her, numbing every spot it touched. Within nanoseconds, she was totally encased. She couldn’t feel a thing. She had no control over any part of her body. What’s happening to me?

  When Taz crashed into her, Kayla was aware of the motion only because of the sound. It was sickening. Had Taz been injured, too? There was no time to find out. Kayla bounced off Taz into open air again. Even her smart suit seemed to have lost the ability to help her. Kayla struggled to see how far from the ground she was, but the tiny muscles around her eyes refused to work. As she tumbled over to face the ground, Taz bashed into her a second time. That impact was going to hurt when feeling returned.

  Kayla wanted to scream with frustration when she slid off Taz yet again. But why wasn’t she scared? It was as though her mind had been numbed with the rest of her body. Like this was happening to someone else and she was just a spectator. Hopefully she wouldn’t feel the panic—or pain—when she smooshed herself all over the ground.

  Kayla didn’t feel Jaden’s arms slipping around her. She was only aware it was happening because his arms passed across her limited vision for a second. Then she heard his voice, close to her ears. Was he pressing his head against hers?

  “Got you!”

  How is that going to help? Kayla wondered. Neither of us is on a glider, so we’ll both die now instead of just me.

  Han loomed under them. Kayla heard the crunch as they landed. Hopefully that wasn’t Jaden taking the punishment. Han cursed, so no, Jaden hadn’t. Jaden was trying to tuck her between his arms; her head lolled as he moved her. Her frozen eyes caught his worried frown, then open sky, then his chest. And her vision remained fixed there, so he must’ve maneuvered her into a position he was satisfied with. If only she could demand a position where she could see what was happening. But her voice didn’t work any more than the rest of her body did.