Doors of Destiny

by Bronwyn Leroux

“Not a bad idea,” Jaden noted. “We should probably all head for a more defensible position.”

  “Lead on,” Markov said.

  As Han and Jaden turned to comply, Jaden noticed two gliders approaching Kayla. His eyes widened when he recognized her parents. Their exhilarated grins were like people who had just had the most incredible ride at the fairgrounds. Their enthusiastic greetings to their daughter and ensuing animated conversation about the battle just made Jaden shake his head for the second time. Who would’ve thought? They’re in their element!

  Within the hour, the group descended on a small hill overlooking the surrounding countryside. The vista was peaceful. More than that, it allowed for an unobstructed view in every direction. The group took time to rest, hydrate, and eat. Together, Atu and Kayla made their way through the ranks, taking care of the wounded.

  The air began to cool, and Jaden realized twilight wasn’t far off. Pulling Kayla aside, Jaden said, “It’ll be dark soon. Do you think we should try make it home or camp here?”

  “A few of the gliders need time to recover. They took some serious hits. Even though I’d prefer to be home, it’ll be better if we spend the night.”

  “Okay, I’ll see what we can do to secure the area.” Jaden gave her hand a quick squeeze before crossing to Sven.

  Between them, Jaden and Sven worked out a guard rotation and set up a perimeter. When Jaden was satisfied he couldn’t make the area any safer, he went searching for Kayla. He was looking forward to some alone time with her. That wasn’t on the cards.

  He found Kayla with her parents, seated near the middle of the camp around a small fire, their gliders looming directly behind them. From the way the gliders scrutinized every person who approached, they had set up their own monitoring system.

  “Evening,” Jaden greeted.

  “Jaden! How lovely to see you,” Sadie gushed. “Come, sit down. Join us.”

  Smiling, Jaden took her up on the offer. “Thank you. From the way you and your husband were grinning after that battle, I’d say you enjoyed yourselves.”

  “Wasn’t it invigorating?”

  Jaden could only chuckle. Settling in, he listened as Kayla’s parents told them about their training at Sven’s. It wasn’t long before Jaden’s childhood friends joined them.

  Then Sven strolled over. Jaden eyed the bulging shapes outlined against the dark sky behind him. “What are those?”

  “A few surprises we brought with us in case we met with trouble.” Sven beamed.

  “A few surprises, huh?” Jaden quipped, his interest piqued.

  Sven chuckled. “You want to see?”

  “Without question!”

  They rose and traversed the short distance. Without preamble, Sven tossed aside the cover concealing the item beneath. Jaden stared. Sven came up with this? Then he shook himself. What am I thinking? Of course he did!

  “A modified missile launcher?” Jaden guessed.

  Sven beamed. “Correct! Except they launch the same current beams your DDs do instead of missiles. I would show you, except they’re a little noisy and some people are already asleep.”

  Jaden recalled the booming sounds during the battle. He had dismissed them as Gaptors being dispatched to wherever they went when they disappeared in all that sound and light. Now that he thought about it, though, some of those booms had been different. “You used them today?”

  “We did.” Sven chuckled. “And they were more effective than I had hoped. The best part is that they’re portable. We can set them up anywhere. I thought perhaps you might like to have some near your compound in the event they’re needed?”

  No doubt. Sven always came prepared. Jaden clapped him on the back. “Sven, have I told you what a good man you are?” Jaden grinned as Sven’s cheeks turned pink with pleasure. “And heck yeah! I’ll definitely take you up on that offer. I assume you have more of these stashed away somewhere?”

  Sven nodded as he covered the machine again. He gave Jaden a breakdown of how the launchers worked while they strolled back to the group. Joining the others, Jaden listened to the various conversations flowing around the fire. No one seemed particularly tired, despite their battle today. Everyone’s adrenaline levels were still way too high. Chatter continued late into the night before everyone finally slipped into their sleeping shells for a few hours’ rest.

  When Jaden opened his eyes the next morning, they were gritty. He shouldn’t have stayed up so late. He groaned as he rose. All around him, the camp bustled with life.

  Jaden ambled over to where Kayla slept. She looked so peaceful. If only things could stay this way. He tucked the stray piece of hair that had fallen over her cheek behind her ear. She stirred at the touch. Then her eyes blinked open.

  “Morning. Sleep well?” Kayla mumbled.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “No, it’s good you did. We should be getting home.” Kayla sat up and yawned as she stretched.

  It didn’t take long to eat breakfast and strike camp. Everyone was anxious to get home. Shortly before nightfall, they reached the outskirts of Daxsos. The familiar landmarks were a welcome sight.

  Jaden turned to Pallaton, drifting beside him. “Any suggestions on how we split the Legion? I was thinking that the other voyagers who’ve joined us can camp out at my friends’ homes. But I don’t think there will be enough space for their gliders as well.”

  Pallaton shook his head. “It would be better if the Legion patrolled the area so we have advance warning of any impending attack.”

  “Excellent.” Jaden addressed his childhood friends via the comm system. “Are each of you up to taking some of the new recruits home with you?”

  The affirmative replies filtered back, and the group separated themselves accordingly. Kayla, Iri, and Atu stayed close to Jaden and watched the Legion carrying the voyagers to the respective homes they had chosen.

  “Honey, your dad and I are going to head home,” Sadie informed Kayla. “I desperately need a shower.”

  “Okay, Mom.” Kayla smiled. “Iri and I will join you in a short while.”

  Sadie nodded, and Kayla’s parents sped away. Kayla’s eyes were speculative as she watched them leave.

  “What are you thinking?” Jaden asked.

  “Huh, my mom didn’t even complain that I wasn’t leaving with them.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  Kayla considered a moment. “Nope. I think they’re just tired, although they won’t admit to that.”

  “In that case, shall we all head for my home?” Jaden sensed the others wanted to spend time together, just the four of them.

  Eager nods confirmed Jaden’s suspicions, and they set off. When they arrived, Han cocked his head to one side as though listening to something.

  “What’s up?” Jaden asked.

  Han only smiled. “I think you’ll find a pleasant surprise inside.”

  “What do you mean?” Jaden demanded.

  “If I were you, I wouldn’t waste time talking.” Han deposited Jaden and left without further explanation. Jaden couldn’t ask the other gliders, either, since they followed suit.

  Mystified, the teens strode to the rooftop entrance. Before they even opened the door, Jaden heard voices. Shock stopped him in his tracks as he recognized them.

  Kayla touched his arm, showing alarm at his response. “What’s wrong?”

  “I think—” But Jaden’s voice failed him. When he saw her reach for her DD, he clamped a hand over her arm. “We won’t need that.”

  Her green eyes were alert, her face still showing concern. Now was not the time for this, but if he was right, he wanted her to know how much she meant to him. Immediately. Before anything else happened. Unabashed by the presence of the others, he lifted his hands to her face and eased the lines of worry on her forehead. His fingers didn’t stop there. They traced twin paths past her lovely eyes and across her soft cheeks, coming to rest at the corners of her mouth. He ran one thumb over her lips, wishing he co
uld kiss her. Really kiss her. But that would be going too far with the others there.

  She must’ve sensed his need because she moved in closer, tucking herself against him. Jaden closed his eyes for a moment, savoring her closeness. Then he moved his hands behind her neck, pulling her forward gently as he planted a chaste kiss on her lips. He would have to make do with that for now.

  Jaden drew back, and Kayla tilted her head to smile up at him. “What was that for?”

  Mischief and puzzlement sparkled in her eyes. It was an alluring combination. Jaden took a deep breath, steadying himself. “Just a token to remind you that you mean the world to me.”

  Kayla looked like she had stopped breathing. Then she inhaled her own shaky breath. “Gee, Jameson, yet again you show your capacity for taking a girl’s breath away.”

  Jaden smiled and leaned in close so only she could hear. “Give me some time alone with you, and I’ll really take your breath away.”

  Kayla giggled. “That’s quite enough of that. We have an audience.”

  Grinning, Jaden stepped away and dropped his hands, catching one of hers with one of his. Turning to Iri and Atu, he said, “Shall we?”

  Jaden was amused when it was Atu who said, “About time.”

  Still chuckling, Jaden opened the door. It took all of a second for him to confirm he was correct. Giving Kayla a wide smile, he let go of her hand and bolted downstairs. To his astonishment, Atu was right behind him. The reason became clear as soon as Jaden entered the living room: Atu’s resemblance to his father was unmistakable. The short, pretty, dark-haired woman standing next to Atu’s father had to be his mother. And next to them were Jaden’s own parents.

  “Dad! Mom!” Jaden yelled. They ran to each other and embraced fiercely. “When did you get back? How is this possible? Did he hurt you?”

  Clara Jameson laughed. “Which question would you like us to answer first?”

  “You choose. I’m just so happy to see you!” He pulled them closer again, scarcely able to believe they were actually home.

  “Jaden, meet my mom, Taema, and my dad, Sava,” Atu said, making Jaden aware that he wasn’t the only one with something to celebrate.

  Jaden shook Taema’s and Sava’s hands. “It is so good to meet you. Your son never gave up hope that you were alive. He was determined to find you.”

  Sava beamed. “Yes, he is a remarkable young man.”

  Only when Atu introduced his parents to Iri and Kayla did Jaden realize they’d made it into the living room as well. The excited jabber continued as introductions were made and niceties exchanged. Jaden thought his head would explode. He needed answers.

  “Can we sit down so you tell us what happened?” Jaden’s voice was loud enough to drown out the others.

  His mother looked startled, but his father just smiled. “Yes, that’s probably best. Why don’t we make ourselves comfortable in the kitchen? We can drink some tea while we fill you in.”

  Jaden itched with impatience as they went through the motions. However, finally, they were all seated around the kitchen table.

  Ty glanced at Clara. “Would you like to do the honors?”

  Without preamble, Clara began. She told them how she and her husband had decided to wait on the deck for a few minutes to see if Jaden suddenly reappeared. After all, that’s what had happened the last time he left. But as they stood there, they heard noises that made them want to put their hands over their ears. Unearthly screeches and inexplicable thumps surrounded them. Before they could run inside, an unseen force struck them, rendering them unconscious.

  Jaden nodded. “I think what you heard were Pallaton and his Legion fighting the Gaptors that had just arrived. We didn’t leave you defenseless. We left a small force of gliders here to protect you. I didn’t want to take any chances.”

  His mother smiled and covered Jaden’s hand with her own. “Thank you for that. Unfortunately, it seems that didn’t work as well as you had hoped.”

  Jaden grimaced. “Yes, Pallaton and his Legion were overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. We didn’t expect the Usurper to send so many. When we returned and found you gone, I decided something had to be done.”

  “Is that when you gave me this?” Clara took the relic stone off her finger and placed it in Jaden’s palm.

  Smiling, Jaden took the ring and returned it to his own finger. “Yes, and that resulted in a few unforeseen consequences. But more about our side of the story later. Won’t you please continue with yours?”

  Clara did. “Well the next part is pretty much what I told you happened in my dream. When I woke up, I was in a dark place, and I could hear and smell your father. The main difference was that I wasn’t numb. And I could speak, thanks to you and that marvelous ring. I told your father that your solution was viable and hoped no one was listening in. Fortunately, no one arrived to investigate, and based on that, I assumed I could talk freely. Despite this, your father and I realized we should wait for a more opportune time to escape. Besides, we didn’t know where we were or what options were available to us. I will admit that right then I began to wonder if it was possible to change my dream. I wondered whether we might be able to escape and thereby bypass the necessity for you to come and rescue us, keeping you safe and foiling our kidnapper’s plans. We must have been there for a few hours before two guards appeared and moved us to a different area.”

  “Who moved you?” Jaden asked.

  “I don’t know. Remember, I told you that in my dream the darkness was so thick it was impossible to see. Well, that part remained true. There was no way to determine their identities. That’s not the important part, though. What is relevant is that we heard our captors discussing two other prisoners. From their conversation, it was clear these prisoners were related to one of the seekers.”

  “My parents?” Atu asked, surprising them as usual because he’d actually spoken.

  Clara smiled. “Yes. Fortunately, our guards were lazy. They got tired of continually opening two sets of cell doors to deal with us, so they moved us into the same cell as your parents. Since you and your father look so much alike, it was easy to figure out who they were. We told them who we were, that we knew you, and that you were well and doing what you could to bring this abominable situation to an end.”

  Sava spoke. “After so much time in captivity, we had almost given up on survival. But your parents’ words renewed our hope and reignited our desire to fight.”

  “Oh, I think they were doing just fine before.” Clara laughed. “They were resisting enough to make the guards wary when dealing with them.”

  “They could move?” Jaden asked.

  “Occasionally, we all could. Our captors had to let the numbing effects wear off so we could eat, drink, and take bathroom breaks. But as soon as that was done, those monsters applied fresh numbing applications. I must say, I nearly had a heart attack the first time I laid eyes on them. I was convinced they were there to kill us! But they just raised their antennae and sent out another dose of partial paralysis, at least, for your father and Atu’s parents. It took a while, but we worked out a system of passing the relic stone around so that we could all talk and move. This allowed us to start making plans.”

  Ty picked up the tale. “We began gathering information. We noted the names of places we overheard, but we didn’t recognize any of them. We were beginning to wonder if we would have to make a blind run for it when something unexpected happened.”

  “Yes,” Clara interjected. “The big man himself came to visit. I don’t remember much of what transpired during that meeting because he was so terrifying. But when he opened the breach, that was unforgettable. He was gloating over his achievement so much that whatever trick he used to dull our minds wore off. We were able to remember how he opened the breach.”

  “I assume he didn’t know that you could all move?” Jaden asked.

  “No, by then we had learnt how to hide that. I think it was our saving grace,” Clara said. “Two days later, we took action.
We concluded that the breach was the only way we would get back home. From what the Usurper said, we realized we were no longer in our world. Escaping into his world would have been futile. We waited until our guards came to our cell, and then we overpowered them. We snuck through that fortress until we found the place where the breach been opened. It took longer than planned for us to figure out the control board, but we did, and the breach opened. Your dad and I made it through, but before Taema and Sava could join us, the Usurper appeared. He slammed the breach shut with us on one side and them on the other.”

  “Where were you?” Jaden breathed.

  “That was the strange part. When your dad and I walked through the breach, we thought we were entering a forest. But as soon as the door closed, the landscape vanished, and we found ourselves floating in thin air. There was nothing there. It was a void.”

  “A void?” Jaden repeated.

  Ty had had enough of being quiet. “It was empty. It was quiet. We couldn’t communicate because all sound was dampened, and we just drifted there. We weren’t going anywhere. That was, until that friend of yours, Zareh, arrived. He waved those cute little arms of his, and before we knew it, your mother and I were home.”

  “So how where my parents able to escape?” Atu wondered.

  “When we got home, Zareh demanded to know everything. We told him all that had happened and gave him the names of the places we remembered. We also told him that your parents were still stuck there. He said he and his minions would raid the place, retrieve them, and bag the bad guy. Regrettably, the Usurper realized his lair was compromised. He was gone by the time Zareh’s forces arrived. The best news, though, was that the Usurper’s hasty departure meant he abandoned your parents.”

  “You met Zareh?” Jaden sputtered.

  “Yes, he’s quite the character.” Ty laughed.

  “But how did he know where to find you?”

  “Apparently, he was able to sense something wrong with the ‘alternate reality,’ whatever that means,” Ty answered.

  Jaden nodded. If anyone could ferret out an anomaly, it was Zareh. “So after he retrieved Atu’s parents, he brought them here?”