Sovereign (Realmwalker Book 3)

by Jonathan Franks

  “Yeah,” Gen nodded, “Dad mentioned that they were talking about giving you shock therapy. I wonder if the shock therapy sent you here. That’s so weird. Are you okay?”

  Slynn shrugged. “I guess so. I mean, my whole body feels a bit weird. I’ve got,” he turned his head to look at his wings, then cupped between his legs, “extra parts, you know?” He ran his hands up and down his chest. “Just… different, I guess. I don’t know. And my mind feels fuzzy. It’s hard to focus. It’s like now I hear voices in my brain. I thought shock therapy was supposed to help all of that. How did getting shocked make me schizo?”

  “What does this voice sound like?” Herron asked.

  “Haughty. A little bit of a know-it-all, but kind of insecure.”

  “That sounds like Slynn!” Shae squeaked.

  Hope rolled her eyes and looked at Gen. She tilted her head to the side a couple of times, beckoning Gen to come aside with her. Gen nodded and briefly held up her forefinger.

  “Mom?”

  Slynn looked at Gen.

  “I believe you. And we’ll figure something out. In the meantime, please, don’t fight the voice. I’ve been through a little bit of this. It is possible for you both to be in there. And Slynn is our guide through The Void. We’re trying to get to The Meadows and he’s the only one who knows exactly how to get there. Don’t shove him away or try to bury him, okay? Like that feeling when you’re scared so you push the scary thought to the back of your mind? Don’t do that. Just listen to him, okay?”

  “It’s an odd feeling,” Slynn said. “But I’ll try.”

  “Okay. I’m going to go talk to Hope for a bit now. You going to be okay?”

  Slynn nodded. Gen and Hope flew a little ways away from the others and settled next to each other on the roof of a nearby building.

  “What in the world, Gen?”

  Gen took Hope’s hand. “It’s my mother.”

  “Slynn is your mother, right? You already said you thought Slynn was your mother. What’s all this, then?”

  “I thought that Slynn, the pixie, was my mother’s counterpart. But this… This is my mother. Her voice. Her personality. She’s here!”

  “Is that good?” Hope asked.

  “I’m not sure about that yet. I missed her, though. Like, a lot.”

  “Hey, Gen?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you.”

  Gen smiled warmly at Hope. “I love you, too.” She spread her arms wide and Hope leaned against her. Gen wrapped her arms around Hope and nuzzled her nose against the side of Hope’s neck. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of her partner’s body so close to her.

  “She said something to me,” Hope said. “I don’t want to upset you.”

  “Not at all.”

  “She said that I remind her a lot of Jim.”

  Gen didn’t open her eyes. “That doesn’t surprise me. You’re a lot like each other.”

  “You think Shae is connected to the girl that he’s with now?”

  “That wouldn’t surprise me, either.”

  “How do you feel about that?” Hope asked.

  Gen sighed and hugged Hope a little tighter. She rocked back and forth on her hips to scoot slightly closer against Hope’s body. “I left him and I’m here with you. If there was a possibility I was going back, there might be a possibility I was upset that he didn’t wait for me. But I left him. I decided I probably wasn’t ever going back. And I have you. It’s fine. I love Shae and if this Portia girl is anything like her, then I hope Jim is really happy with her.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Okay. I have to tell you something else, then.”

  Gen’s body stiffened slightly but she didn’t say anything.

  “When we were in The Void before we went into The Caverns, when we were riding on the turtles, there was a bit where you fell asleep and I was talking to Shae. Our hands brushed and–”

  Gen picked her head up and opened her eyes to look at Hope.

  “Don’t be mad,” Hope said.

  Gen raised an eyebrow at her. “Tell me what happened first, then I’ll see about being mad.”

  “Nothing bad happened! Our hands brushed together. We weren’t holding hands or anything! Geez! Anyway, there was this weird… spark, maybe? An energy, I guess… I don’t know. The skin on our hands just happened to touch and there was a really kind of powerful intimacy there for a minute. Like we were really close. Like the same kind of feeling I have right before you totally let go and just gush all over me.”

  Gen grinned at Hope. Her cheeks flushed slightly. “Yeah, I do do that, don’t I?”

  “And I love it. Like, a lot.”

  Gen shook her head quickly. “Okay, but you felt that about Shae?”

  Hope made a face, dismissive but thoughtful. “Well, no. Kind of. It was just a flash. But if my human and Shae’s human are in love, then that makes some sense.”

  Gen’s expression was serious. She asked, quietly, “Do you want to be with her?”

  Immediately, Hope shook her head. “No. I just felt this weird energy with her this one time. And I wanted to tell you about it. I don’t want to be with anyone else. I just want you.”

  “Okay.” Gen kissed Hope and enjoyed how soft and warm her lips felt. “I love you.”

  Hope smiled. “I love you.”

  “Come on. Let’s go back. I’m so excited to introduce you to my mom!”

  -

  Within an hour, they were under way again. Gabrielle figured out how to allow Slynn’s voice back out. Slynn was terribly irritated that he’d been pushed around in his own mind and he was sulky and belligerent for the next few hours. To Gen, it felt like the first time her family would watch TV together after her mom and dad argued. Everyone was tense and anxious and it was clear that her mother was holding something back.

  “I’m concerned about my ability to fight if I have to contend for control of my own faculties,” Slynn said as they skirted around another small, wooded isle. “I don’t think Gabrielle is trying to put up a fight but my head is clouded and fuzzy. I think it’s probably best if I don’t assume a front-line position if we’re threatened.”

  “Okay, Slynn.” Gen tried to calm him. “It’s okay. Herron and Hope and I can probably handle most of what we’ll come across. I hope.”

  “Hey, Slynn?” Shae asked. “How far is the border to the next Realm?”

  “We call them provinces, not Realms.”

  “How far is it to the next province, then? Oh, I’m not looking forward to camping out here!”

  Slynn rolled his eyes. “You could at least wait until I actually answer.”

  “Sorry,” Shae said. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to actually tell the difference.”

  “We’re still good day and a half away from the border with Pillar Lagoon.”

  “But we can find a safe place, right?” Shae paused for almost two whole seconds before she said, “Okay, good. That makes me feel better.”

  Slynn groaned in frustration. “Yes. We’ll find somewhere safe. Let’s keep going for another few hours and we’ll find one of the smaller islands to camp. Something with some brush but no woods.”

  A few hours later, they found a grassy island and set up their camp. They split into watches. During Gen’s watch, a creature proportionally close to the size of a crocodile, but looking like a cross between a dachshund and a barracuda, tried to slither its way onto the island, but Gen chased it off by banging her sword and dagger together and running after it. Otherwise, the night was drama-free.

  Half a day or so after they got going again after breakfast, they stood at the border to the next province. The horizon and the scenery disappeared and the thick, empty grayness of The Void spread in front of them.

  “Pillar Lagoon,” Slynn said. “Everybody ready?”

  “Are we going to find anything as bad as those stupid bear things in here?” Shae asked.

  “Oh, beyond a doubt,” Slynn
answered. “Pillar Lagoon doesn’t have any pixie settlements. The dragons defend their turf pretty vigorously.”

  Gen looked at Slynn, trying to figure out if he was joking or not.

  “He’s serious,” Shae said.

  “Dragons, huh?” Gen asked.

  Slynn nodded.

  “Ever take one down?”

  Slynn shook his head.

  “Well,” Gen chuckled, “All right, then. Off we go.”

  Chapter 8

  Laura slammed the front door behind her. She yanked the red wool cap off of her head and shook the snow off of it. She was grinning from ear to ear.

  George looked up at her from the living room. He was sitting in the love seat, reading a book. “Did you get it?”

  Laura squealed with excitement and held up a set of keys.

  George got up and rushed to the door. He hugged Laura, then put his boots and coat on. “Well, let’s go see it!”

  Laura took George’s hand and yanked him out the door. “I’m so excited I’m so excited I’m so excited!”

  George laughed and tromped through the snow to the driveway. A brand-new red, two-door Jeep Cherokee Sport sat gleaming in the driveway. “Wow! It looks like the cherry on top of a sundae, all bright red in all this white.”

  “Let’s go for a ride!”

  “Sure.”

  George headed for the passenger side but Laura darted in front of him. George looked at her, confused.

  “Allow me,” she said, and opened the door for him.

  He grinned at her and got in. Laura closed the door after him and rushed to the driver side. She slipped along the way, recovered her balance, then closed the door once she was seated. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

  “It sure is.” George examined the buttons on the dash and rested his hand on the shifter. “You know how many points you get for buying the five-speed?”

  “A billion?”

  “At least.”

  Laura laughed. “Well, you know, I wanted to make sure you could drive it too!” She laughed. Every one of George’s friends who bought an automatic sports car gave “I want my girlfriend to be able to drive it” as the reason. She started the Jeep. “Look! It has air conditioning -”

  “Let’s not turn that on now.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! It’s like eleven degrees out.” Laura continued the tour of her new car’s features. “It has alloy wheels and a four-speaker stereo with a cassette player, cruise control, and durable gray cloth and vinyl seats that they put stain guard on for free! But most importantly, look how red it is!”

  “It’s awesome,” George said. He flipped down the visor and looked at the vanity mirror, then closed it and flipped it back up. “I thought you were dead-set on the four-door one, though. You said we already had a two-door and you, uh, ‘most certainly’ didn’t want another two-door.”

  “But it’s red!”

  George laughed again. “Yeah, I noticed that.”

  “They didn’t have any red four-doors, and that dealership didn’t have any four-doors with a manual at all. My dad really wasn’t in the mood to go wheeling through the slush at a different dealership, and he was very satisfied with the deal.”

  “Very satisfied?”

  “His exact words were,” Laura cleared her throat and did an imitation of Wes’s voice, “I am quite satisfied with these numbers.”

  “Wow. Maybe I should bring him to negotiate when I get a new car.”

  “Oh, sweetie,” Laura shook her head, “You’re never getting rid of your little Z. You know it.”

  George shook his head in mock confusion. “Who ever said anything about getting rid of the Z?”

  “But you…” Laura smirked. “Oh. How many cars do you think you need?” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter! Behold the magnificence of the 1989 Jeep Cherokee Sport!”

  “Is it four wheel drive?”

  “Of course it is!”

  “Laurie, this is awesome and we should totally go for a ride.” He clipped his seatbelt, then Laura did the same.

  She put it in reverse and backed out of the driveway, then slipped it into first. “Look,” she said. “Here’s something your little sports car can’t do!” She dumped the clutch and peeled out. The four-wheel drive gripped the snowy road and they launched down the street. Laura whooped with delight. She came to a stop at the stop sign, then started driving in a more normal, subdued fashion.

  “Nice launch,” George said. He quoted the TV commercial for the Cherokee. “You know its four-liter, six cylinder engine is more powerful - much more powerful - than anything in its class.” He laughed. Laura rolled her eyes. “Congratulations, baby. It’s fantastic. Happy graduation.”

  Laura beamed. “Thanks! You know, seriously, my dad was having a hard time keeping it together. I swore he was going to lose it and start crying right there at the Jeep place.”

  “He’s a proud papa. You graduated!”

  “And in another six months, you’ll graduate, too.”

  George nodded. “Yeah, but my folks aren’t going to buy me a new car!”

  Laura pouted. “It’s not like I’m spoiled or anything!”

  “No,” George teased. “Everyone’s parents buy them a twenty thousand dollar car as a graduation present.” He looked at Laura and she looked like she was actually upset. “Hey, no, I was just teasing. I don’t think you’re spoiled. You earned it.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah! You’re a proper scientist and you have a proper degree from a proper school. And now you have a proper car to trek through the jungle in.”

  Laura laughed. “I gotta break it in before we do any jungle trekking.”

  “Oh, of course,” George said. “That goes without saying.”

  By the time they’d finished their long drive and arrived back at the Summers’ house, Geoff had gotten home. Laura parked next to the Saab, behind George’s Datsun. They got out of the car and walked back up the driveway. It had started to snow again and Laura drew a smiley face in the snow on the Datsun’s window. George laughed.

  Laura looked at the 240Z, then back at her Cherokee, then back at the Z. “You know what? The roof of your car comes up to, like, my bumper.”

  “Yeah. It’s for grippy and precise handling.”

  “And that does you a shit ton of good in the middle of December.”

  George laughed, then he grabbed a handful of snow off the roof of his car and threw it at Laura.

  She yelled, “No, you don’t!” Then she charged at him and tackled him, sending them both sprawling into the tall snow bank that Mr. Summers’ snow blower built up on the side of the driveway. They romped in the snow, wrestling with each other. George was so focused on shoving a handful of snow down Laura’s shirt that he didn’t notice the pixie take off from the evergreen tree in the front yard.

  -

  Eventually, George and Laura went inside. They kicked off their snowy boots and slipped out of their wet and snowy jackets.

  “Dad?” George called.

  “In the kitchen.”

  “Okay, we’re all wet and we’re going to go change.”

  There was silence for a moment, then Geoff answered. “Okay.”

  Laura’s eyes were wide with pretend innocence. She looked George in the eyes and smiled. Her eyes twinkled.

  George took her hand and led her up the stairs to his room. He closed and locked the door behind them, then knelt in front of Laura, picked up one foot at a time and peeled her wet socks off. He looked up at her, grinning. He put a finger to his lips.

  “Not a sound.”

  Laura nodded and George slowly unbuttoned each button of her button fly jeans, then he slowly pulled them down. She put her hand on his shoulder and stepped out of them. He slid up her body and felt her cold skin. He pulled her damp U of I sweatshirt over her head, unclasped her bra and looked at her standing naked in front of him.

  “God, you’re beautiful.”

  She shivered. “And I’m freez
ing,” she whispered.

  George put his finger to his lips again. “Ssh.” He stripped his own clothes off and roughly shoved Laura down onto the bed. She gasped with excitement.

  George whispered at her in a firm, authoritative voice. “Not. A. Sound.”

  Laura’s eyes were wide as she nodded. George climbed on top of her and she bit George’s shoulder to keep from making any noise as he entered her. They were both so worked up that it didn’t take long until Laura bit her lip and silently arched her back, raking her fingernails across George’s back as he collapsed on top of her. They were both breathing heavily, but as quietly as they could.

  George breathed into Laura’s ear, “You didn’t make a sound.” He kissed her ear, which still had a slight chill to it, then he whispered again. “Good girl.”

  They got dressed in warm, dry clothes, and went downstairs. Both of their legs were slightly wobbly.

  Geoff sat at the kitchen table, working on a crossword puzzle. He looked up at George and Laura as they entered the kitchen and quickly looked back down at his crossword puzzle, trying hard not to smile. George noticed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Geoff shook his head. Mirth was plain on his face.

  “What?” George asked again.

  “Nothing. You kids eat yet?”

  “No,” Laura said. “We were talking about going out.”

  “In this weather?”

  “Yeah,” George said. “Laura got a new car. It’s kind of brilliant. Who would go out in the snow like this? We would, with the safety and power of four wheel drive!”

  Geoff smiled. “Okay. Have fun and be safe.”

  “Why don’t you come with us?” Laura asked.

  “Yeah, dad,” George agreed. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

  Geoff looked up at the kids.

  “Seriously,” George said. “Come with us.”

  “Okay, okay. Where to?”

  “I was thinking Ristorante Farfalla,” George said.

  “Oh,” Geoff nodded. “We haven’t been there in a long time. Okay. Let’s go. But I’m not sitting in the back seat.”

  “That’s fine, dad.”

  They put their coats on and trudged through the snow to Laura’s new Jeep, then they drove across town to the restaurant. George was right: the place was practically empty. They ordered and their food came out right away.